Well, it looks like i have 3 weeks worth of stuff to write up using a keyboard that has the letters worn off the keys so here goes..

On arriving in Brisbane airport and having had NO sleep on the flight in (I stayed awake trying to crack all 26 levels of 'Caveman', one of the games on the inflight menu - managed it too :)) we sailed through customs which was surprisingly easy considering how many people had told us Oz customs were pretty tight. We hopped on a bus that dropped us right to our door in the Fortitude Valley district of Brsibane, right in the city. Apparently 'the Valley' as it's called, was a haven for junkies and dropouts in years gone by but has since been cleaned up in recent years. There's still plenty of stripclubs and brothels there as you walk into town and I was surprised to find out that prostitution is legal and controlled in Australia, I never knew. Seems to make sense, better than having it on the streets as it's still gonna happen regardless.

Anyway, after a lengthy check in with the hungover Asian girl manning the desk of our hostel we headed out for some water and then back again to crash out for a while. Neither of us felt able to function without some sleep. Later we headed out and had a Chinese at a nice little restuarant in Chinatown. It didnt take long for us to realise the expense comparison between Asia and Oz, gonna have to watch the budget, long way to go yet!

We spent 2 nights in Brisbane and while we were there we visited the Botanical gardens which are right in the heart of the city. We spotted lizards running around in the park and swimming in the ponds. Not used to seeing reptiles in parks but it's a different climate! We wandered around and windowshopped too whilst we were there and basically didnt really do a lot. Big cities are the same wherever you are. It rained on our first proper day in Brisbane and we had to get the raincoats out as it was a little chilly! According to the locals it's the first bit of rain they've had in months. In some of the surrounding areas the locals only had about a 10 hour supply of water left, it was that bad.

As we knew we'd be paying more to eat in Oz we decided to keep em peeled and try to spot the cheap meal offers, found a good one - $5 steak and chips when bought with a drink ($6). The steak was absolutely massive! You may pay more to eat out in Oz but the portions are a decent size. Ciara didn't enjoy hers too much, it was served a little too bloody for her liking so I finished it - yum!

After a day or two we were back on track sleepwise and ready for our first bit of travel within Oz. We caught the local train about an hour north up to Helensvale on the Gold Coast to stay with my cousin Nathan and his other half, Becca. I'd been dying to get on our way and see some of Australia that isnt a city. The train ride was pretty scenic even though we'd only gone a short distance. Nathan collected us from the train station and then we got settled in for the next 5 days. On our first day staying with them we just housesat with the pets, including Pogo, their fox terrier who must be the nerviest dog i've ever met! So that day we just chilled around the pool. Who needs to go anywhere, right? Next day Becca took us out for a drive along the Gold Coast to see the sights, including a mobile phone mast cleverly but not convincingly disguised as a palm tree. We visited Surfers Paradise briefly which was teaming with 'schoolies' that had just finished for the year, all getting drunk and hanging out in their hundreds.

That evening we went out for dinner at Fishermans Wharf and watched the boats bob around in the harbour in the evening lights. There were some absolutely massive yachts moored there and to say you have to have some money to live round there is an understatement! The Gold Coast has really sprung up over the last 20 or so years and they're still building everywhere you look. Also the Gold Coast is built on swampland and because of this, the high-rises only have 40 year leases. They simply start sinking as the years go by. So when this happens, they tear them down and just build new ones in their place.

The next day was spent pretty much the same as the previous, pets and pool. But this time with a barby and beers! I tried Kanga-bangers for the first time, bit gamey but very nice! The alcohol laws in Oz are different from the UK in as much as they keep alcohol totally separate. You buy booze from a bottle shop and food from the the supermarket. The bottle shops are pretty cool, they have huge walk in chillers where they keep cases of ice cold beer. The more you buy the cheaper it is. With this in mind, myself and Nathan drank our way through 2 cases during our stay!

The next day, Sunday, we packed a picnic and went for a drive up to Mount Tamborine about a half hour drive away. On the way we stopped by Nathan and Beccas next prospective house that they're looking to buy which is situated right on the side of a hill overlooking a valley. Amazing view with an infinity pool in the garden looking out over it all. After the houseviewing we drove up to Mt Tamborine with our ears popping on our way up there, had our picnic and a walk around the craft shops as well as having a wander up to a waterfall that I cant remember the name of. As expected, it was more of a trickle than a waterfall due to lack of rain. That evening we ate at an ace curry restaurant called Curry Munchers before heading back stuffed.

The next day was spent by the pool while Nath and Becca were out at work. Once again we had the pets (2 dogs and 3 cats) competing for fuss! After tanning ourselves a little in the afternoon sun we chilled in the evening with some beers before turning in.

Next morning after saying farewell to Nath and Becca we set off on a northbound train to Bundaberg, where they make the nations favourite rum of the same name. I love rum so was excited at doing the tour of the distillery. The journey took about 4 hours or so and after a half hour or so we checked into our first dorm room of the trip in the former police station of the town, now converted into a backpackers hostel, Cellblock backpackers (dont stay there!) The room with 4 lads in there, smelt of sweaty feet and was generally a bit minging. Oh well, dorms were an inevitability at some point! We went out for a wander and had a large Dominos for $5 each. It looks like the worst food for you is the cheapest in Oz, weird!

On returning to the hostel we noticed that there were no sheets on our beds. At all. We then saw a sign which stated that we had to pay for our sheets - $5 non returnable as well as a 10$ deposit. Someones taking the piss! We used our own sleeping bag liners to bed down for the night and then went and found alternative digs for the next night on principle that we werent going to pay for a bed and then have to pay extra for sheets. Jokers! Next morning we checked into a nicer place, right next to the bus station, 3$ cheaper with free sheets!

After changing our digs we headed out to do the Bundaberg rum distillery tour. It was a bit of a walk up there but better than paying for a cab. It was really interesting seeing the process of the rum being distilled, all the way from the bare mollasses being fermented through to it being bottled on the track. They had 90 huge vats of rum on site all holding thousands of litres, i was in heaven! The warehouse where they house the molasses contained 5,000,000 litres and it was 42 degrees in there! The smell was pretty potent. After the tour we went through the museum which houses tons of old bottles and labels and other relics of the early days of the distillery. Afterward we passed throught the bar where we had two free drinks of the rum of our choice, one of which is a rum based coffee/caramel/chocolate/vanilla liquer that you can only buy at the distillery itself that tasted absolutely awesome. Ciara sent a bottle back to her brother back in Ireland as a xmas present, lucky Darragh! Ciara doesnt even like rum but still tried what they had to offer.

After getting a few pictures of us with the 5 metre bottle of rum out the front we headed back to our digs. There isnt a lot to do in Bundaberg once the sun goes down. The lads we were sharing a room with had spent 2 weeks there rising at 5am every day and picking lemons on a farm and were hating it! The pubs also send their chefs home at 8pm and everything basically grinds to a halt, bit of a 'local' town really.. So with the absence of pub food we had to resort to a crap McDonalds, better than starving right?

Next morning we caught a coach down to Hervey Bay, a much nicer place about a 3 hour drive away. Its a nice little beach town with a chilled out vibe to it. Our new hostel, 'Next' backpackers was ace. Our dorm room was airconned, cleaner than the previous one, had an ensuite and only $20 a night to boot! We chilled on our first night in Hervey Bay and cooked our first proper meal since before we left the UK. We'd gotten pretty used to eating out every night in Asia but it just mounts up and costs too much in Oz so we bit the bullet and bought some pasta and sauce and saved a few bob.

The next day we decided that we hadnt really done much since being in Oz so we booked a 3 day, 2 night self drive 4x4 safari on Fraser Island. Fraser Island is the largest sand island in the world and is absolutely jawdroppingly stunning. So we got an early night and then ventured out the following morning and got on the road for 8am along with 7 other complete strangers, an Irish couple, a couple from London, a young Swedish couple and a guy on his own who must have felt a little left out with all the couples! There were 4 drivers in our group and they all rotated. After stocking up on meat and beer and wine and 20 litres of water we got the barge over to the island, spotting some dolphins on the way, i wasnt quick enough with my camera though! On landing on Fraser we drove from the west coast through to the east on one of many deep sand tracks on the island. The only proper roads are few and far between and around the centre of the island around the amenities. After 10 mins we broke down, had to happen at some point! Luckily there was a mechanic in the car behind us who had a look under the bonnet and got us going again.

It took us a good hours drive across the island and a few digouts before we got to the beach and headed up to our campsite along with a few other 4x4s from different tour agencies. We set up camp before walking back up the beach and up to Lake Wabby which is a small lake with greenish water with a massive sanddune backing onto it. Very peaceful and quiet there. I was glad to get there as the heat of the day was stifling and jumped in and cooled off for the next hour or so. After heading back we set up the bbq, got the meat on the go, sank a lot of beer and wine, sat around chatting with everyone before crashing out for the night.

About 3am we woke to the sound of dingoes howling in the night, well creepy! Theres apparently 4000 of them on the island but we hadnt seen one in the day, seems they come out at night to scavenge. We made sure to clear the food away and tie the rubbish bags in the trees to as not to attract them. We'd been warned about them and told how to handle any aggressive ones we may come into contact with before setting off and been told to be on our guard as they can attack if they have pups with them etc. I needed the toilet but held it until 4.30 when it got light and i knew they'd be gone, ha ha, what a puff!

Next Day we drove up to Indian Heads which was a straight 70km drive up the beach. On the way we stopped to see the shipwreck of the SS Maheno, an old luxury liner that was being towed to Japan for scrap minus its engines in 1920 odd. The rope from the other boat broke and it washed up. Its been there ever since and is just rotting and rusting away. Looks pretty cool though. Later on the drive we got flagged down by a guy in a hi vis vest who told us there'd been an accident a little further up. A 4x4 with 9 people in, just like ours had somehow rolled in the sand, 1 person had died and a lot of others had suffered broken bones after being thrown through the windows. Bit of a shock to witness it considering we were driving on the same stretch. The news crew had already turned up as well as an ambulance and helicopter. We were warned before setting off about washouts and how the sand consistency can change every couple of hundred yards. Many people have died over the years just from speeding on the beach and inexperience of driving 4x4s in different surface conditions. Wisely, we kept the speed right down after this!

Later we arrived at Indian Heads and climbed up to the top where we took in some fantastic views. You can see tiger sharks and turtles in the water from the top as well as miles of coastline with the lightest blue sea in either direction, absolutely breathtaking. After getting plenty of pics we headed back down to the car and drove back down the beach stopping at Eli Creek, a freshwater creek with quite chilly water to be fair! The lads will know what I mean, ha ha. We chilled in the water for a while before driving back to camp.

That evening, we were joined by 3 other carloads of people who set up camp and before long we were all sat around playing drinking games and having the crack. Two of the new lot included 2 German girls, circus performers who showed off their skills by balancing each other in various positions, they did quite well considering they were well drunk! Also, a guy from Brazil who did the best impression of a horse EVER! Couldnt get enough of it! As the new lot had only just arrived there that day and we were still feeling the effects of the night before most of us headed to bed earlyish knowing that another full day lay ahead. After hearing the Brazilian horse neighing at his fullest in the distance i went to sleep. The dingoes came out again that night, about 20 of them this time, all howling! I went to the toilet with my torch and on turning it on on my walk back to the tent, spotted one of em about 8 feet away! It just sauntered off though.

On our last day on the island after the sun coming over the tent woke us up sweating at 5.30am we all got up and cooked breakfast, all we had left was steak and eggs and the eggs looked pretty rank once they were fried in the fat of the steak so I just had the steak by itself. After washing up in the sea we packed all the tents into the car and following a visit from a mechanic on the island who we'd called the previous night, we set off. Our low range wasnt working on the car and we were sure that we'd need it for the drive back.

We drove about 12km through the deepest sand tracks yet before arriving at Lake Mackenzie. 12km doesnt sound like a lot but on sand tracks it can take ages.. Lake Mackenzie was awesome, the clearest water i've ever swam in and the whitest sand I've ever seen. You can stand up to your neck in the water and still see your feet clear as day on the bed. There was also a little raised path underwater that you can walk out over that leads you to a gorgeous sandbank. After an hour or so chilling out and a nap in the sun we headed back to the car and headed to the barge for the trip back to the mainland. We managed to spot a dingoe in daylight and pulled up right next to him and got a couple of really cool pics. It took us 90 minutes to drive to Kingfisher Bay, only a distance of 13km or so. We had to dig the car out no less than 5 times as well as pushing it out of the ruts. Good job our low range was working again, we wouldnt have made it otherwise! We made it to the barge with 9 mins to spare, crossed to the mainland and back to the hostel all in one piece.

That night, I had what felt like the best shower of my life after spending the last 3 days just rinsing off in lakes and rivers. I was completely shattered and crashed out not hearing Ciara knocking to get in the room. Poor girl had to get the girl on rception to let her in. She want happy with me to say the least!

After another night spent in Hervey Bay and some of the best fish and chips ever we set off the next morning on the bus to Noosa about a 3 hour drive away. Noosa was OK for the 2 days we were there, we didnt really do a great deal, just chilled on the beach and had a wander. Noosa is pretty upmarket and pricy to eat out and drink so we just cooked for ourselves. I managed to find a lovely rendang sauce and cooked up some beef and rice, mmm. Day two of Noosa saw me wake up at 2am with what has since turned out to be an ear infection. It felt like Satan himself had been twisting a white-hot poker inside my head. Proper pain!

Next morning we caught the train down to Nerang, near Surfers Paradise and hunted down a doctors surgery where i paid $100 for the doc to tell me what I already knew and prescribe me some meds! Still, you cant chance losing your hearing. We spent 2 nights in Surfers Paradise, which as the name suggests is full of surfers and surf shops. It's not a bad place to spend a few days but with all the bars and clubs and 'VIP' tours its a bit too bling and plastic for my tastes. On our last night we met up with Nath and Becca for a catch up and went for a really nice Thai meal and some wine.

The following morning we set off for Byron Bay which has to be one of the best places we've visited so far in Oz. It's got a heavy hippy vibe about the place, everyone walking round in bare feet, tons of craft shops everywhere, loads of surfing and some good bars and places to eat. On our first night there it rained so we bought some beers and cooked dinner and chilled in the room. We planned on going out to check out a live band but the weather put a downer on things. Next day it rained again all day so we headed out just to buy food. It saved us money as we just sat about reading magazines all day. Yesterday we wanted to get out and see a bit so took a walk up to the lighthouse which is a bit of a trek, passing Australias most easterly point on the way. The view from the top was great although we didnt bother with sunblock and sure enough it brightned up later on and now we're both a bit pink! In the evening we went out for a nice Mexican meal and then went and watched Where The Wild Things Are at the flicks.

Today we've just had a bit of a wander, chilled on the beach on the morning, had a nice Mexican chilli pie ( Aussie pies are tops!) and killed time before we get on our coach to Sydney tonight, a 14 hour journey. We'll be meeting Ciara's mate Jennie and then heading from just outside Sydney up to the Blue Mountains for Xmas, should be good!

I think that covers everything we've done in Oz so far and I'm pretty sure I've wrote enough for one day so I'll leave it there for now!