So I'm cruising through the open roads on a mini Harley Davidson cruising at 80kph without a care in the world, donned with a leather jacket and matching helmet, I have the thrill of overtaking those going slower in front of me. We ride into the Town of 1770 just as the sun is setting beneath the sea, in one of the only spots this happens in the East Coast..."The Ride of Your Life" the 3 hour Scooteroo tour is definitely worth tour and is commonly quoted as the best value tour up the East Coast. I absolutely loved it. It was exhilarating, I loved the buzz of flying along the open road on a motorbike. It made me really want to explore the whole of Australia on one, now that would be fun!! There was about 40 of us doing it, the locals must find it amusing to see big groups going out everyday but it was so much fun. Apart from a couple of safety stops pulling over on the side of the road, most of the time you are just cruising along and I thought they would make you go slow the whole time but they let you go as fast as you wanted most of the time, so you definitely got the thrill. You all jump off and go and sit on the rocks to enjoy the sunset in 1770. We were lucky, the weather was amazing, and the sunset was beautiful! Then we cruised on back to base. I'd recommend this to anyone.

The rest of the time I just hung out, one day at Agnes Water beach which was beautiful . I still don't get bored just relaxing in the sun listening to music...need to make the most of it as the weather here still isn't completely perfect everyday and god knows if this summer will be as hot as hoped back in the UK (fingers crossed- I love Bournemouth in the summer!).

As I started reflecting on my trip I find it interesting to observe other travellers and the surroundings. And you start to see where some travellers are being ripped off. Being the person I am I always strive to get the best deals and don't like being taken advantage of. I am staying at a hostel called Southern Cross Retreat. It is pretty nice, huge grounds, nice pool and open bar/common area but it starts to tire me when I see how people are trying to make even more money from the backpacker market. (When they should know we are mostly on a budget). For example, charging to hire a blanket, when all they provide is a thin sheet and they know it's starting to get a bit chilly at night, charging $5 for an hour's internet when the line isn't even that fast and I know they could charge a lot less and still make a profit, advertising free bike hire and then there "all being repaired" when you ask and then the legendary "free breakfast" which merely consists on two loaves of cheap white sandwich bread being put out on a first come first served basis. A complete joke. Also promoting free shuttle buses to and from the town and Greyhound bus stop (as the hostel in out of town) but then putting an additional charge for the early morning bus (that they know a lot of people would had to have booked on).

During this year I have seen a lot of examples where the line is crossed between business and ethics. Of course I know business owners want to maximise profits but it shouldn't involve exploiting backpackers. For example throughout most of my travellers where I have seen the opportunity to 'work for accommodation' it usually hours the exchange of 2 hours free labour (max 3 hrs) for a free dorm bed.... In comparison to the WWOOFING system where you work 4 or 5 hours a day but not only do you get free accommodation (usually your own room too or sharing with one other, not a 4-6 bed dorm!) you also get three meals a day provided...so I was quite shocked to find so many travellers working at this hostel where I find out they are actually working 5 hours a day for their free bed and 'free' breakfast. I wouldn't do it for s***. The owners are laughing as they don't have to pay any of their staff and the hostel is basically run for free and they just reap the profits. I was first sharing a room with Todd, this nice American guy who has only been travelling for 10 days...after finding out about this hostel he moved straight here after his flight touched down from Brisbane. He was planning on staying here 3 full months until we got talking one night and he realised what actual opportunities are out there in Australia. Especially the potential to earn money. If you love the hostel so much and really want to stay so much, I'd rather just get a paid job for 5 hours a day (ith average hourly salary $14-20 an hour for a basic job) and just pay the $24 a night! Rant over J