Gooday mates!

its Lauren again! we got back from Newcastle yesterday! we had a really good time! the beaches are beautiful and its so quiet and peaceful there! we went for lots of long beach walks!

on thursday we got train from newcastle to Maitland where my cousin Vicky, her husband Carl and children Scarlott (3), Carlo (2) and baby Jack (13 weeks) live! it was brilliant seeing her again and meeting the family!! Carl made us home made pizzas for dinner which were lovely and we had strawberrys and icecream for dessert! the best food we've had since we arrived in Oz!! Greg and Carl got a little bit worse for ware!! Scarlott and Carlo were really shy and wouldnt talk to me and Greg at first! they are so cute and lovely! Babby Jack just smiles constantly, he's such a happy baby (except when i went to take his pic!!) in the morning i played with the plastercine with Scarlett and carlo and then they started chatting a bit more! they couldnt get to grips with our names though and were calling us boran and egg!! lol i also got a chance to see and speak to my other cousin Katie on skype which was good! we really enjoyed ourselves and hopefully be making another trip to see them! possibly going camping in Noosa! (where Josie and Sophie lived for a while when they were here! got a few pics of Newcastle so check them out!! Thanks again for having us over Vicky and Carl!!

we had a bit of trouble in the hostel where we were staying! a couple of hood rats smashed the front door in of the hostel trying to get some booze off a couple of lads! i was sound asleep when all this was going on but it seems everyone else in the hostel was up clearing up and chatting about it!! i got a eye mask from our emarites flight and i have been using it at night! i have never slept so well in my life!!

we're back in coogee now! our Oz intro tour starts tomorrow! when we booked into our room yesterday we were suprised to find a a bloke called Taco from holland in the same room! we had just met him in Newcastle and didnt know he was coming down to Sydney!

Taco told us that there was a shark in Bondi beach yesterday which is not far from us and a loud siren went off at the beach, all beaches in east of Australia have been closed until about monday as there is a tsunami alert! the big earthquake in Chilli is sending waves our way! but its not as bad as it sounds! they are only closing the beaches, nowhere is being evaquated! and they are saying that the only danger is to people who are swimming, surfing, sailing and diving in the sea! the waves have hit new zealand and its been reported that the surge was only 20 cm high so its just the currents and stronger waves we have to worry bout!! so we're staying out of the water for a few days until they say its safe again!!

thats all for now! keep messaging us! its good to hear from you all and hear what your all up to!! speak to you all soon!

Lauren and greg x x x