We had hired a car for the next part of the journey and planned to drive from Sydney up to Gympie, a couple of hours north of Brisbane, where some friends live. We decided on a people carrier to enable us to enjoy the journey to the full - the additional space and height were just the thing for a comfortable drive. We had a Toyota Tarago which is the same as a Previa and it was very suitable for us. We headed North across the Harbour Bridge on to the Pacific Highway, a road we would follow for virtually the entire journey. Was a bit surprised to find that no map was given with the car and had to manage with a map we had brought from home which covered the entire country so only showed major roads. Had we had something more detailed we would probably have ventured off the beaten track a bit more, although we were limited by time. Our first night was to be spent at Port Macquarie, some 400kms away. The countryside en route was beautiful, very much greener than in the Adelaide region. We stayed at The Pioneer Motor Inn which we had pre-booked through the Flag system. Quite adequate, nothing fancy but with en-suite showers, TVs and videos. We went down to look at the beach which was one of the prettiest I have seen. It as a bit late for us to swim although there were a number of surfers out there - I guess early evening is a good time to surf. Had a paddle but a large wave crept up on Jo and soaked her so we had to return for her to change before going out for dinner. We ate at an Italian restaurant called "Al Dente" which provided me with a fabulous Caesar salad to start with (I have become addicted to these, they appear on most menus) but was unable to excite my taste buds with its seafood risotto to which I awarded my "worst dish of the holiday" award. Tasteless and chewy! All other dishes were good though. Shame we hadn't booked a second night here really as it was such a nice little place. 

Next day we set off for Tweed Heads, the very Northernmost town in New South Wales, which adjoins Coolangatta in Queensland. We were originally only planning on spending one night here after which we were to stay with friends of friends in Brisbane. However, due to business commitments this wasn't possible so we had booked an extra couple of nights here. Had 500km to cover so got an early start. Speed limits seem to be pretty much adhered-to so by that I assume there are lots of traps and some hefty fines so we had to be careful. The scenery was once again very picturesque. We stopped at a little sleepy "town" called Ulmarra where we found a shop and tea room open despite it being Sunday. This was a sort of old- English type shop selling bric-a-brac, lace etc with a little room serving snacks and drinks here We had sandwiches prepared by the jack-of-all-trades, presumably the owner. Opposite was an art gallery (Coldstream Gallery) which was also open. That was a real find and it was full of the most lovely paintings, pottery, wooden items, glass, jewellery etc. We bought a few gifts and would have liked to buy more but transport was too difficult. The prices were incredibly low - I bought a lovely pottery plate and bowl for only £12. I imagine the price in a Sydney shop would have been 3 or 4 times as much.
The motel, the Bayswater Motor Inn was easy to find. (Another Flag listed motel). On my map it appeared to be more or less opposite a bowls club. "That'll be nice and quiet then" I announced to the family, imagining a group of elderly people pottering around sedately. Couldn't have been more wrong - it was an enormous building housing restaurants, dance floor, poker machines and goodness only knows what else. All lit up in neon lights! So another preconception bites the dust. The motel was great, only a year or so old and very spacious. Little things make the difference too - we were given proper cartons of milk rather than those revolting UHT things. There was also a sink in the mini- bar area of the rooms. Mini-bar prices were always much more affordable than back home too. There was a video channel on the TV - at no extra cost. We watched Austin Powers which was hilarious. 

The next day was spent at Movieworld, Warner Bros answer to Disney, which is not far from Tweed Heads. Also nearby is Dreamworld, Seaworld and Wet 'n Wild water world. Quite expensive to get in but having had a whole day's good entertainment there we voted it worth it. Luckily it wasn't quite holiday time so we never had to queue long for anything. Jo was one of the guinea pigs chosen for the sound effects demonstration which was a scene from a Mel Gibson film. She got to stamp her feet, fire a gun and a few other things. The best attraction was the Police Academy stunt show and the warm-up chap who entertained us whilst everyone was coming in was hilarious. Stopped at Coolangatta Beach on the way back and had a most enjoyable time battling against the waves. Impossible to swim more than a stroke or two at a time, but great fun. Great surfing - we don't though. Ended up with red knees from being knocked down so often and retained enough sand between us to make our own little beach when we got back to the motel - amazing where you find it later!
 

Next day went to Currumbin Beach which was very pretty and much easier for swimming. Had a lovely Chinese meal in the evening but were surprised to find that the banana fritters we ordered were unavailable due to them having run out of bananas - we had passed dozens of banana plantations on the journey up here! So we ordered deep fried ice cream instead - honestly! However, the chef managed to find a hidden supply of bananas so we were presented with both, complimentary. Unfortunately for our waistlines it would have seemed churlish not to eat both........

The next day we headed off for Gympie. I've been writing to my penpal Aileen for about 12 years now and have visited her & her family once before. They live in Gympie which is about 2 hrs North of Brisbane and is billed as "the town that saved Queensland" as they discovered gold there just as the state was about to become bankrupt in 1867. Apparently they have just started mining again. En route we saw some most unusual trees at Caloundra as shown in the photo. On our earlier trip to Gympie, we had been treated to a couple of wonderful barbies  so were very much looking forward to participating in their legendary Good Friday party. Greg is a keen fisherman and goes out fishing and crabbing just beforehand and also loads up the fridge with enormous prawns. A barrel of beer is ordered. (12 gallons) Greg and Martyn collected the barrel on the Friday morning and Aileen and I continued the preparations for the food which we had begun the day before. Whilst they were waiting for the barrel, Greg saw an acquaintance who asked what he was doing that day and he said, "just staying home, having a few drinks with my mate over from England". "Me too" came the reply. Imagine his face when the 12 gallon beer barrel was then deposited into Greg's car!!! Poor chap now thinks all the English are extremely heavy drinkers!
The party - imagine a sort of open-plan garage beneath the house (they are often built on "stilts" to allow air to circulate beneath them which is cooling). It is a double "garage" and in one half is the beer, the barbie - and the men. In the other is the food and - the women! And never the twain shall meet. Unless for the brief instant it takes to get a drink or an item of food! I'm not sure if this is a typical Australian thing or not. There were about 16-20 of us I guess, plus a couple of extra kids. They arrive from about 12 noon and carry on until the beer runs out - in this case about 6 or 7pm. The aim as far as we could see it, is for the men to get completely blotto and the women to catch up on the local gossip. We did manage to get our share of beer however.

Next day we had been invited to the Gympie Races where Greg is a steward. Some pretty heavy betting goes on, not much for the local races but a lot for the races in the big cities. Of 6 races we were lucky enough to get 3 winners, a 2nd, a 3rd and a non-starter for which we got our money back.

It was a shame to have to move on the next day - we are hoping that the family will visit England one day so that we can repay their hospitality.

  Part 4 - Cairns