Well, Don't even know where to begin when explaining the past 5 days me and Laura (and charlie!) have had! Been such a great little journey with a few ups and downs but the best little random adventure yet!

Cause we got Tues-Thurs off work me and Laura decided to go and hire a campervan and go and see some stuff around Casino. Our supervisor, Super Tahn, had told us a few cool places/waterfalls to go and see so decided to pack our bags and get on our way! The camper was SO cheap ($230 for 5 days) but the insurance was really high so we definately needed a 3rd person to chip in with us so decided to ask Charlie to come along!

On the Monday me and Charlie went and got the van from ballina and it was so cool!! Much better than what I thought it was going to be and the way the beds etc were arranged it was more spacious etc than what I thought! Driving it was a bit weird cause the gear sticks in a weird position and the handbrake it all weird but, after a few stalls, I could work it alright! Me and Laura had to go to work for a while on the Monday but after work we got everything packed up and set off. Charlie came down with his suitcase... YES SUITCASE and I think that was the beginning of us ripping Charlie! Who the f*** brings a SUITCASE on a camping trip|?!!

We drove to Byron Bay and checked into the Arts Factory. I can definatly see why so many people go on about this place cause it is really cool. Proper laidback and hippyish and can see its a great place for meeting other backpackers etc. The camping but wasn't what I was expecting at all cause we were just in the car park and had to cook, eat, drink, play music etc all in the actual hostel. I had imagined campfires, guitars and everyone playing drinking games outside their campers! Haha! But as soon as we hit the brakes we were on it! (Well Charlie started back in Casino I think!) Goon and Cider's at the ready! After the kitchen shut it was pretty quiet but we just sat outside drinking and chatting and met some pretty interesting backpackers. Totally been missing the backpacker lifestyle of meeting all the random people from all over the world. Laura said to me maybe at 11/12, "I'm not gonna get too pissed tonight cause we should be fresh for driving tomorrow" and I kinda agreed with her, we should be fresh and ready to take full advantage of the camper van... Fast forward to 7:30am, Charlie's greeting on my shoulder, I''m trying to roll a roll up wth one eye shut and Laura's in a goon-induced coma! Needless to say we ever went far the next again day! I drove (very carefully seeing as I was still a bit pie eyed) down to the beach where we had brekkie in a pub and sat at the pub having a few beers/"Living like were millionaires $16 cocktails" (well Laura and Charlie did, I had a few middies cause I was designated driver!) then me and Laura sat on the beach and worshipped the sun.
Charlie had to be in Surfers Paradise for some kinda show he had already booked with his mum and gran so I said I would drive him then drie back (there was a whole load of drama with him cause he kept changing the details, saying he would get the bus, was wrecked cause he had sat in the pub all day etc and didn't even say thanks when I offered to drive him there - but I'm gonna skip over that cause I don't want this blog to be all about arguements with Fuzzy Heed Tampon Charlie... Which there were a few!!!) But give him his due, he did give us quite a few laughs on the trip, but mostly cause we were ripping him all the time i.e, "Charlie, take yer tampon out" when he ws trying to be all moody!
When we got back to Arts Factory (oh yeah, we decided just to stay in Byron another day <3) me and Laura decided nto go to Cheeky's. The night before we were drinking with a couple of guys, Adam from England and Boy from Germany (that I decided to keep calling Herman the German!) and Adam came to Cheeky's with us. Cheeky's was such a dissappointment cause it was pretty dead and after the security told us we could even take photo's, no and Laura were no happy!!! Who the hell bans taking photo's in a frigging nightclub???? But after a AbraKebabra we were all good!

In the morning we drove to a sweet spot called Brunswick heads and me and Lj spent the morning jumping about taking loads of photo's and soaking up the sun. Brunswick heads in GORGEOUS and the beach is amazing! We met up with Fuzzy again cause his mum dropped us off then we headed up to another beach (can't remember the name of it atm!!) But it was a little tense cause when we were driving there I had been in the back and hadn't shut the door right so the door was wide open when we were driving and Laura was the driver and noticed it so it put her in quite a bad mood :( And there's no hiding it when Laura's no happy!! As she says "My face can speak a thousands words" And I probably don't help matters cause I tend to laugh in these kinda situations! But the beach (I wana say Edgecliff?? But don't think thats right!) was awesome. Really pretty but was ruined by some bints sunbathing topless, which you just don't really see in Australia but oh wellm each to their own I s'pose!
I had looked up caravan parks with power supplies caus the power kept cutting off last night (getting ready to go out was hard work doing your eyeliner and the lights cut out!) so we decided to stop at this one in Tweeds Heads. We drove up the the NSW/QLD border first for some pictures, Charlie had dinner and we watched the sunset on the beach. Itwas absolutly beautiful watching the sunset and it had the Surfers Paradise skyline in the background so was gorgeous!
Tahn the Man had told us about Mount Warning thats near there and said something like it's the first place to see the sunrise so we decided to watch that in the morning but didn't know if it was open cause it had been flooding. When we checked in teh caravan park the woman told us there was a dawn service on 15 mins away from us at Elephant's Rock because it was Anzac day they have a big memorial service while the sun comes up so we had a early night (well Charlie went to the pub) and got up at 4 to go and see it. OMG, it was absolutly AMAZING!!!! There were thousands of people there for the service and all the scenery was amazing! We were right on the beach, the sea looked amazing, there were a few boats that you could just see the sillouette off and the sun slowly light the sky. Absolutly gorgeous to see and so glad we went to it.
That day Charlie decided to go off and do his own thing (pub probably!) so me and Laura went to Currumbin Creek where I had been with mum, dad and Lisa and sunbathed for a while. We then decided to go to Springbrook National Park and see the natural arch. The road up to Springbrook just keeps going up and up this massive windey hill and Im glad Laura was driving cause I think I might have beena nervous wreck!! We had put on SHM's last ever set and it juse made the journey complete! The sights going up the hill were gorgeous cause it was just loads of hills with the sun shining through with all these green tree's everywhere. I know you can get that back home but it's just felt really special in Australia!! We went to the Natural Arch and OMG, it was just AMAZING!!!! You walk down this valley and into this cave where this massive waterfall comes through the middle off. Was so nice too see and got some great pics! Seemingly at night the cave is home to all these gloworms that light up the cave so might need to go and see it at night some time!
The sun was starting to set by this point and we hadn't been properly to the look outs at Springbrook. There were 3 main look outs, "", "" or "The Best Lookout" So we decided to just sprint it to that one!! We could see the sun going down and down so we were so nervous we were gonna miss it! Totally put the pedal to the metal and when we got out BOLTED the 350m to the lookout, nearly knocking over 4 chinese people, only to find out the sun was bloody well setting on the other side of the mountain!!!! The lookout was still amazing though and loved watching it getting darker with the sun making the sky pink and being able to see Mount Warning, Byron etc etc in the distance. Loved every second of it and at one point during the day I honestly felt so happy I could have cried!!! <3

That night Charlie (surprise surprise) was getting on it with a load of random people he had invited back to the caravan park. I absolutly loved wee Josh who he had made pals with but he was wrecked and ended up going home pretty early. We went to a place called Twin Towers for drinks and banter. The drinks were so cheap the place was amazing- full of bombscares though!!

So today we just just woke up and drove to Brunswick heads and got lunch then dropped the camper off :( Was so sad saying bye to it, could have definatly stayed in her a big longer <3 Loved it so much (with the exception of Charlie doing our heads in! "Charlie, I'm trying to remember the last time you spoke and your voice never annoied me as much!!!") I would have loved to say we went home after dropping the can off but we had to sit in the car park for over a hour waiting for Charlie's friend pick us up. Bloody Charlie goes to drink a beer in the car park "Charlie STOP BEING SUCH A BOGAN!!" Singlet on, no washed in days and a beer wrapped around his teeth to open it in the car park. Easy now pal, you dinny need a drink that badly!! Will have to explain how Charlie is in another blog, I need to go to work now :( :( Straight back in to reality of Friday night Casino Chronicals; 3 Teeth and a Rats-tail.