26 – 28 June 2017

The flight from Honolulu to Sydney was about 10 1/2 hours, however crossing the International Date Line we travelled into the future and lost a day on the calendar. The 4 hour layover in Sydney actually worked well as it took some time to go through customs, claim our luggage, take the train from Sydney’s International Airport to their Domestic Airport, check-in to the domestic flight, go through security, and get some dinner. The flight to Brisbane was only 1 1/2 hours.

We were a little concerned when we landed after 8 PM and needed to get to our hotel in nearby Chermside by 10 PM, but all went well and we made it on time. Driving on the left without a map or GPS was a bit challenging, more about that later.

Wednesday we woke up still a bit groggy after a short night’s sleep and wondered ‘now what?’.

We had a few strategic goals to achieve on our first full day all of which we eventually achieved.

• Get new mobile phone SIM-card plans
• Buy a GPS navigation system
• Test our bank and credit cards to make sure they work
• Get basic supplies

Next, find a place to live.