We left Sydney heading north. Our first night we pulled off the road onto a track through a forest and camped for the night.

Second day we made it to Nambucca Heads and awoke to this view.

As my two travelling companions are both non-drivers, it was agreed that I would drive and they would cook. So, inspired by this view, Ross whipped up a storm on the stove on our second morning.

We offered Fio a cup of tea, and in return she gave us the low down on the local area, and took this snap of us enjoying our first cooked meal on the trip.

On Tuesday (third day) we made it to Pottsville to visit Sharyn and Dennis. Sharyn is a long-standing friend of my mum’s. It was great to finally meet her after having met her kids and heard so much about her. When we arrived there was a freshly baked chicken pie in the kitchen of which we made short work! Here’s Sharyn on the phone in her kitchen.

After staying overnight at Sharyn’s (thanks again Sharyn) we drove to Brisbane to pick up our third hombre. On the way we met some tree girls. Good times.

Then we collected Ahmed from the airport.

After picking up Ahmed we were heading north to meet Fergus and Trijntje in Maleny. We got pretty close and pulled off the road to find somewhere to camp for the night. Eventually we pulled off the road and stopped. We were awoken to the sound of something banging against the van…

Once our bedmates were chased away, we realised we’d chosen a splendid spot to camp.

After a very late night and an equally late start, we made it to Maleny to stay with Fergus and Trijntje for a night. They live in a truly amazing house built from rammed earth. Here’s a shot from the gardens showing just how lush and tropical this part of the world is.

After two fantastic days with Fergus and Trijntje, we set off for a night out in Brisbane. We ran into one of our tree climbing friends again, and they invited us to stay at their place. In the morning we bore witness to the Australian man and his barbecue in action! Quite a feast it was. Thanks again Chris and Jasmine.

Then we cruised a little further down to the travellers mecca of Byron Bay. We proceeded to get outrageously stoned on our first night. Here’s some small token of our adventures.

Naturally, severe munchies ensued, and the chocolate cake was rapidly devoured.

After a couple of days of Byron Bay, we cruised on southwards in the direction of home. On the way we spotted a couple of signs for Fredo’s Pies. 50 varities of pies. We just couldn’t resist. Ahmed devoured the crocodile meat pie. He was fairly impressed. We had to snap a shot with Marilyn.

It’s quite common to see surfers strolling through the streets of Sydney. In fairness, this was just across the road from the beach though!

The first picture was just across the road from this, Bondi Beach.

Ross, master of the ocean.

The white ladies. This was taken at the Primo Italiano Italian Festival.

While leaving Agata’s place I couldn’t help but laugh at this sign. Otis, the lift company, are located at 5-9 Ricketty Street. Oh dear, that was an unfortunate choice!

I spotted Tunnocks Caramel Wafers in a speciality sweet shop in Pitt St Mall. I just couldn’t resist.

I definitely made one or two interesting connections. Karl is an impressive guy. He’s 16 years old and maintains a gaming server network of 628 servers. He and his dad run the business with one other technician. Impressive for 16.

The overall feel was very corporate. A lot of guys in suits. Initially only 1 woman before Zara and Jason’s wife arrived. I wonder if that’s typical of the tech scene in Sydney. I hope it’s a more mixed bag. I’m on the lookout for a few more events to check out.