28th December - 1st January 2011 Sydney baby!!!!!!!

We moved to Sydney to get ready for Paul and Jane's wedding and for NYE.  Settling into the hotel was nice and enjoyed the luxury of a small gym, and a pool to chill in.  I explored some of the areas of Sydney and made a quick stop in the Guylian chocolate shop and was quickly dragged after being reminded that I had a suit to fit into before I had even had a chance to contemplate what I was going to spend my dollars on!!!!

The following day was the one I was dreading.  I had a small breakfast so that I didn't have to worry about anyone below having seconds on my breakfast when I climbed to the top of the bridge.  I had managed to get onto a tour - which was actually a small miracle.  The bridge is usually closed on the build up to New Years Eve.  Probably a good idea not to mix the general public and a couple of tons of fireworks!!!

The walk started with a walk through the infrastructure of the bridge towards the stone pillars.  Interestingly the pillars are just for show and have no weight bearing purpose, and are just there for show.  The Sydney citizens were originally worried when the local council suggested that they would build the bridge without the pillars and so due to local pressure they built the structures, giving the iconic shape of the bridge.  As we passed the pillars it became clear there was very little contact between the metal bridge and the pillars.  The scariest part was walking the catwalk on underside of the bridge.  Once we climbed through onto the bridge itself it was less scary as I managed to enjoy the magnificent view.  At the top I stopped and had my photo taken.  As there was a breeze up the boiler suit inflated making me look like the Michelin mans brother!!!  When I was climbing back through the bridge I came across the railway track and a train was passing.  I gave the passengers a wave and smile and was sure they were gobsmacked to see some lunatic a couple of feet away giving them a thumbs up!!!!!!!

The following day was the big day and the reason why the family had met on the other side of the world.  Paul and Janes wedding.  It was a beautiful day and the weather was perfect.  I had been tasked with looking after the rings and giving a reading (that I had written).  The wedding was in the botanical gardens which a fantastic location and very memorable.  I remembered my reading, and more importantly the rings!! Louisa gave a great reading and we all had a great time.  Afterwards we went on a brilliant cruise around the Harbour and watched the sunset against an iconic background.  The food was fantastic.

The following day there was a small matter of New Years Eve!!!  I got up early and headed to queue for Mrs McQuarries point.  Armin joined me in the queue and we got chatting to a nice French couple.  I was stood in teh queue for abouts 4 hours before it started moving and when we finally got in there was a mad rush for spots.  Being in the first 2000 people into the sectioned area I was able to get a wristband for the very front and a great view.  I quickly hurried up the hill and secured a spot for the family who arrived a couple of hours later.  The view was not as good but I was able to get some towels down and enough space.  The hours whiled away with booze and the ongoing saga of will she/wont she in the sky!!!

The above photo is where the plane has written :) r u ok?  The early cloud/smoke trails had written out will u  marry me?  The last one said "Jesus"!!! So I don't know what the outcome was but possibly not the best start for 2011 for the chap who had arranged it all.  It was a strange day, as when I was in a queue I turned round and there was Petey who I had done the Lares Trail with in South America.  I was amazing as I knew he was in Sydney for NYE but what an amazing surprise to see him.  We had a good chat and agreed to catch up in Auckland when he got over to New Zealand.

I headed down to the front and met up with Armin and we watched the fireworks with the best view on the front (admittedly we were sat on some garbage bins) and one of the most memorable 10 minutes of my life.  The whole city illuminated by the fireworks and the Opera house looked like pink butterflies from the reflection of the fireworks!!!  I dashed off after and agreed to meet Armin in New Zealand.  I had to quite literally swim through thousands of people as I headed back to the hotel.

I headed off on the second but wonder if I will ever come back to see the fireworks again.  I do really hope so but I think with climbing the bridge and an absolutely fantastic wedding if I was ever to come back again it would be very difficult to top all that!! But with a new lady in my life who knows???

Off to New Zealand next and a bit of organizing for the next leg of the trip, visas and travel agents.  Perhaps more importantly continuing with the most exciting adventure of my life!!! Happy 2011 to all!!!

12th December - 28th December Melbourne to Sydney (and a family Xmas)

I left Adelaide on the "Overlander" train.  This was a shorter journey than last time of a scheduled 7-8 hours.  This was interrupted by a breakdown which left us stranded for 2 hours.  I got chatting to a nice lady Patricia Warner Freeland, and we had a good giggle and she told me lots of interesting stories from her life and running her own restaurant.  We got on well and when we arrived I helped Pat with her bags until she met her son.

I was pleasantly greeted at the Station by an old face Claire Colvin, and her boyfriend Kon (Konstantinos Georiadis).  They guided me to the local YHA where I was staying and then we quickly headed out for a couple of quiet drinks.  They showed me the Crown Casino, and some of the bars.  We sat out on a terrace and felt like a furnace was next to us as the chimney stacks fired up on the hour!!  Heading further on down the riverside we had a bit to eat and then to the Irish bar where the tunes were banging out one after another.  Before we knew it it was 2am so we trooped off in our different directions.  The following day we met for breakfast and Claire took me for a tour of the city and St. Kilda.  I think the highlight for Claire was the trip to the fairy cake shop, where we bought an unmentionable number, and consumed them pretty much straight away.

A couple of day later Mum and Dad arrived as we are having a family Christmas. Our Paul and his fiance Jane are coming out closer to Christmas and will be getting married in Sydney.

We set off on a little road trip to Sydney along the Great Alpine Road.  This was a fantastic journey and took in a number of pretty towns.  The road goes through some high places, as Alpine would suggest.  When we arrived in Albury we switched on the TV and watched the local news reporting that the road we had just been on had been closed due to snow.  All the stranger as this was close to their summer time and that we had just finished the road in a lovely sunny day.  The kids were making snow men on the report - although there was not enough snow for skiing!!!

Canberra was an interesting stop as it was the capital, and visited the Parliament building.  The architect built the building with a roof that people can walk across - it even has grass.  The idea of this is that the people should always be masters of the Parliament so the general public should also be able masters (above) the parliament.  The war memorial was an impressive building and had one of the best museums I have been too (I have been clocking up quite a lot of visits to museums so far).  At closing time the bugler played the last stand.

On the 22nd we arrived in Wollongong.  We settled in for a Merry Xmas, and picked Paul and Jane up from the airport.  Xmas day was spent on the beach, and a Xmas dinner of BBQ.  Everything was done in a typical Ozzie experience style.  I had a lovely surprise as Jane and Paul had brought some cards from Denise which put a big smile on my face.

I decided to confront my fears when I rang up and booked a trip to walk up the Sydney Harbour Bridge.  Really not sure that was such a wise idea on reflection...... gulp!!!!!!

Busy, Busy, Busy on the beach.....

Well its been a hectic last couple of days.  Firstly went to Ihla Grande which was a beautiful remote island, with amazing beaches.  Yes it certianly gives Thailand a good run for its money and as there was no one on the beach I think it might just win out.  We spent the day enjoying the rays, and the waves.  I got another one off the tick list by playing footy on the beach against some brasilians.  Yes they did beat us 5-2 before anyone asks.  The journey over was beautiful on the boat and sun set was gourgeous.
The following day we headed to the old town of Paraty.  We settled into the hotel and did the usual sightseeing.  The following day was a booze cruise with good music, plenty of cocktails, BBQ and a

6th - 12th December Perth to Adelaide, and Adelaide

My time in Perth has come to an end and I have decided to travel across to Melbourne by the train.. Booked onto the Indian Pacific train, which takes 3 days (2 nights).  I think this would be fun rather than jumping a plane and probably more relaxing given my fear of flying.

I got to the station early and checked my luggage in.  After check in I got chatting to a New Zealander by the name of Caroline and we had a good giggle as one of the passengers started arguing with the staff over how he should pack his sleeping bag onto his rucksack.  We unfortunately didn't get the ten rounds of battling we hoped for and so wondered off to inspect the train.  It was probably the longest train I have been travelling on, and on the platform we took some photos to mark our journeys.  We also debated why the Koreans do the victory sign when taking photos and couldn't work it out!! I think they are just big fans of Mr Churchill..

Settling into the seats I found that they were big recliners, which would be good for sleeping in overnight.  After an hour I paid the $15 dollars to get into the lounge car and the free tea and coffee, which I immediately drank until it was coming out of my ears.

We stopped a couple of times on route and Caroline and I ventured off the train for a couple of photos and explore the towns.  The first stop we came too was a bit of a wild west town.  We headed off into the town for an hour and a quick pint.  We got into the bar and started checking out the surrounding and at which point Caroline pointed the young ladies behind the bar were on an economy drive on clothing.  Ade - you really know how to impress a lady!!!!!!  After having a chat with one of the locals (a drunken rant on his part about what the government were doing to the minors) we retreated back to the train.  At the next notable stop we were advised not to go into any of the abandoned buildings in the ghost town!!!

I arrived in Adelaide early morning, and was still trying to hunt for accommodation and struggling with great aplomb as the cricket was on.  I had been searching for a cheap hostel or B&B for two weeks already.  The last resort was to check into some majorly plush hotels and so I plumped for the number 4 hotel in the world!!!!!  This was a massive improvement on the hostels and a real palace.

Adelaide is a pretty little city and although I could get tickets for the cricket I managed to get myself in with a crowd of "Poms" who were watching the cricket in a bar, the girls seemed more vociferous than the other lads in the pub.  I was then tagged as a flashpacker by one of them for staying in plush hotel.  I advised that I would attempt to continue living up to the title.  I had been to Adelaide before and enjoyed some of the sites again and went for a walk around the botanic gardens which was well worth while.

Well off on the next leg of my journey where I meet an old friend.

21st November - 6th December - Perth/Freemantle

A general consensus was made amongst us all to base ourselves in Freemantle as it was rather chilled and laid back and so Armin, Diana, and I arrived there and had already booked ahead into the YHA hostel.  It was a bit of a shocker on my first night.  The dorm looked like 5 drunk scousers had been scrapping over the last can of Stella in it!!!  The dorm stunk and had my head stuck right next to a window that wouldn't close, and kept hearing conversation from the alley outside where the chef and waiters from the place next door kept having a ciggie break.  The following morning I went to shower and had to guide myself through an array of discarded razor blades (around the sink and in the shower!!).

Went out and explored my way around Freeo catching up with Mark and Amanda and settling into the coffee bar culture.  I was moved to another dorm which transformed from the one last night.  Clean, tidy and very friendly residents.  So I settled in.  Also found a different shower block which was gleaming and did not have an antique collection of razor blades on display.

Bumped into Sandra who I kept bumping into on the way down from Broome so whilst Armin left I still had a couple of friends floating around with Diana and Sandra.  Sandra and I went out for a couple of beers in Little Creatures brewery where I proceeded to try and barter her a husband.  It did end up with her meeting a rather eccentric Kiwi bloke who she seemed to take a shine too!!! He described himself as a Crazy Pirate Nice Gentleman Gangsta... I really cant work that one out for the life of me - but seems a nice fella, and they certainly made a nice couple.  It all seemed to make a lot of sense at the time but we were in a brewery!!!!!

My second day in Freeo though I had some bad news when I chased up Western Exposure to confirm my tour dates to see south of Perth (wave rock etc).  They advised that they would not be running a tour on that date and I could either do another date (conveniently when I was in Adelaide) or have my money back.  I advised them that I would take the money back.  That meant that I would be stuck in Perth as getting a car and travelling the route would have been too expensive so I decided that I would leave that for another time and come back to see that area of Oz.

On Saturday I was floating along the road when I bumped into Charizade who I had met in Coral Bay.  It was her last night in Oz before flying home.  The two of us decided to have a big night out.  My initial plan was to get the last tram back but we carried on partying on until the early hours of the morning and thought we were hardcore wondering back at 6.30am, only to have the wind taken out of our sails when we realised there were still people carrying on beyond then!!!  I had a absolutely fantastic night and will keep in touch.

Whilst out and abouts I also found a plaque in Kings Park - it was of note to me as the Name on it was Mr M Hearty - and I don't think I have ever come across another Hearty who is not related.  Very Bizarre!! Perth is a city which a lot of people miss off when travelling to Oz but I certainly enjoyed it and think I would definitely come back again as there was plenty to see and do.  I left Perth on the train and the little adventure that had started in Darwin had drawn to an end as none of the people I had been with on the way down were there anymore.  So off to meet new (and some old) friends!!!

18-20th November Monkey Mia/Francois Peron national park

We arrived in Denham after a long drive from Coral Bay, on route we had stopped for Lunch with some of the other guys in Carnarvon.  Carnarvon seemed to be a very purposeful town with the fruit plantations being the main employers in the area.  Suzie had tried to do some fruit picking the day before and found it hard work and very unrewarding as the farmer wanted to pay cash in hand which would mess up her employment terms on her working visa.
Denham was a small and laid back town with a couple of fishing boats just off shore and fish filleting stations along the shore for the fishermen to work their magic on their catch.  This was a good place to base ourselves for the next couple of days for our visits to Monkey Mia and Francois National Park.  The town has a couple of restaurants but we plumped for the Old Pearler Restaurant which was built from bricks made of seashells.  The food was good as was the company and we settled in for some beers when we got back, with some of the other guys in the dorm.  We met some Ozzies, and Dieter and Wendy from Belgium.  Everyone was a good laugh and we had a great couple of days in the dorm.
Monkey Mia was an exciting little adventure as we headed to see the dolphins.  The dolphins were very friendly and came close enough that a couple of chosen individuals could feed the dolphins some fish.  We couldn't wade into the water however as one of the dolphins had a new born and they can be defensive of newborns (I suspect must Mums would be!!).  On the last feed there were just 4 people near me and I reckoned that we could have all fed the dolphins as each dolphin is fed 5 fish.  The first person decided to completely ignore the instructions of the guide and pat the dolphin on the head.  The dolphins sonar sensors are in the top of its head.  So it was equivalent of hitting someone over the back of head with a spade and pretty much left the dolphin looking like he had had 10 pints of Stella followed by 10 whiskey chasers.  Needless to say the dolphin didn't fancy much more fun with the overly "friendly" humans for the day!!!  After lunch we jumped on a boat with the Belgium dorm mates and went for a cruise on a very cool catamarann.  On this trip we managed to see some dugongs ( http://www.reelearth.org.nz/modules/content/images/image/87_dugong.jpg ).  These are an endangered specie and so I was honoured to see these amazing creatures in the wild.  The boat followed these around and when they were not spotting wildlife I lay on the web netting just above the water between the hulls and chilled!!!
Francois Peron National park was a tour we did in a 4x4 as it was pretty inaccessible.  We had a great time and visited some good spots looking down on the coast.  From there we were able to spot Manta Rays, a couple of sharks, loads of turtles, and a lot of it maybes which were very much like the murky shadows seen in Coral Bay!!! At the Peron homestead (local farm) we learnt the original homestead had been in the local town, but was moved as the sheepshearers were more keen on beer than shearing sheep.  The morning would start with a full compliment of shearers ( http://blog.umbro.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/Alan-Shearer-Red-Celebration.jpg ), and at each morning/afternoon break and lunchtime they would steadily loose the crew, and at the end of the day be lucky to have anyone working.  After 10 years of trying to contain the drinking the answer was to move the farm!!!!!!
Off to Kalbarri tomorrow as we start the final run in to Perth, so will be looking forward to being company to a couple of backpacks, cool bags and food bags in the back of the car for the next two days!!