Update....

Guess who's back?
Yes, I am still alive - is just quite hassly updating blog from internet cafes so I haven't done. But I'm trying to avoid going out tonite so thought I'd update it a little bit! So here's a fairly brief update of what I've been up to since I last wrote anything.

Hunter Valley with Adey & Lara.
Had a great time driving around tasting all the different wines, finding our favourites and then taking them to a restaurant or back to our cabin for long lazy evening. Saw my first big spider too!

Melbourne
Back from Hunter Valley and straight on a plane to Melbourne to meet up with Hughesie who I'd met a couple of times in Winchcombe a few years ago. Stayed with his friend's family and had a great time there just chilling out. Went to the MCG to watch Australia v England in a one-dayer. Obviously we lost the game (although amazing to think now that we actually beat them in the finals of it last weekend!) but was great to go watch. Hired a car and travelled down the Great Ocean Road for the weekend. Was glorious sunshine on the Saturday but cloudy and miserable on Sunday when we went down to see the 12 Apostles which are some famous sea stacks in the sea (although more like 9 apostles really as they keep on falling into the sea). Got back and I went to stay in a hostel on my own to just get used to it and had a great time. Was a fab hostel - huge kitchen, really friendly people and wasn't full of drunken teenagers like I was expecting.
Such a relaxed place - we were staying in Brunswick which has some really cool and funky little bars and restaurants but then the South Bank is a bit smarter with more wine bar type places. The centre was great just to hang out in - little lanes filled with coffee shops and bars and little boutique places - just turn up with a book and I could sit there for hours just people watching! People so friendly there too - LOVED Melbourne basically - could very easily see myself living there!!

Stayed at : Greenhouse Backpackers

Brisbane
Flew to Brisbane on the 17th to go as Mike had a family party to go to on the Friday so we decided to get there a couple of days before and go round the city. Hostel which was OK - bar underneath it but not loud in the evenings. Wandered round the botanical gardens, had lunch, went out for dinner, went to see his family for his cousin's 50th and stayed with Auntie Mary for a few days chilling out. Went to a basketball game which the Brisbane Bullets won! Brisbane was OK but that's kinda about it - maybe needed to spend some more time there to see properly. Hired a car for 3 weeks to go proper travelling and get up to Cairns!

Stayed at : TinBillys

Maroochydore
First stop on the East Coast tour was campsite for 2 nights where we stayed with Mike's cousins friend Kath and her kids, the lovely Shelly, Alex and little Lockie. Totally relaxed there - scorching weather, tent right next to the beach, watched kitesurfing for hours - just great! Played lots of cards and baked on the beach!



Noosa
The celebrity playground - very rich people here! Shame the hostel we stayed in was shocking - had to pay to use everything - crockery, sheets, the lot, filthy and tiny kitchen. The only plus was the bar which had a band on the first night we were there which were pretty good and got us all up boogying away. Met the lovely Deborah, Denise and Bertie there who we've since been travelling with pretty much most of the way. Stayed 3 nights there and had a great time although think I had a bit of sunstroke after spending 6 hours on the beach after our first night there - doh!

Stayed at : Koalas

Hervey Bay/Fraser Island
Straight up here on the Saturday with the aim to get to Fraser Island. Recommended a YHA place by some friends of Deborah so we stayed there and it was a great place - huge communal area with tv, bar, pool, hammocks. Went to Fraser Island (world's biggest sand island) on a guided tour which was amazing - such a beautiful place - freshwater lakes, 75 mile beaches and Alex the tour guide was fab too - "no worries, no dramas, too easy" were the catchphrases! Stayed back in Hervey Bay for a couple of days for a rest before heading on.

Stayed at : YHA

Town 1770
Basically it started raining as soon as we left Hervey Bay. 1770 is a really lovely place but when it rains, there's bugger all to do really so we just chilled out at the hostel which was brilliant. Some guy came round and gave everyone free face masks (obviously trying to sell it but it wasted some time)

Stayed at : Cool Bananas

Rockhampton
Horrible place. Famous for the best steak in Australia which was very good but that's about it. Really rough, hostel rubbish. couldn't wait to leave. can't think of anything good to write about it all. Rained the whole time.

Stayed at : YHA

Mackay
Poured with rain. Hostel fairly crap too - no drinking allowed on site so after being there for an hour just went to the pub. I'd had an alcohol free week after the sunstroke but this place just drove me to it. Met up with Leon and the lovely Russ who we'd met in Noosa too and all just got drunk basically. Nothing much more to say about the place either - slightly better than Rocky but not much.

Stayed at : YHA

Airlie Beach / Whitsunday Islands
Still raining ;-( There's a reason why they call it the wet season up in this part of the world. Also cyclone season and a couple of biggies were out at sea. Great as this is the place to go sailing round the Whitsunday Islands! Great place - full of a lot of the same people from our travels already - stayed in hostel with Denise again and some other great characters. Had a couple of days chill out there and then went on the boat. This has been by far the best thing I've done since being out here. Out on a proper racing yacht called the Southern Cross for 3 days and 2 nights in winds just under 35 knots (they're not allowed to go in over that) with 14 passengers, a skipper and a host/deckhand. It didn't stop raining so spent the whole time in the same clothers and a rainmac as nothing would get dry as it didn't stop! But the wind made the sailing even better. Great bunch of people on the boat too - luckily we all just laughed about it and just drank beers and boxes of wine in the evening. Fab fab fab. Not the picture postcard you expect but a great experience anyway.

Stayed at : Backpackers by the Bay

Cairns
Decided to skip Townsville, Magnetic Island and Mission Beach and just head straight up to Cairns. Took Denise aswell as Debs in the back and should've been about a 6 hour journey. But there was a horrific fatal accident on the highway which shut it for 4 hours so we were completely stuck on the tarmac as no other roads we could go on. Was really really horrible and turned out 4 people killed which made me a bit nervous driving on esp as it was dark by now and was getting tired. But anyhow made it to Cairns about 10 and me and Denise just went straight out to hit the bars - great great times up here so far! There's loads of folks we've met who are up here so is good fun catching up with everyone and of course seeing Lou & Matt again. Will be up here for a while I think!!

Stayed at : YHA Esplanade and YHA Cairns Central

Will write more detailed stuff and put up some photos when got a bit more time.