Max

 Max was our HelpXer who arrived in late November and stayed until the 30 December. He comes from Paris and enjoyed Larnook life very much. We hadn't had any HelpXer for quite some time so there was plenty for Max to do, especially since we had had a wet spring. That means lots of weed growth and lots of grass growth.  Soon after Max arrived we surprised him with his very own pile of mulch (15 cubic metres to be precise) which he spread over the Big Bush Garden with enthusiasm and dexterity. He also dabbled in the kitchen, creating this very delicious quiche lorraine.

 
 We were able to take Max on a few trips while he was here. I took him up to Border Ranges National Park to walk the Barr Mountain circuit and to enjoy the view from the Pinnacle Lookout. We also took him to Brisbane so he could enjoy his first live theatre (musical of course) performance - Les Miserables. While musical theatre may not have been to his particular taste, he still enjoyed the experience quite a bit and was able to follow the story. We stayed in a cute little airbnb place just near Southbank.  Max also enjoyed a Very Markwell Christmas, and is no doubt still enjoying the many boxes of chocolates he received from the various members of the Markwell clan.

The last Big Adventure was with our friends, Grant and Kelly, who stayed with us for new years. I took them all out to one of my favourite national parks in the region, Bald Rock, where we walked the Bald Mountain summit trail, having lunch at the summit in the company of Cunningham's Skinks. Not content with this walk, we then embarked on a walk to Little Bald Rock, about 4 kms from the picnic area. It was a great view from LBR and following a munchy break we decided to continue walking the Carol's Creek Walk, which Grant, Kelly and I were sure was only a few kilometres until we came to the end of the loop.  How wrong we were!  That circuit was 23kms in length and we didn't get back to the car till 5.30. I dreaded driving the 2.5hr drive back home, but we made it safe and sound around 8.00pm.  Although Max was a tad anxious as we walked the track, he was triumphant when we finally made it back home.  He had never walked so far in one day all his life.
We drove Max back to Gold Coast airport on 30 December where he flew down to Melbourne to enjoy NYE and catch up with some French backpacker friends. He is now enjoying a HelpX position in Cairns. We plan to visit Max and his family when we visit France in 2017.