We are staying with Lucy and Nick for about a week. They live in Arundal which is near to Surfer's Paradise. Their bungalow is really nice and is in a street like Neighbours! They have palm trees and a pool in their garden too!

We went on a boat cruise around the Broad Waters which is just down the road. We looked at some really posh houses just off the water ways, they are millions of dollars and one had its on helipad!

In the evening we went to a Hawiian party at one of their friend's houses. They are English and have been out here for 1 year and have got a house on the canal with their own speed boat!

On Sunday we went to Coolangatta which is just South of here and is still on the Gold Coast. It is a nice coastal town with a gorgeous golden beach with blue sea again!!! We had yummy ice cream here! We went to Pineridge Conservation Park in Runaway Bay to look for kangaroos but got loast and ended up having to climb over a fence to get out! I looked so elegant and ladylike in a skirt!

On Monday we went to Tambourine Mountain which is just inland from here. It is a really high mountainous area with small villages and quaint houses. There are good views over the mountains and the Gold Coast from here. However, when we were up here Lucy got worried but I turned off my phone (oops!). There were bush fires down one side of the mountain which were bad and the fire brigade were back burning to try and control it. But we got back safe and sound and oblivious to how bad it was!

Pink champagne is cheap here - had a few glasses! Could get used to this!! Chela - you'd like it here!!!

Today I drove to Springbrook Mountain - kept wanting to put my foot on the clutch or change gears! It was a bit of a scary drive as there were big drops on the side of the road and there were no fences!! We went to Natural Bridge which is part of the Springbrook National Park. Neil, Lucy and I went for a walk through the rainforest and down to the waterfall. It was a good walk but we kept thinking we heard things rustling in the undergrowth! I'm sure I saw a glow worm in the cave! We drove back through the mountains - spectacular views and small villages. We're off to eat Moreton Bay Bugs for dinner tonight - yum! They are really tasty, they look a little like a lobster and taste a bit like prawns.

Yesterday we spent the day around Surfers Paradise and went up to the Spit. Surfer's Paradise has a really nice beach - its long with golden sands and blue sea. It is a little busier than other beaches we have been to so far, but is really quiet in comparison to English beaches! Surfer's is a touristy town with lots of shops and restaurants. The spit is like a peninsula near here, with beaches on both sides and nature walk in the middle. It nice and peaceful with good views!

Today we went back down to Byron Bay for a dive at Julian Rocks. They are a 5 minute boat journey off the coast and it is in to the top 10 dive places in Oz. the journey was a bit choppy and I felt seasick which is no surprise but Neil had his first encounter of feeling seasick! Now he can empathise with me! The dive felt a bit rushed even though we told them it is our first qualified dive. However, when we were under the water we saw a giant turtle which was brilliant, a reef shark (I think) - it was very small and not scary! Then we saw loads of fish and a blue gropper, which followed us round. 

We're moving up North tomorrow and away form the unlimited interent access Lucy and Nick has provided us with (greatly appreciated - thank you!) so we may not update quite as regularly!