Australia

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Overview

How do you summarise Australia? Although we were there twice as long as we've been anywhere else it is immeasurably larger than anywhere else we'd been.

The first thing you notice about Oz is it's size - it might not look far on the map, but on the ground it’s a different story - we went to places in the outback where the nearest shop or neighbours were a 12 hour drive away no popping out for a pint of milk.

Unsurprisingly in a country this big, there is tremendous variety and remember we have only seen a fraction of the country and didn’t make it to the west coast which is reputedly even better. There are deserts - although not of the sand dune, Sahara types, areas of natural beauty and incompsrable landscapes - Uluru and the Olgas, giant cattle ranches and the outback in general. Beautiful beaches stretch up and down the east coast.

There are numerous adrenalin pumping activities for the adventurous or, for those who like they're excitement tamed down just a little, there's sailing, white water rafting and snorkelling.

People are all very friendly and helpful, and life certainly seems more relaxed than it does in the UK – must be all that sun, even in winter.

After four months in SE Asia some of the other things that took a bit of getting used to again were hot showers, talking English and eating food with a knife and fork.
Definite highlights for me were the whole Uluru experience, my efforts to become a cowgirl, and Sydney.

Although I hadn’t been particularly keen to visit Australia. I’m very glad we did after all.

30 May

•   Left Australia on Friday

•   prior to that we made it back to Sydney on Tues, and spent most of the afternoon doing exciting stuff like laundry

•   On Wednesday we went on a trip to the snowy monutains which was fun despite the fact thatthe Kings Canyon was still closed after a bush fire in December. We went on a different guided walk through a pocket of rainforest in between some very impressive sandstone cliff things. Then, it was off to the Three Sisters (another set of rock formations with Aboriginal significance) - luckily, the cloud lifted while we were trying to work out where on earth they were and so I actually got some photos!!

•   On our return from the Snowy mountains, we headed over to Bondi beach to meet Chris (my ex-boss) for drinks and stuff. Had a few drinks in a bar overlooking the beach and then the next day sleeping off the effects

26 May

•   Our trip to Puffing Billy yesterday didn't work out quite as planned. The last train left just before we arrived. So we went for "Colombian coffee" - a glass or two of wine - instead.

•   I'm just back from a tour of the Yarra Valley vineyards, which was FANTASTIC! Catherine wasn't feeling too well, so unfortunately she didn't make it. I don't think I've been converted to any new wines that I didn't already like, but we did try a sparkling red which was interesting and made by Domaine Chandon who produce all the local champagne using traditional methods although they are not allowed to use the name "champagne".

•   Tomorrow, we're back off to Sydney for a few days and a trip to the Snowy Mountains on Wednesday

25 May

•   As it was such a lovely day, we went to the Royal Botanical gardens yesterda. They're gorgeous gardens, but full of trees and not as attractive as Kew.

•   Last night, we went to watch an Aussie Rules football match. The team we were supporting (St. Kilda - only because we'd been there) were thrashed by the home-team, Collingwood, but it was pretty entertaining. We didn’t really understand the rules, but I think by the end we’d got the basics. It doesn't flow as smoothly as football or rugby and there was lots of stopping and starting but it was all quite a laugh. There was a guy sitting behind us who was quite vocal and irritating about everything. There were one or two points where I thought I'd have to ask him to shut up (or punch him!).

•   Don't quite know what we'll be doing today - perhaps a trip over to the Dandenong to ride on the oldest steam train in Australia, Puffing Billy. Apparently it goes through the rainforests and is quite a scenic journey.

•   Then tomorrow, we're off to a wine yard to sample some of the local vino - can't wait!

23 May

•   Luckily it stopped raining in Melbourne and we had perfect blue skies for our trip down the Great Ocean road yesterday – freezing in the wind, but it looked lovely. The coast is fantastic and there's a series of rock formations known as the Twelve Disciples, which are pretty impressive.

•   We have tickets to an AFL (Aussie rules football) match tomorrow which'll be interesting as neither of us have a clue what its all about.

•   Then we're hoping to go out to one of the nearby winerys on Monday to sample some of their products.

20 May

•   Just arrived in Melbourne so no news yet. We will work out what we're doing and let you know but about to run out of credit, so I'll be off.

•   Sydney was wet – torrential rain. You'd never believe there was a drought in New South Wales. Apparently, there is an eight year old kid living two hours from Sydney who has never seen rain. In Sydney it’s pouring but nothing where they need it.

•   Luckily, the skies cleared for our ascent of the harbour bridge right to the top of the arches – all 134m of them – not bad for someone who isn’t keen on heights. The views of the harbour were amazing and you could see all the way over to the Blue Mountains, or were they the Snowy mountains, anyway it was a long way. Unfortunately, they wouldn't let you take cameras (or anything else for that matter) so I don't have any pictures apart from the group photo taken at the top.

•   We also managed to get tickets to the ballet at the Opera house on Friday, which was v.v.v. cool. It was Hans Christian Anderson's "Wild Swans" and not your typical, classical ballet but quite fun and funky. I was surpised just how much I enjoyed it. Of course, being in the opera house helped.

•   Apart from that we just wandered around all these places with English names – Kings Cross, Hyde Park, etc. (Editor’s note – wonder if they play Mornington Crescent)

14 May

•   Off to Sydney tomorrow and we're just back in relative civilisation – Tamworth the home of Australian Country music – after a week on the “Dag” – a 20,000 acre sheep station in Nundle.

•   We were working for our keep and to pay for the Jillaroo (Australian for cowgirl) course we did. In the morning, we had to do a few hours making beds, preparing dinner, doing tons of laundry but then we had the afternoons to ride, sleep of the excesses of the previous night in the bar, or wander into town – only a two hour walk away.

•   The other "roustabouts" were all fun and we were lucky it was such a good crowd. The course was fantastic. We helped muster the sheep, although to be honest, Joe the sheep dog did most of the work and we just rode round them screaming at the dumb critters to move. All very, very cool – and it actually felt like you were doing something instead of just enjoying.

•   I'd forgotten just how much I loved riding and it took a bit of getting used to because they ride western style over here (true cowboy stuff), but it was great and all the aches and bruises were worth it. Catherine had never been a horse before, and it's safe to say she was a little nervous, but by the end of it she was cantering up some pretty steep hills and even came out for more (having said she'd probably never get back on a horse again) on the Friday.

•   The scenery also was amazing, and as 20,000 acres doesn't mean much to me, I couldn't picture how vast this place was, but from the top of some of their hills, the station stretches as far as you can see in any direction..

3 May

•   Quiet time in Brisbane - we've done a bit of shopping, went to the Buddha's birthday celebration on South bank yesterday and that's pretty much it.

•   Yesterday – we met up with Ran who is pretty much as I remember her. We sat in the garden of her lovely apartment eating pizza, drinking wine and generally catching up on the last ELEVEN years. Does make me feel old. She was asking after you all and was horrified to learn Matt has almost finished his 4th year at university ("but he was about 12 last time I saw him").

•   I may not be in touch again for a while, as we're heading back into the outback for a week. We're going to have a go at being cowgirls on a sheep station in Nundle. They teach you all the horsemanship and cattle mustering skills we'll ever need. It should be a laugh although a bit more expensive than we'd anticipated

2 May

•   Yes, I have been slapping on the sun screen but am torn between that and buying a sun hat, or something to keep my head warm when we get to NZ.

•   Not hearing the news is weird, and I haven't heard anything at all about Iraq since the statue was came down. I buy a paper every now and then and so have heard about SARS and people are being quarantining Queensland.

•   We're off out to another cattle station next week to get in some horse riding and earn our keep for a couple of days, so that should be a laugh.

1 May

•   We got back from the Whitsundays, and have been travelling down to Brisbane with the Oz Experience buses - an alternative transportation network that gets you from A-B just about anywhere in Australia, but stops off absolutely bloody everywhere along the way to show you the most insignificant things.

•   Mostly it’s been fun, but on one occasion when all I wanted to do was curl up and go to sleep on the bus, the driver had us playing musical chairs and talking to each other to build up a team spirit for the various challenges that lay ahead at Dingo, where we met the Northbound bus and took them on in a tug-of-war (which I somehow got roped into) and a boat race (you can imagine how much persuasion that took!) and although I wound up with more beer on my head than in my mouth, WE WON!

•   Dingo is another cattle station, where we had a tour and actually learnt about what the cowboys do all day (as little as possible by all accounts!), why they have the cattle they have and how they cope with the droughts and stuff. We also all had a go at cracking bull whips (I still need some practice!) but couldn't try the boomerang throwing because it was too windy and so we all ducked when the guy did the demo!

•   From there we went to Fraser Island which was a bit of an organisational disaster, but we got there in the end and had a freebie lunch thrown in. Under the circumstances, we naturally had the most expensive item on the menu. The island itself is a pretty fascinating place though - the biggest sand island in the world with beautiful lakes, beaches and even rainforest on what is essentially a huge sand dune but it did not compare with some of the other sights we've seen and was not as much fun as we had hoped. This might have been due at least in part to the weather – rain, lots and lots of rain.

•    We've just come from Mooloolaba where we went to the aquarium and swam with seals - which was v.v.v cool even though we weren't supposed to touch them. We had a seal kiss photo taken (I'll send that home soon).

•   On the way to Brisbane we stopped at Lone Pine sanctuary and I cuddled a koala. I want one - they are SOOOOOOOOOO cute

•   Now in Brisbane, and we're meeting Ran on Friday. Can't wait! It's going to be very strange to see her again after all these years - nearly 11 we reckon - but we've spoken a couple of times, and I think we'll just blether away all night. Should be fun. Hopefully it won't be too boring for Catherine who has never met Ran but at least they have Zambia in common as they were both brought up there.

•   The hair has come off again. I'd been talking about it so long and it just kinda happened. (Editor's note: At least we don't have to see it this time. Hopfeully she is using high factor sun block)

24 April

•   Editors cautionary note - Apparently in the course of her travels, someone cloned Fran’s credit card and has used it to purchase a couple of thousand pounds of electrical appliances plus some groceries for good measure. Fortunately the credit card company’s security checks spotted them as suspicious transactions and blocked her account. Fran has spoken to them and it is being treated as fraud so she has authorised the police to speak to me though what good that will do I cannot imagine. Meanwhile she will have to resort to her emergency money and my credit card.

23 April

•   Well, the weather was rubbish but you sailing folks would have been soooooooooo jealous of the three days we spent onboard Siska – an 80 foot maxi yacht and winner of a number of races before she became a commercial boat.

•   It was wet, wet, wet, and very, very windy - we were cruising at a high rate of knots and it felt like we were keeled over at 90 degrees. With the wind in my hair, it was great.

•   We were soaked for pretty much the whole time, and usually wearing one of my two new favourite items of clothing - a stinger suit and delightful yellow oilskins.

•   A couple of people were sick but luckily, I wasn’t among them although it did take a couple of days for my legs to return to normal when we were back on dry land. It felt like I was drunk for two days!

•   There were 22 passengers on the boat, and Catherine and I were the oldest – older even than the crew – which was kinda depressing. But hey, we all had a laugh.

18 April

•   We're on our way down the east coast and have just spent a couple of days snorkelling, and kayaking at Fitzroy Island about an hours journey from Cairns. There were loads of fish around, but I didn't think they were as impressive as those we saw in Thailand, but the coral reefs were far more spectacular. We also saw turtles!

•   Unfortunately because of the Killer Box Jellyfish we had to wear these stinger suits, which were particularly flattering but we like to think that we looked Charlie’s Angels.

•    Fitzroy island isn't very big, so having walked to the summit on the second day, we spent the rest of the afternoon lazing by the pool nursing our aching shoulders with lots of that well known all curing ice-cream.

•   Yesterday we went white water rafting. It was great fun but not quite as scary or adrenalin pumping as we'd thought.

•  We had to sign an indemnity form for this sailing thing and name someone to contact in an emergency. We both put you down (Editor’s note what are they up to now?)

11 April

•   Sorry I’ve not been in touch for a while, but we've been in the Outback and apparently seeing the "real" Australia - it's mad, miles and miles and miles of absolutely nothing.

•   Given that I wasn't really too bothered about coming to Australia, I’m really glad we came - we've seen so much already in two weeks (Dad – don’t know where you idea we are here for only five weeks from as we're staying two months).

•   Being back in an English speaking country is a bit weird, and prices are a bit of a shock to the system, still, I’m sure we'll manage somehow!

•   We spent the first couple of days lazing around Darwin and planning our next move which was to Kadadu National Park for a few days. It was beautiful! Savannah land, kangaroos, wallabies, dingoes and crocodiles in the wild - all but the latter were very cute. Indeed the kangaroos were so cute, we BBQd one in the evening. Tasted great as long as you didn't think about poor skippy too much – when in Rome and all that.

•   The gang we went with was fun, which always makes a difference, and our guide was a complete nutter and very entertaining.

•   I was really torn about whether to climb Uluru (Ayers Rock) but having learnt a bit about the Aboriginal culture - the Earth is their mother, and she gives them life, food and they look after her in return – and knowing that is one of their most sacred sites, which they still use for some rituals - I couldn't bring myself to do it.

•   Instead we walked around the base instead (9 ½ km) That was spectacular enough – more so than any photos can ever do justice – though that didn’t stop me trying. There were googols of flies, so we were all wearing delightful fly nets – so we will be unrecognisable anyway

•   Spectacular though the rock was, the Olgas and Kings Canyon just blew me away possibly, because I had no preconceptions and didn't know what to expect. They were absolutely incredible. Kings Canyon is like the Grand Canyon, so being a bit of a wuss when it comes to heights, I had to edge across on my backside to admire the view. The Olgas are very difficult to describe, but they were beautiful – a collection of thousands of huge red sand stone domes, but I can't think of anything with which to compare them.

•   We've just spent three days on a bus travelling across the Outback - unimaginable remoteness. Some people live 12 hours drive from their neighbours or nearest shops and the "highway" no more than a dust track. Crazy. We stayed one night on a cattle station that was like something out of the Thorn Birds. I loved it out there, but honestly, I don't think I could handle the lifestyle for any more than about two weeks. I am surprised they don’t all end up like Jack Nicholson in the Shining!

•   Back in civilisation of sorts or Cairns at least. Based on what I’ve seen so far it looks like one of those horrible club 18-30 holidays in Ibiza. To be fair, I’ve not even been here 24 hours, so it could yet win me over but I am not optimistic.

•   However, a few days here should enable us to get our clothes and ourselves clean and the dust out of our throats. Then, it's off on yet another tour (its really the only way to get across a country this big in a limited time), which takes us down the east coast to Brisbane, with some yachting around the Whitsundays, and some white water rafting. I can't wait!

30 March

•   Brief Mother's day call from Fran

•   Now in Darwin - surprisingly small town.

•   Very hot but can't go swimming in sea because of an invasion of deadly jelly-fish. Can't go swimming in the lakes or river because of crocs.

•   Spending a few days in Kakadu National Park then off to Alice Springs and Uluru(or Ayers Rock as it used to be known).

•   After that it is over to Cairns down the East coast taking in the Barrier Reef.

•   Got to rush as we only have 5 weeks in Australia