melbourne is great!

[still not had a chance to update my photos yet!]

im at my new job, which is great! its fantastic pay ($25p.h.) so i no longer have to stress about money. we (me, lauren, annabel) prety much started looking for work as soon as we got here, cuz none of us will be staying that long and all of us are feeling pretty low on the cash front and already wev all found soem work. most of it is crappy pay tho so im really really lucky, one cafe i went into seemed great until the woman told me she could only offer me $9 an hour! im pretty sure thats illegal but thats what all the pay is like around here mostly. annabel has got a job at a juice bar (parttime) at $10 an hour which is bad enough! im pretty chuffed with my new job tho, its quite funny really i think i only got offered it cuz i did a typing test at one of the agencies i went to and apparantly i have a typing speed of 92wpm hahaha!!

wev been living in a hostel all week but annabel has been bitten to shreds - either by bed bugs or mossies wer not sure... but iv never seen so many bites on one person in my entire life! shes even got them on here forehead and behind her ears!! so yeah altho the hostel is alright wer gonna move hostels when this week is up and then into a 6-person house just outside the city centre on tuesday wahey. its a well nice house, its an old poilce station thats been renovated and its gorgeous!! (much better than the zoo) wer moving in with two italian guys - Andy (that we lived with in the zoo) and his mate Otto, very excited. its quite cool at the moment cuz Jamie has come down to Melbourne for the weekend because hes decided to go home (to england) on monday, so wanted to come over here from sydney for a few days before he left for good, and Tanvi who we met in the zoo is popping over too for the weekend since its easter so its great!

melbourne is so different to sydney! its been said a million times but it is SO much more european. all the buildings are really interesting, theres a proper cafe/coffeehouse culture, and the best places that ull find are definately down the backalleys. on the first day i found this incredible little backalley street on the way to an interview and iv been back every day since then, its just crammed with the smallest boutiques, coffee shops and cafes that iv ever seen and its CHEAP. i got the nicest coffee iv ever had for $2 (70p) the other day. gorgeous. this is one place where u cant avoid the amazing food - yesterday me and jamie had a day out and we ended up at this backalley crepe place and i had a roast pepper, mushroom and ricotta crepe mmmm!! we spent the morning in federation square which is like the centre point of melbourne, with really interseting modern buildings and stuff, and went into one of the free museums - Australian Centre for Moving Image. http://www.acmi.net.au/ this is great!!! anyone going to melbourne should always go here, its free and its basically where u just go and sit in a booth and watch short films from all around the world for as long as u want. when we were walking the streets after this we were handed a 'free personality test' flyer and stupidly went along to this scientology centre and were both told that we are depressed, inactive, nervous and anitsocial... and then were told we could 'fix ourselves' by buying loads of scientology books and attending seminars. no thanks! i told the woman considering im depressed i feel pretty happy.

melbourne at the moment: comedy festival http://www.comedyfestival.com.au/season/2007/

woohoo!

melbourne!

wahey, arrived in melbourne this morning! had our last week in sydney - was ace, i had a really good week, pleased i wasnt working in the end. spent most of my time with lauren trying to do as much as we could with as little money as possible, great time and the best weather!

went to blue mountains on saturday for a day trip - shall get some photos up asap (gonna try do that now actually but not sure if itl work, just using dodgy hostel comp) twas very nice - stroked a koala, was licked by a kangaroo... proper got in with the wildlife like! (got some photos of that too)

we flew to melbourne at 6 sunday morning, so kinda decided to stay up instead of get any kip as it was our last saturday in sydney after all - therefore stupidly giving ourselves unecessary jetlag. whoops. still very tired now. wer in a great (but expensive) hostel for one night only, then a really cheap one at $13 a night for the rest of the week. this one has won loads of awards and stuff, its really homely feeling and nice, and u get free breakfast and pancakes on a sunday, which i was very very excited about as we got nothing to eat on the plane so was rather hungry! (think iv become a bit too used to the emirates amazing treatment and overfeeding) anyway, had a bit of a trauma; as soon as we managed to check into our room lauren got in bed for a doze but i decided to get to the pancakes before they ran out before a nap myself, so i sped off towards my pancakes and accidentally slammed myself into a glass panel door - absaloutely battering my nose. two people were walking along the corridor behind me and had seen the whole thing, i was so embarassed haha! luckily i didnt break my nose, but had to hold an icepack against it while i queued for my pancakes, and now i have a healthy size lump and a pretty bruise developing - just in time for my job interviews tomorrow. great.

ah well im happy to be in melbourne, been browsing the music mags and theres tonnes going on. the city is a lot smaller than sydney, and its a LOT more english feeling... i could imagine living here.

hopefully photos soon!

oh and its COLD here!!!

14 day safari

ok, the most amazing thing ever. here is my itinery for the 14 day safari (just nicked it off the website - www.adventuretours.com.au)

Day 1 – Adelaide to Parachilna
We travel through the picturesque Clare Valley to Alligator Gorge in the Southern Flinders Ranges, renowned for its unique ruggedness and distinct flora and fauna. Here we stretch our legs on an interpretive walk and then continue on to the historic railway township of Quorn. In the afternoon we view Aboriginal rock art at Yourambulla Caves and continue on to Parachilna for a memorable ‘Aussie BBQ’ (including local game). Overnight Parachilna.

Day 2 – Flinders Ranges & Wilpena Pound
We drive through Parachilna Gorge before arriving at Wilpena Pound to climb Mt Ohlssen-Bagge for fantastic views over the ranges. After lunch, we travel to remote Rawnsley Park sheep station where we stay overnight in bunkhouse accommodation.

Day 3 – Rawnsley Park to Coober Pedy (* Coober Pedy is that crazy town where people live underground)
Today we journey north along the Stuart Highway to Coober Pedy. Enjoy an opal mine tour with a chance to go opal fossicking. We stay in an underground bunkhouse in Coober Pedy.

Day 4 – Coober Pedy to Uluru
We drive through rugged desert country to Yulara for sunset at Uluru (Ayers Rock) then view the stars from our overnight permanent camp.

Day 5 – Uluru to Kata Tjuta & Kings Canyon
Up early for the Uluru sunrise where you can enjoy a base walk or choose to climb Uluru, followed by a guided interpretive walk at Mala. We visit Kata Tjuta (Olgas) and head to Kings Canyon for our overnight camp and delicious camp oven dinner.

Day 6 – Kings Canyon to Alice Springs
Hike and explore Kings Canyon including the breathtaking North and South Walls, the ‘Lost City’ and ‘Garden of Eden’. After lunch we depart for Alice Springs. Overnight dorm accommodation included.

Day 7 - Alice Springs
Enjoy a FREE DAY to explore Alice Springs. Overnight dorm included.

Day 8 - Alice Springs
Enjoy a FREE DAY to explore Alice Springs. Overnight dorm included.

Day 9 – Alice Springs to Banka Banka
We cross the Tropic of Capricorn then pull over at Ti Tree for the opportunity to purchase authentic Aboriginal art. Next stop is the Barrow Creek Pub where we view the historic Telegraph Station. Further ‘up the track’ we explore the Devils Marbles; precariously balanced granite boulders sacred to the traditional owners’, before arriving at Banka Banka Cattle Station where we camp overnight. Weather permitting - take a dip in the picturesque waterhole.

Day 10 – Banka Banka to Katherine Gorge
We head further north to the famous outback pub at Daly Waters, the oldest pub in the Northern Territory and first international airport in Australia! After lunch we travel to Mataranka to enjoy a relaxing afternoon in the crystal clear thermal springs. Late afternoon we travel towards the magnificent Katherine Gorge for our overnight camp.

Day 11 – Katherine Gorge to Darwin
Spend half a day canoeing or cruising (at own expense) the spectacular gorge. There is also the chance for a scenic helicopter flight (at own expense) to appreciate the vastness of the gorge system. After lunch we head into Darwin via Edith Falls and Adelaide River.

Day 12 - Darwin to Mary River
See the falls of Litchfield National Park before heading to the spectacular Mary River Wetlands, home to a vast array of bird life. This afternoon look for ‘crocs’ and other abundant wildlife on our private river cruise. Arrive at Point Stuart Wilderness Lodge where we stay overnight in our private campsite.

Day 13 - Mary River to Kakadu
Our first stop is Ubirr where we discover ancient Aboriginal rock art and climb to enjoy picturesque views. We continue on to Maguk (Barramundi Gorge), where we hike to the plunge pools for a refreshing dip. Stay overnight at our permanent camp within Kakadu NP.

Day 14 - Kakadu to Darwin
This morning we 4WD into the awesome Jim Jim Falls, hiking to the base of the falls then continue on to Twin Falls. Here we join a National Park operated boat and boardwalk experience up the stunning gorge to the waterfall and sandy bank. In the afternoon we return to Darwin, enjoying the impressive scenery along the way.

PLANS!!

since i lost my job on monday (the person who was meant to be replacing me while i was in UK for the week was still there... so i was told there was no room for me EVEN THOUGH they told me i would be able to come back! gutted) im not gonna be able to update my blog/emails/photos and stuff as much as i was before until i get a new job... so i might end up updating older posts and stuff when i can.

anyway though, at the moment im totally EXCITED to the point that i cant sleep AT ALL because iv been actually planning the rest of my trip. had a bit of a freak out when i realised im already a 1/3 of the way through it, which means 4 months left = argh gotta get moving!! im getting to melbourne with lauren and annabel on sunday, so i think ill work in melbourne for 4 weeks minimum, saving saving saving whilst checking out the ace music scene of melbourne, and then get travelling fast!

here are my rough plans;

after melbourne go to tasmania for 3 or 4 days, then fly back to adelaide
stay in adelaide for only a couple of days but from Adelaide visit kangaroo islands which sound incredible!! (apparantly its just a mad island full of animals and stuff, like kangaroos just everywhere, koalas, all sorts of crazy stuff) then get off to this little opal-mining town that i cant remember the name of where people live underground!! apparantly its been in loads of future-age films cuz its just so surreal, but the people there really do live underground because its so hot. so u go on a day tour or something and u just get shown around and it sounds absaloutly mental.

from adelaide (this is one thing im SOOO excited about) im splashing out and doing a 14-day safari allllll the way up the middle of australia and up to Darwin. my god how excited i am about that u dont understand, it includes all sorts of stuff, when i have the info with me ill put up some better information, but basically its like a proper outback experience - what i really want to do, and it includes Uluru (ayres rock) and Alice Springs.

From Darwin i dont really have that many plans except i know i want to do a couple of things for DEFINATE and have to squeeze them in, including; skydiving (probably on the East Coast), WWOOFING (living with an australian family on an organic farm for a week or so - proper outback), and fruit picking (probably down the East Coast when i start to run out of money)
After Darwin ill basically move over to Cairns and then head down the East Coast, covering it in around a month and a half - hopefully not having to work at all. But i havent thought as much about this part of the trip.

Woop! so excited

upside down again

oof, back in sydney! what a whirlwind trip.

moving to melbourne on saturday so only got one week left in the zoo... one of our toilets has now broken and overflowed, so im feeling that this is the right time to move on. finally got a photo of the house for you (mum) as you have requested, it aint that pretty mind:

i slept in till 1 on saturday (jetlag) - mind u, i got into sydney at 6 am friday morning, and managed to stay up all day - went down t'harbour for an icecream (lindt! MMM), did some food shopping and COOKED (yes i will now make an effort to feed myself) and then had a couple of schooners down at the local which made me practically fall asleep on the pub table. so i think i did pretty well considering i had been up and travelling for almost two days solid.

we went off to the botanical gardens on saturday afternoon but it rained like crazy and we got absaloutely soaked. not too impressed. luckily it had stopped by the evening so we prepared ourselves for our last night out in sydney. as it was st. patricks day we dressed accordingly and each donned a green top, iv got some great photos that i need to put up! for now this is the only one i can get at

my god im in dubai. its like 7 am which means something like 2pm in australia, 3am in england. iv been flying for 17 hours so far... just one more flight to go, woop, will be home in like, 12 hours or something! absaloutely knackered.

toga party & mardis gras! woop!

woohoo this weekend it was the MARDIS GRAS ("the most spectacular gay & lesbian event in the world) and to warm ourselves up for the evening we had a toga party/bbq back at the zoo before we headed out. it was amazing!! it can be explained best through photos, see for yourself ;)

togas in the parkit was a properly good night, and obviously since we started early what with the barbeque and stuff, by the time we actually got to the parade we were all fairly excitable. i spent hardly any money at all cuz here theres this realy cheap 'wine' called Goon, which is like 4 litres for $9.99...

its proper dodgy stuff and even says on the back of it 'made with the aid of nuts, cheese and eggs...' but its ridiculously cheap and gets u drunk quick. also doesnt taste too bad. so i bought myself a 4 litre load of that and just carried it around in a plastic bottle all night! great stuff.

heres some photos of the night off the bbc website, theyr a bit more mad than mine and u get a better impression