Happy Days!

So far life has been good to us on the East Coast of Australia. We've moved around alot but now have a 6 month lease on a wicked little house just down the street from friends, we have a yellow 1978 volvo, The surf is just getting better, and the fun is never ending. I'm currently nursing a cold after spending the past weekend living it up at BluesFest, rated the number 5 festival in Australia, it was an amazing amount of fun. Laurie and I volunteered for the entire 5 days and not only scored free tickets but the most incredible volunteer job ever. Our job for 5 hours each day was to hang in the media tent and take the photographers to the front of the stages for thier 3 song photo taking opportunity. So not only did we get to run around backstage running into the likes of xavier rudd, ben harper and john butler trio to drop just a few names, we also got the best seats in the house for every act at the festival.
There were some classic acts too not just headliners, The Specials, Easystar All stars and Alpha Blondy kicked the last nights rainy rainy ass. When I say rain I mean tropical downpours, mud past your ankles for the whole weekend, but really whats a festival without a little mud.
Photos of all this are in the works, in the mean time we are moving into our new home and working very hard on a new project, www.miamihighcollective.com its going to be a sweet as internet magazine and the first issue is almost ready to go! In the meantime we set up a blog where we can purge our mind of sillyness and the like www.miamihighmiamihigh.blogspot.com
Please check it out and if you have anything awesome you'd like to contribute let us know!!
x
Diva

what??

www.catsthatlooklikehitler.com

again....what?? do you have a 'kitler'? I'm speechless.

WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE!

Way back when I posted a video of some unreleased footage from Spike Jone's 'Where the Wild things are". It looked awesome but the last I heard the screenings had sent kids crying out of the theater and he was possibly going to be fired and the project started again.

I'd actually been thinking about it lately wondering what was going to happen with the movie, and about how much I hoped it was still in production when my new hero Kenton posted a full trailer for the film. Full Body GooseBumps. I can't wait.

This is almost as exciting as that time I saw Jack Johnson in the water and Dave Rastovich helped me get the best wave of my life. (That was yesterday.)

Movie Magic

Pre going to Melbourne for a weekend of fun in the cold, I had some time on my hands. So I made this movie in devotion to my some of my favorite Australians. Enjoy.

LAAAY DAY!!!

SOoo before we saw the girls surf round three Laur and I made a previous attempt to see some comp.
Sadly it was day off, but luckly us there was still some swell and offshore wind and sunny days. We hopped in the water and spent the whole day surfing. Noone told us that we would be surfing with the top girls and boys of the world including the man himself kelly slater.
We took notes, laur almost dropped in on coco ho, I'm pretty sure I called a wave that steph gilmore was going to take, It was amazing to say the least.

C'est la Vie

If I knew they wanted more boring and less awesome I would have put together something completely different.
The video that didn't get me "the best job in the world".....

http://www.islandreefjob.com/applicants/watch/UCHzDIYoWfo

Yoaza!!!!-Roxy Pro Gold Coast Day 10

After Spending a Gold coast Pro lay day up at Snappers surfing with the likes of coco ho, Alana Blanchard and even the man himself Kelly Slater, Laur and I couldn’t resist returning to check out round 3 of the girls a couple days later.
Heres some footage of the wickedness.

Please sing aloud (or in your head if you like): Living in Paaaaarrraaadiise!

Laur and I spent the last couple days seeing Liz and Kate off in Surfers Paradise. The two are off to adventure New Zealand in a couple weeks time after spending some chill time with Kate’s cousin in Brisbane.









Having already spent a very fun but chill time with Elliot’s friends a couple months earlier we were up for some ‘big city excitement'. It amazing how different the vibe is between Byron and Surfers Paradise seeing as the two places are only about an hour and a half drive apart. From the low profile hippie style beaches of Byron its possible to see the glow of lights coming from Surfers, its high rise skyline and beaches that have churned out several of the countries pro surfers. Actually Laur and I just went to see a new surf film as the Souled Out Film Festival rolled through town that focused on this very stark contrast.





Shopping was the name of the game on arrival as we got directions to the plaza that holds both the Billabong and Quiksilver outlets. Needless to say we were a little bit feverish at the idea of half price bathers to as we rolled into the parking lot. The shops did us well and we all managed to control ourselves and maintain budgets, picking up a few items each for far less than cost prices.



We headed back to out hotel to model our new suits poolside. Liz gets bonus points for find the Islander hotel for us. For $18 dollars a night we shared a ten-person air conditioned dorm, had full use of the hotel amenities and were a mere block from the beach right in the heart of the city. After playing a heart pounding game of Marco Polo, meeting the tenth place Australian Idol (or ‘number ten‘ as we thought he should be called by his friends) and performing some very impressive dolphin and whale impersonations it was time for a pre-dinner surf.







liz is showing me how to plug my nose without my hands.....


There is definitely something surreal and amazing about walking between sky rises and people out for nice meals while sporting a bikini and carrying a surfboard. Even more surreal and amazing is not getting any weird looks while doing it.
We spent about 40 minutes in the water and caught a few waves before the rip had made us tired and hungry and the glow of the almost full moon wasn’t quite enough to calm the voices in our head warning about deep dark water and despite the shark nets, what might lurk beneath.



After a rinse at the beach or ‘shower’ (amid recent debate as to what actually constitutes a shower) we got ready and headed out for a well-deserved meal. Our wallets shouted pizza. Then back to the hostel for a few store bought beverages.

Another wander around town found us running into some of Kate’s friends who had stayed at the Byron hostel she had been working at. Eventually we ended up at SIN CITY to dance our little faces off.

The DJ was great and kept the beat going so dance we did. Actually we monopolized a small podium which not only highlighted our mad skills for the crowd it also did a fairly good job of separating us from the usual sleazy guys and random girl on girl trashy dancers.

Now I never claim to be a good dancer, and I definitely have my own style, but I do love it from time to time. So when this little runt of a man-child came up and started mimicking me I was truly pissed. I understand he was just trying to get some attention and I should let it get to me, but it did. This is when its good to know who your friends are. As we ran into him leaving the club just after I explained what had happened to the girls, no time was wasted in marching up to him and telling him what for. Actually, telling his friend what for until I ran up and corrected the mistaken identity, poor kid. All was well in the end and we learned that girls from Liverpool would actually appreciate someone making from of their special way of dancing.

After that excitement it was home to bed. We had a big day ahead of us.

After drip coffee, a very rare and elusive treat in Australia, and a light breakfast it was time for Laur and I to say goodbye to Liz and Kate. I should say ‘so long’ as we will be seeing them again in about a months time.



Laur and I started on our way back down the coast to Byron with a very specific game plan in mind. About 40 minutes south of Surfers is Coolangata, (you can call it Coolie if you love it). Coolie is the home to Snapper Rocks, a very famous surf spot that has been the site of the Gold Coast Pro Surf competition many times over the years. The wind was on shore (that’s not ideal) the water was choppy (again not ideal) and the swell was small (again not ideal). Doesn’t sound good right? Well no it wasn’t but this meant that the normal 30-person line up was down to 8 people who bothered to come out, meaning to that the ride able waves that did come through were up for grabs. So I got a few waves at Snapper Rocks, and I’m stoked on it. Will definitely have to go back and get some solid waves on a good day once my wave nabbing agro is up to par and will certainly be back for the Gold Coast Pro which is on in a couple weeks time.

















We made it safe and sound back to our new house in Byron. A small place with two housemates, a ten-minute walk to Tallows beach or into town, no bugs, no children and no random naked drug addled strippers running around. Basically heaven.

Some RRS's .....recent random shots that is....

TAssssssiiie aka, the longest post ever! quick call guiness!

We just got back from a week in Tasmania. I'll go ahead and say it was beautiful.

Liz and I boarded a plane from Gold coast airport only to be separated in Melbourne. Despite my meticulous planning I had managed to book myself into the 930 pm flight instead of the afternoon flight that Liz was booked on. It didn't help that our Gold coast flight landed 1.5 hours late due to miscommunication between the airline manifest and the number of people actually on the flight, meaning that there was no chance to correct my error. Lucky for me I slept through what sounded like a painful 1.5 head count while waiting on the ground in Gold coast. 

....a sandwich so delicious yet revolting sounding at the same time I couldn't resist....



Liz graciously stayed with me and took a flight later in the afternoon leaving me 'only' four hours to wait alone in the airport. To my luck the Melbourne airport was full of tasty cafes and shops. I picked up some soap and moisturizer from the Body shop, two things I had neglected to bring with me for a dirty week of hiking and camping. I met up with Liz and our good high school friend Chelsie that night in Hobart and settled in for a solid sleep.

The next day the three of us toured the town of Hobart. I immediately loved it due to the historic stone buildings and cool breeze that reminded me of our home town Kingston. We had breakfast in Salamanca square and played in a toy store, s-crates, or Socrates for those paying attention.







  From there we wandered to the Harbour to see the 'Steve Irwin'. For those unfamiliar this is the name of the Sea Shepherd ship, an organization notorious for its slightly unconventional tactics (ie stink bombs) all in the name of saving whales, sharks and other sea life from unnecessary slaughter. The boat was refueling after chasing Japanese whalers between Australia and Antarctica. The man himself, Paul Watson ( ship captain and founding member of green peace) , was present along with its crew of dedicated volunteers, prepping the boat and relaxing after 40 days at sea. Last year they estimated saving about 400 whales from the hands of fisherman. The Sea Shepherd efforts can be seen in the movie Shark Water, as they track down shark poachers in the Galapagos islands, they'll be heading back that way when the whaling season ends here. 

As if that wasn't enough excitement for one day we decided to leave the city and drive our rental car to the top of Mount Wellington sitting at 1271 meters above sea level, the view from here was awesome. The winding and sometimes alarmingly narrow road to the top took about 20 minutes to drive, packed into this drive was some of the most diverse landscape I have seen. Tropical lush ferns at the bottom of the hill, to gum tree forests, to scrub forest and finally a moonscape like bareness at the very top. It was a clear but windy day we could see forever it seemed and the refreshing chill was welcomed after the past few months of the humid heat that Byron gets.

Kate arrived that night and we spent our last night sleeping in beds, before we headed North up the East coast to visit some of the highest rated beaches in the world. 

It takes maybe 4 hours to drive from Hobart right to the Northern tip, but that time doesn't account for all the worthwhile stops that are to be made along the way. The first day got us as far as the Tasman peninsula. Only a direct 1.5 hour drive from Hobart. We stopped at the Sorell fruit farm and picked the tastiest Apricots. Sadly these were the only things in season on a farm that produces 12 different fruits and berries. We drove past Eagle neck hawk a place known for Scuba diving. We checked out the Blowhole in Doo Town a little village where every house is named Doo-something, (ie Dr. Doo little, Doo me, etc. ).















The majority of our day was spent in Port Arthur, the historic remains of a penitentiary from 1833 . The large buildings and remaining Architecture were stunning and creepy at the same time.  You may have heard of Port Arthur as the site of a terrifying, senseless and sad mass murder in 1996. Today there stand a beautiful memorial in place of the cafe where the terror started.

We stayed the night on the peninsula at White's Beach in a cute and clean caravan park where we could hear the waves crashing and see about a million stars. We were greeted by a pollyroo, a small hopping marsupial who we loving named jimmy-rat pettigrew. Whites beach also happens to be about a 10 min drive from Ship Sterns THE heaviest wave in Australia. Unfortunately that ten minute drive is followed by a two hour bush walk, so it didn't fit into our schedule. I'm not by any means in any sort of condition to ride this wave but oh how I would love to see it. 

We had a good hike ahead of us anyways as we were off to Wine Glass Bay. One of the world top 5 beaches according to Conde Naste and Lonely Planet. When the guide book said 'this is a hard walk' they were right, with a bag full of food and water....and a few beers (totally worth it), the walk was 1.5 hours up a mountain and down the other side, it was grueling to say the least. Add 30 degree heat and direct sun, offt. Wine Glass bay had to deliver. It did, 100% we camped next to beach with a few other who had made the trek and some lucky people with sailboats, dolphins frolicked and fed in the bay, the sand was pure white and the water was crystal clear. It was altogether beautiful enough to make us completely forget the task of getting there and completely relax within minutes of putting down our bags and setting up tent. We ate dinner on the beach and tasted fresh lobster some other campers had caught that morning.

After a night listening to waves crash and possums attack our breakfast food as it hung helpless from a tree next to our tent. We packed up in the early morning and headed back on to the trail to avoid the early morning sun and minimize the pain of the effort back over the mountain.  

Decided that one amazing beach wasn't nearly enough for one day we bee-lined it North towards the stretch of beaches named the Bay of Fires. I use bee-line lightly because of course we stopped along the way. Chels gave us a lesson in tide pools in Bicheon, a small hike in Douglas Apsly national park (where we fell in love with the Eucalyptus) and there were plenty of photo-ops and swims along the way. 

ok what?! tried to start a money pool...less than $100 each guys....no luck....thats ok, I've been waiting for 20 years, I can wait a little longer.

 Bay Fires is a stretch of beach that has had its place in several travel publications top 5.  We snorkeled the gulch at Binalong Bay (the first beach of the fires coastline).

Then went on the search for a campsite. The free cost and easy access of the drive in campsites here made this area busier as is to be expected. Regardless busy is all a matter of perspective and busy in Tasmania only meant that we had to drive a little bit longer than expected to find our own private piece of beach front property.

Again more crystal clear waters, beautiful little shells and empty crashing waves to the North and South of us. We swam or maybe I should say dashed into the water, and watch the waves explode on the giant boulders that separate the stretch of coast into several smaller beaches. It took a good swarm of giant mosquitoes to get us into our tent and watch the stars the clear weather had provided us with. Having put our tent on almost black coloured sand warmed all day in the sun we hardly needed our sleeping bags as we discovered we had a natural heat pack under us.

The next day we woke up to grey ominous weather, it was time to leave the coast and head towards Laucenston. About 1.5 hours inland, the third oldest city in Australia and home to the James Boags Brewery. We made a few pit stops along the way, a couple walks, a cheese factory, a pub with a beer drinking pig and the Bridestow lavender farm. Lucky for us at this time of year lavender is well in season and through the afternoon rain we looked out over acres of bright purple and sweet smelling rows of flowers.

We spent the night in a hotel, all very happy to return to the luxury of showers and mattress springs. We spent some time wandering around the stone building and taking in the city. Which I might add has some cool graffiti hiding in its alleys.   

We left early the next morning in order to get Chelsie back to Hobart in time for her afternoon flight back to New Zealand. We made just one stop on the way home in the small town of Ross Tasmania. It was small and very quaint, we checked out 'the' intersection, with a church, a rec hall, a jail and a bar on their respective corners there were many postcards with the slogan, salvation, recreation, damnation and temptation. Judging by the number of postcards with variations of this I think someone took this observation a little far. We also witnessed the damage of bush fire after high winds knocked down power lines. 

Arriving back in Hobart we managed to get a room at the Pickled Frog, an inexpensive hostel on the edge of the city (according to lonely planet with the cheapest beer in town). I must add, that although the hostel wasn't necessarily the cleanest it had the most comfortable bunk beds in the world, I felt I could have slept forever.

Liz, Kate and I said good bye to Chelsie and spent the rest of the day wandering town adding to my weird sign and graffiti collection. We had a fresh fish and chip dinner from a floating kitchen in the harbor. Afterwards we headed to Knobbys the local watering hole to meet one of Kate's work friends friend who bartends there. The pub was happening, our new bartender friend was cool and we had a fun time regardless of a fairly lame gentleman sitting down at our table for far too long. 

We headed to the Saturday Salamanca market. We spent a couple hours walking the aisles of vendors and looking for samples before saying good bye to the cool air of Tasmania and making the stress free trip home to sweaty Byron Bay.