Sun, Sand and Surf.

We are parked up (for one night only) in the best camp site in Byron Bay (Australia's most easterly point). Michele is on her third visit to the sea in three hours. The photo above was taken 5 metres from Man. It is hot. Very hot.

Before the obligatory photos of koalas a few notes on more practical maters.

Gas. Man, being of German origin, uses European gas cylinders that we were not allowed to ship (even if we had they would have been very hard to fill), so on arrival in Australia we needed to buy new cylinders. From research on the Internet it looked as if Australian campervans used the same POL (POL is an abbreviation for Prest-O-Lite, for the company that first produced the valve) gas fittings as Calor etc. use in the UK. On this basis I brought a suitable POL adaptor (left).

However on trying my new POL fittings on a borrowed Australian 4kg gas cylinder I found them a very tight fit (however a little work on the thread with a file, WD40 and emery paper fixed the problem).

One of the advantages of being in a UK registered campervan in a campsite full of friendly Australians is that in no time people come over and offer advice on where to go.

In the case of John and Patricia (right) not only did we get advice on where to go we also got lots of practical help (thanks!).

John drove me to a large DIY store (Bunnings) to buy two 4kg SWAP’n’GO gas cylinders and a drain hose (see below).

The 4kg cylinders (including gas) were €36 each.

On most UK campsites you dump your "grey" water tank in a designated area when you leave the site. Not so in Australia. Here every pitch has its own small drain and you are expected to connect your "grey" water outlet to it whilst you are on site. This required some minor modifications to Man. (Once again thanks for the help John).

As promised one rather alert koala (marsupial not bear).