Day 72 - Serving Time In Surfer's

It's Matt back on blog duties today.

The day started with the unexpectedly sad return of the Sweat Box. After a ropey start with the leaky roof we've both grown to love it. It's like reversing an oil tanker and the handbrake is very dodgy but it served us proud and I reckon we covered more than 2,000km in it all in all. Think some of the sadness was also the realisation that the trip is nearly over.

At the rental place the bloke working there had brought his dog, Diesel, to work, it had a limp and we felt sorry for it so I went over and stroked it but made my hand go black and smelly (sure you're thinking wow great story -sorry slow news day).

After an Uber to the bus depo we made our way to Surfers Paradise. We've tried to avoid backpacker places but as we're only here for one night we booked a private room in a hostel. It's actually a room in a two bed apartment, it's ok but furnished like a young offenders institute. The helpful lady on reception told us they organise a bar crawl that starts at 10pm, given we've been in bed by that time most nights and I'm double the age of the other guests we didn't attend.

We went to the Sushi Train for lunch (Yo Sushi knock off) and then attempted a walk down the beach but it started pissing it down so we took refuge in a Macca's (been in more McD's this trip than the last ten years combined) and used their wifi to workout we're actually staying just outside Surfers Paradise and had been walking in the wrong direction.

After this minor setback we regrouped back at the hostel. I had a reasonably priced beer and Helen fancied a wine. Funnily enough the wine list here isn't extensive, there's one option; purchase a whole bottle of white for $9 (£5.40). This was the same cost as one glass in Brisbane last night so the only question to answer was how many plastic cups do you want with it. Helen polished off half the bottle (tasted surprisingly decent apparently) before gifting the rest to a backpacker from Sweden called Adrian who seemed a bit incredulous that someone was giving away alcohol.

Dinner was at a Greek place where we got a mixed grill to share before a drink or two then back to the cell, sorry room. The hostel yoofs were pre drinking before the bar crawl so we'd not even stayed out past the start of their night.

Byron Bay tomorrow (in an airbnb apartment to ourselves) to spend the weekend with some friends from back home who now live over here so we're looking forward to that and might even stay up past 10pm.Read more