Australia

Ahhhh well. This blog is mainly to show you the pictures that I have been snapping on our way up the East Coast of Australia but I suppose I can treat you to a bit of natter to keep you entertained for a moment.

Facts for the uninitiated are: we arrived Sydney, Australia on 16th December. We spent about 3 weeks there in a hostel near Bondi Beach. We bought a van just before New Year and travelled to the Blue Mountains and then the Hunter Valley, Australia's premier wine making region. Here we threw down our swag for seven weeks and picked grapes like people possessed in the dust and the dirt and the heat for 5 quid an hour. Despite the description we had a great time and drank close to our own body weight in wine. We left the Hunter on a rainy day and set off up the East Coast of Australia. There are so many different and amazing places we have been that it would be difficult to write them all down now, I only regret that I didn't leave a commentary as I went, but situations conspired differently and so that's as shall be.

We do thankfully have a visual record of our travels as I have studiously over-photgraphed everything I have seen. The images below are some of those. I hope you like them.

Hot and dusty after a 7 hour day grape picking, 1 15 minute break it was about 38 degrees!!

'Long Distance Clara' our trusty van

Inflating our hot air balloons for our Valentine's Day flight

The Balloon and the sun go up together

The Hunter Valley from 700ft

Me cooking wood fired pizza at Hunter Valley YHA

Ruth with our friends Cathy, Big Dave and George during our glamorous cheese and wine afternoon only made less glamorous by the quality of the wine!!

The pelicans were taking a rest at dusk in port macquarie

Wollomombi falls one of the largest in Australia on the waterfall way in New South Wales

A waterfall we found on a walk in New England National Park

The view from Eagle's nest lookout in New England National Park

Rainforest Ruthie

Is that a banana in my pocket or am I just pleased to see you? - wahey!

Is that a lizard in my pocket or am I just pleased to see you??? errr...

Emus were a constant hazard, not that we saw any, apart from in the zoo

Shelley Beach Yuragir National Park

Ruth with her protective and menacing spider stick - Yuragir National Park

Inquisitve Kangaroo came for a look at our van

The chain at the end of a 4km walk up Mount Warning which lead you up to the summit a 500m almost vertical rock scramble...Ruth loved that one!

View from the top was stunning though.

Mr O Whippy the Irish Ice Cream man

Playing the bagpipes???? I thought it was Paddy's Day not 'Old Jock McTavish's Day'

Fishing in the river at sunset - Noosa

Noosa National Park

Damn damn damn damn damn overheated............

Crazy looking Pelican in Noosa

The view from Indian heads on Fraser Island

Our tasteful 4WD 'Rollie' on Fraser

No printing please ladies

The Maheno shipwreck Fraser Island

Lake McKenzie beach Fraser Island, possibly ther most beautiful place in the world

Me at the momunment commemorating the landing of Captain James Cook in 1770. It's actually in a town called 'The Town of 1770'

Found this sign next to our tent....oooops

Easter Bunny Impression

Ruth in full ready steady cook mode Eungella National Park

Ruth in the back of the van

Fully wetsuited up ready for a bit of snorkelling in the Whitsundays

Whitehaven Beach, Whitsunday Island, pure silica sand, visible from space, suits you sir...

Our ship 'Defender' what a beauty

That's about it so far folks. Just to let you know that we have just arrived back in Sydney. We went up to Cairns after the Whitsundays and tried to flog the van but it wasn't happening so we have driven it all the way back here (2500kms in 5 days). It took us 8 hours to drive 170kms yesterday because we broke down twice on the hard shoulder and had to get the RAC out. Thank god they've fixed it. We're off to New Zealand soon so expect some pictures of us freezing our little arses off and climbing up great big mountains and stuff.........woooo yeah!!