AUSTRALIA - New South Wales

Blue Mountains

Caitlin and I were both sad to leave Adelaide because of the great friends we had made there. After goodbyes we headed to the station to catch out train back over to the east coast. After 24 hours in the cabin we were dropped off at Sydney before we were off again. This time to the Blue Mountains. On our first day we went on the 1000 step decent which used to be he old miners trail to the bottom of the valley. We passed an interesting waterfall called Witches Leap Falls, where the water runs over the rocks shaped in the faces of a witches head. Caitlin and I were both relieved we did not have to climb back up to the top, from the mine a train still runs to the top - originally only used to transport coal but today passengers are aloud on board too! The train is the steepest train in the world - reaching an incline of 52 degrees! DON'T LOOK DOWN!

The following day we were out again to see the Leura Cascades. To get there we followed a cliff walk trail and as the mist began to clear we were able to appreciate the stunning views of the Blue Mountains Nation Park. The whole area of the national park is about the size of England, and when looking out it makes you feel really quite small! When we reached the viewpoint at the Leura Cascades we were rewarded further by the beautiful sight. It's unfortunate that my picture does not do the scene justice! Making it hard to imagine how staggeringly high the cliffs are, how loud the crashing water sounds and how far your voice is carried down the valley by the echos.

That day there was no train to take us back to the start! However we were able to take a detour on the way back for one more photo opportunity before it got dark. We visited the 'Three Sisters'. They are actually a rock formation and the aboriginal culture tells us how they got there. To cu a long story short, 3 sisters were taken to the valley and told to wait on top of the rock while the father went out to hunt. But girls will be girls and they would not wait patiently so with his magic stick their father turned them into stone where they still remain!

Canberra

I went to Canberra to go and see a friend, Jake - Kate and Paul's son who had moved there, the capital city of Australia, to study. When I arrived Jake took me to meet his housemate, gave me the grand tour of his apartment and we talked for hours about our adventures and the joys of travelling - Jake had recently been to Europe and travelled around on the inter rail. During my short visit to Canberra I managed to watch a lot of TV (to me a luxury while away, especially as i was in charge of the remote!) I met a few of Jake's friends from work and uni and we all went out for drinks. I also got a tour of the city - that was designed by a competition winner to plan the city, although after the competition the designer has not yet visited to see the results!

It was great seeing Jake and what he is up to now and fun remembering what we got up to as kids with Amy, Jake's sister and my bother David!

Sydney

Arriving in Sydney we tried t get our bearings in the big city. That morning we met up with a person that we met on the train over and went for a walk around heading for the harbour. It's such a hive of activity there and a great place to sit, relax, take in the buzz of the atmosphere and people watch - Japanese tourists getting trigger happy in front of the Sydney Oprah House, extravagant ladies having liquid lunches at the waterfront and keen beans getting active climbing up the Sydney Harbour Bridge etc. etc.!

Later on we retreated to Hyde park with a picnic lunch and spent the rest of the day swapping stories in the sun and eating grapes!

The next day we went to Coogee Beach for more time in the sun. On he way home we picked up dinner from the super market, that night Caitlin and I were cooking kangaroo! I found it amusing being in a country where we were able to eat the national emblem! Although they are actually considered a pest now! Kangaroo meat is extremely lean and even more healthy than chicken and more importantly it is so tender and tastes delicious, I tried not to think of my kangaroo friends I made earlier on in my trip!

On out last day in Sydney (and in Australia) we risked the weather reports for rainfall as the skies were blue and went to the beach again, the infamous Bondi beach. We were in luck and were able to stay dry! Because we were there on a Saturday the beach was absolutely packed and there were bodies everywhere, we managed to find a spot for the afternoon to chill out and watch the surfers.

Back at the hostel we packed our bags for the flight the following morning and checked the passports. With time to spare we went back down to the harbour to watch the sunset, a pretty good day to wrap up the last 6 weeks!

AUSTRALIA - Victoria & South Australia

Melbourne & St. Kilda

After arriving in Melbounre we were a bit shocked by how cold it was... a mere 14 degrees C. THIS IS AUSTRALIA, IT IS SUPOSED TO BE HOT! Even more depressing after speaking to Guy in Manchester where it was 12 degrees C, it really was like being back in England! We tried not to let this phase us and made sure that we wrapped up warm. Melbourne, however, is a beautiful city so there was lots of things for us to do, including the Victoria Central Markets, Eureka Skydeck - the tallest building in the southern hemisphere, I went with Caitlin to get her nose pierced, we took walks down south bank along the river and found cheap deals at the pancake parlor!

But I think the best thing we did in Melbourne was Neighbours Night! haha! Caitlin and I were picked up in the Neighbours Bus and taken across town, watching old re-runs all the way, and delivered to an intimate venue for the evening. We teamed up with some of the people that we met on the bus and got quizzed on our Neighbours knowledge... we didn't win but apparently it's the taking part that counts! The highlight of the evening was getting to meet some of the stars...

For the rest of the evening we were at the front of the crowd watching Dr. Karl Kennedy and his band preform :)
After a few nights in the city we moved to St. Kilda, St. Kilda is a small bohemian beach town just outside Melbourne. Luckily the weather was getting better by now so it was nice to browse the shops, walk on the sand and lie in the sun in the botanical gardens. We made sure we were back at the hostel in time for the free BBQ and a drinking session in the dorm with our new roommates.

Phillip Island

We wanted to get away from the bright lights and see what else Victoria State had to offer...destination Phillip Island. On our way over to the island we stopped off at a wildlife park and went to see some of the creatures that Australia is home to. We spent the morning hanging out with tazmanian devils, kualas, wombats, dingoes, peacocks, ponies, emus, cockatoos, kukaburras, donkeys and the most fun > kangaroos!

At the park the kangaroos were tame so we were aloud into the enclosure to feed and interact with them. They were so enjoyable to be around, seeing the babies in the mothers pouches, watching them fight over carrots and also having a lie down with the Big Daddy!

On the island there were some beautiful beaches to visit, although it was still too cold for a swim there were very nice for a stroll, watching the waves and rock pooling. One of the stretches of coastline is called 'The Nobbies' where there is a colony of sea birds (sorry, I've forgotten the name). there were a huge number of birds about and some cute fluffy chicks too. But what was more amusing was watching a bloke get attacked by 100's of birds for his tray of fish & chips!

The main event for us on Phillip Island came one evening at dusk.We wrapped up warm again and took some mats to sit on down to the beach. As the sun began to fall behind the horizon we were waiting for the "harking" of the Little Penguin as they came to shore to nest for the night. The Little Penguin is the smallest of all penguins, measuring only up to 17 inches tall! When they came onto shore we watched them in little groups waddle up the sand across the beach up to their nests to rest for the night - ABSOLUTELY ADORABLE!

Great Ocean Road

Caitlin and I had heard from many people that no trip to Australia is complete without a drive along the Great Ocean Road. We sorted out transport to take us along the Great Ocean Road to finish in Adelaide (South Australia). As we drove the ocean was always in sight on out left hand sides. Not only was the coastline hugging drive picturesque but we also had time along the way to make some nice stop offs. On the first day we stopped at 'Bells Beach' one of Australia's most famous surf beaches, made famous my the movie Point Break starring Keanu Reeves. In season (winter) Bels Beach is home to the best surfing action in the country. Another interesting was when we just pulled off the main road to stretch our legs and were greeted by parrots (I think because the feed was out!). We spotted some of the wild Kuala's in the eucalyptus trees too.

We decided to stop the driving in the afternoon at Apollo Bay. We sorted out accommodation and headed to the beach over some small sand dunes that led to a bay rimmed by a pristine curve of sand. As the sun got cooler later in the day we took a walk out of town to the end of the bay and up a very VERY steep hillside to reach a view point to see the entire bay from above!

The following day in Apollo Bay was pretty active (by our standards! We made a packed lunch and head off on bicycles up the Barham River Valley. Once we got to the end of the road we left the bikes and went for a little walk through the forest alongside the river, crossing bridges and stepping stones that would take us to the Mariners Waterfall.

After our picnic lunch we headed home. Even though the ride back was mainly downhill we felt knackered by the time were were back at the lodge. In total we had covered over 27 km! After a well deserved lie in Caitlin and I were back on the G.O.R.. Similar to before we were able to stop along the way to marvel at the coastline features. We saw the 12 Apposals (now only 8) which are huge 80 meter high sad stone pillars which jut out from the ocean and have been created by years and years of erosion from the waves bashing at the cliffs.

Other interesting rock formation we saw on the way were London Bridge and the Salt & Pepper Shackers. We also went down the cliffs to explore Lords Arcs Gorge.

Adelaide

To be honest there wasn't a great deal to do in Adelaide HOWEVER it had been one of my favorite times whilst in Australia! We met some amazing people staying in our dorm and spent our time together being silly at the beach, going to chocolate factories (for the free tasting!) or partying all night and feeling sorry for ourselves the next day!

This was all of us dressed up for Halloween... TRICK OR TREAT!?