I got another midnight bus from Airlie Beach down to Rockhampton, 7 hours away. I was picked up straight from the bus to go to Myella farm for a day of being a jilleroo (cowgirl). That morning we went horse riding. I had an ancient horse called Toe-Joe who kept farting and falling asleep when ever we stopped anywhere! Then in the afternoon I got to learn to ride a motorbike, and that was really cool! If I'd been straying longer I could have ridden the bike up to the sunset viewing area and then used it to go cattle mustering the next morning. The next day I had a lazy day in Rockhampton before I got another late night bus to Brisbane.

Arrive very early in Brisbane and couldn't check into my hostel until 10 a.m. so spent a couple of hours walking all over the city, trying out their coffee shops. Decided that their coffee's not as good as Melbourne's, which I really miss! I spent the rest of the day at Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary where I got to hold a koala!!!! I think that's one of the highlights in the whole of my Australia trip as I'd been wanting to hold one since arriving in Perth. They're so cute, just like big fluffy teddy bears, but with very sharp claws! I also got to feed the kangeroos and wallabies. Also tried to see an echidna, but they'd all gone into hiding in their enclosure.

Next day I headed to Surfers Paradise to stay with my friend Laura who I met on the West coast. The rain started as I left Brisbane and didn't really stop until the day I left Surfers, about 3 days later! So I saw very little of Surfers, but was quite happy indulging in being able to laze about in my pajamas for the whole day! I think Surfers would be a fun place for a few nights out but it's a shame that they have all the high rises built right on the edge of the beach.

So, after Surfers, I finally made it to Byron Bay which I'd heard nothing but good stuff about since I got to Australia. And it hasn't disappointed! I spent my first morning there wandering around, mostly looking in many cool clothes shops they have here and wishing I could afford stuff! I then walked to the lighthouse whihc is the most easterly point in Australia. What looked like a short half hour stroll turned into a 3 hour walk! But it was definitely worth it and got to see dolphins playing in the surf as I went along. Went out that night to the backpacker bar called Cheeky Monkeys. There's no dance floor there so you have to dance on the tables. :-)

Next morning I went for a surfing lesson. This was such good fun! Managed to stand up on the board on my first wave and was catching my own waves by the end of the morning. Obvisously they were only tiny waves but was still a great feeling when you catch one. Wish I had been able to spend longer learning though it is really tiring! My whole body was absolutley knackered by the time I got back to the hostel. Had another night across the road at Cheeky Monkeys dancing on the tables!

Yesterday I went to Nimbin for the day. This is the home of 'alternative' living. The whole area around there is called the Rainbow Valley. Our guide was a grandad hippy who'd been living around the area for about 40 years. The main thing to do in Nimbin is to buy weed which is sold quite freely on the street and in cafes as long as there's no police around at the time. They also have a weed museum, a hemp embassy, and a hemp bar. The whole place is full of hippies. It's just such a weird place! Then we went off to a nature reserve which is owned and 'run' by a hippy. He planted all of it with his own hands about 25 years ago and it's now a complete jungle! There's trees there which are so huge you'd think they were hundreds of years old but are only 20. Amazing place.

So todays my last day in Byron before I get the coach down to Sydney for my last day in Australia. Next stop Queenstown New Zealand!