Week Two - Let's throw a snag on the barbie

Week Two – ‘Let’s throw a snag on the barbie’

It’s true. They say it. My housemate Dan was the first to utter the famous Aussie catch phrase. ‘Let’s throw a snag on the Barbie.’ I laughed. A lot. The smile was wiped off my face shortly afterwards when I met my first Huntsman spider, apparently it was a baby, I thanked my lucky stars he didn’t introduce his family.

I had my first night out painting the town red Aussie style, the Aussie’s have been awesome at playing tour guide and met up with another girl called Kathryn who showed Jen and I around the Valley (the equivalent of my usual stomping ground in London.) At one of the bar’s I got chatting to a women who had lived in London for five years and I enjoyed having someone to reminisce about home with. Kathryn invited us to see her friend’s band play who for a local band were pretty good; although I was sorely disappointed with the bar women’s statement that they didn’t serve rum, what kind of Australian bar doesn’t serve Bundy!?! I learned my newest favourite Australian word from Kathryn when she was talking about somewhere out in ‘Woop Woop’ (I’ve spelt that phonetically!) which I thought was another strange Australian place name but apparently means somewhere far away. Later on headed to ‘The Chalk’ which is a bit like the equivalent of Watford being a bit more local than the city; my housemates had blagged a private area and lots of dancing was done.

Lynelle took Jen and I out for dinner, after a week of catering for myself on a travelling budget (think marmite toast, marmite toast and a bit more marmite toast with the occasional bowl of cereal thrown in if I’m feeling particularly extravagant) it was outrageously good to have some proper food. I can’t remember what the restaurant was called but it’s a favourite of Lynelle’s and she ordered us dessert promising that we wouldn’t be disappointed. ‘Chocolate Corn Chips’* soon arrived which might not sound appetising but they were really good!

Now due to Lynelle being the most wonderfully random person I have ever had the pleasure of knowing I would be disappointed if an evening out in her company didn’t involve some sort of adventure and so she took us on a glow worm hunting expedition up to a place called Mount Tambourine. I think because of Australia being such a huge place (The UK would fit inside 31 times…) the locals are better accustomed to driving further distances to get to places than us Brits so after some extremely skilled hooning* on Lynelle’s behalf we found ourselves at the top of Mount Tambourine. Shortly later we were on a trail in the ‘bush’ as it were; to set the scene it was pitch black other than Lynelle’s torch, and pouring with rain so visibility was to put it mildy; poor. My fear of spiders went in to overdrive what with not being able to see much, and I felt pretty embarrassed when I stepped on a stick and screamed because I thought it was a snake. I felt embarrassed that was until Lynelle’s friend, an Aussie bloke, walked into a tree branch and thought he had a spider in his hair and jumped around screaming ‘Get it out, get it out’ at a pitch a six year old girl would be proud of.
Lynelle’s torch apparently wasn’t too fond of the rain and decided to quit providing light half way there but thankfully she fixed it or we would have been down to mobile phone light! I have to admit for me it was an experience that had every single one of my senses alert as could be as it was an environment totally alien to me. I’m perfectly comfortable walking around King’s Cross in the dark and taking the risk of muggers as it’s something I’m used too, but walking through the bush in the dark taking the risk of snakes and spiders had the adrenalin pumping for sure as it’s not something I’m at all used too. But that’s what this year is all about having new experiences and being in places that I would never normally find myself in so although I may have been a little ‘on edge’ as it were I was happy to be doing something totally different to anything I’d ever done before. Besides a little fear makes you feel very alive. The walk was well worth it too when we reached Lynelle’s destination, a waterfall and a whole stack of glow worms. I’ve never seen a glow worm before (although my Dad told me he saw them in France) and especially with a whole glow worm city they were a really awesome sight. Thanks Lynelle! The glow worm’s were literally everywhere even a couple on the floor so Lynelle’s friend managed to find one to pick up and made a very well played ‘E.T phone home’ impression with a glowing finger. Lynelle also briefly enjoyed a glowing nose.

Oh and I can’t forget to thank Jen for her ‘Welcome to Australia’ cake which was very well decorated with a beach scene and a little person surfing. Thanks Jen! We demolished the cake at a mini house gathering, where my Irish house mate decided to prove the fact that the Irish are bigger drinkers than the Australians. I had to defend the British honour by proving that pom’s* are just as capable of sculling* a beer as their Australian and Irish counterparts; an experience I wont be repeating as I headed to bed feeling less than fantastic shortly afterwards. The things I do for England!

On a random aside I’d been given various explanations as to where the term ‘pom’ originated from. Some told me it stood for ‘Property of her Majesty’ and some said it referred back to convict roots being an acronym for ‘Prisoner of her Majesty.’ I did a little research on the term earlier and it seems that nobody is actually entirely sure of the exact origin of the term but the Oxford English Dictionary thinks it most likely is a shortening of the term ‘Pomegranate’ which the Australians used to use to refer to immigrants. A little general knowledge for you all!

Tuesday morning Lynelle, Kathryn, Jen and I indulged ourselves at a popular Australian breakfast venue called ‘Coffee Club.’ They seem pretty big on going out for breakfast here. A cultural difference I’ve come across which I wasn’t expecting is that the word ‘ketchup’ means absolutely nothing to the Australians and if you ask for it you get a completey blank look; you have to ask for ‘tomato sauce’ instead. Australia it would seem doesn’t have the same love of ketchup as Britain anyway as every time I ask for it I get a strange look. Apparently they’ve never heard of the traditional Canadian breakfast of pancakes, bacon and maple syrup (and my own personal addition of ketchup too!) either so I think I convinced the waitress that the English are completely insane by the time I’d finished ordering.

Mid week the last 14 days of excessive amounts of sunshine, new people, fast food, drinking, partying and general being busy took its toll, that and I think I’m allergic to the dog, and I had to cancel my plans for that day and take to my sick bed for twenty four hours to recover. I was glad I’d decided to bring some of my DVD collection with me!

A few days later Kathryn took me out to the local bar (one of my housemates is the manager; free drinks!) to meet some of her friends and afterwards we went for a drive up to Mount Coo-tha. Queensland is big on what they refer to as ‘look outs’ where they have created viewing platforms at vantage points around the city so as to have a view all the way across Brisbane and probably beyond. Mount Coo-tha is from what I’ve seen so far the most spectacular of these as you have a clear uninterrupted view as far as the eye can see and at night with the city being lit up it made for a quite fantastic scene. Strangely despite the number of lights Brisbane seems to suffer from less light pollution than London so there are more stars to be seen than back home. Of course none of the constellations are familiar to me, and I’m trying to find an Australian who can point out the famous Southern Cross constellation to me but I have yet to succeed.

Kathryn had the following day off of work so we went on another Wallaby finding expedition, with much success at a big estate near Mount Cotton where there was wallabies aplenty just hopping around people’s front gardens! We even saw a couple of joeys too. Kathryn thinks it funny how fascinated I am by the Wallabies, but they really have to be just the coolest creature ever! We also went to visit a friend of Kathryn’s who lives on a lot of land and often gets Wallabies in her back garden and we were lucky enough to see a few.
The constant battle that the Australians are up against with their climate does astound me; perhaps more so for me having grown up in suburbia rather than somewhere rural, but it seems to me they are constantly up against some sort of threat from nature. If it’s not the wildlife or tropical storms then it’s fire. I probably should have put two and two together and figured it out for myself but it just didn’t occur to me that they don’t have Bonfire night here. Admittedly I guess Bonfire night does have its roots in British history so perhaps it is just exclusive to Britain (anybody know?) but even if they wanted too they can’t have a firework night here because of the strict fire restrictions. The 5th of November just won’t be the same while I’m here! They have a fire risk code with different grades and depending on factors like the wind or humidity sometimes they are allowed to have fires and other times all fires are banned so as to try and avoid bush fires which are a very real and constant risk to those that live in and around bush land. Kathryn’s friend Sam was talking about their fire escape plan if there is a bush fire with the last resort being heading for the local stream. Also she was saying how they have controlled fires supervised by the fire brigade around their house to clear a certain distance between the house and the bush of trees and vegetation so that in the case of a bushfire it would be less likely for the house to be taken. I guess it’s the price Australia pays for its beautiful sunshine and beaches that Mother Nature throws so many other obstacles at them to be contended with. A perhaps slightly smaller problem for them than bush fires, Green Ants; one of them bit my toe and does it half sting!!! I was not impressed.

There was a big beach party at the weekend up at the Sunshine coast a couple of hours away from where I’m staying. I was invited by Carly who I met up with last week and her friends were kind enough to invite me to stay with them at one of the girl’s parent’s holiday home. Carly and I headed up Friday night, and those of you that are familiar with my navigational skills will be shocked that I actually succeeded in map reading successfully. There are fewer roads out here than in the UK so it’s easier! It was a beautiful house set right on the beach and from the veranda we could hear the waves crashing. Friday night was spent getting to know the girls and there was a pool party arranged as part of the weekend at the resort just down the road from where we were staying, but when we arrived it didn’t look so great and we decided that our own entertainment was better. Saturday morning we headed for the beach…which involved a one minute walk from the house to the beach! It was like having our own private beach too as there wasn’t another soul in sight. Carly works as a life saver (I think that’s what it’s called, the people that patrol beaches) so we went for a swim, otherwise I probably wouldn’t have as the current was so strong that it was almost impossible to walk against it never mind swim. I have to admit to being a little bit aware that a shark could swim up at any point, but really you just have to accept that it’s a risk but that you would be very unlucky for it to happen to you. Kathryn told me that sharks don’t like to be in the surf* so I’m sticking with that theory and so long as there is waves I’m happy!
In the afternoon we took the short drive up to Noosa, which as you might remember is my new favourite place in the world, and stopped off for some ice cream. The Australians do like their ice cream! We then went up to the National Park area and went for a walk which gives you fantastic views over the beaches at Noosa. As we were walking one of the girls Anna said that she spotted a dolphin, but none of us could see it, so we carried on. When we got to the look out we had been there for five minutes or so just taking in the spectacular views, when Anna was proved right, and another dolphin jumped! Then another, and another. There must have been a school of fish that they were chasing as it seemed like there was a whole pod of dolphins in the area. I was completely awe struck, I’ve only ever seen dolphins at Sea World before, and to see them in their natural habitat, especially a whole pod of them, was absolutely spectacular. The water at Noosa is so clear that not only can you see them when they jump you can see them under the water too. I tried to take pictures but it was difficult to catch them as they are so quick. If Noosa was my new favourite place on earth before seeing dolphins, I think it’s now my ambition in life to live there some day! I was surprised that several of the beach patrol team headed out on their boards and boats towards where the dolphins were, but the girls told me that if you get a pod of dolphins feeding like that then sometimes you will get a shark feeding too. So going swimming when you see a pod of dolphins might seem romantic, but perhaps not the best idea!
We climbed down some rocks to sit and watch for a bit longer, and sitting there in the sun, spotting dolphins, with a great group of girls, I totally understand how people come to this country and never want to leave it.

On the way out of the car park I spotted a Goanna* and I was shamefully touristy and got the girls to stop the car so I could take a picture of it! He actually let me get surprisingly close to him, I didn’t think he would! I do love the lizards, they have the tiny little cute ones that you get in Europe too, slightly bigger ones that come indoors as well, and then the Goanna’s which are pretty big. I have yet to see a snake, but I’m actually looking forward to it, so long as it’s not too close for comfort!

We headed back to the house late afternoon, and I’m still not used to the sunshine so I had a bit of a nap! Two of the girls cooked us dinner, which was quickly devoured; sun, sea and sand makes you hungry! Anna made us all a fruit punch, which she had to refill it went so quickly. The Saturday night was the main event of the weekend, a dance party at the surf club, so we headed down there and met some new people and did lots of dancing.

Sunday morning ten of us headed for breakfast at the Coffee Club; the intake of food was much appreciated as some of us were feeling the effects of the night before! Then we headed back home Sunday ‘arvo.’ Carly took us home the scenic route driving past the Glass House mountains, one of which looks like a big Gorilla! Got to say a massive thank you to Carly for the invite and for ride, Anna for being kind enough to invite me to stay and all of the girls for being so welcoming and friendly to me! One of the girls, Nic, was English, the first English person I’ve come across since I got here, and it was so strange because I could hear her English accent. Very strange to be able to hear your own accent!

I’m having a quiet week this week as I was promised three days work but it fell through so it’s back to the drawing board on trying to find work. Have had a couple of movie fest nights with my house mate Dan, and have enjoyed the American TV series I’m used to for a bit of homeliness, I got very over excited about NCIS being on and made Dan watch it with me!
It was slowly but surely killing me not having internet access so I’ve picked up a pay as you three internet dongle, but I’ve already had to recharge it twice so I’m going to have to cut down on Skype time, but it is so amazing to be able to have face to face conversations with you guys back home I get a bit carried away!

This weekend Kathryn has invited me to Indy with her, a car racing event at the Gold Coast, so I’m looking forward to that! Another weekend at the beach, I could so get used to this lifestyle! Might be heading up to the Sunshine Coast with Dan tomorrow so looking forward to that too.
Other plans in the pipeline are a trip to Australia Zoo (Steve Irwin’s zoo), a trip up to Cairns to the Great Barrier Reef, breakfast up Mount Tamborine to watch the sun rise, and if I’m a very very lucky person a trip to Fraser Island; the largest Sand Island in the world. Also have a very exciting trip planned for next month with Dan; but I’ll update you on that sooner when it’s confirmed!

Still missing all of you back home loads, keep seeing things that I know you guys would love and wish you were here to share them with me! Like I said I’ve got internet access at home now but I’m going to have to be more careful with Skype as its costing me a lot of internet usage so email me and I will reply! Keep me updated on all the gossip from home! (Thanks Frances for doing a good job of this!)

I will keep my promise of postcards but I hear the Royal Mail are striking at the moment, so someone let me know when that gets sorted out!

Edel, Lisa, Ben, Suze & Gav I still expect to see you out here at some point!

Oodles of love to you all

Liza xXx


English Translations:
Corn Chips = Nacho’s
Hooning = Fast Driving
Sculling = Downing
Pom/Pommy – Australian term for a British Person
Surf = Waves
Goanna = Monitor Lizard

First Week in Australia

At the end of my first week in Australia… I’ve fallen in love with this Country. It really is as beautiful as everyone says it is. I can see why people arrive here and never want to leave. I certainly don’t.

I moved in to my new place on Monday…which compared to what I could afford to rent in London is a luxury pad. It is really comfortable home, we are at the end of a quiet road and we have a garden, two lounge rooms, a nice kitchen and a fridge dedicated entirely to drinks. My housemates are all really friendly and prepped for my fear of spiders. It’s me, two Aussies, an Irish guy and a dog called Ruby. We are planning a house warming party which apparently has on previous occasions taken place on the roof! Aussies definitely like to party.
My room is plenty big enough for what I need, and I cleaned it from top to bottom to ensure that there was not one single uninvited guest hanging around. There is a big spider outside my window, I’m not sure what he is he looks like a big cross and is about four inches across. But we have an understanding that so long as he stays outside and doesn’t move I will stay inside and I won’t disturb him. He seems to be okay with this agreement so far. I had a bit of confusion over Daddy Long Legs as obviously as most of you reading this will know in the UK a daddy long legs is a ridiculous creature that doesn’t so much fly as bounce off of ceilings and walls for a couple of weeks every year making a nuisance of itself but causing no real problems. Where as over here a daddy long legs is a kind of house spider and I’ve had to concede to their existence in the house as there is a couple in pretty much every room (NOT mine!) and apparently they eat other spiders so I’m trying to learn not to like them.

I’ve been to an Aussie Westfield’s, quite similar to the one in London, again the familiar brand names and shops that are everywhere makes it easy to forget that I’m 10,000 miles away from London.
Shaun educated me (perhaps not successfully) about the differences between Football, Soccer and Rugby and I experienced my first Aussie sporting venture in watching a game of touch rugby (I think its Rugby at least?) where the players seemed to be sporting just as many injuries as a contact rugby team. I was very amused when I got chatting to an Australian girl who wanted my accent. (But I don’t have an accent!!!) I also learned that going to the gym with two personal trainers will result in several days of pain, but still at least I can say it was definitely a thorough work out!!!

I cant forget to say either that when Sarah was in London she insisted that Australia does cooked breakfasts better… and it has to be said it really was the best bacon and hash browns ever…Thanks Sarah!

I had an interview for a job at a shop just up the road from where I’m staying and I’m waiting for confirmation but I’ve been told that I’ve got it. I’m hoping it will work out pretty well as it opens at 5am so if I do morning shifts I’d be finished work by 11am and have the rest of the day to play with!

I experienced my second Aussie sporting venture playing Netball with Sarah’s team… apparently it has been so long since I played I really couldn’t remember anything. Was still fun, I used to enjoy playing a lot, but don’t think I’m much good anymore!!!

On Wednesday I had my first Aussie beach trip. I was SO excited, and Australia did not disappoint. Kathryn took me to Surfers Paradise at the Gold Coast… think miles and miles and miles of golden sand without a rock in sight and crashing waves with surfers and kite boarders a plenty. Gorgeous.
Kathryn was amused at my checking that there was shark nets (got to be sure!) and after an affirmative I could not wait to get in to the water! My first swim in the Pacific. The water was quite cool which was appreciated because of the hot sun. It was a breezy day so there were some pretty decent waves crashing; I got dunked more than once! After an hour or so in the sea I found out how quickly the weather can turn in this climate! A biiiig black cloud moved in so we vacated the beach sharpish! The contrast in such a short space of time was amazing, from bright blue sky and the water looking so inviting to storm clouds and dark moody looking water. It seems that it’s the price Australia pays for having such beautiful warm weather that it can change to a storm in a heartbeat.

We went to explore the touristy shops and get a ‘feed’ as Kathryn would say. I discovered that Burger King is called Hungry Jacks over here, not too sure why. The sun came out in time for us to dig in to some Ice Cream… swimming and sea air makes you hungry!!!

The day ended in true Aussie style with a beer and Kathryn’s parents (who have been so good to me and I really cannot thank enough) putting on SUCH a good barbecue.
I’ve decided that the Aussie’s definitely live up to their reputation of being laid back, enthusiastic drinkers and the best at throwing BBQ’s! In fact they have free BBQ’s scattered around beaches and other public spaces that anyone can use.

I’d well and truly been bitten by the Australian Beach Bug (along with a fair few other insect bites!) so next day much to my delight we hit the beach again. Jen came up from Sydney to visit so after a quick stop at the airport (I wasn’t keen to be reminded of the existence of the airport as I don’t want to ever have to leave this place!) Kathryn began the drive up to the Sunshine coast. We went a good far way up north taking the scenic route, think scenery somewhat akin to Wales; lots of greenery and mountains, but Sunny!!!

Driving here is fun, tanning opportunities in the car (I actually had to put sun cream on while we were still in the car because I could feel my skin getting too hot!) and the blue skies, windows down, music up – it’s got to be the best way to travel.

We drove right up to Noosa Heads; first stop a lookout from a vantage point up a mountain. Stunning is the only word I think can come close to describing the view. The whole of Noosa laid out beneath us with golden strips of sand weaving their way around the land and the white tips of the waves breaking far out to sea.

Next stop… to arrive at one of those beaches; and we had to put the effort in to get there as it required much clambering up, over, round, through and down less than kind on the feet rocks and thankfully my fears of sunbathing snakes or spiders were not realised.
But then we arrived... and to say that the journey was worth it would be the biggest understatement of my life. I’ve been to some beautiful places in my time, but Noosa is something else.
Picture a cove protected by rocks at each end of the beach scattered by only the few people who have made the walk, low hanging trees behind you, and laid out in front of you an undisturbed stretch of sand, the bluest crystal clear calm sea water you can imagine, bright sunshine and not one single cloud disturbing the sky. Completely breath taking. The Aussie’s got a giggle out of my speechlessness; this is their home after all. But to me, it was the kind of place you see in the media and fantasise about seeing some day, but to actually be there was something else entirely.
The whole suncream ‘slip slop slap’ process was highly frustrating for me as I was itching to get in to the water, which was the absolute perfect temperature. At least to me but apparently I have an English temperature gauge and the Aussies were less than convinced about the warmth of the water. But to me it was completely perfect in every single way. The water was so clear that you could see schools of fish ranging from babies up to four or five inches swimming about. There was a few waves coming in but the water was shallow and mostly calm without any particular current or rip to worry about and left to my own devices I would have probably happily floated around that bay until the Sun had fried me to a crisp. Complete and total paradise.
I might be on a working holiday but I am technically still on a holiday, it boggles my mind that it was just a day off of work for Kathryn and a couple of hours of driving leads to a day like that!

We had to leave to go in search of food and walked round to the main beach which was almost as pretty but much busier so it didn’t enjoy the same air of serenity as the cove where we were. Once our hunger was satisfied and our thirst quenched, Jen did some celebrity spotting and we headed back to the beach. I spent a little longer being blown away by what I was seeing before having to tear myself away (with the promise that we would be returning another day very soon) as there was still much more of the sunshine coast to be seen.

Our navigator and personal tour guide (Kathryn) found the coast road so as we headed back down the coast we must of passed stops for ten or more beaches. Next stop was Mooloolaba which was a much bigger beach than Noosa and had a more similar feel to the Gold Coast with miles of beach stretched out in front of you. The heat and the salt had by this point made me feel like I hadn’t had any water in a week so we stopped for a quick refuel before exploring the beach further. We timed it well as there was beach safety/ life saving classes going on a the beach so we watched them running up and down and swimming in and out with their surfboards…whilst we took it easy sitting on the sand. The wind had picked up a bit and it was less sheltered here so we decided that paddling would suffice.

The last beach of the day, Caloundra, was well worth the wait and we got there just as the sun was setting. This beach was almost a mixture of the previous two beaches, being slightly quieter and more protected but also going on for as far as the eye could see. As we walked along the edge of the sea the sky changed from blues and purples to oranges and reds as the sun went down. Once again another breathtaking view. There were very few people about and in a similar way to West Witterings at low tide there was undisturbed sand banks and shallow pools and it was just completely picturesque. I met my first jelly fish, small, clear and a couple of inches across and I was told completely harmless, good job as there were lots of them. Once again I didn’t want to leave, but it was getting late in the day now and Kathryn had done a lot of driving (Thanks Kathryn!) so we started the journey back.

After a quick shower and change at home we headed back out and met up with Lynelle for a couple of Bundy’s at a local bar. Afterwards she took us up a local mountain to a look out over Brisbane all lit up at night. London really needs to get a look out like that! I imagine that it would be another good place to watch the sun set, or rise for that matter. But also a superb view of Brisbane lit up at night and high enough that you can see for miles.

Friday morning we went down to the local shops and I found proper Marmite (Awesome! Had previously bought a poor Australian equivalent of Marmite and it tasted like… well not pleasant!) Friday evening I ventured out alone, and I have to say was pretty proud of myself for doing so!!! I started out from my place and I knew where I wanted to get…but had very little idea of how to get there! Thanks to years of working out the London transport system and help from a couple of friendly Aussies a bus and a train later I found myself in Brisbane City. Its very different from any other city I have seen before, I can’t really put my finger on why it feel’s different from London and New York. It has a fair number of sky scrapers, but I don’t know whether its just because there is only a few (in comparison to New York and London) in a small area or what it is that makes it feel different but it does definitely have a different feel. Not in a bad way. Just different. I’ll keep you updated if I figure out why!

I met up with my newest Aussie friend Carly and was introduced to her friends Gen and co. They gave me a quick tour around the Valley which is equivalent to London’s soho and then we heard to Brisbane’s Oktoberfest!!! There was something very surreal about being in Australia surrounded by people wearing Lederhosen and all of the staff having German accents! I can’t say I’m usually a fan of beer but beer has got to be done at Oktoberfest so I had to learn to love it for one evening. I met lots of new people and enjoyed getting to know them all… despite varying levels of intoxication! There was much dancing on tables and a live band who were pretty good. SUCH a random experience but an awesome one. Kathryn finished work late and as I managed to acquire a free spare ticket she came down for a little while before we headed home.

Today is Saturday and I’m getting up in a bit to head over to steal Kathryn’s internet to put this online. Tonight I’m going back out in the valley and tomorrow planning to hit the beach again (I’m addicted!) Hopefully I will start work next week and I’m going up the coast to a beach party next weekend which I’m very excited about.

I’ll update you all again as soon as I can. I haven’t organised internet where I’m staying yet so just as soon as I do I will be back in touch with you all more often. In the mean time email me and I will reply as and when I can and most of you have got my Australian mobile number now. I hope all is well back home, I miss you all heaps, and I hope I have convinced you all of how amazing Australia is and I’ve only seen a weeks worth of sights! It truly is an amazing place, so, as the Aussie’s would say… where the bloody hell are ya!!??

Love to you all xXxXxXxXxXx

A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step

Or to be more accurate a journey of 10273 miles. Thats the flight miles between London, England and Brisbane, Australia. A daunting journey to put it mildy. A 4am start after a night of no sleep with manic last second packing. Not helped by my losing the television remote and suspecting it had ended up somewhere at the bottom of my suitcase.

Unfortunately I wasnt first in the queue for check in (despite having arrived ridiculously early) but it worked out well as I met a girl in the queue who was travelling by herself too so we got sat together. I somehow managed to get away without having to pay excess baggage either. Survived take off given how much I hate flying. After so many hours in the air to get here I think its fair to say now Im much better at flying than I used to be! We were in the row of three in the middle of the aeroplane so I was also sat next to an Aussie guy so I reacquainted myself with the Queensland accent. Was really glad to be sat next to friendly people as chatting made the time pass much more quickly. I was dissapointed with the selection of films, there was only about 15 to choose from and they were really random. I ended up watching the Truman Show twice. The flight crew looked after us really well, we were given way more food than we could ever possibly eat. After around seven hours we made an unexpected stop in Dubai to refuel, didnt really even get time to see much of the airport we were there for less than an hour. The leg of the flight between Dubai and Brunei was definately the hardest, it was just over 8 hours and it really really dragged. Its really difficult falling asleep when you have so little space so couldnt really do any more than doze. Spent most of the time eating as they were forever serving us food or chatting. Really dont know how I would have got through it if I hadnt of had interesting people to chat too! My newest aussie friend tought me about which aussie beers to avoid and which ones to try.
Finally made it to Brunei, it really did seem to take forever to get there. Had to part with my new friends at this point as they were catching a different connecting flight to me. My stopover in Brunei was seventeen hours long... So I decided to upgrade my hours free tour of Brunei to a five hour tour. I'm really glad that I did.

The tour was really good and actually did a lot to increase my confidence about the trip as made really cool new friends straight away again. Met a guy who used to have an office on Field End Road, literally around the corner from my house!
First stop was at the Sultan's palace, its the biggest lived in Palace in the world. The sultan lives there with his twelve children and one hundred Ferrari's! We were also lucky enough that whilst we were outside taking pictures the police arrived and stopped all of the traffic and the palace gates began to open before a parade of cars exited at speed. Our guide informed us that it would be the Sultan or one of the other members of the Royal Family and that we were very lucky to get to see them. I cant help but be a cynic and think that the guide probably knows what time of day the cars leaves the palace and co-ordinates his tours for the same time, but still, was pretty cool to think it could of been the Sultan.

Next stop on the tour was the Jame’ Asr Hassanil Bolkiah Mosque which really was absolutely breathtaking. It was opened in 1994 to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the Sultans accession to the throne and therefore of course it had to be suitably grand. We were asked to remove our shoes, hand over our cameras, and cover ourselves with long black coats which were provided. I have to say having to wear a long thick black coat in the hottest weather I have ever experienced was not particularly pleasant. But it was well worth it. As you enter the mosque there was a water fountain which was lit from underneath with many different colours. Then you walk past the bathing areas which reminded me of roman baths in their layout. Then as the mosque opens up inside there is a big white sweeping marble staircase that to me looked like something straight out of a disney film. At the top of the staircase the guide opened heavy wooden doors to lead us into the Womens 'prayer room.' (Not too sure of the correct term.) It was an enormous circular room with skylights in one of the domes above. It was incredibly cool which was a relief from the temperature outside. The main feature of the room was what is the largest chandelier ever to have been made ... and whats more its made out of 18 carot gold, as are all of the chandeliers and fittings inside the mosque. It was without a shadow of a doubt the grandest room I have ever seen but admittedly our reluctance to leave did also have a lot to do with the beautifully cool temperature.
Our guide gave us time to explore the grounds of the mosque and take pictures from the outside of the landscaped gardens and fountains aplently. I may not be a religious person but the whole place did have an extremely peaceful ambience.

Next we went to the Royal Regalia Museum where we again were asked to remove our shoes and put our belongings including camera's into lockers. In pride of place as you enter the building is the royal coronation carriage which took 55 men to carry. Our guide led us through the first half of the museum telling us all about the history of the Royals of Brunei. We saw plenty of pictures of the Sultan and his family and it seems by all accounts the people of Brunei are extremely fond of their Sultan. Which I guess it isnt hard to imagine why when they dont pax taxes, have free healthcare and education and 60% of the population of 400,000 work for the government which entitles them to free goverment accomodation. We saw a mock up of the scene of His Majesty's coronation and everything was made of gold and extremely ornate. My favourite part though was the fact that the crown is so heavy that when it is placed on his head they have a 'golden hand' which is literally like a hand and arm made of gold which they place under his chin so that his head doesnt give way when they place the crown on his head.

Next we went to Brunei's Water Village, Kampong Ayer. Its a community of 40,000 people (10% of the population of Brunei) who live in buildings on stilts on the Brunei river. From a distance it looks like some short of shanty town. We were led onto a sort of large speedboat that the locals use as a taxi service, and after taking our seats we were informed that there was no speed limit. We were driven around parts of the community which is made up of lots of different villages before stopping off to visit one of the houses. Despite the exterior appearance the inside of the houses were actually very nice and the govenment has supplied them with everything they need so they have television and phone lines and running water. The houses are all connected with wooden walkways but theres no railing and theres big gaps in the pieces of wood so its a bit worrying especially when youre carrying a bag with your passport and all of your electricals in it! We were invited to share tea with the family who's home we visited and I think it was some sort of green tea we had any a variety of traditional cakes and breads which were really pretty good.

I was pretty tired by this point (Having not slept for 2 nights by now!) so I was glad there was only one stop left which was another Museum, I think it was the Brunei History Centre but I'm not sure as I was having a lot of trouble keeping my eyes open by now! We were given half an hour to look around and there was some really interesting things there like artefacts from the 12th/13th century including chain mail type armour which was pretty cool, and plates and tapestries etc but I was just too tired by this time to really appreciate it properly.
We drove back to the airport and I'll admit I did keep falling asleep but we saw the Sultan Omar Ali Saifuddin Mosque which is supposed to be one of the most famous mosques in the world with its main dome being covered in pure gold.

As soon as we had got back to the airport we put our bags down and fell straight asleep. We had another five or six hours I think it was to kill before we got on the aeroplane which we spent sleeping and chatting.
Fiiiinally it was time to get on the last leg of the flight to Brisbane and strangely enough despite all of our tickets being issued seperately the four of us who had made friends found eachother sitting in a row one behind eachother which was nice as it meant we could talk for the last six hour flight. We had been told that we were going to get a meal as soon as we got on the plane as given that all we had eaten in the seventeen hours in Brunei was a few biscuits and sweet breads we were pretty starving by this point! But dinner turned out to be a sandwich and a small muffin and my friend Stacey and I probably complained a little bit too loudly about how hungry we still were as the people sitting around us started offering to share their food with us... so we felt a bit like scavengers but at least we werent starving anymore! We slept for most of the journey to Brisbane being totally exhausted by now.
I was sat next to a helicopter pilot (who was amused at me jumping every time we had bad turbulence) which was quite fun as I got a tour of Brisbane from the air as he pointed out all the landmarks.
Finally we actually touched down in Brisbane! The people who I'd made friends were laughing at me cos after such a long journey to get there I couldnt sit still with anticiaption of actually finally arriving. It was a relief to get the last of the airporty stuff out of the way and made it through customs without any trauma's. My suitcase arrived but unfortunately not in one piece the handle had been broken off which made carrying it out of the airport bloody difficult!!!

My aussie friend Kathryn met me at the airport, I dont know what Id of done if I was on public transport with my broken suitcase! Ive been saying for ages the first thing I wanted to see in Australia was a kangaroo/Wallaby so she took me to a nature reserve and we went looking for wallabies. Somehow we ended up walking the longer trail rather than the shorter one so we walked for about 8k but it was actually really really nice after being couped up for so long!!! Kathryn laughed at me for being astounded by the fact that as we were walking along she spotted a snake skin just lying on the ground. Not something we are used to seeing in England!!!!!!!! We spotted one wallaby 'hopping' (is that what you say for a Wallaby moving fast? I dont know!) in the distance but it was only when we got back to right next to the car park that Kathryn spotted one close by. Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaand it had a joey!!!! So ridiculously cute! It wasnt at all bothered by our presence and was quite happy to sit there and let us watch it. I have to admit I was completely fascinated. Very very very very cute.

And that pretty much concludes my journey to Australia!
Ive been here three days now and am getting over the jet lag. Been to the shops a couple of times and suprised by how similar things are to the Uk, from the way the roads are set out, to the familiar shops (blockbusters!), and familiar brand names. So it doesnt really feel so foreign. Apart from the fact that I keep having to remember to talk slowly cos apparently I have an accent. I maintain my argument that I speak the Queen's English so I'm not the one with the accent!
Have cought up with all the aussies I was friends with in London which has been really good, had missed them. Experienced my first Aussie house party... which involved one of my aussie friends wearing an outfit made entirely of feather dusters... Australians are strange but cool! Lol.
Im moving in to the room I'm going to rent whilst I'm here later today so I am going to be internetless for a couple of days but Im going to try and sort that out as soon as I can. Ive got an interview for a job in a convenience store, not exactly glamerous but a job is a job!!! Im going to the beach on Wednesday so I'm reaaaaaaaaaaaally excited about that.
Ill try and update again as soon as Ive got internet access, so for now g'day and I'm missing you all lots and I'll speak to you all soon hopefully!!!! Much love xXx