Coomera Valley

Wow!  You sure know how to show folks a good time!  Another amazing group of people took us in and made us their own.  We should have known from the time we were picked up in the bus that we had an interesting few days in front of us.  We began with a handover picnic in the middle of the woods. 

Again, we had to say goodbye...something that we must unfortunately perfect along this journey.  As a side note, this is the one and only truly terrible part of this experience.  Each time we meet a new group of people, we are immediately taken in and made to feel at home.  The connections are immediate and wonderful!  Eventually, however, we must make our way on down the road.  If anyone wants to know what we disliked, this is it.  Too bad there are weight limits for our baggage.  We might just be tempted to take home one or two Aussies!

So, with another goodbye behind us, we moved on to another fantastic experience.  We headed down the road, taking several stops along the way to marvel at the sights.  The Natural Bridge, the waterfalls, the trees, the sounds.  Wow.  These are things that are difficult to put into words.  We have many, many pictures.

We began our first evening together with the Outback Spectacular and spectacular it was!  Dancing horses, music, picture perfect images.  These things help to tell part of the Australia story, as did the steaks and beverages.  Dan also represented Arizona by taking the "stage" to participate in part of the show.  The stage is really a large arena with tiered seating all around, including tables so that we could eat while watching.  We will leave stories of Dan for him to tell!

Koalas and roos, oh my!  The next morning we went to Paradise Country to visit the local animals and to take pictures with the koalas.  We also learned more about sheep and roping.  Dan again had the opportunity to participate in the show, as did Kristen.  We think she married the shearer, but we cannot be sure!  Jenn also took kicking the can to a whole new level while making tea by campfire.  We sure know how to have a good time!

Following lunch, we continued on down the road to Sea World.  Animals again were the highlight, but this time we also hit our first roller coaster together.  No hands, people, no hands.  And we have pictures to prove it (you will hear this quite often).  Thanks to Tony (who is the man, by the way), we got up close and personal with the dolphins.  Literally, we were right there!!!  You cannot imagine the absolute delight that was radiating from us.  It was A-W-E-S-O-M-E!!!

After our adventure filled day, we each had an evening with our host families.  Good times were had by all, and again bonds were made.  Have we mentioned that we love the people of Australia?!!!

Our rest day was restful and over the top fantastic!!!!  So many stories!!!  Sights from the sky, beach time (including full on downpour) and an eventful goodbye gathering were the highlights of today.  Rest days stories will be saved for another day. :)  Thank you SO much to our wonderful hosts!!  The stories we will tell...

Byron Bay provided a perfect spot for our next goodbye/welcome.  We splashed a bit in the waters, laughed about our visit, and then joined our next hosts for a fabulous lunch by the sea.  It couldn't have been a more perfect conclusion to our visit.

Next stop...Grafton.