Noosa.

Spent the next few days attempting to surf on Main Beach, watching other people attempting to surf at Teatree Beach, wandering the National Park (and finally bagged me a koala... um, saw and took a picture of... and kindly hung out near the park's info booth. I checked but it wasn't chained there.), and getting the news about Steve Irwin. Partners in crime were Elsa, Elsa, Cecile et Camille (France), Louise, Carli, Skyli, Danielle (Melbourne), Ruth (New Zealand), Atchi & bro (Germany), Moosh (Israel), and Heke, a windsurfing dude from Finland. I got around to practicing a bit, obviously not a lot of time for such things, and ended playing at an Irish jam across the street. Since I don't know any Irish music, sometimes it worked, sometimes not.

On the 6th of September, muscles aching from surfing, (or trying to get on the board, or getting mauled repeatedly by the ocean) I took a bus to Brisbane, and from there a flight to Sydney. It was time to meet up with Cousin Norm for the Great Southern Road trip. For those who don't know, Norm is moving to meet up with his wife, Karen, in Bankok. It was decided that they leave their car with Karen's parents in Adelaide, but the car needed to get there from Sydney, and that's where I come in. Norm was scheduled to leave Sydney on the 7th, drive through to Adelaide in time to make a flight out of Adelaide on the 14th. Got it? Since Canada, I'd planned on showing up from where or whatever I was doing in order to ride shotgun. Admittedly, it has caused some logistical complications, and I'm not doing the cost- or time-efficient backpacker route down the coast, with its hop-on, hop-off accessibility. I've covered a lot of ground twice, Brisbane airport for example, but these were all hassles I was prepared to deal with for some adventure with family.

Met Norm in Sydney, and since he was out with some mates, left him early and headed into King's Cross for a wind-down pint and a general regroup. The rain was pelting down, and it occurred to me that I hadn't really hung out in King's Cross at night during my last stay in Sydney. I'd only seen it by day, when you can see the dirt on darkened window panes amidst coffee shops and pie houses. At night, a completely different scene. The streets and darkened windows were awash with a vibrant mixture of neon, prostitution, adult store and sex act pitchmen, massage parlours, taxis, and rock'n'roll. I sat in the Empire (Bar? Pub? Hotel?) on an openair barstool looking out onto Darlinghurst. The rain was coming down in sheets, and thunder and lightning made the place seem more electric and sinister. I finished up and headed home, getting completely soaked in the process, and prepped for the next leg of the journey.