11 August 2010-Either clean living pays off, or the Big Man upstairs is really watching over us. Through ALL of last night there was thunder, lightening, and pouring rain. The heavy rain continued past dawn as we slowly packed and kept glancing out the window. We decided at 10:00 that we had to go, and so did. At 10:01 the rain stopped, and the weather proceeded to improve with each passing hour. Hooray for blue skies! At around 2:00 PM we stopped for an ice cream, and Sue asked me, "When did we get to LA?" Luckily it was only Brisbane. And, hey, no tolls for motorbikes! But soon after entering New South Wales the land once again turned into this part of Australia's rolling, bucolic, and pastoral beauty. Ballina for the night.