So Long Sarah

We're currently feeling a bit blue as after two fantastic weeks together we have just said goodbye to Sara. After Fraser Island we headed down to the Gold Coast and spent three days behaving like big kids at two theme parks and a water park. The rides were scary, the flumes were fast and fortunately I wasn't the most scared musketeer, that prize goes to Sarah who jumped out of her skin so high one day that she literally fell over. It was a great few days and I'm looking forward to seeing some of the photos Sara took (when she eventually sends them to us, hint hint).

We realized what heathens it made us 'wasting' our time at theme parks so we headed off Lamington National Park next to top up our culture quota. Here we set out on a six hour walk through the rain forest which was beautiful if a little leech ridden. By little I mean a lot of course and for approximately four of the six hours we were constantly pulling the blood sucking buggers off our shoes and legs. One of them even managed to work its way through Sara's amazing pom pom socks which was thoroughly horrible for her and yet another photo opportunity for us.

The next day we left the rainforest and in doing so we too left Queensland, a great State in our opinion and a place that has given us loads of fantastic memories to take away. When we crossed into New South Wales we set our watches forward an hour and then headed to Byron Bay, the place that's been our home for the last week. On the recommendation of Nick and Rebbecca who we met on Fraser Island, we checked ourselves in to the Arts factory, a hippy little place that doesn't allow vans and so we have been camping for the week. A very chilled out place that's close to the even more chilled Nimbin, the Arts Factory is clearly home to a number of people who come for a few days and end up staying for a few months. The late-night movies in the attached cinema, the constant jamming, the didgeridoo making etc does make it a very appealing place but unfortunately for us getting our tent out seemed to upset Mother Nature somewhat and so she right royally pissed all over us for four days, pretty much non stop.

There have been many highlights though, one of which was turning a corner to hear "Vot is ze name of ze game?" being shouted at us by Lena and Simon who we had also been on the Fraser Island trip with. We've spent the last few days with them too and it's been really nice to have our own little gang, even better that it's with people who we really got on with and who reminded us of friends back home. Another highlight has to be watching the Melbourne Cup - Australia's Ascot, a 130-year old horse race which brings the entire country to a standstill around the television. We put our $5 bets on numbers 6 and 12 and headed to the pub to meet up with the others. The atmosphere was great, a band was playing, ladies were wearing dresses and hats, men had put their best suits on and so we got ourselves a drink and got positioned in front of the huge screen. As the race started a huge cheer went up and we started looking out for our horses. It wasn't until about ten seconds before the end of the race that we realised it was mine out in front, number 12 heading for victory. "You've got it!" Matt shouted, "Schnell, Schnell!" Simon and Lena added, at which point another horse at the back of the pack appeared to gain wings and fly down past all the others to join mine at the front and literally pip me at the post. We couldn't believe it and stood in shock looking up at the screen as they put the name and number of the winning horse up, 'Efficient' - Number 6. Hang on, that's Matt's horse, none of us had realised and so we all started jumping up and down throwing hi-fives at each other (honestly, we've taken up 'hi-fiving' since getting here, how awful). we went out and picked up Matt's winning, all $113 of it and treated ourselves to lunch in a Thai restaurant the next day.

It's now Friday and it's still raining. The damp clothes in the damp bed in the damp tent have become too much to bear and so we are leaving the crusties in their teepee's behind us and heading further down the coast of New South Wales. Next stop, Coff's Harbour.