Saturday 7th May - Mark, Sarah, Squigs and I all flew over from Christchurch, New Zealand together. The night before had involved celebrating and making sure we spent as little amount as time as possible in the hostel (not the greatest!) and so all feeling quite ropey as travelled to the airport. Flight was delayed but luckily only a quick hop over to Sydney and so by early evening we had arrived and hit the nightlife. Found ourselves in a very trendy district and had dinner at a great Thai place. Ate too much and had to be wheeled from bar to bar! Sunday - Spent the morning relaxing and walked down to Circular Quay to see the Opera House and Habour Bridge. Made sure to get the tourist pics with the habour backdrop and then caught the ferry to Manly Beach. Great way to see the habour and views of the sydney skyline were breathtaking. Really sunny day and so good to be on the beach, the surfers were also about so us girlies were happy with that!! After the sun went down we made sure to have some fish and chips before catching the ferry back to the city. Monday - Walked around The Rocks, an older part of the habour, where the first settlers apparently landed. Lots of quaint shops and cafes. Met the others back at the Quay and Mark treated us all to dinner at another Thai restaurant, we were becoming addicts!! Tuesday - The day I had been waiting for the most in coming to Sydney. The night we were going to the Opera House proper! Managed to just about de-crease my posh frock and glam up! Evening started with a tour around the Opera House and then dinner over looking the Habour. I have to say an experience in itself! Then a performance at the ballet. I had never been before and so enjoyed seeing something different and now can say I am keen to see Swan Lake! Wednesday - We walked around Darling Habour and visited the Aquarium. All Mark wanted to see were the sharks and Squigs and I more keen for the cute and less deadly seals! In the afternoon we went to Bondi Beach and took a walk to see the sun setting. Spent the evening in the hotel watching movies and eating pizza, fantastic!! Thursday - A very sad day for me because the day we all went our separate ways. Mark and Squigs returned back to the UK and thanks so much for coming over and making my last 3 weeks feel like a holiday within a holiday! Sarah decided to stay in Sydney to enjoy the sites and nightlife some more. I travelled north by catching the bus to Newcastle to stay with Andrew and Jackie, friends I met in America. Friday - Jackie and I (with the young ones in tow - they have 2 kids, very cute but I am certainly appreciating my freedom now!) visited the nature reserve and I got to see some local wildlife and went for a walk along the seafront. In the evening we went for dinner in enjoyed the local nightlife, a bit more quiet than Sydney, has to be said but a really great place to live with the big city not too far away! Saturday - All of us attended a 1st birthday party BBQ. I have to say the aussies know how to party and I am certainly getting used to food cooked on the barbie! In the evening Andrew and Jackie had some friends over (yes you guessed it, another barbie!) and I enjoyed sampling some home brew into the small hours. Sunday - A bit of a slow morning after the night before but we were soon back on the wagon so to speak. We spent the day touring the Hunter Valley enjoying the many local wineries. I was even able to visit my favourite tipple back home from Rosemount. Monday - Unfortunately the weather was not so good today and rain like a tropical downpour. I had a quick visit to Hamilton and then back to Andrew and Jackie's for a roast dinner. Very nice and made me feel like being back home! Tuesday - Jackie, Mackenzie and I travelled up to Nelson Bay and Shoal Bay. Beautiful beaches and the sun even came out for us. We also visited Port Stephens and walked up to the lookout point to see 360 views of the central coast. Wednesday - A really nice and relaxing day, enjoying chilling out and a fish and chip dinner! Thursday - Time for me to pack up and leave Andrew and Jackie's. Sad to go as had a really great time relaxing, catching up and seeing all the local sites. We had lunch out in Warners Bay before they dropped me off at the bus station for my 24 hour marathon up to the Barrier Reef!