G'day mates! Finally writing my first blog entry.

Sorry that it's taken me so long - my first week in Australia mainly consisted of being wide awake at 6am, walking around Brisbane feeling like I was still on a plane, yawning constantly from 4pm onwards, then crashing by about 10pm. Rock and roll!

Not too sure where to start this rather delayed first entry, so we'll start from the top. Left Edinburgh on Tuesday 31st August and flew down to Heathrow. I had a couple of hours on my own there as Thomas had booked a later flight, so I mostly sat outside the terminal building staring at the planes taking off and generally being spaced out and emotional - never good! Anyway, I was relieved when Thomas arrived as I had half feared that he'd miss his connection and I'd be off to Brisvegas on my tod. So the first flight was to Abu Dhabi and it was pretty bad. We left at 9.30pm so we had to fly through the night but we couldn't really sleep. When we got off the plane we were so zonked, and Abu Dhabi airport is rank, which didn't help the situation. Anyway, we finally got on to our next flight which was headed for Singapore, and luckily it wasn't full so I managed to get a 2-seater bit to myself. Made sleeping a bit more of a possibility. It was the same on the last flight, which was Brisbane-bound. I have to say, the flights in general were not as horrific as I had feared they would be - I think I just zoned out and before I knew it I was flying into sunny Queensland.

Thomas's mum picked us up and we just spent that day doing not very much. We rented a DVD which in itself seemed funny to me - at home if it's sunny outside you get out there ASAP, not sit indoors watching TV! Anyway, I couldn't physically stay awake so I still don't know what happens in The Invention of Lying. Must watch it when I get home.

I won't ramble into what we did each day in Brisbane as most of it is blurred by jetlag. We mostly walked about the city and caught up with Thomas's friends. But it was nice to have that week before embarking on my solo travels, and Brisbane seemed pretty cool - they have this manmade beach right in the city centre, it was strange to see people sunbathing on the sand with skyscrapers as a backdrop. Thomas's mum and stepdad were so hospitable which was really nice. On Saturday they took us out to Coochiemudlo Island where I had my first Ozzie BBQ, then on the Sunday they drove us down to the Gold Coast where Surfers Paradise is - unfortunately it was peeing with rain ALL DAY, but it seemed like a cool place anyway. They made me feel really welcome though, and were very generous :)

Even though I'm on the other side of the world, Australia really is similar to home. Well, I suppose at home we don't get to feed possums in the back garden and we don't get beautiful colourful little birds in the garden either... we don't call flip-flops "thongs" and we don't call swimwear "togs"... but generally, the fact that the language, food etc is similar to home makes me a little bit less freaked out by how far away I am. A little bit.

So right now I'm in Byron Bay making the most of the free internet that everybody seems to want to shove at backpackers. I was really nervous to get on my first Oz Experience bus on Wednesday, but because it's just coming out of winter here, it was really quiet - just me and 5 other girls, and our driver Deano (of course that's his name, it couldn't just be Dean). 2 of the girls were coming to the same hostel which I was really glad about. It was one of those things that even if they were a******s I'd want to stick with them anyway because it's all so scary! They were also Scottish which was kinda good as well. Checked into my hostel and was given room 205. I went in and met Chiara, a lovely girl from London. I sat speaking to her in the dorm for a while and then the Scots girls came over. The 4 of us went for something to eat and then went to the hostel's terrace to begin drinking our "goon" (for those of you who don't know, it's cheap disgusting "wine" that comes in a 4L box for $10). We met some other people and all went along to Cheeky Monkeys where people dance on the tables (there's no dancefloor...) Not sure what happened to the Scottish girls but I walked home with a bunch of English dudes whose names I could not tell you...!

So yesterday I was a bit, er, tired... Met another of the girls from my dorm, Lucy, who's been in Byron before, so I went for a wander with her and then we sat on the beach for a couple of hours. I'm so chuffed, I bought my first ever pair of Havaianas! This Ozzie girl Nicola, who's bascially living in our dorm, said "Ahh, new Havvies!" when I showed her them - love how the Ozzies abbreviate EVERYTHING. Then last night me, Lucy and Chiara came along to Travel Bugs, where I am sitting now, and played a drinking game with some free goon. I was kinda glad that we only came in the last 5 minutes of it because I reckon there's only so much goon you can down before bad things would happen. So then we all went to Cheeky Monkeys again for a $5 steak burger, which was actually amazing, then they were having a Wet T-shirt contest... it was an experience... seeing 10 random girls with very little self respect making t*ts of themselves (excuse the pun) in an attempt to win $300. We left pretty soon after it was finished, a tiny bit traumatised, and went to bed. I think we're gonna take a walk up to the lighthouse at Cape Byron later to watch the sunset. Although the weather isn't great today - nobody told me it rained in Australia?!

I leave Byron tomorrow and head south to Surf Camp. Luckily the 2 Scots girls (they do have names by the way - Ashley and Lindsay. One looks like Sandra Bullock and the other like Cameron D!ck from the year above me at school, hahaha) and Lucy from my dorm are also doing the Oz Experience bus so they will be attempting to surf as well... Let you know how I get on with that one...!

After 1 night at Surf Camp I'll head on to Sydney where I'm staying for 6 nights with Bobbie, an Ozzie girl I knew when I worked in the south of France in 2007. So I guess I'll write another blog from Sydney.

Hope everyone at home is well, and if I get eaten by a shark tomorrow/carried away in the surf, then just remember that I love you all very much.

Oh and by the way Kirsty - Thomas has never heard "stone the flamin' crows" and he says people would only ever say "flaming gallah" if they were impersonating Alf from Home and Away. Sorry! :)

xxx