In the 70s my grandpa's brother Jack Griffiths emigrated from Wales to Australia with his wife Enid and their kids Pam and Lynn. The family flourished, and there are now two more generations living in the area of Tweed Heads.

(They weren't the only Griffithses to move down under. Over the last couple of weeks I've been shocked by the number of Griffiths Streets, shops and even islands dotted around!)

Tweed Heads is all of 40 minutes drive from Byron Bay, so our first morning in the surfer town I rang Aunt Enid out of the blue and at very short notice we arranged that Sarah and I would pop around to say hello the following day.

We spent the intervening night testing the limits of our campervan by sleeping in a motorway lay-by – a trick not to be repeated – so were most receptive to the spoiling we received at Aunt Enid's the next day. Despite having celebrated her 90th birthday earlier this year (by travelling 200km into the outback in a campervan), she had clearly been slaving away in the kitchen all morning. Soon after we arrived we were having high tea complete with chocolate cake, Victoria sponge, an apple tart and last but definitely not least...Welsh cakes!

Everyone was there to meet us. Pam, Lynn, Pam's daughter Elizabeth, her husband Mike and their baby boy Charlie. Lynn regaled us with stories of going to Sully Primary School with my mum as we sat out on the balcony and watched trawlers and dolphins in the river below.

After tea we took a drive into town to see the state border and what was one of Uncle Jack's favourite walks. Half of the town is in New South Wales – the part called Tweed Heads – and the other half is in Queensland – Coolangatta. We parked up next to the border and walked around the 'head' itself, criss-crossing between states. Below us crowds of bobbing surfers in the bay, and in the distance to the north the high-rises of Surfer's Paradise floated like a mirage.

Not having really understood the scale of Australia, we were planning on driving on from Tweed Heads to Noosa that evening. On sharing our plan we were met with sceptical looks, and it was explained to us that Noosa is a good five hour drive away. With very little persuasion, we agreed to stay the night at Mike and Elizabeth's house and tackle the drive in the morning. We had a wonderful evening being entertained by Mike, Elizabeth and Charlie. We traded travelling stories with Mike and Liz and they told us all about their time in the UK, and Charlie presented us with various of his favourite toys and also showed us his brand new racing car bed. Pam then brought by a 'back up' casserole she had prepared and we went to bed in a luxurious double bed in the guestroom glowing with the warmth of their hospitality (and wine).

Thanks again guys for having us!