Stephen and Kate go upside down

 OK, so it seems that merchandise which winds up in an airport goes through some sort of 'size-warp'. Toblerones are prone to expand and apparently, 'Pringles' shrink. Both in circumference and thickness. But don't worry, the price has increased, presumably to cover the cost of the different sized product, the different sized packaging and so on.... Airports are obviously very significant sources of revenue. It's Brisbane airport that we're sat in now as we await our flight to Dubai, and so, home. It is quite late in the evening and the departure lounge is quiet. The high ceilings which they favour these days, give the space a hushed, almost reverential feel, as people glide by, their cases gliding obediently by their sides. This is the sterile space between worlds where we 'limbo dance' until we reach our gate and exit it. Only people's dress might give a clue to the country that they call home. It's a good time to reflect on the past month....

 Breakfast outside on the verandah is usually a good sign that the weather is set fair. Plans were made. Kate and I, were off to Brisbane. This will be our third and final city of the trip. We loved Melbourne and Sydney so hopes were high for Brisbane.  Ron drove us to the train station with advice and instructions which are so invaluable and make all the difference to a trip, especially in a foreign land. This is particularly true of me and Kate who are apt to wander along, unprepared and underinformed. We tend to find things or places of interest by mistake. We don't really mind - we are easily pleased - but armed with words of counsel and wisdom from Ron, enabled us to set off with confidence.  We got off at South Bank, which is the south bank of the river Brisbane. (Not the Thames) and within minutes of the station, we were in a lovely park which runs along the river bank. The park creates a wonderful juxtaposition of trees, lakes and colourful flowers such as bougain...

 You know all those preconceptions you have about Australia? Well today, they came to pass. I'm not talking about the inevitability of being eaten by a crocodile or even meeting Crocodile Dundee. Nor am I talking about being stung by a box jelly fish or getting on the wrong side of a kangaroo. Today was a day of having fun, Australian style. The four of us drove to a bus station, caught a bus, caught a ferry then caught another bus. That's a lot of catching. Apparently, they would normally have gone to Stradbroke Island by car (putting it on the ferry) but it was all booked up. Why? Because it's the King's Birthday! There's something slightly odd about being prevented from booking a ferry because of a king who lives on the other side of the world. However, the public transport worked perfectly and we were pleased to use it for our journey to 'Straddie'. It meant that we saw what this part of the world means to other holiday makers.  There was an abundance of...

 List of things really needed for our Australia trip. Sun cream. Swim wear. Sun hats. Shorts. Dresses. Sun glasses. Flip flops. In short, summer has arrived. We had imagined that we would be crowing about how warm the weather is for the whole time we were in Australia so we now have to concentrate on cramming all our crowing into one weekend. In fact, the weather promises to get hotter and hotter until the time we leave. The sky is blue, the Jacaranda trees are a blaze of purple flowers and the birds are in fine voice. And what voices they are. I wondered, the other day, why such a bizarre noise has been 'composed' to signal to pedestrians that it is time to cross the road at pelican crossings. I reckon it's because any kind of 'normal' alarm sound is bound to already be replicated by one sort of bird. If one such bird was standing close to a road crossing, the consequences could be disastrous. If you're lucky, I will attempt to imitate the crossing noise and at...

 List of things not really needed (so far) whilst in Australia.  Sun cream. Swim wear. Sun hats. Shorts. Dresses. Sun glasses. Flip flops. We're hoping that that will change for our final weekend in Australia. The signs are good. Weather apps and reporters alike talk of a hot weekend. Will I soon be complaining of the heat? Probably, knowing me. Last night was determined to show no hint of finer things to come. The winds blew and the rain hammered all night. And then, when we had packed up ready to leave, the sun came out. We said goodbye to the slightly alternative/eccentric, arty, friendly owner of our air bnb and were on our way in our little car again.  It was an easy journey straight to Brisbane today, where we would be reuniting with my cousin, Joy, and this time, her husband, Ron, who has returned from the high seas. We decided to complicate our journey by going via Tamborine Mountain.  We had no idea what it was like, we just liked it's name. Please note ther...

 I suppose a southerly wind in Australia is the equivalent of a northerly wind in the UK. That's what was blowing today and it felt like it. We spent the day walking in it, setting off once the rain had abated. If the forecast is at all accurate, then we shall have a taste of temperatures into the 30s over the weekend. One weekend of hot weather in an entire month is not what we anticipated. Much of what we brought on this trip just stares back defiantly at us from our suitcases. Still, we have spent the last few years cycling for weeks on end in what ever the weather felt like doing so we're reasonably resilient.  Today was a no car day. Always a winner with Kate. There was an obvious twelve kilometre walk to be done. It took us to the easterly most point of mainland Australia. We started by walking the few hundred yards to the beach, then along the beach for a mile or so during which time we saw one other person. Once we had arrived at the bit of Australia that sticks out to...

 The morning announced itself with the ubiquitous yodel/whistle of the Magpie, and Yamba (our current location) beckoned. We had a leisurely muesli, nonchalantly packed our bags and sauntered into Yamba. With a little coaxing, the car made it up the steep hill to the coast near the lighthouse.  The sun was out. It was pleasantly warm. We revelled in it, walking first to the lighthouse, then down to the beach. From there, we made our way along a mile-long spit of land (man made) which stuck out into the sea. As we glanced out to sea, we saw a dolphin surfacing a few times as it made its way up the creek. It won't surprise you to learn that, after our walk, it was time for a coffee. No shortage of choice in Yamba.  We felt like we could hang around in Yamba. The coast line is so big that it's easy enough to find a quiet spot to enjoy vast and impressive views. Perhaps the weather helped to prompt our wish to stay longer.  We wandered the shops for a while and Kate fou...