Charlie rose early a went for a run. She now has the bragging rights to say "I've ran around the Sydney Opera House"! Today turned into a very long day, with many miles covered. We started our grand walk at half nine after a free breakfast and finished eleven hours later! We started with following Charlies running route to the SOH around the Botanical Gardens and then on to Circular Quay where we boarded a ferry for "Taronga Zoo". We were told we couldn't miss this due to it's surrounding scenery, it certainly didn't let us down! The views of the bridge and opera house were amazing. From here our next stop was at Watsons Bay for lunch and a walk to Camp Cove, the lighthouse and back via Lady's (nudist) Beach. Where there were no ... read more

The big trip to the Great Barrier Reef! The day started really badly (and not just because we got up at 7) with high winds and a really choppy sea! We were even more apprehensive when told that all the staff on the boat were taking seasickness pills. We soon followed suit! It turns out that the winds were just touching 30 knots and that they cancel if they reach 33. As it turned out the 2.5 hour trip to the lagoon pontoon has nothing on crossing the English Channel. Though this is where we decided to kick our budget into touch and we each paid $399 to fly the return leg! The pontoon was cool, it had an underwater observation deck, two platforms for snorkling and best of all a water slide! In all we ... read more

Another early rise today, this time for our three island day trip. The first stop was on the 6km long Whitehaven Beach. The sand is 99% silica sand which means that the sand never gets hot! It also means that the beach is fantastically beautiful! After a small buffet lunch on the ship we were off to Hook Island. Here we had a half hour trip in a glass bottom boat over the fringe reef and a session of snorkling. I don't normally agree with feeding the fish for snorkling, however it was amazing having about a hundred fish fighting to eat all around you and banging into you! The reef was cool (pretty much what we experienced in Fiji) but we're definitely looking forward to our Great Barrier Reef trip in a couple of days. ... read more

We had a really early start today having to catch the 08:30 flight to Hamilton! The day didn't start great as our requested taxi failed to turn up, so we started the 2 km walk to the bus transfer only to get half way and stop a taxi and bypass the bus for a direct trip (that'll mean one less ice cream (for Charlie))! Daydream island couldn't be more different than Octopus, as it's a lot more commercial. Though this doesn't stop it from being the ideal place to recoup. It seems weird but after fifty odd days we're both ready for a holiday! Our room is luxurious and has two double beds, not sure what Charlie is trying to say! We spent the afternoon around the pool reading and going for the odd dip! The ... read more

In the morning after Charlie's run we moved once again, this time to the City Center Budget Hotel which seems to be in the perfect location! From here we walked the short ten minute walk to the "Makers Market" on the southbank. Pastries and a packet of homemade curry mix we were off on a cruise on the Yarra to Williamstown! The cruise took an hour with a small amount of commentary, though the guide failed to see the Mondrian inspired skyscraper. The dockside if Melbourne is undergoing a hugh amount of redevelopment, and it would seem that overall they're doing a good job. A highlight is the "Eel Trap" bridge and the folley being the "Bolte Bridge", which has the destinction of being Australia's highest bridge, though only on account of it's two non-supporting twin ... read more