Day out on the Gold Coast

went off to a theme park on the gold coast today. we were a smidge concerned because it's coming the to the end of the first week of 'schoolies week' and didn't fancy sharing the rides with 20,000 schoolies!! schoolies week is actually a three week graduation festival celebrated by Year 12 school leavers from every corner of australia. the gold coast is home to the nation’s largest schoolies celebration and, traditionally, each of the three weeks of schoolies in queensland attracts a different state of year 12’s so that each one parties with their own fellow students. 

each year thousands of year 12 students descend on schoolies destinations to celebrate the end of their school years and enjoy what is also the ultimate summer holiday. students make the journey from around australia (and new zealand and other countries) and for many it is their first holiday without their family!! they must have been on the beach today as they certainly weren't in dreamworld... lucky us. good day... oli got me to go on every log flume, water shute and water slide... he said that he enjoyed hearing me screaming and seemingly mistook it for someone who was enjoying themselves!!! i am a bit of a ninny on the bigger rides (and boy, do the aussies love the 'big stuff') and  i am well and truly knackered now...zzzzzzzzzzz...

2 hour drive there (nothing to us now!)... jeff drove as i am still a bit unsure of the aussie driving tactics (ie) changing lanes constantly, undertaking, overtaking, 'left-lane' merging constantly just to keep you on your toes, kangaroos at dusk etc... and also, feeling a bit small as we seem to be the only people on the road who are NOT in a 4-wheel drive vehicle. as a driver,  you must give way to huge 'road trains' which are very scary as they bear down on you as you glance in your wing mirror... don't like to generalise, but all the road-train drivers look the same... tattooed arms, shaved heads, beards, wrap-around sunnies and fluorescent work-wear tops... they're always very pleasant though and will 'parp' their horn for anyone who asks(!)