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Published: February 8th 2011
We woke at 7:00 on the 19th December and got ready for our surfing lesson. We were picked up at 7:50 and we were taken to Lennox Head where our lesson was going to take place. The lead instructor took us through our warm up and then took us through how rip tides work and how to react if we got caught in one. He then took us through the paddling techniques and took us through the stages of how to get up on the board after catching a wave. We then took to the water where I was to find out that surfing is quite difficult when you have poor balance and you’re impatient, I have both of these ‘qualities’! I got quite frustrated although we did manage to catch a couple of waves and stand up. The lead instructor was really good but the other two instructors didn’t seem too interested (it may have had something to do with our lesson taking place on Sunday morning and they’d been out the previous night) This was quite annoying for those of us who struggled. After a few hours in the sea in the pouring rain we headed back to Byron
where we were dropped off in town and we made our way back to the hostel. We dried off and had some lunch. the rain didn’t stop all day so we used the time to send christmas messages home and checked the internet. We then watched Elf (it was christmas!) and then went to the onsite bar for some dinner. We watched a musician in the bar who was good and then watched the dark knight before bed.
We woke at 7.25 the following morning and got ready for our sea kayaking lesson. The weather could not have been more different to the previous day, gorgeous sunshine and soaring temperatures! We were picked up at 8:10 and taken down to the beach. We were taken through the paddling techniques and we then took the kayaks down to the water. As they were tandem kayaks, Hayley and I paired off and after a bit of a dodgy start we managed to get the hang of it! We paddled out to sea and saw some dolphins nearby our kayaks. We stayed out there for a while and then we paddled to a nearby beach where we had a coffee and some
tim-tams (like a chocolate penguin!) We then started to paddle back to where we had started but the wind picked up and blew us off course towards the rocks but the instructors helped us back. The instructors were great and unlike yesterday they were all really helpful. It really makes a difference when you have good instructors as they make the tour what it is and we really enjoyed ourselves, our arms ached from surfing and kayaking though!
We got dropped back at the hostel and then we set off on our afternoon walk to the lighthouse. It took us just over an hour to walk up to the lighthouse where we got some great pictures of the surrounding beaches and the lighthouse itself. We then walked along the walking path and saw some lizards, a snake and lots of butterflies. We then got to the most easterly point of the Australian mainland before walking through the coastal rainforest. We found a lovely secluded beach where we sunbathed for a while before heading back to town to get a drink. We then went to the beach near the town and sunbathed for a bit longer before going to the
supermarket. We then went for a drink in one of the town’s bars and then came back to the hostel, showered and made dinner. Afterwards we watched a bit of TV and went to sleep after a very long but fun day.
The following day we got up and went into town to check the internet. We grabbed lunch at a nearby cafe which was good and then went to the beach to sunbathe to make the most of the good weather continuing on from the previous day. We went into the sea and then got an ice cream each. We sunbathed for a bit longer and then went for a drink at a nearby bar. We headed back to the hostel and showered and had dinner. When we got back to the room after dinner the other girls in our room had fallen asleep so we decided to have an early night as well! We woke early the next morning, had breakfast and checked out. Once we’d checked out we went into town and checked the internet. We then grabbed some lunch and had a look around the shops before heading back to the hostel. We went to
the onsite cinema and watched the film red which was good. We then sat around for an hour until the hostel’s bus took us into town. We picked up some food for the long bus journey ahead and waited at the bus stop. As there were so many people wanting to get down to Sydney the bus company was running five buses to Sydney at the same time. We waited for our bus and set off around 9:30. We put our Ipods on and tried to get comfortable. We managed to get a bit of sleep and woke up around 8:00. The bus arrived at Sydney central station at 9:30 and we got our bags off and made the short walk to the train station where we got train tickets and called Dave for directions. We caught the train to Kings Cross and after taking us the wrong way for a while we eventually made it to Dave’s place where his brother, Mike, let us in. The place was really nice and we spent most of the day watching TV and films until Dave got home from work. We went to the supermarket and came back and cooked a spaghetti
bolognese and had a couple of drinks. We then had a couple of games of wii bowling (which Hayley must have cheated in!) and watched a film before bed.
The following morning we had some breakfast and watched some TV. We then went out and walked through the parks and went into town and checked out the Paddy markets that take place five days a week and offer a wide range of clothing and fresh produce. We then had a drink in Scruffy Murphy’s, an Irish bar in town and had lunch before coming back. We watched some TV and had a couple of drinks and then got a taxi down to Darling Harbour where we got our tickets for the christmas eve cruise! We met Dave’s mates and got on the boat. We set sail around 7:30 and had a few drinks and took in the sights of Sydney harbour bridge and the opera house at sunset. It was just how we’d pictured it before we set off on our trip. The boat got back around 10:00 and we then got a taxi to the gaff, a local nightclub where we had a few more drinks and saw
christmas in with everyone! We walked home around 1:30 and found Dave asleep on an uninflated sofa bed! We stayed up for a bit until Mike got in and went to bed around 3:00 accompanied by Dave, a very funny and enjoyable evening!
We woke at 9:00 christmas morning, had breakfast and had a good laugh about last night! Hayley and I then set off for Bondi Beach. We got the train to Bondi Junction and then caught the bus to the beach. The weather was beautiful and the beach was very busy, a lot of people were getting into the christmas spirit and wearing santa hats! We spent a couple of hours on the beach and then grabbed a drink and made our way back to Dave’s. We all went up onto the rooftop of the apartment and had a few drinks and a christmas barbecue. The food was great (thanks to Rob and Amanda!) and we had a great time in good company in the sun. We stayed up there for a few hours and then called our families back home. It felt weird not spending today with them but it was good to speak to them.
Afterwards we washed up, had a mince pie and some shortbread and watched a film. Although it hadn’t felt like christmas we had a great day surrounded by good people!
We woke the next morning and it was raining (typical of the ever changing weather here!)
We watched some TV and spoke to the lads who felt a bit rough as they didn’t get in until 6:30AM! The rain stopped so we got ready and went down to the harbour. We missed the start of the Sydney to Hobart Yacht race so we just relaxed by the harbour for a couple of hours. We then went to a sports bar and watched the rest of the first day of the fourth test which proved to be a very good day for England! We had some dinner in there and then went to the supermarket. We went into another bar and had a drink and watched an A-League football game (the standard is awful!) It started raining again so the umbrella went up and we walked back. We had a bite to eat and watched a film before bed.
The next morning we went into town and looked around
the shops which were busy due to the post christmas sales. We then walked down to the rocks which is home to lots of little souvenir shops, cafes and markets. We had a look around and then walked down by the harbour. We saw a street performer there who was ridiculously flexible! We saw a couple of guys from our Whitsunday’s boat. After chatting to them for a while we came back, did some laundry and had some dinner. We chatted to the lads and then watched a couple of films before bed. We woke the next morning and I woke with a bit of a sore throat. We watched some TV and then after lunch we walked to the cinema and booked some tickets for later on. We went to a bar and had a drink and watched some of the cricket and then went back to cinema. We watched Little Fockers which was pretty funny and afterwards we went to Woolworths to get some bits. We then went back and made dinner and watched a film before bed.
The following morning we watched some TV and then went out to look for good places to watch the
new year’s eve fireworks from. We walked down to Rushcutters Bay which was nice and then we walked through the botanical gardens before heading to the opera house and walked around it and took some photos. We then went to a bar on Circular Quay and had a couple of drinks. Afterwards we went to the supermarket and then came back and had dinner. We showered and then walked into town where we met Millie and Dan, the friends we made in Fiji from Bedfordshire! We went to their place and met Millie’s parents, who were over here for christmas and new year, and then went to a bar in Darling Harbour and had a couple of drinks. It was really good to see them. We got back just after midnight and chatted to everyone and went to bed around 2:00.
I was up early the next morning and we used the internet and watched some TV. We went out at midday and looked for a hostel for next week and decided on one. We went for a drink in a bar around Kings Cross and then had lunch at one of the food courts in town. Food courts
are quite easy to come by wherever you are on your travels. They generally offer a wide range of foods at reasonable prices. We then walked around Darling Harbour and Cockle Bay Wharf and then went for a drink. We then walked to Hyde Park and laid on the grass and had a nap for half an hour. The parks in Sydney are big and ideal for a picnic or a quick snooze! We then came back and I called Grandad and we then watched a couple of films and went to sleep. We woke the next morning and went out just before midday. We went to Woolworths to get some stuff for today’s picnic and then walked down to Darling Harbour. We had a MacDonalds and then walked down to Pirrama Park where we were going to watch the fireworks from. Although we had around ten and half hours until midnight we wanted to get there early and get a good spot which we did and the weather was great. We passed the time by eating, chatting and playing games such as charades (which Hayley was terrible at!) We watched the 9PM fireworks which are put on for the
benefit of families with young children. They were really good and after they had finished it started to get a little chilly with the wind blowing across the harbour. Once the families had left, the park start to fill up again and you could sense the anticipation in the air and although it was busy the park wasn’t too crowded. Finally the countdown started and then it reached one.............
HAPPY NEW YEAR! The fireworks were amazing and lasted for twelve minutes, Sydney really knows how to celebrate the new year! We tried to take them all in and what we’d dreamed about doing at new year’s when we first planned our travels finally became reality. After waiting for some of the crowd to disperse we started to walk back. Everywhere was open for business so we stopped in Starbucks for a hot chocolate (very rock and roll!) The streets were packed as we walked back and we got back around 1:40 and got to sleep around 3:00 after a very long day, it was worth it though! We woke the next morning and watched a bit of TV. Hayley skyped her Mum and Dad (who had been on the
vodka!) and afterwards we went out for a walk. We walked into town and had a drink and then walked through Chinatown and then had some food. We went to the supermarket and then came back and watched a film (well Hayley did, I fell asleep!) I then skyped Dad and watched a couple of films before bed.
The next morning we relaxed and watched some TV and then went to Hyde Park. We stayed there for a few hours, listened to some music and did a bit of reading and then went to a bar for a bit and watched some football. We then came back and had showers and made dinner. It then started to rain and some thunder and lightning followed which wasn’t ideal as we were about to walk into town! We put our waterproofs on and walked into town and met Millie and Dan. We went for a couple of drinks at Scruffy Murphy’s and then went to another bar for a couple more. Afterwards we came back and booked our flight from Singapore to Thailand and watched a bit of TV before going to sleep. We woke early the next morning and watched
a film and did some laundry. After lunch we went down to Scruffy Murphy’s to watch some of the cricket. Millie and Dan joined us later on and we had a couple of drinks and had some dinner. They offer meals in there for $6.95, Hayley had steak and I had chicken schnitzel. Both were really nice and offered excellent value for money. We had a couple more drinks and then walked to Darling Harbour and got ice creams and chatted until just after 11:00. We got back, watched a film and went to sleep.
I woke early and checked the laundry was dry. Hayley woke a little later and we then watched a film and packed our things We left the house about 1:00 and made the short walk to our hostel (thanks so much for having us guys!) We checked in and put our bags in our room which was OK. We were really hungry so we walked to the supermarket and got some supplies. We planned to try and save some money during the week we were staying here so we got the essentials and then came back and had some lunch. After lunch we watched
the cricket for most of the afternoon and then watched a bit of TV and had dinner around 8:00. Millie and Dan were staying at the same hostel as us so we got some wine and nibbles and watched a film in their room and afterwards we went to bed. We had a decent sleep and went down and had some breakfast. We then spent a few hours watching the cricket. We walked to Peter Pan’s to use the internet and then went to the supermarket to get a few bits. We then walked back and watched some TV and had dinner. We then watched a film before calling it a night.
The next morning I watched some football on the hostel’s TV and afterwards we had some breakfast. The hobs at the hostel required a flame to light it, we didn’t have any matches and the hostel seemed to be reluctant to give any out which was ridiculous. After a bit of complaining we did manage to get some though! We then used the internet and then walked around circular quay. We went for a drink and watched some of the cricket and then walked back to the
hostel and watched the end of the cricket. I called Mum and then had some dinner and watched TV before bed. We woke at 7:00 the next morning and had some breakfast. We then walked down down to the Sydney cricket ground to watch the final day’s play of the Ashes series. As there were only three wickets remaining entry was free which was great! We arrived at the ground at 8:30 and got in. There were a couple of early morning showers and for a while the chance of any play didn’t look too promising but they cleared up and play started at 10:00. After a slow start and short rain delay Swann got Siddle’s wicket and shortly after Anderson got Hilfenhaus’ wicket. With only one wicket remaining excitement rose amongst the mainly English crowd and the barmy army were in full voice. Tremlett bowled out Beer quickly and the crowd erupted as England sealed a 3-1 victory! The presentation of the famous urn was made and the players did a victory lap around the ground. It has been great to have been in Australia for this Ashes series, it’s been even better because we won the series and
that we managed to see a couple of days play! We walked back and had a drink on the way. We went back to the hostel and had some lunch and then went to use the internet and went to the supermarket. We went back to the hostel and watched some TV and had dinner. We had a few drinks with some other people in the hostel and went to bed.
The next day we woke at 9:00 and after breakfast we walked down to Kings Cross station and caught the train to Bondi Junction. We got the bus to the beach and sunbathed for a while. We then went in the water and the waves were huge so we played in them which was great fun! We dried off and had some lunch before starting the coastal walk from Bondi beach. The walk was really nice and we passed some really nice beaches and there were some great views. We walked as far as Clovelly and then walked back to Bondi. We got the bus and train back to Kings Cross, had quick showers at the hostel and then walked back to Kings Cross to meet James. It
was really nice to see him, we chatted and had a couple of drinks and he offered to buy us dinner which was really good. We had a couple more drinks and he then drove us back to our hostel where we watched TV for a while before going to bed. I woke the next morning and went to make a cup of tea and found that somebody had stolen our full bottle of milk out of the fridge which was really annoying. Hayley came downstairs soon after and we then walked to Peter Pan’s to use the internet. We came back to the hostel and had a quick bite to eat before James came to pick us up. After quickly popping to where he was staying, we went to a place called Little Bay where we had a swim, chatted and played a bit of frisbee. He then took us to Coogee beach where we met his mates, had a couple of beers and chatted. He dropped us back at our hostel and we then had some food and showered before walking to Scruffy Murphy’s to meet Millie and Dan. We chatted there for a while and then went
to Three Wise Monkeys and watched a live band who were playing there. We walked back and uploaded some photos onto the computer before bed.
The next morning we went to Peter Pan’s and sorted out things ready for our flight tomorrow. We then walked back to the hostel, had some lunch and watched some TV. We then went into town and bought a few essentials and then came back and packed our bags so we were ready to leave in the morning. We showered and went downstairs to watch some TV. I had some dinner and the cafe next to the hostel had two spare pizzas they were getting rid of so Hayley and a couple of others took them off their hands! We watched a bit more TV and then Millie and Dan came to see us. We chatted on the roof terrace and then in our room before saying our goodbyes. We watched a bit more TV before going to bed. We got up at 5:50 after a poor night’s sleep, had breakfast and checked out. We got the shuttle bus to the airport and arrived at 7:45. We checked our bags in and made our
way to the departure lounge. We set off at 10:20 and we managed to get a short nap on the plane before putting our watches back to Northern Territory time and we arrived in Alice Springs just before midday. We grabbed our bags and got the free bus to our hostel and checked in. The hostel was a huge improvement on the one we had stayed in the week before in Sydney. We used the free internet provided and then walked into town and had lunch at a bar which was good. We then went to the supermarket and got some water and snacks for our trip tomorrow. The weather in Alice Springs was really warm and dry and after walking back to our hostel, we packed our bags for tomorrow and had a dip in the pool to cool off. We watched a film, used the internet and had some dinner before bed.
We were up at 5:15 the next morning and had the free breakfast provided. We got picked up at 6:10 by our tour guide, Jess, and we then drove to the companies’ office where we paid our national park fees. We then hit the road
until we reached a camel farm where Hayley rode one of the camels! There were also dingoes, kangaroos and emus to look at. We arrived at our camp in Yulara at 1:00 and had some sandwiches for lunch. Afterwards we drove into the national park and we walked up Kata Tjuta, otherwise known as the Olga's. We walked to the Karingana viewing point and back where there were some great views. Jess taught us about the history of the area and about some of the wildlife that inhabit the area. Although the walk was good it was very warm up there, something we were going to have to get used to over the next three days! When we got back to the bus we had a quick toilet stop and some biscuits before driving to the Uluru (Ayers Rock) sunset viewing point. Although it was too cloudy to see the sunset we took some photos and then headed back to camp. We had a barbecue for dinner and we tried camel sausages and kangaroo steaks, both of which were really nice! We showered and then got into our swags. We were supposed to be sleeping under the stars but as
it rained we slept under the roof, we went to bed and listened to the rain on the roof and watched the lightning in the distance!
We were up at 4:00 the following morning, we packed up our swags, had breakfast and set off for the national park to catch the sunrise at Uluru. As the sun came up the sight of the rock visibly changing colour was amazing, we took photos but they don’t quite capture how fantastic it was to watch. We then drove down to the beginning of the Uluru base walk and started the 9.4km walk around the rock which was great. When we’d finished Jess took us on a cultural walk and told us all about aboriginal culture and about their beliefs surrounding Uluru. She then took us to the cultural centre where we saw some aboriginal art and afterwards we went back to camp and had lunch. We then made the three and a half hour drive to Kings Canyon and on the way we stopped to get some photos of Mount Conner and to collect some wood. We arrived at Kings Canyon resort around 5:00 and spent an hour in the swimming
pool. We drove to our camp afterwards and had dinner. Jess then made a fire and we sat around it chatting and listening to music. As it was a clear night we got into our swags and slept under the stars which was amazing, there were so many to see. We laid there looking at them for ages before drifting off to sleep.
We were up at 4:30 the next day, we packed our swags away and had breakfast. We drove to Kings Canyon and started the 6.5km walk up and around the canyon at 6:30. On the way round there were some fantastic views and some impressive scenery. Jess told us more about the different types of trees and plants that grow around the canyon. We stopped halfway round at the garden of eden waterhole and then walked for a bit longer before making our way back down. We arrived back at the bus at 10:00 and drove back to camp and had some sandwiches and a shower. We left the resort at around 11.35 and I sat in the front on the way back to keep Jess company, the guides on this tour do a lot of
driving and get very little sleep throughout the trip so a bit of company is required whilst they are driving! We arrived back at 5:30 and checked back into the hostel. We sorted our bags out, used the internet and had a shower. We then walked to another hostel to meet Jess and some of the other passengers from the trip. We had some dinner and a drink and as we were tired we left around 10:30. We walked back to the hostel, watched some TV and went to bed.
We woke at 6.25, used the internet and had breakfast. We got the bus to the airport at 7:30 and when we arrived we checked in. Some of the girls from our trip were on the same flight as us so we chatted to them until we boarded the plane and we set off at 9:30 after a fantastic few days in the outback. We put our watches forward and arrived at Avalon airport at 1:40. We picked up our bags, bought our shuttle bus tickets and boarded the bus to Southern Cross station. When we arrived we purchased some train tickets and had a bite to eat. We
then got the train to Greensborough and arrived at 4:50 where we were greeted by Peter, Des and Marcia. Peter drove us back to the house where we were greeted by Joan and Figgy the dog! We had a drink and chatted on the veranda whilst listening to some music. Joan had cooked us a lovely meal which we wolfed down before watching some TV. Mum called and after speaking to her we all sat up taking in the lounge before going to bed. We had a really good sleep which was sorely needed! We had breakfast the following morning and watched a bit of TV. Peter kindly did some laundry for us which we then hung out and afterwards we had some lunch. Peter and Joan went to a friends wedding and we watched a film and some TV shows with Des and the used the internet. Peter and Joan arrived home and their friends joined us for a barbecue which was really good. We spent the evening chatting and showing off some of our photos. We had a cup of tea and I then watched a film before bed.
I used the internet the next morning and
then we had breakfast. We went for a walk with Peter and Figgy and Peter showed us the shopping centre in Greensborough and how to get to different places. We came back for lunch and then we showed Peter and the children our skydive and bungy jump videos. We watched a bit of TV and read up on what we wanted to do during our stay in Melbourne. We watched some of the tennis until Joan arrived home from work. We had dinner and then watched a couple of films before bed. The next morning we caught the train to Hurstbridge with Peter, Des and Marcia. There wasn’t a great deal open but we watched Des do some skateboarding and then went to the bakery for lunch before catching the train back to Montmerency and we then walked back to the house from there. We then walked Figgy to the park and a bit of basketball and a bit of football. Hayley and I cycled back to the house and when we got back we watched some TV and got some fish and chips which were good. We watched a bit of TV and then watched a film before bed.
The next morning we had a quiet one and just used the internet. After lunch we took Marcia to the cinema. Afterwards we had a look around the shopping centre and then Joan picked us up. When we got back we played a bit of basketball and we then walked Figgy to the park. Peter and Joan took us to a local Italian restaurant for dinner, which was really nice. When we got back Marcia and I played a few games of guess who (classic!), used the internet and watched a film before bed. The next morning Peter took me over to Doncaster on his motorbike. On the way back we went to Westerfolds park and had a quick look around. We then came back for lunch and watched a film. i made cottage pie for dinner and afterwards I joined Marcia and her friend for a swim at the local pool. When we got back we watched a film and went to bed. The following day Joan took Hayley, Marcia and I to Warrandyte. We walked Figgy along the riverbank and went for a paddle in the river. We then went to the bakery and had a bite
to eat before having a look around some of the handicraft shops that are in the town. We then went to the shopping centre in Greensborough and picked up some supplies. We came back and had dinner and then watched a couple of films before bed.
We walked Figgy around the local footy and cricket pitches the next morning. After lunch I went for a bike ride along the Plenty river trail which was good (but very hot!) and on the the way back I stopped off in Montmerency to watch some local cricket. After a much needed cold shower I watched a film and we then played a few board games before dinner. After dinner we went to the Eltham jazz, wine and food festival and watched a couple of bands. Peter and I walked Figgy and when we got back we watched a film before bed. We set off at 9:30 the next morning to visit Joan’s parents. We stopped off in Nagambie and picked up some supplies from the local bakery. We then drove on and arrived at Joan’s parent’s farm shortly after. We had a drink and some lunch and then had a quick walk
around the farm and went down to the creek. We then came back to the house and after a quick drink we visited another creek, the banks were quite slippery which I quickly found out first hand! We then drove to Murchison and went to the outdoor swimming pool which was good fun. We then made our way back to the farm and shortly after we drove to Nagambie and had dinner at the local pub which was really nice. After dinner we said goodbye to Joan’s parents and drove back to Greensborough. We got back just after 9:00 and watched a film before bed.
The next day we watched some films and relaxed. I spoke to Dad on skype and after dinner I took Figgy for a walk and we then watched a film before bed. The following day we walked to the train station and got the bus to Doncaster shopping town. We had a look around and then got the bus back to Greensborough. We walked back and watched a bit of the tennis. Peter and I then walked figgy to the baseball field and back and we then watched some more of the tennis and
had some dinner. We read some books on aboriginal culture and then we used the internet before bed. The following day was Australia day and after lunch Peter and Joan drove us to the street where Neighbours is filmed! We walked up the road and were able to make out the different houses used in the show. The official Neighbours tour was taking place at the time we were there so we managed to grab a couple of photos with the Ramsay Street sign! On the way back we went to Westmoreland park and some tea and a cake. We then looked around the Mia Mia aboriginal art museum. Peter and Joan’s friend, Colin, owned it and he told us about the different artworks, weapons and instruments on show which was really interesting. On the way back to the car Figgy caught the scent of a rabbit, it took all four of us to catch her! We then went to the supermarket and when we got back we had some dinner and played pontoon. We then watched a film before going to bed.
We woke at 7:30 the next morning and Joan gave us a lift to Rosanna train
station and we got the train into the city. We walked down to the river and then walked over to Southgate and had a look around there. We then walked through Chinatown and looked around the CBD. We then walked to the Victorian markets which offer a wide range of fresh foods and also offer a variety of clothing. We walked around the city a bit more and then had some lunch. We visited the Old Melbourne Gaol afterwards, we bought our tickets and then went to the watch house, where we were able to experience what it was like to be locked up in a cell with the lights out! We were then told a bit more about the gaol and we then had a look around the main part of the gaol, we looked around the cells which told stories about some of the ex-prisoners and they also had the prisoner’s death masks on show. A death mask was made after the prisoner had been hanged which was a bit creepy! The main gaol also told the story of Ned Kelly, the notorious criminal. We then went to the courthouse where we re-enacted the trial of Ned Kelly,
I played Ned! It was good fun and very interesting to learn about how the trial panned out. We then back to the main gaol and finished off looking around it. We really enjoyed our visit and it was a good way to spend an afternoon. We then walked to Federation Square, got a can of drink and watched some of the tennis on the big screen in the square. We then got the train back and when we got back we watched a bit more of the tennis and had a snack. I then watched a bit of TV with Des before bed.
Hayley and I watched a film the next morning and after lunch Marcia and I played a bit of basketball. I then took Figgy for a walk and when I got back Marcia, Des and I played uno and then watched a film. We had fish and chips for dinner and then watched some TV before bed. The following day we went to Eltham swimming pool with Des, we threw the footy around and had a spa and sauna before doing a few lengths and we then got picked up. When we got back we
played a couple of board games and I then skyped Mum. We had dinner and then played pictionary and watched a film before bed. The next day Joan gave us a lift down to the train station and we bought our train tickets. On a Sunday travel tickets in Melbourne are hugely reduced and the tickets allow you to travel by train, bus or tram. We got the train into Flinders Street and then got the tram down to St Kilda. We walked along the esplanade and then walked along the pier before going down to the beach. We sunbathed for a while and then went into the water to cool off. We threw the ball around and had a swim before going to a bar for a drink. We then got the tram back to the city and had dinner before getting the train back to Greensborough. We walked home and both had much needed cold showers before watching Andy Murray lose in the Australian open final. We watched a bit more TV before bed.
The following day was once again really hot. We watched a couple of films and I then attempted to go outside to play
a bit of basketball but I admitted defeat after ten minutes, it was just too hot! We went down to the basement to cool off and used the afternoon to research things for Thailand. We had dinner and watched some TV and played uno. We then watched a film before bed. It was hot again the next day, when we got up I checked the news from transfer deadline day and had breakfast. We watched a film and waited for the heat to drop. It did drop in the afternoon so we took Figgy for a walk. We walked down to the park and then to the shopping centre to get a few bits. We came back and had dinner and then went down to the park and Des showed me a few kicks and passes using an Aussie rules footy. We kicked the ball around for a while and then went to the skate park before coming home and watching a film before bed.
The next morning we watched a film and I then got the washing in and packed my bag. We used the internet and watched some TV. We had dinner and skyped Mark and I
then walked Figgy. We watched some TV and watched some coverage of the cyclone that was about to hit Queensland before bed. We woke the next morning and said goodbye to Peter and Joan. We showered and Hayley packed her bag. We then watched the news surrounding the cyclone overnight. We feel quite lucky to have missed what has happened in Queensland, it’s hard to think that we were there just two months ago. We said goodbye to Des, Marcia and Figgy (Thanks to you all for having us, we’ll miss you!) We then walked down to the train station and got the train to Southern Cross and then got the bus to Avalon airport. We checked in after a short wait and waited in the departure lounge. We boarded the plane and set off at 3.40. We arrived at Sydney airport at 5:00 and bought shuttle bus tickets to our hostel. Unfortunately, the driver we had was completely incompetent and very impatient so a journey that should have taken no more than an hour ended up taking over two hours! When we finally got there we checked into our hostel and put our stuff in our room. We had
some dinner and after popping out to get a drink we came back and watched a film before bed.
The next morning we went to Peter Pan’s to use the internet and then read a magazine by the Kings Cross fountain. We had lunch and then walked down to Circular Quay and had a look around. We walked around the rocks and had a look at the market before walking up George Street and having a drink. We then went back to the hostel and after having a nap we had dinner and walked to Millie and Dan’s place. When we got there Dan and I grabbed some wine and we had a good catch up. We left around midnight and walked back and went to bed. The following morning I woke up and went down to the TV room. Hayley joined me when she got up and we went to Peter Pan’s and used the internet and the popped to the supermarket. It was unbearably hot so we didn’t do too much, we had lunch and watched some more TV and then watched a film. We had dinner and then walked down to Darling Harbour and met Millie.
We went to a bar on Kings Street Wharf where Dan was working. We had a couple of drinks and a snack and Dan joined us when he finished his shift. We chatted for a while and then walked back and went to bed. We used the internet the next morning and then made our way to Circular Quay and bought our ferry tickets to Manly. We got on the ferry and as we crossed the water the temperature suddenly dropped and it started raining, another example of Australia’s crazy weather! When we got off the ferry we walked to the beach and the rain stopped. The waves were massive and we had great fun mucking about in them for well over and hour. It started to rain again and the lifeguards got everyone out of the water. We took shelter for a while and dried off before getting a hot chocolate. We then got the ferry back and went back to the hostel. We had dinner and then walked into town and met Millie. We watched the Chinese new year parade that went down George Street which was packed with people. The parade was great, there were lots of
floats, dancers and inflatables! Afterwards we went down to Darling Harbour and had a drink at the bar Dan was working in. We then watched the fireworks over Darling Harbour, had another drink and walked back.
I got up in the middle of the night to watch Chelsea Vs Liverpool and when we got up later on we watched a bit of the Superbowl, used the internet and had some lunch. We watched a film and Hayley had a nap. We then got ready and went to the Sugamill. We had a drink and then James met us. We had a steak which was really good and we had a chat before saying goodbye to him. We then walked to Darling Harbour and went to Millie and Dan’s new place. We had some wine and then went to Star City. We walked around the casino which was impressive and then said goodbye, it’s going to be strange not seeing them for the next six months (see you when you’re back guys!) We walked to Harbour Bridge and the Opera House for one last look and then walked back to the hostel and went to bed. We finished packing the
next morning and went to Peter Pan’s for the last time. We checked out and watched some TV before having lunch. We then grabbed our bags and the shuttle bus picked us up and took us to the airport. We checked our bags in and came through to the departure lounge and waited for our plane!
It’s hard to believe we’ve been here three months and that our Australian adventure is over, we’ve had a fantastic time and coming here has fulfilled a childhood ambition. We’re now looking forward to our final four weeks in Asia!
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Lolan
non-member comment
hmmm
Hayley have you got heels on!? haha