NickandJean

And so we set off on the Indian Pacific.... the train will take us from Sydney all the way to Perth, which is closer to Singapore than it is to Sydney!!! Three nights, a few stops here and there. When we stopped at Adelaide we decided to pop into the city to get Nick's hat that we'd bought earlier, reshaped and cleaned... it had some red centre dirt on it and some oily insect repellent (well used)! Also Jean bought a little black fascinator for Nick's brother's wedding at the same shop. We returned to the station for the longest part of the journey by train, which includes going across the Nullabor plain, the longest stretch of straight rail track in the world. Gold service on the train is definitely worth it for just the food! ... read more

Yeah!! Finally we're out of the nightmare that was Cairns.... We flew to Brisbane after Jean's spots had dried up, but she still covered up with a tasteful scarf (neck spots hideous!!). Nick's cousin Beth welcomed us to her home and what a fab place it is.. on an acre plot in suburban area of Brisbane called Pullenvale, that she shares with her husband Steve and son Sam and of course their Jack Russel cross, Oscar (loved him!!). The house is large with a hot tub and pool.... so, this is by far the best hotel we've stayed at on this trip! On one of the days, Beth drove us up the mountain outside of Brissie where you get fantastic views over the city, viewing the meandering river, Moreton and Stradbroke islands and the other surrounding ... read more

Well our venture into Queensland wasn't quite what we wanted! First day there, the weather forcast a cyclone out to the sea heading southwards... therefore diving was definitely going to be out for a few days.... then on the second evening Jean starts breaking out in spots... at first we thought it was only mosquito spots but on the Monday morning it was clearly not... so off to the docs to find out it was chicken pox!!! 37 years old, and she gets Chicken pox downunder... nightmare, so that's all travel, diving and going out completely off for a week... so a bad week for us but at least the tablets started work while Dunning played nurse! On the Friday we booked a flight out of Cairns as it clearly wasn't to be!... read more

Wow it's hot here!! The air is so dry and it's beating down....40 deg.C or more.. The train journey on The Ghan from Adelaide was pretty slow actually, but apparently that's because it's a very long train and a single track railway, so the danger is derailment in an isolated place...nasty. We had a Red sleeper cabin, which is basically like a wardrobe with pull down bunk beds! Nick slept ok but I had trouble with the constant movement. Still it was a great way to meet other travellers and the staff we pretty friendly. (I wouldn't recommend the food on this service, you had to buy your own food in the cafe style diner car) So Alice Springs is really hot so I had a bit of a swim in the pool and then before ... read more

Hi Folks! This is the first of many entries on our 'Big Trip Downunder'! Been in Singapore now for a couple of nights although the jet lag has disorientated our sleeping pattern quite a bit! We have had a couple of great nights at the hotel - The Scarlet and been out in Chinatown at Fatty Wengs Restaurant in Smith Street. The food was great so we did both nights there. Singapore seems to be such a well organised country, so clean, sensible taxis, friendly people and an efficient airport! ... read more