We arrived in Melbourne after a 12 hour coach ride from Sydney, the longest journey we'd had so far. We arrived at 6am and although we had been warned that the weather in Melbourne was very unpredictable, often with four seasons in one day, we weren't ready for the arctic (well 13 degrees) conditions that faced us. After about 20 minutes trying to work out the tram system and one trip in the complete wrong direction, we made it to our accommodation, for once not ...

We both woke up about half an hour from entering Sydney, which was lucky as we got to see the fantastic bridge in the horizon and marvel as we crossed the bridge into the city which would become our home for the next 10 days over Christmas and New Year. It would also be the city where we were joined by Jackie's mum who we will refer to as Mummy T as she became known throughout our stay. On arrival we went straight to Mummy T's hotel just round the corner from H...

Following our Frazer adventure we were keen to recover and recharge the batteries. We travelled down to the beautiful resort of Noosa.This quaint seaside town is where the rich and famous come to escape the city life of Sydney and Brisbane and you could see why! Our hostel was situated alongside a glorious river that ran into the ocean. It was surrounded by fantastic looking houses, nice (but too expensive for us) bars and along the river was a running path wit...

Frazer IslandWe arrived in Hervey Bay, our launch pad for Frazer Island, just in time for our meeting to brief us on the trip we were booked onto, which began early the next morning.Frazer Island is the world's biggest sand island made up of stunning beaches, dense rainforest, gorges and breathtaking freshwater lakes and streams. It is custom for groups of backpackers to descend on the island in big four wheel drives for three days of unaccompanied camping right ...

The first we saw of the town of 1770 was a stunning sunrise as Jackie just happened to wake up on the Greyhound bus as a giant ball of sun rose above the endless acres of farm land. As we drove into the town we realised that 1770 was going to be just what we were looking for after our hectic sailing experience - total tranquility in a tiny little traditional Australian town. The town has a real hippy feel to it and its residents could not be more laid back. Our h...