We really landed on our feet in Sydney by accepting the kind offer of a place to stay from Heppers Lepers FC legend Mike Aage Phipps
He'd found a beachside apartment with a sea view and was "living the dream" in the Eastern suburb of Coogee, home of the infamous Coogee Bay Hotel and perhaps most famous for the "Shark-Arm Murder Case" where a captured shark in Coogee regurgitated the arm of a missing person leading to a murder investigation.
It was a great place to live and Meg took the opportunity to take drawing lessons in the city while Mark headed out to Bondi to teach his friend Tom how to surf.
Our weekends usually involved barbeque parties round at Mike's in the day followed by evenings out at the "CBH".
We watched Sydney Swans play Aussie Rules at the SCG and a dramatic Rugby League game involving the Tigers and the Roosters at the Sydney Football Stadium. But the best sport of all involved blasting away a hangover with a game of bat-and-ball in the sea. The water was still pretty cold at this time of year but after the first 10 minutes the initial burn had gone and it felt less painful. Perhaps that was just the early warning signs of hypothermia setting in?
It was great having our own bedroom in a fantastic apartment and we quickly settled into our new comfortable lives in Coogee. Possibly so much so that we could feel all of travellers hardiness ebbing away and the thought of hitting the road again seemed a daunting prospect.
Lepers are renowned for their exceptional generosity. Looks fun!
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