While I was on the plane to Sydney I discovered that the flight actually stopped in Melbourne, my final destination! Since my bag was checked through I couldn't jump off, but I did call Steve B from the airport to let him know I was in the country. After the layover we landed in Sydney an hour later. Peter G picked me up at the airport in his newer Audi Quattro - not the same one we tooled around Europe in two years earlier. After cashing a ton of money at the airport we headed off for a drive - Hanna was teaching sailing class so it was just the two of us. We ended up at a beach where we went for a swim and a jog, then drove back to the house, met Hanna, and then went over to the place that Rose C was house-sitting. We all had a BBQ by the pool, chatted away the night, and then crashed at Rose's place for the evening.
The next day Peter, Hanna, and I went back to their house, packed, and Rose met us so we all went into the city. Hanna had a concert at the David Jones department store so we watched her, then went for a ride on the monorail, looked around Darling Harbor, and when Hanna had her second concert. Peter and I took the ferry to Manly Beach to take a ton of pictures of the Opera House and Harbor Bridge. We had a quick Mexican dinner after we met Hanna again, then they dropped me off at the bus station for a Bus Australia trip down to Melbourne.
Melbourne Area
Jan, Steve, Sue, and Helena in Melbourne
I only slept 2 or so hours during the twelve hour journey - not comfortable at all! I called Jan as soon as I arrived at the bus station - a short 30 minutes later Jan was there in her car - which oddly I recognized even though I had never seen it before! Jan gave me a bit of a tour on the way to Glen Waverly, a suburb of Melbourne. Steve had gone out to play golf so he wasn't home, but Helena B was in bed so I went to wake her up. I then began to meet the whole family as they got up. Steve eventually returned from golf at 10am, so we all went to meet Sue T for lunch - she was the same as ever. I did some shopping for some necessities and grabbed some flowers for Jan's parents. After the day in the city we headed back to Glen Waverly for dinner, then we watched Carols by Candlelight on television.
Christmas at the Bills'
The next day was Christmas - my first in the southern hemisphere. Jan woke us up at 9am - we had all gone to bed after midnight so were pooped. The family had sent me cash presents - cheaper to mail and incredibly useful for the trip! Steve and Jan gave me an Aussie hat and Helena gave me a beach ball with "Keith around the world house visiting tour 1990" on it - pretty funny! Christmas lunch was with Jeff and Inga, a German couple. I then went with Rex to pick up 3 aunties for the evening "do" - for a total of about 16 family members! I called my parents later that evening to say Merry Christmas to the family, and also called Peter in Texas.
At Andy's Farm
The next day (Boxing Day) I headed over to Andy's farm. The 5 sibs in order (oldest to youngest) are Dave, Richard, Jan, Andy, and Steve. Andy showed us around the farm in Romsey and then we all headed to Hanging Rock with some cool rock formations, and the set piece of the '70s move Picnic at Hanging Rock. We did a bit of bouldering in park and then shot back to Andy's house before going back to Melbourne to drop Helena at the bus station - she had to go to work the next day. Steve, Jan, and I then headed to Anglesea via Geelong where we stopped for fish and chips. Liz and Rex' house in Anglesea is just fantastic - they had built it just a few years earlier. We played snooker and I lost, the consequence of which was that I had to do the breakfast dishes! Since I had no money, it was the best bet I could do! While we were in Anglesea, Steve, Jan, Liz, and Rex all went to check out the wedding site (Steve and Jan's wedding is at the end of November).
The KISC Contingent at Rover Moot
The 8th World Scout Rover Moot was in Melbourne this year, so we headed back to the city to visit it. Peter and Hanna showed up in Melbourne in the evening and joined us for pizza, then we all crashed at the house. The best part of the moot was catching up with all the old friends: Mark and Regula from Switzerland, Maree from Sweden, and Suzanne and Annika. We also bumped into Nick, who I met at KISC and hiked with to the Blumlisalp Hutte. We met up with Lomi at the end of the day and he bought us all beers. I also met people I had heard of but never met: Debbie (who Jan traveled with), Mia S (who led the Swedish contingent), and Hoegeli (in charge of the Swiss Moot). We all went out for Malasian food before heading back to Glen Waverly.
Jan at Anglesea Party
The day of New Years Eve, Peter and Hanna took me to Vicky H's house but she was not home, so we went to the outdoor shops in Melbourne and then St Kilda Beach before returning to the house, and meeting us there were Pople (James), Blandy (Ian), and Gionella. Steve, Jan, and Alli showed up a bit later. After saying goodbye to Peter and Hanna we then all headed down to Anglesea for the party. Meeting us there were Steph & Roger and their daughter Christine, Glen & Cindy, Ian and Gionella, Steve & Jan, Steve & Janine, another Janine, Liz & Rex, Pople, myself, Andy & ~10 of his friends, some people from the Rover Moot, and Lyle and his wife. It was a great party - we ate and drank until midnight and went for a walk on the beach at the end - not something usually done in the northern hemisphere!
Great Ocean Road
The Twelve Apostles on the Great Ocean Road
The day after NYE was pretty quiet - just a little bit of swimming. However, the next day Steve, Jan, and I set out for our mini-holiday along the Great Ocean Road. Jan was the tour guide here, taking Steve and I along the coast of Victoria. Our first stop was Lorne, where we saw some waterfalls and I took the chance to change some money. We headed on to Apollo Bay where we stayed at Jan's aunt's house and saw her cousin Ian. The rest of the holiday saw us at the Twelve Apostles, Loch Ard Gorge, Thunder Cave (a blowhole), and then on to Portland via Warrnambool and Port Fairy. In Port Ferry we stayed with Tony and Martha - Jan's aunt and uncle. We also went to Mount Gambier and saw the Blue Lake. Finally, we did a morning of rock climbing in the Grampians National Park where I did a 50 meter climb with overhangs (top-roped, of course!).
Back in Melbourne Area / Surf Moot
Shortly after the mini-holiday, Steve left back for England. I used a couple of days in Melbourne to get
settled in, including opening a bank account at Westpac and applied for a
tax file number. I also wrapped up all the Christmas thanks-yous and
caught up on letters. I also mailed another set of slides home for
safe-keeping, after developing the set of Christmas slides and getting
print copies for Liz & Rex. I also spent some time at the Monash Aquatic Center and went to the Botanic Gardens in Melbourne where I saw Wind in the Willows - while a children's play it was pretty good.
Puffing Billy
I did my first hitch-hike - down to Anglsea, taking less than 5 minutes to get a ride each way. What a great way to travel! I also spent these few days with Jan before she headed back to England as well. I was able to catch up with Sue T - staying at her friend Nicola's house. I went with Sue (and also her Rover friends Michael and Larisa) to the glam rock band the Melody Lords. I also did a couple day trip on Puffing Billy, staying the night in the Youth Hostel in Emerald before heading back the next day.
Jan's Brother Steve at Surf Moot
I met Jan's brother Steve in Glen Waverly - we picked up Janine E (who I met NYE) on the way to the surf moot to join his crew. On the way we picked up some drinks: pre-mixed Bacardi & Coke in cans (why on earth is this not readily available in the US??) and a couple of bottles of port. The Friday night Steve's Crew (Waroonga) was in charge of the front gate - it was a laugh to be with them. It also got the required service out of the way so the rest of the weekend was free to do as we like. The night was spent doing not much more than drinking beer and eventually getting to bed at 3am.
The Saturday we spent at the scout beach and at a "beach warming party" at Steve's new block of land in the area. The Sat evening's entertainment was a couple of comedians and "star-maker" - aka karaoke - there I saw Susanne and Annika, who were staying with the Blackflat Crew. While the music was great, the singing was abysmal! That evening we spent with the Wheeler Crew. Sunday we went for a walk along the beach at Aireys Inlet, followed by a couple of mediocre rock bands as the evening entertainment. On the Monday we packed up camp quickly and went to Torquay to go on the water slide. That was a blast until I banged my head going face-first. We headed back to the scout hall to unload the stuff - there I met Wendy N-C's parents. Then back to Glen Waverly for a shower and bed before heading out again for another leg.
Victoria
Sovereign Hill in Ballarat
The next leg of the trip was a ten-day tour of Victoria - hitching the whole way. The first stop was Ballarat - the ride was a bit odd as the driver wanted to go the scenic route via Geelong and Lorne. The driver (Steve) was from Shepparton and was in the band Checkered Out. The two days in Ballarat were fun and quite cheap! I was able to get into Sovereign Hill for free (an old gold mining re-creation) and also stayed at the Government Camp youth hostel for free. The bakery at Soverign Hill was excellent - and super-cheap. Following my time in Ballarat, I hitched to Bendigo where I saw both the Central Deborah Gold Mine and the talking tram. From there I got a ride to Myrtleford - I was supposed to go to Echuca but I was convinced by a couple of guys to go to the speedway. Since I had never been to a motorcycle speedway - well, what the hell. Glad I did it.
Penguins on Phillip Island
The next stop was Benalla where I went swimming in the lake. While there I stayed in the Bonnie Doon youth hostel. My next stop was Healesville to the wildlife sanctuary, then on to the city where I stayed at the Abbotsford St Youth Hostel. I then dropped by Glen Waverly again to pick up my mail - got a heap from Mia, Anne, Richard, Graham, Peter, Rebecca, and my parents.
The last destination was Phillip Island, meeting a few people on the way: two Aussies, two Dutch (Carol and Mary O), and a POM named Jason. The penguins on the island were really cool - they come right up to you. Then back to Glen Waverly for another shower before I head out the next day to Tasmania.
Tasmania
The Abel Tasman Ferry
The ferry ride to Tasmania was not not bad - about ten hours from Melbourne to Devonport. I stayed a night in Devonport so I could look around and see the museums - not particularly exciting. Then I hitched to Launceston - quick hitch. The Launceston City Hostel was very sterile -no one talks with each other and the manager was a bit of a nasty work - so much so he is famous on the Tassie circuit. While I was in town I went to Cataract Gorge and also rented a stove and fuel for the hike. From there I hitched to Deloriane, where I settled at the Highview Lodge hostel - the complete opposite of Launceston. Kim and Matthew, the managers of the place, made it a blast - they made it a point to get to know everyone by name. It was also a very social group - I met Julie from Pennsylvania (who was studying in Glen Waverly) and Laura, another American, who has worked for Outward Bound.
Cradle Mountain Trek
I headed from Deloraine to Cradle Mountain, the start of the Overland Track - I was checked in and on the track by 3pm. I was hiking the whole route - from Cradle Mountain to Lake St Clair. Within an hour of walking I met Kim L and Rachel M (both from Brisbane) and Phillipe from France. I did a quick run up Cradle Mountain to the peak, then met the others at Waterfall Valley Hut where we all spent the night (I slept outside). Laura R from the Deloraine hostel also met up with us at the same hut that night. I saw a lot of wildlife throughout the hike: a wombat wandered through the campsite, along with loads of kangaroos, wallabies, potoroos, possoms, green rosellas, wild parrots, and all three tassie snakes (tiger, copperhead, and white-lipped whip snake). I climbed Mt Ossa one day, walked to lots of waterfalls, and spent a whole day at Narcissus Hut just reading. I think the best part of the trek was Pine Valley, which is not technically on the Overland Track. There I went to the Acropolis and met up with three girls from Perth. The whole hike took me 7 days, including the day reading at the hut. At the end of the trek I stayed two days at St Clair just relaxing and writing post cards.
Frenchman's Cap
I hitched from St Clair to Queenstown to stock up on supplies and see the town. Queenstown was amazing - strikingly beautiful in a really odd kind of way. I then headed to the start of Frenchman's Cap. I met up with a couple of guys (Mark and John from Germany and New Zealand) and walked with them for a while. The first day required us using a flying fox to cross the Franklin River - there were no rapids at this part of the river, but it was a fun way to cross. The actual mountain is amazing - a spectacular cliff face with some awesome rock climbing. I heard that a week before I was there a climber had fallen and had to be helicoptered out. The trek was two days in / two days out - and oddly, I exited the day that the Gulf War ground war had just ended. That meant that the entire ground war had happened in the four days I was hiking - bizarre.
Walls of Jerusalem
After the Cap I hitched down to Hobart and stayed at the Woodlands hostel, and since the next day was Saturday I went to the Salamanca Market. After the market I hitched back to Launceston, picked up my mail, then went straight to Deloraine where I had to wait for five days because a check had not cleared the Westpac account. In those five days I rented a mountain bike to tool around, walked Quamby Bluff, hitched to Devonport to work with the bank, and spent two days at the Walls of Jerusalem with a Mark, Theresa, and another guy from England. The park was gorgeous - even though the first day was cloudy, the second was brilliant.
Biking in Tassie!
Once the money came through I headed to Launceston and rented a bike from the youth hostel for my trip down the east coast - cycling ~600 kilometers from Launceston to Hobart. The first day pretty much sucked - 110 kilometers to Winnaleah, where I stayed at the youth hostel - it rained almost the entire day. However, Winnaleah youth hostel was really good - it is set on a farm and the guests get to milk the cows. We stewed some plums at night and had them on muesli, with creme off the top of the milk. After a crappy first day I considered staying an extra day and just relaxing, but instead decided to push on the 60 kilometers to St Helens, plus a 25 kilometer side trip the same day.
At St Helens I met up with Eduardo who I had first met in Deloraine and bumped in to a couple of times since then. I also met Mieke, a Dane, who had some leftover milk and eggs - so Eduardo and I proceeded to try and make a chocolate cake using some additional communal items that we later found were not as communal as we thought - including the yogurt center which ended up being Wendy's. I ended up being stuck in St Helena for 4 days as the bike broke down after taking it on a dirt road - argh - I hate bike problems! The manager of the Launceston hostel first mailed me a derailer, but that did not work so he had to come out and fix the bike for me. Neither he nor I were happy about this. But...I was now able to head off again, with the next stop being Bichino, another 76 kilometers south. On the way down I skipped the famous Elephant Pass pancake house, and instead opted for the ocean road and then $12 crayfish at the Chain of Lagoons.
Wineglass Bay
After an overnight at Bichino where I made a slammin' sweet and sour chicken, I cycled the 40 kilometers to Coles Bay the following day. I left my bicycle at the youth hostel and hiked to the top of Mt Amos in the Freycinet Peninsula. I camped the night on the top, with the goal of watching the sunrise the next morning. Unfortunately the clouds obscured any spectacular sunrise so I went back to sleep and woke up at 9am. The granite rocks at the peak were tough to sleep on, but it was a good night and also free! The following day I did the short walk down to Wineglass Bay, the Hazards, and then back to the parking lot. Wineglass Bay was fantastic with the white beach - I could imagine myself pulling up in a boat in 30 years and going for a swim (when I could afford that!). I missed the track from the Hazards and ended up going along the rocky coast, doing some rock climbing along the way. I ended at the parking lot at 4pm and then cycled to Swansea. That ride was only about 25 kilometers because I took the bike ferry to 9-mile beach - which took 60 kilometers off the trip. The ferry only took about 5 minutes and is really dedicated just to cyclists. At Swansea I met Wendy, Eduardo, and Laurence again - we had a good laugh catching up from the previous few days.
Along the Tasmanian Coast
I met them at Triabunna the following day which was a 55 kilometer cycle. There we planned our trip to Maria Island - though Eduardo was unable to make it b/c of money. The ferry to Maria Island was good, and we ended up staying in the Penitentiary. The first day there we walked Bishop and Clerk. The only drawback of the hike was that the top was covered with fog - could not see a thing from the top. Once we all got back from Maria Island, I cycled the 110 kilometers to Port Arthur, 30 kilometers of which was dirt road. I ended up meeting up with Wendy again, as well as Rita, who I had met earlier on the ride. The first day in Port Arthur I went on the ghost tour - it could have been good, but with 70 people on the tour it was a bit much! I spent a day looking around the ruins from the 1820s - all quite interesting. While there a group of went to see For the Term of His Natural Life which was shot in PA. There was only one more ride left - the 100 kilometers to Hobart - and the front tire deflated as I was cycling into Hobart! I stayed at the Adlephia Court Hostel that night, called my parents to let them know I was alive, and passed out asleep. The next morning I decided to part ways with the bike - shipping it back to Launceston for $7. As I was cycling it to the bus station the tire got another flat - I shipped it with a flat and said good riddance!
Hobart
I changed my ferry date, and then headed to Salamanca Market (again) where I met Elizabeth, Peter, Rita, Wendy, Sue, Franck, Peter, and Laurence - we all headed to a pub for Guinness except Wendy and her friend. I moved over to the Bellerieve Hostel to be with Peter, Frank, and Laurence. I then decided to head over to Bruny Island for a couple of days - doing some bushwalking. That about wrapped up the 6 weeks in Tassie - I headed back to Launceston to pay for the bike and get my mail, then headed to Deloraine to for a couple of days (bumped into Wendy again there!), did a bit more hiking, then hitched to Sommerset to stay with Blandy, Jan's friend I met at the NYE party. We called S&J while I was there - caught up for 30 minutes or so. It was a quick hitch from Sommerset to Devonport - I arrived at about noon - plenty of time for the 4:30pm ferry. The ferry was uneventful except for the drinks I shared the cabin with.
Getting to Melbourne I tried to hurry to Glen Waverly to catch Liz and Rex before then went to Anglesea. Unfortunately they had left the day before, so I did not see them this stop so I just called to say hello. After going through my mail, I got my hair cut and then called both Janine and Julie (the person I met in Tassie studying in Glen Waverly). It was a great night out with a fun group of people.
South Australia
It only took 12 hours to hitch the 700+ kilometers to Adelaide - my last ride took me right to the youth hostel. Easter Sunday really sucked - nothing to do at all as everything was closed - so I spent the whole day replying to the letters I had received. On Easter Monday i went on a winery tour, stopping at a wildlife park, toy store, and 5 different wineries. Managed to have a lot of tastings - it was a fun day. The next day I saw Dances with Wolves at the theater, then saw Awakenings with Robin Williams right after. After the two movies I took the tram to Glenelg and stayed at a hostel on the beach.
After a day relaxing in Glenelg I hitched to Victoria Harbor, though it took a while to get out of the city. My first hitch took me to the main road, then two hitches later I was in VH. After a bit of time I headed back to Glen Waverly to get ready to head north.
New South Wales
Kosciuszko
Before leaving Glen Waverly I threw out a heap of stuff, did laundry, and repacked everything. I waited until 3pm to leave so I could see if I had any mail, then hitched up to Moe, 136 kilometers away. The first major hitch bought me a few beers, and the second one took me to a netball game before dropping me off at the Moe hospital. I BS'ed my way in to the hospital, claiming to be a medial student - this got me a free night accommodation at the nurse's sleep-in, so fully worth it! The next day I had a bit of walking to do but ended up in Bega at the YHA - 470 kilometers from Moe. The rides this day were good - a salesman and then a Swiss couple from Berne. From Bega I headed to Thredbo where I only stayed one night. I canvassed the place for jobs - it would be great to work a ski season there. There I met Kerstin and Monica, a couple of Swedes who I joined for a night of drinking and disco - which was not much of a disco - just a lone guitarist playing Simon and Garfunkel interspersed with videos of MC Hammer! But, we had a good time anyway. The next day I "summited" Kosciuszko, the highest peak in Australia - one of the Seven Summits. It is insanely easy and actually quite boring, but good to check off the list. That night I went to Jindabyne, where I stayed at the Scout Center - a beautiful place. Brian F let me stay for free - I had the entire place to myself. I rented two movies: My Life as a Dog (filmed in the Kalmar area) and Mosquito Coast.
From Jindabyne I hitched to Canberra (staying at the YHA) and then dropped by Popple's place on the way to Sydney. I looked around a few towns on the way to Sydney, arriving there at 6pm. Helena showed up later that night after her trip around Oz.
Sydney with Peter and Hanna
Three Sisters
The first day in Sydney we drove up to Dee Why beach and rented a catamaran for an hour. We had Thai for dinner and met Nick B, headed back to the house for Baileys, and caught up until one in the morning. The next day was pretty easy - did some shopping, mailed off applications to ski resorts, and slept a lot. One of the nights we went to Bobby McGee's (now the Hard Rock) to dance. I saw Helena off to the airport to head home after her holiday. I spent almost two weeks in the Sydney area seeing things like the Opera House, Harbor Bridge, the Darling Harbor entertainment district, the Aquarium, and Kings Cross. Additionally I was all over the city center seeing the sights. The last weekend before heading further north I went to the Australian Museum and had a final night out with Peter and Hanna. I also went to the Blue Mountains with Peter and Hanna - stopping by Aroney's Cafe, Peter's favorite hot chocolate place on the way. We stopped by the Three Sisters, then went for a walk in the Blue Gum forest - with majestic, peaceful trees. After a long day we hit the sack so I could head out the next day after the mail arrived.
At Peter's suggestion I took the train to Newcastle and hitched from there to Coffs Harbor. Newcastle was not fantastic, but Coffs was great. I met Mike, Robert, Karen, and Lisa, along with a heap of other people. One morning we went canoeing and saw a massive colony of bats - all live by the riverside. Just incredible to see probably hundreds of thousands of them - and when they were startled they were all over the place. Afterward we hit the beach and did some boogie boarding. Mike, Robert, and I had an incredible BBQ dinner for only 3 dollars - all the steak we could eat. The next day I hitched the 240 kilometers to Byron Bay - the first ride took 2+ hours to get but the second was quite quick. I stayed at the Backpackers Inn where I bumped into Lisa and Karen again, as well as some new people: Sue, Tania, Paul, and Casey. I played a heap of volleyball and drank a lot of wine! While there we took Paul's car (he had bought it while in Oz) to Nimbin, a hippie village about 60 kilometers west of Byron Bay. It was a fun day despite the really long drive - the roads were crap. Tania was scared the entire drive! That evening we went to The Railway bar and then back to the Inn for some more drinks and fun. It was a total of five days in Byron bay - and it was a blast.
I left the bay with Steve, Paul, Noel, Nina, and Breydon. We said goodbye to the rest of the gang and headed up the back roads to Lamington National Park. The theme song of the gang was Free by the Soup Dragons (originally by the Stones). God knows how many times we played it, but it was likely 10 times a day and any time we needed a pick-me-up! We stopped by Natural Arch National Park and saw the arch on the way to O'Rileys, a campground in Lamington. The first night there we had a possom attack - this is really camping! After changing sites the next morning, we went for a hike in the park. Sue, Paul, Tania, and Casey were to meet us that night but they never showed up. So, all six of us went to town, bought dinner, and then bought things for the next day to eat, then dropped off Nina to hitch to see a friend. I called Kim to let her know when I'd be in Brisbane. Her dad answered the phone and told me that I needed to call home. I did, and found that Grandpa Dodds had died the last Thursday. Dad flew to England for the funeral. We did another hike the following day - saw some fantastic waterfalls and did some swimming/diving from rocks 20 feet above the swimming hole. We came back from the hike...and there was Sue and company...they showed up! Funnily enough, they had set up camp, decided they did not like the rain, so were re-packed when we saw them. However, we all convinced them to re-set up their site - so after coffee and damper we helped them set up again. It was a fun night around the fire, talking and reading the poems of Jim Morrison. The next day we broke camp and headed to Surfers Paradise. I cooked the group a stir-fry veggie dinner, then we all headed to the local meat-market Cocktails and Dreams - a good laugh.
Queensland
Kim and Rachel in Brisbane
Following our time at Surfers. I headed to Brisbane to spend a week. I got a hitch to the bottom of Prenzler street and walked up to Kim's house - wow! This was a shock to the senses from the backpacker places of the last few months. I had a lot of mail waiting for me - it was forwarded from Melbourne. The first night we went to the Underground. Over the days in Brisbane I played squash, went to the Art Museum, typed up a paper for Kim, and...bought my ticket home! It was $1080 Australian, and I set it to fly home June 11. I then told my parents that it was for July 15th - that way I could push it back a bit depending on how much time I needed in Cairns. My last day in Brisbane Kim's mother took us to the Hilton for lunch - $31 per person plus drinks - it was the best meal of the year!
Kim then drive me to Mooloolaba so I could get a ride to Hervey Bay. Arrived late at night - the last hitch took 45 minutes as it was dark. I had planned to go to Fraser Island, but skipped it due to the weather. I hitched from there to Rockhampton with a farmer (Bruce) who bought me lunch at Pizza Hut and even paid for my motel that night! I then pushed on to Airlie Beach, getting a ride from the motel manager. I stayed at Magnums in Airlie and went on the Trinity Cruise the first day. It was so much fun I did the same thing 2 days later. The second night at Magnums I bumped into Lisa and Karen again - they caught me up on all the gossip from the gang. Nina was there also, so it was great to catch up. Lisa and Karen came on the second day cruise with me. The next stop was Mission Beach - I was able to get a door-to-door hitch which was excellent. At Mission I went on the Raging Thunder rapids trip before going to Cairns.
Waterfalls at Atherton Tablelands
While in Cairns I did the trip to the Atherton Tablelands with the tour group KTC Connections and spent the day going to various waterfalls, an aboriginal town, a tea plantation, and a few other places. After dinner the group went over to a farm for a sauna and a wood-fired tub and home-brew for 50 cents. We came back via Kuranda after throwing a boomerang - I was able to throw it and catch it on the return! We looked around the Kuranda market and then took the scenic railway back to Cairns. That was good, but not incredible. The next morning I went to with the same group to Cape Tribulation and the Daintree Rainforest. The forest was excellent, with the highlight being the night walk which a group of 14 of us took with high-power spotlights looking for fauna. We saw a lot: insects, birds roosting, spiders, wallabies, and other marsupials.
The Falla
The next item in the list in Cairns was a six-day course to get my SCUBA license. The first two days were classroom, and were boring because I had done that part already. But, it did help to start with that group as we got to know each other really well. My buddy was Max, who is a very funny POM. To get going on the boat we met at 6am to go to the dive shop, pick up our stuff, then head over to the Falla which then took us to our boat, 30 kilometers out on the reef. We did some snorkeling at Michaelmas Cay before we met the other boat, called the Petaj. Apparently it used to be a crappy boat, but had been fixed up and was in great shape. An interesting note: both of the boats (Falla and Petaj) have since sunk. The Falla sunk in '98 and was re-floated, but the Petaj now sits in 60 feet of water at the bottom of the ocean in Gizo Harbor, Solomon Islands.
Goofing Around on the Petaj
My room on the Pataj was the one that Price Charles had theoretically stayed in when he was on the boat. Our first dive was in the afternoon, and as part of it I was able to overcome my fear of taking off my mask underwater. We did two dives the first day, then the last two the following morning, which then made us certified divers. For the afternoon dive Max, Bob, Andy, and I stayed together. The rest of the afternoon was free, since the last dive of the day was to be a night dive. That was pretty scary - it is odd to jump into the pitch-black water. I was the first in the water, then waited for the others. Being under water with head-torches lighting things up was really cool. The next morning we did 3 dives and saw 1-2 meter white-tipped sharks, barracuda, sting rays, manta rays, eels, pipe fish, and many other large fish I could not identify. We left and went back to Cairns for the last night. It was a bit of a party that evening as it was Lisa and Karen's final night of the trip. The next morning was off to the ref again and my diving buddy this time was James. While out on the water I saw Max, Andy, Bettina, and Hildegard again. That was my last day in the water for the trip.
SCUBA Certified
The day after diving was over I did the obligatory AJ Hackett Bungee Jump - it was a great experience and I did not even worry about hurling myself off the platform, despite my fear of heights! And...of course I got the t-shirt so I could tell the story. I went back to the hostel to say goodbye to Lisa and Karen (they had faked us out and not actually left the day after their going-away party). I wrote a heap of letters in the afternoon and then arranged a party at the $1 BBQ at Magnums that night. Max, Andy, Steve, Tracy, Bettina, and Hildegard showed up, along with Bob and one of his friends. We went over to the English Pub to harass Peter and did quite a good job of it. After that it was dancing at Magnums followed by more dancing at the End of the World bar. I said goodbye to everyone and went to bed at 2:30am, getting up at 5:30am to hitch out. My first hitch picked me up at 8am, and 25 hours later I was in New South Wales!
Final Days in Oz
Bungee!
On the way back to Melbourne I stayed in Coffs Harbor one night (my birthday) and from there to Sydney, then to Melbourne - it was a total of 3.5 days to hitch the 3500 kilometers back to Glen Waverly - pretty incredible. Before flying home I had a few more things to see, so I did a quick trip around Phillips Bay. I left Glen Waverly on the Monday and hitched to Sorrento which is on the Mornington Penninsula. It was two nights in Sorrento, and a walk around Portsea National Park. After that I took a ferry over to Queenscliff then hitched to Geelong. I met Allanah and went to her flat in Torquay, then out for drinks in Geelong. I then hitched 80 kilometers to met Liz in Ballarat, where we went out to her parent's farm and fed the animals and had a fantastic dinner. I then headed back to Melbourne and played my first game of golf with Steve and Rex - I sucked!
Hawaii and Home
Home!
The action-packed last few days in Oz left me wrecked so I was able to sleep pretty much the whole flight to Hawaii. I was in Waikiki for four day which were generally not fun - because I was totally broke. The flight home from Honolulu went via Houston and arrived home just after midnight. Since no one knew I was coming home I hitched to Benngans in Bedford. This was the scariest hitch of the trip - the driver was creepy! I walked from Bennigan's to Peter's house, lugging all my stuff - getting there at 2:30am and completely surprised him. Peter drove me to the Diamond Shamrock gas station at 6:30am, where I called my parents and let them know I'd be home in a a month - and then showed up at their house five minutes later. It was a good reception at home - we went to Bailies for breakfast and then I moved into home a year after leaving.
At Peter's suggestion I took the train to Newcastle and hitched from there to Coffs Harbor. Newcastle was not fantastic, but Coffs was great. I met Mike, Robert, Karen, and Lisa, along with a heap of other people. One morning we went canoeing and saw a massive colony of bats - all live by the riverside. Just incredible to see probably hundreds of thousands of them - and when they were startled they were all over the place. Afterward we hit the beach and did some boogie boarding. Mike, Robert, and I had an incredible BBQ dinner for only 3 dollars - all the steak we could eat. The next day I hitched the 240 kilometers to Byron Bay - the first ride took 2+ hours to get but the second was quite quick. I stayed at the Backpackers Inn where I bumped into Lisa and Karen again, as well as some new people: Sue, Tania, Paul, and Casey. I played a heap of volleyball and drank a lot of wine! While there we took Paul's car (he had bought it while in Oz) to Nimbin, a hippie village about 60 kilometers west of Byron Bay. It was a fun day despite the really long drive - the roads were crap. Tania was scared the entire drive! That evening we went to The Railway bar and then back to the Inn for some more drinks and fun. It was a total of five days in Byron bay - and it was a blast.
I left the bay with Steve, Paul, Noel, Nina, and Breydon. We said goodbye to the rest of the gang and headed up the back roads to Lamington National Park. The theme song of the gang was Free by the Soup Dragons (originally by the Stones). God knows how many times we played it, but it was likely 10 times a day and any time we needed a pick-me-up! We stopped by Natural Arch National Park and saw the arch on the way to O'Rileys, a campground in Lamington. The first night there we had a possom attack - this is really camping! After changing sites the next morning, we went for a hike in the park. Sue, Paul, Tania, and Casey were to meet us that night but they never showed up. So, all six of us went to town, bought dinner, and then bought things for the next day to eat, then dropped off Nina to hitch to see a friend. I called Kim to let her know when I'd be in Brisbane. Her dad answered the phone and told me that I needed to call home. I did, and found that Grandpa Dodds had died the last Thursday. Dad flew to England for the funeral. We did another hike the following day - saw some fantastic waterfalls and did some swimming/diving from rocks 20 feet above the swimming hole. We came back from the hike...and there was Sue and company...they showed up! Funnily enough, they had set up camp, decided they did not like the rain, so were re-packed when we saw them. However, we all convinced them to re-set up their site - so after coffee and damper we helped them set up again. It was a fun night around the fire, talking and reading the poems of Jim Morrison. The next day we broke camp and headed to Surfers Paradise. I cooked the group a stir-fry veggie dinner, then we all headed to the local meat-market Cocktails and Dreams - a good laugh. 
At Peter's suggestion I took the train to Newcastle and hitched from there to Coffs Harbor. Newcastle was not fantastic, but Coffs was great. I met Mike, Robert, Karen, and Lisa, along with a heap of other people. One morning we went canoeing and saw a massive colony of bats - all live by the riverside. Just incredible to see probably hundreds of thousands of them - and when they were startled they were all over the place. Afterward we hit the beach and did some boogie boarding. Mike, Robert, and I had an incredible BBQ dinner for only 3 dollars - all the steak we could eat. The next day I hitched the 240 kilometers to Byron Bay - the first ride took 2+ hours to get but the second was quite quick. I stayed at the Backpackers Inn where I bumped into Lisa and Karen again, as well as some new people: Sue, Tania, Paul, and Casey. I played a heap of volleyball and drank a lot of wine! While there we took Paul's car (he had bought it while in Oz) to Nimbin, a hippie village about 60 kilometers west of Byron Bay. It was a fun day despite the really long drive - the roads were crap. Tania was scared the entire drive! That evening we went to The Railway bar and then back to the Inn for some more drinks and fun. It was a total of five days in Byron bay - and it was a blast.
I left the bay with Steve, Paul, Noel, Nina, and Breydon. We said goodbye to the rest of the gang and headed up the back roads to Lamington National Park. The theme song of the gang was Free by the Soup Dragons (originally by the Stones). God knows how many times we played it, but it was likely 10 times a day and any time we needed a pick-me-up! We stopped by Natural Arch National Park and saw the arch on the way to O'Rileys, a campground in Lamington. The first night there we had a possom attack - this is really camping! After changing sites the next morning, we went for a hike in the park. Sue, Paul, Tania, and Casey were to meet us that night but they never showed up. So, all six of us went to town, bought dinner, and then bought things for the next day to eat, then dropped off Nina to hitch to see a friend. I called Kim to let her know when I'd be in Brisbane. Her dad answered the phone and told me that I needed to call home. I did, and found that Grandpa Dodds had died the last Thursday. Dad flew to England for the funeral. We did another hike the following day - saw some fantastic waterfalls and did some swimming/diving from rocks 20 feet above the swimming hole. We came back from the hike...and there was Sue and company...they showed up! Funnily enough, they had set up camp, decided they did not like the rain, so were re-packed when we saw them. However, we all convinced them to re-set up their site - so after coffee and damper we helped them set up again. It was a fun night around the fire, talking and reading the poems of Jim Morrison. The next day we broke camp and headed to Surfers Paradise. I cooked the group a stir-fry veggie dinner, then we all headed to the local meat-market Cocktails and Dreams - a good laugh. 
