Well, where to start?! We had been planning for this even before we left home so it was always going to be a highlight of our trip. We had also seen the build-up to the Games as we travelled through Queensland last year and visited the giant surfboards, which acted as countdown timers in all the major cities. On the Gold Coast itself, we had witnessed the stadiums being built or converted, the roads being improved in readiness for the Games lanes and the running/cycling races, and the light rail being built so we couldn't wait to get back for the Games to start!

The flight back from Perth was 4.5hrs long and we flew right over top of the Nullarbor and the Bight. We could actually pick out certain places and it was incredible to think we had actually driven that far!! But the hardest part was leaving Winnie and Waltham in a field - it is so strange how attached we have become to our van!

Bob had planned the events so we had an event to go to every day. We chose to miss the Opening and Closing Ceremonies, and glad we did, but more of that later, and to focus on watching sport. We had bought the cheapest tickets for each event, but couldn't fault our seats in any venue - we had perfect views at them all. We saw the Baton Relay, badminton, beach volleyball, hockey, lawn bowls, athletics, netball, squash, table tennis, athletics again, rugby sevens and the marathon. Having been to the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, and seen similar events, and also the Olympic Games in London we were looking forward to a veritable feast of entertainment so how did it all stack up? We're not sure how much was broadcast overseas but we will try and give you a feel for what we experienced.

Before the Games kicked off we were very privileged to be allowed into the Athletes' Village. Bob coached Jean, now the Jersey Chef de Mission, over 30 years ago in athletics and they were so pleased to meet up again. Bill also knew Morag, the Jersey general team manager, and together they showed us around the village. We also met up with another friend, Dave, the Guernsey athletics manager, who we had also met up with in Glasgow! Seeing the Jersey team office and the organisation made us realise just how much work goes into just getting a team to the Games, let alone getting them to practice venues, and competitions on time. It was quite surreal to be surrounded by all the athletes, and to eat with them in their dining hall. I couldn't miss the shop there either - the merchandise had 'Village 2018' on and could only be bought in the Village, so my new T-shirt is very special! Jean was brilliant for the rest of the Games too, sending us updates on the Jersey athletes, something we couldn't always pick up from the TV coverage.

Having been in Oz for almost a year, we have noticed how fanatical Australians are about their sport - but only Aussie sport. I have to say their TV coverage is SO biased that the other nations hardly get mentioned, especially in cricket, and so it was the same with the Games too. It was very hard to discover where an English competitor, or for that matter any other competing nation, came if an Aussie was involved in the competition! Thank goodness for the internet! It was so frustrating as they also didn't follow up on the 'incidents' involving other nations, except in the marathon when race leader, Scotland's Calum Hawkins, was in so much trouble and in the netball where England pulled off such 'a big, unexpected' win that left the Aussie team in shock at 'such an unexpected loss!' We really missed the unbiased commentary and results of the BBC. At the venues the familiar 'Oggy, Oggy, Oggy' chant was replaced by 'Aussie, Aussie, Aussie' and I think everyone was dressed in green and yellow which made for a fantastic atmosphere when the Aussies were competing. However, it was such a shame that the majority of spectators left when there was no more Aussie involvement -for example, the rugby sevens venue emptied when there were still 3 matches to go, and a similar thing happened at lawn bowls.

Getting to the venues was a bit of a challenge for us as Bill was a 'Games Shaper' and was working shifts as a driver. When he couldn't give us a lift we had to catch the dreaded 719 bus which went around the houses and must have had all the traffic lights on the Gold Coast on its route! It took ages. Saying that, once we had negotiated the 719 and got on the light rail the connections were quick and easy. Shuttle buses ran from stations to venues and there were park and rides. The queues and efficiency varied depending on the venue. Some had got it right and some had got it very wrong, especially in the second week when the crowds started to build up. Trying to get into the rugby sevens was particularly frustrating as there were no queue lanes, just a mass of people and frustrated Games Shapers trying to form lines. However, once inside, all the venues were of a high standard and, as I said above, we didn't have a bad view at any. Indeed, at squash, Bob was particularly chuffed to be sitting directly behind the umpire!

Food and drink at all the venues cost a lot, as is usual for this type of event, and we had taken food supplies to most places to save money and also to avoid the dreaded chips! However, we were not allowed to take any liquid into the venues, including alcohol. So, our odd beers cost anything from $8 to $10, for the same beer, depending on where we bought it. We also bought 2 games shirts to use for tennis when we get back, only to find exactly the same shirts at another venue for $10 more. Good job it wasn't the other way around!

Saying all that, we had the most fantastic time and saw several gold medal winners in the earlier rounds. Netball was a real nail-biter where we saw Scotland play Malawi. We were expecting a one-sided game but Malawi had already stunned New Zealand and were up for another win. Scotland were awarded a free shot, which was missed just as time was up. However, there was a foul and she was awarded another free shot. Despite her team-mate telling her to take her time, the GS rushed the shot again and missed. Had she scored the game would have gone on to extra time. You had to feel for her as she ran off court in tears! We also watched the final on TV. England were playing Australia and, as previously mentioned, were not the favourites. However, they played out of their skin, got the tactics right and it was the same scenario - one shot to win the match before time ran out. This time the English girl scored. What a difference in fortunes, but an indication of how intense and close the competition was!

Lawn Bowls was another unexpected highlight. My friend, Trudie, knows all the Scottish bowlers and told me who to watch out for, so I was really excited to find out that we were going to watch the men's triples final with Scotland playing Australia (Australia had previously only lost to Jersey in their group opener!!!). The Scottish boys were probably not the fittest looking boys on the rink, but they were definitely the fastest down the rink to celebrate when they did a winning shot, and the loudest too!

Probably the saddest moment was when we watched the qualifications for the Men's High Jump, as the 18 year-old South African was disqualified after jumping his season's best to qualify for the final. It wasn't clear to anyone why so we approached the SA coach as she walked past us to leave the arena. Apparently he took too long and completed the jump out of time. As she said, he has a great future and will never do that again! It also amused us that his name was B Poole, coming up on the screen as Poole B, but he was drawn to jump in Pool A! Silly things amuse us!

So, how did the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games 2018 do? Well, by their own admission, they got some things wrong. The Closing Ceremony was disappointing as the athletes were not paraded in and, given the admission prices, the stadium was not full. There were also far too many speeches. However, the Opening Ceremony was pretty good and we thoroughly enjoyed that. From our own observations, there were too many empty seats, despite being repeatedly told, even when at the event looking at the empty seats, that the events were sold out?! The organising committee seemed to have scared local people away with their predictions of heavy traffic. Even the local businesses, promised a boom in trade, were suffering and not seeing the footfalls they had been promised. Surfers Paradise was not humming all day and night as was George Square in Glasgow, 2014, but maybe this was a consequence of the venues being all spread out and no central transport hub?!

On the other hand, they got a lot of things right! People turned out in their masses to watch the Baton Relay and the Marathon. We watched 11 days of exciting, competitive sport that kept us gripped. The incorporation of the Paralympics was genius and appreciated by everyone. It was so good to see them in the Athletes' Village along with all the other athletes. The Village itself was loved by all the athletes and teams and will now be turned into housing for the local people. The extension to the light rail makes getting around even easier for the locals, now the crowds have left, and the whole world now knows what a fab place the Gold Coast is! The weather was brilliant throughout, except for one day when we got caught in a sudden shower! But we think the best thing about the Games was the friendliness of the people, the thousands of volunteer Game Shapers who gave up their time to help, and the friendliness of the athletes and their trainers and coaches, who travelled with you on the public transport, and were happy to chat to you about the events. Well done Gold Coast - we had the most amazing time and have some great memories!!

And now we're back in Perth - Winnie was where we left her, and started first time so that was a relief! We're now having a well-deserved rest, getting back into van life again and planning our exploration of Perth and Fremantle, before heading off up the West Coast!