Surfers Paradise

Unfortunately Base hostels that we are staying with do not have an affiliated hostel in Byron Bay so we only stayed around for a few hours before jumping on the Greyhound bus to Surfers Paradise. Byron seemed like a really nice place and I think If I get to go back to Oz then I will have to go there. Arriving at Surfers and it was clearly a different place to Byron, with its tall buildings, bright lights and confusingly even a different time zone to where we left in the morning.

We stayed at Aquarius Backpackers Hostel just out of the main area in Southport. This was good, free internet (always a bonus) nice room mate, a French guy travelling south, and friendly staff although none of which were Aussie. The room was good although with no air con and the curtains open I continually woke up at about 5.30 as soon as the sun rose, it seems everyone here wakes up much earlier than home and go to bed super early.

The first morning we made plans and went to Dreamworld (http://www.dreamworld.com.au/)

We only arrived at 11.30 so with 5 hours until the buses stopped and a lot of things we wanted to see or go on we ran everywhere, fortunately it was a Thursday so there were no queues!

Becky finally fulfilled her plans for the trip and was able to cuddle a Koala and then found an even bigger one for her to have as a friend.

Koalas seen and stroked it was time to find a nice Kangaroo to belly rub and pull it's tale. After checking and seeing a few sleeping I am now almost 100% sure that patch is related to them, this one seemed like he wanted a new profile picture.

These were some grey kangaroos, we later saw larger red kangaroos, wombats and dingos but you couldn't go in any of their pens.

Animals seen and time to fall 34 stories on the vertical drop ride, go backwards on a roller-coaster, a standard roller-coaster a few water slides in the water park all of which were epic and then a hydro coaster. These area crazy, you are in an inflatable dinghy and which starts like a normal water slide before you then shoot up again on what I assume must be a hidden conveyor belt but I'm really not sure, then round some corners and back down a slide so it really does feel like a standard roller-coaster but you aren't fixed in and get sprayed with water.

Just as we left the rain came but all in all a great day, back at the hostel pasta and sauce for dinner and booking the coaches before heading to bed.