Gold Coast to Brisbane

After passing Tweeds Head which is the state line between Queensland and New South Wales, we drove through Surfur's Paradise and up to Brisbane. Neither Rich nor I were really into exploring the city, but I had wanted to stay in or near it so that we could actually do something with the time we had left that night. I wanted to check e-mail, make phone calls, do ANYTHING - but sit in a fucking tent the whole night in the middle of fucking nowhere. Rich is a bit older and has not been in the backpacking scene, and didn't seem too keen on staying at any hostels. At least in a hostel, there'd be a lounge or a bar where we could meet and talk to other people. In the last four days, the only other contact I've had with other people were Rich's friends. I was starting to feel a bit lonely. We camped again in the middle of nowhere, which would not be so bad if it was time to go to bed already, but we pulled into camp at like 1700! I passed the time doing some washing and paying a ridiculous price for e-mail in the camp site.

Sunrise Hike up Mt. Warning

I couldn't convince Rich to get up at 0300 to hike up Mt.Warning to catch the sunrise at the peak. But we did get up at 0400. We were at the trailhead by 0500 and were on our way up. About 30 min into the hike tho, Rich decided he wasn't fit enough to keep going, so I went up on my own, torch in hand, through the dark forest. At about 0600, I could see the red sun rising above misty hills in the distance through the trees. Fortunately, I soon came to couple of clearings where I got a fantastic view and some photos. Near the top, there was some really steep rock climbing with chain holds. By then tho, some people were starting to come down so if I had slipped and fallen, I probably would have been rescued. At the top were more great views of the surrounding. Mt.Warning is actually the tallest mountain on the East coast, and it's smack in the middle of a volcano crater which spans that whole area. The whole hike up & down took me 3 hours.

Springbrook NP

After Byron Bay, we made our way up to Springbrook NP. There was a Natural Bridge where a waterfall broke through so you can see the falls from inside a cave. We also went on a short, 4km, walk around Purlingbrook falls. The Best of View lookout wasn't much of a lookout tho, because by then, the mist came in. We camped in Murwillumbah for the night.

Coffs Harbor

Our first night's stop was Coffs Harbor. On the way, we saw Port Macquerie, Nelson Bay, and Nambucca Heads. It was a full day's drive there and we didn't get to the camp site until late. It's hot as hell in Australia right now, so camping is not all that comfortable, but for an average of $10 per night, I'm not complaining. Before heading out the next day, we spent a bit of time on Digger's Beach. It's absolutely beautiful - clear and warm water, and no stingers or crowd. There's even supposed to be a nudist beach around the corner, but I didn't bother looking. It's probably bunch of old people anyways. The next evening we were invited to dinner at Rich's friend's house in Mullumbimby. Great nachos - thanks, Andrew & Liz. The following morning we checked out the lighthouse in Byron Bay.

Road Trip Australia

Rich and I headed out early today in hopes of trying to make as much distance as possible away from Sydney. Our mode of transportation is a Toyota Land Cruiser 4WD. There's tons of room in the car... that is, until Rich put all of his shit in it. This guy is prepared for anything - tent, gas stove, cooking equip (tho neither of really cooks), water tanks, cleaning stuff, maps & books galore, suit cases, you name it - it's in there. There's a bit of a down side to over packing the car tho. It's a pain in the ass trying to get anything out, and we can't give anyone else a lift. But, I suppose this is the way to camp travel in luxury. Anyhow, we didn't have much of a plan so we just headed out, and I read the guide book as we approached places to decide whether or not to stop there.

Leaving Manly

As much as I thought the Manly Guesthouse was a dump, I was quite sad to leave it on my last day there. I was getting used to washing the dishes before and after each use. Ben had even cleaned our room after Sam left. Although I wasn't into the drinking part much anymore, I enjoyed the routine there of bumming on the beach and in front of the TV. I'd also gotten to know everyone's faces (everyone was called knobhead). It was also sad to say bye to Tess, Chris, and Ben, because this time, there might not be a 'next time'. It's always the same - make new friends, and then say good-bye at some point. I've gotten used to it, but it is still hard. Another bummer is having to leave this one cutie in the guesthouse. To me, he resembled Orlando Bloom a bit - particularly his smile. I think there's something to be said about silence. I often lose interest in guys after they open their mouth. He didn't say much, which made me want him. This guy could've been a total idiot or an ass, but I didn't know that. I did hear him speak once tho, and he does have a sexy voice. I usually like guys who can make me laugh, but here I began to understand the man's shallow perspective of wanting to be with beautiful women regardless of their intelligence. He probably didn't have to utter a single word and I could've been content just staring at him all day long... well, at least for few days. (Damn... I didn't get a photo of him!)

Happy New Year!

I got back to Manly mid-day on New Year's Eve, and then chilled out on the beach in the afternoon. Tess & I had wanted to go into the city for the fireworks, but most of the guys wanted to be lazy and see the fireworks from Northhead. From Manly, we would've had to take the ferry in by 7pm and would have to rush back on one of 4 ferries after midnight. No one wanted to fight the crowds. I almost went in on my own, but gave in after couple of drinks and decided to join the rest of them. We got to Northhead just in time for the 9pm fireworks for the kiddies. Although we got a clear view of the city from where we were, the fireworks were quite at a distance as I had feared. Then we had to kill three hours until the midnight fireworks. It was chilly out, and not much of an atmosphere. We passed the time by playing games and listenning to Chris and Ben singing some muppets song (barararump). That got old after about the second hour of it. When midnight rolled around we couldn't count down because no one knew the exact time. Fireworks went up in four different locations, and we could see all four. Fireworks also went up over the Harbour bridge in the end. It looked like it would have been absolutely awesome if we watched it somewhere closer or with the Opera House in the foreground. I want to come back some day and do it right next time - from a posh suite with a view in Circular Quay.