Weds 29th July

Have been in Airlie Beach for nearly a week now and it has been a week of great up-and-downs! I worked Sat,Sun,Mon,Tues evenings, which was GREAT and went some way towards warding off my despair every time I think about my finances.. I have only worked the evenings so have had my daytimes free in which to lie in the sun, beside the lagoon, and try not to spend money! There is little to do in Airlie besides sunbathe and wander, which is fine, I love sunbathing and wandering, but very difficult on those days when I have no strength and no motivation and just want to spend spend SPEND.

I do like Airlie, it's a nice atmosphere here and the bay and marina area are very beautiful. It is refreshing to be somewhere so mountainous! Because all around Airlie itself are these big, lumpy, forested hills, which are a sight for my sore eyes, I really haven't seen much atall in the way of mountains on my way up the coast, most coastal areas being pretty flat. So the hills are good!

I am still in the same hostel, which is not so good as it's not super-easy to meet people there, without spending money in the bar. It's not too bad now as I still know a few people that are here who have been on the Oz Bus with me and stuff, but they will all be gone within a week or so. Also, many people here are only in town for one or two nights, every morning half my dorm gets up and checks out, then I have a whole load more new roommates, which is getting a bit tiring! I have been halfheartedly looking at ads for rooms in apartments, but most of them seem to be around $150 per week, which is what I am paying at the moment anyway, with the bonus that I get free breakfast at my hostel!

Have been looking hard for maybe a bit of promo work or cleaning in exchange for accomodation (a couple of the hostel receptionists HATE me now, for coming back every other day and hassling them!) but say they will call me if anything comes up. In a way I'd rather stay in Beaches for a couple more weeks, at least that way if anything comes up in the way of work for accom, I can start it straight away whereas with a flat I would probably have to sign a contract for minimum a month or something, which I then would not be able to get out of. The way I look at it, if I move into a rented place for, say $125 a week, it will take me 5weeks to save $150, but if I stay at Beaches for four weeks then get work for accomodation for just one week, I will save that $150 in that one week! Kindof an argument for staying put and hoping for some joy from one of the other hostels.. It is difficult though, Beaches is nice, and clean, and central and we have plenty of room and a fridge and TV in the room and a balcony and nice stuff like that, but I don't think I want to live here for two months with different roommates every other night!

Sometimes I frustrate myself with the whole money issue.. I can have such good intentions at the start of the day and I make the best, most sensible plans. And I can be really GOOD.. today I walked 3km to coles and 3km back, carrying a heavy weeks-worth of shopping, including tins of beans and a big thing of milk) to save paying for the bus or buying at the exxie supermarket in town. then I got back and handwashed my clothes, to save paying $8 for teh washing machines, so I can do really well! Then other times I go and spend $4 on TWO ice-lollies, which is completely unnecessary and luxurious, particularly when I am short of money! Why can't I just be consistent? Although, it's better to be sometimes good sometimes bad than consistently bad, I suppose.