Thursday 29th November 2007

Me and Nikki got up nice and early this morning, and by the time the Beave' was finally ready (nearly 2 hours later), we all hired bikes from the hostel and went out for the day. First we cycled down towards where all the Parliament buildings are. We started by visiting the old Parliament Building and the Aboriginal Parliament House... which is a porta-cabin type building, stood next to the huge Australian one - it's quite funny to see.

Next, we cycled on to the new Parliament House, which is built into the side of a hill - meaning you can walk right over the top... we even ate our lunch up there! We had a quick look around and then went on a guided tour - getting to go into the chambers and Senate rooms. One of the funny things about the new Parliament building is that there are 2500 clocks - meaning that nobody has an excuse for being late when important matters are being discussed (an alarm sounds, people check the time and then they have about 4 minutes to get to where they should be). We were told that when the alarms ring back in England - they go off in the nearby pubs!

When we left Capitol Hill, we cycled on further to the Australian Mint, which is where they press all the money. We had a look around and learnt about how it's all done. We were told that there are mints in Canberra, Perth and Melbourne and the coins are identified by either a 'C', a 'P' or an 'M'. Before we left, we even pressed our own Australian dollar. It's a special one, which commemorates the 75th birthday of the Sydney Harbour Bridge (1932-2007)... bizarrely, it cost $2.50 to do!

On our way to our next site, we stopped in the hostel for a 'tea break' and then cycled on to the War Memorial. We got there quite late, so we weren't allowed to see the whole place, but we did get to see a closing ceremony, called the Last Post (which is played at funerals - it's to symobilse the end of the day, or rest). That was really cool. Afterwards we cycled back into town, where we stopped in the shops and bought some sushi for our tea, before coming back to the hostel. Tonight, we did some washing and rang my Mum and then just chilled out again before our journey back to Sydney tomorrow.

I can't believe we've almost made it back to Sydney - it seems like we only left yesterday!

Wednesday 28th November 2007

We'd already booked two nights at the YHA in Canberra so, when we got off the Greyhound at just after 7am this morning, we knew exactly where we were going. The hostel wouldn't let us check in straight away - because some lucky buggers were still asleep in their beds... our beds! Instead, we just hung around the hostel and took advantage of the facilities. After a while, Nikki and Steve went for a walk around town... to look for something for my birthday (which is in 7 days) - so I stayed at the YHA.

My Mum and Keith had pre-warned us that there wasn't much in Canberra. Now, I have to be honest - I wanted to judge for myself first because - i'm not sure if they've been to the same Australia as us (They told us they couldn't imagine what we'd find to do for 6 months in Australia - we could probably see it in a month (the wallies... they've been here for two and haven't seen it all) and that we don't need to see both Kakadu National Park and Katherine Gorge - they're both the same... even though one has a MASSIVE gorge, and the other doesn't (ha ha)). So, this afternoon me and Nikki went for a walk around the shops. The centre isn't very big - but it's quite nice and there's a pretty big shopping centre, with some nice cafés.

This evening we came back to the hostel and chilled out. We got chatting to another guy in our room, called Adam, and he's from Bristol - and then we spoke to another girl in the kitchen and she's from Bath - it's brilliant, the South West of England is taking over! We had some more noodles for our tea and then just relaxed - it's quite surprising how not getting much sleep on those lovely Greyhound buses can take it out of you. We got in bed and had an early night... well, Nikki did - I sat up reading until about midnight!

Canberra... are you sure this should be the Capital?

Tuesday 27th November 2007

Once again, the alarm goes off and we're up and out of bed in time to get dressed, have some breakfast and check out of our room by 10am. I tell you, this traveling lark can be tough! We're far too stingy to pay to store our bags in the security lockers, so we just take the important things like the passports etc and dump them in reception. We then headed out into the sunshine.

Me and Nikki started by looking in a couple of the shops - seeing if there was anything we'd like to buy, but couldn't possibly afford? When we got bored of the window shopping, Nikki decided she wanted to go into Myer (a large department store) and check out their 'Christmas section'. We then spent about 20 minutes looking at decorations and toys... so it wasn't that bad!

Because it was such a beautiful day today (Nikki definitely regretted wearing jeans), we went for a picnic down by the Yarra River, which was really nice. Afterwards we had another look round town and ended up at the library, where we used the free internet, and tried to catch up on any news at home.

This evening, when we made it back to the hostel, we had some noodles for our tea and then just hung around on the comfy seats in reception - using the free internet we'd been given there. I just read my emails (or lack of), and Nikki checked her Facebook. When it was time, we walked round to the bus station and jumped onto the Greyhound bus for Canberra.

OK Sydney, you've got a lot of work to do - if you wanna impress us more than Melbourne!

Monday 26th November 2007

We got up nice and early this morning, because we needed to check out of our room - and into another. When we left our room at 10am, we were told we weren't allowed into our new room until after 11.30am - so we just dumped the bags and went out for the day. We walked down the street and jumped on the Circle Line tram round the city and then down to the Docklands.

The weather was glorious down there and after wandering about for a while, looking in all the swanky cafés, Steve decided he was gonna come back to the hostel. First though we looked at some of the art that's on display down there - including the new Kylie statue and the artwork Cow Up A Tree(!). When Steve had gone, me and Nikki had a walk along Flinders Street - checking out the things we'd not seen before. We even popped in the 'Official Neighbours Store'. Some of the things in there were really expensive - so Nikki just bought herself a little keyring. When we left and were wandering the streets, I found $20 on the floor... bargain.

This afternoon, me and Nikki went to visit Fitzroy Park, where they've got a place called Cook's Cottage. Now, this cottage was sold by an Englishman, to some Australian - who then shipped it over, brick by brick, from England. The thing is, Captain James Cook (the one responsible for discovering Australia) never actually lived in the house... his Mum did... how crazy is that?

Me and Nikki came back to the hostel this evening and after checking ourselves into our new room and then having some food, went out for the night - to the Crown Complex, which has 22 restaurants, a cinema and most importantly a casino. Me and Nikki didn't do too good - we lost $20 on the roulette, but the Beave' did well. He was gonna give up, but I made him place 'one more bet' and he won $90... jammy git! After that, he cut his loses and we left.

Ow, last day in Melbourne tomorrow!

Sunday 25th November 2007

After last nights visit to the theatre, we didn't bother setting any alarms - and thought we'd wake up in our own time. Little did we know, our own time was 11.40am! By the time we'd got up, got ready, had breakfast and then finally left the hostel, it was about 1pm! We decided that we'd buy a Sunday Saver tram ticket and ride down to St. Kilda - where we'd visit Luna Park and maybe have a beer with Adam before we leave Melbourne.

When we left the centre it was quite cloudy but when we got into St. Kilda, we got off the tram and it had all cleared - and was really bright and sunny. We went straight into Luna Park, but were disappointed to find that the Scenic Railway (the oldest rollercoaster in the world) was being repaired - so we couldn't ride it. Everything else seemed geared towards children, so we left and walked back along the promenade - looking at the stalls of the Sunday market.

We rang Adam and invited him out for a beer. Telling him to meet us at the Esplanade Hotel. Me, Nikki and Steve got ourselves a beer and then sat out the front overlooking the sea. Not long afterwards Adam arrived... with Ash in tow - he'd finally made it out of Adelaide. We spent the next couple of hours chatting about old times and laughing and joking in the sunshine. When it was time for them to leave we finished our beers and walked to the supermarket to buy some food. However, when we got there we decided we couldn't be bothered to cook and walked back into town to look for somewhere to buy a burger.

On our way back, we bumped into Adam - sat outside a pub called L'otel, who were offering a free bbq to paying customers - we were in there before finishing say 'hello' to Adam. We helped ourselves to loads of food and then found Ash who was sat inside. We spent the next couple of hours pretty much where we'd left off - drinking and having a laugh. We partied through the free bbq, then through free drinks hour and then 2-for-1 hour. I can't remember much about it - but i've seen the pictures and at some point me and Ash decided to swap trousers... and stripped off in the middle of the bar - d'oh! When it was time to leave L'otel we all piled back to Adam and Ash's hostel where we continued drinking... this time goon (wine in a box) until it was time to catch the tram back to the centre.

Catch you later Adam and Ash... it's been a laugh!

Oh, when we were on our way out earlier we found a wallet full of cash on the floor. Being the honest people that we are, well me and Steve - Nikki wanted to take the cash (just joking), we handed it in, and when we got back this evening the guy had collected it... and left us a $25 reward - bonus... honesty pays!

Saturday 24th November 2007

He wasn't happy about it, but the Beave' was up early again this morning. We woke him up just after 6.30am and he sulked until it was time to leave. When the car was finally loaded and we were on our way at just before 8.00am, he took about 10 minutes to fall back to sleep. He later argued he was awake for about half an hour, but couldn't tell me what was out of the window further than the hostel car park!

We stopped enroute back to Melbourne for a coffee and cookie in a McCafé, before arriving back in the city at just after 12pm. We then checked straight into our new hostel - Discovery Hotel - and then took the car back. Because it was at the end of the road where our hostel is, we then came back and had some lunch.

This afternoon we went for a walk around the shops. Eventually Nikki said she was going to go off on her own - to look for birthday presents for a certain someone... ME! (it's only 11 days now), so we went to the library and I used the internet. After an hour she came back (empty handed I must disappointingly add) and we walked back to the hostel.

Tonight, we got ourselves ready and went out for the night. We started by going for a drink in a British pub called The Elephant & Wheelbarrow (like the one in St. Kilda) and then afterwards we went to the theatre to watch the Phantom of the Opera. The show was really good, and the music was fantastic. It was quite hard to follow, and in the interval we had to ask the Beave' (who's seen it before), what was going on.

Just as the play was getting to it's climax some woman at the back of the theatre started to make loads of noise and was hissing and swearing (like something from the Exorcist). Everyone was looking round to see if it was part of the show... well, until the swearing anyway - then we knew it couldn't be... unless Andrew Lloyd Webber has had a rethink about the direction he wants the story to go in!?

When the play eventually finished and we were all leaving, we were ushered around a woman led flat out on the floor. We had no idea what was wrong with her because she wasn't in the recovery position, she was just led flat on her stomach (as if someone had sedated her or she'd been knocked out). Hope she's ok now!

The Phantom of the Opera is here... in Melbourne. I know because we saw it!

Friday 23rd November 2007

He did it! I'm not sure how, but the Beave' was up and waiting by the car at 8.30am this morning. Admittedly, he didn't have a shower or any breakfast (well, only the cuppa Nikki had made him) - but at least he was ready. It was a bit of a shame though - I was quite looking forward to throwing water over him. With us all in the car on time we set off West, to explore the rest of the Great Ocean Road.

Ok, i'm gonna be honest... I was a little disappointed with the Great Ocean Road at first today - and it was because we were what seemed to be miles from the ocean! No sooner had we left our cool hostel in Apollo Bay, we were driving inland. We did wonder if perhaps we'd taken a wrong turning or something but, according to the map, we were still on course. We did stop in a place called Melba Gully, where we went for a walk through the rainforest, and seen some pretty impressive trees - they were ABSOLUTELY HUGE. One in particular had fallen and had hollowed out through the middle, and it was so big, it looked like a giant slide... Nikki wouldn't let me try it though!

When the road did eventually lead back to the ocean, it was absolutely stunning - just as i'd imagined it would look, with huge rock cliffs - that have been weathered by rain and the crashing sea. Our first stop was at a place called Gibson Steps, which led right down to the beach. The sea was crazy today - it was really rough and looked like it was giving the rocks a right pounding. The sun was just breaking through the clouds and it made it all seem even more dramatic! Nikki and Steve sat on the beach, while I went off exploring and then when I got back we climbed back up to the road.

The scenic lookouts were coming thick and fast now - and then next was the famous Twelve Apostles. There are only six standing now, but you can still see where some of the other stood and they're pretty cool. They're really high and have been made into really odd shapes by the years of erosion! Just along the road a little further is the Loch Ard Gorge, which was the scene of a number of famous shipwrecks (the most famous being the Loch Ard) - and you could see why... there's no way i'd fancy anyone's chances in a boat - the tide was lethal! Loch Ard is where the rocks have been shaped into a huge arch.

Next, we stopped in a small town called Port Campbell for some lunch and then got back on the Great Ocean Road. The next lookout was called The Arch which, as the name suggests, is a huge arch. It's quite impressive - and you wonder how long it'll last before the ceiling caves in? The next lookout has done exactly that - it's called London Bridge, and apparently it used to be a double-arched rock platform - but part has given way into the sea and now its just a rock coming out of the land - the a gap and a smaller (but still massive) rock out in the sea.

Our final lookout on the Great Ocean Road was called the Bay of Islands, which is loads of rocks dotted around in the ocean - that have all been separated from the land. There are a lot more of them here than at the site of the Twelve Apostles, but they're not nearly as tall here. When we got back in the car, Nikki and Steve were obviously exhausted from all the walking and fell asleep while I drove us to a place called Port Fairy.

When we arrived, we popped into the shops and then into Tourist Information to ask what we could do? They told us of this little island that you can walk around, that's just on the edge of town. The lady said it was quite a pleasant walk - so we thought we'd check it out. I don't know how, but we got totally lost! One minute we were walking along a track - admiring the scenery and wildlife, and the next we were on top of a huge hill surrounded by long grass. We could see where we wanted to go, but it involved walking through the grass - and we were warned against that because of spiders and snakes - so we had to turn round and re-trace our steps. Instead of taking us 40 minutes, it ended up taking us well over an hour to get back to the car. By now I was exhausted and couldn't be bothered to drive anymore, so we found a really nice YHA and checked in for the night.

The Great Ocean Road turned out pretty great after all!

Thursday 22nd November 2007

I've decided that Steven Beavis, horses arse, is very similar to a koala... all he does is sleep. When his alarm goes off in the morning, he just sleeps through it. Even when he does hear it, he uses it as an excuse to turn over, and go back to sleep! Because the Great Ocean Road is a long way from Phillip Island, we wanted to leave early so that we could see as much as possible today... but the Beave' slept in - so we didn't get to leave until just after 9am. Tomorrow he's agreed that we can throw water on him if he doesn't get up. I kinda hope he sleeps in now!

We drove all the way from Phillip Island back to the city of Melbourne in about 2-3 hours and on the way we paid another visit to Pin Oak Court. Luckily, there was no filming today - so we got to have a walk around 'Ramsey Street'. It was really funny - and was good fun trying to remember who lived where. When Nikki was happy and finished with being part of Neighbours, we headed South West for a place called Torquay (near Geelong), and the start of the Great Ocean Road. The weather was ok today - it was very cloudy, but at least it wasn't raining.

The Great Ocean Road is pretty impressive. At first, it was miles away from the ocean - and we were thinking it was a bit of a con, but all of a sudden everything disappears and its just your car with the sea on one side and lush green countryside on the other. Some of the sights are pretty spectacular, but as yet I don't think it's as good as Route 6 in New Zealand (maybe as we get towards the 12 Apostles it'll improve!?).

This afternoon we drove to a small town called Lorne, where we stopped to do some shopping and then went into a small bakery to get a pie each. Afterwards we took a walk along the beach, where we watched some people on a surf lesson, and then got back in the car. We then drove onto Apollo Bay. We decided that it looked like a nice place to stop for the night and so after climbing up to the top of Mariner's Lookout, (which had amazing views of the coastline), we found a small hostel called Surfside Backpackers. The hostel is right on the beach, and we were expecting it to be quite expensive - but in fact it was only $25 each and we were given a family room - which included a huge window, with spectacular view of the sea... what a bargain!

As it was quite cold out, we stayed in tonight and played Trivial Pursuit. I won the first game (quite convincingly (ha ha)), but then in the second game - out of nowhere, Nikki won without me or the Beave' even answering a question (fluke, was the official verdict). As stunned as we both were, we could not believe it when she won the third game too... when the hell did she get brainy... it must be the sea air or something!

Clever Wifey... the Trivial Pursuit Champion!

Wednesday 21st November 2007

We woke up on our final morning in St. Kilda and it was absolutely hammering down with rain outside. I don't know what has happened... it was about 38° yesterday! We all had some breakfast, checked out and then at just after 10am me and Nikki went into the city to collect our hire car for our Great Ocean Road trip. We walked down to the sea front and jumped straight on a tram.

The Tram dropped us off right outside the library and, because we were picking up the car at 1pm, we went in to use the internet. As it was a weekday it wasn't too busy so we both got to use a computer.

At just before 1pm we went to collect our car - and just like last time it was a white Hyundai Getz (but this time it's a manual). We managed to find our way back to St. Kilda and picked up Steve and the bags from the hostel and took off. The weather was getting worse - and so was the traffic.

When we managed to get out of the city, we started by heading for Pin Oak Court... which is where the film Neighbours (yep, that's Ramsey Street's real name). Unfortunately, they were filming today so we couldn't walk that far up the street. We didn't see any stars either... d'oh! Afterwards, we jumped back into the car and continued South towards Phillip Island.

We managed to get to our hostel on Phillip Island at about 6pm and after having a quick bite to eat went out to the 'Penguin Parade'. Even though it was pretty cold and windy, we still saw loads of tiny penguins coming out of the sea as the sun set. They were quite funny to watch. One or two would appear on the edge of the water, but wouldn't get out - then a couple more would arrive, but they still wouldn't get out - until a pretty large group had assembled, then they'd all make a run (well waddle) for it! The final count for the number of penguins that came out of the water tonight was 596!

Yippee... On the road again!

Tuesday 20th November 2007

Being the little lazy devil that I am, I woke up at about 10.30am this morning... and Nikki had gone! Apparently she'd spoke to me a couple of times - but I just kept falling back to sleep - so she went into the dining room to sit with Steve. It's my own fault... I shouldn't have been out so late last night... partying with Dr Karl Kennedy (he he). When I eventually made it out of bed, we all sat and had some breakfast and then just sat around chatting until after 1pm.

This afternoon Nikki and Steve went off to the shops to get some food for our lunch and I went into an internet café just down the road to get the blog up to date before our Great Ocean Road road-trip. Afterwards, we all met back at the hostel and had a sarnie. We then went into town for a look around the shops on Acland Street... I even spent the rest of the birthday money my Gran gave me... 15 days before my birthday!

Tonight, Nikki cooked us, (me and her), a pasta bolognese for our tea and then we went to The George Cinema on Fitzroy Street to watch the late showing of Death Proof... which was really, really good! It was a bit weird and probably won't appeal to everyone, but we all thought it was great. Plus, it has one of the goriest, most spectacular crash scenes I have ever seen!

Oh, me and Nikki have been together for 9 years today!

Ramsey Street, Phillip Island, Great Ocean Road... here we come!

Monday 19th November 2007

It was really nice this morning, because me and Nikki woke up in our private double room, that looks like it belongs in a huge country manor - not a hostel... we've finally found our standard. Don't know how Steve got on - he was in a dorm with 7 others. Once we were all ready, we met in the dining room for some breakfast and then went out for a walk. We started by walking up Fitzroy Street and popping in a couple of the shops. We went into a small supermarket and Nikki found some bargains on the meat - she managed to get some chicken and some mince... so, no noodles for us tonight... yippee!

After shopping we all took a walk into Albert Park, where we sat down and had a picnic in the sunshine. When we were all finished, Steve took a walk up to Commercial Road (which is known to be like Brunswick Street... with loads of cafés and bookshops (he he)). Me and Nikki went and found the pub, the Elephant & Wheelbarrow, and then walked back to the hostel.

This afternoon, me and Nikki went for a walk down Acland Street, which is the one that was buzzing last night. It was a lot different today... what with most people having jobs to go to in the week! We passed a pub with a TAB and Nikki collected her winnings from the Melbourne Cup. For a $3 each way bet - she won $12... not bad for finishing 3rd! Afterwards we took a walk down to the beach, where we met Steve and then sat around people watching... it was packed. At one point a rather large woman collapsed in the sea and it was so busy nobody noticed - either that or they didn't care!

We came back at about 5pm this evening, had showers and rushed down a quick Thai chicken curry because we were going out... we'd booked to go to the 'Official Neighbours Trivia Night'. The excitement started before we were ready to leave though... when she was straightening her hair, Nikki somehow managed to set off the smoke alarms. We heard them, but ignored them (after checking the coast was clear of course) - but within minutes THREE FIRE ENGINES had arrived, and the fireman were banging on our door (luckily we'd just put some clothes on). Nikki appeared a little disappointed - she said the firemen were all too old for her (I don't know what she was planning on doing if a younger one turned up!?) - with the youngest being about 45 (ha ha). With us safely out of the hostel, we took a walk up the road and into the pub (the Elephant & Wheelbarrow) where we were sat on a table with some other 'Neighbours fanatics'... we wished Vicky and Wilksi were there too... they would've loved it!

Throughout the night we took part in a trivia quiz and met some of the stars - including Janelle, Rachel, Scott Parker, Malcolm Kennedy and... the LEGEND... Dr Karl Kennedy. Bouncer the Dog even made a made an appearance. At the end of the night Dr Karl's band 'Waiting Room' did a gig, which was really good - because they only perform once a month and he's off to England next week! We had an amazing time, got drunk and met some really cool people. We even bumped into Adam (of Adam and Ash)... yep, he was drunk... on goon!

Neighbours, everybody needs good neighbours... yippee!

Sunday 18th November 2007

Simple Steve woke us up this morning when his alarm went of at about 7.30am. We thought we were going to get a bit of a lay-in - but the plonker had put his name down to use the internet at 8am and needed to get downstairs. With no chance of getting back to sleep, me and Nikki had showers and then went down for some breakfast. After we'd had our goes on the internet (at the more respectable times of 9.30 and 10am), we hung around before checking out... there were free pancakes at 11am!

We left our hostel and walked down to the tram stop, which was one block along, before catching the tram out to St. Kilda. When we'd woke up this morning, it was absolutely hammering down - but now there wasn't a cloud in the sky, and I was seriously regretting wearing my combat trousers. We got off the tram at the beach and went looking for our hostel.

Olembia House, where we're staying for the next three nights, is very cool! It's a big old house, that has been really nicely decorated with loads of individual rooms - all really clean. Me and Nikki have got a double room to ourselves and Steve is in a dorm with loads of other people. Once we'd changed into our shorts and t-shirts, we were ready to hit the streets...

We walked down to the sea front and there was a Sunday market, which we looked around. When we'd got to the end we jumped on the tram and rode back into the CBD, where we went to the library to use the free internet. I updated some of the blog and also booked a car for Wednesday (so that we can drive along the Great Ocean Road) then, when Nikki had got back from doing some shopping, we went outside.

This evening we had a bite to eat and then went for another look around St. Kilda. We walked down the main strip of bars and restaurants, which was definitely the place to be. It was incredible - with loads of different music playing, and loads of nice smells coming from the various restaurants... shame we couldn't afford to go in! Afterwards, we sat on the beach and rang my Mum and Keith whilst watching the sun set.

After our Tasmanian 'holiday', Melbourne is definitely a nice place to be!

Saturday 17th November 2007

Nikki was awake and up before the alarm went off this morning and, being the amazing Wife that she is, had breakfast on the table for me when I woke up... what a gal! We got ourselves ready, made sure everything was packed and then took our bags to reception before heading into town.

Because we'd booked a taxi for 4pm this afternoon - to take us to the airport, we didn't want to do anything or go anywhere that would cause us to be late, so we just looked around the shops instead. After a couple of hours of window shopping we went to the City Park for a picnic. We sat on the grass and ate our sandwiches in the sunshine and then went to have a look at the monkeys that were on show there.

This afternoon, me and Nikki left Steve in the park and went for another look around town, where we bumped into a man walking an Al Paca that was shaved like a poodle (perhaps it's time to leave Tasmania after all?) before taking a slow walk back to the camp site. On the way we stopped in Hungry Jacks (Burger King to everyone at home) and shared a milkshake.

Our taxi turned up bang on time and pretty soon we were checked in at the airport - waiting to fly back to Melbourne. Everything was on time and our plane took off at just after 6.30pm. No sooner was it in the air, I fell asleep - and didn't wake up again until the plane bumped down at the other end. We collected our bags and the caught a taxi back to the centre of Melbourne, and back to Kings Street Backpackers - where we're staying for one night, before moving to St. Kilda.

Oww... I miss Tasmania already!

Friday 16th November 2007

It was heaven this morning - we had no alarms waking us up... just the sunlight coming through the windows at about 8.30am. Me and Nikki had a little cuddle and then got up, in good moods, to find that our caravan was being overrun by ants! Nikki ran to reception, who gave us some spray and we spent the next couple of hours eating our breakfast and killing insects... brilliant... not!

When the last ant was gone, and we were all ready we went out for a walk the Tourist Information had told us about. We started by walking into town, and to a place called Home Point, which was a small marina-type place with loads of little boats. Next we walked along the edge of the river for about half an hour, from Kings Bridge, along a trail which took us in between Cataract Gorge.

The gorge was great - with huge rock walls towering above us, and the river running down below us. We walked all along the track to a place called First Basin, which had a huge outdoor swimming pool and also a lake that people were swimming in. We spent the rest of the day led on the grass, sunbathing (it was 25° today - so much for Tasmania being cold), reading and swimming. Well, I say swimming - only I got in. Nikki got in up to her knees and Steve... well he slept... as usual!

This evening, just as the sun was started to set, we walked back to the caravan and Nikki cooked us all a meal, which was gorgeous! We then sat around chatting and chilling - it's surprising how laying about in the sun can really take it out of you (ha ha).

WOW! Everybody should visit Tasmania... it's FANTASTIC!

Thursday 15th November 2007

Much to his annoyance, we woke Steve up at just after 7am this morning. He has a real problem with waking up in the morning, so it was good fun telling him to get up so early (he he). We all got ready and then loaded the car before driving on to Devonport. Despite getting up so early - we still didn't leave until nearly 9am! It didn't matter though - Devonport was only about half an hour away.

We had a quick drive around town to see if there was anything nice about, and then Nikki popped into Tourist Information. They told us about a lighthouse on the edge of town so we parked the car and went for a nice stroll along the edge of the water in the morning sunshine. When we got to the lighthouse we sat around chatting for a while and then headed back to the car. By now it was just after 11am and we had to have the car back in Launceston (which was over 100km away), by 1pm... no sweat!

As we were bombing along the roads, through the beautiful green countryside, we saw a sign for a chocolate factory and thought we just had to stop. We spent a couple of minutes looking around the factory, but the real reason we were there was because the on-site shop did free tastings... we spent about three times as long in there, and despite filling up on free fudge and truffles - still came out with bags we'd bought!

Back on the road we saw another sign, this time for a raspberry farm - so Nikki had me swerving off the road again and into the car park. This time I stayed in the car while Nikki and Steve did a quick 'smash & grab' on the place - running in and then back out again with a huge punnett before I could turn the car around. They jumped in and we were headed for Launceston once again. We had about 25 minutes to go... but over half the journey left!

We safely pulled into the Treasure Island Campsite at just before 1pm (yippee) and I rang the car hire company to say we were in town, while Nikki and Steve checked us in. Boy, if we thought last nights caravan was old - then we were in for a shock! Tonight's was an even older model - from some time in the 50s... the 1850s! We threw the bags through the door and then went to drop off the car.

When we got to the car hire company, we were expecting to pay a charge of about $70 for going over our millage allowance (we were allowed to do 200km a day, 200km x 6 days = 1200km, Our total... 1477km) - but once the guy had checked over the car for dents and scratches, he said we were free to go - we couldn't get out of there quick enough! We ran over the road into a huge park and I only turned round to take a picture of the car (as proof that we had returned it!). Bargain... $70 in our pockets!

This afternoon we had a picnic in the park and then went for a walk around town. We had a look in some of the shops and then went into Tourist Information, who told us about some things we could do for free. We started by going to the museum which, even though quite small, was actually pretty good. They had all sorts of Tasmanian wildlife there - including Tasmanian Devils and Tigers(!). Afterwards we took a slow walk back to our caravan, stopping in the supermarket on the way. We then spent this evening just chilling out.

Only one afternoon without a car - and already Nikki and Steve are moaning about having to walk!

Wednesday 14th November 2007

We woke up in our cosy cabin this morning and jumped straight in the showers, so that we could get away for another day of exploring. We all sat around the table to eat our breakfast, packed up the car and then drove in to town.

Stanley is a really small place, and is in the shadow of a huge hill called 'The Nut'. Apparently, it was formed 13 million years ago when lava erupted from the ground. However it was formed - did it have to be so steep? We parked at the base and ignored the chair lift, (which cost $10 return), to walk to the top. The views from the top were amazing... right out over the North coast of Tasmania. From the North West of Tasmania, not far from where we were stood, there is nothing but ocean between you and the coast of Argentina... how cool is that?

When we'd made it back to the car we left Stanley and drove on to a place called Boat Harbour Bay, which was AMAZING! Everywhere in Tasmania is beautiful, but this was something else! It was a stunning beach that ran into a crystal blue sea - and it was surrounded by fields. It was like the prettiest UK countryside, surrounding a Caribbean beach - it was fantastic! Because it was about lunch time (and plus we're ALWAYS hungry) we had a little picnic on the side of the beach. Afterwards I went off rock climbing and for a paddle in the sea, which was surprisingly warm.

This afternoon we headed for Ulverstone, which is just outside of Devonport and, where we had already planned to stop for the night. On the way we passed by Table Cape lighthouse, which had more amazing views of the North coast (we've been spoiled for views in Tasmania). Afterwards we stopped in a small town called Penguin. There wasn't much there - but there was a giant statue of... believe it or not... a penguin. It was obviously a real novelty at first - but that has now worn off, because the penguin was filthy - it was covered in bird poo! Nikki and Steve did some food shopping in a town called Bernie and then we made it to our Big 4 campsite.

Our caravan is great, we think it was rescued from the 60's! It's yellow and white, with a dodgy flowery lino floor and mustard leather sofas - but hey, it's home (for the night). We all did some washing, which we hung out in the glorious sunshine and then went for a walk along the beach that runs along the back of our site. Afterwards we had noodles with vegetables for our tea and then kicked back and relaxed with a couple of beers... heaven!

Tasmania: relaxed atmosphere, beautiful countryside and stunning beaches... this place ROCKS!

Tuesday 13th November 2007

Because Cradle Mountain is about 100km away from Deloraine, we set the alarm nice and early this morning (about 7am). We all got straight up, had showers and some breakfast and were all ready to leave, but then couldn't be bothered. The view from the hostel balcony was absolutely stunning! It reminded us of the one from the terrace at Cameley Lodge, where we had our first breakfast as Hubby and Wife - so we sat outside eating our toast, but then couldn't be bothered to move. The weather was just as good as the view, and we eventually left at about 8.30am... d'oh!

All the way to Cradle Mountain, the beautiful morning weather was slowly disappearing - and everywhere was suddenly overcast. Thankfully, after the two hours it took to get there, the clouds had broken and the National Park looked awesome! We drove up to a place called Dove Lake and parked the car - before going for (another) walk. The walk took us about an hour and a half - and was much easier than the others we'd been doing lately - but was just as special. Cradle Mountain is HUGE and has one of Tasmania's highest peaks, at 1617m. Whilst on the walk it was as if we were the only people in the world - it was so quiet and peaceful. We got back to the car, where we had a sarnie for our lunch and then drove on...

We spent the rest of the afternoon and the start of this evening driving across country, up into the North West and a place called Stanley. Steve is absolutely unbelievable... he slept almost the whole way - we're sure he's narcoleptic! Some of the roads are so windy - it must be like riding a rollercoaster in the back off the car - but nothing wakes him... it's crazy! The drive really reminded us of some of the roads in New Zealand, with rolling green hills everywhere we looked.

Tonight we managed to check into a small cabin on a lovely campsite and had some cheese on toast for our tea. We had a quick walk along the beach, which is right outside - but then had to come inside because it looked like the weather would change for the worse again.

Me, Nikki and Steve... Walking experts!

Monday 12th November 2007

I don't remember anything about last night! Apparently, when Nikki and Steve got back to the hostel at 7.30pm, I was fast asleep - and I didn't wake up again until 8.30am this morning. Thankfully, I was feeling much better.

Me and Nikki took a walk to the shops to get some supplies, but when we got back to the hostel at about 10am, the manager said we weren't allowed to use the facilities (check out was 10am) - so he let us brush our teeth and then we left. Nikki and Steve had been chatting to some people in the hostel last night and they'd recommended a place called the Bay of Fires, which isn't very far away - so we thought we'd start the day there.

The Bay of Fires was fab! It's a group of unspoiled beaches - where hardly anyone visits, because when you park the car you have to go on a little walk. The further you walk - the better the beaches. They all had lovely white sand, the water was turquoise and they were surrounded by green countryside, so they were all pretty special. The views were fantastic. We walked for about an hour and we got to a beach on which there had only been one person before us today (we followed his footsteps). We bumped into him and he said that it was pretty tough going from that point on, and it involved a lot of climbing - so we called it a day (he probably wanted it all for himself). By now we'd driven as far North as we'd wanted to, so we started heading inland. Pretty soon we were passing past this tiny place called Pyengana, which was apparently well worth a detour - so we thought we'd check it out.

Our Lonely Planet was right - it was DEFINITELY worth it! First we stopped at one of Tasmania's highest waterfalls - St. Columbia Falls, which are 90m high. We had some lunch in the sunshine and then went on a walk through the bush, down to the foot of the falls. It was stunning - and very loud. As we were leaving we even had a drink of water from the stream (like dogs). On our way back out of Pyengana we stopped at a small roadside café, which is also a cheese factory. Everything there is made on site. It was really hot by now, so we all had a home-made ice cream and sat outside in the beautiful countryside surroundings.

Back on the road, we drove straight through Launceston (because we're going there at the end of our trip) and on to a small place called Deloraine. We found a small hostel called Highview Lodge YHA and checked in for the night. The hostel is quite 'kooky', much like my Nan's house - with loads of clutter, but plenty of character. Another good thing was, out of the back window we could see Cradle Mountain - where we plan on visiting tomorrow. Me and Steve went to the bottle shop to get some beer and then we settled in for the night.

WE LOVE TASMANIA!

Sunday 11th November 2007

We woke up really early this morning, because we wanted to go to Freycinet National Park - and do a bush walk to Wineglass Bay. We had our breakfast, got our water bottles from the fridge and jumped into the car.

The walk up to the lookout and then down to the beach was pretty hard going - but we did it in less than the estimated 2.5 hours and was definitely worth it. The beach was beautiful. There were only a handful of people there (some of whom were in the sea... the nutters. It's warm, but not THAT warm!). We were walking along the lovely white sand when all of a sudden we noticed a whale in the water. It was only about 50 meters off shore and seemed to be splashing around... having a whale of a time (ha ha)!

We watched the whale for about half an hour and then made our way back to the car. We were exhausted when we got there, but we'd bought a day pass for the National Park and so decided to explore some more - and went on a shorter walk around Cape Tourville, which had AMAZING views. Apparently, on one side, there was nothing between us and Antarctica... cool!

Being the cheeky little devils that we are, we drove to the shops and then back to last nights hostel, (which we'd checked out of at before 9am this morning), where we used their facilities to make ourselves some lunch. Afterwards, we reloaded the car and headed North up the East Coast. The drive was beautiful and I have to admit, Tasmania is nothing like I imagined - it's wonderful. The coastal drive was really peaceful with only a few cars coming in the opposite direction.

We eventually arrived in a place called St. Helens and checked into a tiny hostel called St. Helens Backpackers (surprisingly). It was after 7pm by now, and we were all really hungry - so we walked towards the shops to see if we could get some food... but everything was shut. We couldn't believe it, it seemed that the place had shut down at just after 6pm. I started to feel really dizzy and sick, so Nikki and Steve walked me back to the hostel and then went off to find some food...

Tasmania... getting better every day!

Saturday 10th November 2007

Because we've only got our car for six days, we decided that we'd get up nice and early every morning and give ourselves a good chance of seeing as much of Tasmania as we can... we stuck to that (ha!) and were out and about by just after 9am. We drove back over to the Port Arthur Historic Site - to have a guided walk, this time in the sunlight. It was totally different in the day - and was quite an amazing place, with a really interesting history. Loads of the buildings had been, or are being restored and so were all really authentic looking. We got to go on a boat trip around the Isle of the Dead, where the dead from Port Arthur were buried and then headed back to Hobart.

On our way North we visited some great places along the coast called Pirates Bay, The Devils Kitchen, Tasman's Arch and the Blowhole - all of which have been created by thousands of years of sea water bashing against the huge cliffs.

We got to Hobart at just after 2.30pm, and we visited the Salamanca Market, which is held on saturdays. They were pretty cool - with loads of cool food on offer. We had a look around and had a spicy German sausage hot-dog and then got some shopping before heading North. We didn't know where we were going - we just thought we'd drive!

Whilst we were on the road, Nikki did some investigating (Steve slept... AGAIN) and we thought head for a place called Coles Bay, where there is supposed to be an absolutely stunning National Park. We managed to find somewhere to stay at about 7.30pm (even though the reception shut at 6pm!) and then had some noodles for our tea - followed by the most AMAZING chocolate cake, we'd bought at the market. Later, we sat in the kitchen chatting to the coolest guy. His name was Tom and he was from the USA, but he's been traveling most of his life (we'd say he's about 50-60 years old). He's lived in places like Belgium, Mongolia & New Mexico, plus he's visited almost everywhere. He had some fantastic stories and was really, really nice!

When I grow up, I wanna be like Tom!

Friday 9th November 2007

It's great, because Tasmania isn't very busy with backpackers at the moment, we're in a huge eight bed dorm... all by ourselves! We all woke up nice and early this morning, and got ourselves ready in plenty of time to check out. We then went into town to use the internet (we wanted to print out our car hire confirmation) and then found the place where we were going to be renting it from. Afterwards we walked around the shops and then went back to the hostel for some lunch.

At just after 1pm, me and Nikki went out to collect the car and Steve stayed at the hostel to watch the bags. Our car is pretty cool! It's a white Hyundai Getz 1.6 (which we've named Wanda) - and because we've been used to driving big ol' camper vans, this thing seems like a little rocket. We went to collect Steve and then set off on our latest road trip...

Something we wanted to do whilst we were in Hobart - but couldn't be bothered to do on foot, was go to the top of Mount Wellington, which is 1270m high. Now that we had a car, we had the perfect opportunity and headed for the summit. The drive to the top was pretty exciting, with the small roads zig-zagging up the side - for a total distance of 12km. When we got to the top, the views were AMAZING! We could see for miles and miles - in all directions. We were higher than the few clouds that were in the sky! After taking some beautiful photos, we made our way back down - much was much more fun than the drive up.

We all had a look at the map and decided that, seeing as Hobart is quite Southern already, we'd head down to a place called Port Arthur, which is in the South East of Tasmania. It wasn't very far, but on the way we stopped in a place called Sorell - because they had a place called the 'Pink Cadillac Café', and we all fancied milkshakes. Afterwards we got back in the car and drove on. We found a nice little place to stay called the Port Arthur Caravan & Cabin Park - and this time we had a nine bed dorm... all to ourselves. The bunks were crazy, rather than being the standard two-high, they were three. Poor Steve, who was on the top bunk, was almost touching the ceiling.

With somewhere to stay sorted, we went out and visited the Port Arthur Historic Site. Me and Steve booked to go on a ghost tour around the ruins, but Nikki said she didn't want to come - she said she's scared of ghosts in the day, so can't imagine walking around a place where ghosts are spotted every other week... in the dark. After having something to eat, we all drove back to the sight and at 9.30pm we went off for our tour.

The Port Arthur Historic Site is where, during the 1800s, convicts sent from England were sent for 'correction'. The ghost tour was pretty good. I was asked to carry one of the three lanterns - and had to be at the back of the group at all times to make sure everyone was ok. We were taken around the ruins of the church, the prison, the lunatic asylum and even a doctors surgery - which still had a dissection table! We didn't see any ghosts, but our guides stories did make some of the people jump (including Steve). When the tour finished, we collected Nikki from the safety of the Visitor Centre (where she'd been watching X Factor on the laptop) and came home.

We like Tasmania - it looks like the nicer parts of home... but with MUCH better weather!

Thursday 8th November 2007

We didn't bother setting the alarm this morning. We figured that, seeing as we'd slept during the day yesterday, we'd wake up reasonable early anyway. So it was a bit of a shock to have Nikki shaking me at 11.30am this morning - saying she'd only just woke up herself.

After getting ourselves ready and having some breakfast, we headed out into town to try and find an internet café, we wanted to hire a car so that we can explore Tasmania - and make our way to Launceston. With that all sorted we went out for a walk.

We started by walking along the Wharf to a place called Salamanca Place, where they have loads of old buildings - with loads of nice little coffee shops and restaurants. Next, we walked up Kelly's Steps, which took us to a really pretty residential area called Battery Point. The houses looked like peaceful holiday homes - with their pretty gardens and balconies looking out over the sea. We carried on walking up the hill to a place called Arthur Circus, where we found a little café called Jackman & McRoss, which is mentioned in the Lonely Planet guide as a 'must see'... that seemed like as good a reason as any to go in for a drink and slice of cake!

After enjoying our treat, we took a slow walk back into town, looking in a couple of the second hand bookshops on our way. It was a really beautiful day, and the weather was really warm, so we sat in Salamanca Square for a couple of minutes while we waited for Steve, who had somehow lost his camera (I say somehow, he loses something EVERY DAY!). We then came back to the hostel and had some food. Nikki made us meatballs with mashed potatoes and broccoli and Steve had burgers with noodles.

This evening we walked back to Salamanca Square and went into one of the pubs down there for a couple of drinks and a chat. The temperature had definitely cooled down - but Tasmania is nowhere near as cold as everyone had warned us. It was quite nice walking back along the water at about 11.30pm.

Ta-Ta-Tasmania, Ta-Ta-Tasmania... We need you!

Wednesday 7th November 2007

Last night was one of the most uncomfortable nights sleep of my entire life. The benches we slept on weren't even that comfy to SIT on - so you can imagine what it was like for our backs. We woke up at about 4.40am, when there were people starting to filter into the airport. We gathered our thoughts and then took the 10 steps over to the check-in desk. When we were all checked in, we went and got ourselves a coffee, before waiting for our flight.

We flew to Tasmania with Jet Star - Australia's version of Easy Jet - and they are brilliant! The plane had nice comfy, leather seats and it was really clean and tidy. The flight wasn't very long - Nikki and Steve still managed to get some sleep - and we were soon coming in to land at Hobart Airport. We caught a shuttle into town and thankfully we were able to check into the YHA... I was exhausted, so went straight to bed... at about 8.45am!

When we finally woke up at about 3.30pm this afternoon, me and Nikki went out to explore Hobart, leaving Steve in his bed. The city seems quite busy - its all really squashed in - but there are loads of shops and cafés. We had a hot chocolate each and then went for a walk around the Wharf, which was to check out the fish & chips really.

We came back to the hostel this evening and Nikki made us hot dogs for our tea. Afterwards we came up to the room, where Nikki and Steve watched X Factor, while I had a shower. Then we all got into bed because we were still tired - but then sat up chatting until 1.30am!

Man, Steve is like a baby - all he does is eat and sleep!

Tuesday 6th November 2007

We set the alarm a little earlier than we needed to this morning, because last night we'd already decided that the Elizabeth Hostel wasn't the best hostel we'd stayed in, and couldn't wait to leave. Thankfully, there was nobody else is our room - otherwise it would've probably been unbearable. We got up and got ready, had breakfast and then hit the streets of Melbourne in record time!

Today was Melbourne Cup day, which is a national holiday here in Australia, and some of the shops were shut, so we started by going to the State Library to use the free internet. We surfed the net, checking on the details for tomorrow's flight to Tasmania, then left to play in the November sunshine.

The weather was beautiful today and there were thousands of people buzzing about, all in a good mood, when we got to Federation Square to watch the horse racing on the big screen. We got there about an hour before 'the big race', so we put our bets on and then sat outside and ate a picnic. When it was time for the race there were probably about 3,000+ people in the Square all cheering for their horse. We'd already heard from Nikki's Dad and he'd told us who he thought was going to do well - and against my better judgement, I believed him (have I learnt nothing in the last 9 years?). I backed one horse called Mahler to win and bet on another, called Purple Moon, each way. Nikki bet on a horse called Eskimo Queen to win (but only $1) and backed two more, Mahler ($8) and Master O'Reilly ($6), each way.

Watching the racing was quite exciting - and there was a great atmosphere. Apparently there were about 130,000 people at the actual race: but it was $50 to get in at the track! The race was won by a horse called 'Efficient', but Purple Moon came in second and Mahler third - so at least we won some money back (I got $9, but Nikki's not collected hers yet).

Afterwards we decided to take a walk down towards the MCG (the Melbourne Cricket Ground) to have a look around. On the way we passed the Melbourne Sky Wheel, which is a giant big wheel, and had a ride on that - it was great, we had brilliant views of the city. The MCG was closed so we came back to town and then just hang around in Federation Square where there were still loads of people milling about.

Tonight we went to a pub by our hostel for a few beers and then later on caught a taxi to the airport. We had a brilliant time today, and what better way to finish it off, then to spend it sleeping on an airport bench? That's right - we didn't want to spend 20-odd-dollars on a hostel and then have to get up at 3am... so we went there tonight and slept there instead... oh, how comfy!

Watching the Melbourne Cup in the sunshine... beautiful!

Monday 5th November 2007

Steve was remarkably calm this morning when he couldn't find his 'missing' shoe... for about 5 minutes - and then he slowly started to crack up. At first he said it was fine, he'd wait until our bags were out of the way and then it would appear... but it didn't. Next he said it didn't matter because if he re-packed his own case it was bound to turn up... but it didn't. When it got to 9.55am - 5 minutes before check out, he left the room and then we hid it UNDERNEATH his bag. He came back in and found it - but was not impressed! He wasn't sure if we'd put it there - but accused us anyway!

With the 'Great Shoe Mystery' solved, we left the hostel and walked round to the new one. Finally the sun was shining - for the first time in 5 days, and we took a nice slow stroll through one of the many parks in the city. it shouldn't have been a stroll - but both Nikki and Steve are wimps and Steve did nothing but moan the whole way about how heavy his bag was. We eventually made it, they had a quick moan about the standard of the hostel and then we went out again.

We thought that we'd go to the famous Melbourne Gaol today - which is where some of Melbourne's most notorious criminals have been imprisoned... including Ned Kelly. Steve led us to the nearest tram stop, because he couldn't be bothered to walk - only for us to stand there for about 20 minutes because the Melbourne Cup festival had caused them to be taken off service. In the end we had to walk - and it was only about two blocks away.

Our visit to the gaol started with a tour of the 'holding cells', where we were all given character charge sheets and then taken through the process of being locked up - answering the Police Sergeant with either 'yes' or 'no Sergeant'. I have to say - it was not a very nice experience. Afterwards we were taken through to the cells and all locked up. They even turned the lights off and it was pitch black! Next, we went into the original Melbourne Goal which was awesome! It had loads of pieces about the history of the place, the prisoners who had 'stayed' there - and even had the original 'gallows' from which they hung 136 people. The prison was an awful place, with tiny cells and Nikki said she could never do anything wrong... because it was too cold for her. She said she'd moan unless they gave her a blanket and some slippers.

This afternoon we took a walk over to Brunswick Street, which reminded us of Gloucester Road, back in Bristol - with loads of funky, retro-type clothes shops. Apparently, Brunswick Street is a notorious place for 'gays', but Steve insisted he only wanted to go there for the cafés and book shops (yeah right!). We stopped in a really cool place called 'Gutz' for our lunch and spent the rest of the day looking around the shops. Steve has been moaning for the last couple of days about how cold he is - so me and Nikki were both really happy when he bought himself a new tracksuit top... hopefully he'll put a sock in it now!

After wandering along Brunswick Street and then into town this evening, we went to China Town and then finally came back to the hostel and had some noodles for our tea. The kitchens are gross and we're already looking forward to checking-out in the morning... oh, the joys of traveling!

Steve's a great guy... but he moans like a woman (he he)!

Sunday 4th November 2007

We set the alarm to wake us up this morning, so that we could have some of the free breakfast and then leave the hostel in time to visit the Queen Victoria Markets in town. We weren't sure what to expect - but it certainly wasn't what we got - the market was MASSIVE! It had well over a thousand stalls, which was quite cool at first, but pretty soon they were just selling the same as everyone else - and it was mostly tack anyway. We spent a couple of hours looking around and after buying a few bits and pieces, went back to the hostel to drop our 'purchases' off. We had some lunch and then went back out.

This afternoon, we caught the Circle Line Tram back around the city, because Steve never got to ride on it yesterday, and got off at the Melbourne Museum, which was VERY impressive! It was more than just a museum - it had loads of interactive things to keep us amused, which was good - because outside it was miserable and wet. We spent a couple of hours in the museum, doing our best to look at everything, although we could probably done with more time.

Afterwards, we caught the Tram back into the centre and got off to walk through the Greek Precinct. As we were passing through, we noticed a bowling alley, that was offering free bowling if you spent $5 on drinks... bargain we thought, and went in. Me and Steve shared a jug of beer and Nikki had a lime & soda, while we had a game of bowling. Just as we were getting ready to leave, a group next to us gave us loads of their vouchers - and we got to have two more games for free! In the end, we played 3 games and we all won one each. Nikki was the best bowler though - thrashing both Steve and me in the last game!

Tonight, back at the hostel Nikki made us a chilli, before we went back out into town to find another hostel. The one we're staying in is fully booked tomorrow, because of the Melbourne Cup horse race - so we're gonna lose our room. We found another one ok, in the Elizabeth Hostel - but it's pretty grotty and nowhere near as good as the one we're staying in tonight... oh well, it's only for one night!

Oh, before we went to bed tonight - me and Nikki hid one of Steve's shoes - I wonder how he'll react when he's late for check out tomorrow, with only one shoe (ha ha)?

Alright, come on now - that's enough with the rain already!

Saturday 3rd November 2007

Last nights journey was really uncomfortable and I got less sleep that I usually do on the buses. Nikki and Steve didn't have the same problem though - and slept for most of it. I didn't mind though, because it was quite nice to watch the sun rise as we drove into Melbourne. It was just light when we were entering the city and I have to say, it looks quite impressive! We got off the bus at about 7am and took a walk round to Kings Street Backpackers - the hostel we'd booked (yes, for a change we'd rang ahead and booked)... for a well earned rest. Luckily, our room was ready straight away and, after helping ourselves to some of the free breakfast, we went to bed for a snooze.

We all woke up at about 11am. We're in a triple-room (me and Nikki have got a double bed and Steve is above on a single bed), so once me and Nikki were awake Steve had no chance of sleeping! We had our showers and then went out to explore Melbourne... Steve decided to stay in bed (lazy git - he'd slept almost all last night and this morning already).

The city centre in Melbourne is HUGE - there are millions of shops! We did our best to find our bearings, but it was hopeless - we kept walking round and round in circles. We thought we'd fare better on a full stomach, so we stopped for some sushi and then tried again. This time we managed to find Tourist Information and they gave us loads of helpful information about various things going on...

One of the things they mentioned was a 'Famous People' photo exhibition at the State Library - so we thought we'd go over and check that out. At first we couldn't find it - and explored the library instead. The place was amazing... and also packed! When we got to the third floor, there was a big exhibit about the infamous Melbourne outlaw - Ned Kelly, which included the actual armor he wore - it was very impressive. We eventually found the photo exhibition, which we enjoyed looking at before leaving. We walked bak towards our hostel, and then down towards the famous Docklands (which i'd read about in the Chopper books). We passed by the Telstra Dome and then jumped onto the Circle Line Tram, which takes you on a journey around the city... for free! It was pretty good, because it gave an audio commentary on things to look out for.

Tonight, Nikki made us a spaghetti bolognese, which we sat and ate in the 'common room' part of our hostel, which was lush. It was rounded off perfectly when Nikki pulled surprise doughnuts out of her shopping bag for afters.

What do I honestly think... Melbourne Rocks!

Friday 2nd November 2007

The alarm woke us up this morning, because it was our last day in Adelaide - and we needed to make sure that everything was packed before we checked out. With everything sorted, we put our bags into the luggage room, and then went and had some of the free pancakes (can believe it's Friday again already!).

Outside, the weather wasn't too good - so we didn't want to spend too much time outside - so we decided to go to the museum again to collect the boomerangs that we painted yesterday. Nikki got really excited because, when we were in the area yesterday, we found a food-court... which sells cauliflower cheese - something she's not eaten for nearly 7 months! It was all she would go on about this morning, so the first chance we got - we went over. She was well impressed and left the food-court a very happy, but full, little Wife.

We spent the afternoon looking around the shops and then stopped for a milkshake before going back to the YHA to hang out. We found that Steve had had the same idea - because he was asleep on one of the sofas... that didn't last long though - I soon woke him up (he he). Me and Steve played a couple of games of table-tennis and whilst we were doing that, Nikki fell asleep - I don't know what's wrong with everyone!

This evening, after chatting with some of the other travelers, we left the hostel and took a walk around to the bus station. By 8pm, we were all on the Greyhound and headed for Melbourne!

Melbourne, here we come!

Thursday 1st November 2007

When I woke up this morning, everyone had gone! The room was totally empty and I got scared thinking that maybe we were moving on today - and that Nikki and Steve had gone without me. I spotted their bags in the corner and then realised that Nikki was only having breakfast. God only knows where Steve was!

After us raving about the museum yesterday, Steve said that he'd like to take a look - so we finally left the YHA at about 12pm and took a walk over. We were quite happy to be going because, not only was it raining, there is a shop that sells the best thick-shakes in Adelaide en-route. We didn't bother looking around the museum at first - we just went straight to the workshop and spent the next 3 HOURS painting wooden boomerangs and coasters for our table at home. Steve didn't have the same enthusiasm as us and didn't last that long - but went shopping instead. When it got to about 4.30pm, me and Nikki went off to look at the rest of the museum.

This evening, we came back to the YHA and had some food before playing bingo - and winning an hours free internet. We were thinking of maybe going out - but when we checked our bank balance... we thought it was best to give it a miss!

South Australia Museum... my favourite museum in the whole of Australia!

Pinch, Punch - First of the month!

Wednesday 31st October 2007

Good ol' Nikki believes that whenever you're away on holiday, you should always have at least one fry-up - so I was very pleased to wake up this morning to find her cooking one for us (what a Wife!). After we'd finished our breakfast, we packed our bags and then checked out before catching the bus back to the centre of Adelaide. We checked back in to the YHA and then Steve realised that he'd left his earphones back at the cabin - so his morning was going to be spent traveling to and from Glenelg. Me and Nikki hung around the hostel with Ash, playing table tennis and then went out for a walk.

We looked around the shops and then, because the weather had turned pretty pants, decided we'd go into the library to use the free internet. Afterwards we went next door and spent the rest of the afternoon in the Southern Australia Museum. The museum was huge and when we were walking through the stuffed animals section, Nikki asked if I would be surprised if the animals came to life at night (like in the film 'Night At The Museum'), when I said I definitely would, she boasted that she probably WOULDN'T be... only to scream the place down, when the lion moved it's tail. It was obviously electronic - but the timing couldn't have been better - and exposed Nikki for the fibber and wimp she really is (he he).

When we made it to the second floor we found a little room that was doing an Aboriginal workshop - so me and Nikki took a look. It was brilliant! We got to paint little boomerangs, using sticks in the style of Aboriginal art. We had loads of fun - and only left because the museum was closing.

This evening, we hung around the YHA and Steve made us a sausage casserole for our tea. Afterwards, we had a couple of games of table tennis - and I won the World Series - beating Steve 5-4 (not bad, seeing as I came from 4-1 down!).

Yippee... I love the museum!

Tuesday 30th October 2007

It's fun being in our little holiday cabin! We woke up this morning and hung about chatting and listening to music before deciding to walk, along the beach, into town. It didn't take long - and the weather was better than it has been for the last couple of days - so when we got there, Steve had a McDonalds and I had a McFlurry. Afterwards Nikki had some Thai curry from a Noodle Box.

This afternoon we had another look round town and then Nikki went shopping to get something for our tea, while me and Steve went and played pool again. I was on fire today and thrashed him 5-0, I even 7-balled him in the last game. When Nikki arrived she was a better class of opponent and we drew 1-1... she then went on to beat Steve too! We walked back along the beach this evening and Nikki cooked us the most amazing chicken curry, which we sat and ate before chilling out for the night.

It's the last night of our Glenelg holiday... back to the 'other' holiday tomorrow!

Monday 29th October 2007

The three of us had planned a little 'holiday' away from the centre of Adelaide for today, so we got up nice and early to pack our bags, then checked out and caught the bus to Glenelg - a seaside place just out of town. We soon got off the bus and checked into our little cabin on a Top 4 site. We've got a 6-berth cabin, where me and Nikki have got a queen bed and Steve has got one of four bunks in his own room. The funny thing is they're for children - so he's really squashed (ha ha).

When we were all checked in, we caught the bus into the small town. When we got off, we went for some sushi and then had a walk around, looking in the shops. This afternoon we went and played pool and had a beer each in a nice little pool hall.

This evening, back at our cabin - it was my turn to cook(!), and so I made us a vegetable stir-fry... all by myself! As I sit writing this, none of us have been ill yet - so I think I did ok (I hope anyway).

Cooking for three... there's no stopping me now!

Sunday 28th October 2007

The alarm woke us at stupid o'clock again this morning, so that we could pack our bags and then move back to the YHA. It's not too much of a problem though - because it's much better than My Place, which isn't too bad - but for the same price it's nice to have a double bed with Nikki. The clocks went forward here last night - so we actually got up earlier than we needed to, but never mind. Once we were all re-checked in at the YHA, we went out for the day. We took a walk round to the train station and caught a train out to Port Adelaide, because some guy from Tourist Information said it was a nice place to go and also they have a huge market on a Sunday - so we thought we'd check it out.

Oh dear, I wish we'd never bothered - Port Adelaide was pants! It's probably ok really, but today there was a really strong, cold wind and we couldn't really be bothered to go out walking. The parts we did see were really industrial looking, so we were happy when we found the Fisherman's Wharf, which is were they have the market. It was just our luck - but that was also pretty crap. It was just a huge warehouse with people selling all sorts of tatt - everything you can think of, but never possibly need - it was rubbish. We had a little walk around and then got hot-dogs and some doughnuts, which we sat and ate by the water, before deciding we'd had enough and came back.

We spent this evening hanging about the hostel. Ash, the guy we met earlier on our travels is also here, so we sat chatting with him. When we seen him last he had no money, but he was going off to work for some. He did that ok and managed to save up about $1,500 - but then the other morning someone stole it all from his bag - all he's got left now is 40¢. He said he's gonna fly home in about two weeks now, he can't be bothered to travel anymore - the poor sod.

Tonight, Steve cooked us all a chicken curry and then we sat around chatting. Me and Steve had the decider in our chess tournament and i'm sorry to say, Steve won. It's ok though - he would've only cried if he'd lost (ha ha).

Port Adelaide... ooopps!

Saturday 27th October 2007

We had to get up early this morning so that we could change hostels - the YHA is fully booked tonight, so we're moving out. The annoying thing is that it isn't tomorrow - so we're coming back. It's a good job the other hostel, My Place, is only down the road! Once we were all checked into our room (a triple again - but with us all in bunks this time), me and Nikki went out exploring.

Today was spent looking at the sights around Adelaide. Me and Nikki went on a self-guided city tour, which we were hopeless at. We had a small map and a list of about 22 things to see - but throughout the whole day, I think we managed to find only 4 or 5 - even though some are HUGE buildings! Something we did manage to find this morning was the Botanical Gardens, which were very pretty - they had a huge flower garden and it reminded us a lot of England.

This afternoon we visited the War Memorial and also the Don Bradman Centre, which is dedicated to the famous Australian cricketer. I didn't know who he was, but on learning about him, he seemed pretty good - he had an international batting average of 99.9 and only needed to score one run in his final game to get 100 - but he was bowled for a duck... against England (come on!). Afterwards, we went into the Central Library and used their free internet to surf the web.

On our way back to the hostel we thought we'd pop back into the Central Market. It was due to close at 3pm today, so we thought it might be quiet and we might be able to grab some bargains. Boy, were we wrong! The place was bedlam! At 2.55pm, the place resembled the New York Stock Exchange during trading! The vendor would shout out the latest bargain and then there would be a massive stampede of little old men and women, rushing in to grab what they could. The most impressive thing we heard was, when they shouted "everything you can fit in a carrier back for $4", me and Nikki didn't stand a chance - those OAPs are lethal!

This evening we were planning on going out for some beers, but there was a MASSIVE thunder storm - so we chilled out in the hostel instead and Nikki made us an amazing chilli for our tea.

Fruit Market... more like Fight Club!

Friday 26th October 2007

As soon as the bus left Coober Pedy last night it was dark - so we didn't get to see much out of the window. Nikki did some reading, watched the film on the TV and then slept for most of the journey - as did Steve, who seems to ALWAYS be asleep! I tried to sleep, but couldn't - so I just played on the laptop and did some reading.

We rolled into Adelaide at about 6am and - it seemed absolutely freezing! I know compared to home, it was probably quite nice - but it was still quite a shock after the Northern Territory and then Cooper Pedy. We didn't have anything booked, but we figured we'd check out the YHA to see if they had any room. I'm glad we did... the hostel is AMAZING! They didn't have any double or triple rooms (we've hired Steve as our photographer for a couple of weeks) - but they said we could have a family room, and then messed up the price - so we got it for $27 each... a bargain, seeing as we've got a queen size bed. Not Steve though, he's in the bunk bed (ha ha).

As we were so early checking in, they said we could use the facilities while we waited for our room and it was a nice surprise to find that Friday is 'free pancake day' at the YHA, so we had some pancakes and then surfed the internet before finally going to our room. Once we'd dropped off our bags we went out to explore Adelaide.

The city seems quite nice - and there are loads of shops for us to look in (we can't afford to buy anything though). Seeing as we were out and about, we went into Quantas and sorted out the flights for the remainder of our trip - we even booked our flight to come home (boo),

After lunch we had a look round some more and then took a walk over to the Central Market, where they sell loads of fruit & veg - the place was packed so we thought we'd pop back tomorrow, in the hope that it would be quieter.

Tonight we hung around the hostel, because we were all absolutely knackered from the bus journey down - I even thrashed Steve at chess!

So, the flight home's booked... just gotta lose the Passport now!