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!!

11-17th November, Coral Bay

Diana, Armin and I arrived in Coral Bay after pretty much a mornings driving from Exmouth.  On route out of Exmouth we went to the local prawn trader, and took some photos of a 12foot prawn attacking us, and other silly scenarios involving a 12 foot prawn.
Coral Bay has a population of 190 so the town pretty much consists of one street on which lies a hostel, a couple of camp sites, a petrol station and small quick-e mart, and a small mall consisting of about 5 shops.  There was of course a bar which I thought we would become well acquainted (I was proven correct over the next couple of days).
Coral Bay is probably best known on the tourist circuit for the coral reef around it and the shark nursery.
A couple of days Armin and I headed down to the shark nursery and was greeted with a couple of shadows moving up and down the beach  in the sea.  Unfortunately there was a distinct lack of fins and Jaws music to accompany the shadows that were trying to look as murky and un-shark like as possible.
Fortunately this was a very minor fly in the ointment which was Coral Bay.  The beach was beautiful and I spent a large amount of time lost in a number of Clive Cussler books whilst I topped up my suncream to ensure I remain the nice pale white everyone knows me for!!!!  Sometimes the suncream made me even more pale than I had started off.  Whilst cooling off in the sea I managed to spy a sting ray and followed it (at a safeish distance).
Some of the divers had managed to meet some new friends and over the next couple of days we got to meet some new friends, Mark and Mandy were on holiday from the channel bays and became good drinking buddies over the next couple of days!! We also met Chris who managed to get the girls into a little groups of gossip girls!!! I also met Christi from Canada who rapidly integrated into our little band of brothers. I was also complimented by Sheherazade as being a typical gentleman (as the Irish guy she had been chatting to 5 mins before had been making lewd comments might have helped with this compliment!!).  I also ran into Sandra who had been in our dorm at Broome and was heading down the coast as a tour guide - managing to embarrass myself by not recognising her initially (taxi for Hearty???)
Perhaps one of the best discoveries in Coral was the bakery (recommended rightly so in Lonely Planet and Rough guide) where a staple lunch diet of Curry Pie followed by Apple and Custard pie was strictly followed.  This also led to the consequence of making sure I did try and maintain a healthy regime of eating out and social drinking in the evenings!!!
Well after such hard work and backbreaking health regimes I have decided that it was too much and we are going to head to Monkey Mia to visit the dolphins!!!

3-10th November Exmouth

Arrived in Exmouth (not the one in uk but the one in Oz).  It was an interesting little town with a population of 2500.  I arrived there at 1am on the greyhound bus after travelling from Broome for a full 13 hours. 
Suzie, Cal and I had arrived on the bus and met Dianna and Armin whohad driven there earlier.
Unfortunately due to the days travel I missed the Melbourne cup - its the horse racing event of the year in Oz and probably stops the country as much as the National does in the UK.  We stopped at a couple of roadstations on route and theladies behind the counters were dressed for the events with hats and dresses.
Exploring Exmouth I found that you were just as often likely to see an emu on the pavement as much as a pedestrian.
The town is also the gateway to NigalooMarine park, with snorkling and diving to match (some say beat) the Great Barrier reef.  In my inifinte wisdom I have lost my PADI certificate so diving was not really an option so snorkling was the best way to get in and see the corals and fish.  I went and stopped off at the Oyster stacks where there was some beautiful corals to snorkel around (and try to cut yourself on).  This was also where I saw a moray eel (kindly pointed out by Cal).  I also had an amazing experience as a school of giant snapper went either side of me and I must have been surrounded by 80-90 of them.  This was fantastic but then realised if something was going to take a bite of the fish it would probably go for the big slow one in the middle!!!!!!
Just down the coast from the oyster stacks was Turquoise Bay and it really did live up to its name, and so I had a quick paddle and soaked up the beauty of the area. I also soaked up a bit too much sun where I had not covered myself properly.  I was then left with a beautiful red patchy mark with white handprints where I had covered.  Nice.
Dianna, Suzie and I also decided to venture to the Karijini national park.  We found a number of gorges that were impressive and beautiful.  I had a nice morning swim in a cool pool beneath a waterfall.  This was a great start to a day and we went further on to another waterfall.  The heat however was sweltering and it appears that the planets population of flys had decided to mass on the Karijini whilst we were there.  Di was the driver and was shattered after driving on unsurfaced (bumpy as hell) roads, but she did a great job and didnt moan.  After two nights (the twogirls were squeezed into one tent, I had the luxury of one) we decided to head back to Exmouth for the night and then on to Coral Bay.  I really think we had been spoiled after seeing the Kimberleys as the gorges were equal to the Kimberleys and so it seemed both Karijini and the Kimberleys mix into one.  Off to Coral Bay tomorrow.  It has a population of 190 - I bet they have to have abouts 10 jobs each to keep the town going!!!!!