Blogs from Australian Capital Territory, Australia, Oceania

We arrived in Canberra from Sydney on Mon 18th Feb, and found a camp site in the City centre with a pool, internet, shade etc etc. Great location and we thought that we had finally cracked it until we looked for the communal kitchen and BBQ area and found that it was non existant. We have still to find the perfect camping site that has everything. This was still next to the bush and we had kangaroo's and a whole avery full of exotic birds join us for breakfast - parrots, kookaburras etc. We spent a day in Canberra and did the cultural things - War Museum, Australian National Museum and their Parliament. It was interesting, (especially given that we have never been to our equivalent places in London) but the city itself was a huge ... read more

People say hobbies define you, but I would rather disagree with that. Hobbies need proper attention, some dedicated time during which you do nothing else. Now when it comes to being a student, many of these ‘hobbies’ turn out to be impractical. So a new and efficient substitute is set to be embedded in the daily routine. Seasonal delicacies become your personal favorites, and these days I’m the biggest chocoholic one could notice. Yeah I’ve heard all those taunts and jeers that it’s the road towards gaining excessive weight, but I have one piece of justification which no one can oppose; Chocolates are one heavenly piece of joy any guy could ask for. Whether it be one tiny nibble or one big bar, it’s the taste which is all what’s needed. And I’m aware that all ... read more

Everybody said 'if you're getting short of time definitely give Canberra a miss'. Well we had plenty of time and thought we'd go visit the nations capital. Ok so it doesn't have nice beaches or the cool quirky shops and cafes you find on the East Coast, but it does have great museums - perfect for a rainy day. First we toured Capital Hill and Parliament House - being a weekend it was incredibly quiet! Then we spent the afternoon in the National War Memorial, a really interesting and moving display of the battles fought by the Australian and New Zealand troops. Canberra itself is 'sleek', the large modern buildings sit amongst beautiful hills of the countryside and it seems like a peaceful place to work (perhaps not busy enough to live there!). The roads in ... read more

It's 5:30am and we have 2 text messages on 2 separate phones. Panic short lived by the discovery of Vodafone welcoming us to Australia. Turn over and go back to sleep for one lovely hour. Last big Kosherica breakfast and more farewells and more futzing before leaving the ship. Don got by Australia immigration to have his shoes because we were honest enough to declare we had been on a farm in NZ. I get off scot free. (Makes a change!) We take a taxi to collect our hire car from Hertz which is to be our new mode of transport for the next 5 days. He has this magical brainwave to leave 2kg of stuff at the Marriott where we will stay (again) in Sydney. After driving around for what seemed like an eternity to ... read more

At Bathurst today Pete was grinning like a Cheshire cat as he hooned around the Mount Panorama circuit. Slight exaggeration there, seeing as the speed limit is 60 kms per hour and we were a motorhome and not a super V8 car. Nevertheless it was still very interesting and even I enjoyed the ride, so much so that we went around twice! Pete then visited the adjacent car museum but I chose to stay with the RV and write this blog! (Must be a bloke thing). We are in the Blue Mountains now and enjoying some great hiking. There aren’t any free camping spots around here so instead of staying in the local camping ground we again asked the local publican if we could park in his carpark for the night and in return we would ... read more

Well, I am going to tell you my secret, it really is not very exciting news but it is for me and Caroline, I finally resigned from my job at Serco and I am in my last couple of weeks. I chucked it in at the end of October, as simply I have had what seems at this point a better offer, still based in Canberra, and I am looking forward to spending some time at home as I will be at home every night. I had returned home on the Friday night after another week working away and was not really feeling too well, but tried to get on with the weekend. On the Sunday, Caroline and I drove to Mount Franklin in the Brindabella ranges to see if the road was finally open, but ... read more