Stephen here. We arrived in Townsville on Wednesday afternoon. We'd stopped there briefly on our last trip to Australia at the end of 2000. We checked out the hostel and found that the kitchen was tiny. We figured this gave us a great excuse to treat ourselves to a meal out, and so after dark we sauntered down to Tim's Surf And Turf and had the eponymous steak and prawns. Yum!
Townsville was just a stopover to take us to Magnetic Island - 8km off the coast. It's a very attractive island (or a repulsive one, depending on your polarity). (Do you see? It's magnetic.) In fact the island is not magnetic, and is so called as Captain Cook's instruments went funny as he sailed past it in 1770.
We passed the tropic of Capricorn back in Rockhampton, so we're into Tropical North Queensland now. Thus Magnetic Island is truly a tropical island. It really is beautiful here. Much more heavily populated than Keppel Island (where we were a week or so ago), though still populated with odd wildlife. We're surrounded by possums as we eat, and "screaming" curlew birds wake us in the night.
We scrabbled around the island on Thursday, walking (and climbing) about 10k, exploring the bays and beaches. Unfortunately Anne got bitten to ridiculous extremes by mossies. She has bad reactions to bites, and has large lumps on her leg, arm and bottom. Her back looks like she's been removed from The Matrix! She's itching, is in pain, and is very unhappy about it. Fortunately she has a supportive boyfriend who puts up with her irritability like a martyr. I am great. Poor Anne though (for being bitten).
Today we scrabbled over a big hill to a secluded beach at Balding Bay. We sunbathed there for hours. After some time we realised that a few of our fellow bathers were entirely nudie! This was, we later read, an unofficial nudist beach. Unfortunately it was generally only men and older people who'd shed their clothes - none of the more nubile younger ladies. I was thus able to concentrate my attentions on the new Harry Potter book, which Anne finished two days ago.
This afternoon we went through hell trying to book hostels north of Cairns. We got quite stressed and realised we should have booked earlier. We may end up spending one night in a dorm again. Oh noooo!
The story:
Stephen and Anne, both in their late twenties, quit their jobs and left London. They took a year off. They first travelled to Australia, with a week in Tokyo on the way. After living and working in Sydney for three months they toured Australia for five months. They then spent two months exploring New Zealand using rental cars. They ended the year with two weeks of sun in Fiji, and a short jaunt in LA and San Fran. They then returned home, to a new life!
Friday, June 27, 2003
Snorkeling memories
Anne neglected to mention my antics whilst snorkeling off the Whitsundays. First off, I swallowed a load of saltwater in one horrid mouthful. I felt dodgy for the rest of the day and kept burping. Blargh!
Second, we bought a disposable underwater camera in Airlie Beach before we set sail. I was swimming on my back underwater, posing so that Anne could take a dramatically heroic shot of me. Once she'd taken the photo I swam into some hard coral and cut myself (ripping my stinger suit). It hurt like hell, and the crew of the boat told me that coral can grow inside you if it infects you. I'll keep you posted as to whether I turn into Coral Man. (In my X-Men outfit, at least I have the uniform.)
Second, we bought a disposable underwater camera in Airlie Beach before we set sail. I was swimming on my back underwater, posing so that Anne could take a dramatically heroic shot of me. Once she'd taken the photo I swam into some hard coral and cut myself (ripping my stinger suit). It hurt like hell, and the crew of the boat told me that coral can grow inside you if it infects you. I'll keep you posted as to whether I turn into Coral Man. (In my X-Men outfit, at least I have the uniform.)
Sunday, June 22, 2003
Welcome To The Hell-Hostel
We were forced to sleep in a shared dorm last night, with five strangers.
This is not good. We're not really up for that, and have been getting double or twin rooms everywhere else. In most of those we have to use a shared bathroom, so we are roughing it a bit.
Neither of us were pleased by having to share a room at the Airlie Beach YHA. A computer error meant that they couldn't tell us if a double was available when we booked, but they would put that down as the preference.
After stressing about it, and considering blowing fifty dollars on a room in another hostel, we got an OK night's sleep in the end. It still meant that we had no privacy, and when Anne fell asleep with her glasses on and her book open (as she always does) I had to sneak across the room in my pants (cue joke about there being room in my pants) to take her book from her and put her glasses in their case.
Someone had plugged their mobile in to a wall socket by my bed and left the phone on. I switched it off so I wasn't awoken by text messages in the night, though later wondered if they had set the alarm to wake them up. They should have kept it by their bed, shouldn't they.
Plus, Anne and I had been given "stinger suits" (thin wet-suit type things to wear while snorkelling) and if we'd had a private room we could have tried them on and looned around in them pretending to be space aliens or something. As it was we probably would have felt embarrassed doing this in front of the surly, anti-social people in our room, so didn't.
Not the way a couple in their late twenties should be travelling. We'll try to avoid that happening again.
Movies and books on the coach
We saw Rush Hour 2 on the coach from Rockhampton to Airlie Beach. It was really poor, made bearable only by Jackie Chan's fighting and stunts. Two stars (for the fights).
Snow Dogs starring Cuba Gooding Jr was on later in the journey, but we couldn't bring ourselves to watch that. Anne was immersed in the new Harry Potter book, and I was finishing off Nicholas Parsons's autobiography, The Straight Man: My Life In Comedy. I picked this up for two dollars (about 80p) in a "pre-loved" (second-hand) book shop in Hervey Bay. I got it as I liked the picture on the front as much as anything, but it was an interesting look at the entertainment industry in the second half of the last century. Its start pre-dates most of what I've read about comedy (i.e. Peter Cook and his ilk) and had some good insights. I now have the dubious claim to fame of knowing more about Nicholas Parsons than anyone I know. (I bet now that Colin will come up with loads of stuff I didn't know about him.)
This is not good. We're not really up for that, and have been getting double or twin rooms everywhere else. In most of those we have to use a shared bathroom, so we are roughing it a bit.
Neither of us were pleased by having to share a room at the Airlie Beach YHA. A computer error meant that they couldn't tell us if a double was available when we booked, but they would put that down as the preference.
After stressing about it, and considering blowing fifty dollars on a room in another hostel, we got an OK night's sleep in the end. It still meant that we had no privacy, and when Anne fell asleep with her glasses on and her book open (as she always does) I had to sneak across the room in my pants (cue joke about there being room in my pants) to take her book from her and put her glasses in their case.
Someone had plugged their mobile in to a wall socket by my bed and left the phone on. I switched it off so I wasn't awoken by text messages in the night, though later wondered if they had set the alarm to wake them up. They should have kept it by their bed, shouldn't they.
Plus, Anne and I had been given "stinger suits" (thin wet-suit type things to wear while snorkelling) and if we'd had a private room we could have tried them on and looned around in them pretending to be space aliens or something. As it was we probably would have felt embarrassed doing this in front of the surly, anti-social people in our room, so didn't.
Not the way a couple in their late twenties should be travelling. We'll try to avoid that happening again.
Movies and books on the coach
We saw Rush Hour 2 on the coach from Rockhampton to Airlie Beach. It was really poor, made bearable only by Jackie Chan's fighting and stunts. Two stars (for the fights).
Snow Dogs starring Cuba Gooding Jr was on later in the journey, but we couldn't bring ourselves to watch that. Anne was immersed in the new Harry Potter book, and I was finishing off Nicholas Parsons's autobiography, The Straight Man: My Life In Comedy. I picked this up for two dollars (about 80p) in a "pre-loved" (second-hand) book shop in Hervey Bay. I got it as I liked the picture on the front as much as anything, but it was an interesting look at the entertainment industry in the second half of the last century. Its start pre-dates most of what I've read about comedy (i.e. Peter Cook and his ilk) and had some good insights. I now have the dubious claim to fame of knowing more about Nicholas Parsons than anyone I know. (I bet now that Colin will come up with loads of stuff I didn't know about him.)
Saturday, June 21, 2003
Notes from Stephen to correct Anne
In response to Anne's post (below) about Great Keppel Island - me naming the crow Russell was a clever pun. Russell sounds like Rustle, which means to steal, and that's what the crow was attempting to do.
We also saw some Kookaburras close up, and I've just uploaded lots of photos to the yahoo photo album (link on left) which include our wildlife spots of the last few days (and, yes, plenty of John Possum).
We also saw some Kookaburras close up, and I've just uploaded lots of photos to the yahoo photo album (link on left) which include our wildlife spots of the last few days (and, yes, plenty of John Possum).
Tuesday, June 17, 2003
So long, and thanks for all the treats.
We bidded (bade?) a sad farewell to my mum today at Hervey Bay coach station. She's off back to Brissie, from where she'll fly to Ayres Rock, and then to the UK. It's been great seeing her, and we only bickered a bit (mainly when I was driving). I'd like to thank her publically for all the treats and hotel rooms, and for travelling all this way to see us.
Anne is a saint for putting up with both of us moaning about the illogical pedestrian crossing light sequences (having tolerated me moaning about them for three months). She was amply rewarded though - especially with the luxurious Noosa appartment!
Now we're in Rockhampton ("Rocky") - The Beef Capital Of Australia. We're here so we can go to Great Keppel Island tomorrow for some beaching and treking. It's a tough life, but it's the path we've chosen.
Anne is a saint for putting up with both of us moaning about the illogical pedestrian crossing light sequences (having tolerated me moaning about them for three months). She was amply rewarded though - especially with the luxurious Noosa appartment!
Now we're in Rockhampton ("Rocky") - The Beef Capital Of Australia. We're here so we can go to Great Keppel Island tomorrow for some beaching and treking. It's a tough life, but it's the path we've chosen.
Movies
A couple of movie reviews. On our last night with my mum we took her to see Phone Booth at the flicks and then for a pizza. I'd been annoying Anne for weeks by calling the film Telephone Box instead of Phone Booth, and I annoyed her even more by asking for the tickets with the wrong name too (Tony - I can hear you wincing in sympathy with Anne). The lady selling tickets didn't even register my hilarious mistake - spoil sport.
I enjoyed the film a fair bit (though Anne didn't like it as much as I did). It was interesting more as a novelty work I suppose, but was well done, and I pretty much got what I expected. Three and a half stars.
On the coach from Hervey Bay to Rockhampton today we were treated to mad-cap comedy Rat Race on video, with bad picture and bad tracking. Damn, I miss DVD. I'd never been interested in this film, but I suppose it was quite entertaining in a ridiculous way and an OK way to pass part of a six hour coach journey. The plot was preposterous throughout, and I was particularly amused when at one point (no more silly than the rest of the film) the girl behind me muttered "Oh, as if". How I laughed. I'm sure this is generous, but I'm giving it two and a half stars.
I enjoyed the film a fair bit (though Anne didn't like it as much as I did). It was interesting more as a novelty work I suppose, but was well done, and I pretty much got what I expected. Three and a half stars.
On the coach from Hervey Bay to Rockhampton today we were treated to mad-cap comedy Rat Race on video, with bad picture and bad tracking. Damn, I miss DVD. I'd never been interested in this film, but I suppose it was quite entertaining in a ridiculous way and an OK way to pass part of a six hour coach journey. The plot was preposterous throughout, and I was particularly amused when at one point (no more silly than the rest of the film) the girl behind me muttered "Oh, as if". How I laughed. I'm sure this is generous, but I'm giving it two and a half stars.
Monday, June 16, 2003
A few books
Stephen here. One thing I didn't get much time to do in Sydney was read books. Since I was walking to work I wasn't reading during the day and I was often pooped at night. Since we've not had time to watch films lately (sob) I thought I'd summarise the books I've read.
In Sydney I read a great book on the history of transportation (of crims) to Australia, Robert Hughes's The Fatal Shore. This was reasonably heavy going, but really interesting, especially when living and working in the centre of it all. (I won't give star ratings for books - since books are highbrow and thus can't be summed up just with stars.)
Also in Sydney I read half of How The Mind Works by Steve Pinker. This was also heavy going, but really rewarding. It explains so much and goes into a lot of haman nature in great detail. I finished it as we were travelling.
So only one and a half books read in the three months we were in Sydney. I'm quite a slow reader, but this is slow going even for me. Now we're travelling I'm reading more, which is good, and swapping books at secong hand stores (though I "released" How The Mind Works at BookCrossing.com).
I read BBC reporter John Simpson's A Mad World, My Masters - stories from his time reporting foreign affairs. Simpson is a great story teller and often very funny. I'd read his first auto-biographical book before I came out here and am looking forward to his next.
After three non-fiction books I dipped into fiction with Robert Harris's Enigma - a good yarn set around code-breaKing Bletchley Park during WW2.
Then it was on to Michael Palin's Hemmingway's Chair. It was well written and amusing, but I thought the plot was a little lacking. Maybe I need to know more about Ernest Hemmingway?
I've just started another Robert Harris book: Archangel (about a hunt for Stalin's notebooks). I'll let you know how that one goes.
Looking forward to the new Harry Potter next week! I think we'll splash out on that, though Anne will read it first as she reads really quickly.
In Sydney I read a great book on the history of transportation (of crims) to Australia, Robert Hughes's The Fatal Shore. This was reasonably heavy going, but really interesting, especially when living and working in the centre of it all. (I won't give star ratings for books - since books are highbrow and thus can't be summed up just with stars.)
Also in Sydney I read half of How The Mind Works by Steve Pinker. This was also heavy going, but really rewarding. It explains so much and goes into a lot of haman nature in great detail. I finished it as we were travelling.
So only one and a half books read in the three months we were in Sydney. I'm quite a slow reader, but this is slow going even for me. Now we're travelling I'm reading more, which is good, and swapping books at secong hand stores (though I "released" How The Mind Works at BookCrossing.com).
I read BBC reporter John Simpson's A Mad World, My Masters - stories from his time reporting foreign affairs. Simpson is a great story teller and often very funny. I'd read his first auto-biographical book before I came out here and am looking forward to his next.
After three non-fiction books I dipped into fiction with Robert Harris's Enigma - a good yarn set around code-breaKing Bletchley Park during WW2.
Then it was on to Michael Palin's Hemmingway's Chair. It was well written and amusing, but I thought the plot was a little lacking. Maybe I need to know more about Ernest Hemmingway?
I've just started another Robert Harris book: Archangel (about a hunt for Stalin's notebooks). I'll let you know how that one goes.
Looking forward to the new Harry Potter next week! I think we'll splash out on that, though Anne will read it first as she reads really quickly.
Tuesday, June 10, 2003
A map!
I've put a link to a map of Australia on the left of the diary. Should have done this ages ago really. See how little we've come in two weeks.
Highway 1 Revisited
We hired a car on Sunday and left Brisbane. On the way out we went to Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary, where we saw koalas (of course), roos, wallabies and other animals. Mum really liked the koalas and took literally thousands of photos of them (not literally). We saw koalas move and even jump, which is quite a novelty, as they usually just sleep in the day. We were able to feed the kangaroos which was pretty good too.
Last time we were here (Nov, Dec 2000) Anne and I drove up Highway 1 from Brisbane to Cairns, and that's the road we took up to Noosa after leaving the koala sanctuary. We drove a couple of hours to Noosa - a posh(ish) beach resort at the top of the "Sunshine Coast". It's very pleasant here. Mum forked out for a luxurious two bedroom apartment with kitchen, laundry and two (two!) bathrooms! After exploring a little Anne and I (over)cooked some pasta and we watched Analyse That on the movie channel. It was rubbish, and it's horrible to see Robert DeNiro do comedy. Two stars.
The weather was glorious on Monday, so we sat on the beach all morning and baked ourselves. This was just as well, since the weather's been grotty today. We timed things right though and did a three hour costal and rainforest trek without getting wet. We'd been told to look out for koalas, so my mum and I did our necks in by straining to look for them up in the trees. We saw very little though, other than pretty birds and big spiders (my mum maintains they weren't as big as some she's seen in her dental surgery in Welwyn Garden City). Finally my mum spotted a big koala sitting in a gum tree and we were then happy.
We now have a couple more nights here in Noosa before moving on. Life is hard.
Last time we were here (Nov, Dec 2000) Anne and I drove up Highway 1 from Brisbane to Cairns, and that's the road we took up to Noosa after leaving the koala sanctuary. We drove a couple of hours to Noosa - a posh(ish) beach resort at the top of the "Sunshine Coast". It's very pleasant here. Mum forked out for a luxurious two bedroom apartment with kitchen, laundry and two (two!) bathrooms! After exploring a little Anne and I (over)cooked some pasta and we watched Analyse That on the movie channel. It was rubbish, and it's horrible to see Robert DeNiro do comedy. Two stars.
The weather was glorious on Monday, so we sat on the beach all morning and baked ourselves. This was just as well, since the weather's been grotty today. We timed things right though and did a three hour costal and rainforest trek without getting wet. We'd been told to look out for koalas, so my mum and I did our necks in by straining to look for them up in the trees. We saw very little though, other than pretty birds and big spiders (my mum maintains they weren't as big as some she's seen in her dental surgery in Welwyn Garden City). Finally my mum spotted a big koala sitting in a gum tree and we were then happy.
We now have a couple more nights here in Noosa before moving on. Life is hard.
Saturday, June 07, 2003
Surfers Paradise to Brissie
Anne and I arrived in Surfers Paradise at lunch time on Wednesday. The weather wasn't good, and the "paradise" looked very much less than that. The hostel wasn't up to usual YHA standards either, and was run by a bunch of miserable, coughing, lazy, unpleasant English girls who were more interested in partying than cleaning up after themselves or opening reception. The food store near the hostel was woefully inadequate and we ended up having a "Ragin' Cajun" burger at McDonalds. We then trekked the 3.5km into town and bought a cheap steak and salad at Woolworths. That night's meal was one of the most glorious things ever to pass my lips, so the day wasn't a complete disaster.
The next day, the sun shone and shone. Suddenly we could see the attraction of Surfers Paradise, and we rushed to the beautiful beach and spent the morning there. This was more like it. Hurrah! Funny how much difference a bit of good weather can make.
The sun didn't improve the hostel, however. Never visit The British Arms YHA hostel at Surfers Paradise, I tell you.
Much better is the hostel from which I'm writing this blog - the YHA in Brisbane. We arrived here on Friday morning and I went to the airport after lunch to meet my mum (where she was shocked at my head - see my last post). She'll be with us now until about 17th June.
She took us for a nice Italian meal last night, and today we took a bus tour of the city. At first it didn't look like there was much here, but the bus tour revealed some very pleasant areas, including countless parks, nice buildings, and a man-made beach and pools by the river. We spent hours wandering after the bus tour, and got a catamaran up the river. Again, the winter weather's been great, so that has helped.
We're (my mum is) hiring a car to drive up the coast from tomorrow. It should be great fun. It's good to see my mum after four months away. I hope I don't annoy her too much! Anne and I are in tight tight budget mode, so we're having to adjust for my mum who is here for a holiday and is not looking to skimp. What makes it easier is that she seems to want to treat us - hurrah!
On an unrelated note, someone has contacted me about my family tree research (which is on our home page). They're sending me the details of a cousin of my dad's who lives near Cairns. Small world!
The next day, the sun shone and shone. Suddenly we could see the attraction of Surfers Paradise, and we rushed to the beautiful beach and spent the morning there. This was more like it. Hurrah! Funny how much difference a bit of good weather can make.
The sun didn't improve the hostel, however. Never visit The British Arms YHA hostel at Surfers Paradise, I tell you.
Much better is the hostel from which I'm writing this blog - the YHA in Brisbane. We arrived here on Friday morning and I went to the airport after lunch to meet my mum (where she was shocked at my head - see my last post). She'll be with us now until about 17th June.
She took us for a nice Italian meal last night, and today we took a bus tour of the city. At first it didn't look like there was much here, but the bus tour revealed some very pleasant areas, including countless parks, nice buildings, and a man-made beach and pools by the river. We spent hours wandering after the bus tour, and got a catamaran up the river. Again, the winter weather's been great, so that has helped.
We're (my mum is) hiring a car to drive up the coast from tomorrow. It should be great fun. It's good to see my mum after four months away. I hope I don't annoy her too much! Anne and I are in tight tight budget mode, so we're having to adjust for my mum who is here for a holiday and is not looking to skimp. What makes it easier is that she seems to want to treat us - hurrah!
On an unrelated note, someone has contacted me about my family tree research (which is on our home page). They're sending me the details of a cousin of my dad's who lives near Cairns. Small world!
Dude - where's my hair?
I've not "blogged" this before as I wanted to surprise my mum when I met up with her in Australia, but just before we left Sydney I had my head shaved! Not bald, but a "number one" all over. It was a bizarre experience. I felt breezes on my head for days, and kept catching my reflection and recoiling as I thought Phil Mitchell had finally tracked me down (or "tracked me dahn").
I figured I have an opportunity to do this sort of thing, as I don't plan to look for work until next February. When am I going to get that chance again? I'm used to it now and can hardly remember what I looked like with beautiful locks.
I met my mum at Brisbane ("Brissie") Airport yesterday, and she was shocked. It took her a moment to recognise me with my new hair, and she immediately decided she didn't like it. I've told her she'll get used to it, but she could barely look at me yesterday. So it's a new look that not even a mother could love. At least Anne's stuck with me. (We have joint travel insurance.)
I figured I have an opportunity to do this sort of thing, as I don't plan to look for work until next February. When am I going to get that chance again? I'm used to it now and can hardly remember what I looked like with beautiful locks.
I met my mum at Brisbane ("Brissie") Airport yesterday, and she was shocked. It took her a moment to recognise me with my new hair, and she immediately decided she didn't like it. I've told her she'll get used to it, but she could barely look at me yesterday. So it's a new look that not even a mother could love. At least Anne's stuck with me. (We have joint travel insurance.)
Tuesday, June 03, 2003
Winter travels
After Coffs Harbour we travelled up the coast to Balina, a small tourist resort about 20 miles south of Byron Bay. We stayed in Balina for two nights.
Friday night we went Greek Style, and had a meze in a restaurant. Whilst cheap, it was a little over our budget. Ahem - we'll learn. It was good though! We spent a relaxed Saturday just wandering around Balina. We walked for a good while up the coast (still aching from our previous walks and injuries!) We did a self-guided tour of a historic Balina street (in which most of the historic buildings had been replaced) and went to a good, small naval and maritime museum. They had a raft which had been sailed from Ecuador to Australia in the seventies! The aim was to show that people could have sailed that far in pre-Columbus times, and hence that migration from the Americas to Australia could have happened. There were also lots of war displays. V good for a two dollar donation.
On Friday night we had the small hostel to ouirselves, which was great. On Saturday, however, several guests arrived - a young girl, an older man, and a couple of old women. The young traveller was welcome, but couldn't the others have paid for a proper hotel room? How selfish of them! We watched The Bill with them for a bit in the evening, then antisocially went to our room to read.
On Sunday morning we did the short coach ride to Byron Bay (annoyed only by the dire older couple sitting behing us - they were so dull and annoying). Clearly, the relaxed hippyish Byron Bay was just what I needed. I was expecting it to be a bit grungy and unplesant, but it's actually really nice, with good beaches and good places to walk. On Monday morning we walked along the coast to a lighthouse and Ausralia's easternmost point - the Lowestoft of Down Under! We were looking out for wildlife, amd saw some bush turkeys. Odd to see turkeys wandering around in the wild. We'd been told that you can sometimes see dolphins in the sea from the lighthouse. We'd looked ofr a while and seen nothing, and when Anne went to move on I was determined to stay to see some dolphins (for free, rather than paying for a tour!) A few minutes later I spotted six or seven of them in a group swimming up the coast, and was disproportionatley chuffed with myself for the rest of the day.
On Monday afternoon we went to the local hippish cinema, which my sister had recommeded to me. We watched The Hours, a mad-cap, hilarious film which keeps you laughing from start to finish. Of course, that's a joke. This is the much Oscar nominated movie starring Nicole Kidman's fake nose. It's about three women in different times, and kept me interested for the two hours it lasted. Good stuff - four stars.
Anne is currently off having a massage. I myself am relaxed enough as it is. Ahem.
Sunday was the first day of winter here, so I'm pleased to report we went to the beach on Sunday and sat by the pool yesterday - we've got a little tanned. Our tans had both faded in the months we worked in Sydney. It's grey today, but we're heading north tomorrow so we're not worried. Surfer's Paradise here we come! (Apparently it's not nice - I think we'll be the judges of that.)
Friday night we went Greek Style, and had a meze in a restaurant. Whilst cheap, it was a little over our budget. Ahem - we'll learn. It was good though! We spent a relaxed Saturday just wandering around Balina. We walked for a good while up the coast (still aching from our previous walks and injuries!) We did a self-guided tour of a historic Balina street (in which most of the historic buildings had been replaced) and went to a good, small naval and maritime museum. They had a raft which had been sailed from Ecuador to Australia in the seventies! The aim was to show that people could have sailed that far in pre-Columbus times, and hence that migration from the Americas to Australia could have happened. There were also lots of war displays. V good for a two dollar donation.
On Friday night we had the small hostel to ouirselves, which was great. On Saturday, however, several guests arrived - a young girl, an older man, and a couple of old women. The young traveller was welcome, but couldn't the others have paid for a proper hotel room? How selfish of them! We watched The Bill with them for a bit in the evening, then antisocially went to our room to read.
On Sunday morning we did the short coach ride to Byron Bay (annoyed only by the dire older couple sitting behing us - they were so dull and annoying). Clearly, the relaxed hippyish Byron Bay was just what I needed. I was expecting it to be a bit grungy and unplesant, but it's actually really nice, with good beaches and good places to walk. On Monday morning we walked along the coast to a lighthouse and Ausralia's easternmost point - the Lowestoft of Down Under! We were looking out for wildlife, amd saw some bush turkeys. Odd to see turkeys wandering around in the wild. We'd been told that you can sometimes see dolphins in the sea from the lighthouse. We'd looked ofr a while and seen nothing, and when Anne went to move on I was determined to stay to see some dolphins (for free, rather than paying for a tour!) A few minutes later I spotted six or seven of them in a group swimming up the coast, and was disproportionatley chuffed with myself for the rest of the day.
On Monday afternoon we went to the local hippish cinema, which my sister had recommeded to me. We watched The Hours, a mad-cap, hilarious film which keeps you laughing from start to finish. Of course, that's a joke. This is the much Oscar nominated movie starring Nicole Kidman's fake nose. It's about three women in different times, and kept me interested for the two hours it lasted. Good stuff - four stars.
Anne is currently off having a massage. I myself am relaxed enough as it is. Ahem.
Sunday was the first day of winter here, so I'm pleased to report we went to the beach on Sunday and sat by the pool yesterday - we've got a little tanned. Our tans had both faded in the months we worked in Sydney. It's grey today, but we're heading north tomorrow so we're not worried. Surfer's Paradise here we come! (Apparently it's not nice - I think we'll be the judges of that.)
Monday, June 02, 2003
Photo update
Hope to do a longer update on our time in Balina and Byron Bay tomorrow, but for now we've uploaded some photos to the Yahoo photo album (Big Adventure Photos link to the left).
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