Outrigger Coolangatta

... skytrain' just north of the city so we drove up to a beauty spot in the Barron Gorge NP to spend the night, before an early start next morning. We chose this spot because it was the only place for miles around that didn't have 'no camping' signs. Unfortunately, we were disturbed at 11pm by 2 car loads of youths who parked next to us and played loud music, banged on the door and shouted menacingly at us. It didn't seem that we were welcome to stay - so we didn't. This ...

... we stayed. We booked into a former hotel that had been converted into a backpacker's hostel obviously with the idea of making themselves some more money by piling more of us in there. What we didn't know it was right above a very noisy local bar heavily frequented by many noisy locals which didn't add up to much sleep but more on that later. Our first problem was our dorm mates. We stayed in a ...

... sounds I had never heard before in all my travels. Rounding a corner there was suddenly the sound of rushing water and the view opened up to a waterfall in the distance plunging hundreds of feet into a rainbow hued mist. Wow. After an awesome hike we were back at the car and an older man overheard the American accents. He asked if I was in the service because of my short hair I presume and I told him no. He squinted ...

... were content to watch movies most of the way, Jim and I found it entertaining to just gaze out the window at such a different and changing world. This made Jim very nervous when I was driving. Coffs Harbour Coffs Harbour is about 6 hours up the coast, and we spent 2 nights there. Coffs is the banana capital of Australia. So we passed plenty of banana plantations along the way. Lots of sugar cane fields as well. Our hotel was just a short ...

We woke up and decided that we had to leave. Max said it had rained all night but I hadn't heard anytihng and it looked pretty dry outside. Megan still wasn't home so we just left her a note and left at about 9am. Within about 50 meters of Megans place the road was really muddy and we drove (I was driving) off the road and into the ditch. Stuck. I was sooooo mad. I hate Tuntable Falls and their ...

... away as they make supernoodles?! People nearly always ask me for oil or salt, and then we get chatting. Half the time I don't think they really cared whether I actually had any or not. The Art Factory is a fab place for groups of friends, for couples and for solo travellers. I talked to a dormie called Adam that owns his own Graphic Design company with his brother in London. He got bored of corporate design and decided to go ...

It was another early wake-up call, 5.30am, to get the Greyhound at 7 to Byron Bay. Low and behold, after saying we hadn't seen any Aussie wildlife, we seen a load of kangaroos chillin' in a field. It was cool to see them, so roll on the rest now (except spiders and maybe snakes). We got to Byron about 12 and we were booked into Main Beach backpackers for 2 days in a 16 bed dorm. Its gas the way the Lonely Planet book says the place is 'modern' and ...

... particularly as I believe it stands for Prisoners of her Majesty in Exile, not sure if most Ozzys know that. I may do some diving on the trip but decided to spend my time on the boat taking in the sea. Gib hadn't taken enough weights with him for first dive and so struggled to descend at first, but he soon got into the swing of things. He came up about 45 minutes later beaming from ear to ear, and told me he had seen his biggest ever Sharks (he ...

... the launch at 2pm to Milford Sound. Your Milford Sounds Cruise departs at 3 pm and then your bus to Te Anau departs at 5 pm. P lease note. The Milford Track has several creeks that can be prone to flooding and it crosses many avalanche paths. Care must be taken in inclement weather. Accommodation A ccommodation in Te Anau at a backpackers is included in this package. Clinton, Mintaro and Dumpling Huts are public DOC Great Walk huts ...