OUR JOURNEY UP TO BRISBANE,FROM MANLY IN SYDNEY,THROUGH TO BYRON BAY,SURFERS PARADISE,THEN FINALLY BRISBANE CITY...

WELL WE LEFT LOVELY CHILLED MANLY,TO GO BACK TO THE CITY,WHICH SEEMED LIKE WE HADN'T LEFT,WE HAD TO FIND THE COACH STATION AND FIND SOMEWHERE TO PUT OUR LUGGAGE FOR THE DAY,LUCKILY THE TRAIN STATION HOLDS THEM FOR YOU,,WE HAD A WONDER AROUND THE CITY FOR A LITTLE WHILE BEFORE HEADING TO HYDE PARK TO CHILL..WE HAD TO CATCH THE COACH AT 6.45PM,AND IT WAS A 12 HOUR COACH JOURNEY UP TO BYRON BAY,GLAD WE DID THE JOURNEY AT NIGHT SO WE COULD SLEEP. WE HAD A COUPLE OF STOPS ALONG THE WAY WHICH WAS GOOD AS IT WAS A LONG WAY,,WE WOKE WITH THE SUN RISING THE FURTHER UP THE COAST WE GOT. OUR STOP FINALLY,"BYRON BAY" IT WAS A CLEAR DAY THE SUN WAS SHINNING AND IT WAS ONLY 9AM,WHAT A NICE DAY IT WAS GOING TO BE,WE FOUND OUR HOSTEL 'DIVE CENTRE INN' JUST UP THE ROAD FROM THE BUS STOP. WE HAD TO GO AND GET A COFFEE AND BREKFAST BEFORE CHECKING IN,IT IS A VERY HIPPY PLACE,EVERYTHING SITUAITED ALONG THE ONE ROAD WHICH LEADS TO THE LOVELY HUGE NEVER ENDING BEACH,WHERE THERE ARE DOLPHINS MOST DAYS,WHICH WE UNFORTUNAITLY DIDNT GET CHANCE TO SEE,,THE HOSTEL WAS A NICE PLACE WE WERE SHARING WITH 10 OTHER PEOPLE THE DORM WAS CLEAN,AND THE PEOPLE WERE FRIENDLY,,WE HEADED TO THE BEACH WHERE YOU CAN JUST CHILL COS ITS SO NICE,WHITE SANDS BLUE SEA,SURFERS,,WE DIDNT TASTE THE NIGHT LIFE THETA NIGHT.WE WENT TO HAVE A LOOK AT THE HOSTEL 'ARTS FACTORY' THAT WAS A COOL PLACE YOU CAN STAY IN DORMS OR TENTS,VERY HIPPY,LIZARDS ROAMING AROUND FREE,PARROTS HELPING YOU EAT YOU BREAKFAST,LOOKED SO COOL,WE TRIED TO GET A ROOM BUT IT WAS FULLY BOOKED..OUR NEXT TRIP WAS TO "NIMBIN" BOUT AN HOUR AWAY FROM BYRON,IT COST $25 ONCE WE WERE THERE IT WAS WIERD,ALOT LIKE AMSTERDAM BUT ON A WAY SMALLER SCALE,GOT CHATTING TO A BLOKE CALLED "KEN THE STORYTELLER" HE HAD SOME STORIES TO TELL ABOUT THE WORLD,AND HE HAS MAD A BOOK FOR YOU TO PICK OUT CARDS,A BIT LIKE TARROT BUT THEY HAVE A STORY ON THEM,WE WENT TO HAVE ALOOK AROUND THE HANDFULL OF SHOPS WHICH WERE ALL THE SAME,AND BROUGHT SOME WEED,WHICH WE HID AS SOMETIMES, THE COPS DO A SIEGE ON THE STREET,,WE LEFT NIMBIN FEELING HAPPY.WENT VIA MOUNT WARNING WHICH WAS ONCE AN OLD VOLCANOE,.OUR NIGHT OUT AT CHEEKY MONKEYS WAS GREAT,A FEW GAMES TO GET THE NIGHT GOING,THEN ONCE THE FOOD STOPS BEING SERVED,THE TABLES TURN INTO THE DANCE FLOOR,AND ITS A SQUASH TO GET ON TO DANCE,BUT WE MANAGED IT.

LEAVING BYRON TO SURFERS,NOT SUCH A LONG TRECK THIS TIME,WE ARRIVED,AT "SURFERS PARADISE" WELL IT WAS ALL BUILT UP,NOTHING LIKE WHAT YOU WOULD THINK GOING FROM THE NAME.WE WAS STAYING AT "SURFERS BACKPACKERS INN" JUST ABOUT 20MIN WALK TO THE BEACH,AND THAT WAS A LITTLE DISSAPOINTING TO,HUGE AGAIN WHITE SAND,BLUE WATER,BUT NOT THAT BREATH TAKING,STILL THOUGH BETTER THAN BEACH'S AT HOME.WE STAYED ONE NIGHT THERE AND MOVED ON TO" BRISBANE"

"BRISBANE" IS VERY BUILT UP,BUT NOTHING AS FAST AS SYDNEY,WHICH IS GOOD,WE ARE STAYING AT "HOMESTEAD" WHICH IS A LITTLE OUT THE WAY OF TOWN BUT THEY DO A FREE BUS TO TOWN,AND THERE SISTER HOSTEL 'CITY BACKPACKERS' IT IS FULL OF IRISH WHO KNOW HOW TO HAVE A GOOD TIME,HERE WE WENT TO 'LONEPINE KOALA SANCTUARY' WHICH WAS $15 TO GET IN (WITH VIP CARD) THEN IF YOU WANT YOUR PICTURE TAKEN WITH THE KOALA THEN THATS $15 SO WE HAD OUR PICTURE TAKEN AND THEY ARE SO CUTE THEY LOOK STONED ALL THE TIME,WE TOOK LOADS OF PICTURES THERE,WE ALSO FED THE KANGAROOS,WHICH ON THAT DAY WERE VERY LAZY,AND DIDNT REALY MOVE BUT A FEW ATE OUT OF OUR HANDS,WHICH WAS COOL,,SO THAT DAY OUR CAMERS TOOK A BEATING,PHOTOS PHOTOS AND MORE PHOTOS. WE HAD A KAREOKE NIGHT AT THE HOSTEL,WHERE THE GIRLS FROM THE HOSTEL ALL SANG,IT WAS WICKED..THE SATURDAY NIGHT OUT HERE IS GOOD VERY BUSY.

WELL WE MOVE ON TOMORROW UP TO FRAISER ISLAND SO SPEAK TO YOU ALL SOON.

XXX CAZ AND LOZ XX