Ok so today is my last day in Australia! What fun I've had and also what calamities I've faced! I left my hostel in Brisbane, walked to the American Express branch and picked up my money transfer. I changed my money to Fijian and got on the airtrain to the airport. I checked-in and then hung around in the departures lounge. I was bored so I bought a newspaper: "The Australian", there was a huge 20 page pull-out section on...Scotland! I got on my Air Pacific flight and was seated next to an elderly couple from Bribie Island near Brisbane. I chatted to the man (who was called Dennis) they were going for a 2 week cruise in Fiji (lucky them!). He was an amiable old guy and chatted to me for most of the flight. Also he is the first Australian I've met who hates cricket! He ripped off a section of a sick bag and scribbled his address and told me to come visit him one day so I shall should I be in Brisbane. I arrived in Nadi Airport, there was torrential rain. There were Fijian musicians and singers serenading me as I walked through arrivals. It was really good they should have a welcome piper in Glasgow International- it starts you off with a friendly, nice opinion of a place. I walked through the hall past several Fijian tourist reps and eventually plumped for a friendly guy called Noa. He led me to his relaxed office where his friends were playing mp3s on the computer. I told him I was looking for backpacker accomodation, a few phone calls later he said: "You my brother are part of the Fijian family I have sorted everything out for you. Do you want to go out in Nadi and have some drinks?" I was a little tired but the Fijians are so friendly you feel obliged to go out. I got a taxi to my hostel and dumped my stuff then hit Nadi town with my new friend( I'm sure he saw $ signs) Noa and we went out. Oh I remembered when I was in his office I picked up the lonely planet Fiji and showed an interest in it. "Do you like the book? Have it my brother". I felt bad so I exchanged my Rough Guide to Australia for it. Anyway back to me and Noa in Nadi town. We went inside a foreboding club bizarrely called Greenland and I soon noticed I was the only non-Fijian person in there. We had a few of the local Fijian Bitter beers and then moved on to the other club called Steps. When we got inside the bar, Noa introduced me to his close family: aunts, uncles, cousins and even his granpa. We then started a strange "round" drinks etiquette where everyone buys a jug of beer and then the beer is passed out non-stop to people who's glasses are empty. Cue: lots of frantic drinking and a larger amount of money spent on beer than you anticipated at the beginning of the night. I loved how Noa sent his older cousin into the toilet to make sure I didn't get robbed. Obviously not all Fijians are friendly. After the club we walked with some Fijian rugby guys and had..no not a kebab but cassava root, breadfruit, mystery meat and a mystery meat sausage in a brown bag. Everyone says "Bula" almost all the time, even complete strangers passing you on the street. It takes a little getting used to. (Bula means hello and cheers) When we got back to the hostel, Noa suddenly blurts out:"I used all my company's money tonight, I have son and he will go hungry blah blah have you $20?" I was really annoyed by this and only gave him $5 to get him back to his family in the taxi. So I was right about the dollar signs, yeah I'm not that naive! So here it is- The Summary! BEST BITS! Sitting on the steps of the Opera House looking over to the iconic Harbour Bridge on a sunny afternoon. Getting a ferry from the harbour to Manly and walking along the beach. Spending a day relaxing on Bondi Beach with the too-cool-for-school crowd. Driving to the beautiful Blue Mountains (even if it rained a lot) Chilling out in the hip Melbourne suburb of St Kilda. Driving around Tasmania seeing the Bay of Fires and Cradle Mountain oh and The Nut (at Stanley) Getting drunk on goon (it only costs 2 pounds for 5 litres) Eating Kangaroo straight off the barby. Driving the Great Ocean Road. Sailing the Whitsundays and swimming on Whitehaven Beach. Spending 3 days camping on Fraser Island and swimming in Lake McKenzie. Eating a fish supper in Apollo Bay, drining beer watching the sunset. Diving in the Great Barrier Reef! Snorkelling in the Whitsundays. Day tour to Cape Tribulation and the rainforest. Barossa Valley Winery Tour. Walking the Koala Trail on Magnetic Island. Partying in Airlie Beach with Greg and the Swedish Sisters. Walking past a pack of dingoes in Faser Island. Partying in Byron Bay and also driving around the hinterland. Meeting so many great people from around the world and learning some phrases such as "Sababa" in Hebrew and "Skaffa ett Liv" in Swedish! WORST BITS Spending hours of my life in Canberra (the most boring, artificial place I've ever been) Walking around Melbourne in 44c heat; unbearable! Spending Australia Day in a far fung outpost in Tasmania and having to speak to the locals who were generally unfriendly, quite uneducated and racist. (I may have just unluckily encountered the small minority of Tassie people like that throughout the trip) Most of my clothes stolen off the washing line in Hervey Bay including my beloved Basura T-shirt! Waking up a bit drunk (ok very drunk) thinking I've lost my wallet and cancelling all my cards then finding it in my pillow. Being eaten alive by sand flies on Fraser Island! Overnight Greyhound buses! Spending far too much money in this great land! Hearing "I come from a land down under" every bar you go in (it starts to irritate after a while)