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A long awaited blog finally arrives all the way from Australia.
So from Christchurch we flew to Sydney. We first met with Meredith and Angus who took care of us in Wahroonga while we awaited the arrival of Cat and Jo. We spent a day in Sydney wandering and getting to the know the place so we had an idea of what was where.
Next thing we knew Cat and Jo came down the ramp into Sydney arrivals and we took a taxi to find our home for the next two weeks. Excited about the journey we were brought back to Earth by a serious campervan operator who probably had in the small print "no fun allowed". Anyway we left him behind and began our drive of over 1000 miles toward Rockhampton. We travelled via Tamworth and Miles to finally make it to Rockhampton on the third day into the trip. We soon found a tour to the nearby Keppel Islands. Under the watchful eye of Ferg the water sports man we enjoyed some kayaking, tubing and snorkelling as part of a one day trip. We made our way out to Yeppoon and Emu Park for a couple of nights and saw an advert for a Wildlife Sanctuary where we met wallabies, peacocks, cockatoos, ants, emus and a Cassowary with an attitude problem. Jo decided to hold a Koala called Capri and looked almost too comfortable as she side stepped toward the exit. However, the keeper caught her and put her back in the cage just in time, (not Jo, the Koala). We all got to hold a Joey named Sparkles who happily sat in a bag for us looking charmingly bewildered.
Another night in Yeppoon and then it was time to head back south toward Sydney. Passing bush fires and following diversions slowed our progress. We arrived in Bundaberg early evening and were distressed to find nowhere had space for "Clint" our camper van. We have to thank the information board for its cold and silent assistance as we visited it more times than hungry bees on a binge visit flowers. Just as things were getting desperate we headed for KFC, which is what you do in a modern accommodation crisis, to mull the problem over. Praise the Lord that a campervan in a neighbouring park left after only arriving hours earlier, and so we slotted in (for the win) and stayed there one night.
After deliberating at the now open information station in Bundaberg we went to Coral Cove in search of a wild Dolphin that had picked up the habit of getting food from locals. Unfortunately the Dolphin was nowhere to be seen but we discovered some fresh sand banks left by the withdrawing tide to walk on. We stayed near Rainbow Beach after a brief swim and had bangers and mash for tea while being told some stories by a nice Canadian couple. Next day we headed to Noosa Heads in search of some surf but were not disappointed to find ice cream instead before rolling on. We decided to pay a visit to Australia Zoo, in Beerwah, once the home of the legendary Steve Irwin. It was a good day and we saw the famous croc show starring Graeme the Croc!
We travelled ever further south and came across Sunshine Beach. The sun was blazing and the waves, although not massive, called for some surfing to be done. After eating and parking we rented some boards and everyone gave it a go. Later that afternoon we saw humpback whales breeching which completed a really cool day.That evening we went out for dinner and left Clint's stove cold. Jo had an incident with a BBQ sauce sachet but the rest of the delicious food was well received. We sadly didn't have the time to potter in Brisbane so breezed right on through to a town south of Surfers Paradise where we discovered a Wet n' Wild water park. Kept entertained by the slides for much of the day we later headed back to Clint to continue the journey to Tweed Heads. Then we worked our way down to the picturesque Byron Bay. We tried some body-boarding and surfing but the waves were not playing the same game and it was tough going. We stayed two nights there and attended Church on Sunday where there was free food!
We travelled on in Clint down to Port Macquarie and stayed in the wind and rain! After having sunshine for the past weeks this came as a surprise but provided some great muddy puddles to jump into. We stayed huddled in the camper van and watched another of Jo's DVD's after our van-cooked dinner. We made our last major journey all the way to Narrabeen up the coast from Sydney where we stayed for the last two days of Cat and Jo's time in Australia. We took the ferry from Manly to Circular Key and visited the Opera House and Bridge as well as two very posh shopping centres before getting some food. A hot day in Sydney exhausted us after travelling so many miles and we retired to Narrabeen. We said farewell to our two guests early on the 30th after finding a spot near the airport to stay the night where we cleaned and tidied the van.
We returned the van and met up with our pilot friend Derek (who we met in New York in May) who was able to set us up in his new home in Gymea, thanks a lot Derek! We spent a whole day doing nothing which was different but the following day ventured into Sydney to find internet and attend Hillsong Church. Hillsong was very energetic and the speaker was impressive. Next day we left Derek as he was off to fly again and checked into the Railway Square YHA. Returning to a hostel for the first time in months was a shock to the system but it was only for one night.
We picked up our final camper van from "Wicked" rentals Sydney and were sad to be given a camper that was not that great, with a terrible paint job. Regardless we got on board and motored to Canberra. We spent a whole day in the War Memorial Museum which was very interesting. We even went back the next day to finish seeing all the exhibits. We continued on to Albury for the night and swiftly got down to Melbourne the next day. We ended up in Frankstown for a night and while looking for a place to watch the Rugby came across Connect Christian Church. Energetic worship was followed by a very good speaker and we met a cool Youth Leader before heading to Glen Waverly. To get out the heat we went to the cinema before heading to Burwood East, where we are now.
We're currently staying with Jill and Trevor Finlayson who have given us some great home comforts for which we are extremely grateful.
Only a month to go but plenty to fit in!
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