Keith's mate Axel lives and runs a back packers hostel in Carnes, so as I was in Carnes and back packing it seemed the sensible thing to do, to book in to 'The Calypso'.My plane flew in about nine in the evening, and the hostel bus picked me up from the air port.

The hostel is pretty cool, really friendly although I didn't take advantage of the bar on the first night as I was knackered so ate & slept!

I wanted to hire a bike, I had directions of the hire shop but do you think I could find the bloody place.I walked the length and breadth of Carnes. As I'm beginning to find out, Oz is a big place, so the towns are fairly spread out. After circumnavigating most of Queensland, I still didn't have a bike but I did manage tostumble across the marina, I decided to see if I could get a few days on a boat instead. The yacht club were looking for people to race, but not really for cruising.I got talking to a lady, who turned out to be from Leigh-on-Sea but now lives in Carnes and sails, she invited me to join them on their boat for an afternoon over the following week.It wasn't quiet the 'live aboard' I was hoping for, but it will be a fun afternoon I'm sure!

Although this country is unthinkably vast it's still quite a small world, first the lady from Leigh and then whilst I was cooking dinner at the hostel I got chatting to an English lad who has just finished his surveying degree at Nottingham Trent!

I had a few beers with Axel that night, quiet glad to hear he had a cold as I couldn't really afford a night on the town.Australia is proving to be pretty expensive in comparison to Asia and the stupid exchange rate really isn't helping!