NOOSA, BRISBANE AND BACK TO SYDNEY

I arrived in Noosa on St Patricks Day and met a chap called Dave on the bus, we decided it was only right that we should celebrate Paddys day and went to the nearest pub for a guinness!! A few hours later and a lot more beers later we were covered in glitter and paint and drunk!! Next day we went to Australia Zoo together, this is an awesome zoo and expanding. We spent all day there and saw my first polar bear!! Next day I left for Brisbane to cach up with Gemma who i met in the Outback. We caught up with a few beers at her brothers flat and left the next day to head back to Sydney. I booked into a hostel called Maze and had heard horror stories of this dire hostel but it wasn't too bad. I decided to go to the Blue Mountains the next day to do a touristy thing, it was gorgeous there and I did a few walks around there. The 3 sisters are the main thing to look at, got back quite late and went to see cousin paul before I left the next day for Singapore and met back up with Leanne on the train to the airport.

SYDNEY, BYRON BAY, SURFERS PARADISE & HERVEY BAY

After leaving Longreach in a blaze of glory I headed for Sydney where I went to see Cousin Paul who lives near Bondi Beach, well first night we went to a BBQ and got drunk, then next day we went to the beach for the day for a relax, just what the doc ordered. Annii and Paul worked in the day so I amused myself by checking out Bondi Junction and went for a few runs. I stayed with them for a few days then I got in touch with a guy called Rhys who was doing a road trip up to Byron Bay and met up with him,he was a bit strange looking but seemed OK so we set off in the morning with another guy called Andreas from Sweden. We got to Seal Rocks the first night and camped, had lots of wine and pasta. Next day we set off in the wagon of destiny and got to Nimbin. This is a real quirky town that everyone smokes weed in, so we met up with some locals and after a few beers somehow agreed to taking part in a protest on bikes to encourage people to go green, but the catch was it was naked!!!!! So we camped in a campsite and got up ready to do the bike ride. Rhys went naked, andreas kept his pants on and so did I. All the locals were starkers and there was a woman who did body painting and was some funky art stuff going on. After that they dropped me at a hostel called the Arts Factory in Byron Bay and was another quirky place with all different kinds of rooms, I stayed in the Lakeside Lodge and was a 10 person female dorm, here I met loads of cool people and met Lisa and Arlene from Ireland. Somehow I managed to get a massive cold so didn't do much the first day but next day a few of us went to the beach and chilled for the day, a guy called Matt kept us all amused with his tall stories!!!! We checked out a local bar with live music that was cool. next day a few of us went on Jims Tour to nimbin again, we had some cookies that were interesting and he took us to a hippies home. Next day I was heading North to Surfers Paradise, this was the worst place in Oz and the worst Hostel aswell, we just checked out the town cause it rained all day!! Next day Lisa and Arlene left but I stayed on another night and left early for Hervey Bay for the Fraser Island experience. I arrived at Koalas where the tour was from and had hours worth of painful briefs by a guy who thought he was funny, next morning they had us up at 6 am to count forks etc. it felt more like a boot camp!! We eventually got on the road and I was the first driver. It was mental when we saw the terrain, I've never drove over such uneven ground. So we drove round for a few hours and got to know our group, there were Rouven and Tatiana from Germany, Dave and Cassie, Gemma, Lisa, Arlene and Me from UK. So we went to a beach near the village and had to go into L4 which is a gear for soft sand, this is when we realised we didn't have this and spent the next few hours trying to push it out. Luckily alot of the other groups were in the same bit of beach and helped us, it took a local in the end to get it out, so we abandoned the idea of camping on the beach. We went to a proper campground and there were familiesa there and it must have been there worst nightmare when 40 rowdy people pitch up. We drank goon and had a laugh. Next day Dave drove the car and we had to go and see a mechanic about the car, he fixed it but it took us all morning so pretty annoyed, then we went to Lake Mackenzie and camped near the beach. I was ill that night and went to bed early. Our last morning we got up at half 5 and drove along the beach to the shipwreck that we weren't allowed to see, I drove and it was really rocky terrain but good fun to drive over. Then weheaded for Lake Wabby that was beautiful, rainforest one side and sand dunes the other. We ended with a few hours at Lake Mackenzie. We arrived back at Koalas and got fine a few dollars cause we managed to lose some plates. Next morning I said bye to the group and headed for Noosa.

OZ - CAIRNS, BRISBANE AND LONGREACH

Well after arriving in Cairns and feeling like dog pooh we went to the cinema cause we couldn't check in so saw Madagascar 2 and slept through it all, then had a very quiet one in the hostel. Next day we went on a tour to the rainforest with Turtle Tours and our guide was Stewey, he took us to some beautiful swimming holes that were croc safe, Leanne decided she wanted a go on the rope swing and fell in badly and cut her knee. Then we finished the day by the beach but could only swim in the nets cause it was stinger season. Next day we hired a car and headed up the coast and stayed in Port Douglas, we visited a zoo type place called the habitat that had loads of crocs and kangaroos and all sorts of other animals. On the way up to Cape Tribulation we went to 4 mile beach which was pretty then went to the Mossman Gorge swimming hole which is the last safe one before crocs. We stayed at PKs hostel that night and was a party hostel and full of young lads. Next day we drove to Crocodylus YHA and slept the hangover off and went for a night walk in the rainforest around the hostel with a guy called possum, saw loads of creepy crawlies but no snakes! We headed back down the coast to Cairns, en route we did a croc cruise and saw a couple of smallish ones. Next day we were picking up a reloc vehicle to Brisbane and we had about 3 and a half days to get there. So straight on the road and ploughed some miles out, we made a detour to Mission Beach but it wasn't anything special, we headed on down to Airlie Beach, arrived late. Next day we booked onto the Ragamuffin Sailing Trip round the Whitsunday Islands, we did some snorkelling and saw a giant clam then had lunch. The sailing was really good cause we had strong wind. Soon as the trip was done we were back on the road and headed for Rockhampton where we camped the night. Next day was just driving all day down to Brisbane and arrived there looked at a couple of houses cause we planned to work for a couple of months but none were any good. We handed back the reloc vehicle the next day and decided to move into a house in Indooroopilly. It was xmas eve when we moved in and got a 5 litre box of goon and checked out our local pub after going to a carol service. Xmas day we made ourselve a traditional dinner watched films and went on the webcam. Most of the time in Brisbane we spent job hunting and handing out resumes but there were hardly any jobs about so we started to consider working in a pub in the Outback. New Years Eve we went to Southbank and got really drunk and went to a house party, obviously New Years Day was a write off!!!! We went to job club in Brisbanes X Base and got the job at the Lyceum Hotel, Longreach. We left Brisbane on 5 Jan and got on the Greyhound bus for 18 hours. The hotel was a bit of a dump, and the air con in our rooms never worked. There was a 50m swimming pool up the road which was handy and used it almost every day. The owner called Lethal was a big sleaze bag and tried it on with anyone no matter how old or young. Then we met the Bar Manager called Russell, the less said about him the better, we ended up getting together and he treated me like an idiot, Leanne left after about 3 weeks in the Outback but I stayed for 2 months cause me and Russell were getting on really well until he cheated on me!!!!! So I left pretty fast after that. I went to some areas around, Russell took us Ilfracombe pool and spa, then we also visited Muttuburra where the first dinosaur skeleton was discovered. Me and Leanne went to the Stockmans Hall of Fame and was quite interesting. I met some cool people in Longreach, Jed and Zak were nice, Gemma from Ireland, Lucy replaced Leanne and was good company for me. Bev was the lady who cooked our meals for us and she was funny and really nice, but I was pretty tired of roast dinners in 40 degrees heat!! Jay, Dat and Bob were regulars and Black Bob with the worst breath ever!! Murray and Shara the most unlikely couple ever and the bakery that had the best pies in the world!! After Longreach I headed for Sydney to meet back up with Leanne.

NEW ZEALAND - THE SOUTH ISLAND

We got off the ferry at Picton and headed straight to Kaikoura, it took a fair few hours, we parked up at a motel type place and went out and got pissed and had a smoke, I was very ill in bed but managed to get up the next day for whale watching, we saw 3 sperm whakes and a humpback so a successful trip. We also saw loads of Acrobatic dolphins that were cool!!! We headed for Franz Josef glacier and kipped at the side of the road. Got back on the road and drove through Greymouth and was as boring as I remembered it, we arrived at Franz Josef and because of really bad weather the hikes were all different and we didn't have time to do the full day hike and it sounded a bit dodgy aswell so we got back on the road to Wanaka where we stopped at a camp site. Oh I also got a $80 speeding ticket whoops!! Next day rained all day so went to puzzling world that was really clever and went to the cinema in the afternoon where they had funky chairs and lazyboys, at the intermission you can have all sorts of naughty but nice things to eat!! Next day we got back on the road and went for a tramp round Diamond lake on the way out of Wanaka, then we got to Queenstown and handed the campervan back early before me and Leanne killed each other, we stayed in a hostel that night. We went parasailing the next day which was fun, then we headed up the gondola and had 3 goes on the luges, they were really good fun. That night we went out in town and ended up in the World bar and had teapots of cocktails which was cool!! Next day hungover but picked up a Jucy hire car and headed for Dunedin to meet Al but couldn't get hold of him so ended up staying in a hostel. It rained all day in Dunedin so went to cadbury world, then drove to the peninsula and saw albatross. Got back on the road and headed for Christchurch. We went for a mammoth tramp in the hills of Christchurch and headed for the Sign of the Kiwi, we eventuallu found it and realised it was a tea room!! Next day we were flying to Auckland but had a mammoth wait in Auckland Airport for our flight to Oz, approx 12 hours, but me and Leanne managed to get pissed sleep in and only just made our flight, never doing that again, anyway Oz bound!!

NEW ZEALAND - THE NORTH ISLAND

We arrived in Auckland and went to bed, next day we checked out the harbour and city then we made the mistake of going into an STA travel shop. They somehow managed to talk us into cancelling the car hire we had arranged and talked us into hiring a Jucy campervan (a people carrier with a mattress and cool box in the boot). This meant we had to extend our stay in Auckland by a day so we did the harbour cruise and looked around Auckland again. Auckland has to be one of the most boring cities I've visited. We picked up the Jucy wagon and immediately knew we'd made a terrible mistake because our bags didn't fit anywhere!!!!! Anyway we got on the road up to the Bay of Islands, had chips on the seafront and watched a pair of seagulls getting frisky!!!! We stayed in a car park for the night!! Next day we visited Russell, it was a ferry ride over. We walked up to the flagstaff which was quite a steep walk, then we walked along long beach that was beautiful. That night we made tea at the side of Hurura falls and spent another night in the car park, it was cheap and cheerful!!!!! Next morning we woke up to a fish head on our windscreen it was minging!! We had to drive back down to Auckland cause we had a few problems with the campervan, managed to steal a shower at a backpackers place!! Such pikeys!! On the way down south we stopped at Kawakawa where there are some famous toilets that are very different but quirky. Then we made a stop at KeriKeri and did a walk to Rainbow falls, it was beautiful round there and took a couple of hours. We checked out the oldest wooden building in NZ and then later stopped at a cave with glow worms in them. We arrived Auckland quite late and we found a car park to camp in but later were surrounded by loads of lads all pissed in their cars just before a night out.....great!! After getting the campervan sorted we headed for Rotorua, we had a look around the town then hit the Polynesian spa which were beautiful but smelly! It rained all the next day so we went to Paradise Valley Springs that was like a bit of a zoo, watched lots of the animals getting fed. Then that night we went to the Tamaki Maouri Village, food was good but it rained for the show. Back on the road the next day to head for Uncle Freds, we detoured to a place with the longest name in the world, then had dinner in Taupo and slept at Hastings further south of Taupo. Next day we arrive at Masterton and surprise my Uncle at work, really good to see a familiar face. We went to Wellington the next day on the train and had a look round. The next day A. Carole and Mary were due back from Christchurch cause Jack had his passing out parade for the Air Force so had a catch up with them all. Mary took us to double bridges next day and Trev came with us where he loved playing in the water, had a BBQ in the evening and drank way too much vino!! Next day a write off, U. Fred and A. Carole went to Oz for their cruise. Me, Leanne and Mary went round an old ladies house to help her pack up her house then treated ourselves to a cake a the Wild Oats Cafe. Mary took us to the gorge with the suspension bridge, its very high but a lot more sturdy that a few years before!! Next day Mary took us for a road trip to cape Paliser where the lighthouse is really high and a zillion stairs to climb, then we nipped to Lake Ferry for the worlds worst brew, we gave up and had water!! We spooked ourselves one night witht he electric door on the garage it kept doing its own thing so we had a brandy to calm us down!! We took Trev for a walk round Henley Lake and I made us a fab cake and watched films. We left Mary and Trev and headed for Wellington to get the ferry over to South Island.