Sunny Byron Bay

Well when I left off I was planning to go out drinking on my second night in Melbourne. This didn't quite pan out as me and two of my dorm mates were sat around chatting for so long in our room, that in the end we decided not go out (more money saved!)

The next day i managed to spur myself in to some semblance of action and headed up to the Botantical Gardens for a pleasant wander before going to the Shrine of Rememberence. I always find war memorials quite emotional and this was no exception. It is a very beautiful building and it is always sad to remember all the people that have died in the wars of the last century (obviously we haven't learnt much from it as people are still dying in wars today). After that I pottered back to town and had a naughty moment where I bought myself a ticket to go see a play that evening. I just couldn't resist. So that night I went to see a play called Ray's Tempest. It was a new play (first performed in 2005) written by an Australian actor, with an Australian cast. It was brilliant. I laughed and cried, which is always a good sign. Some of the very Aussie referenced funny moments went a bit over my head, but that didn't mar the enjoyment at all.

So that was a great way to spend my last night in Melbourne! It really did fly by as I felt very comfortable in Melbourne and just seemed to keep finding nice spots in which to lounge and relax with a book.

On Friday morning I got up at 6.30am in order to get my stuff together and head back to the airport for my flight to Ballina with a short stop and change of plane in Sydney. i was a little worried that my backpack wouldn't be waiting for me in Ballina (as the girl checking me in seemed quite new and for some reason thought I was going to Berlin, fortunately I realised in time to tell her I was in fact going to Ballina which wasn't an international flight... my bag had gone through at the time but after she had finished checking me in correctly she ran off with a new luggage sticker, so I can only assume that she tracked my backpack down).

The flights were uneventful and I landed in Ballina at 1pm, feeling pretty relaxed despite the very heavy rain that was waiting to greet us on arrival. I picked up the keys for my hire car, ready to head off and try and find Jo & Craig's house. But when I got to my car I discovered that it was a manual and not the automatic that I had deliberately booked (as I am now so used to the damn things, all manual driving skills have gone out of the window). Well I thought, I'll be OK but I couldn't get the damn thing to start either. Nothing happened when I turned the key in the ignition. Well not exactly nothing! I got the radio and the air con to work, which is nice but not very helpful in making the car actually move! So I had to plunge out in to the pouring rain and run back to the terminal to find my friendly rental car man and tell him I was having problems.

Suffice it to say, I was not very happy to discover that he was gone. The booth was empty, as were those for all the other rental car companies. The airport itself (not exactly a huge building) had pretty well emptied out so I was stuck there on my own with a car that wouldn't start. I noticed that the Europcar counter had a telephone on it, so I pulled out my rental agreement and found the number for them and called them on their own phone (well I wasn't going to pay for the call). I got the same guy that had given me the keys. Turns out that I need to press the clutch down and turn the key at the same time to get the engine to start. Apparently he neglected to tell me this handy fact because I had said I had booked an automatic. I pointed out that I had booked an automatic as I wasn't used to manuals anymore. His response was that it would be good for me! Bloody Aussies! After the friendly Kiwis, how am I going to cope with loads of Cheeky Aussies.

Anyway, I than had to drive, get used to a manual, see where I was going through the pouring rain and generally try to cope with not being 100% sure where I was going, not being able to see very far out of the window and trying not to kangaroo hop round roundabouts. Not sure why in Australia this is considered good me for! Rrrr

After taking a very scenic route with lots of tangents in the completely wrong direction, I finally made it to Newrybar (the nearest place to Jo & Craig's) where I called Craig for directions. Having been driving around for over an hour, I realised I just wasn't going to find my way without additional help. Sure enough, their place was just round the corner off the Pacific Highway and I finally made it in there. It was an "interesting" journey so I was really glad to make it to Jo and Craig's unscathed. I tried calling the rental company to sort out the mix up, but found out that there were no other cars and I was stuck with my manual car.

Jo & I popped out in my car (I refuse to be put off using it because of their mix up) to get in some wine in the afternoon. Once we got back I was so happy to have a glass of red wine, I can tell you! Plus it was just so great to see both Jo & Craig, who look the same as ever! I also have met Poppy (sorry can't call her Popcorn) their very affectionate cat, who likes to lie around and relax a lot!

That evening, one of Jo's oldest friends, Erica, came round for dinner and we had a lovely meal with nice wine and great conversation. It was great. I slept like a baby that night I can tell you!

On Saturday, which was a beautiful sunny day, we watched the Melbourne Grand Prix final qualifiers. I was so happy when Jenson Button got pole position (for those of you that watched the actual race I was screaming on Sunday when his car brokedown within metres of the finish line - too cruel). Once again jo and I popped out, and I insisted on driving so that I coudl get used to the car. I think that this is when Jo actually started to get a bit worried about me and my manual, what can I say, it is coming back to me but I still forget stuff, particularly re hills! Never my forte. We went to the most easterly point of Australia, where there is a lovely lighthouse and we could see dolphins swimming off the coast quite happily. We could see surfers too and I was happy that we didn't spot any sharks, as those things scare me. Beady eyes and nasty teeth... not a nice combination. Jo tried to reassure me about the fact that only 2 people have ever been taken off the beaches round there and both of them were divers (not at the same time) with the name Ford (not related). I still think it will take a lot to get me swimming in the sea. Maybe a bit of wave jumping but I am not going out there to be shark bait!

That evening we relaxed at home, watched an Adam Sandler double bill on TV. It was good!

Sunday was again pretty relaxed. Jo & I headed in to the Byron market in separate cars (no my driving isn't that scary, it was so that I could stay on longer if I wanted to, as Jo had an assignment to work on, as Sophie as going to be meeting us there). Sure enough I got a text from the lovely Sophie (Sophie Henry for those of you that know her, as she is in Byron for a wedding) saying she was in the market. It was great to see her. We went round the stalls before buying some cold drinks so that we could sit in the shade and have a really good catch up. I am not getting my hopes up but Sophie is saying that she may well join me for the rest of my travels! That would be so cool! I hope that she does, it would be great fun.

After the market I headed back to Jo & Craig's and managed to get lost AGAIN! Man oh man. Fortunately I eventually realised where I should be going so made it back without needing to call for more helpful directions. that evening we went over to Craig's dad's place down the road, as it was his girlfriend Annette's birthday. I met lots of the family, who are all really nice and we had a lovely birthday meal to celebrate. It was really great.

So now it is Monday and I have come in the Byron. Sophie is feeling rather ill (flu poor thing) so I may not see her today, although may pop round just to check on how she is doing. After this update I am going to pop to the tourist centre and look at my options for my trip up to Cairns with stops en route, so that I can discuss these with Sophs. Oh and the sun is still shining, which is great.

So that is the latest from Australia. Love to all