We arrived back in Sydney on Monday the 26th of May having spent all our saved money in the Blue mountains and pledged that we would knuckle down and work solidly for the next four weeks. We had set ourselves a time limit of no more than two months in Sydney as we have met countless travellers who have spent eight or nine months here then spent the remainder couple of months racing around trying to fit the rest of Oz in. Lets face it Australia is a bloody big place and a year isn't that long. There was still no work at the factory so we contacted the agency and managed to get work the following day for three days working in a small unit assembling Jagermeister counters. Jagermeister is a spirit that tastes like cough medicine and gets you pissed as soon as you sip it, as we found out with our free complimentary bottle that we were given after the three days were up. On the Friday we got work back at the factory (EDA) assembling make-up counters. After work we went for yum cha with Liane, Jake, and two Kiwi girls, Kita and Tari. Yum cha means little food I think and as you sit drinking your BYO clean skin bottles of wine little oriental women rush round with trolleys of delicious food and you just choose what you want until you're full. In the evening we helped Liane baby-sit her friends kids who were swiftly put to bed on arrival. We watched several episodes of the long way round and drank a four litre box of wine between us. We staggered home to bed. We spent the weekend editing photos and video and painting the railings on Liane's decking. We worked at EDA the next two weeks and painted at the weekends. On Monday the 16th of June we went into the city to Darling harbour as there was no work available. We went to the Imax theatre, a seven story 3D cinema screen and watched a film on Whales and Dolphins. We rode the monorail and walked around the China garden in the sunshine. The following day there was still no work so we decided to see if we could get Shiela a service as we would be heading off soon. We had purchased a new battery and terminals for her the previous week as the old battery wasn't holding its charge. We booked a full service for the following morning. We then went to the mall and Vicki forced me to watch the Sex in the City film. It was worse than having teeth pulled, now I don't mind watching the odd episode at home with a glass of wine after a spliff but the film is sooooo long its like watching the entire box set in one sitting. Shiela had to be at the garage at 8.30am and just after the alarm had gone off Liane called to say there was work if we wanted it and to get there ASAP. Luckily the garage was a five minute walk from the factory so we dropped the van off and went off to earn some more penny's. We picked Shiela up after work and the list of problems; Reverse lights not working, Recommended air and fuel filters, Oil leak at gearbox, Recommended front and rear shocks, Both upper ball joints worn, Left lower control arms bushes worn. Now we are on a budget and don't want to fix anything unless extremely necessary. The guy in the garage said the only thing that really needs doing is the ball joints and would cost around $800...f***!! We spoke to Sid on the phone and he told us how to check them. Upon getting under the van and giving the joints a hefty shake I found they didn't have any play at all but a small bar near the left wheel was very loose. Shiela is very knocky anyway going over bumps. We took her to a different garage and showed the mechanic the loose bar which he tightened then jacked her up and gave the wheels a good wiggle he said the ball joints were fine and now Sheila knocks a lot less, the best bit was we didn't get charged a cent. We worked for the rest of the week and on Friday we went to Palm Beach with John and Madeline, a Canadian couple we met through work. We borrowed Liane's car and headed the hour north of Sydney to Palm Beach which is where Home and Away is filmed. We walked along the beach then had fish and chips. On Saturday 21st we painted during the day then went out for some drinks with some guys from work. We got the ferry to the city and went to the Lowenbrau bar where they sell one litre glasses of beer, Vicki won a hammering a nail into a piece of wood competition and I won a down a pint competition, bloody woosy Ozzy's think they can drink…. We went to the oldest pub in Sydney, the Fortune of war then got the last ferry back to Manly and went to the roughest pub in Sydney, the Steyn Bar then had a kebab and climbed into the van that we had purposely parked in the vacinity and crashed out at 4am. We woke very hung over or as our kiwi friend Kita says 'hanging over' and went for breakfast. We then lazed on the beach and watched volley ball. Monday morning arrived and we were very exited as this was our last week of work. We had planned to eat out before we left Sydney at the 360 restaurant in the Sydney Tower. This is the tallest building in Sydney and at the top is a revolving restaurant that turns full circle every hour. Liane and Julian had never eaten there and as if letting us stay rent free for two months wasn't generous enough they said that they would shout us a meal as a goodbye. What fab people!! So on Wednesday we all traipsed into the city and ate the most fantastic meal of our lives. Starters: Julian - Cowra twice cooked pork belly with soused beetroot and raisin caper chutney, Liane - A half raw tuna thingy but we lost the bit of menu with the delicious details, Vicki - Salad of game farm quail with grilled pear, parsnip, rocket and saba, Dan - Pasta of Hawke burry river squid with smoked tomato, chilli, garlic and basil. Mains; Julian - Black Angus beef fillet, Liane - coal roasted Lilydale Farm chicken breast with picholine olive, quinoa risotto and creamed celeriac. Vicki and Dan both had Humpty Doo Barramundi grilled with green asparagus, baby capers and lime butter. YUM YUM YUM!! Our barramundi had really crispy skin and you could eat the whole thing. We also had two very nice bottles of red. It was a fantastic experience eating this wonderful food and watching the lit up night city pass below you. My mouth is watering as I write this thinking of the food. That night I dreamed of the food we had eaten and woke up starving hungry. Talking of food, since staying in Sydney we have eaten kangaroo three times. Its very tasty, it has a similar texture and look to beef but has an earthy taste like rabbit (must be the bouncing). I have found the best way to cook it is to wrap it in a foil parcel with lots of butter and garlic and oven bake for twenty minutes so its still quite rare, oops just dribbled a bit on the keyboard thinking about it. Julian used to be a roadie for the Sydney Symphony Orchestra and is still friendly with several members. One of which Craig who plays clarinet and visit's the house regularly managed to get the four of us free tickets to the opera house. I think we are just the luckiest sob's in the world. We watched Cantata della vita, a hour long piece composed by the conductor of the orchestra Gianluigi Gelmetti. This was the first piece that has been played to the public. It was a very enjoyable experience and the sound of all the instruments was phenomenal. We also heard John Antill's Welcome Ceremony from Corroboree, Marco Taralli's Oboe Concertino II and Alessandro Marcello's Oboe Concerto in D Minor. The following morning we were very exited because it was our last day at work!! And being a Friday we finish at 12.30pm. After work about ten of us went to the pub for our leaving party. As we had worked for a massive six weeks we thought we were well worthy of a leaving bash, (and in that six weeks I have lost five pairs off earphones due to leaning over with only one ear piece in and subsequently stapling the other to a pallet whilst packing the units). We sat in the sunshine and ordered raw steaks that we cooked ourselves on a huge Barbie. We played lots of drinking games and by mid afternoon everyone was suitably sloshed. After the pub a few of us went back to Liane's house and continued the shenanigans well into the night. Shiela was a bit full that night as our Canadian friend Madeline decided that the three dollars in her purse wouldn't get her far in a cab and crashed in the van with us. We arose in the morning very hung over and drove Madeline home. We then went and watched Kita our kiwi friend play netball and then went and watched Julian referee a football sorry I mean soccer match. We had planned to leave today but still had a few things to tick off so we finished the painting on Sunday and on Monday got our Sydney tourist heads back on for the last time. We went on a tour of the opera house then walked across the Harbour Bridge, the opera house is covered with one million five hundred and fifty six thousand tiles, we counted them. We then went back up the Sydney tower to view the city in daylight. Our tower tickets also included a 3D cinema journey through Australia with moving seats. By this time it was dark so we walked the bridge again to get some night shots then after a whopping 13 hours in the city decided to have a well deserved cocktail before catching the ferry home. Pinch punch first of the month, today we sorted all that needed sorting. We done a huge pile of washing for the last time at our local laundrette that is owned by a crazy Chinese woman who when you're not looking switches your machine to cold to save herself money and wont let anyone open or close any of the doors. We filled Shiela up to the brim as it was Tuesday and for some reason petrol all over Australia is cheaper on a Tuesday then gradually rises throughout the week. We went to EDA to say our final farewells and after tears from Liane and Kita we went to pick up our final pay slips from Exact. After we had got everything ready to head off we met up with John and Madeline and some of their friends at the Manly wharf bar where we had pizza and a beer for $12 then had a few drinks in their friend's hostel before going on to the Steyn Bar, seeing this bar mid-week it had a calmer, friendlier atmosphere without drunken abusive teenagers staggering from pillar to post, so therefore improving our negative opinion of the place. After this we drove John and Madeline home and carried on drinking and playing cards at their house. After spending the night parked on the driveway we drove John and Madeline to work at 6am and then headed north towards the Hunter Valley. On the road again, going places that we've never been, seeing thing that we may never see again, we're so glad to be on the road again! CREEK OF THE WEEK…..TUCKER BOX CREEK