Brisbane

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So, we haven't had the opportunity to post for a few days, so we've a bit of catching up to do.

First off, our final two days in Byron Bay were quite fulfilling. On the first night a fellow approached us and sold us on a surf lesson for the following day. It's Australia, we couldn't really pass up a chance to learn how to surf. Only $35 for a 4-hour lesson, which is about $25 cheaper than anywhere else we could find, so it was well worth the money. The instructor took us and two other couples, from Britain and from Germany (very nice people), to a little-known surf spot. We spent the morning being pushed into the paths of waves, and believe it or not, we were not too bad at it. Kris was even appointed the champion of the day by the fellow instructing us. And, I know it's cliche, but I couldn't help but think of Beach Boys songs as I was heading into the beach on a wave. Haha.

Another adventure we had was a 6 km trek up to the Cape Byron Lighthouse, positioned on top of a steep cliff overlooking Byron Bay and the Pacific. The trek wound through stretches of jungle and veered off to the edges of the cliffs. It was hard going. We were panting for breath by the time we reached the top. On our way up, we chanced across, and I quote, "The most Eastern point in Australia." Pictures to prove it, soon. The cliffs rose out of the waterline sharply, allowing for an isolated beach here and there, the ocean breeze was mercifully cooling and I've never tasted such pure air in my life. All in all, worth the exercise.

We left Byron Bay the morning of the 10th, heading up to Brisbane on a 4-hour Greyhound ride. We stayed a night in a hostel called Cloud 9, where we had very annoying roommates that kept us up 'til an indecent time of night: two girls, one from Ireland, the other, British. That day we spent exploring downtown Brisbane, which is cut through by a winding river that seemed rather dirty compared to every other body of water we've come across. We had supper at a Vietnamese shop down one of the streets and endured the lemoniest lemon chicken either of us has ever tasted. It was intense, albeit very good.

The last few days we've simply been searching for jobs. We've been staying in a shared house in the suburbs, a place we discovered in an ad on Gumtree, and it has been a relief to say the least. It's even cheaper than any hostel we could find here (this place is expensive), and we were definitely grateful we'd found it. Our housemate is a born and bred Aussie by the name of Dean, who is getting on in his years. We've had a couple good chats with him out on the back porch, and he even offered me a few beer last night, which I accepted in good humour.

Anyways, that's about all for now. We're off job-hunting for the rest of the day, and if we don't come across anything, we'll be booking a ticket north to Mackay. Which, from what I've heard, is another 12 hour bus ride. On the road again!

Jord

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Comments

[Catherine]

Nice entries
Hi :-) I'm planning a trip out to Australia mid-2013 and have come across your blog in all the random research i've been doing. Can't wait to read more about your adventures. Hope you have some luck with the job hunting Catherine