Word to your mother from Brisbane, I'm pretty much at the end of the Australia bit of my trip, the part I have been least interested in on my whole itinerary and actually had a jolly good time. In the last week I went on a n over elaborate psychology experiment. They stick 11 strangers in a cramped 4 by 4 jeep for 3 days and send you out to raz around Fraser island which is made entirely of sand. My group included 7 Israelis, 2 English chavs and a Canadian. I can't remember what I have said about Israelis in these pages before - but my opinion is that when in a group of more than say..... one - they are generally rude and just talk about who has spent the least amount of money in Hebrew. My sights for 3 days of banter were set pretty low. In fact it turned out to be pretty good banter and we got along OK. Some groups though had a nightmare - 3 days of arguments, tantrums and almost fisticuffs. I was however glad to get out of the tin can and head down to a novelty, a beach you can swim at. All the way down the coast you can't swim in the sea because of jellyfish. This danger reaches a point where it then turns into sharks and finally it just reaches tigers wearing scuba gear. So here I am finally in Brisbane - waiting for a flight back to NZ. I am also fighting a lawsuit from my body's trade union after my kidneys complained about working more than the maximum EU hours in a week (directive 234). Half of my body has hence shut down in protest. Bring back some hill walks and wholsomeness in NZ! Wobbly Messner