It's been such a long time since I wrote this I'm not sure where to begin...

We ended up hiring a campervan and driving from Melbourne along the Great Ocean Road to Adelaide as we'd heard there was more work available there and had decided to try adn get three months agricultural work and extend our visas by another year. The van was actually better equipped than I was expecting and we planned to spend a leisurely few days driving across and seeing as much of the scenery as possible. First day we stopped for lunch at Apollo Bay which is supposed to be good for surfing and took some great photos of the surf as it came crashing in before continuing along the road until a little place just past the 12 apostles where we decded to stop for the night. It was pouring rain so we had a picnic in the van and an early night. Woke up absolutely freezing as we only had one sleeping bag between us and there was a big gap in the window and by this point it was blowing a gale outside.

Got up at 6am and headed out to the 12 apostles where we were the only tourists. Because of the storm last night the waves were huge and looked absolutely spectacular crashing against the rocks. From there we continued on the road stopping at various beaches along the way. The scenery was absolutely spectacular and every time you took a bend in the road it was just stunning. Our second night was spent in a campsite not far from Adelaide and we stopped for some photos with Larry the Giant Lobster before heading into town.

Adelaide is very different to Melbourne and my first impressions were of the A&E department at the local hospital as after freezing the first night in the van I was really unwell. So after establishing I didn't have swine flu or pneumonia they decided it was just bad flu and sent me home with a cocktail of drugs. Fortunately we had our own room in the hostel so I was allowed to be sick to my hearts content. On the plus side though, the morning after we returned from the hospital Jamie definitely cheered me up by proposing - and it took me all of about two seconds to accept!!!

By this point we were down to our last few dollars and desperate for a job so were applying anywhere and everywhere and eventually we were put in touch with an agency looking for harvest workers although this wasn't due to start for another three weeks so we spent a lovely time living off beans on toast and bolied eggs. We did however manage a trip down to Glenelg beach which is gorgeous and got in a spot of sunbathing. We also decided we should celebrate our engagement properly so we took a picnic of smoked salmon and champagne down to the river, took lots of photos and hired a pedalo. We also made the most of all the free activities available including a trip to the opal mine. While we were there I thought I might try on a few pieces of jewellery and fell in love with a beautiful opal ring. It fitted me perfectly so Jamie offered to buy it as my engagement ring although we didn't have enough money to pay for it yet so I had to leave it in the shop.

Our work was out in a place called Bowmans with the nearest accommodation in Port Wakefield, about an hour from Adelaide at the top of the Yorke Peninsula. There were 12 of us in total with six sharing our cabin which was slightly tight for space (!) and the only cooking facilities were a microwave but it was okay. The town is so small there isn't even a supermarket so Jamie and I lost no time in aquanting ourselves with the local pub, The Rising Sun, which was really friendly and served a proper sunday roast which I hadn't had since I left home.

Work out here is on a grain storage plant where we are part of the bunker crew. This involves laying and sewing plastic sheets to cover the base of the bunkers, boarding up, welding tarpaulin, pulling the tarps to open and close the bunkers, patching, sawing, drilling, using an angle grinder. All these amazing new skills that I have now but it's safe to say I wont be getting a job as any type of tradesman any time soon.

For Christmas we were invited to go and have lunch with the couple that run the pub and we had a huge and delicious meal although it was a bit weird having a Christmas tree when it's 30 degrees and you're eating your Christmas Dinner outside in the beer garden. We were able to cool ourselves down though as we were told just to help ourselves from the bar any time we needed a drink. Had a fantastic day and a huge thank you to Andrew and Susie for having us. On boxing day we went out to the house of one of the guys we work with and had a bbq and played cricket in the back garden which was great fun. Have to say I'd never been remotely interested in cricket before now but I'm now starting to get really into it.

Hogmanay was also spent there although they don't celebrate new years over here so by the time we got to midnight there were only about a dozen of us left but we watched the fireworks on tv and I persuaded everyone to have a wee dram.

Shortly after we moved up to the campsite in Balaklava (yes I know daft name but you should see some of the other names round here) and we're renting a wee caravan. The weather here has been even more crazy than usual for the last few weeks with it hitting nearly 50 degrees one day and then dropping to the 20s and torrential rain the next. I must be acclimatising as I was complaining it was only 20 degrees the other day and everyone at home is complaining about the snow. We at least have a supermarket and internet cafe within walking distance in Balaklava plus an air conditioned rec room to sit in when it's unbearable. The rest of the backpackers finished up last week and we're finished tomorrow, hoping to buy a car and get some grape picking work in the Clare Valley for a few months before heading on a road trip right round Australia for six months or so assuming we can pick up work on the way. Should be a great way to see the sights and then we plan to get married in Fiji in October, come back to work here and then have a six month honeymoon in Asia. That's the plan anyway but we'll see how it goes money wise...

Off to Melbourne next week for 5 days so will be good to catch up with friends and also see my Gran who's over here. It'll be the first time I've seen anyone from home in over a year now and I can't wait!

Hopefully keep this more up to date from now on, will put some photos on once we get a better connection, Ax