From beautiful Byron Bay moved on up towards the Gold Coast. Took a final trip up to the lighthouse and the cliffs at what is the most easterly point on the Australia mainland. It really is a magical place and from the cliffs you can look down on pods of Dolphins playing in the water below, and Stingrays flapping by. The Gold Coast is a bit of a contrast. It is like someone has taken an avenue in New York and plonked it down on the edge of the Ocean. It is quite a surprise to see the skyscrapers in the distance as you head towards Suffers Paradise. Today arrived at Brisbane, yet another city founded as a punishment settlement for repeat offenders. The city centre is held in a loop formed by the Brisbane River, the same river which brought such terrible flooding into the heart to the state capital just one month ago. The devastation was quite appalling, with the destruction still much in evidence along the waterfront. But the city is fighting back with teams of contractors digging through the mud and reconstructing the buildings. I can tell I am sub-tropical now as I have a lizard on my veranda and there are some massive fruit bats flying about.