August 19, 2007Cairns1 This afternoon we left a very cold Ayres Rock and took a 3 hour flight to Cairns. We walked off the plane and were greeted with warm air and clouds. Hmm, no surprise there but the warm air was wonderful since it has been so cold here. We are staying at the Holiday Inn. I am sick of Holiday Inns. Note to self: Forget the points and stay at hotels unique to the area. Boutiques are best! We do have a balcony so we are able to have the door wide open and if you look out you [View Full Entry]

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August 18, 2007 Ayres Rock This morning we started our day with a walk around Uluru, the big rock. It was amazing. The walk around the base was 9.4km around and took us a couple of hours. The sun was shining and not a cloud in sight but it was still pretty chilly. The chilly wind was fine because it kept us cool and the flies away. During the walk it became pretty annoying because there were some really great parts of the rock, but there are signs up that say no walking or photography due to a sacred sight. There [View Full Entry]

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August 17, 2007 Ayres Rock We flew out of Sydney at 9:45 in the morning. It is about a three hour flight. Flying over the outback was amazing. There is nothing but a beautiful reddish orange floor speckled with greenish brown brush. We were able to see Uluru from the plane and what a sight. I remember my Aunt Joann telling me about her visit to Uluru and everything she said was right on. Although it is a huge rock in the middle of the desert, when you actually see it in person Uluru gives off a spiritual peacefulness. It truly [View Full Entry]

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August 16, 2007 Sydney This morning we woke up and headed for the visitor center. We decided we wanted to take a tour of the opera house, go to the zoo, and do a “hop on hop off” tour of Sydney. I have decided that weather people cannot be trusted at all. I know, nobody believes the weather, but it is usually close right? Not today. Cold (50) and raining. Ugh. I was feeling a bit blue, so I bought a phone card and called the only numbers that I knew by heart or that Mark had in his UK phone. [View Full Entry]

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August 15th Leaving Central Tilba This morning we left Tilba around 9:30. We had a great time while we were there and would definitely go back. The town itself is a trust town, so it will never lose its charm that is loved by visitors and residents alike. Last night, Mark and I went out to the one pub in town. It was a small room in an old building that is used as a hotel. We walked in and were in the midst of the locals. It was wonderful. The pub itself was old, had wonderfully funny posters, letters, and [View Full Entry]

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August 13th- 14th. The drive to Sydney After looking at some maps, we decided to stay the night in a place called Lakes Entrance. It is a little town that is a holiday beach town. Since it is winter here we didn’t have a problem at all finding a room. We stayed at the Sandbar Motel. It was a nice motel, very clean, very cheap, and even included a full breakfast delivered to your room. It was only about a five minute walk at most into the main part of town, so we headed down there for lunch. The town is [View Full Entry]

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August 11, 12, 13th We arrived in Melbourne around 6:30pm on the 11th of August. Our first impression of Melbourne was not the best. It was dark, raining, and a bit cold. We got to our hotel, The Victoria, and were really disappointed. We were definitely paying for the location. When I booked the hotel, it looked much different than what we got. Our room was horrible. We were on the first floor and all we could hear was a band playing at the bar next door. If it was a good band, I probably wouldn’t complain. The room itself was [View Full Entry]

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August 9th, 10th, and 11th The first night in Christchurch Mark and I went out on the town. I have been craving spring rolls, so we headed over to a Chinese/Japanese restaurant. We had a great dinner and then stopped by Sullivan’s Irish Pub. They are in the Guinness book of world records for having the world’s largest glass of beer. I assumed we would be able to order one and hang out there all night, but no, it is framed in a case on the wall. Apparently it holds about 3.35 gallons of beer. It would be fun to have [View Full Entry]

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This morning we woke up feeling great! We also slept until 9:00am. Pretty good for us. The B&B served us a tasty breakfast while we had a nice chat with our host. After putting off leaving the area, we headed down the road 10 minutes so I could………………….. BUNGY JUMP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Sorry mom and Dad. The last time I spoke with my parents, I was assured and reassured that I did not have to Bungy. Well, I didn’t think I was going to do it, but if felt right and the bridge didn’t seem that high. I was the only one going [View Full Entry]

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This morning we woke early so we could catch the 8:45 ferry across to the South Island. It is sad to leave the North Island since we had so much fun while we were here and would love to stay another week or two. We can always come back! The ferry landed in Picton on the South Island around 12:00pm. The scenery welcoming us in the South Island was amazing. The water was a beautiful blue, while the shore was covered in pine trees on top of steep mountains. We drove down the east coast of the South Island and it [View Full Entry]

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