This is a long one...

Landed in Melbourne on 16th June. With only having 3 days here we had to cram in as much as possible, and we did pretty well.
We went on a tour down to Philip Island - home of the Little penguins (the smallest in the world). We stopped at a wildlife reserve on the way where we fed some emus, kangaroos & wallabies,and saw a tasmanian devil (not nearly as crazy as the cartoon version, in fact all he did was doze) as well as a Barking Owl which, as its name suggests, barks like a dog--so funny! After a quick stop at a massive seal colony and a farm where we watched sheep shearing demonstrations (not too exciting, especially for Ali who still remembers as a lad having to clear up the fleeces while helping his Dad), we headed to the beach to watch the Penguin Parade. Everyone waits eagerly for the sun to set because just after it does, hundreds of Little penguins come in from a day at sea and head to their nests. It's pretty adorable as the tiny creatures creep out of the water in little groups,and try to sneak past the seagulls which are bigger than them, and quickly waddle up into the grass. A great sight!
Went on another tour down the Great Ocean Road. Despite a really annoying guide it was a great day! Beautiful scenery all the way. Stopped at a campsite for a toilet break,and spotted a few koalas in the trees. Also got quite a shock when I was taking photos of some parrots and they decided to land on my shoulder! They seemed to like Ali's head too. Continued our drive to see the magnificent 12 Apostles rock formations. Much more impressive than we'd anticipated. After we got back we decided to go out for a few drinks, but went home early after we got the 1st round and paid the equivalent of £6.50 for a pint!
The next day was sunny & warm so we walked for miles around the city exploring the river and parks, and then flew up to Sydney.

We got picked up by our friend Sau Ching and went out for thai in Darling harbour with her & Richard.
Sau Ching took a couple of days off work so we headed up to the Blue Mountains. Beautiful day so we had amazing views, and hiked a trail through rainforest & past waterfalls,followed by a picnic.
Drove down to Hunter Valley the next day for some wine tasting. Ali kindly offered to be designated driver after polishing off a bit much wine with Richard the night before, which left us girls to taste quite a few! Due to it being winter we were often the only ones around so it meant they were fairly generous with the free pour. Finished the day with a great BBQ back home!
On Friday we left the suburbs & headed to Bondi to see Melissa & Mo. They took us out for fab sushi beside the beach, then we met another friend Richie and visited a few Bondi bars.
After Mo whipped up a great hangover-blitzing fruit salad, Melissa took us down to the beach and we walked the coastal path from Bondi to Coogee, and managed to spot a humpback whale. Had lunch on the beach then headed to Richie & Anna's for a few days.
We went on a whale watching jet boat ride the next morning with high hopes, given our lucky sighting the day before. Saw a baby humpback not far from the harbour. It's very rare to see a whale so close in so we were lucky. Unfortunately we didn't see any others but quite fun anyway as the drivers did some pretty fast wave jumping on the way back. Had a great BBQ in the afternoon at Richies.
The next day was gorgeous so Ali & I got the boat to Manly. Did a lovely coastal/bush walk then finished with ice cream on the beach. Went to Sydney Aquarium later. We had both been many years ago but still found it as amazing as the 1st time, especially walking through the shark tunnels! Met up with some more friends (Andrew from home, and Emma & Tony who we met on the Panama-Colombia boat) for a couple of drinks.

Flew up to the Sunshine Coast for our last week. Unfortunately, due to 'bad weather' our plane couldn't land & we were re-directed to Brisbane and bussed up. I'll agree it was windy & rainy, but most of the flights in the UK I've been on have landed in much worse! Anyway, we eventually got to Noosa.
The weather wasn't any better when we woke up the next day, and we both had a feeling of dread wash over us as we looked out at the turbulent waves and remembered we had a surf lesson booked!! We reluctantly slipped on damp wetsuits and braved the water. It was freezing & the waves were so big that even experienced surfers were struggling,but I managed to ride a couple waves(albeit not very gracefully) & Ali did even better.
The bad weather soon passed though & we enjoyed a day kayaking on the river, and then hiked through the national park and along a coastal trek (having to run along the beach on occasion to avoid the crashing waves).

The next 3 days were spent on Fraser Island which was awesome! We got picked up in a landcruiser and with another 4 people drove up the beach to the island. Driving on the 90 mile beach highway was great! Went for a swim in a lake wedged between expansive sand dunes and rainforest. We went for a run along the beach before dinner but had to turn back when a dingo crossed our path, which certainly got the heart pumping that wee bit harder! Had a big BBQ (ate kangaroo & some cockles that we collected from the beach to go along with steak) then toasted marshmallows around a campfire.
The next 2 days were spent swimming in Eli creek, hiking up to Indian head for great views, picnicking on the beach, hiking over the dunes and chilling beside a crystal clear lake with white sand. Overall an amazing experience! Drove back down to Noosa and went to The Surf Club for fish & chips.
We really liked Noosa so stayed another day,and hiked up Mount Cooroora - an incredibly steep climb but the 360 views at the top were unbelievable! The town at the bottom was in the sticks so we missed the last (or should I say only) train back but managed to hitch a lift. The people on the Sunshine Coast were the friendliest folk we have encountered on the entire trip!

From there we headed down to Brisbane. For the 1st time in my life I managed to leave my bag on the bus!! Oops. Luckily it happened in a small surf town and not a huge S.American city, and the driver dropped it off with a smile on his way back. Arrived in time for the State of Origin rugby league game (Queensland vs NSW - happens once a year and is a huge deal for Aussies). Went to a pub on Caxton St next to the stadium to soak up the atmosphere,which was made even better when Queensland won. Most people seemed more interested in beer than the game though!
The day after we walked for hours all around Brisbane along the river, and the next day caught the ferry to North Stradbroke island in the hope we might spot some whales & dolphins from Point lookout. We saw a humpback breaching (a spectacular splash), and another near to shore, as well as a massive pod of dolphins. We returned home very happy! Richie was up from Sydney for the night so we went out with him and 2 other Scots and went to a club with a playlist very reminiscent of the Garage nightclub in Glasgow. Brought back great memories!
Went to stay with Ali's ex-colleague Carla & her boyfriend Henry on our last night. They organized a big BBQ for us and some friends, and we headed out to a street festival and out to more pubs. We aren't used to being out 3 nights out of 4! Phew!
After a fantastic few weeks of exploring the East Coast and catching up with some great friends, we left Oz.

Next stop Singapore to begin our Asia adventure!