g'day!!!

well i'm in sunny oz these days!! got in on paddys day to be greeted my friends lauren and steph who i meet in the states with a banner and a small kangaroo toy!! a lovely welcome!

ok so paddys day in sydney, we obviously wnet out and sampled the buzzing atmospehere that sydney had to offer. the next day we headed to bondi beach before having a car journey down to canberra. Go to met steph and laurens family and have dinner at their family home.

spent a few days in canberra, enjoying time with the girls again and taking in the sights of parliment house, old and new. canberra is a planned city and so everything is well thought out and very aesthetic.

ready for sam's arrival in sydney, j and i headed to sydney the day before and booked accomodation for the three of us, but were too late to find a hostel for that night so we slept at the airport!!!

greeted sam and took him to see darling harbour for breakfast, before booking int our hostel and setting off for bondi beach!

sam and i had a touristy day, fitting in as much attractions as sydney would let us see in one day..... opera house, walking harbour bridge, wildlife and aquarium centres (where we got to see a crocodile, sharks, most posionous/dangerous snakes/spiders, wallabies, koala bears, sting rays, reef fish, seals, er al the aussie wildlife they're famous for basically!), royal botanical gardens and a flying band!...phew!!! tiring day!

next day we headed to the blue mountains to see the famous three sisters, a stone structure!

gotta cut this short....will update v.soon! x x

ok i'm back!!!

blue mountains is a large rainforest with a vast canyon covered in trees as far as the eye can see. it really is a beautiful place and gave us the chance to see kangaroos in the wild. they were really docile and so we were able to get up real close and look. i saw a joey's feet hanging out of one roo's pouch!! that was a cool sight! also got to go on the worlds steepest train.... that is now a tourist attraction but used to be usd for the miners.

next day we traveled down to canberra, for a night stop where sam got to meet lauren and steph before setting off the next day to melbourne. first day in melbourne we tried to find 'ramsay street'! however do not be fooled its not that easy, firstly its not a popular show in oz, secondly they try and keep it a secret so you go on the paying tours! however we had our methods and found out ramsay street is actually "pin oak court" and made our way into the suburbs of melbourne to find this cul-de-sac! finally we got there to find a street with houses and nothing to spectacular apart from the houses looking familiar like it was ur own street AND knowing that this was the sacred street where my first 2 heros kylie and jason dated!!! for rest of the day we headed to the great ocean road and went to bells beach, which had hosted the rip curl surf competition that kelly slater won the day before!! There were reminenents of the competition as people were busy trying to pack away!!! we got to see some surfers riding the waves though, which is always easy on the eye.

that night, we got involved with the melbourne international comedy festival and went to some free gigs!!! there may have been a reason why they were free, but added to the fun, especially when the first one was so awkward, as the comedian was just odd and that was what was funny, rather than his sketches!!!

free entertainment though..... am not compalining!

second day in melbourne.... we each had a day free to explore the city and go and do our own thing..... melbourne is a cosmopolitan city that has a beautiful river flowing through it with restaurants lining one side, lots of arty sculptures and water features, botanical gardens, trams running through the centre and then shops set out in a grid, ranging from high store to quirky shops! al uber cool, even the library is a sight to see as it has many exhibitions and the reading room had a centre piece and then all the seating angles out like rays from the sun! pictures may do better justice than my explanations!

in the evening... we all came together and went to see an australian rules football game, meeting up also with my first real travelling friend that i made in mexico city! so that was nice to catch up and have a local take us to the game and then a bar after! aussie rules footy is such a great game, but one to be watced live for full effect, as the pitch is circular and so the action is all all encompassing on the field. Its a quicker game, and scores can change within minutes, with some goals being one point, others 6, depending on which posts you kick between as there are four! inbetween the middle 2=6 and either side is 1. its a combination of rugby and football as they tackle like rugby, hold the ball, but also kick and run with it! i loved it!! ask me more about it when i get home or ask sam as he was there!

headed to philip island, just south of melbourne along the shore where penguins ae the attractions as they walk back to their nest after a day at sea and tourists all go and watch their parade! we didn't stay at weather wasn't too good and wanted to move on but we still got to see some penguins already in their nests so i had my fix!

travelled up along the coast until we came to wilsons promontory national park. this was a beautiful np, it had squeaky clean beaches, sea as far as the eye could see, vast amounts of greenery and really nice campsites!!

after a morning stroll along squeaky beach we got back in the car and drove up the coast,driving though lots of quaint little towns and one that sticksin mind was a fishing town with a marine of beautiful boats.

another night stop in canberra, before heading to sydney to give sam shopping time!! while he went shopping, j and i headed to manly beach, which is another beachside town, with quirky shops and a lush beach, and also to north head, where we watched the sun set over sydney....... stunning! then it was time to hit the pubs of kings cross for sam's last night of his hols!

next 2 days were all about the airport for me,saying goodbye to sam and then the next day saying goodbye to J. back on my own again..... but luckily i knew some peeps still in sydney that i'd met in nz,so not totally alone! met up with my friend ethna after j left for some coffee and a catch up and then went to the musical billy elliot on my own!!! the boy billy was unbelievably talented and it was a good show. surreal watching aussies do a newcastle accent though!

next day, i went and got myself sorted in what i want to do when i travel up the east coast, so thats all planned, just need to pay when i finally get my bank cards! in the evening i was invited to Molly's uni party, make ur own pizza night! was such a cool idea and one i'm definately using when i return! i met molly in nz, although she's from the states so it was a mix of aussies and americians and then me and ethna gave the party a british touch!

then it was back to canberra, where i am currently, hanging out with lauren and steph and making the most of my time with them until my cards get in and i have to fit in all the tourist things before i fly out! Lauren and i had a night down the coast on monday, indulging in cheese and wine and good old girly night in a caravan on a campsite beside the sea! bliss!

went to the gym yesterday and did a yoga type of class and going tonight to do a body pump session! its really nice to do normal life things.... and i miss the gym!! weird!!! i'm sure i won't when i get home and have to train for the north run, but for now its fun!

going to take myself to see the war memorial in canberra which i here is outstanding!

will hit you all with more news soon...... and now i'm back on my own it'll be easier to be more frequent in my blogs again! sorry!

x x x x x x x x x x x x x

oh yeah and just remembered, when i went for brunch in a cafe in canberra the other morning i looked around and thought i know him over there...... only to realise he was familiar beacuse he plays Rick in Home and Away!!! oh yes, i know him..!!!!!! hahaha x