Our last days in Sydney have now passed us by and Alan and Lorna have left us to fly back home, so once again it is just the two of us and our lovely tent as we travel back up the coast for a few weeks before getting back to the farm.

On Thursday (Jan 5th - birthday!!) we headed back out to Darling harbour so that the folks could stock up on souvenirs in the outback and aboriginal centre, before we all took part in the PGA crazy golf championship 2006 to escape the drizzle for a while. The form book was ripped up for this spectacular event on the touring circuit and Jen walked away with the honours after 18 hard fought holes to be crowned champion. From here we headed over to Harbourside shopping centre to have a look around and found the Holy Grail of confectionary - The British Lolly Shop. It was great to taste some proper chocolate again instead of the strange stuff they get over here!

After a few hours it was time for the ritual debate as to what to have for dinner, only this time it was decided that the decision was mine, so I decided on the classic birthday meal that is recognised throughout the world - Chicken kebabs! After a brief trip on the monorail (and explaining what everything was and how to order to the olds, bless them) we were tucking into some of the best kebabs available on the planet. Not a dead dog in sight! In the evening there was a surprise party thrown and we gorged ourselves on cake while I forced everyone to watch Star Wars. It was a pretty chilled out evening but great fun none the less.

The next day, the sun was out again so we spent the day wandering around the parks and gardens in the city enjoying the warmth that we had so sorely missed. On our way out to Hyde Park we had to stop off at the post office so that Jen could pick up a parcel that had been delivered, which turned out to be a Christmas present from Becky from back home - a really huge cool scarf. Once we got into the park, we had a look inside the ANZAC memorial where there is loads of information about the Australian's endeavours during the World Wars (we didn't even know they were in them??).

From here we took a leisurely stroll through the Domain and into the Botanic Gardens, where Lorna did her best to avoid the bats overhead, having already been pooed on a few days earlier!! We walked on around the gardens and passed a huge outdoor screen that was being set up for some cinema showing of some kind, up around to Mrs. Macquarie's Chair, back along the water font passed Government House and back out to the Opera House. It was a really relaxing day and just what we all needed with not much time left in the city and we headed towards the cinema in the evening to do something 'normal' in amongst all the new activities we had been doing.

Later that evening we realised that despite being in Sydney for almost a month and taking an obscene amount of photographs, we still hadn't taken any of the classic night shots of the Harbour Bridge behind the Opera House, so off we went to Mrs. Macquarie's point for the second time in a day. Several shots later and we were content that we really couldn't justify taking any more photos of these famous landmarks, so it was back home for the night.

Yesterday was our last day in the apartment and Alan and Lorna's last day in Australia, so it was a day to get things sorted out ready for the big move and generally do as little as possible. In the evening we took a walk up to The Rocks and found a great little restaurant on the quay for our last dinner together. After moving inside from our original table where the roof funnelled the rain down onto us, we enjoyed a fantastic meal and a few drinks as we looked back over our time in the city where we have done so much and been to so many amazing places.

This morning was a little surreal as we had one last wander around the place that has been our home for the last four weeks, before heading to the airport so the folks could catch their two o'clock flight. It was odd coming back to the apartment without them, but we had little time to think about it as we had to get everything back into the car and clean the place completely before we finally left Sydney behind us shortly after six o'clock and headed towards The Entrance.

It was only a short drive up the coast and it was surprising how easily we got ourselves settled into our little tent again after so long in the apartment. Maybe it was the view out across the lake that helped. Or maybe it was the Dominos triple cheese....