Blogs from Oceania - page 7039

So on returning from Milford the boys were due to leave and I was going to stay in Queenstown abit longer but accomodation is a real problem there- I couldnt find a bed for love nor money!!!!! So the only other option was to go with the boys- they were dong the rest of NZ in 2 weeks (a little quicker than I wanted as meant to be here 4 weeks but it was great to travel with them and in a car- stopping where and when we wanted- plus it helped with the old purse!!!!!- Thanks boys!!!!!) Next on the list was Franz Josef Glacier.............................................. We didn't do the climb which i regret as you could only go so far up to the glacier without climbing guides...................... but again it all costs money and i ... read more

Good day to you all. Apologies to all our regular readers for the delay in updating the diary. This has been due to several factors: the website being down for several days;travelling and being unable to get it together! As you can see we have now left Australia and are now in New Zealand. To say that there is a contrast in the climate would be an understatement! It is bloody freezing! But more of NZ later, best tell you about our last fantastic week or so in the land of OZ. The weekend following Linda's birthday barbie saw us entertaining our friends Alan and Ann, they of the backgarden bar. Linda made a wonderful meal which everyone enjoyed. We were then joined by some other new found friends, Clyde, Jane and Dangerous Dave, a local ... read more

So onwards and upwards on the East coast! And with the travels the sunshine comes out, a welcome relief!We spent a few long days driving to get up to Airlie Beach, the gateway to the WhitSunday Islands. Even the postcards don't do the beauty of the islands justice, we have never seen colours in the sea like it! We took a boat trip round the Whitsundays and got to explore deserted islands, with beautiful white sands and amazing views. We even braved the chillier water (23 degrees but we've become such wusses after the heat of Thailand) to snorkle around the reef, just where the Great Barrie Reef begins. WE were treated to an amazing sight, beautiful colourful coral and some big fish. Even one called Elvis a giant wrasse, about half a metre long, I ... read more

That's better, yesterday moved out of My Place, was making pals there but was not that good, went on the Groovy Grape tour of the Barrossa Valley, a funfilled day of dirty jokes and drank the equivalent of almost 3 bottles of wine, inc Jacob's Creek. Learnt a lot about the art of wine tasting though by the last place we did it was just, yeah 1994 vintage, fill her up! gulp. Realised on the way back that the million plus in Adelaide all live in sprawling suburbs and in one suburb Edinburgh, the residents are famous for their mullets which they pronounce 'moo lay' Interesting little fact that. Anyways moved over to beach suburb of Glenelg last night, much better, hostel quiet but some top people there inc new mad dutch pal (very dutch if ... read more

Day 1 30/06/06 Melbourne to Adelaide - Gawler. As planned, we managed to get away by shortly after 6am. After dueling with the early Friday morning traffic through Melbourne, we stopped at McDonalds in Deer Park for breakfast. We drove along the Western Highway onto Nhill, where we stopped for lunch at the bakery. We then forged on to Adelaide, arriving at around 3.30pm. From Adelaide we took the A20 out to Gawler, arriving at Pat & Leanne’s at around 4.30pm. We spent the night at Pat’s, also catching up with Gary and Dawn. Day 2 01/07/06 Gawler to Port Augusta After having breakfast with Pat & the girls, we bid them goodbye and headed for the A1 or the Princes Highway. Traveling north, we went through towns including Port Wakefield, Snowtown, and Redhill, stopping in ... read more