Noosa and Hervey Bay!

The clouds ahead of us when we left for the Sunshine Coast didn't look promising! On the way up towards Noosa we stopped off at Australia Zoo (Home of the Crocodile Hunter, the late Steve Irwin!) and CRIKEY was it expensive to get in but we did see Terri Irwin!! Not a patch on the Singapore Zoo or the Night Safari apart from the croc show which was impressive but still good fun! By the time we arrived in Noosa it was late afternoon, so we pitched the tent, grabbed some supplies and had sausages on the BBQ. We woke hoping for better weather but sadly that wasn't the case and Mark was thinking about writing a letter to the Australian Tourist Board to complain - Trades Description Act regarding the Sunshie Coast! Despite the rain we wandered around Noosa during the morning and went back to the campsite to have lunch but also check on the tent - it was in a bog but OK! That afternoon we decided we'd get wet by the sea rather than the rain and hit the beach for some boarding. The first beach (Sunshine Beach) had excellent waves so Mark ventured out first but came back pretty quickly with his tail between his legs after being hit in the private regions by the board while trying to get out over the surf! Even the Aussie pros looked to be struggling with the big waves. Determined not to be beaten we went to another beach (The Spit) where the waves were more our level but still challenging. Fortunately Rach had a more reliable bikini on this time and we spent a good couple of hours in the surf. As the afternoon wore on the surf became busier so we decided to leave it to the locals to avoid embarassment.
Yesterday (Mark's Birthday) we packed up and headed for Hervey Bay. Arriving at lunchtime we got ourselves sorted - including arranging our 4x4 rental for Fraser Island (leave on Monday 11th for 3 days). Happy and content we hit the beach for some sun - there are no waves in Hervey Bay due to it being sheltered by Fraser Island so we just topped up the tans! The weather had delivered on Mark's birthday and before returning to the campsite we walked along the 800m pier to view the spectacular coastal scenery. That evening we spent in the camp kitchen cooking fajitas on the BBQ and chatting to the other campers (a retired couple from Leeds). We are here in Hervey Bay for another two days before going to Fraser. Tonight we're heading up to Bundaberg to hopefully see the turtles who visit the beach at sunset.
Hope all is well at home and love to all.
Mark & Rach. xxx

Pictures to follow soon!

It's the end of a perfect day for surfer boys and girls....

After a great New Year in Melbourne we've now returned to the East Coast. Fortunately the flight back was less of an adventure than going down to Melbourne. We picked up our kit that we left in storage at the campsite on the outskirts of Brisbane and once again got into the routine of pitching, going shopping and sitting under shelter while it rained!! Luckily it only lasted a couple of hours but we were happy chilling and reading.

Yesterday we headed South to visit the Gold Coast seeing we didn't see it properly before Christmas. We stopped off in Surfers Paradise on the way to Tweed Heads for a cup of tea/coffee and to be honest didn't think much of the place - very busy, touristy and too built up but at least we've been there. The campsite we are now staying in is the most expensive so far and we would describe it as OK. In the afternoon due to the weather not being great we explored an area called the Springbrook National Park which supposedly had great views of the area - one called the 'Best of all Look Outs'. By the time we got there we were in the clouds and could literally only see 5 metres in front of us - not the Best of all Look Outs for us! Last night we had a quick and easy meal before polishing of some beers and wine while playing cards next to the Billabong.

Today we've spent much of the day by the beach and in the afternoon bought a bodyboard called 'Mad Dog' so now we own two mad dogs - both uncontrollable!! I spent most of the time on the board while Rach spent most of her time trying to recover her bikini top and bottoms due to the surf rip! She exposed more than the beach wanted to see! With her bikini having a life of it's own she decided to take some photos instead.

Tomorrow we leave for the Sunshine Coast so lets hope it lives up to its name!

Hope the weather begins to improve for all you guys at home.

Love to all.

Mark & Rach. xxx

Christmas in Melbourne and the Great Ocean Road

Christmas was a different one this year but brilliant all the same. We went down to St Kilda Beach for a picnic by the sea. We had beautiful sunshine but a cool breeze so no swimming. Our picnic was washed down with a bottle of fizz and then all but Mark napped in the sun. In the evening we made a turkey dinner and polished off plenty of wine, beer and whiskey. A great day had by all.

On Boxing Day we were treated by Marks work bosses (Neil & Libby) to a day at the MCG to watch the Boxing Day test match against Pakistan. As the morning wore on the sun crept into the stands and we roasted with beers in hand watching the cricket. We were also kept highly entertained by the many drunken Aussi fans in the seats below us - the famous Bay 13!! 96 people were arrested for anti social behaviour and we're sure many more had close calls with security. It was all highly entertaining!

On the 27th December we started our route along the Great Ocean Road. It took all day to get to our overnight stop over point at Warnambool with plenty of stops to admire the stunning coastline along the way. We arrived at 'Quamby Homestead' (our accommodation) at 8pm only to discover that Trailfinders had messed up Nick's booking and only booked one room. Fortunately the owner (Julie) phoned round the area to try to find extra accomodation. This time of year most places are fully booked but she had some friends in a nearby village who were happy to have us. It wasn't a B&B but Joan and Keith happily welcomed us into their house. We had a cup of tea with them before bed and chatted about our travels. They were fantastic hosts and incredibly generous to take two random strangers into their home at such late notice.

On the following day we had planned to travel to Adelaide - a 7 hour drive. The previous days journey and busy timetable since arriving had taken its toll on Nick and Sally and the thought of spending another full day in the car was not appealing. We decided to look at other options so we could spend more time sightseeing at a more leisurely pace. Julie from 'Quamby Homestead' fortunately had availability so we booked in for another night. During the day we managed to get a couple of rooms in a motel on our route back to Melbourne in a place called 'Camperdown'. With a plan in place we could enjoy the sights of 'Warnambool' and 'Port Fairy' for a couple of days.

Yesterday we travelled back to Melbourne and last night went to 'Phillip Island' to watch the Penguine Parade. At sunset thousands of people gather on the beach of the island to watch the hundreds of little penguins returen from their day at sea. They appear from the surf in groups of about 10 at a time and waddle up the beach to their nests and young. It was a fantastic sight and well worth the 2 hour drive to get there. Mark had done a lot of driving and deserved a beer when we got back!

Tonight we plan to celebrate New Year with the half a million people estimated to be on the streets of Melbourne to watch the fire work display.

A Happy New Year to all at home!

Loads of Love

Rach & Mark. xxx

Merry Christmas!

Hello all,
Merry Christmas from Melbourne! We will be spending Christmas and Boxing Day here and then travelling the Great Ocean Road with Nick (Marks Dad) and Sally. Boxing Day will be a treat as we have tickets for the Boxing Day Test Match at the MCG!
It was 39 degrees yesterday when we arrived but today only a mild 22 degrees with a few showers. The forecast is much the same for tomorrow but we still plan to have a picnic on St Kilda Beach.
Hope you all have a great festive season and the snow holds out.
Miss you all loads.
Love
Rach & Mark. xxx

Coffs Harbour & Byron Bay

From our last update from 'Port Macquarie' we travelled North near to 'Coffs Harbour' where we stayed in a fantastic campsite on 'Darlington Beach'. The unpowered tent sites were great as there was an open woodland area and you could pick your spot and set up camp. We did exactly that and once the tent was up we went to explore the site and surrounding area. The beach was stunning but incredibly windy so we settled for a chilled out afternoon by the swimming pool instead.

That evening after dinner we walked back to our tent in the pitch black struggling to see more than a few yards infront of us. This was made even harder by the fact that there were kangaroos everywhere and we nearly walked straight into a few of them; only realising they were there when they bounced out of the way.

The following day we made our way up to a campsite in 'Lennox Head' just South of 'Byron Bay'. We stayed there for 3 nights and although the weather wasn't very kind to us with some heavy rain we had a great time. The campsite was packed with families planning to stay over the Christmas holidays. Our little tent seemed a bit inadequate amongst all the giant caravans with all the mod cons! On our first day we explored Byron and visited the lighthouse which is the most Easterly point of Australia. It was quite a walk up to it but gave amazing views of Byron Bay and the other beaches. In the afternoon despite the cloud we found a great beach called 'Broken Head' to spend the rest of the day relaxing with our books and newspapers. Unfortunately by Saturday night the rain had arrived and it continued to pour all day Sunday. We didn't let it dampen our spirits and spent the day shopping and went to the cinema in a nearby town called 'Ballina'.

During our time in 'Lennox Head' we met some lovely people and had some amusing beer fueled evenings, including one involving Marks hair clippers and some poor victims of drunken decision making. By the morning with three Australian heads shaved Mark was known as 'The Bloody POM' responsible for some rather amusing new hair styles.

We are now in Brisbane for 2 nights before flying to Melbourne to meet Nick (Marks Dad) and Sally for Christmas which we're very excited about.

Love to all at home and Merry Christmas!

Mark & Rach. xxx

Beach bumming in Port Macquarie

Today we woke up early as the sun heated the tent. We had breakfast and were down at the beach by 9am. The surfers were out in force which gave us great entertainment. While watching them Rach noticed a group of fins in the water and it was a pod of dolphins. They were about 50 metres off the shore and hung around all day swimming up and down the coast. Near to the beach there was a viewing point called Nobby's Hill. From up there we could see that there were actually 3 pods of dolphins and some were frollocking in the waves. The picture was the best of a bad bunch but sort of shows them.

In the afternoon we retired back to the campsite and spent the remainder of the afternoon relaxing in the sun by the pool.

Tonight we plan to BBQ again and then tomorrow are heading up to Coffs Harbour.

Thank you for all the messages and hope you are all organised and ready for Christmas. We heard a Christmas song on the radio today and it sounded so out of place. Just can't get in the spirit when it's 35 degrees! Sorry but can't help rubbing it in.

Love

Rach & Mark. xxx

Port Stephens, Manning Point and Port Macquarie

After spending the first few days near Sydney we headed up the East coast in our little car packed full with gear. Our first port of call was in a place called Karauh which is just north of Port Stephens. We pitched the tent in quick fashion and headed out to explore the area. We've discovered that there are too many beautiful beaches to visit but we chilled at several around the area, namely Shoal Bay and Fingal Bay. That evening we had the whole camp kitchen to ourselves so just chilled and ate, oh, and a drink!
The next day we headed off to the Hunter Valley for a bit of wine tasting. Mark was driving - yes, Mark was driving so Rach had to do all the drinking, something she found difficult - not! We visited five vineyards and picked up a couple of bottles for consumption and a couple for Christmas. On the way back we stopped off at a drive through pie shop to make our dinner that evening easier - again we had the kitchen to ourselves.
We left Karauh very relaxed and looking forward to our next stop - Manning Point. Again we took the scenic route rather than staying on the Pacific Highway. We stopped for lunch at a place called Seal Point and despite the weather being cloudy the scenery was still stunning. Arriving at the campsite at mid afternoon we pitched (getting quicker) and walked to the beach with a beer and a packet of Salt and Vingear crisps! Manning Point is a very small place with not much regarding shops. The general store had to be everything - petrol, takeaway, grocery and coffee shop but it closed at 6pm! That night we meet a great elderly couple and chatted about everything until it was time for bed.
Today we cleared up the pitch and travelled to Port Macquarie. It' s a lot busier than the other sites we've been to so far with more backpackers! We got ourselves settled and then went to a Koala Park near to the town. They had other animals there and Rach took plenty of pictures of cuddly bears! Tonight we're going to explore the town more before having a BBQ.
Hope all is well at home and thanks for all the messages.
Love
Mark & Rach. xxx