Howdi all!

Already feels like so long ago now that i left Cairns, simply because i have crammed so much in between then and now...not to mention the fact that i am now in grey overcast Melbourne worlds away from sunny Queensland!

Was feeling pretty downbeat when i first joined the Adventure Tours group in Alice, as i was still adjusting to being without Jasper & Mathilde...though it didn't take long before sleeping side-by-side in swag's, having to wee behind the bus' trailer in the middle of the outback and getting pissed up in the underground world of Coober Pedy broke down the barriers and i found myself getting on really well with everyone in the group! Spent a lot of time with an English couple; Cat & Phil who became the focus of the 4th weird-and-way-too-small-a-world experience - 1. Discovering that both Rich (guy me & Joe met in Asia) and I knew Grace Basham and also bumping into him almost everywhere! 2. Seeing Nicky and Vicky from first year at Uni in Luang Prabang, Laos, 4. Bumping into Joe's James' mates from Leeds in the same hostel as me in Cairns 4. Finding out that Cat used to be in band with Joe and that they had a wee holiday romance on one of their band trips when they were about 14..........!!!! So that officially freaked me out for the rest of that day! Anywho so yeah got on really well with Cat & Phil, had such a good giggle with them especially in Coober Pedy when we all went out to the underground bar for a bevvy or two and ended up getting tips on the best porn photographers from the barman, whilst feeling like we were in some kind of stuck-in-the-80's timewarp, surrounded by people who consider bomb-making a nice family activity and then returning to our underground (your getting the picture now yeah....that we basically lived like moles whilst here? Minus the burrowing of course, that had already been done for us) bunker to snack on coco pops and have a pillow fight up and down the corridor!

It was a trip which involved many firsts for me also - the first time i have thought of weeing in the middle of the road as normal, the first time i have ever won a game of pool, the first time in my life i have felt like a walking piece of poo as flies buzz around my face and up my nose, the first time i have 'broken into' a childrens playground at night and convinced myself i can fit my arse into those little springy animal seat things...it DID fit...eventually...though getting out was another challenge, the first time i have eaten emu and camel and the first time i think i have found myself genuinly appreciating country music - all thanks to 'save a horse, ride a cowboy' THE most fantastic country tune of the moment....! Also some seconds - the second time since i have been away that i have accidentally kicked a frog (this one was crossing my path along the boardwalk that leads to the 12 Apostles lookout - despite quite a headache he was ok) and the second time since i've been in Australia that i have been asked to model (i think i forgot to mention the uber-sexy modelling of the scuba gear in Cairns?); my assignment this time was to model as a sheep while our tour guide demonstrated how they were sheared - i played the part so convincingly that he bought my a Cherry Ripe choc bar later that evening to say thanks! Raking in the freebies from these modelling jobs (was given a mask for the scuba modelling)!!!

Well i thought i had more to fill you all in on here but im feeling a bit brain dead to be honest. My intentions last night upon arriving in Melbourne (and feeling very intimidated, disorientated and lonely finding myself in a big city on my todd after a couple of weeks of being with the same group of people travelling through the desert and very small southern and coastal towns) were, as always, good however being the sheep that i am it didn't take long before i swayed into thinking drinking some wine was a good idea...and then that going out was a good idea...and then that staying going from wine to beer was a good idea...sooooo, not feeling quite with it today but fingers crossed this blog is at least comprehensible. I plan to be fairly active for the next 5days in Melbo - seeing the sights, maybe soaking up a bit of culture (though if i have started as i mean to go on here there isn't much chance of that!) and getting around the city....i have already used the tram twice sucessfully so i am pretty proud of myself, though i must admit im not sure whether i can take credit as i have just been jumping on and hoping for the best, so i guess i have just been lucky really!

Uploading some pics, they're taking an age and most of them consist of the same flat, red, sandy scenery...you will be desperate for some more Cairns-esque piccies soon i know it!

Hope all is well back home, look forward to hearing from you all.

Lots of love,

a very confused-looking lone Pommie in Melbo x