Its been a while so we thought we would try and catch up on the blogging, use up some of the free internet at the campsite we are staying on in Oz!! Internet is even more expensive over here than in New Zealand, although petrol and food seems to be more reasonable, as well as the cost of the camp sites.

We left you in Timaru (new Zealand), where we then headed inland to a D.O.C. site in the Peel Forest. This site was set in amongst the mountains and forest, a beautiful spot with a few great walks. It is a popular destination for campers from all over the south island with good facilities and the cheap rates saved us a fortune!! The weather picked up for a couple of days as well, even managed half a days sunbathing!!

From there we headed south towards Mount Cook, stopping off at lake Tekapo. We couldnt begin to describe the colour of the water in these lakes, the brightness of the blues quite breathtaking. The following morning we headed out to Mount Cook, again blessed with clear blue skies and the perfect view of New Zealands highest mountain. We decided to stop for the night at the D.O.C. site to save money, and once pitched up, we took a 4 hour hike to the glaciers at the foot of the mountain. Awesome scenery. That night a storm closed in and the wind was incredible. There was a Japanese cyclist who had pitched his tent next to our van who was nearly blown away. We awoke at 4am to hear him screaming outside and when we looked out the window he was literally tanghled up in his tent being swept across the ground!! I got up and went to try and help but he wouldnt let me!! He just took all his poles out of the tent and wrapped it around him like a sleeping bag and was gone before we woke up in the morning, peddling south!!

We then headed south to Cromwell, just outside the Queenstown ready to celebrate my birthday. After the previous days hiking we decided just to chill out at the camp site and catch up on the lost sleep from mount cook national park, conserving energy for the following nights celebrations. I cooked a curry, addining to my ever increasing list cullinary skills!!

Arrived in Queenstown as i turned 30 and headed to the skyline gondola. The weather was still good so we headed up and bought tickets for the tobogan runs. After that we headed over to the town and bought the best ice cream either of us had ever had, only to discover just as we sat down to take a photo of the peice of art that was the ice cream, that our camera was missing. Nightmare scenario as we had not backed up all the amazing photos we had taken over the previous few days from mount cook etc. We than spent the rest of my birthday trying to find out if it had been handed in anywhere but no joy. The first part of my birthday evening was spent in the cop shop reporting our camera stolen before settling on the first pub we could find to drown our sorrows!!! Fortunately there was a great band on in this bar so we didnt make it to any others!!
The follow day was a hangover so we didnt achieve too much!! You only turn 30 once though im told so hey....

Ordered a new camera on our way out of queenstown, to be picked up in Christchurch. Headed north but on the inland scenic route and stopped at a couple of independant camp sites, the nicest of which was in the ski resort of Methaven. Dead in the when we were there but you could tell it would be a great town in ski season.

Next we headed to Akaroa, a french and english setllement from the early 1800’s built in the flooded crater of a volcano. This place was really beautiful and had been recommended by all the kiwis we had spoken to throughout the trip. Sadly the weather let us down and the fog was so thick we couldnt really appreciate it in all its glory. A local mauri museum killed a couple of hours in the rain though.

Got back to christchurch and handed the camper van back. We then had a couople of days to take a look at christchurch. We lost half a day though not managing to get up after our first night in a proper bed for two months, even if it was a dirty hostel. Next stop OZ!!!
Having watched the news in new zealand detailing the massive heat wave smothering Australia, we landed in Melbourne with high expectations and craving some sunshine. True to form we arrived to a thunderstorm and a huge downpour!!

The following morning we had an early start to the airport and caught a flight to Alice Springs, from where we would start our 3 day camping trip at Uluru. The ‘red centre’ was hot as expected and after a long walk into town in 40 degrees heat, we spent the afternoon by the pool. Alice Springs itself was exactly as had been described to us. Hot, unattractive and not particularly friendly. The Aboriginals were all drunk or worse and quite intimidating.

The bus arrivd early the following day and we were greated by Megsy, our tour guide. Megsy was quite short and stocky and rediculously full of energy for that time of the morning. Straight away we were given the phrase of the trip...’it’s too easy!!’.
Once the rest of our group of 16 were collected from various hostels we began the 6 hour journey to the rock....with two right hand corners!! Along the way we stopped at a camel farm where we were given the opportunity to ride a camel. Crazy looking things camels and we enjoyed it. As we left the camel farm Megsy informed us we were eating camel for dinner!!

When we finaly arrived at camp for the night we had a BBQ lunch and headed straight back out to view the Olgas. The temperature by lunch time was 45 degrees and the air conditioning on the coach was neither use nor ornament. We topped up with water and walked up to th efoot of the olgas. These beautiful rocks looked amazing against the perfect blue sky but the heat was incredible. You are trying to appreciate your surroundings but begging for a cold pool to sink into! Instead we visited the Aboriginal visitors centre at Uluru for an introduction to their culture and art.

Over the afternoon the clouds started to come in as we headed to Uluru for champagne sunset. Two glasses of bubbly were enough for all of us, and as the sun set over Ayers rock the group got to know each other better. The changing colours of the rock were unforgettable. Megsy had news of a storm that had ripped through the camp after we had left destroying many tents. We headed back and found some had been completely destroyed, but there were still enough to go around. The BBQ was reignited and dinner was Kangaroo stakes, Camel sausages and salad!! Awesome!!

The following morning was sunrise at Uluru so only a few hours kip. Sadly the clouds came over and ruined it a bit but we still managed to get an awesome view. We were then driven closer to the rock to begin our 9km base walk.....at 6am!! By 9am we had walke around the rock and then Megsy joined us for the last 1km to point out some of the sacred sites and explain their importance. By this time the temperature was already 30 degrees plus!

After lunch we had another long drive to our new camp near Kings Canyon. We stopped off at the side of the road along the way to jump into the bush and collect some camp fire wood. The only adivce offered was ‘if it moves, dont pick it up’!! The good news on arrival was that this camp had a resort near by with a shop to stcok up on supplies and a pool we could use! That afternoon was spent with a cold beer in the pool.

That night the guys built a camp fire while the women cooked dinner!! Awesome!! Two of the guys had bought Kangaroo tales from the shop and as promised Megsy cooked them in the camp fire and shared them around. The less said about the taste and texture of Kangaroo tale the better!! I would put it right up there with American Gritts on the list of I dont eats!!

That night we all sat out late to see the stars and they were the most spectacular either of us had ever seen. Out in the bush there was no light polution at all and everything was intensified. Some of our group were brave enough to sleep out in swags, but the dingos freely roaming around the camp put us off a bit!!

The last day of the trip was a half day guided treck around Kings Canyon and the garden of eden. The pictures speak for themselves with this one it really is a beautiful place. Still in the middle of what we though was the desert, we couldnt believe it started raining for the first time since the previous November!! It just seems to follow us around. Fortunately this didnt ruin the Kings Canyon and in some ways it just made everything look that bit more spectacular.

Once back on the road again it took 6 hours to get back to Alice Springs....with two left turns!! Most of the group reassembled at Annies Place for a farewell meal and a couple of beers.

Next morning we nearly missed the plane back to Melbourne, after paying for two taxi rides instead of one we just made it with 10 minutes to spare.

In Melbourne we stayed at Base hostel in st Kilda, with our own room and private bathroom it felt like the hotel we were craving! Melbourne itself is a nice city with a very modern centre and the quirky St Kilda which reminds you a bit of Brightons Lanes. We spent 3 days here and met up with Martina, a german girl we had met in Fiji studying international law here. We had a good night out on Ackland Street before picking up our rental car the following morning to journey up the coast.

We picked up the car and headed straight to K-Mart to buy a tent, our home in OZ!! The first night we ended a 5 hour drive in Malacoota, a gorgeous little beach/fishing town. We managed to pitch our tent, just about, in the dark and after about 20 minutes scouring a 2m x 2m tent for spiders etc we crashed out. The following morning the sun was out and we spent a couple of hours touring around the area before heading north again along the coast to Batemans Bay, half way between Malacoota and Sydney.

Batemans Bay didnt really have anything going for it other than the 5 star camp site we stayed at, so we headed straight on to Sydney to meet up with our friend Dom from home. On arrival Dom and his mate walked us down to the harbour and showed us the bridge and the opera house as we ate ice cream in the sun. The bridge is impressive but the opera house is something else. It does look as if it needs the roof cleaning though! Anybody visiting Australia must see the harbour of Sydney, its great.

We then headed back to Doms hostel for an introduction to the legendary ‘GOON’ (Crap boxed liquid they call wine over here)!! Dom then booked us into a camp site north of the bridge so we headed over there. This camp site was set in Lane Cove National Park, north sydney. We pitched our tent next to a lovely Irish couple who immediately cracked open a load of beers and we spent the night on the lash, to overcome the fear of all the wildlife freely roaming around us!! Possums literally eating crisps out of Aidens hand!! The beers kicked in though and before long we werent to bothered by the animals and slept well that night.

The following day we headed out to Coogee beach in Aiden and Amy’s jeep for the day with a BBQ lunch. Unfortunately their jeep kept overheating and it took us about 3 hours to drive the 12km to the beach!! Once there though we had a great BBQ in the sun overlooking the beach and finally made it into the sea. The journey back to camp though was eventful as the jeep continued to breakdown and we had to be towed out of the harbour tunnel. A few more beers that night sorted everything out!

The following day we packed up early and headed out to the Blue mountains on our own. The weather was good and we found a great little camp site right next to the three sisters. That afternoon we spent in the blue mountains national park, another must for anyone visiting australia. In the park you can also ride the worlds steepest railway to the forest floor.

That night we paid the price for pitching our tent in the least sheltered place in the site as a storm came in and nearly destryed our tent with us in it!

Whilst in New Zealand, we met a couple of Aussies called Adam and Cassie at a camp site in Waitomo. They offered to put us up for a couple of nights at their place in Maitland, near Sydney, and take us out wine tasting in the Hunter Valley. As we had kept in touch we headed up to Maitland and had a fantastic weekend. We enjoyed a great day tasting wines and spirits (avoid chillie schnapps at all costs!!) as well as visiting cheese factories. That evening we had a proper Aussie BBQ at Adams mum and dads place rounding off the evening with a game of poker. Still cant believe the last round i lost with the hand i had!! We would both like to thank, Mark, Angela, Adam, Cassie and the kids from next door for a fantastic weekend. We really enjoyed every moment of it and were treated like royalty! We look forward to welcoming them to England as soon as possible.
The next few days were spent driving up to Brisbane to meet up with Sean and Emma, the other irish couple from New Zealand and making our way together up to Mooloolaba for Christmas. The hostel we stayed at was ok and the four of us had a great time at the beach. We had a chinese on Christmas eve and tried to feel like it was really christmas. We made two new friends in Adam and his mum Jude who then spent the rest of the festivities with us. We saw the 25th of December in, in local Irish bar O’maleys where Sean had a break dance off with some competitive Aussies.

We enjoyed Christmas day on the beach where we lazed in the blazing sunshine, body boarded in the waves and had a BBQ Christmas dinner on the beach wearing our Santa hats around our little fibre optic tree. (and drinking copious amounts of XXXX Gold and Pink Champagne!!!) We had a great Xmas but it just wasnt the same as an English one home with all the family, roll on xmas 2010!!! Boxing day was very different to usaual, and we both missed the afternoon drinking at The Navi and xmas left overs with all the family, instead we visited Australia Zoo (Aka Steve Irwins Zoo) where we saw his family do a cheesy show feeding the Crocs! Here we fed baby Kangaroos, petted a baby aligator and stroked a koala, we wanted to hold one but $35 a photo seemed outrageous! A fun day out but it didnt feel like xmas, as zoos go it was a bit over rated but everyone you speek to recomends it. (Berlin Zoo is much better)

From Malloolaba we caught the bus back to Brisbane to pick up a car, unfortunatly we didnt manage to get a free upgrade like we were hoping which was unlucky beacuse between for of us we had 5 suit cases and countless handluggage. Struggeling to pack everything in to the Toyota Corolla we had ordered we noticed there was a problem shutting the boot, so managed to bag ourselves a Rav 4 Jeep for free for the inconvinience caused just as it was returned, we had to wait for it to be valeted and while doing this we noticed that the boot on the original car now closed properly it was just that it was over filled so we told them not to bother washing the out side of the jeep and got on our way luckily before they realised!! Jeep still full to the brim despite the upgrade! We spent the next four days driving down to Sydney in terrential rain, stopping in Surfers Paradise (a place where you need money to enjoy yourself), Byron Bay (nice beach, full of surfers and hippies), Coffs Harbour (another nice beach) and Gosford where we stayed at Jude and Adams house, where we made Lasagna and celebrated New Year a night early, enjoying too much wine for the night before New Years Eve!! Having a really late night we were up later than we had wanted so had a mad rush to get to Timmy G’s house for 9.30 in the morning!!!!

Dropped our stuff off at his and the lads got rid of the car, we then had the manic task of finding Milsons Point. After being given wrong directions by the guy at Avis and catching the wrong bus we made our way on the ferry across the harbour to Luna Park, where despite the warnings that we would get our alchol confiscated like Tim had we walked straight through into the park! All wondering why it had been so easy to get in we realised we had followed a truck in so all put our heads down walking quickly and all hoping not to be caught! We finaly found Tim and his Danish girls at 2.30 and setteled down in the sun, luckily the rain held off!! Enjoying a picnic and an afternoon of dri nking we watched at the park filled up, seeing the first load of fireworks go off at 9.00 and the BIG show at 12.00!! The noise from the crowd was imense and the fireworks spectacular, the main feature being the bridge and over the water dissapointingly The Opera House wasnt a feature in the display though! Waiting for the crowds to disperse we continued to celebrate finding it hard to take in that we were actuially in Sydney overlooking The Opera House, all a very surreal experience!! Walking over The Harbour Bridge in to the city was equally as surreal, that in itself was an unforgettable moment, probably heightened by the amount of beer we had drank!!!

1st January 2010 was strangly hangover free for us all, so we headed to Darling Harbour and lazed in the Botanical Gardens. Once back at Tim’s we chilled out in his living room (a home comfort we were desperate for) watching Flight of The Concords (Great Kiwi humour!!). The next Tim shaved his head as part of his new years resolution and we headed to Palm beach, or Home and Away beach as some will know it as! It is actually one of the most beautiful beaches we have seen in Oz and we had a great afternoon in the sea. Alf Stewarts name is above the door of the surf club aswell, strewth!!!

Andy - We then re-visited Maitland to find Adam and Cassies dog Demus in a nappy with a plastic cone around his neck!! Cassie as promised cooked us up the perfect pommy roast dinner whilst Adam and his parents took Andy waterskiing in Nelsons bay. First time in 15 years and up first time so more than chuffed! Dont remember it being as draining as it is though!! Got the bug again and cant wait to have another go. On the way home we stopped in at a....get this.....Drive thru booze store!! Adams mum drove us all home and we relaxed in the car with a few beers, anticipating the roast dinner awaiting us!! Again, many thanks to all the Carruthers’s for spoiling us rotten.

So now we are more or less up to date for the first time in weeks and we intend to keep it up to date! The weather is aweful, raining constantly so we are using the days to drive up the coast towards Cairns trying to find some sunshine. We are currently in Hervey Bay and the rain hasn’t stopped once. On the news, 3 guys have been attacked by flying Fox’s carrying some kind of deadly disease and a Cane Toad was hopping around the camp site kitchen last night!! The Aussies are loving the rain as grass is starting to grow and looking green again, and of course they love reminding us that we should be used to this kind of weather!! The forecast isnt great for the foreseeable so we are looking forward to Asia now. Just under two weeks to go so fingers crossed for some good weather over the barrier reef.