garyandpearl

Day 10 January 26

Today we spent the day with Mark and Lynne. Even though they have a home called “The Gables” and live in a paradise of their own, they had some favorite destinations to show us.

We drove up to Springbrook National Park which is in the Gondwana Rainforests; a World Heritage Site. It was raining at sea level, but by the time we climbed up the mountain and did our 4 km hike, the weather was beautiful. Because of the recent rains, the waterfalls were a bit fuller than normal.

After a stop at Polly’s tea house for tea and scones, we continued by driving out to Byron Beach. Mark and Lynne refer to this place as the Australian Banff. There are cute shops, great places to eat, and fantastic scenery. Millionaires live alongside hippies.

It is Australia Day today, and this signals the end of the summer vacation. Students start back to school on Tuesday, so there were many people enjoying the beautiful day at the beach.

We hiked up to the lighthouse which happens to be on the most eastern part of Australia. A ginger beer was in order to reward ourselves. It is a non-alcoholic beverage which has a bit of a bite.This hike was 6 km, so we were ready to relax at the end of the day.

Mark and Lynne took us back to The Gables for a delicious Australia Day BBQ, and we are grateful that they gave up their holiday plans to spend with us. They are truly awesome hosts!!

Proverbs 10:7. “The memory of the righteous is a blessing” ESV