May 23rd (Saturday) - Day 83 - Noosa and Brisbane
After a lie in and a very hung over start we wandered down to the beach just as it started to rain. We tried to ride it out but it carried on so we went back to the hostel. We watched some TV and waited for our bus to Brisbane. As soon as we got on the bus the sun came out! We later found out that the beach had been closed minutes after due to a huge tidal surge. We arrived in Brisbane where we were staying with Sarah's Aunt; Gill. We had to get a train out to her place so we worked all that out and before we knew it Gill was picking us up. They had such a great place. The garage was the size of my old flat! Out back they had a wonderful seating area complete with bar and swimming pool. We spent the night talking to Gill and her husband Wayne out the back.

May 24th (Sunday) - Day 84 - Brisbane
Spent the morning resting and not doing a lot at all. Mainly playing with Millie the dog. That afternoon we took a walk around the neighbourhood and out to the bay. We tried to go into a British shop but it was closed. That evening we spent some more time speaking with Gill and Wayne.

May 25th (Monday) - Day 85 - Brisbane
Gill took us on a 30km bike ride around Morton Bay. We started at their house and headed north. It was a really bright day but the wind kept us cool. The first leg of the journey was mainly along side the roads but after a while we turned off and were going through mangroves (salt water trees) and parks. Once out the park we reached the bay front and went on for miles along the front. I decided to be cocky at one stage and went over a speed bump way to fast. The front of the bike came lose and crashed to the floor. (Sorry Gill) Once we were half way Gill treated us to a cake before we made the long journey back. That afternoon we went to a shopping centre for a bit (to eye up winter cloths for NZ) and then Gill took us down the bay to a bar/light house where she treated us to some drinks. That evening Gill and Wayne treated us once more by taking us out to dinner. I did manage to sneak a round of drinks in.

May 26th (Tuesday) - Day 86 - Brisbane (Dream World)
Gill and Wayne kindly lent us there Jeep for the day so we took it down to Dream World (Aus's answer to Alton Towers). The best bit is the park was dead so we hardly queued all day. We went on everything at least twice and some things 5-10 times. Mainly the big ride which spins you in a circle as well as sideways and vertical. Other great rides included a 135km drop to earth and a car which is sent off at 140km up a tower until it runs out of steam and falls back to earth. They even had a laser quest that we used a few times. We stayed until we had to leave and drove home.

May 27th (Wednesday) - Day 87 - Brisbane
We caught the train to the city centre and set off exploring. We got off at South Bank. This is a huge park that runs along the river. There were all manner of things to see from water displays to Japanese gardens. At the end of the park we went to the Brisbane museum but did not stay long as SG is not a fan. We then wandered over the bridge to the CBD and looked around some shops etc before having the mammoth task of deciding what to get for lunch. This took us a good hour as there was so much to pick from! After lunch we took a walk through the city gardens before jumping on the CAT river service. This is meant to be public transport but its like a river cruise and the price was included in the train ticket we had so we spent a good 3 hours on the river for free! Once off the boat we had a look around a farmers market before getting the train back.

May 28th (Thursday) - Day 88 - Brisbane
Gill said we could borrow the jeep again so we set off to the west and headed in land. Our first stop was a mountain range which over looks Brisbane. This was so cool. You could see everywhere we had walked the previous day and you could take in the vastness of the place. We then wanted to go to a walk to some waterfalls but the path was shut for works. Instead we ignored another sign saying burning in progress and set off to find a lake. 300 metres away we took a wrong turning and ended up on the set of neighbours. Well it wasn't but looked like it. So we quickly got out of there before becoming the victim of Karl Kennedy. After the long steep walk back to the top we grabbed the car and found a nice little picnic area for lunch. We pressed on after lunch and worked out we could drive to the waterfalls. I am so glad we did not walk it… Despite small showers there was no water running over them! We then found Australia's largest planetarium (which was the size of my living room) which backed onto some Gardens. We had a long walk around the gardens and then drove up the mountain range to Mount Glorious.

May 29th (Friday) - Day 89 - Brisbane
As this was our last day of home comforts for gods knows how long we laid in for most the morning. After lunch we went on another bike ride. We took a similar route as before but instead went on a bit further. That evening we had a long chat with Gill and Wayne before having to pack for the first time in a week!