Well, it has been a while! I have been busy making my way down the East Coast of Australia without a moment to breathe and now I am in New Zealand. The last month has been very busy but lots of fun. There have been many highs but a few lows that inevitably come with travelling alone. So I'll go back to 6th May where I took a 3-day trip around Fraser Island.

I was lucky enough to have a wonderful group to travel with. We were all around the same age or older so everyone was responsible with the driving and cooking of food. The group did not get to sample my driving talents I am sad to say. The dodging of the tide while battling with uneven sand, on a 4x4 could have pushed my expertise to the limit. It wasn't exactly the hills of Sheffield. This is another reason why I was lucky with my group, as you have to be over 21 to drive and many groups consisted of mostly 19 year olds, forcing there to be only one driver. We gathered on Monday 7th at 7am where we were given an itinerary of where and when to drive, according to the tide and the best sights to see on the island. We were also given all our food and even a menu with cooking instructions. After we had been given a 2-hour talk on how to use the van (there would be a $2000 fine if any damage was done to it!) we caught the ferry across to the island. Our first stop was Lake Mckenzie, which was absolutely beautiful. The water was so clear it was like swimming in Evian water. It is so pure, they don't like people going in the lake with sun cream. I'm afraid I had to ignore that advice. The sand below the water is nearly pure silica so great for exfoliating! We then had to drive to our campsite before it got dark at 5.30pm and set up our base. We cooked steak and potato salad for dinner and sat around the van listening to Rick play his guitar while drinking goon. Goon is a very cheap Australian wine but very popular with all the travellers!

The next morning we woke at 5.30am in order to get to Indian Head to view the sea-life. I did manage to spot a shark so the early start was worth it. The cliffs of Indian Head are a volcanic formation and tower 60 metres above the sea, so the views are spectacular. We then cooked our breakfast of scrambled eggs and toast before walking to The Champagne Pools. (We weren't able to drive between 9am and 2pm due to the tide.) This was great fun as the pools are formed by a natural volcanic rock barrier that partially shields the beach from the sea. So when a wave comes over the rocks it foams up all over you, just like champagne! After lunch we made our way to Eli Creek, which produces up to 80 million litres of water per day. You could swim down the creek but I was worn out from the Champagne Falls so just watched everyone get cold! In the evening we cooked a stir-fry and played card games, while trying to scare off the dingoes that tried to eat our left-overs! Dingoes are a type of wild dog and are all over the island, trying to look for food. We were constantly told by the rangers, "do not feed the dingoes" then there will be "no dramas!" If you can imagine that in a strong Australian accent, it is quite funny, well it was to our group after a bit of goon in the evening!

The next morning we woke at 7am to visit Lake Wabby. It was a thirty minute walk across sand dunes to get there which was actually quite tiring and we only had forty minutes to stay, but it was beautiful and surrounded by hills of sand. We got the 12pm ferry back to Rainbow Beach and after getting the all-clear on our vehicle, everyone went to bed! Sand had managed to find its way into everything I owned! The camping was great fun though. There were no facilities at all so we had to dig holes in the sand and wash in the sea, which was an experience. It was good to see how much care was taken to keep the island clean and protected and we had strong rules about waste disposal, which everyone kept to. That evening, we all met up for drinks and said our farewells.

The next day was a rest-day, which was much needed. On Friday (11th May) I set off for Noosa, after a lesson on playing the didgeridoo and throwing a boomerang (all part of the Oz Experience Package). I arrived in Noosa by 11am with Mads, a Danish guy who was in my Fraser Island group. I spent the day wandering around the town and Noosa National Park. Noosa is lovely but more of a holiday-town for wealthy Australians I think. It is very good for surfing and I saw lots of impressive surfers. Other than that, there wasn't a great deal to do so in the evening, Mads and I went to the cinema to see Spiderman 3. It was great just to relax in a cinema and the film was good. In my hostel, 'Koalas', my dorm was with all boys which I was quite surprised at but they were all very sweet, which was lucky, as I have heard some horror stories. Mine is to come!

The following day I went to Australia Zoo, which was set up by Steve Irwin! I went with Mads, Tom from the dorm and another Danish girl who had been on the Oz bus. (There are lots of Danish people travelling around Australia and many have thought I am from Denmark which is quite cool. It's a bit boring being English, especially when there are so many of them in Australia!) The zoo was great fun, although it rained for most of the day so it was a chilly experience. I fed kangaroos, held a koala, saw tigers, fed an elephant and saw the infamous crocodile show that Steve Irwin founded. The show was a little disappointing as it seemed to be aimed at children, and after visiting the crocodile farm near Cairns, it wasn't quite as exciting. There was a huge display dedicated to Steve Irwin and I realised just how influential he was in Australia, and still is. After a full day at the zoo we were all in bed by 9.30!

On Sunday 13th I went to Brisbane and left Mads as he went to Surfers Paradise. I arrived by the afternoon so wandered around the city, getting my bearings. In the evening I met up with Adam from Durham as he is working there for 6 weeks. He showed me the sights by night and we had a quick look at the casino but didn't place any bets. I liked Brisbane. The buildings along the river are very picturesque. There are lots of shops, a theatre, art galleries, a lagoon, university and two libraries all situated around the river. It is the third largest city in Australia but is apparently developing fast. I would say it is closest to Newcastle in England but prettier and with good weather. On the Monday I was woken at 6am by building work so I was forced to have an early start. I spent most of the morning looking for and eventually buying a pair of jeans to see me through the rest of my travels. After lunch I suddenly realised that my bag with the jeans in was missing. I had left them in the food hall. Unfortunately by the time I got back to place where I had been sitting, they had gone and no one had handed them in. I was so annoyed with myself, both for buying pricey jeans and for being careless. The rest of the day I spent wandering around the botanical gardens, modern art gallery and university area feeling a bit sorry for myself. This was a day when I didn't really want to be on my own. I think you get a few days like that, travelling alone. There are many advantages from it and great experiences you gain, but just now and then I long for a friend and I needed a friend to watch my back that day and to cheer me up, or even just to share the sights of Brisbane with. I consoled myself by a) eating lots of ice cream and b) getting the police to sign my insurance form in the hope that I can reclaim the money by reporting it as stolen property. It's worth a try!

On Tuesday (15th) I woke up in better spirits and set off for Byron Bay. On the journey down we stopped off to go zorbing. This is where you and another person are put in a big clear ball filled with water and rolled down a hill. It was so much fun! I was put with Anna, a girl from my bus who I later met again at surf camp, and we screamed the whole way down! I arrived into Byron, a bit wet by 6pm. I was greeted by a typical boy-smelling dorm, with four guys conked out on their beds. I guessed straight away that they had been to Nimbin. Nimbin is hippy-land, close to Byron, where you can get all sorts of drugs with no police intervention. The place is pretty renowned and they do day-trips there, just for the experience of it. Well, I think these guys had had one too many space cakes, as they didn't stir all night and when I came back the next day at 5pm, they were still there!

I had always known that Byron Bay was the place to do the highest skydive and Steve, from India had done one there. I had thought before I would quite like to experience it, just to see what all the hype is about. And if you're going to do it, you might as well do the highest jump you can! I hadn't told anyone this, incase I backed out or incase Mum would have a panic attack and not sleep for days. So I woke up that morning and calmly went to the information desk to ask if they were doing skydives that morning. He replied that they were and a bus would come in 30 minutes to collect me. That was at 9am and by 11am I was in the plane! I was surprisingly calm about it all. I signed the huge declaration form, quickly skimming over the passages that reminded you that deaths do happen and there is an element of luck in it. Before I knew it I was being kitted out and shown how to jump and land from the plane. I think because I was on my own, there wasn't anyone to scare me or work me up into frenzy, unlike the others I was with! It was only when, 14,000 feet in the air, they opened the door of the plane and I suddenly panicked and thought, "what are you doing Emma, jumping out of a plane?!" But before I had time to rethink my decision I was hanging out of the door and then?the sound of wind louder than I've ever heard gushing right at me, pushing at my face, and black. I realised I'd closed my eyes. This was a bit silly considering the spectacular views from that height, but it was my automatic reaction. After opening my eyes and my arms from the take-off position, I began to enjoy it. I had 60 seconds of freefall and it was a weird sensation. I couldn't believe I was actually falling towards the earth. It did feel like the closest thing to dying because the natural reaction to free-falling towards the earth, is that you're going to hit the bottom. But as my instructor said just before I jumped out, "Remember, this was your decision!" After 60 seconds my instructor pulled the parachute and we went shooting up. Suddenly a calm fell about us and we just soared towards the ground. I think that was my favorite part as you could just take in the magnificent sights of the sea, sand and forest and calmly glide, turning one way and another. The landing went smoothly, thank goodness and before I knew it, it was all over. I collected my certificate, video and photos and went back to the hostel to have lunch, with no sign that I had just jumped 14,000 feet out of a plane, except the legs shaking beneath me. It was an experience I'll never forget but I don't think I'll do again. I'll count myself lucky and tick it off the list!

I loved Byron as a place but I only had time for one day there unfortunately. The evening after my jump I went out with a girl from my dorm to the infamous 'Cheeky Monkeys' bar but I didn't stay out too late as I had a bus to catch early the next morning. When the others returned to my dorm, I was woken by the worst snoring I have ever heard in my life, from the guy below me on the bunk. I have never heard anything like it and I had flashbacks from Magnetic Island. I looked down to see if I could move his head but he had a girl lying on top of him. So I got out my ipod and tried to shut out the grunting noise. About an hour later, much to my relief, it stopped. Horray I thought, and turned off my ipod. But no - he started muttering to the girl and before I knew it, they were, well, making the bunk rock is probably the nicest way to describe it. Traumatised, I lay there not knowing exactly what to do. I felt embarrassed to say anything, for them and for me, so I put my ipod on full volume. Unfortunately this did not block out the shaking so in the end I scrambled down from the bunk and quickly exited the room, hoping they would realise I was awake. I went to the toilet, only to be greeted by a pair of boxers lying on the floor, which didn't help state of mind at all. Thankfully, when I returned to the dorm, all was silent. I had a few hours of sleep before having to leave on the bus to Surf Camp.

On my bus to Surf Camp I was greeted with lots of familiar faces. Holly, Grace and Claire from the Kroombit Cattle Farm were there, along with Anna from zorbing and a guy who I briefly met in Noosa who went to Durham! So we had a great group for a surfing lesson! We arrived at Mojo Surf Camp, which was located in Arrawarra, New South Wales by lunchtime. Here we were greeted by Louis, our instructor for the day who showed us the art of surfing. We practiced on the sand first, and as he was describing how to fall off the board safely and catch the right wave, I was beginning to get more nervous than I did before the skydive! I have a fear of going under water and avoid it at all costs, especially with contact lenses. It was becoming clear that we were going to spend most of our time beneath rather than on top of the water, so I really was scared. However, I ended up absolutely loving it and I wasn't at all phased when swept under by the waves, which happened a lot! We only paddled in shallow water but it still felt like proper surfing, although I never managed to stand on my board. It is really quite difficult and by the time I was ready to stand, I had run out of water! We surfed for two hours and by the end we were all shattered and ready for dinner. I had an early night, but not as early as two boys in my dorm who ate too much of their 'special' cookie from Nimbin and were in bed by 8pm!

The following morning we started the long drive down to Sydney (or Sydnay, as certain travellers pronounce it!). We arrived by 6pm and I got settled into my new hostel. I opted for an all-girls' dorm after my experience in Byron and I had some lovely roommates. On Saturday 19th I went out to explore Sydney and absolutely loved it. This may have something to do with the fact that there is basically one long street that directs you to the harbour and along it, you can see all the sights and shops you need, without getting lost! Perfect. George Street, the main street in Sydney is the oldest street in Australia and is used in films like the Matrix and Superman. My hostel was right next to this street so I had a great location. I made my way down to the harbour, via the many exciting shops Sydney offers. Once I reached my destination, I was taken away by the magnificent sight of it all. The Opera House is absolutely stunning. As I was gawping at it, a strange man tried to get me to go on a ferry ride with him to Manly. I don't know why he thought I would say yes. I ended up offending him and he called me a boring pommy. I found it quite amusing. Outside the Opera House I had another strange encounter. I asked a random guy to take a photo of me by the bridge (something I've learnt to do quite often). Afterwards he came running after me and asked me to take a photo of him. He then decided, as we were both on our own, we should walk around the Opera House together and take photos for each other. I saw no harm in it (he was small and foreign so I could easily out-run and out-speak him) so I agreed. Bad decision Emma. Thirty minutes later he was still lingering and I just didn't know how to get rid of him. Eventually, I spotted a tour about to leave so I quickly joined and paid and got rid of him, forever! The tour turned out to be brilliant! I learnt all about the Opera House and got to see inside all the concert rooms. After the tour I watched a street performer do some weird and wonderful tricks on a bicycle, before heading back to my hostel. I had been out on my feet for eight hours so I chilled out in my dorm with the other girls that evening.

On Sunday 20th I began my day by attending the morning service at Sydney Cathedral, Australia's oldest cathedral. It was a lovely service and nice to meet some locals and not feel so much like a tourist! It also made the day feel like a Sunday, as most of the time my weekdays are no different to weekends. I then made my way down to the harbour, after a diversion to Darling Harbour, which was accidental but actually worth seeing! I walked around the Botanic Gardens before taking a ferry tour. This was lovely as we saw the bridge and Opera House from the sea, just as the sun was setting. That evening, two girls in my dorm, Kate and Linda, invited me to a friend's flat party. I had a great night and the flat had amazing views of the city, a spa on the balcony and a barbeque. We stayed there quite late but forced ourselves home as we were all going to the Blue Mountains early the next morning.

The Blue Mountains were stunning. The tour began at 7am, viewing Eastern Grey Kangaroos in their native bush habitat. We then did a 3-hour walk near the Wentworth Falls to see the waterfall, swamps and beautiful scenery. After lunch we walked down the historic Furber Stairs into Jamison Valley and saw the Katoomba Falls and Three Sisters rock formations. From the bottom of Jamison Valley we got the Scenic Railway, which is the steepest railway in the world! We got back at 7pm, and having only had about 5 hours sleep the night before, I was ready for bed!

On Tuesday I climbed the Harbour Bridge! This was fantastic! After my skydive, the height did not phase me at all. It was very well-organised and we were all given a full body suit, equipped with an attachable fleece, waterproof, hat, gloves, a radio headset to hear our climb leader, and even a hankie! It was actually very cold and windy at the top so it was all needed. After practicing how to climb the steps with the steel ball that attached us to the rail, we finally ventured out to the bridge! The climb was steeper than I expected but the view from 134 metres high was worth it. It was interesting to hear about the history of the bridge while looking out to the city and the sea. The whole tour lasted for three and a half hours and it was a wonderful way to see around the harbour.

On Wednesday I started the three-day trip down to Melbourne. By this stage, I was getting a bit tired of tours and I have to admit, the three days dragged, especially when I found out you could get to Melbourne in 12 hours on a different bus. Our first stop was Canberra, the capital of Australia. Canberra is the only city that has been made for the purpose of being a capital. When the Commonwealth of Australia was established, there was tension over whether the capital should be Sydney or Melbourne, so they built one in between. The result is a place that feels like its only purpose is to home the national government. There is not a lot else to do there. However, the place does have some interesting facts: It is the one place in Australia that you can buy fireworks. It is the only spot in Australia where you can legally have a stash of marijuana, and it is a thriving place for porn. Politics obviously offers a thrilling lifestyle.

We visited the Parliament House, which was opened in 1988. The flagpole at the top of the building is one of the largest stainless steel structures in the world and weighs 220 tonnes. The flag flown from the 81 metre flagpole is 12.8m by 6.4m, about the size of half a tennis court. We also visited the Australian War Museum. 110,000 Australians died representing their country in 9 wars over 120 years so it was interesting to learn more about this history. We then travelled to Jindabyne where we spent the night.

The next morning we set off at 7am to travel high into the Australian Alps along Charlottes Pass which is 1835m high. Here we were lucky enough to see snow! I couldn't believe the change in climate, from 20 plus degrees in Sydney, to such freezing temperatures! We had to shorten our walk as none of us were really kitted out for the deep snow, but the small walk we took was great fun. We then drove along Barry Way, which had beautiful views, before crossing the border into Victoria. We stayed the night at the coastal township of Lakes Entrance. There was not a lot to do here so we had another early night, which was probably the best idea considering the 6am start the next day.

On the final day of the journey, we went to Wilsons Promontory National Park where we went on a walk which finished at 'Squeaky Beach', which lived up to its name I'm pleased to say! This was a day with one too many 'look-out' points. We didn't seem to drive for more than 30 minutes without being forced to hop off the bus and take a photo, usually of yet another kangaroo! I did see my first wombat which I was pleased about but everything else, I felt I had seen and done already. The most frustrating thing was walking for thirty minutes to take a photo of a beach, and then walking back to the bus. I don't mean to sound ungrateful but I was just a bit beached/kangarooed-out by that point! By the evening we finally arrived at Melbourne where I stayed one night at a hostel before meeting up with Aussie Chris on the Saturday! Another reason I was probably frustrated by the three-day trip to Melbourne was because I knew I was going to see Chris, who went to Durham for a year and a half and I hadn't seen in two years. He lives in Armadale, Melbourne and he kindly let me stay with him during my time there. I shall write up about Melbourne in another entry this update has already got too long! As you can see, I've been pretty busy and I have just started to get tired from the constant moving around. In dorms you get many broken nights from people coming in late/getting up early and I think this has caught up with me. Tours also like to begin at 7am! This, on top of living out of a rucksack, and constantly having to make new friends as you leave recent friends behind, does take it out of you. I have also had to be organised in my time schedule as I have to get to New York in time for my camp on 18th June. So it was lovely to stay with Chris and have a break from the hostels. I had just planned the final part of my travelling (10 days in New Zealand followed by a 4-day organised trip of Fiji, arriving in New York the night before camp) when Richie found a good flight to New York and suggested meeting up before camp. This was an offer I couldn't refuse, so I have cut short New Zealand to spend six days with Rich. I think it will be the perfect break before the hard work at camp so I can't wait! I now leave for Fiji tomorrow having spent a short but sweet time in Auckland! I will write all about it in my next blog. For now I am going to have to leave this quaint Chinese internet caf?where there are karaoke rooms surrounding the computers for people to just sing to their hearts content (or shout as the case is right now!), and go back to my dorm to pack, again. I hope you are all well, especially those of you with exams. Lots of love xxx