Sorry Guys, We've had loads of problems with the website and we haven't been able to update it for a while! The good news is that it's now fixed but the bad news is that it's guna be a long one i'm affraid!...

After a 6 hour flight from Bali, where the plane was so cold that everyone in the plane was tucked up under the free blankets they give you, you can imagine Sydney was a welcome sight. We arrived at about 6am on the 9th October and it was already pretty warm. The airport there is HUGE - We landed on one of the many runways that sort of extend out into the sea a bit and it took nearly 20 mins to taxi to the terminal! We headed for the baggage collection area as we were told to do in Bali and began waiting in the Biggest queue I have ever seen in my life.. and it was only to get through Immigration! After 30 mins in the queue and still so far to go we decided to ask someone what was going on, as we had to catch the transfer flight to Cairns in about 15mins. The Lady told us that we shouldn't of even went there and we were to go to our gate for boarding straight away, so we ran off and after getting lost we made it in time and managed to board the plane.. All fun and games!

The flight to Cairns was somewhat similar to the other - as flights tend to be, but the view was amazing. It was day time now and I could see so much. We flew over the Blue mountains and huge lakes and rivers coming down from the hills to the sea, heaps of Farmland with fields that carried on as far as the eye could see (and that was at 30,000 feet!) - they were patterned like football pitches and all different colours.. and when we hit mid Australia it was dessert.
We landed in Cairns and caught a taxi to our hostel - Shennanigan's - and we dropped off our bags and had a wlak around to see what it was like. We spent the most of the next couple of days just walking around exploring and checking out all the shops and mainly looking for jobs!  The hostel's great and there so many people there and all are really nice and up for a laugh, so we fitted right in and we've made a good load of friends already - Some of which we will definetly be meeting up with along the way down the coast to Sydney. New Year is guna be HUGE!

Martina had a trial for the Shennanigan's pub/restaurant downstairs last week who she lied to and gave a fake reference and claimed she had worked in a bar before! (Joe Cook, at the Inn on the Green! Thanx mate... lol. don't worry we didn't give any contact details!) She didn't take the job however and has found another this week in a Mexican restaurant and has been working for the past 3 nites there.                                                                                        I on the other hand got in contact with a diving company and I have arranged to work on one of their new boats to fix it up so it's ready to be taken on trips etc... I start tomoro at 7am - so an early one for me tonite - and I get the added bonus of either getting paid $15 dollars an hour, cash in hand or working 50 hours a week and getting to go diving for FREE, but not getting paid! I'm so excitied and I think i'm guna do my Advanced course and as many fun dives as possible  before we leave.. I'll be well on my way to becoming an Instructor!!

We've also had the strangest experience whilst in Cairns - On our second night we were walking to one of the bars here called PJ's and we literally bumped into Lucas, one of the guys we met in Thailand!! It was so wierd because they said they were going to Sydney and did'nt really think we'd see them again untill we went there in December... Anyway, we went back to their hotel and woke up Sean who almost died, and then hit a few bars and caught up. We had a few nights with them before they headed off to Port Douglas...                                              Last week we went to the 'Barron river' waterfalls with a group of us from the hostel and we had the best day and it was like the first thing we did whilst being here... There was about 12 of us in total and we all drove there as 2 of the guys had campers and one had a car. To get there we had to walk along a train track and down a hidden trail, but once we were there we all jumped into this huge lake at the top of the falls and were jumping off this massive cliff into it. There were no Crocs there and we were assured by a local aboriginal guy that it was safe. After we found the best pizza place in a little town called 'Karunda' and that nite we got back and all went out and got back in at 4am... all in all it was such an awesome day!
We've not really done that much else and the money keeps being spent, so we're looking forward to working properly and getting  some more bunce!                                                   As Martina has already started working, yesterday Myself and and a few of the lads from the hostel decided to go fishing for the day and bought a cooler box and a x30 crate of beer and headed to the pier to rent a boat... It only cost us 30 bucks eachfor 4 hours and 8 bucks each for the rods. We had such a laugh and I was the designated driver on the way up the river and we found a nice little spot in the mouth of a creek so we anchored up and cracked open the beers! It was what fishing is all about... 4 guys in a boat with a load of cold beer, fishing in the sunshine! we only managed to catch 2 fish between 4 of us, in 4 hours, but it was definetly my best day yet and eveyone can't stop going on about it. When we got back guess who was the one that had to gut the fish and fillet them... yup, me.  (Thanx for all the training dad!).

The weather here is hot and sunny at the moment but the past week it has been raining and cloudy.  Although we did hear on the radio the other day that in Sydney it's guna be one of the hottest summers yet - in the 40's!!! Factor 50 for me I think. lol.
Make sure you guys keep in touch and let us know how you all are! We have a mobile number now so you can send us a text or give us a ring... 0414198504... You need to add the code for Aus tho - I think it's (0061) 414198504.                                                                                

Loads of Love Paul and Martina XXX