We arrived in Coffs Harbour at 5:25am and after very little sleep we jumped on the hostel bus with 3 other strangers. The driver was very informative and took us to a look out point, showing us where everything was - this was not something that we appreciated at the time! With the reception not open until 8am, we sat and got chatting to the other 3 who had arrived with us. 2 and a half hours later, we were all best friends, were sharing a room and had hired a cramped car to spend the day together in - what a great way to build a friendship!

Our route involved visiting Dangar Falls (which was far too cold to swim in - Matt's words were "We will probably all die if we go in for a swim!"), Dorrigo National Park, The Big Banana and Emerald Beach.

The Big Banana - as it says on the tin... it is just A BIG BANANA!! Classed as one of the greatest tourist attractions in Coffs Harbour. We finally realise that the larger than life objects up the East Coast are there on purpose, so far we have passed a shrimp, a trout and a windmill - who knows what we will find next!! Supposably following the list up the East Coast will ensure that you visit the best places!

The drive to the National Park was unreal, climbing a helterskelter in our little 'Hilary' was not the easiest task, there were times we thought we may have to push!

Emerald Beach was the gem of the day.... Get IT?! We arrived to an abundance of wild kangeroos, stunning scenery, dolphins in the bay and crazy surfers catching the waves. The best sunset yet was seen here, sat with a cider and silhouettes of kangeroos.

Tonight was our first night of cooking so we stopped off at Coles on the way back to Aussitel for some supplies and some goon (this was going to be our first experience!)Basically over in Australia, 'Goon' is a 5L box of CHEAP wine which costs only $10 - 5 English Pounds which all the backpackers drink. After tea, we introduced Amber, Tom and Adam to the amazing game of V69 (Amy and Luke we will carry this beauty around the world with us!! We have you to thank for enlightening us)

5 litres will be enough for five people they said....... way over 5L later.......A great night had by all!

To our surprise, the dorms, kitchens and bathrooms were great in Aussitel. We just hope we aren't seeing the best of hostels here.

Today's firsts:

- First shared dorm

- Lost our 'Goon' virginity

- First drive of a car in 2 months

- First sight of a kangeroo

- First meal cooked in a hostel

M & C xxxx