Tues. 30th June

Brisbane has been quite a mix of things for me, including the weather! From torrential rain on my first day, to yesterday when I wore short shorts and a vest all day long, it was so gorgeously hot, which is fantastic, considering how it is basically the deep midwinter here! My promo-job for the hostel is actually working out quite well, I quite enjoy it! Some days it drags a bit, but I really just get to stand and make small talk with people for three hours, I end up having random chats with complete strangers about their traveling plans, which is great.. I even have some regulars now who stop for a chat on their way past every morning. On sunny days, it is gorgeous, I get to stand in the sun for three hours, which is going to work wonders for my tan, am so looking forward to being brown again!

I have had no luck on the job hunting front, I signed up with agencies last week and had an interview with one today. It actually went really well, the lady was really nice and said I had skills that they needed and she thought I'd work well on their books but the time scale is so LONG, it would be a training session next week then a few shifts by the end of next week, but I simply don't want to stay here that long so am going to have to ring them back and apologise and say I'm leaving. I feel a bit bad letting them down, but I simply am not inspired by Brisbane enough to stay here.

It is a nice city, really chilled out and laid back and a great climate but there is simply less to do than in Sydney, it is much less cosmopolitan here... the botanical gardens are nice but not as good as sydney, Storey Bridge is cool, but not a patch on Harbour, the riverside walk is pretty but nowhere near as stunning as one of the coastal walks in Sydney. I find myself constantly comparing the two and Brisbane winds up a poor sibling to Sydney. Alas. So i was planning to leave monday but am considering leaving sat instead now, I'd like to get on to Noosa.

The picture for this entry is of the Nepalese Temple of Peace on the Southbank... sounthbank is just entirely remeniscent of London, there are museums and galleries and big buildings and benches and green patches and a wheel! The view from Victoria bridge looks just like londinium.

Have had a couple of amusing goon-fuelled evenings at Chill, the people there are great.. I've been really lucky with my dorm. I'm the only girl in there and have been for a while, but it's fine, I get on really well with a roomful of nine blokes, we have a right laugh! It's a wonderfully musical room, too. Jack plays guitar like a god, Liam just bought a Ukelele and is picking it up really fast and Nigel has his bagpipes, it's great in the evenings when one or other is practising (thankfully the bagpipes are not practised in the room.. he is great on them, but I think it would be a bit too much of an enclosed space for that!). Our transient roommates, those that have popped in and out for just a couple of nights have been great too.. it's messy in there but I acutally don't mind because the vibe is so good! Unfortunately working at 9am every day means I have to be a bit sensible with drinking (as if I would ever be anything other than) and not get completely bladdered, I stop drinking a midnight and go onto the water etc... standing on a street corner for three hours in the sun would be actual hell on earth with a stinking hangover.

Other things... have been to the Queensland Museum, which was fab, walked for about a million miles beside the river, liam the chef in our room cooked us all prawn risotto for dinner the other night, which was heavenly and delicious.

Booked my Darwin-> Melbourne... YAY!! It's a bit exxy, but the cheapest I could find and I am 100% sure that it is something that I want to spend that money on, it is nearly a full two week tour of seeing amazing and unique things, traveling in a group, which should be fab, I do so SO many things that I'm uber excited to do and I end up in Melbourne which is great coz maybe I can stay and work there for a bit, and most of all, I will finally get to go see Ramsey Street. whoop WHOOP!