Hello everyone, happy new year! I hope you all had a good break.

I'm currently in the blue mountains 100km west of Sydney where its raining incessantly! So much for the Australian summer. I've got a few days to kill before I fly to Dunedin in south east New Zealand on the 13th. I've booked to go on the 'Kiwi Experience' trip which is basically a guided tour of both islands - it was on offer at about a third of the normal price, too good an opportunity to turn down even though it doesn't really fit with my original plans. After 10 weeks or so in Australia I'm really looking forward to a change of scenery, and, going by what many people I have told me, I'm hopeful that New Zealand may well be the highlight of my travels.

Anyway, apologies for the delay in updating the blog - here's what I've been up to for the last month or so - the trip has become a little dominated by the victorious ashes campaign bit I have to admit!

Monday 6th - Wednesday 8th December
Whitsunday Islands
On the Monday morning I left my backpack in store at the hostel at Airlee Beach and headed over to the marina where I met up with the rest of the group for the 3 day sailing trip. We all brought drink for the trip but food was to be provided on board. We also met the crew and went through all the introductory information and then we set sail on the former racing yacht and headed out into the ocean around 10. I say we set sail but since there wasn't much wind about we didn't actually use the sails until we returned to the marina on the last day!

We had two nights on the boat, which was pretty hot, airless and uncomfortable to be honest but we spent 3 fantastic days sailing around the beautiful islands stopping to snorkel on the reefs and lounge on the near deserted beaches. We also did a guided scuba dive around one of the reefs which was included in the trip price, a first for me and very enjoyable. We had pretty good weather for the trip and the tiny islands are beautiful, full of crystal clear waters, wooded slopes, bright white sand beaches and lots of marine wildlife. During the second day we found out that england had thrashed the aussies by an innings in the second test down in adelaide, this pleased myself and the rest of the english contingent aboard but the aussie crew didn't take our gloating too well! That evening we moored up in a little cove and watched dolphins swim around the boat as the sun set over the ocean.

On the last day it was lovely to get the sails out and we moved serenely across the sea, its such a relaxing way to travel. We arrived back in the afternoon and all agreed to meet up in a bar back in Airlee beach in the evening. Myself and a dutch guy called Max had already booked an overnight bus to Cairns and despite our best efforts we couldn't change it so after sharing a few drinks with everyone we picked up our luggage, said our goodbyes, jumped on the bus and headed north.

Thursday 9th - Saturday 11th December
Cairns

We arrived in Cairns early on Thursday morning, I didn't sleep very well on the coach as usual. Max and I had some breakfast then I walked over to my hostel, checked in and caught up on some kip. In the afternoon Max managed to get a bed at the same hostel and we met up again. We took a local bus out to the edge of the Atherton Tablelands (mountainous bush) where there was a creek which we were told was worth seeing. The scenery was quite nice but there wasn't any proper tracks that were usable. It was humid and baking hot, we were both pretty knackered so we headed back to the hostel for the evening.

On the Friday I had a leisurely look around the city and the seafront which was more attractive than I had imagined. In the evening I met up with Max again and a few other blokes he had met on a diving course he was doing. We had some dinner then a few drinks before heading home.

I had an afternoon flight to Perth on the Saturday and didn't do a great deal else. Cairns was nicer than I was expecting and worth the brief visit but the heat and humidity made it difficult to do anything too strenuous!
Saturday 11th - Sunday 19th December
Perth
After quite a long flight all the way across the country I arrived in Perth on Saturday evening where I was greeted by my old mate Danny Lomax and his fiancee Emma. They live in Perth and kindly put me up for my stay there. They live in a house in the perth suburbs and it was very nice to have some home comforts for a little while! I also took advantage of their IT facilities to upload some photos from the trip onto facebook. The weather was beautiful in Perth, I hardly saw a cloud the whole time I was there, it was just as warm as Cairns but much fresher. However, the weather here does have the drawback of making everything look dry, dusty and a little parched which is in contrast to the east coast which is generally quite green.

On the Sunday they took me out in the car to see some sights of the area. We went to a lovely waterfront cafe bar at a local marina for breakfast, along the cliff tops of the city's northern beaches then down to the port of Freemantle for a look around the shops and the market. We then had lunch and some drinks with another british friend of theirs. Later on, we drove up into the city to a place called Kings Park which has a great view over the city centre and the Swan river which passes it by. In the evening we went up the road to Dan's mums place where we watched his team Bolton take on Blackburn on TV.

On the Monday, Danny and Emma were back at work so I caught the bus into the city and had a look round. I wasn't greatly impressed with the city centre to be honest - I found it quite bland and surprisingly small. In the afternoon I met up with an old aussie mate called Berths who had spent a few summers in England playing cricket for New Milton a while back. He picked me up after he'd finished work and then took me out for the evening where we caught up over a few drinks and some dinner.

On both Tuesday and Wednesday it was back to work! Dan runs his own painting and decorating business and needed to finish a job before going to the cricket on the Thursday so I offered my services as assistant to help pay my board and speed things up! He gladly accepted and I had a two day long apprenticeship in how to use a roller!

On the Thursday Dan and I headed down to the WACA ground for the first day of the third ashes test. We had pretty good seats and England had a good day in the field so we enjoyed ourselves and had a few drinks and some dinner in the city to celebrate. We also went on day 3, unfortunately, by this time Australia had got well on top and it wasn't quite so enjoyable! England fielded for most of the day and had an old fashioned batting collapse in the evening. By the end of the day Australia were in a virtually unassailable position and defeat was inevitable. By Sunday lunchtime the aussies had wrapped it all up and the series was tied at 1 all.

On the Friday morning we had watched on TV as England threw away their advantage of the first day then Dan took me out into the swan valley vinyards to do some wine tasting! In the evening Emma and Dan went to Emmas work christmas party, I had some dinner with Dan's sister before we all met up with them afterwards for some more drinks.

Since the test had come to an early conclusion and the flights were getting increasingly expensive the closer it got to Christmas, I decided to leave a little earlier than planned. On the Sunday afternoon I said my goodbyes to my hosts and caught the plane over to Adelaide.

Sunday 19th - Wednesday 22nd December
Adelaide
I arrived at Adelaide airport around 8 in the evening and picked up a bus towards the beach suburb of Glenelg where I had booked some accommodation that was recommended on the internet. The bus stop was right outside the hostel and I checked in straight away. Strangely, the hostel was virtually empty! It was certainly the quietest place I have stayed at on my travels.

It was also surprisingly cool in Adelaide whilst I was there so I wasn't able to take advantage of the beach. I spent most of my time in the city centre looking round the sights. Amongst other things, I visited a few museums and art galleries, the beautiful cricket ground, the botanic gardens and the riverside. The city centre was relatively quiet and a little low key but I thought it was quite a nicely laid out, pleasant place to visit and it had a fair few things to see and do.

Whilst I was there I got in touch with an old neighbour and friend of the family, Lucy Hicks, who has recently moved to Adelaide with her aussie husband and their two boys. They invited me over for dinner one evening. They actually live in a suburb that's a fair way out of the city and it took me a little while to get there on the train but it was nice to see Lucy and meet her family and she cooked a lovely curry!

The plan was always to hire a car and drive from Adelaide to Melbourne, taking in the famous Great Ocean road but unfortunately it worked out to be much too expensive to do on my own and I hadn't met anyone who wanted to share the costs since the hostel was so deserted. In the end I had to settle for another overnight coach trip which I picked up on the Wednesday evening.

Thursday 23rd December - Sunday 2nd January
Melbourne

As I approached Melbourne in the coach, after another interrupted and uncomfortable nights sleep, I got a great view of the city's impressive skyline. We were dropped off next to the newly refurbished southern cross train station and I walked across the CBD to the hostel I had booked into. On arrival I couldn't check in since it was so early so I tried to get some sleep in the communal area. It was a little chilly inside so I went and laid in the sun in the park next door - I must have slept for longer than I realised as I woke up with sunburnt eyelids! Anyway, by that point I was able to check in and I after some more sleep in the room I went for another walk in the city and found the famous MCG and the other sports venues in the surrounding olympic park. I walked back via the Yarra river, up through the city's new central space, federation square, and, after getting some dinner I went back to the hostel for the evening.

On Christmas eve I met a group of lads from swindon/reading who were also going to the cricket. We went into the city to pick up some supplies for a xmas day bbq and a cricket set for a game! That evening the hostel put on a free BBQ which was a good way to get to meet a few of the other people staying there. Afterwards a few of us went to find a bar up the road but they were all very quiet. In the end we headed down to the barmy army hq on the south bank of the river which was anything but quiet! On xmas day itself we used the bbq again and then got a group from the hostel to join us in a festive game of cricket in the park. In the evening I spoke to Mum, Dave and Amy on skype and had a few more drinks with the lads.

On boxing day it was time for the cricket! For those of you that don't know the boxing day test match in Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) is a bit of a sporting institution. The ground is enormous and incredibly impressive, I also had a great seat in the second tier right behind the bowlers arm. They were hoping that they might set a record attendance but in the end 'only' 86000 or so turned up! By the end of the amazing day though there couldn't have been more than 40000 left as england had completely dominated. After bowling australia out for under a hundred we then got to over 150 without losing a wicket! As things had gone so well I decided to go on day 2 as well. I went down with the swindon lads and we managed to get some tickets for around 30 dollars and we watched england rack up the runs. In the evening we went out for a few drinks in the Richmond area to celebrate.

On day 3 I had a break from the cricket and had a look around the city, taking in a few museums and other sights. Finally, it had finally warmed up a bit - it had been quite cold the previous 2 days and some of the locals had been wearing hats and gloves! When I got back to the hostel in the afternoon people were watching the cricket on tv and England had nearly finished Australia off! I really wanted to be there when we won as it would see us retain the ashes for the first time in 24 years so I found myself urging on the last few aussie batsmen to take it into day 4! Luckily for me and a few other guys who were in the same position they did just that. We all trecked down to the MCG on day 4, queued for tickets with all the other mainly english spectators, then made our way into the bowl and sat with the barmy army. There were around 20000 visitors inside and the atmosphere was fantastic. After some belated resistance from their batsmen the celebrations were held up but they eventually capitulated before lunch and the party started. The players did a lap of honour and the famous sprinkler dance then we all filed into the city for drinks and more singing through the afternoon and evening.

I didn't do much on the Thursday as was feeling a little worse for wear and I had a few chores to do - I also visited the boxing day sales and picked up a few replacement items for things that had got worn out after 4 months on the road. On new years eve suddenly the temperature jumped to 40 degrees and I went down to the lively beach suburb of St Kilda in the morning. I then walked back through a few parts of the ciity I hadn't seen. I really liked Melbourne, its very cultural and it feels quite stately despite its relative youth. There was plenty going on in all the different areas and it has some impressive modern architecture. Its trams also make it very easy to get around and there's plenty of beautiful parks to relax in. In the evening I had some drinks with people from the hostel in the garden there before going out into the city to see the fireworks then we went onto a few bars.

On new years day I had some difficulty sorting out my coach to Sydney and this took up much of the day once I had shaken off my hangover. I did however get a chance to have a look round the new docklands regeneration area. Before catching the overnight coach back to Sydney on the evening of the second I went up a tower in the city boasting the highest viewing platform in the southern hemisphere and i visited the state art gallery in Federation Square.

Monday 3rd - Sunday 9th January
Sydney

The bus dropped us off at the central train station right next to my hostel at around 7 in the morning. After my obligatory sleep in the communal areas to recover from the trip I watched the first session of the final test match over breakfast in the bar next door. At lunchtime I checked in and then I wandered down to the rocks, the oldest part of the city (next to the harbour bridge) which I hadn't got to on my first visit. The cricket had restarted after a rain delay and there was a large public screen showing it there so I sat down and watched until the rain came again and forced an early close. In the evening I met up with my friend Rachel from home who was over for a wedding and had been to the cricket with a few friends. On the Tuesday I went out to see the olympic park then I caught a harbour ferry back and spent the evening not doing a lot at the hostel.

On Wednesday and Thursday I went to the test with Paul Tucker and a few of his friends. We chose the right days to go as not only was the weather great but England moved into an unassailable position urged on by the noisy barmy army. We saw 3 england centuries and then saw australia dramatically collapse again with only a late rally preventing a finish late on day 4. Paul and I then celebrated the impending victory with some drinks and dinner in a local bar.

Paul had to cancel some meetings at work to make it along on day 5, of course I had no such worries and we headed down with 20000 other english fans to cheer the boys across the line to a third innings victory. And so, we eventually made some cricketing history by emphatically beating australia 3-1 on their own soil and I was there to witness it! Unfortunately Paul had to go back to work and I really had to sort out my plans for the next week so we didn't do much more celebrating but we agreed to meet up for a BBQ at his on the saturday.

Between the end of the cricket and meeting up with Paul again I spent most of my time trying to organise the my trip and thinking about what I was going to do with myself when I got home. I was very keen to bring my flight to NZ forward but this proved exhorbitantly expensive so I arranged to spend a few days in the blue mountains but I was able to book my kiwi experience trip. On the saturday afternoon I went over to Paul's again for a bbq and drinks on his rooftop terrace where I met another of his friends and his new Australian girlfriend Rachel. In the evening we went for a few drinks at a local pub then we said our goodbyes.

On Sunday morning I checked out and caught the train out to the blue mountains which is from where I now write, waiting for my flight to New Zealand and for the final leg to begin!

Nick