A very belated update on my journey from Sydney to Melbourne: Canberra I arrived in Canberra on a lovely spring evening. As everything near my motel / hostel was geared towards Monday to Saturday workday crowds it was a bit dull in the evening so I thought I would walk to the centre - which isn't actually a town centre, it is a political / museum centre. It didn't look to be a long walk from the motel. It wasn't a long walk at all as it turns out, it was an impossible walk. You could see it, but you just [View Full Entry]

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I arrived in Newcastle early in November - so it has been quite a while since I updated. Sorry about that, but so many people to catch up with, so much crap weather to avoid. Newcastle, New South Wales The journey from Urunga to Newcastle took 6 hours. Apart from suspecting I had DVT by the time we arrived, I always have to laugh at the contrast between the very British placenames and the aboriginal - Urunga to Newcastle! Newcastle is also surrounded by Jesmond, Wallsend, Blackall and the like. Mind you Sydney has a very posh area called Toxteth. Anyway [View Full Entry]

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Lennox Heads The Greyhound dropped me off at Ballina just before 10 p.m. I rang the hostel to get them to come and collect me - 12 km is too far to walk without 25kg of luggage. I then waited patiently by my luggage next to the bus. Greyhounds have to stop for a 40 minute rest every 4 hours - and when you are on a long journey it is a mix of annoyance because of the extra travel time and relief at staving of DVT. So whilst I sat by the bus and waited all the passengers travelling further [View Full Entry]

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1770 I stayed a day longer than planned in Rockhampton because I didn't want to take the risk of finding myself in the middle of nowhere without accommodation. Rockhampton wouldn't be anyone's ideal resort, just a gateway to Great Keppel or farmstays - but I got to hear yet another life story from yet another complete stranger. It was dusk when I had returned to the dorm and the lights were off, so the owner of the lifestory was someone I couldn't even pick out in an identity parade let alone know her name - but I know all about her [View Full Entry]

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Airlie Beach and The Whitsundays When I left Townsville I had planned to hire a car and visit Jourama falls etc, but as it was the school holidays hire cars were really hard to come by - apart from Avis. The laws of demand and supply being what they are prices had rocketed - and Avis being what they are they had hired a slightly creepy guy to inform me of the rocketed price - so I decided this was more than enough omens to detract me from hirecars - that and my dreadful driving. I booked the bus to Airlie [View Full Entry]

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Saturday I went on my first trip in a Greyhound bus. For normal people it is a bit cramped - sometimes it is great to be so short. The journey was 7 hours and only 350 km, so there were quite a few stops. The bus driver chatted away to us all, we all ignored him - most people were asleep or listening to their music. It must be a soul destroying job for the drivers. By law they have to take a break every 4 hours, so we stopped for a lunch break at Cardwell. Cardwell was somewhere I had [View Full Entry]

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I landed in Australia just before midnight on Wednesday 20 September. Immigration took me aside for a little chat about my 'criminal record', so I explained it was all driving offences (as if this makes it all acceptable) and the very nice lady immigration officer told me it doesn't count as a criminal offence if you don't stand before a judge, so they let me in. I went to the tourist information desk to ask about a nearby hotel - and as my flight to Cairns was at 7 a.m. the lady at the desk suggested the 4th floor departure lounge [View Full Entry]

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Finally this has photos. I arrived in Fiji 24 hours later than planned - thanks to Air Pacific cancelling my original flight - and refusing any compensation other than some crappy hotel in an industrial area of LA. Advice to anyone thinking of flying with Air Pathetic ... don't. However I did finally get there - and even made a few friends on the flight. As my luggage whizzed round and round and round the carousel I ignored it to exchange contact details with my new found friends. I waited at the airport for the transport to take me to Octopus [View Full Entry]

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Monday I got up early like every morning - well actually like every morning when I am on holiday - work days I just hit the snooze button again and again. Even showering in Fiji is exciting - I bumped into a very tall, very fit naked man walking out of the showers at 6 a.m. Fortunately for him and very, very unfortunately for me I didn't have my glasses on so it was all just a very fit blurry outline, it is times like this when I seriously consider laser surgery. I love Monday mornings now - I really do. [View Full Entry]

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When we got back from our road trip it was Labor Day, so we followed the the traditions it being a bank holiday - sat around, ate too much, watched old movies on TV. Jess went back to work and said I could have the car, the thought of driving around on my own scared me a bit, so I said I would just walk into Woodland. Jess told me I was mad and it was a long way - but I am English, we walk. I duly walked into Woodland - 2.5 miles each way, in the heat of the [View Full Entry]

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