Remote islands and untouched coastal parks along the Queensland ocean road were soon replaced by commercialized, overpopulated tourist scenery. Surfers Paradise, one of many communities making up the Sunshine Coast, has almost as many skyscrapers as Chicago. The twenty kilometers of forty story hotels along the beach resemble Miami's crowded coast line. We were so excited that we stayed for ten minutes. Watching a constant flow of beautiful ten-foot-plus waves curling into a gorgeous white beach, we understood how this spot might appeal to others. For us it was yet another opportunity to promote the development of skin cancer. We do not enjoy sitting on the beach for too long. Continuing our drive down the coast we saw much of the same. Finally at Tweed Heads I had to go for a swim and enjoyed smooth body surfing in big waves for twenty minutes. Elke watched from the safety of a shady tree on the edge of the beach.

It was just about closing time when we arrived at Tropical Fruit World later that day. A large plantation specializing in the development and growth of unusual fruits and fruit hybrids, the founder decided it would also make a great theme park. Although it was too late to enter, we did have an opportunity to sample some very delicious, rare fruits, including one that tasted like chocolate. That night we camped at the Mt. Warning caravan park and prepared to hike to the summit the following morning.

Pointy Mt. Warning is the core of a huge volcano that towered to twice its current height (ca. 4000 feet) twenty thousand years ago. A ring of peaks circling it, now separated by large valleys, are the remnants of the volcano's body and provide spectacular views from the top of Mt. Warning. It is one of best old volcano research sites in the world. Blessed with perfect weather we were on the trail at 10:00 am. The winding foot path was covered with rocks and roots, which made for slow hiking and tired feet. The last six hundred feet challenged our endurance with a steep ascent over jagged rocks, requiring the use of a chain rope attached to the mountain face. It was a little scary, but well worth the effort when we reached the top. The hike took approximately six hours, and we were quite exhausted at the end.

Under pressure to keep moving we drove two hours to Attawara and set up camp at the Lorikeet Caravan Park. Frequent visits of lorikeets (colorful parrots) are included in the camping price. The next morning we proceeded inland to the quaint town of Dorrigo on the edge of a national park by the same name. Elke chose a rural route which included thirty miles of narrow dirt road up and down the mountains. Driving on the edge of the cliff to avoid oncoming lumber trucks made this trip a true adventure. We were so exhausted from the previous day's hike, that I needed a double espresso at lunch to muster enough energy to get in and out of the car.

We managed a one hundred yard walk to the view point of spectecular Daranga Falls and a five minute walk above the rain forest canopy at the park visitor center before giving up and heading back to camp. On the return we stopped in Coffs Harbour to check out dive opportunities around the Sanctuary Islands marine park. Anemone Bay off the tip of North Sanctuary Island is supposed to have the largest collection of anemones in the world. The bloke we spoke to only dove around the south island but recommended us to an outfit located near our campsite. A weird chap, he also went on and on about shark attacks in Australian waters. We left him extremely encouraged about our diving prospects!

We still went to the other dive shop the following morning and inquired about diving at North Sanctuary Island. Although the gentleman was very optimistic about good weather conditions for the next day, with the last dive experience fresh in our minds we decided not to wait. Instead, we headed for South West Rocks, a dive location recommended by Dave, our dive master on N. Stradbroke Island where we tried to dive the manta ray bommie and met the blokes from America. We arrived at the dive shop just past noon time. After forwarding regards from Dave, the owners told us that the whole group is upstairs at their backpackers lodge having just returned from the morning dive at Fish Rock Cave. Following a round of greetings and laughs we all headed off to the local pub for cocktails, beer and conversation.

"Crocodile Dave," as we came to call him, is located on the right next to Elke. His american partner Bill is on the left with the ball cap. The rest of the group consists of English and American dive enthusiasts. Shooting pictures with the tiny laptop created quite a stir with the locals. It was a lively afternoon. Later, the group invited us to dinner at Paragon Pizza. The food was brilliant and the wine flowed generously. Lemon is the secret to a whole new pizza experience. That's all we are allowed to divulge. The famous dive spot at this location is Fish Rock Cave. A large rock formation with an underwater swim-through cave, its tenants include ten-foot-plus nurse sharks, woebegone sharks, large blue grouper and huge schools of smaller reef fish. Rising early to dive, the outcome was less then perfect. Choppy seas made Elke seasick and she didn't get in the water. Feeling a bit queasy from the previous night's festivities, I only made the second dive and didn't go through the cave. I did, however, see all of the aforementioned sea creatures including an eight-foot nurse shark. Very cool! Farewell and address exchanges concluded, we soon hit the highway again.

I snoozed while Elke drove. Navigating the Australian roadway like a local she had us in Hunter Valley before dinner. A quick look at an information map on the side of the road provided us with the data we needed. Soon after we arrived at "Twin Trees" and secured a gorgeous little cottage situated amongst vineyards and grassy fields. The poisonous snake briefing was needed - brown and black snakes, two of the deadliest in the world, were living in these grassy fields - before we settled down for a couple of days in one of Australia's renowned wine valleys. We appreciated sleeping in a real bed after camping for many nights and slept until 11:00 am. The sunny afternoon was spent eating, wine tasting and bottle purchasing. In two stops we managed to absorb many technical facts about wine growing and to buy four bottles of wine. That evening Elke cooked a lovely pasta meal and we enjoyed a beautiful Pepperwood Gewurztraminer. The next day we spent two informative hours with a lovely lady vintner and bought two more bottles before departing for the Blue Mountains.

Situated about one hour west of Sydney, the Blue Mountains plateau is surrounded and cut by deep canyons, the vertical walls rising four to six hundred feet from the valley floors. Located in a high rainfall area, it is covered with lush rain forest. We arrived late after taking an alternative route through a beautiful river valley sparsely populated with horse and cattle farms. We went astray and soon realized that we needed to cross the river by car ferry. Searching for a room in the dark, we spotted a restaurant called the Swiss Cottage. In addition to amazing food you could B.Y.O. (bring your own) wine and beer, a common phenomena in many Australian eating establishments. A brilliant Audrey Wilkinson semillon from Hunter Valley enhanced the grilled baby octopus, heavenly rostis (shredded potato pancakes) with Tasmanian salmon, and a Lundt chocolate covered desert. We so enjoyed the cuisine and atmosphere that we went back the next night with a fine bottle of red champagne. We are loosing on loosing weight! Sunshine and temperatures in the seventies invited us for a long hike that included high waterfalls, a nine hundred step stairway off the valley floor and many great scenic view points. Overnight, clouds moved in, and waking to the sound of rain on our tent, we decided to head for Sydney.

Since we had  no lodging arrangements in place, we decided to stay in Parramatta, a suburb of Sydney, for one night and make some telephone inquiries. A look through the local guide book revealed that Parramatta was linked to the Sydney harbor by an inland water way. In the late afternoon we found the boat terminal and took the water taxi to Sydney, landing on the pier next to the opera house. We soon discovered The Rocks, old Sydney's historic, charming neighborhood with fancy shops, restaurants and the info center. There a young lady helped us find lodging in Kings Cross. We couldn't figure out why a location so close to the city could be so reasonably priced. When we arrived the following day the reason became obvious: King Cross is Sydney's red light district. Satisfied with location and price, we moved about without incident and had a lovely stay.

On our way into the city we took a quick ride through the futuristic Olympic park. Sydney will be an awesome location for the 2000 Olympic Games! That afternoon we visited China Town, toured the Chinese Garden, and walked around Darling Harbour, a trendy eating and shopping area. On the roof of our apartment building, we later enjoyed one of our remaining wines, a Peacock Hill chardonnay, and a great view over the city. We spent most of the following day strolling through the botanical garden. Hundreds of flying foxes (fruit bats) hung from the tree branches, while white cockatoos flew overhead screeching and screaming for attention.

Overcast weather on Wednesday allowed for indoor pleasures at the Art Museum. An extensive exhibit of drawings from the renaissance to the modern period included works by Michelangelo, Rubens and Leonardo da Vinci. Maintaining the day's cultural theme we spent the evening at the Sydney Opera House and applauded a performance by the Sydney Philharmonic Orchestra. The program featured all Russian composers and reached its climax with Stravinsky's Firebird. The loud and robust piece demands every instrument in the orchestra, filling the stage to capacity. We were also impressed with the hall's brilliant design and amazing acoustics.

We saved the Sydney Harbour boat tour for our last full day. Sunshine and blue skies accompanied us on a two-hour tour reaching almost every corner of this amazing harbor. Gorgeous mansions with huge sail and power yachts parked in front line the waters edge. On Thursday afternoon the harbor was a bee hive of activity with water taxis, huge freighters, and all types of other sail and power boats cruising about. One cove after another displays houses and buildings soaking up the incredible views. Sydney's reputation as one of the world's most beautiful harbor cities would be hard to dispute. In the evening we were invited for dinner by a couple we met on Heron Island. Jenny and Roland had selected outdoor seating at a trendy Italian restaurant in Darling Harbour. Fresh oysters, delicious pasta and plenty of wine were enjoyed along with pleasant conversation. A beautiful finish to our days in Sydney! Time for a new location: in the morning we flew to Tasmania.