Caloundra

So after not being sure what we were going to do or where we were going to go, we spent the night in Brisbane to try and work out our best plan of attack. The hostel was $85 a night so we needed to move on quickly. The following day we headed up to Caloundra where there was a room for rent at $150 a week. After looking at the room and meeting the couple that we would be staying with we decided that at that price we couldn't really afford not to take the room. So the following day we headed back with our backpacks ready to move in for 1 month.
When we arrived back we met the other couple that also shared the house and the 2 kids that were with the first couple. The kids were 3 and 1, and immediately took us. So everything was looking good. The bedroom was small with 2 single beds, but after some rearranging we thought that we could sleep ok in there.
As we thought the kids were fun to be around, and Arlene was in her element signing and dancing ( more than the kids were )but the parents were another story altogether. The kids were put to bed when the parents had had enough of them, some nights at 6:30, others at 10:30. They would then stay up all night playing World of Warcraft till 3 or 4 in the morning and sleep till 12 in the day. The kids were up at 6:30 every morning, but were locked in their room using rope to tie the bedroom door shut. So we would get up, give the kids their breakfast and entertain them till their parents got up. So we were a bit annoyed to say the least at the lack of care that they gave their kids.

To move on from here we decided that we wanted to get a campervan for Xmas and New Year in Sydney, as the Hostels were anything up to £300 each for New Years Eve. Looking at the cost of the campervans we decided that we should do what a lot of backpackers do when in Oz and buy an old car which they kit out with camping gear and use this as if it was a campervan. So after a little looking around we Bought a car for £600( which we will hopefully get back by selling it on in Sydney)... a 1991 Mitsubishi Magna Encore, and were soon fitting it out with an air mattress camping stove etc. and off on our way spending a week to travel up to Woodgate Beach for our house sit.

The first 2 nights we spent at Dickey Beach which is just up the coast from Caloundra. We had seen some pictures that were taken on the beach of the shipwreck at sunrise and wanted to try and take something similar. It took 2 days as we slept in for the sunrise after finding out that the surf club next to where we parked had some nice wine the night before. Next we headed up to Noosa Heads which is the most expensive place to stay in Oz. The houses here are stunning with many of them having their boats tied up at their back door, and using the canals to navigate their way out to sea. After that we were on to Rainbow Beach which we used to stay as close to Tin can Bay as possible, but still be outside the bay as you are not allowed too camp there overnight. The following morning we returned to Tin Can Bay at 8 am to feed the wild dolphins that we had missed before. By 9:30 there was still no sign of the Dolphins and we were told that they had not shown only twice in the past year, so we were thinking that it was just our luck to be there on time and for the dolphins not to show. But the cafe where they turn up received a radio from one of the boats saying that they had been spotted and would be in soon. Sure enough 10 mins later 2 dolphins appeared and we were able to hand feed them but not touch them ( in case we passed on an infection ). It was still worth the wait, and a unique experience to be feeding a wild dolphin.
So we have now arrived in Woodgate Beach where we house sit for a week before going away for two, then return and stay up to the 23rd of December. Then it's a quick drive to Sydney to spend Xmas and New Year.