Before leaving Oz we managed a trip to Byron Bay to try to see the whales Drove through Brisbane and on to the Pacific Highway.Sadly the trip in the Zodiac had to be cancelled due to inclement weather !___ would you believe that in Australia__ trust us!
We went up to Hastings Point and to the lighthouse which is the most Easterly point in Oz. The wind was so strong that it blew Colin,s helmet out from behind the windscreen. We did manage to see whales in the distance and were close enough to watch the dolphins playing and rolling in the surf.
Also saw a hawk that was hovering for his prey and stayed in the same spot for 1/2 hour _ that was amazing.

Byron Bay is a very hippie area with VW caravanettes everywhere. Definitely "peace man" and great fun.

Back through Toowoomba and the Great Dividing range of mountains.Nice swirlly roads through forests.Had difficulty filling up with petrol here, as it was Saturday afternoon. Finally found a small shop that had one pump. We got very wet as it poured with rain. The rain is badly needed as everywhere is very dry and the dams are well low.

You must be careful of the roos -especially at dawn and dusk. You can smell the road kill before you reach it! The authorities here will do controlled burns of the scrubland and you can see the smoke for miles.

One road sign that we loved was : on the exit of the motorway and facing the incoming way _"Wrong Way; Go Back".

Needless to say I have checked out numerous Dunnies - from ones that have automatic flush to a hole in the ground.

Colin rode the bike to Brisbane on 18th July to the shipper and I followed in the car. We had the pallette from BMW and he had done a practice run to tie all the kit on . He drained the fuel and disconnected the battery after driving it on to the palette. He then proceeded with the kit_Clothes were in an old suitcase , the top box and helmets were tied on. All very tidy. Paper work handed over to the Agent and the bike is to go Cathay Pacific via Hong Kong and then to Lisbon.Total cost was 1375 GBP.

We flew out later via Kula Lumpa and Delhi.

We are very sad to leave Oz. It,s been so lovely but now on to the next part of the travels.

Total miles :12769
Miles in OZ :4382