It's never nice to wake up after four hours' sleep and have to get yourself going. But it's particularly unpleasant when that day is your last in a city you love.

Rainnie drove me & Claire to the airport, and we checked in for our flight to Newcastle with Jetstar. There was absolutely no queue at check-in for two reasons: we arrived very much at the cut-off time for check-in, and not many people fly to Newcastle. The upshot of this was a reasonably empty aeroplane and a comfy ride.

We were met at the airport by Rainnie's mum & her younger sister Jaimie, just as rain began to fall. We drove all through the city, past hundreds of spots that were the home for important memories for Rainnie. It was lovely to see her so animated when she was explaining scenes from her childhood to us.

Our backpacker accommodation was right in the centre of town, so we dropped our bags off and then headed straight out for a spot of breakfast. The Bogie Hole Cafe was just opposite the backpackers, and had space, so in we traipsed. They have a marvellous unique way of serving lattes there: they put them in those half-pint pots with glass handles that you just don't see any more!

Soon we were joined by Rainnie's sister Nicole, her boyfriend Damien, her daughter Taylor (who I'd met in Melbourne already) and his son Nathan, as well as Rainnie's mum's good friend who is known to all as Granma. It was a lively table for sure! We had lots of fun getting to know each other and chatting.

After coffee, Rainnie Claire & I went for a quick wander along to the shops. It was sort of a bit showery but sunny as well, and Rainnie reminisced about all the 'sunshowers' she'd walked through when she was living here. She was amused that Claire & I avoided the rain by hugging the sides of buildings and walking under awnings. We explained to her that in our respective childhood climates (Tasmania & England) you didn't want to get wet if you could help it because it was so cold.

We all crashed for a few hours in the afternoon, because that evening we had lots of entertainment lined up: it was Rainnie's nephew Tony's 18th birthday - the headline reason we were in town. Jaimie & her mum came to pick us up and we headed out into the suburbs, to the football club building where the party was being held. We were a little bit late arriving, so when we got there Tony was already very drunk. Ah well, you're only 18 once!

It was nice to be an observer at someone else's family gathering and not have to worry about who was who for a change, rather than being surrounded by relatives you've met once or twice before and you're desperately trying to put names to faces, which is what usually happens whenever I'm at a family do. I could just relax, sip on my beers, and have nice chats with the people around me.

Nicole & Damien drove the three of us back into the city. We had a drink at a pub that was well known to Rainnie & her sister from days of yore, then Claire, Rainnie & I went on for more drinks and a bit of a boogie at another pub Rainnie knew well. We finished the night with kebabs (well, falafel anyway) and caught a taxi home at 4am.

Sunday was more relaxed. After a delicious breakfast of poached eggs on toast cooked by Rainnie in the hostel, we were again picked up by Rainnie's mum. This time we were having a big family gathering in a nearby park, which also has a big nature reserve with koalas and other indigenous species. We got to pat the koalas!! It was sooo cool! I had no idea they were so soft and cuddly. It's a pity we weren't allowed to hold them ourselves.

Michael, Rainnie's brother, was taking some fantastic photos on his digital video camera. Rainnie & I both had serious cases of zoom envy: my photo of the kangaroo was frankly a bit crap, whilst Michael's shot was so good you could count the hairs on its nose. The bastard!

Rainnie's mum and Granma took the three of us back into the city, where we all had a drink at the waterfront. Then the three of us got changed at the hostel and headed off to the sea baths. Unlike St Kilda baths, which are seawater but otherwise in every way a leisure centre pool, these baths are much more earthy: the seawater is pumped up, filtered to keep out the biggest animals, and then passed into a massive open-air swimming pool with lane numbers but no lane markings - the floor of the pool is squidgy with seaweed and creatures.

It was reasonably late in the afternoon, but still hot, so there weren't too many people there. It made for a very photogenic setting, with the clear blue sky blending into the sky-blue concrete seating area, and the container ships on the horizon looking like toy boats in a bathtub.

The three of us wandered out of town a little way for dinner in a divine restaurant, where we feasted on three veggie delights: a Turkish meze platter; roast pumpkin & wild mushroom penne; and a grilled tofu salad. All were amazingly tasty. And they gave us the energy for a very long walk home, along the waterfront (where we chatted with fishermen) and out to Nobby's Beach and back.

On Monday we went back to the seabaths after another leisurely breakfast. Then Rainnie went to meet her brother, whilst Claire & I carried on sunning ourselves. It was such a hot sunny day! And I am keen to have a to-die-for tan when I get back to Europe... The pair of us went to have a snack at the hostel some hours later, when Rainnie rang to say she was bringing Michael, his wife Casey and their son Tony for coffee at The Bogie Hole.

We joined them for a while, then we all walked out to Nobby's Beach and beyond to the lighthouse. It was interesting talking to Michael about his martial arts. He is Newcastle's premier trainer, and does crazy things with skewers through his arms and stacks of tiles. Our walk took us back into the city, where we stopped for a quick drink before Michael & his family had to catch a bus home.

We waited with them for the bus, playing charades - apparently this was the first time either Rainnie or Michael had ever played! Rainnie's favourite - though unconventional - charade was when she got her brother to pretend to be me, rolling down a hill (I had done this earlier in the evening, following a similar escapade the night before that had had Rainnie in stitches).

After seeing them off, the three of us headed for dinner west of the centre. We found a delightful Mexican restaurant run by an American guy who's been in Australia for 35 years but hasn't lost a shred of his accent. Then we walked home to the hostel, exhausted by a day of sun and much walking.