Day 123

31/10/2009

Explored the Hunter Valley today starting next door to a winery at a cheese maker while we waited for a tour of the winery.

Some really tasty cheese and very nice bread was purchased (at a price) for a second breakfast. The winery tour was informative and the wine tasting afterwards was good with several bottles of shiraz and chardonnay being purchased.

A drive around the area with stops at several places followed, with the highlight for me being a tour of a microbrewery with some tastings. Shame I was driving as I could have spent the afternoon there, but we did leave with a magnum of their pale ale and a 750ml bottle of hefeweizen (German style with a similar hop to a pale ale, but more banana than grapefruit taste).

Overall the Hunter Valley is OK for vineyard visits but all the other shops (cheese, chocolate, gifts etc) are hugely overpriced.

Town Cessnock

Day 122

30/10/2009

Southbound again, to the Hunter Valley wine region, about 650km from Byron Bay. The roads are mostly good and quite a bit was dual carriageway, but we've been keeping to around 95km/h maximum, giving an average allowing for slower sections of 75km/h.

Hoping to visit a few vineyards tomorrow and sunday, but need to avoid the area around one vineyard that is holding a jazz festival tomorrow that is the cause of us only just getting a pitch at the campsite tonight. The group behind us at check-in were turned away.

Lat 32 49.55 S
Long 151 20.18 E
Town Cessnick
Distance +5280km

Day 121

29/10/2009

Off snorkelling this morning to Julian Rock with clear blue sky and light winds. The sea was still a bit choppy and the current strong in places, but we saw several turtles and lots of colourful fish. One of the divers out on the same boat as us came face to face with a shark, but apparently it was a friendly variety. Not sure we would have been quite so rellaxed about it.

The sunshine lasted most of the day so we lazed on the beach before heading into town for the most expensive meal of the entire trip. It was also the best.

Town Byron Bay

Day 120

28/10/2009

Overnight we had more heavy rain and thunder and this morning the sky was very grey. Went of to the snorkelling place but they weren't too happy about the conditions and talked us into postponing for 24 hours.

The rain came down again this morning so I read a book while Beth got some well earnt sleep!

The afternoon was spent walking around the headland and up to the lighthouse, passing the sign for the most easterly point of mainland Australia. Arrived back at the campervan as the rain started again.

Town Byron Bay

Day 119

27/10/2009

South-east this morning to the most easterly point in Australia at Byron Bay, and the furthest east we will get from the UK.

Lost another hour due to New South Wales having some kind of summer time and Queensland not bothering. It's all going to be hours gained from here on.

Byron Bay's not a great deal different to Coolum Beach, maybe a little cooler, and it does offer some off-shore snorkelling and maybe an outside chance of spotting a whale at the end of the season.

Booked a snorkelling trip for tomorrow, had a look around the shops, checked the beach and read some more of our books. Life's tough.

Lat 28 38.29 S
Long 153 36.41 E
Town Byron Bay
Distance +4624 km

Day 118

26/10/2009

Back into central Brisbane this morning on the excellent public transport system, beneath rather grey skies.

Needn't have worried about doing a bridge climb in the rain as today was already fully booked so we had a day with nothing planned and nothing we particularly wanted to do. Decided we woudn't stay an extra day for the bridge climb, and filled today with a walking tour of some of the central sites and some retail therapy.

Returned to the campsite mid afternoon as the sky was looking increasingly heavy and booked a bridge walk for Sydney for next week. Then the rain came. And the thunderstorm.

Got a message from Beth's brother (Bob) and sister-in-law (Jane) to say they were in Coolum Bay on saturday too and had tried to find us at the campsite yesterday morning using our GPS position but we had already left. We didn't even know they were over here. They are heading north to Airlie Beach tomorrow!

Town Brisbane

Coolum Beach