We checked out of our Sydney hostel at 10am but had to amuse ourselves for the day as our bus to Gosford wasnt until 7pm that evening. Luckily there was a free bbq at the hostel which we took full advantage of to pass the time. The bus journey was a short one and we arrived in Gosford for 9pm where our aussie friends Chloe and Alex were waiting for us. We then drove for half an hour to Copacabana beach where Alex's beach house was, it was beautiful and we had our own private room complete with en-suite which is a real luxury after youve been living in grimey hostels for months. We all had a catch up that evening and chatted the night away. The following day we were up nice and early and was looking forward to some good weather as the night before it had been clear skies.....but it was raining!!!! so we all went to Australia reptile park which was good fun and we was able to get up close and personal with wombats, koalas, crocs, wallabies, dingos, the lot! There was a croc feeding show there and elvis the croc was massive, even the keepers were pooing themselves! Later on in the arvo as they say over here the weather was still dismal but we didnt let that deter us so we went to Terrigal beach and gave surfing a go! The waves were quite big and the boards we were using were not for beginners......excuses excuses i know but we gave it our best shot and i sort of stood up for a millisecond maybe! None the less it was great fun and we both enjoyed it. That night two of Alex's friends came over to stay also and we all went out for a meal in Copa and had a few drinks which resulted in a epic game of cluedo haha! It was a really nice chilled evening with good company.

The following morning we went to Terrigal beach again for surf lesson number 2. The surf wasnt that good though so i dint have much luck however Alex assured me that if i have a surf lesson further up the coast i will stand up no problem. Shortly after Chloe got stung by a blue bottle (jellyfish) and we headed back to the beach house for some grub. We were fed like kings the 2 days at the beachhouse! After dinner we headed to Maitland where Alex's home is as it would be easier to get to where our bus was leaving from the next morning, Newcastle. On the was we drove through the Hunter Valley famous for its vineyards and wine which was very nice and scenic. We got to the house and met Alex's parents Ian and Heather who were very welcoming and made us feel right at home. They made us all a huge roasted lamb dinner and Heather had even baked a cake for us for dessert....it was yummy! We chilled out after dinner and watched some tv before heading to bed in again our own room :) the luxury!

The next morning it was time to say our goodbyes already and head back to the travelling lifestyle after an amazing few days with our friends. We got on the bus at Newcastle and headed to Coffs Harbour where we stayed for 2 nights. It was a nice little coastal town with not much to do except chill out and play by the beach, which is exactly what we did as the weather had perked up a little.