With only 3 weeks to scratch the surface of Australia we knew we'd struggle to fit in all the things that we wanted to see, but nevertheless set off on an antipodean odyssey running (at times literally) down the east coast from Brisbane to Melbourne with a small detour to Fraser Island off the Queensland coast. This installment of the blog is sure to be a bit of a bumper installment and for that I can only apologise. So, are we all sitting comfortably? Then I'll begin.

We arrived into Brisbane to weather that would characterise this part of our trip: drizzle, cloud and a cold wind that was a bit of a shock to the system after the balmy weather we'd had in Asia. In fact, we had to double check that we hadn't accidentally boarded the wrong plane in Singapore and flown back to England as nearly everyone we spoke to in the first couple of hours there was English. Having found our feet (and hostel) we headed out to explore Brisbane. Unfortunately, we thought Brisbane was a rather uninspiring place with very little to amuse two weary travellers. We wandered around the 'southbank' area and then on into town where we quickly realized that the clean streets, fresh air and retail trappings of the western world came at an almighty cost! We spent the rest of the day bumbling round the town centre trying to keep ourselves awake and also trying to get into the Christmas spirit - it was December 23rd after all. Our first bus trip beckoned and we were in need of an early night, so we hit the hay and hoped for more excitement further north.

Our five hour bus trip to Hervey Bay passed in the blink of an eye - I suppose that's what smooth roads, seat belts and modern buses will get you. Arriving into town late on Christmas Eve we headed straight to the supermarket to ensure that a suitable feast was available the next day. We had planned to spend Christmas day stretched out on the beach with steak on the Barbie. Instead, as the weather was starting to turn we settled for a quick stroll along the beach and then steak and a bottle of vino in front of the TV - still, we managed to watch the Royle Family Christmas special and Miracle on 34th Street so it was almost like being at home. As pretty as it's beach was, Hervey Bay was only really the jumping off point for Fraser Island - the world's largest sandbar - for a 3 day tour. Our adventure started when we were picked up at the crack of dawn on day one and put in the capable hands of "Crazy Dave" our tour-guide-come-pharmacology-encyclopedia, who regaled us with limitless stories and anecdotes (we are now clued up on cyclic phenomenon, the effects of a vast array of drugs on humans and animals, why it's best to walkbarefooted and the various flora and fauna of the island, to name but a few…). Unfortunately our arrival on the island coincided with the arrival of the torrential rain that hit Queensland over the holidays. Fraser Island is spectacular, even in the rain - our group of 15 spent almost the entire three days walking round like pixies in blue ponchos. We explored the island in a giant 4x4 bus that knew no bounds, except for the pesky tree that Crazy Dave hit on the final day - the five minutes after that little accident were the only 5 minutes that he was quiet in the entire trip. We also walked through very rainy rainforest, swam and paddled in the warmest, bluest lakes we'd ever seen and generally larked about on the beach with the group as we tried in vain to dodge the rain.On top of this we enjoyed fine dining (read: an excess of buffet style food) and glorious local Australian beers (read: piss water).

By the time we returned to the mainland the rain really had started to cause havoc and roads were quickly becoming impassable further north. Fortunately we were moving south and so we headed to the bus station to wait for our bus that was due at 1:30am. To pass the time we dined at Maccy D's and were quite pleased to see a sign that said it was open 24 hours, since we had several hours to kill before our bus would arrive. Unfortunately after only 3 hours and the most drawn out burger and chips we could manage, one of the staff told us that they'd be closing early as it was a public holiday - it's a real low point in your life when you get kicked out of Macdonalds. With nowhere else to go we decided to head back to the bus station, which was basically just a couple of benches, and wait it out for the bus. Unfortunately we hadn't taken into account that buses might not be traveling south if they couldn't get through from the North and so, after having waited until 2:30am for the bus, and knowing that a jaunt back to the nearest hostel would not be worth our time, we took the decision to sleep in the station so that we could get on the first bus back to Brisbane the next day. We donned full hobo gear, used our bags as pillows and settled in for a few hours on our double bench (with gratuis ensuite bathroom).It was an interesting night, only improved by interspersed conversation with some fellow bench dwelling travelers and the notion of a few quid saved on hostel fees. Eventually we made it back to Brisbane, which was no more exciting the second time around, on a bus with several of the people from our Island group who seemed very smug having slept in hostel beds and having had showers that morning.

Next on the whistle-stop tour was Coffs Harbour, a beach town half way down the coast to Sydney. We arrived in the afternoon and were very relieved to find that there wasn't a cloud in the sky and that it was stinking hot - perfect weather for relaxing on the beach and cooling down in the beautiful blue sea when it got too hot. We had a great few days doing exactly that and welcoming in the New Year with a bottle or two of wine sneakily drunk on the beach from plastic Toy Story cups when the Police weren't looking.It was a nice little beach break, perfect for recharging the batteries after all the running around we had done thus far.

Another smooth bus journey later and we landed in Sydney, only to find that the drizzle and rain had caught us up too. We spent a day wandering around The Rocks area, exploring the museums and oldest area of the city which also handily had a big screen showing the Ashes - a perfect spot for a picnic and a bit of Aussie baiting. The next day we took a stroll through the Botanic Gardens to get the picture postcard view of the Harbour Bridge and the Opera House. Unfortunately, despite hundreds of attempts to get the perfect photo, the cloud stopped us doing it justice with our little camera. After a quick trip to the Museum of Art we headed back to the big screen to console ourselves with a little more of England's domination. Having followed the test series as best we could since it had started we were desperate for our day at the SCG to come and finally it had, and the weather had improved too. We had a superb day watching Cook and Bell spank the ball around and get their hundreds and very nearly two hundred for Cook. We also really enjoyed being just behind the Barmy Army and got into their taunting of Mitchell Johnson (he bowls to the left, he bowls to the riiiight, that Mitchell Johnson, his bowling is $h*te). The few Aussies around us didn't find it as much fun and very few of them actually stayed for the whole day's play.

Unfortunately it was time to leave Sydney and head to the Blue Mountains where once again the weather was out to spoil our fun. As the train pulled further and further into the hills the cloud descended and engulfed us, by the time we reached Katoomba you could barely see the end of the street. Fortunately we noticed that you could take a long and winding walk through the bush to a clearing in the national park where there were often wild kangaroos. We decided that we couldn't leave Australia without seeing at least one of the native species and so we set off to find them, along the way we had to dodge all manner of spiders and their webs - we weren't at all sure if any of them were dangerous or not. Eventually, we made it to the clearing which was split into a few different sections, and although it took us a while (with Alan cursing the fact that they don't have signs up to point you in the direction of the local species), we managed to find a field with three 'roos munching on the grass. It was amazing to see them so close up and in the wild - though I did feel a little guilty for having had Kanga Bangas (Kangaroo Sausages) for dinner a couple of days before. A few minutes later they were joined by two more females, one with a little joey popping up in its pouch. We must have sat for around 45 minutes watching them grazing and hopping about not more than three or four meters away, sometimes made even more exciting by the two males in the group - the larger one made sure that the other knew who was boss by boxing him round the head a few times. Eventually they hopped off and we decided to make the long climb back to the top of the hill, fortunately we were spared too much wheezing by a couple who took pity on us and gave us a lift back to the town. Buoyed by our wild encounter we spent the rest of the afternoon hiking up and down the paths of the mountains and waterfalls, there truly were some amazing sights to behold. The next day the cloud had lifted and the sun even made an appearance so we were able to go and see the views of the 3 sisters and the valley beyond that we'd come all the way to see before getting the train back to Sydney for an all too brief catch up over coffee with Sharon, one of Alan's old uni housemates.

Our final stop in Oz was Melbourne, where we were fortunate enough to be put up by Aaron and Charlotte - the Kiwis we had met in Chiang Mai. We were completely spoiled by their hospitality and after a very welcome breakfast to revive us following an overnight bus trip, they took us on a tour of the city and the surrounds. First stop was, of course, Ramsay Street. I was so excited to see it that I could barely contain myself, especially as we arrived in a Ute of all things. It was a proper Aussie experience (with two Brits and two Kiwis!!), though we were both surprised at how small the street is in real life. Unfortunately it was a Sunday and there was no sign of Karl and Susan Kennedy or Paul Robinson, which was a bit of a shame. Next, Aaron was keen to show us the local Kangaroo spot where you could apparently see hundreds of the things just hopping around doing their thing.Unfortunately he had over-sold the experience a little, since when we arrived we found little more than the remains of a kangaroos digested and discarded dinner. After a quick pitstop for some delicious pizzas we headed into the city for a drive around the Grand Prix circuit (Alan was very excited) and a quick tour of the city centre to give us an idea of what to do over the following few days. The day was topped off with our first roast of the trip - Lamb cooked to perfection and mint sauce to boot. After a very welcome nights sleep (happily in a room of our own and in a bed that wasn't a bunk) we set off to explore the city on foot. We wandered around the shops and cafes wishing we were rich before heading to the art gallery and TV museum which was fantastically interactive and had lots of stuff to keep us entertained for the afternoon. The next day we took the tram out to St Kilda as I was determined to have a slice of one of their fancy cakes. I was not disappointed, though I was defeated by the huge chocolatey, rummy slab that I chose - definitely a case of eyes bigger than my tummy. Alan on the other hand polished off his slice of Cheesecake (which he described as not quite as good as my mums - extra points for sucking up I think) and still found space to help me with mine though even then we didn't finish it all. The cake filled us up enough to tackle the Melbourne museum which got Alan's award for best museum so far - perhaps because there was so much devoted to evolution. We stayed there until they kicked us out at the end of the day and went back to a final feast with Aaron and Charlotte and a session of taking notes for New Zealand, our next port of call.

And so our three weeks were up! We could have spent much longer exploring Sydney, the Blue Mountains and Melbourne but were consoled by the idea of leaving the rain and expense behind. I'm sure we'll be back in the future to see more, but for now it's onwards to Christchurch and the open roads of New Zealand.

See ya later mates.

K&A x