Wilcos to AUS

Australia's East Coast is known as the Gold Coast

The Wilcos, who have become fast friends since their recent relocation from "out on the chain" are leaving for a two-week trip Down Under. It sounds like they will fly to Sydney and drive north up the Gold Coast, looking for waves and avoiding killer koala. I, for one, am green with envy about their trip. In 2002, one year BM (before Meghan), I paid a visit to my friend Brett who was spending a semester abroad at the University of New South Wales in Sydney. We spent a few days driving north from Sydney as well. The most memorable stop on the trip was a two night stay at the Samurai Beach Bungalows. Samurai Beach, near Newcastle is home to the only legal nudist beach in Australia. Although we kept our clothes on (barely), Brett and I found lots of fun things to do while at the bungolows including a bike ride to the beach and day of sandboarding. Well actually, the sandboarding was more like an ordeal. We happened to choose one of the hottest, driest days of the Southern Hemisphere summer to attempt sandboarding. Before setting out we parked the car, cranked the AC and helped each other to apply what we thought was regular sunscreen. It was actually zinc and it did not spread well, needless to say we got a nice uneven burn after the excursion.

I guess you're supposed to sit on a sandboard.

We climbed the nearby dunes, very hot on the soles of our bare feet, and threw down our boards - ready to shred silica. Unlike Colorado powder, the sand was hot and firm - falls were not comfortable. After two hours of climbing, sliding and falling Brett and I bagged it. And all we had to show for our efforts was a lousy sunburn. Because the trip was a few years before the proliferation of digital cameras, I only have Kodak pictures of the Aussie adventures. Thus, the pictures here were found on interwebnet. Hopefully the Wilcos have a more comfortable time at Samurai Beach.

Samurai Beach