Three quarters of the Lewis family were up and out the door by 7:30 am for a morning swim! Margaret, however, opted for a cup of tea and some work on the blog. Although the Robinsons had offered us yet another night's accommodation, we decided to head down the road towards Sydney, but break up the 6 hour trip with a stay over at Newcastle. We'd already overstayed and couldn't believe, once again, how generous and friendly the Robinsons, as all our Australian hos...

At 7:00 am, Barry awoke to the words, "What are you doing?" muttered from within the next room. "Going for a surf with Barry." Barry leaped out of bed and moments later, he and Chris were out of the door headed for the ocean. Barry enjoyed the swim immensely and when he returned, it was with a huge grin on his face. Australian living definitely agrees with him! After a help-yourself breakfast (our favorite kind), we headed to Dorrigo Nationa...

From Coffs Harbour, it was a quick trip to Woolgoolga or Whoopi, as it's called by its citizens. There we stayed with yet another set of friends of the Kiryluks - the Robinsons. Fiona and Chris were kind enough to offer us a roof for a few days. We arrived to a houseful as Joan (Grandma), their eldest son and his girlfriend, and their three other children (all grown - 16, 18, 20) were also there. Despite the age difference, our kids were thrilled to be with the...

It was Boxing Day, so we checked out the sales, hoping to pick up more Billabong wear. However, we didn't find any great deals and the kids had to content themselves with buying new backpacks for school. After a quick brunch, we went back over to Damian and Carolyn's, where Nikkia offered to guide us around one of Coffs Harbour's biggest attractions - the Pet Porpoise Pool. We had a great time getting kisses from seals and dolphins and watching them perform in ...

Merry Christmas!!! How strange! We woke up to a hostel full of world travelers making toast and humming carols in the hostel kitchen. The kids excitedly opened their presents, discovering that Santa shops for Billabong in Australia! Connor got some red Billabong shorts and Tessa a lovely teal Billabong shirt! They were exactly what they wanted. After breakfast, we drove over to the Humphries' house, as they had invited us for Christmas lunch, a swim, and a game ...