Fed up with tents and hostels, we decided that for our 10 day visit to Brisbane we’d look for a nicer place to stay. Happily, a lovely lady named Kate offered us a room in her Queensland cottage just a few kilometres from the city centre. Since selling the car when we first arrived, we’ve spent the last few days drinking tea on the patio, walking to the shops in the sunshine and exploring the city.

Brisbane is perfect in winter time, sunny and 25 degrees. The centre has some good things to see, including the landscaped South Bank, Sunday markets, Chinatown and fashionable Paddington. We’ve taken a river ride on the ferries and driven to the seaside at Manly.

Now we’re at the end of our time in Australia, and what a great time we’ve had. Despite the alternating 50 degee heat and torrential rain, we’ve had a lot of adventures and fun. Highlights have included Fremantle, the Nullabor, Fraser Island, Great Keppel Island and wreck diving. It’s a huge country but we feel we got to see a good proportion, and driving in the outback was certainly an eye-opener.

My calender tells me it’s time to leave. Confusingly, the calender says we arrive in the Cook Islands tonight, Saturday 16th, but leave Brisbane tomorrow morning, Sunday 17th. Something to do with the International Dateline me-thinks.

Bye Bye Oz, I’m sure we’ll be back.

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