Friday 6^th July

We have been staying with friends so the blog is behind. So a little catch up. Steve and Denise are working, so we borrowed their car and explored. They live at the top of the Somerset dam that is connected to the Wivenhoe Dam, west of Brisbane. Beautiful country and we enjoyed our drive and exploring little villages. Had a lovely evening with their friends who had fish and crabs they had caught in the gulf. Interesting people who have tried their hand at many occupations - building, restaurants, B&Bs etc.

Denise and Steve have some chooks and lots of fruit trees and a large vegie garden.

We had a lovely visit with them.

Saturday 7^th July

We headed off early to the coast. We ended up in Burleigh Heads at a park at the south end of the beach. It was a great spot as we could walk into town and to the beach. We settled in and went for a walk and discovered Mass was at 6.15. Then we went for a long bike ride. There is a bike track that virtually goes all the way into Surfers and is mainly along the beach. We headed north and went as far as Miami Beach. This has only low rise buildings and no trees along the waterfront so we had a beautiful view as we rode. Much busier back near our beach and we had to get off the bikes- too many people. We were able to walk to Mass as it was very close. The church is in the basement of a large apartment building, circular in shape. A large crowd with a cross section of ages. Then we opted for fish and chips- always necessary at the beach! Lovely weather all day!

Sunday 8^th July

We headed to Lismore. We were amazed at the amount of traffic on the freeway in and out of Brisbane. Too much civilization! We headed to the beautiful country behind Lismore where among other things macadamias are grown. There our friends from Canberra live. We met up with them at the local boat and caravan show which was being held in the showground. Had a lovely afternoon and headed home. They have a beautiful view all around and can see trees, valleys and more trees. This is sub tropical rainforest area and very beautiful. We were given a crash course in growing and harvesting macadamias so now we are experts! Had a yummy baked dinner (we have no oven in Fanda) which we thoroughly enjoyed.

Monday 9^th July

We spent the day exploring around Ballina, Byron Bay and Lennox Head as our friends had to work. We especially enjoyed Lennox Head where we walked around the headland and had lunch overlooking the ocean. We noticed board riders going in over rocks which we thought odd but apparently the current takes them back to the surf beach. At Ballina we did a very long walk along the breakwater. We could see dolphins. Apparently there a few groups live there. Another man pointed out a whale to us but we couldn’t really see it. We headed back to Lismore for another delightful evening. They were very hospitable and it was great to catch up.

Tuesday 10^th July

Not a great day weather wise so we spent some time at the shops and then in the van reading. We were able to buy some presents as we have lots of birthdays on our return! We caught up with my friend Judy who had been my bridesmaid. Another lovely evening and home cooked food

Wednesday 11^th July

Back down the coast and we have ended up at Emerald beach- not sure if it part of the emerald city! We are about half an hour north of Coffs Harbour. We are in a very child friendly park close to the beach. There is a heated pool, sauna, jumping pillow, games room, playground to keep kids amused. We walked thru bush onto the beach and then walked along the beach. There is a headland that I,{Fay] walked up. There were kangaroos at the top of the headland just grazing. A beautiful view out to the sea and up the coast and down the coast. Another wonderful day in sun and sand.