Today is our penultimate full day in Australia. Aaaaah! The forecast has been good, and the sun is shining, so we've planned a beach day.

After breakfast at home we trek to a coffee place rated "best coffee in Coogee" which was a bit of a disappointment (see other blog). We then hunted around for some more sunscreen. We've recently downgraded from SPF50 to 30, for our final week, but kudos to the Australian pharmacists; 90% of their stock is SPF50! Or sun oil... Perhaps it's just extremes.

Eventually we found some SPF30 and headed for the beach!! In the heat of the day. Like mad Brits. Only 2 days left to top up this tan! After hotting up in the sun, we brave the waves. Last time we tried this (at Christmas time with Christy and Dan), every wave tried to scoop you up and drown you, and it just wasn't very enjoyable. Today is a total contrast; minimal surf, so swimming in the sea could actually be enjoyable and not just a battle against being dumped by the waves. This is ace!

We seek shade and shelter over lunchtime in a cafe just off the beach, for salad and a refreshing beverage. Then back to the beach. This is such hard work.

Another swim in remarkably calm waves, and we dash back home. A quick shower to get the sand and salt out then we hop on a bus to town to meet Stacey and Jaypee. Tonight we're booked in for an "escape room" - adventure entertainment that has taken Sydney by storm in the last few months. We have a drink to get the brain juices flowing, then head to Escape Hunt's premises, just one floor in an inconspicuous building in the middle of the CBD. Our story is a whodunnit. There's been a murder in a pub, and you have an hour to find the clues and solve the crime. We start well, but some rookie errors (we open a compartment but miss one of the items hidden inside) mean we're stuck for ages, and run out of time. Darn it! Next time...



Stacey and Jaypee lead us to a fake hawker street near Central Park, where we pick our meals from a variety of vendors. It reminds me of the "hawker centre" which was in Universal Studios in Singapore. It does feel a little twee, but it doesn't seem touristy, and I rather liked it. After dinner we bade Stacey and Jaypee adieu. This feels really quite sad. They're not family, so it's tricky to keep in touch, and yet they're probably the people we've seen the most during our time in Australia!

We catch a bus from Central Station back to Coogee. In melancholy mood, returning to Central Station also seems poignant, as this is where we stayed when we first arrived in Sydney. Back at Amelia's we assess who won today - us or the sun?!

AB