We drove 700km back towards Sydeny today and stopped off at a motel just 1 hour outside Sydney. Only had three beds and I volunteered the floor since I was still ill (had a chest infection since Cairns which cannot seem to shake, been through 5 bottles of cough medicine already, I wonder if it is time to visit the old GP yet??? haha.

Next day we arrived back in Sydney, just about as the car decided to chuck out a big ploom of blue smoke as we departed the motel, this probably in disatifaction with us driving him 700km the previous day!! Matt & Rick went on a Whale Watching cruise whilst myself and Andy tried to tidy the car up a bit and posted some adverts for it on internet and in hostels. Early evening we headed to Lauries where we all got changed and headed out for the evenings entertainment, yep you guessed it we went drinking. Big night as well since Matt & Nicks last in OZ. Seriously went overboard I feel and whilst everyone feeling ropey next day at least we didn't have to get a flight. Unlucky Rick you certainly were not looking too healthy. Myself, Andy and Laurie ended up all day on Lauries sofa and we have all certainly felt better then we did that day. Laurie then decided he would look at the tappett noise on Mcluvin and proceeded to take the rocker cover off and poke around in the engine. After a few mishaps and a few pieces of the car dropping down into the engine bay.........??? We got the cover back on and the car seemed a little quiteter, now all we had to do was await that elusive phone call.......

Went to Manly next day with Laurie and Claire to go hunt out a Roast Dinner, could not find one anywhere and had to settle for Fish and Chips!!!! Manly beach was very nice and far more upmarket then Bondi was, just as busy mind you with not a space on the beach to place your towell!!! Andy had spent day seeing old college friend and luckily enough for us he had offered us accomodation for the night. I drove to next town from Manly that evening after leaving Lauries and met them in town. His mate Stewart had the fattest Triumph motorcycle in his porch entrance it truly was an awesome bit of kit. Real nice place and very hospitable of them to put us up, had a few cocktails that evening in their built in bar whilst playing a few games of pool followed by poker!! Tell you what if this is what Aussie living is all about then I'm out there!!!!!

Had a call about car that evening as well and guy in Manly interested. Following morning we cleaned and hoovered Mcluvin and got him looking respectable for his big moment!!! Lucky for us no tappet noises and no oil smell. Guy from England as soon as saw car and drove it wanted it and we agreed on a price of $1,750. We only ended up losing $500 on the car between us, so for 6 weeks worth of driving down the coast we saved an absolute fortune on what buses or hire car would of cost together with no break downs and the back of the wagon as our accomodation, thats proper travelling and scrimping that!!! haha. Headed back to Manly the following day and handed the keys over and then got ferry back from Manly to Sydney. All this happening the day before our flight was booked, what a result, couldn't of worked out any better. That evening was last night so met Laurie and Quinn (Kiwi guy from Cairns and Whitsundays) in a local Irish Pub and got totally battered. Myself and Andy were so drunk we were asked to leave, and when you are asked to leave where do you go, no not home to bed, the casino of course!!! Off we went with Quinn and this is where it could of gone so horribly wrong being so drunk!! To my advantaghe though my foolishness paid off when I stuck $10 on number 29 on roullette on the last roll of the night and in came a $300+ win. You little Beaut. I ended up going home about $350 to the better whereas Quinn went home the opposite way, oh well some you win some you lose, I can say that since my luck was in!!!! Ave it. Next morning it was a very nice surprise to find these extra dollars in my pocket and to be informed how they were achieved!! What a night I couldn't even remember that s*** going down, awesome!! I say it was nice surprise finding the money it was not a nice surprise realising we were late for our airport pick up nor feeling the way I did!!!! Got to airport had to arrange tickets and change the dates on all my Air New Zealand flights as they had advised me to do back when I was in Laos, oh yeah forgot about that!!!! Spent rest of day trying to sleep wherever I could, at Starbucks at airport, in waiting longe, on toliet, on the plane the list goes on I was dead to the world and just wanted to lie down and sleep, thank god when we had arrived in Auckland and the bed was there!!!

Australia was over and what an experience it had been. An expensive one in comparison to Asia. but what a memorable one. So much done and seen I loved it all, lets hope New Zealand can live up to the expectations that Australia had now set!!! Roll on the Activity Centre Hub of the world!!!