The last few days have offered a plethora of new experiences to us. For my part, I did use my free time to take a boat cruise to witness whales as they moved North towards warmer water. What an amazing experience! Such huge yet stealthy creatures, they might go unnoticed were it not for the occasional jet of water emitted from their blowholes every few minutes between dives.

I'd snap frantically everytime they appeared hoping to obtain a good shot and then wait expectantly for the next five minutes or so as they dived below the surface once again. Occassionally they'd surface right next to our boat, displaying their awesome power and strength in plain site and leaving me awe-struck.

Sadly, it soon became time for us to return but our trip back to shore was not without a reminder of the beauty of the world we live in. Peering over the front of our boat, I watched exitedly as one, then two, then up to 7 dolphins grouped up in front of the boat to catch a free ride back to the shallower waters - jumping and playing along the way. Wow!

The next day, we met up in Newcastle with the Blackbutt and Kurri Kurri regions together with other groups hosted around the diocese for a "Corroboree". It was a festival atmosphere with a stage hosting live music and dancing from Christian bands and artists, beach activities, aboriginal art workshops, walks, international food stands, liturgy and worship. Oh, there were fairground rides too. Our group cherished the opportunity to relax in the warm sunshine by the sea with their new found friends. But as the sun began to set, we grouped up and headed off once again to our respective regions. Back in Port Stephens and in the home of Suzi and Tony, myself and Stephen spent the evening sharing a hot stir-fry meal with our hosts and talked with them about our experiences thus far.

Sunday arrived so quickly. We arrived at the church in the morning for our final Mass together before the different groups staying in Parish went their seperate ways. It was a moving service during which we were invited to recall what we had shared together over the last few days. The parish were visibily affected by our presence and had been brought closer together as a community.

A slideshow was run to the theme song of World Youth Day, "Receive the Power". As pockets of people smiled and laughed nostalgically as photos of them and their friends were flashed up on screen, I reflected on the opening lyrics: "Every nation, every tribe, come together to worship You." A number of nations and tribes were already represented in Port Stephens - a microcosm of the main event. I couldn't wait to move on to Sydney to experience even more.

I wanted to say goodbye to Port Stephens - home of such an extraordinarilly welcoming community. I decided to take a trip up Mount Tomaree one last time - separate from the group - to watch the sun set over the town's beautiful coastline and headlands. This will be my last evening in Port Stephens. I will miss it but I look forward to what lies ahead.