Surfs up!

Arrived in Coffs Harbour yesterday since Ive decided to head up the coast to Queensland and then go inland once Im in the warmer zone... the weather up here is certainly a lot warmer and its VERY hot today! Apparently this place has received numerous awards for having the most temperate year-round climate in Australia! I slept sound and warm last night in my new camp site "home" with all the usual facilities available to me: toilets, hot showers, free laundry machines (this country was MADE for campers!).

As I mentioned before, the van is working like a charm and I would strongly recommend that people get the Toyota Torago GL like mine when they want to travel around Oz since its comfortable, reliable and has a groovy moon-roof (the most important thing of course!)

Coffs Harbour is a nice small town.. a lot more young people here than in the geriatric Port Macquarie. Theres even an Irish pub frequented by the backpacker fraternity. I decided to head out and catch a flick last night and saw "The Core"... a pretty good adventure romp and highly recommended by moi (the sort of movie the critics hate... hence possibly why the cinema was almost empty!). Ill probably check out that Irish pub tonight... there are a lot more backpackers in this camp site and they are usually travelling in groups in one van. I havent met anybody yet who is travelling on their own around the country although Ive met a lot of people who wish they HAD travelled on their own... the freedom to do what you want and meet whoever you want is unbeatable!

Im camped beside Park Beach and its really a beautiful beach with hardly any visitors on it (where do all these backpackers go during the day?!?) and the rips are very strong in the water. The sea is a little chilly so I might head north a bit before I try my hand at some surfing (or body-boarding)... will tell ya what I find later today...