Steadily panning east from west, changing cultures coupled with growing distances have taken us further from home. But, at our furthest point away (so far), Sydney feels closer to the western world of our past. The buzzing culture capital of Australia is home to my brother Justin and his wife Freya, and with distances dividing Christmas' it felt good to be connected with family on the other side of the world. We happily greeted each other as they welcomed us into their Neutral Bay home. It had been two years since I had seen them and they had some exciting news...Ricky Ponting had just been bowled LBW. No, Freya was three months pregnant! It was great to be there to congratulate them and not only was Freya pregnant but her sister Lucy was expecting a baby ... read more

The Hunter Valley, in New South Wales (NSW), is an internationally recognised wine producing region. The hot days and cool nights enable the perfect growing conditions, whilst the inviting cellar doors provide a platform for its consumption. With over fifty wineries offering free tastings, the car practically drove itself there. The police have done little to endear themselves to me since being in Australia but I have to commend those of the NSW branch. Sat waiting on the edge of this wine tasting utopia they decided to breathalise those on the way in to the region and not out. Genius! Not that we were over the limit when leaving the next day, but it was nicer to be be breathalised before the tastings than the morning after. A breakfast plate filled with everything from sausages to ... read more

The owner of the 4WD Adventure Centre explained the insurance details for the second time. "You are liable for any damage caused to the vehicle...and I will have to freeze $1,500 from your credit card". Our knuckles were turning whiter at every eventuality she painstakingly went over. "But you'll be fine...most people are" she said, as we looked down at the front desk to see two pictures of 4WD jeeps smashed on the beaches of Fraser Island. The journey had already begun. Stuck in the sand, as the chain ferry beckoned us, not knowing whether to put it in Hi-4, Lo-4 or just get out on all fours, you could smell the whiff of anxiety. We had left the adventure centre with very little instruction on how to manoeuvre between 2WD and 4WD (Hi-4 and Lo-4) ... read more

You know your in Australia when you turn up at a hotel called 'The Croc Club' and find the lady at reception is doing battle with a roaming snake behind the desk. "Ah it's only a brown snake, they won't harm ya" she said as she recovered from her fluster to check us in. The Croc Club had all the makings of a very nice place with well appointed rooms, a large bar and a swimming pool. However, as we picked up our bags and headed for the room the snake charmer behind reception remembered "oh and you can't swim in the pool today...there's a snake in there!". We were in Airlie Beach on the Whitsunday coast. This small, yet lively town, much like Cairns, has grown around it's harbour and burgeoning tourist scene. The boisterous ... read more

We had made it out of the top end unscathed, on time (Han's dad was arriving in two days) and with enough mental capacity left, to still believe that a fly mesh hat just isn't cool. It's a tough one though, if you have it you look like a madman. If you don't you just act like one. With a few days to spare before Cairns we had entered the fresh, blissfully fly free, Atherton Tablelands. The rolling hills and cloudy skies were a welcome change to the arid landscape we had just passed through. Here the air-con came from opening the windows and smelling the country air. It was green and lush, cows roamed freely and waterfalls poured deeply off the jagged cliffs. Things seemed remarkably English so we continued the theme by going to ... read more