Check out and head to the beach for the morning. Waves not as radical as the previous day, disappointing. Hotfoot it back to the YHA, quick dip in pool to freshen up then pick up bags and catch bus back to Newcastle. Chinese ships seem to be loading up with coal - interesting to have seen both ends of this carbon process, with the infinite amount of Dong Fen trucks loaded with coal that we saw around China (probably different coal, but defo some of the aussie stuff ends up in China - we read it in The Australian so it must be true).

Meet up with the Sydney Gardners for a very pleasant catch up and lamb roast dinner in the northern suburbs (ironically about 10 mins from where we were staying over new year). Met up with 'new' family additions to us (wives, babies). Check in at the Macquarie Boutique Hotel for the last night of the trip (on terra firma, at least); we have a balcony of our own but re-packing the bags & reminiscing over the highlights and lowlights of the trip seems to take priority.