surf report

day eleven: we surfed snapper rocks for the first time this morning. the weather was still terrible early but the waves were really fun. it was overhead 0n the sets and running for 100 yards. we both got some great waves but no real barrels. world champ mick fanning was out and i stood up and fell down instantly a few yards from him, i think he was impressed. we had a great afternoon in the national park, see below....

day twelve: got to the point about 7 am, we were already a little too late. the waves were by far the best of the trip, even with the light sideshore winds. i got my best barrel so far on my first wave and pretty much ran right over Tommy, he is an excellent duck-diver. Bower also locked into his best barrel of the trip with a perfect blue tube at the beginning of the greenmount section of the point. gonna try and go north in the morning chasing offshore winds.

Springbrook National Park

After 2 days of rain and cold we felt housebound! It cleared enough for us to test drive our bomb 1 hour up into Springbrook National Park. Just a little smell of burnt rubber and smoke but it survived. We had a picnic of our usual (turkey/ham sandwiches with chips) in a cute lunch spot before our walk to Purlingbrook Falls.


These trees above are Antarctic Beech Trees started from one seed 2000 years ago. We saw these on our walk to the Best Lookout. Unfortunately with the weather moving in the clouds covered our "best lookout" but we all agreed that life is the journey not the destination!

Jenny & Kristen

random here and there

surf report

sorry for the delay.

day one: we did not surf although the waves were waist to chest high "duranbah" perfection. crystal clear water, 68 degrees, not too crowded, light offshore winds. it was about as good as fl gets, we were too discombobulated to notice

day two: same as above, actually a little smaller, still we have not surfed. we walked around the mall and grocery, trying to get things done, still disconnected..

day three: waves are goood this morning, bower(pronounced BOWA!!) and I get our first australian barrels.. feels good..yeaahhh, no worries..still the waves are waist to head+, glassy, crystal water, and 68 degree, sorry boys

day four: repeat of day three, another great day for surfing, also very busy with the car hunt, internet connected via "THE OPTUS," we all bow before it, shock and awe...also, we surf with Occy this morning, the former 2000 world champ paddled up next to BOWA!! and gave him a nod complete with a megaman face. we saw him get some great tubes with his mullet dragging effortlessly thru the back of the barrel. we also got our best barrels so far. crystal clear water with perfect a-frame beachbreak, chest to head+, also traded in the kia minivan and picked up the rent-a-bomb, thanks Rob- you're fired!!

day five: got up 6am, went to dbah early, perfect chest to head+ with a beautiful sunrise, much larger crowd with the weekend approaching, lots of dolphin in the water, beautiful but scary when they come out of nowhere

day six: byron bay day, great time in the town, no surfing in the morning, lots of taking it in, the bomb was no problem, went and surfed dbah in the afternoon with bow filming. got a few closeout barrels, some are posted below

day seven: lots of folks at the beach side grills, there are nice facilities all along the beaches and they are put to good use, sunday is a funday around here and we are taking part. bow and i surf at debby again in the morning. the waves cont to be waist to chest+ and perfect, we have been catching some very fun surf, especially by our standards, but the waves are still bad by local standards...we have a fun afternoon and drink wine

day eight:did not surf in the morning, had to meet rent a bomb about the car followed up with the worst session to date, we surfed dbah in the afternoon, sideshore wind, about waist to chest and almost perfectly closed out. we actually got some fun ones by fl standards but definitely fell victim to the afternoon se winds and the low tide...also the water was colder

day nine: we had another really good session at dbah today, it was chest to head+ and perfectly clean. much more peaky than it has been, lots of well groomed barrels and clean lines. the water is a perfect temp and you can see clear to the bottom in 8ft of water.

day ten: no surf today, terrible weather came in, ate an american sized breakfast at "pancakes in paradise," finally i am saturated..it rained all day making the coolangata creek swollen, the waves actually looked very fun by home standards but we had to deal with the falcoon all day, finally got it all sorted out with bow having the title and me having the bill of sale?? the wind has just died and tomorrow is looking up

mikey waves at dbah

couple short waves from a surf the other night. wind waves now, more swell coming next week.

Maroon Coon

We bought a car! We rented it from Rent a Bomb for a week and we all thought it was perfect. There's lots of room for us, our luggage and surfboard rack on top. She's already got a few nicknames...one being the Maroon Coon.

It is a 95 Ford Falcon. We aren't sure how many miles b/c the odometer is broken!

In celebration, we grilled shrimp on the barbie! We didn't have skewers so Kristen got creative and used spaghetti. It was a nice try...the spaghetti burned but the shrimp were SO good.

Tommy and Mikey also picked up a guitar in Palm Beach on their way back from getting the car. I'm sure our neighbors will appreciate their late night jam sessions.

Byron Bay Day

Byron Bay

Yesterday we drove a little south to the most easterly point of Australia. Our book says they live an escapist, organic lifestyle (which means we saw a lot of dreads and backpackers). Captain Cook named it after Lord Byron.

We took a 2 mile hike to Captain Cook's lookout.

Then we walked up to the famous lighthouse and we enjoyed some breathtaking views.

First Friday

We grilled some pork chops and corn on the barbie!!! Every park has grills with sinks and a hot water faucet.
We watched the sunset at Snapper Bay on our first Friday.
The local bars are called Surf Clubs and we figured out that you do not have to be a member to go up and enjoy the view. Just show your id and sign in as a guest.

Couple clips of D'bah yesterday

Stories from the guys side of things...

Just wanted to share some stories with all of you who are keeping up with us and want some entertainment. Here are a couple fun facts and short stories:

1. Mikey and I got our first official oz barrels this morning at d'bah. It was fun and looks like it should be super good manana and through the weekend.

2. Got in touch with Worm who almost got taken out by a sea snake yesterday.

3. Met up with Kane and was introduced to some locals. Found out that at anytime of day you can get a breathalyzer test. His buddy Alex got pulled over at 10am on tuesday and got a test! 1 beer and you're 3 times over the limit! Yeah, crazy!!!! No roadies that's for sure!

4. Minimum wage is $18/hr!

5. Pack of cigs are $15 and both tobacco and alcohol go up in price 2 times per year indefinitely!

6. Driving on the left side of the road is harder than first imagined!

7. It doesn't really seem like anyone works and Rob at Rent a Bomb said, "yeah mate if you wanna get a job, its no worries. Some days I feel like working so I go get a job for a couple hours, other days I just relax!"

8. The weather is AWESOME! Glad we're not melting in Florida! Water is probably 68 and crystal clear. Saw some sort of sea bird swimming this morning and got a bit scared.. Just waiting for my first Great White encounter!

9. Everything seems to be abbreviated or end in some fashion of ey or ie.. like Brekky (breakfast), Brizzie (City of Brisbane), Shories (shorebreak).

10. There are lots of American knock offs. Australia's next top model, Ironchef is Masterchef, the political race is going on right now and its titled, "Yes we Canberra!", Huggies are called Snugglers.

11. It is not advised to go out at night because it gets soo crazy with drunk people fighting.

12. There are boxes in the public bathrooms to dispose of used syringes!

13. People here are the nicest people I have ever met! Everyone is so helpful and friendly. At anytime they will randomly help you or suggest things and point you in the right direction.

14. Buying a car is hard because none of us know anything about cars. My father in law thankfully knows a little about cars (ha!) so we can just skype with him on the road and show him the engine if needed!

15. There are a lot of white people with dreads and there is a story that Kristen's friend actually saw one hippie carrying the other hippies dreads because they were so long!

Ok, enough for now but more to come soon...

Tommy

Surfer's Paradise

Surfer's Paradise skyline has intrigued us since our arrival!

We look at it each time we take our sunset stroll up to Rainbow bay. Today we decided to take a drive north and see what it was all about. We passed through some cute little beach towns including Currumbin, Burleigh Heads, Palm Beach(I know, and with a Miami High School!), and into Surfers Paradise. We were in disbelief at the height of the 20 something skyrises and of the hustle and bustle like New York City! We had lunch at a little cafe right in the hub of the madness and all agreed we looked forward to returning to our quiet little home in Coolangatta.

We searched for a car yesterday and think we might have a found a good option in a 1995 Ford Falcon. The guys are going to go test drive it today. Wish us Luck!!

Our days have been starting at 7am with coffee on the porch discussing the plan for the day. The sunsets around 5:30pm and we are asleep by 7pm! I think we are still adjusting to the 14 hour time change which could take some time.

Though we are around 8,000 miles from home it does not feel like we are on the other side of the world.

Everyone has been really friendly which has made our adjustment that much more enjoyable. The Australians we have encountered engage in conversation from the beginning and seem to enjoy helping us with directions, places to eat, sights to see, and any other inquiries we have.

The weather has been a little chilly, we bundle up for our outings but it is a nice change from the hot summer of Florida.

The guys are surfing Duranbah which is one of the best surf breaks.

Jenny and I are going to have a girls day of pilates on the beach, strolling through the shops, and enjoying some five dollar wine!

Love,

Kristen

Birds!

We've seen so many different types of birds. There are Lorikeets everywhere. They are so pretty but get really loud before sunset.

I apologize in advance for Tommy's inappropriate commentary!

Welcome to Coolangatta!

We're here! The flight was much better than expected. We flew into Brisbane and had a rental minivan waiting for us. Mikey first attempted the driving in the right seat and on the left side of the road. Our rental is awesome. 2 bedroom/2 bathroom 1 block from the beach.

We went grocery shopping at Woolworth's. Things we learned there: crackers are called biscuits, cheese is tasty cheese, rice krispies are rice bubbles, the deli goes by kg not pound, wine is $5 but 24 beers costs $45.

Mikey and Tommy just heard there's a $150 fine for cussing!

We took a sunset stroll to rainbow bay.

We will post again tomorrow!

Here we go

Tommy and I had a long day of travel. We started off in Orlando and then after a stop in Austin finally made it to LA. Mikey and Kristen flew direct from Atlanta and we all made it here safe. We just had dinner and $8 beers to start off our adventure. Now we're waiting 4 HOURS! for take off. The flight over is 14 hours to Brisbane.

We will let you when we're settled in our new apartment.

XOXO

Jenny