April 6^th - Day 8

First full day in the Southern Hemisphere.

I am reasonably in sync with the clock here, thanks to the sleeping tablets on the flight. It is lovely to sit out in the morning sunshine. I slept last night with the windows open, with only the sound of birds, cows and the occasional heavy haul diesel train for company.

We went into Toowoomba this morning. First chance to see the Aussie countryside. Around Lane & David's, it is undulating with a fairly open mix of gum and ironbark trees. Some areas have been cleared. Toowoomba, however, is on the Great Dividing Range. It is very hilly, with thick woodland. On the road down, there are a number of run-off areas, for trucks whose brakes might fail.

We stopped for coffee at a lookout looking over the range, and it was beautiful, but too hazy to get a picture. Then a day shopping, including a SIM card that cost about $30 and included $700 of calls(!), plus international minutes and data. It makes Manx Telecom look positively stingy.

Home for a swim, before watching James Bond in the evening. There are some pictures of me enjoying the hot April sunshine, but for the sake of the nervous, I have kept them hidden!