And so my travels in Australia end where I started, in Sydney.

It was quite a shock getting off the plane from Cairns as I went from blazing sunshine and about 33 degrees, to rainy, dark 22 degrees! As it was late and raining hard I found the nearest hostel to Central Station (the Central YHA).

Sunday was slightly better weather-wise so I made the most of being in the city, ticking off a few of the many tasks that I had set myself to do before I leave Australia (including getting a much needed hair cut!) Kiyomi and Heath had kindly agreed to let me stay Sunday and Monday nights so I headed over there in the evening. It was lovely seeing them (and Camus and Bambu) again before I leave. Really not sure when I'll see them next as they've been to the UK a few times in the last couple of years and they are supposed to be going to Japan later this year.

Tuesday to Thursday nights I stayed with Jim, Jill and Chloe Hingston in their beautiful beach style house in Frenches Forest. They were the perfect hosts and made me feel so welcome, with some fantastic food made by Jill. On my last night we even had a proper Aussie BBQ with pavalova for dessert which Chloe (aged 2 years 7 months) had helped make. Made me want to eat sausages (a bit...) Chloe was adorable - I loved her description of the penguins at the zoo ("sooooo cute"), crocodiles ("snap snaps") and her penchant for wearing pretty party dresses all the time, sometimes multilayering her skirts - brilliant!

I managed to get most of the tasks done in Sydney that I had wanted to (with the exception of my CV... maybe I'll do that on the plane) and thankfully the weather turned out amazing for the end of the week. This meant that I managed lots of final swims in the sea in Manly... I am going to miss it!

My final night I caught up with my old housemate Aisling for dinner in Manly and then stayed at hers. Was lovely to spend my last night in Sydney at somewhere that I had spent such a long time.

Now at the airport waiting for my flight to Buenos Aires! The morning in Sydney was so similar to the morning I arrived here over 6 months ago. Pretty grey, drizzly and windy - the crossing of the Heads on the Manly ferry was pretty wet and wild!