Very differnt from Phi Phi - MUCH bigger for a start, with most of the resorts only on one side of the island. It was also MUCH quieter than Phi Phi. The place felt almost deserted - bars and restaurants were empty and as there was no real main town (at least not anywhere near where we were staying), we ended up staying at our resort most evenings. Our resort was OK - a swimming pool, bungalows right on the beach etc - but we were surrounded by Swedish people!! (...

Tasmania is a little like stepping back in time - the pace is definitely slower than the mainland and most things shut by 6pm (not good if you need to do a bit of late night shopping)!! Still, it makes up for this with some stunning scenery and very friendly locals.Having said that, things didn't start too well - no fewer than 24 hours in Hobart and some git had stolen our food from the hostel fridges! Which leads me nicely on to hostel kitchens.....they're crap!...

We arrived here on the overnight bus which almost didn't make it - the gearbox definitely needs replacing! (I was thinking - of all the places we've been so far, it would have to be Oz, a civilised country, where we break down)!!!Anyway, we DID make it and Melbourne just happened to be experiencing a heat wave. I believe it was 41 degrees that day (although days later it dropped to about half that and felt like winter)!Highlights here included the the tour of the...

Happy New Year!!Well, we have finally made it Down Under and it's good to be back - I can't beleive that it has been 5 years since I was last here! How time flies!!We managed to find ourselves some cheap/decent accommodation in Balmain (which is right near the centre of the city) - not bad considering we only booked it the day before we arrived in Oz. And itdidn't cost us a fortune - all the budget places had been booked and we thought we were going to have to bi...

One last visit to the City of Sin before heading off to Oz. We meet up with a Danish bloke (Phil) that we met in Nam - over the course of the evening he regales us with his stories of Cambodia and a particular prostitue he erm, 'met up with'! Some last minute shopping - you can never have enough pirate DVD's or cheap t-shirts - before we head to the airport. This time the trip took us 45 minutes (and NOT 3 hours like it did when we first arrived)!! Roll on Sydn...