I´ve been very lazy so still need to get around to filling this in properly. Proving a bit tricky now I have sent my old diary home though (yes that´s over a year´s worth already!).

Had a fun time in Perth seeing Chris´old school friend and they spent an awful lot of time catching up over a few drinks so Chris consequently had the three worst hangovers he´s had all year in one week! Had a fun fancy dress party and met the super successful crowd who live and work in this cool city. We hired a car and headed down to the famous waves and wineries of Margaret River on the West Coast which was a stunning lush green landscape with huge forests and kangaroos leaping out of bushes at night! Chris decided to stay out of the waves for the first time in his life, letting the lifetime locals show their stuff, including one surfer being towed on a jet ski to get enough speed to take on the mighty rolling beasts.

We flew to Perth, not quite able to comprehend how huge the country is. Landed in the early hours in Cairns without having booked anywhere to stay which turned out to be a bit of an error, and after cheap and easy Bali, then kind friends looking after us, it was a shock to be faced with $100 backpackers options. Luckily we found a cheap option in the end, got a few hours sleep, then stepped out into the surprisingly warm sunshine by the sea.

Hired a camper van from here and although we were headed South, we actually went North for our first leg to dive the Great Barrier Reef. I think we´ve been spoilt by beautiful marine life and warm waters as we were shocked at the prices and the water temperature! We did three dives (despite being ready for a hot shower after the first) and saw some fantastic stuff from sharks to turtles, lobster, scorpion and all sorts of other beautiful fish.

The scenery was stunning with lots of farmland and big sugar cane fields along the way. We headed inland to take a look at the ´bush´ and immediately the surroundings were far more baron and dry. We had to avoid huge road trains coming at us on the single track road and only later found out that it´s a given that we should give way! Stopped at middle of nowhere´towns´with just a petrol station and roadhouse cafe.

We´d come to see the underground lava tubes, so took a tour from a camp site in Bandara. We took a walk around beforehand and saw a few kangaroos hopping around in the bushes! On the tour we saw some wallabies jumping about too, then we went to see what we'd come for. The lava tubes were formed from lava flow thousands of years ago and as the original flow cooled and hardened it formed a tube for the new lava to continue to flow through. There were kilometres of tunnels up to 30 metres high so that must´ve been a lot of lava! The entrances were created through natural holes in the top of the tubes, and now the tubes are just home to all sorts of insects, bats, and the rare hardy plant.

We stayed in a car park of a roadhouse that night and shared a table at dinner with a mining truckie who sounded like he had a pretty tough life driving long distances at night. We ate the only option on the menu - steak, egg and chips and it was great! Continued south the next morning and back towards the coast. There were more waves to be surfed, and Chris had a quick session with some dolphins for company in the small town of Newcastle before we headed inland to visit friends nearby.

We stayed with our very kind hosts Simon and Orla whom we´d met on our travels in Africa, in the their home town of Singleton. We´d seen a lot of spacious homes and plots so far here, but were in awe of their beautiful big home with a stunning view over the Hunter Valley wine region. We´d arrived in time for Simon´s birthday weekend, so had a good excuse to make the most of the natural beauty here and celebrate! Orla gave us a very interesting and eye opening tour of the huge coal mine where she works, and we got a lift in one of the enormous diggers while in the process of being dumped on with tons of rubble. The most astonishing thing I learnt was how many millions these beasts costs, so we got some idea of how much money the coal industry must be raking in too.

On Simon´s birthday we headed out to the green vineyards (and not so green breweries) to try some of the local delights; Simon and Chris probably enjoying one too many. As the last time we´d seen them we had a curry, they then took us to their local to see if we could handle what they had on offer...the Pakistani owner offered curries of all varieties and spice levels up to H4 which is as hot as he goes. The chef prepared Chris a 3 and a half apparently thinking that the 4 would just be too much, and he would've been right. Chris loves spicy food but this was ridiculous! Our friends looked on as tears fell from his eyes and they ate their kormas. I was quite proud of my H1 achievement which I certainly would not have managed before this trip!

After a relaxing and very fun weekend, we continued on South, driving past many famous beautiful beaches and Chris surfing at a few. The water got colder as we moved on though, so the prospect became less appealing even as the waves got better. We stopped off in Melbourne where more kind friends Nicola and Barry offered us hospitality, and even let us stay when they went away, so we absolutely loved having the place to ourselves to just live normally for a little while. The camper van is fun, but you definitely need a break now and then and the open fire in this cold weather was very welcome.

In Melbourne we did the city thing and found some lovely bars and restaurants where we got to meet some more friends, as well as entertainment in the form of a good comedy club and a huge casino. We had a winning night there and our impression of the city remained very positive indeed after that bit of luck! From there we did a couple of day trips to the famous surfing spot of Bells Beach and Chris had to get in, but I was slightly concerned when he returned quite blue. He was more concerned about the fins he saw in the water, but he was consoled if not convinced by the other surfers seemed convinced they were seals and not sharks.

We relucatantly left our friends lovely home and drove North then East back towards Sydney. We decided to try to take a quick look at the ski resorts on offer on the way, and stopped at two - Thredbo and Perisher Blue. The former was a small resort but there was loads of snow and we had a good day there. With nowhere to stay cheaply or easily even in the camper van, we drove out of the national park and made it up to Perisher where we parked up and headed straight for the warmth of the bars. We had a cold night and a good day on the slopes, then again took solace by the fires inside the cosy bars. In one of them Chris heard about a speed race in a local competition and decided to sign up. So, the next morning he had to get up early at around 6am and get up the mountain for a few practice runs. Only then did he discover that the actual race would be more about the speed you could put your snowboard bindings on than how fast you could go downhill - the contenders had to run up a short hill before they could think about getting their boards on, and the other lycra clad contenders all had step in bindings. Poor Chris came down the hill last, but was just as fast on the last bend I could see, so I was really confused and he was really frustrated and embarassed! No prize this time, but a big breakfast cheered him slightly.