Could this be the very final blog entry from Adelaide? I believe so. Currently, our room is in a state of chaos and undress. There are two large cardboard boxes that are waiting to be shipped home over by the door. All of clothes are piled on the bed. Howie's stuff is - as usual - everywhere. Our final wash has been done and is drying on the line, ready for packing this evening so we can relax a little tomorrow. Tonight and tomorrow we are using up the last of our food, which means that we will be having an iteresting combination of lentils, pasta, burgers, tomatoes and curry paste for dinner. This is the end of an era.

The last few days have been busy with preparations for our departure. Cycling into the city a few days ago, on the way to see a completely mad film called Zeitgeist: Moving Forward as part of the Adelaide Film Festival, my back tyre gave up. Finally. After months of having a lot of issues with my front tyre, now my back one has decided it can take no more. My bike has been locked up outside TAFE in the city centre for several days, and we are planning on taking it to Cash Converters tomorrow to see if they'll give me a fiver for it, which I doubt. But I shall be sorry to see the old-timer go, as it has served me well, if not reliably during our residence on Henley Beach.

Today was a momentous day, as we got a campervan from Melbourne to Sydney (at last). We'd been calling the camper people every day, and today we finaly struck gold. We've got the 2 berth hi-top beast for 4 days and we fully expect not to shower on any of those 4 days. It's going to be fun.

We hit the road on Monday morning, via a post office to send the parcels home, then out via the Flinders Ranges, before heading down to the SA coast along the Coorong lagoons to Mount Gambier, where we will view not only the Blue Lake, but the legendary 'Big Lobster' (apparently, it's anatomically correct). After that, it's down the coast to Woolongong, where we pick up the Great Ocean Road to Melbourne. We have all of one night in Melbourne before we pick up the second camper and - if all goes according to plan - head out along the freeway via Glenrowan, the site of 'Ned Kelly's Last Stand'. I fully intend to have my picture taken in front of the big, crude statue of the filthy criminal wearing his rudimentary tin hat. After that delight, we'll be crossing the state line into New South Wales, where we verge off on the Olympic Highway for some hicktown, outback cruisin'. We pass through such delightful towns such as 'Wagga Wagga' and 'Wombat' before crossing over the Blue Mountains via Katoomba and - with any luck - the Three Sisters lookout point before driving right into Sydney. We'll be in Sydney for one night only before leaving on a jet plane for the long journey home.

So the adventure begins, if I can only get Howie to start packing up his stuff. Too many distractions prevail when there is a beach close by and there isn't a cloud in the sky.

So long Adelaide, fare thee well Henley Beach, we'll miss you!