Christchurch - Kaikoura - Nelson - Westport - Franz Josef Glacier

Well, we left the hostel, and waited for our taxi to turn up, but our luck with taxis showed again, as it didn't arrive. We hailed another taxi and negotiated the same sort of price, so we didn't mind too much. We got to the airport, and were shown the area we were allowed to sleep in, and we settled down to a night of bad sleep. I did manage to fall asleep eventually, but it seemed like no time before we were up and checking in. We handed over our bags, and went through to the departure lounge. We spent the last of our Aussie Dollars, and used the free internet. We boarded the plane at about 8am, and took off at about half 8 (sort of on time). They played some Catherine Zeta Jones film, which I watched part of, but couldn't be bothered with most of it. We landed at about 13:30 local time, after seeing some spectacular scenery when we flew over the Southern Alps. We got on the bus to the center of town, and were surprised to see that Christchurch was so small. It was based around a small square with a big church in the middle, but other than that, there wasn't much. We checked into the hostel and went for a look around the town. We found a huge supermarket, and were pleased to see that food was cheaper than in Australia, so we could splash out and not regret it later on. We got back to the hostel and made some soup (which we had just bought) and then bumped into a couple of friends from the Oz Experience (Chessy & Becky). They left Oz way before us to do the Kiwi Experience, but it was too expensive for us! We watched a film in the evening and then went to bed at about 12.



We got up relatively early on Saturday, and went to the Spaceships office to pick up our car, but it wasn't ready by the time we got there, so we went to McDonalds and got ourselves a McCafe for breakfast. We had hired a Toyota People Carrier to take us around the whole of NZ! It has a box on the top for 2 people to sleep, and enough room in the van for another two people. We checked it out, and then went off in it to the supermarket to stock up on supplies for the next 3 weeks. We bought loads of pasta, bread, milk and cereal (the most important things, of course) and loaded it in. It was a tight fit, but there's lots of storage space under the bed, so all was OK. We started driving, and decided to get to a place called Hanmer Springs, which had thermal pools. It was too dark to go to them by the time we got there, but we found a layby in the mountains, which is where we cooked sausage & mash, and then tried to get some sleep. It was so cold though! Luckily we'd played a game of poker to see who was going on the top. Alex and Mike were unfortunate enough to lose, so they had the worse of it. There seemed to be a strong breeze that blew through the valley, which made it so cold.



We woke up at about 9am on Sunday, and had some cereal, before going back into Hanmer to go in the thermal pools. We paid $12, but it was good to get somewhere warm, and with a shower! We spent about 2 hours in the different temperature pools, but then realised we had to get on the road to get to our next destination - Kaikoura! We had some lunch by the side of the road, and then got back on the road. We got into the town just before sunset, and experienced an amazing drive. The scenery was stunning; we drove along a coastal road, with the sea lapping the shore, and then suddenly it changed into rolling hills, and snow capped mountains! It was crazy! We found a nice spot by the sea to park up, and then went into the town for a few games of pool, and a beer. It was another realaxing evening, but it was really good to have, as it chilled us out so much. That night, it was mine and Stu's turn to go up in the top box, so we prepared ourselves for a freezing night, but it was fine actually.



We woke up with the sun beating on the canvas on Monday, and I was so hot! It was really nice to have the sound of the sea by our van as well - it took me back to Fraser Island! We went into the town and went on the internet for a bit, and tried to make Stu do his Student Finance, but it didn't really work! We got on the road and stopped off at Ohau Point, which is a small seal colony on the coast. We spent about 20 minutes watching them play by the sea, and then did the walk up to the waterfall, which is where we saw 5 baby seals playing in the pools. It was astonishing! We went down to the waters edge and one of the seals came over to us, but that was when we thought we were getting too close. We backed off and went to the main waterfall, which is where Mike went for a swim, but I'd felt warmer water come out of a fridge! So I decided against it! We walked back to the car after that, and drove to the town of Blenheim. We drove through the town, and got some more supplies from the supermarket. We drove to the edge of the Lagoon area, and cooked dinner (chicken stir-fry) and watched a film.



We got up at the more normal time of 10am on Tuesday, and drove Alex to the hospital so he could get his stitches out. We went to a local campsite and did some washing, had showers and filled up our water bottle, and then went to pick Alex up. The nurse did a good job, and didn't even charge him, so all was good! We went back to the lagoon, and did the walk to the ship wreck (SS Waverly), which took us over some wonderful landscapes, and also got us lost, so we had to trek over a couple of rivers and past a sewage works, but we made it back! We the got into the car and drove towards the town of Nelson. I fell asleep in the back for most of it, but when we arrived, it was raining really heavily, so we decided to get pizza instead of cook! We then found a good place to park on the outskirts of town, and got an early night. We tried watching Lord of the Rings, but gave up halfway through, as we were so tired, but had to play a game of poker to see who was going on top! I nominated myself to go up, as I didn't mind, and was joined by Alex a bit later.



We got up on Wednesday at around 10am again, and had some breakfast, and then played a game of Frisbee and then went into town. We went on the internet and had a wander around the shops, but didn't buy anything. Mike and I watched the rest of The Lord of The Rings (LOTR), and then drove out of town to try and find a surf beach. All of the beaches seemed pretty dead, so we parked up at a place called Pepin Island and had a kick-about with a rugby ball. We watched the sunset and made some dinner before driving back into town to meet some people from the Oz Bus (different people this time!). We had a beer, and played a few games of pool, before we headed North, towards Abel Tasman. We stopped off halfway there, and went to bed at about 1am, after watching Flight of the Conchords (NZ comedy).



We got up on Thursday at about 11am, and drove further into the National Park, to a place called Marahau. We had some lunch, and kick-about with the rugby ball, then we drove to an area where they filmed LOTR. We weren't sure if we got to the exact spot, but I definitely recognised parts of it. It was called Chetwood Forest if it rings any bells, but some of the views from there were stunning! We left there at about 5pm, and cooked some dinner (steak, mash and veg.) in someone's front drive, before driving to Westport. We stopped off so I could call my Dad and wish him Happy Birthday, but other than that, it was plain sailing all the way. Mike drove the whole way, which took about 3 hours. We parked up in a small country lane, and went to sleep almost straight away.

We woke up at about 12pm on Friday, and went into the town to find a doctor for Mike (his back was hurting him)but not before getting the car stuck in some mud, and then spending about 10 minutes trying to free it! We dropped him off at the hospital when we had finally got the car unstuck and we went to the supermarket for some more supplies. We ended up buying breakfast and lunch (croissant, scone and pizza) and went back to get Mike. He had only spent a short time in the Dr's, but we had spent so long shopping, he was left standing around for a while! We went to a coffee shop for some of the afternoon, and then started the long drive towards the glaciers (Fox and Franz-Josef). We drove for about 4 hours, but reached Franz Josef just after 9pm. By this time, we had experienced some of the most beautiful scenery I have ever seen! The coast was amazing, and there were the Southern Alps right next to the sea, with snow capped peaks. We cooked some eggs for dinner, and then noticed there was a problem with the door - it didn't open!!!!!! We tried everything, but we couldn't do anything. This was all we needed, as we could only cook if the door was open! We knew we could survive on sandwiches, but for how long??? We found a quiet lane to park and then we started to watch a film. It wasn't long into the film when a car screeched to a halt outside our van, and a man started ranting at us. It was gone 12am on a Saturday morning, and he seemed really drunk. He was shouting at us for parking on the road (we were in a layby!) and he demanded that we moved. In the end we did, and we found a much nicer place! Stu and I were upstairs, and it was sooo cold! Below freezing, easily! We had 2 duvets and our sleeping bags, so we were fine.

We got up at about 10am, and went to Fox Glacier (the town) and did the walk to the actual Glacier. It only took about 10 minutes for us to see it, and when we did, it was amazing! There are only a few words you can use to describe such a large mass of ice moving down the mountain, as it is so unbelievable! It moves between 1 and 5 metres a day (which is quite a lot), and is around 13km long. We could get about 80m away from the terminal (the end), so we got loads of really good photos. We filled up with petrol, and went back to the town of Franz Josef, where we called the AA, and enquired about glacier walks. The AA only sent someone from the nearest garage, so they didn't have any luck with the door, but we did book our glacier walk ($140 for the full day). We went back to the car and had some sandwiches, and then went to a nearby bar holiday camp (Top 10) so we could have free showers, and also fill up our water.We then went to a bar and had some cheap food and a beer, and then drove to our usual spot between the glacial towns. Stu and I had the downstairs, which was actually colder than the upstairs, but there was quite a harsh frost!

We woke up at 7am today (Sunday) and drove to Franz Josef for 8:15am, so we could do the glacier walk. Stu didn't come, as he didn't have enough money, but Alex, Mike and I got kitted out with jackets, trousers, gloves, hats, boots, and crampons (spikes that are attached to the boots) and got on the bus that took us to the glacier. We started off the tour by walking to the glacier terminal, which took over 45 minutes, as we had to climb ladders, and walk over rough parts of the ground. We were then split into 3 different groups, depending on our ability. We chose the best group, which was for the fittest (we liked to think we were the best!) and we started to climb. It was much harder than I thought it would be, but also much warmer than I expected. We all soon took off our jackets and jumpers (we were told to wear 5 layers!). We continued up the ice, and it soon started to turn really blue, and the rocks on the ice disappeared. Our guide had a big axe that he used to carve steps in for us. We saw one of the other groups ahead of us, and when we reached them, we stopped off for lunch. I was pretty tired at that point, but some food helped a lot. We had a 15 minute break, and then watched the other group descend into a crevasse that wasn't very wide. We followed, and almost got stuck, but we managed to squeeze through. We went up a bit further, and found a small cave area, that started with a really narrow crevasse. Two of the guides spent about 15 minutes hacking away at the ice, so we could go through. It was a lot narrower than I thought. We weren't allowed to take any bags with us, and we all understood why! It was about 1 foot wide in most places, and towards the end, even narrower! The last part was particularly hard, as we had to duck under a ridge, and up through an opening. It was also below freezing at that point! Most of us managed it (we were given the option of going down that one) and we went to our highest point on the glacier. The views were stunning (again!)! We spent ages taking photos, and then it was time to descend. It was a lot harder, as parts were starting melt, and going down hill is always harder. We made it to the bottom at about 4pm, and were all so tired. All I wanted to do was go to bed, but we still had another 45 minute trek back to the waiting coach. We made it back at just before 5pm, and handed back all of our things. We were so glad that we had the chance to do it, and I'd definitely recommend it to anyone considering it!
At the moment, we're waiting for Stu to come back with the van, as it was supposed to get fixed today (hopefully!). Well, wish us luck!

Sydney to Melbourne to Sydney

Well, after using the Internet, Mike and I went for a walk to the Harbour from our hostel, but it was a lot further than we first expected. It took about 40 minutes, but we made it in the end. We took a few photos of the Bridge, and then wandered over to the Opera House, which looked really cool. I never realised that it was actually made up of 3 different building - I thought it was one, but it still looked good. I tried to take some good photos, but the sun was directly behind the bridge, which made most of my photos too bright. We headed back to the hostel at about 4pm, and Mike literally bumped into some of his friends from Primary School!! They walked past us on the street, and he was stunned. I think they all were, as its a big city, and its just a few miles away from home! We had a chat, and then made it back to the hostel, in time for the cheap dinner at The Gaff. As it was a Sunday, we were given roast chicken, which was nothing special, but it was only $5 with a drink. After dinner, we went to visit Martin (the one from further up the coast) to say goodbye to him, as he was leaving us. He was staying at a hostel called Wake Up! so we stayed there for about an hour, and then we left to go and watch the Liverpool match at a bar nearby. By that time (about 10.30pm) it was just myself, Mike and Martin left, so we had a pint and enjoyed Liverpool thrash Blackburn! We got back at about 12.30 and went to bed after that.

On Monday, we'd decided to get up early and go surfing at Manly Beach, but like most days, we ended up getting up quite late, but we still managed to get there! The ferry took about 20 minutes to get there, of which we spent most of it undercover, as it was raining really heavily. We arrived at about lunchtime, so we went to Hungry Jacks (Australian version of Burger King) and then we went to the beach. The waves were enormous!!!!! The big ones broke quite far out, but then they rose up closer to the shore to break again. We went to a surf shop where Alex and Mike rented boards (I couldn't be bothered, as I wanted to look after my stuff, and save money!) and then went to the sea. They managed to catch a few waves, but they were battered about a lot more. The waves at the beach were ridiculous; they must have been 10-15 feet high, and were definitely the biggest I'd ever seen. When they finished surfing, I went to body surf some, but even in the swimming zone, the current was too strong to do much. Te waves broke quite far out, but the surf pushes you back towards the shore, so its a constant struggle to get out. I got battered about quite a lot, but had a good time. Plus the sea was so cold, I didn't stay in for very long! We got back on the ferry at about 4pm, and went back towards the city. The rain had cleared up by that time, so the view as we went towards the Opera House and the Harbour Bridge was stunning. I made sure I took loads of photos! We then met up with Joe and Emma, who were at a rooftop bar near the harbour. They'd hoped to see the Opera House in the sunset, but the biggest cruise ship I'd ever seen was blocking their view, so they were quite annoyed!! We stayed there for a bit, but then got the bus back to the hostel to collect our bags, ready to get the Greyhound to Melbourne! We got on the bus at about 8pm, and started to watch Braveheart, but the driver turned it off about 2 minutes before the end (the best part!) as we'd arrived in Canberra. By this time I'd finished my water, so we went to a hotel and got the receptionist to fill up our bottles. Now I can at least say I've been to the Capital City of Australia! We got back on the coach, and then I fell asleep for the rest of the journey.

I woke up on Tuesday just as the sun was rising, and it looked beautiful. We were driving through a forested area, but the next time I opened my eyes, we had arrived at the Southern Cross Train Station. We got out bags off the bus and then went to find somewhere to sleep, as we were both so tired. We were approached by a man from a local travel agency who said he could take us to Nomads (our original hostel idea for free, as it was on the way to his office) We were a bit sceptical, but when more people came over to him, we weren't as apprehensive. In the end, he actually took us to the doorstep for free! We checked into a room, and I wen to sleep straight away. I woke up at about 12, and then Alex & I went to explore. We went down the main street and made it to the riverside, before we got our usual Subway for lunch. We wandered to the Southbank, and down an underpass, which we thought would take us across the road, but it actually took us into an art gallery!?! We walked around for a bit, but it was pretty boring, so we left. We headed back to the hostel, and on the wa we stopped for the normal supplies (muesli!!!) and made it back in time for the included meal. We paid $7 to upgrade, and get a bigger portion and a pint, so we were full. They had a quiz later on in the evening, but sadly we came about 4th with a team made from people in our room, so we didn't win anything. We went to bed not long after that, as we were still so tired.

On Wednesday, it was Mike's Birthday, so we went to the train station to meet him (he was staying with a friend on the outskirts of the city). Alex and I had bought him some things earlier on in the day (party hats, party blowers etc, and 1kg of Nutella!) We walked to Brunswick Street, which was supposed to have a good atmosphere, to get some lunch. We found a cafe that did pizzas and a glass of wine for $9, so we couldn't resist. Mike managed to persuade the manager to let us have beer instead of wine, as it was his birthday! Loads of people walked past and congratulated him, which was surprising, as that would never happen in England!! We then headed back towards the town, and stopped off at some shops along the way. We walked around the city for a bit, before going back to the hostel for our free meal. Mike managed to get a free one as well, eventhough he wasn't staying there!!! Well, it was his birthday I suppose. We got changed and prepared for a night out, but were slightly disappointed, as there were barely any bars open. We managed to find an Irish bar, near the waterfront, but it was so expensive, we only stayed for one pint, before calling it a night.

On Thursday, Alex and I had breakfast and then went to the train station to meet Mike. We had planned on going surfing, but the day seemed to go so quickly, we let that idea go. We met Mike at about 2.30, and then went to the GameOn exhibition by the river. It had the whole history of gaming, starting with the first computer games invented (pong) all the way to the best games of today. It was really good as we could actually play the games, so we ended on staying there until about 6pm! We walked back to the hostel and made it back for the $7 deal, but it took ages! We had a few drinks, and stayed there a bit longer, as they had a game called ''Toss the Barman'', where you choose your drinks, and the barman tosses a coin, and if its head, you don't pay, but if its tails, you do. It seems quite strange, as they'd surely lose money, but I didn't care, as I got a couple of free beers! We went out into the town at about 10pm, and went to try and find a bar called the Cherry Bar. We walked around for ages, but couldn't find it, until we found the road it was on. We alked up and down, and then found out that it had been shut down, which was annoying. We found another bar though, called the Traders Bar, which had cheap drinks, and on every day of the week apart from Thursdays, it works like a stock market - the more popular drinks go up in price, and the least popular ones go down. We stayed there for a while until Mike had to get his train back to the house he was staying in.

On Friday, Alex and I had organised to go out with Anthea (one of my distant relatives), so we got up at about 9am and went and had breakfast. She picked us up at about 10, and took us to the Werribee Open Range Zoo, which is basically a safari park (a lot like Windsor). She paid for us to get in, which we were both very grateful for. We were allocated a time to go on the safari, so we had a coffee to pass the time. They had 3 walks around the park as well, so after our coffees, we went on the Australian themed one. Most of the animals in it were hiding, but we did see emus and a few other birds around the tracks. After the walk it was about time to get on the bus, so we went to the station and waited for it. It arrived and we got on, and started the tour. It took us through a number of animal areas, which had animals such as zebras, giraffes, rhinos and camels. They were all really cool to see, and even better to see in an environment thats close to their natural one. The tour lasted about 45 minutes, so after it we went and got some lunch. The weather had improved over the morning as well, so by that point, the sun was shining and it was relatively warm. After my chicken and chips, we went and did the other two paths around the park. The first one was the biggest, and had lions and hippos on, and the other one was just aimed at showing people how to save water (Victoria is in the middle of a drought at the moment, so water conservation is very important). We left the zoo at about 4pm and went back to the hostel for some dinner. The bar was a lot busier, as it was a Friday, so we went out into the city as soon as we could. We went to Brunswick Street again, and found a student bar that had a cheesy 90's music night, so we stayed there for a few drinks, but then decided to go back to bed, as we were both really tired.

On Saturday, I was woken up by Alex at about 9.30, saying that Mike wanted us to get the train to where he was staying, so we could go out from there. So we had a quick breakfast and went down to Flinders Street Station to catch the train. We bought a ticket (it cost $10, but is similar to a travel card, so we could get the train, bus or tram for the same price) and ran to get on the train. We didn't realise how far away Mike was staying, but it took us just over an hour to get to Belgrave, but we gave him a call, and he arrived with Ellen (his friend) within about 10 minutes. We started driving, and made our way towards a place called Phillip Island, which has really good surfing. We stopped on the way to get some lunch (KFC!) and then continued our journey. As we drove along the highway, I realised how stupid some of the names in Australia were! For example - Puffing Billy and Nar Nar Goon!! I know some of them have Aboriginal names, but these are just a joke! We got to Phillip Island at about 2pm, and went to a beach called Smith Beach, which is a good surf beach. We rented surf boards, and were about to go in, when Ellen told us that a leg was washed up on a beach in the area the week before, which was nasty to hear about. She said it was a shark attack, but there was no evidence for it, but still...! We spent about an hour and a half in the water, and it was so cold! Now I know why we were given wet suits to wear! We caught loads of waves, but then had to leave at about 4pm, so we could get back. We drove back, and were dropped off at the station at about 5:30pm, and got on a train to Melbourne city center. We planned on watching an AFL match at the famous MCG (Melbourne Cricket Ground), but the train took so long, we missed the first 20 minutes, but made it for the rest of the match. I can honestly say that it is the most intense match I've ever seen, of any sport! The amount of points scored, and in a stadium so big (capacity of just below 100,000), the atmosphere could not have been any better! We wanted Collingwood to win, but sadly they lost in the last 10 minutes, as the Kangaroos came back, but none of us really cared that much - we were just glad to have seen it! We left the stadium and went back to the hostel before going out in the evening. It was another one of those nights that didn't really turn out to be very good, but I was so tired from the whole days events!

On Sunday we got up at about 9pm, as we had to check out by 10am. We had some breakfast, and then went to explore the market that was located about 200m behind our hostel. We'd been meaning to have a look round it before, but we never got round to doing it. It was quite good, but in general, it was just another market, with fruit & veg, clothes, art... We spent the morning there, and got some fruit for lunch there (we are being healthy!!!) before going to use the internet. The place that we usually go to was closed for some reason, so we decided to go to a small suburb of Melbourne, called St. Kilda. We got a travel card (which was only $2.90, as it was a Sunday :S) and jumped on the tram to St. Kilda. We got there at around 2pm, and had a wander along the seafront. It was a typical seaside resort, with the ice cream stalls, mini theme park, a beach and a pier. The weather was really good as well, and it was the hottest day in Melbourne for quite a while (26C). We walked along the pier, and took quite a few photos, before we spotted a skywriter in the sky. I've never seen one before, so it was quite cool, but it was only advertising a real estate company, so nothing exciting. We then went to the internet cafe to sort out some photos and the main part of the visit - to find out the address of the Neighbours road! We left St. Kilda at about half 3, but realised it was probably too late to get to Vermont South (the area the road was in). We got on the slowest tram in Australia (unofficial, but obvious record) and made out way towards the street. We realised that after the 20 minutes it took for us to get through the city center, we had no chance. But, we stayed on and got halfway before we admitted defeat. We went back into the city (which as Sod's Law states, it took half the time!) and mourned the loss (lol). We weren't too bothered, as it would have been good to see the road, but it gives us another reason to come back to Australia!!!! We went back to the hostel and started to cook our food, and then even got a free meal, as the chef let us have one for some strange reason, so we were both well fed. We left the hostel with our bags, and got to the train station on time, ready for the bus back to Sydney. We go on and found that there were 2 spare seats next to us, so I vowed that I would sit in them if they were free. The bus filled up, and they were the only two seats that were empty! So I think Alex and I were the only people to get a good nights sleep on the bus!

We arrived in Sydney on Monday, and were met by driving rain, so we knew we were definitely back! We gave Stu a birthday call (his 19th) and met him at the hostel he was staying at. He was there with his parents, who had promised to take him out for breakfast, so we all left and got a massive fry-up each, and told each other about our stories from other parts of the world. It was strange to see Stu's parents in a cafe in the middle of Sydney, but as I've been travelling for a while, seeing people in weird places doesn't really shock me! We all left and met up with Joe & Emma at our hostel, before we went our separate ways. Alex & I went to try and sort out what we're doing in New Zealand (I'll tell you when we have it confirmed!), and Stu, Joe & Emma went to the pub a few birthday pints. They met up with Sunil and Priya there as well, so it was like being back with the old gang! We were gone for about an hour, but when we got back, Stu wasn't exactly sober! He fell off his stool 2 times, while we were there and then he bought us a jug of beer, which we had quickly, and then we went to the cinema to watch a film. We saw Superhero Movie, which was another superhero spoof film. It was really funny, but only 80 minutes long, which let it down quite a bit, but I think Stu needed to time to sober up! We went back to the hostel for a bit, and tried to have asleep, but Tom and Theresa (Stuart's parents) came in with a cake. Theresa also bought some sparklers, which we started to light, before I realised there was a smoke alarm directly above her! We tried to open the window which was stuck, and Stu burnt his hand when trying to put them out with his fingers, but in the end, the inevitable happened - the alarm started. It wasn't too loud to start with, but we then heard throughout the hostel, which was when we started to panic. In Australia, the Fire Brigade charge for hoax calls, and all of the hostels are directly linked to the hostels. We went down the fire stairs, while Theresa tried to explain it to the people on reception. We got outside and were met by one fire engine, and then another!!! About 10 firemen walked into the building, and found Theresa standing in the room, who explained exactly what had happened. They said that she wouldn't be charged that time, so we were very lucky. There was a sign next to the detector, which explained that there would be a fine of at least $250 or a jail term!! The luck of the Irish prevailed! We laughed it off in the room, and ate the cake, before we went out to Scruffy Murphy's for another few pints. Tom bought them for us, so we saved a bit of money, but they didn't really help Stu out. We went back to the hostel and played a few drinking games with the infamous goon, and then went to one of the local clubs. By this point, I don't think many of us could see straight, which made the evening even better! Stu was so drunk by that point, but luckily his parents had already left for Coffs Harbour. He did some really funny things during the night as well, which I sadly missed the best one - he told Alex he was really hot, so he took off his top. The barman told him to put it back on, so he stuck both of his middle fingers up at him!! The barman went to get a bouncer, so Stu disappeared onto the dance floor to cause more trouble. He also tried to start fights with as many people he could! Nothing happened with any of them, but only because people were there to break it up! I have no idea what time we left the club, but I had a bowl of muesli when we got back, before stumbling to bed.

We woke up in the morning, and I was greeted with a pounding headache, but I must say I deserved it! Stu was still drunk when we checked out, and he was so funny to watch throughout the morning. We went to Subway for breakfast, which was the best one I've ever had, and said goodbye to Sunil & Priya, who were moving back to their relatives in the Sydney suburbs. Stu's hangover started around lunchtime, so he suffered for most of the day, and the journey on the boat to Manly Beach didn't really help him!!! We checked into the hostel, and Alex & I let Stu sleep for most of the afternoon, while we went for a walk along the seafront to try and find the cheapest surf shops. We got back to the hostel, and made some soup, before watching a couple of episodes of the Simpsons and Family Guy. We didn't do anything in the evening apart from watch TV and feel sorry for ourselves, but we were all happy to do that!

Yesterday, I woke up at 5am to watch the Liverpool - Chelsea match, and was happy to support the leading side until the 94th minute, (and own goal from Liverpool), which made me annoyed. I went back to bed, and got up properly at about 11am. We went into the city center to meet Joe & Emma for a farewell lunch, as they were getting the bus to Melbourne later on in the day. We went to Scruffy Murphy's and got the Beer & Steak deal, which was relatively cheap, and then met up with Immi and Rachel (friends from school). It was weird to see them in Sydney, as the last time I had seen them was in Redhill before Christmas!! They got on the train with us towards Bondi (as I still hadn't been there!), but got off on the stop before, so they could go to their accommodation. We went to the beach, and found the cheapest surf shop, and went straight in! It was only $20 for 2 hours board and wet suit hire, so we couldn't complain! The waves were so hard to surf though - they came from every direction and the current was so strong. We had a laugh though, until Stu hit himself on his head with his board! We stayed in for about an hour until that happened before we called it a day and took the boards back. We got on the bus towards the City as we were so tired. It took almost an hour as the traffic was so bad, but we got there at about 7pm. We got a phone call from Mike to say he'd be there in about half an hour, so we waited for him, so we could all get the ferry together. We got the ferry back to Manly, and he checked into the hostel, and then we made dinner - soup and pasta! It was nothing special, but we were so close to the end, we couldn't be bothered to do anything extravagant. We went to bed quite early again, as the day had tired us out, and to save money as well!

We got up at about half 9 today, as we needed to checkout, and then went to get some breakfast. Stu got a phone call from Immi, who was in Manly at the time, so we told them where we were, so they met up with us and had some food. Alex, Mike, Stu and Immi rented surfboards for the day, but I wanted to save some money, so Rachel and I watched them catch the waves, while we sat on the beach. The weather was really nice, and probably the best we'd had in Sydney for the whole time we've been here, but it didn't last long - it started raining when Immi and Rachel had to go. I was bored on my own, so rented my own board as it looked like so much fun! I caught so many waves, and it was the best time I've been surfing. We finished the surfing at about 3pm, and went back to have showers. We bumped into a friend that we'd met in Cairns, so we all went for a coffee. We got back to the hostel at about 6pm, and since then we've watched South Park, Family Guy and The Simpsons!

Tonight we're off to the airport, so we don't have to get a ridiculously early taxi, but it does mean we have to sleep there, which won't be too pleasant.

I've had such a good time in Australia, and I know I'm going to come back, but it does get expensive if you don't work, so that could be an option for when I come back (and any people planning a big trip here!) but now all i say is: Bring on New Zealand!

Byron Bay - Surf Camp - Sydney

After the internet, we went to the beach to play a bit of Frisbee, then I went for a swim in the sea. The waves were really big, so I got wiped-out a few times, but had a good time. We went back to the hostel, and on the way, we booked our Greyhound bus to Melbourne, and also our accommodation in Sydney - for $17 a night! We had quick showers and went to Cheeky Monkeys for dinner. We still had a voucher to use (one that we given when we booked our Fraser/Whitsunday tours), so we ordered a free entree and the $5 steak. Mike got his free meal - a small bowl of pasta, then I saw mine; it was a huge curry, and I had an even bigger plate of steak and chips! I was pretty full after eating it all! They showed the Liverpool - Arsenal match as well (the one where Liverpool thrashed Arsenal 4-2!!!) We chilled in the bar for a bit, and managed to get a few more jugs of cheap beer, before going to the bottle shop for some beers. We went back to our room and met a random Italian friend of Joe & Emma's, who they met on Fraser Island, and we all had a good laugh. We went back to Cheeky Monkeys and did some table dancing, before heading back to bed at about 2am.



We had to get up at about 7am, as we were getting the bus down to Surf Camp to try out some more surfing. We all got on the bus, and tried to get to sleep, but we stopped off at the 'Most Famous Surf Beach in the World'- called Lenox Head, which has huge surf, which you can surf about 500m on! It starts breaking at the headland, and you can surf all the way to the beach - that would be sooo good!! We got back on the bus, and went to the town of Ballina for some breakfast. I didn't have anything, as I had a tonne of Muesli and some toast, but Alex and Mike got burgers (lol). After this stop, it was plain sailing down to Spot X - Mojo Surf Camp (it was actually in a place called Arrawarra, but Spot X sounds better). We got to know our bus driver on the way down as well, and his Oz nickname was 'Frat', but his real name was Derek (haha!). He played some cool music, and stopped off at a bottle shop, so we could stock up with supplies for the evening. We got to Arrawarra, at about 1pm, and checked in straight away. We were given a quick guided tour of the camp (it had caravans, rather than tents) and then we went straight down to the sea for our surf lesson. The boards we were using were really foamy, so they floated more easily than the real ones, but they're good to practice on. We were shown how to get from the prone position on the board, to standing up really quickly. It all seemed really easy, but it was a lot harder our at sea. The small waves were easy to catch (the surf was easy to get moving on), but the bigger waves (the ones much further out) were a different story. I thought I'd give them a go, but most of the time, I got ploughed into the bottom of it, and those were the times I actually made it past the breaking waves! Towards the end, I started getting cocky, so I didn't catch as many, but one thing that put me off, was the fact that I saw a fin rise up out of the water about 50m away from us. It looked like a dolphin, but I didn't want to assume it. It turned out I was right, as I mentioned it to Frat, and he said that if the fin rose up out of the water, and then went back down (which it did) then its a dolphin. Sharks apparently on go straight through the water, without any height difference. We all stood up a few times, and the instructors were pleased with us, so we were all happy. We had showers after the lesson, and went and waited for the famous BBQ. It was better than expected. There were burgers, prawns (eugh!), lamb, steak, soup, salads and loads more. I ate as much as I could, and then chatted to some of the other people on the Oz bus. We had a game of pool as well (Alex & I vs Mike & Frat). Obviously the better people prevailed, and won (that was me!). It was a good game, as we had 6 balls left, and they had 2 (...??) and we cleared the table really quickly. We were only allowed to stay in the eating area until 9.30pm, which is when we went down to the beach for a party. We were about to cross the bridge over a small river, when we noticed it wasn't so small anymore! It was about 10 times as big, and a lot deeper, plus the end of the bridge was about 2-3m too short!!! We had to paddle through, but we all made it! It was really cold, so I'd put on a hoody and jeans (yes! In Australia!), so the jeans got wet on the bottom. We partied the night away, and it brought back memories of the Full Moon Party, but a lot smaller scale! We went back through the river at about 1am, and went to bed straight away.



We were woken up a leisurely 6am (ouch!) and we all tried packing our bags, but it was so early it was almost impossible! We went to breakfast, and loaded our plates & bowls with as many different cereals as possible, and then toast with eggs! It was really good, but I was still full from the night before, so I couldn't manage a massive amount. We then got on the bus not long after we'd finished, and then set off on the long journey. It was supposed to take about 10 hours, so we all took pillows and sleeping bags, so we could catch up on some much needed sleep. We didn't do much on the way, until we stopped for lunch, at... wait for it... Bulahdelah! I love some of the names they have here! We then went on our way, and we played a Battle of the Sexes quiz, which the guys sadly lost, so our forfeit was for Frat to choose us a target, and then for us to say Ëxcuse me, I was hoping you could congratulate me, as I've just saved up enough money for a sex change", and then we had to walk off. We had to wait for that though, as we were going to do it at the Gaff (bar) in the evening, at our end of Oz party. We went through some really amazing scenery just before Sydney; we drove over the Hawkesbury River and we actually went through the area that they filmed the amazing series of 'Skippy'! We had apparently made up so much time, that Frat went a different way into the city, just so we could go over the Harbour Bridge. It really was awesome! We saw the Opera House, and loads of other sights from our bus, and then we went and dropped off some of the bus before it was our turn. We got off near the Town Hall, and had no idea where were going, but as we were about to cross, I saw Stu! He was on the same side as us, and he didn't seem as surprised as us to see each other. He then said something about meeting us at the Aquarium, but we just thought it was where he was dropped off. Anyway, he came to our hostel with us, and we caught up on what we'd done over the previous week. He then went back to his Aunt's house, and we got ready to go out to our Oz party. Our hostel was holding a free cheese & wine evening, but only for people dressed in togas. So Alex and I got our bed sheets and wrapped ourselves in them, and went to get some free cheese and wine. They had huge bags of 'goon', and pint glasses (!!!), so we had some wine and then walked to The Gaff, to meet up with some of the other bus people. We ordered our free meal (chicken schnitzel & chips) and then got some drinks. Frat turned up about an hour late, but he got us some drinks so we were happy. Alex also got some strange texts from Stu, asking whether we were with some friends we hadn't seen for ages. Anyway, he turned up not long after 9pm, and we got him a free meal, then we all realised what had happened with the weird texts. He had actually got Alex's phone number mixed up with a guy called Sunil, so when we saw him after we got off the bus, it was a total fluke! Thats why we were surprised and he wasn't - he expected to see us, but we had no idea. This also meant that he had left Sunil standing outside the Aquarium for hours on end! He laughed it off, and I made him store names with the numbers, so he'd never make the same mistake again. We had a few more drinks, and Frat's boss bought us all a shot called a Flatliner, which is made up from tequila, absinthe and the best part - Tabasco sauce. Lets just say we all burnt our mouths, and we had about 2 pints of water after each of our shots! It was soo hot!!! We partied a bit more, until one of the girls on the bus reminded Frat that we still had to do our forfeit. I was made to go first, and guess who he chose: the biggest, hairiest man in the room. I thought I was going to be knocked out, but he actually laughed and shook my hand (lol). Alex had to say it to one of the workers in the bar, but she ignored him, and Mike said it to the DJ, who said over the michrophone "congratulations to Michelle". We all had a laugh, and were surprised they all went so well. The rest of the night went quickly, and we got back to our hostel at about 2am. Oh, and I thought I'd mention this - Stu also slapped me in the face, after he missed a 'High Five' (he'd had a beer, so his co-ordination was all over the place!!)

We had planned to meet Stu at 9.30am, so we could all go to Bondi, but it changed to 10.30, then 11, and then Stu was late, so we eventually met him just after 11am, but then wanted to go to the free BBQ our hostel was holding on Coogee Beach. We managed to smuggle Stu into it, so he could get another free meal, but Alex and Mike missed the bus, as they wanted to find out about a band playing that evening. Stu and I got there, and had to wait about an hour for the food to be ready, but when it was, it was really good! The beach was nice as well, but the waves were small compared to Bondi (apparently). We then got on a bus to Bondi Junction, so we could go to the beach from there, but when we got there, we couldn't be bothered to do anything, so we went back to the hostel. Alex and Mike were supposed to meeting us on Coogee, but they never showed up, but when I was looking through Alex's photos, he had a few of Coogee, and we could actually see ourselves on one of his photos!! They'd assumed that we had already gone on the coastal walk to Bondi, but we were actually sitting on Coogee beach at that time, so we missed each other! We got back to the hostel, and went to The Gaff for another free meal, and then met up with people from our hostel, as the bar was offering us all 2 free drinks, so we thought we might as well take up their offer! They also had a burger eating competition, which was 1kg of pure meat, bread and salad! It was huge! A huge guy from another hostel did it in about 15 minutes, but he was the size of a house! We then went to meet Joe, Emma, Martin, Lauren, Hayley and Jamie at a bar on the other side of the city. It cost $20 to get in, but the music was so good! They had a few DJ's, and they started off with chilled out trance, but it went on to be a lot faster and more upbeat. We left there at about 4am, and went back to our hostel. It was a good night, but we were all shattered!

Today we're planning on going to see the sights (Opera House, Harbour Bridge etc.) so hopefully it will be cultural!

Byron Bay

We got up relatively early on Monday, and went to the beach, as Alex wanted to try out surfing again. The waves seemed really big, so we both went in, but they turned out to be much bigger than first expected, so I got out after about 20 minutes of body surfing. Alex stayed in there for another hour, trying to catch the waves, but they were all dumping waves, so they were hard to catch properly. We then went to the local kebab shop to get our lunch, which was really good, but nothing compared to the greasy English ones! We went back to the house and packed up our things, and went to the shops to buy Jack & Vicky some presents. We bought them some alcohol and other little bits to say thank you, but they deserved much more! We then got in the car and drove down to Byron Bay. It rained quite a bit along the way, but when we arrived, it had stopped. We checked in to the Holiday Village and then went out for a curry at one of the local restaurants. Jack & Vicky had been here before, so they knew where to go for the best food, but it was quite expensive (for our budget anyway!) We then said our goodbyes and we went to the hostel to find Mike, Joe, Emma, Charlie and the others. They were dotted around the hostel, so we went and said 'hi' to them all before settling down in Charlie's room. We stayed there for a while, and then went to a bar, which was a bit further along the main road. I couldn't be bothered to drink, so Mike, Alex and I went back to the hostel and watched The Bourne Ultimatum (film), before going to bed.

I woke up just after 9am to some devastating news; a 16 year old boy had been killed by a shark, about 15 miles away from us. It made me realise how much of a threat sharks actually are when swimming/surfing in the sea. We were going to rent out surfboards for the day, but our beach had been shut, and the hostel wouldn't give them to us anyway. We heard lots of different rumours about what had happened, and what kind of shark it was, but its most likely to be a Bull Shark. A fisherman said that he had seen a few of them circling his boat shortly before the attack. Here's the link from the BBC website:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/7336293.stm

The horrible thing about it is, that he wasn't actually in the sea; but in the river estuary, and only 50m out.
Anyway, after finding out about it, we rented out bikes from our hostel, and rode up to the Lighthouse on Cape Byron, and went to the most Easterly point of Australia (excluding islands) and looked out to sea. I think we were all looking for sharks, but we didn't see any. We did however see a few dolphins swimming around the breaking waves, and among the surfers that had braved it out. The weather was still awful; it rained on and off for the whole morning, and as we cycled back, it started up again. We got back to the hostel just before lunch, so we went to Woolworths to buy some food. We didn't really do much in the afternoon, apart from go to the beach to play Ultimate Frisbee, but it started to rain really heavily about 30 minutes after we got there, so we had to give up with that idea. We got back to the hostel and all had showers, before going to Cheeky Monkeys (the local bar) for a cheap meal. I had fish & chips (a big portion) for only $5, so I was happy! We stayed there for most of the evening, and we played in a few games to get free jugs of beer. Alex won one, as he was the second person to throw a ball through a hole (sounds easier than it was!!). The person organising it kept on asking for random amounts of money, in certain coins, and the first person to give it to him would get a jug of beer! Mike managed to be the first person to give him $4 in dollar coins, so we got another jug. We went back to the hostel at about 11pm, and we ended up staying there, as we were all tired from the day's activities.

We woke up a bit later today (before 10am though!) and we hired surfboards from the hostel, and went straight out to the beach. The beach was open today, and we didn't feel as bad going in it today (yesterday we felt we wouldn't go in as a mark of respect) The waves were really big (there was a big storm out to sea and it was raining heavily), so we got in and started getting pounded. The rip was really strong, so it was quite a struggle getting out to the big waves. Mike managed to surf a few, but Alex and I failed miserably. I did manage to stand up on one, but I fell over straight after. It was still raining heavily at this time, and Mike said he thought he saw a shadow in the surf, but it turned out to be a rock. It was probably the worst time to go in, as after heavy rain, the sharks are usually more active. We stayed in the sea for over an hour, and then went back to the hostel to have showers. We then met up with Joe & Emma after the showers and went out in the town to come here!

Tomorrow we're going to Surf Camp for our included surf lesson, and then its on to Sydney on Friday!

Surfer's Paradise

So here we are in Surfers Paradise, and its exactly how I expected it - long, golden beaches, tall buildings, good night life, good surf - what more could you want??


We left Brisbane to come down here on Sunday, and had a short Oz bus ride, which would have been shorter, had we not stopped off at a Zorbing centre for about an hour and a half! I've always wanted to do it, but $25 for about a 10 second ride, it didn't really seem worth it, so we sat on the grass and had our lunch. We got to Surfers Paradise at about 4pm, and went to check into a hostel that was recommended to us by one of Mike's friends (who also met us at the bus station - he's called Charlie Williams - James, you'll remember him!). We checked in and paid $30 (!!!!), so we thought it would be worth it, but it was nothing special.. We then decided to go and check out the beach, which was only a 5 minute walk away. We got there just as the sun was setting, which made the views of the whole area amazing! I took a few photos (which will be added soon). We sat on the beach while Mike and Charlie went for a swim, but not long after the, the lifeguards advised everyone to stop, as they were going home. We went back to the hostel, and were too tired to cook, so Stu, Nat, Alex and I went out for a meal. We all wanted steak, so we found a good Irish bar that did steaks. However, as I didn't have my ID, I had to go back and get it, so I told Stu what I wanted, so he could order for me (T-Bone). Alex and I went back to the hostel, and made it back to the bar about 20 minutes later. The food hadn't arrived by that time, so I got myself a Guinness and sat down with the others. About 10 minutes later Nat and Stu got their food, followed by ours, but they had given us Rump Steaks instead (and no side of chips) so we complained, and the waitress said the kitchen was closed, so we had to make do with what we had. We asked to speak to the manager, and she came over and said she would give us the two rump steaks for free!! (saving $20 each!) The food was really good quality, so we were all happy with the amount we'd saved! We got back to the hostel to find Charlie, Mike and Anna (Charlie's friend) playing cards, so we joined them, and went to bed at about 11:30pm.

We woke up at about 9am, as we had to check out, so we packed and went and sat by the pool. We ate the fruit cake we'd been given from Fraser Island for breakfast as well, while Mike messed about in the pool. We then went to the beach and went for a swim. The waves were huge! We caught a few, and then went to play Frisbee. It was really hot, so I gave up after a while, but Alex and Nat went in the sea (where there were no yellow & red flags!) After about 2-3 minutes, the lifeguards starting calling out to them on the loud speakers, but they couldn't hear, so they had to send out a lifeguard on a surfboard! They were pretty embarrassed, but it was funny to watch. However, as the lifeguard was rescuing them, the other one drove towards him and said he had to go and assist the other lifeguards further along the beach, due to a cardiac arrest, which was kind of scary. We'd also heard that over the Easter Weekend, 3 people drowned while swimming, just at Surfers Paradise, so it shows how dangerous it is in that area. Joe and Emma came down just before lunch, but we'd already gone for yet another steak! It wasn't as good as the previous day's, but we did have to pay for it! We went back to the hostel for a shower, and then went to meet Jack & Vicky (Verity's cousins). They picked us up, and took us to near where they lived (Burleigh Heads) and we all had a beer. They seemed like really nice people, and were glad we could stay with them for a few days. We got to their hose and were really happy to have a proper shower, and also a cooked meal (you guessed it - steak! But in a sandwich this time) We spent the evening watching TV - South Park! And went to bed at about 11pm.

We woke up at about 10am on Tuesday (well, I did; Alex got at about 8am!) and then went for an explore of the surrounding area (Miami). We thought we were going towards the sea, but we actually went completely the wrong way, so we gave up on the idea of bikes, and got the bus up to Surfers. We met Joe & Emma there, and also said goodbye Stu & Nat, who were leaving to go to Byron Bay. We saw them off, and then went to the beach for a swim. We went back to Joe and Emma's place for a beer, and then decided that we'd go to Wet'N'Wild the next day, and we even managed to persuade Emma! We got back to Jack & Vicky's at about 7pm, and we had Lamb Chops fr dinner, which were really good. We watched TV again for the rest of the evening and went to bed quite early again.

We had to wake up really early on Wednesday, as we needed to get the bus to Wet'N'Wild. We had some breakfast, and then got the bus. It took ages, as it was rush hour, and it seemed that 1 person wanted to get off at every stop along the way. But we finally got there, and met Joe & Emma at about 10am, and we went on the first slide. It was a big raft ride, which was a good one to start on. We then went towards the bigger rides! There was one called the Tornado, which was a big funnel shape, that was on its side, and the raft slides from side to side, until you lose speed, which is when you slide down to the pool. The funnel parts fine, but the drop down to it is so steep - it felt like we were going to fall out! The next big slide was called Mach 5, and it was made up of 3 different slides, the outer two are not as steep, but the middle one goes straight down! It was soooo steep, but it was over so quickly, you don't really have time to think about it. All of the other slides were the basic water parks ones - tunnel slides, open slides, racing slides etc. We left the park at about 4pm, and planned to go to Joe & Emma's for a few drinks, but by the time we made it to Surfers, we had all fallen asleep, so we weren't feeling up to it. We got back to the house, and we had planned to go out for a meal, but we thought that a takeaway would be a better idea, so we ordered pizza, and watched Goldeneye all together.

I think these evenings doing nothing are helping our budgets so much!!

On Thursday, it was much harder to wake up, but I managed to do it by 11am - even though Alex had been up since 8am!!!!! We got out of the house by about 12:30 and went towards the beach. We walked along it, towards Burleigh Heads, and got some lunch on the way. The waves were really big, but most of the beach was unpatrolled, so I didn't want to risk it. We made it to the headland, and started to walk up to the National Park. Its not very big, but some of the wildlife in there is amazing! We took the rainforest path, which was about 2km long. We didn't see much - just a few wild turkeys and a big iguana. We got over the headland and made it down to the creek on the other side. It looked really calm, so I ran straight in, but the undercurrent was quite strong, as the tide was coming in. I don't think I'd have stayed in there if the tide was going out, but as it was dragging me towards land, it wasn't too bad. We stayed there for an hour or so, and just as we were about to leave, we spotted a sea eagle flying close to the water, and it landed about 30 metres away from us! It kept on getting bombarded by seagulls, but all it wanted to do was have a wash in the sea. We left not long after that, and as we were walking along the beach towards Miami, Jack called Alex and asked if we wanted to go for a beer - when would we ever decline a beer!?!?! We had a couple and were joined by Vicky, and then we went back to the house. We had Chili Con Carne for dinner, which was really nice, and then we went out to the local shopping mall (Pacific Fair) for a look around. They don't seem to have high streets in Australia, they just have big malls. Oh and also, the supermarkets never sell alcohol, they only have liquor stores, some on which are drive through!!! Apparently the mall is where all of the under 18s go, as its the best place to hang out. We stayed there until the shops closed (at 9 o'clock) and then drove to the lookout, which was about 30 minutes out of town. We drove up the hill, and when we got to the top it was astounding. The view was one of the best I've ever seen! From the left to the right all we could see was lights. We could see all the way up and down the Gold Coast for miles, and directly in front of us was Q1 (the world's tallest residential building) and the other sky scrapers in Surfers Paradise. We took some photo's and then went back to Miami. We went to bed almost straight away, as it had already gone 11pm (I never go to bed this early!)

On Friday, I woke up to hear Alex on the phone to someone (turned out to be Verity) and this was at about 9:30am. I then went back to sleep, and woke up just after 10am, to hear the same thing again. I got up then, and uploaded some photo's, had some breakfast, watched TV, and this took me up to about 12:30, and Alex was still on the phone!!!!!! We eventually managed to get out and we went to Surfers to say goodbye to Mike, who had just come back from Toowoomba, and for some reason, the bus driver gave me $49 change when I gave him $50 for two tickets that were supposed to cost $11!! We met up with Mike, and then went to the beach, but as it was quite windy, the surf was much bigger, and the waves were much stronger. We went in, but didn't stay for long, as the rip-current was so strong. It was a constant battle against the water, and I can safely say that I've never been in such a rough sea! We went back in a few times, but made sure we stayed inside the flags, and at about 3.30pm, we went to the bus station with Mike to say goodbye to him. He went off justt after 4pm, which is when Alex and I went back to Miami. When we got home, we chose a Thai curry for dinner, and watched some TV while having a few beers. I chose Pad Thai, which is one of the more popular ones that we had in Thailand. We then went out in the evening to a bar about 10 minutes walk away from the houue, called Shark Bar. It had live music on, so we stayed there for the whole evening, and Alex and I got thrashed at pool by Jack & Vicky! Jack had had a fe, so he was quite drunk, but no one else really was. We got back at about 1am, and then went to bed soon after.

One thing that I've recently learned, is that you should never pick up any spiral shells that are on the beach, as you will probably die! I never realisedthis, but there are things called cone snails (or cone shells), and when disturebed (if you pick them up) they shoot out a barb, that has poison in, and it will most probably kill you. Its just another thing in Australia that is deadly!!!

We woke up really early on Saturday morning, as Alex had booked a surf lesson on the local beach. We had a fry up, and then drove to Burleigh to take Alex to his lesson. The sun was shining, so we went and sat on the beach, while Alex surfed. He managed to get up a few times, but I was too tired from the night before to watch it all. He finished it after 2 hours, and then we went and got milkshakes from the surf club. It had just started to rain, so we were lucky to be undercover. We then went to a shop that had photos of the local area, which were really interesting to see - the had photos ranging from the beach and surfers, to sunrises and animals. It was really cool, but they were so expensive, so I dind't bother buying any. We got back to the house at about 1pm, and did nothing for the whole afternoon, apart from watch Family Guy, South Park and the Simpsons, and go to KFC for lunch. When the evening came, however, we went out for a meal to a local restarant in Broadbeach, which did Italian food. Alex and I paid for everyones, as they ahd already done so much for us. We went to a couple of bars in Broadbeach before getting in a taxi ito Surfers, and went to a club called The Bedroom. It had a few beds dotted around the place, and the rest of it was themed to be like a bedroom. It was quite cool, but nothing special. Alex said if we were there for another night, we should have gone in pyjamas! We stayed there until about 1am, and then went to another bar called Melbas. It is the biggest club in the area, so its just like a glorified Liquid, bb it was still good. By this time, we were starting to get really tired, so ALex and I were about to get a taxi home, when we saw the bus was waiting at the stop, and it went to Miami. So we jumped on and went back home. Jack stayed at Melbas, and came back at about 4am.

I got up at just before midday on Sunday, and felt a bit rough, but I coped. We watched some TV, before Alex and I went to Pacific Fair (the shopping mall) for a bit of shopping. I got some lunch at Subway (Alex went to Hungry Jack's) and then went to look around the shpos. It is a massive shopping mall, but we spent most of our time in one of the big department stores; wandering around pointlesly. In the end, I bought a shirt and a T-shirt all for $25, so I was happy, and Alex bought 2 12 year old T-shirts, as he manages to fit into them (:S). We got the bus back into Miami, and decided to check out Miami Beach (we'd always been going to Burleigh Beach), which is where we stayed for about 20 minutes. The weather was a lot worse today, as it rained quite a bit, but we were usually undercover when the wosrt of it was around. We then went back to the house and chatted with Jack & Vicky before having an amazing roast. It was roast lamb, and it made me realise how much I've missed the Sunday Roasts!!! We had an alcohol free evening, and then we watched The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford, which was slow to get into, but I thought it was still a good fill. Its a bit messed up, but its well made. It finished at about 11pm, whihc is when everyone went to bed. Alex fell asleep at about 9.30, so he missed most of the film!

Tomorrow we're going down to Byron Bay, so expect the next update from there!