I did eventually sleep last night and surprisingly, I escaped without having any nightmares about cockroaches! I wish we were staying somewhere nicer - this was an expensive trip after all! I had to change rooms this morning because they only have a double for tonight, so there'll be three of us in a bed. Good job we're all small! I also can't believe how many girls must be sharing 4 toilets and 4 showers... It's filthy! We spent some time at the beach as a grou...

Happy Valentine's Day! I'm now at Byron Bay, a hippie seaside resort, not far south of the Gold Coast. We arrived before midday for once, and took a trip to Cape Byron, where there's a big lighthouse and a lookout at the most easterly point of Australia's mainland. I love the atmosphere in this town already, it's very laid back and they have so many great places to eat - organic, veggie food in particular! I had my second surfing lesson this afternoon. This ti...

We had another early morning and six more hours of travelling today. We stopped at a pretty waterfall in Gibraltar National Park to eat the picnic we'd picked up in the Scottish town of Glen Innis, then carried on to Yamba, our destination for the night, where we're staying at the Beach Hotel. It's basic but nice enough and in a wonderful location, right on the seafront. I enjoyed a walk out to the edge of the breakwater and sat on Turner's Beach for a rare hour ...

After a hearty breakfast, we met a young Wallaby called Sally before leaving the sheep station and wait for it... I actually held her! I wasn't too keen on it but there you have it, perhaps this trip will make an animal lover of me yet...! We then headed off to Cromwell - the home of Aussie country music and the annual international country music festival. The festival apparently starts in two weeks with many famous artists due to travel over for it. We were tak...

I went to mass at St Mary's Cathedral next to Hyde Park yesterday morning. It was solemn mass led by the cathedral choir, who sounded magnificent. The choir was made up of boys attending the cathedral school as well as professional men - a great, free concert! I also took a walk across the harbour bridge, having decided that the bridge climb was too pricey. Annoyingly, I had to check out of the nice YHA on The Rocks and move to Base Hostel for the night, as that...