Darwin (16.07.2012): We have made it to OZ! Arrived at 5:00 am, the flight was less than 4 hours but with the time difference we have shot forward a few hours. Landed feeling very tired. Everyone will be pleased to note that my hat made it - just! It was inspected for insects at customs. They were pretty strict but in the end they decided it was harmless. The PG tips have been illegally smuggled in. We only realised after we left the customs bit.

After making it through customs, we found a nice comfy sofa to grab a few hours sleep on before heading to get our campervan at 08:30. We now have our lovely campervan. It's great to have our own space and to be able to cook things. It's very cosy. We want to buy one now! We drove straight to the centre of Darwin, stocking up on food at a supermarket.

We cannot believe the price of food here. We thought we would eat cheap in the campervan making our own food but it seems we are going to starve. The milk is £4 for a normal carton. A piece of broccoli that would be around 40p at home is over £3. It is atrocious. We stocked up on the cheapest beans we could find (still around £1.50) and we are going to have to eat student meals. We paid £5 for some eggs - can't afford salad or fruit. Sure hoping it is only the top end that is expensive or we may have to come home! The cheap looking cafes are over £10 just for a burger and chips. Today we ate potatoes and beans. After all the lovely food we have had around Asia we are feeling sorry for ourselves. Where is my 30p Pad Thai Noodle lady when I need her?

On the plus side we a loving OZ so it's worth it. The coast line around Darwin is very pretty and the city seems nice and laid back. Wish we had longer here but with a tight schedule and lots to see we must leave in the morning.

We have checked into a nice campsite today. We needed somewhere to do laundry and so treated ourselves to a good site with power - after that we are going to try to find free places to park up. For the first time since Bangkok we have machine laundered clothes!!! It feels good.

Our site also has a pool so we have made the most of that. We have just found out that our spot is next to a sleeping Python though. EEEK. There's bugs and spiders everywhere. I am dreading needing the toilet in the night!