Off to Surfers Paradise

After a week on the lookout, I finally tracked down a lamington at the airport. I'd already had banana bread, a breakfast of fruit loaf, and tried vegemite (verdict: marmite after a partially successful anger management course) so I'm well on the way to the full set of traditional Aussie foodstuffs. Just Tim Tams, tasty cheese and a pie to go.

Pleasant flight with Virgin Australia. We had an exit row, so lots of legroom. And it's one of the few that still gives out free drinks and snacks even on very short flights. Taxi from the airport to the hotel, with a driver who talked constantly but very quietly. Sometimes to us, sometimes to Google - and it was rarely possible to tell which. Some of the bits I could hear were quite interessting, though, and he pointed out some useful things around the hotel.

Surfers is definitely more resort than city, and pretty built up. But we have a view of the distant mountains from our balcony, and it's virtually impossible to be more than a 5-minute walk from the sea.Read more