On the move again...

It's been a fantastic couple weeks hanging out with the Lipman family in Cairns but time to move along... hopefully be back soon though! Not finding any work but a WWOOF host called me and invited me to come stay at their farm which was a relief to find something to do. I'm flying down to Brisbane tomorrow then taking a 4 hr bus ride NW to Murgon where the farm is. Not only is it a working farm but also a vineyard so I'll help with the wine making/bottling process. I'll take care/ride the 7 horses, work in the field, general farm duties, bale hay, help with the gardening, just whatever assistance they need really. Not sure how long I'll stay for. Maybe rest of this month and then come back up towards Cairns and stay with another host family in Kuranda come mid-Oct.

The last couple weeks has been great here, going out on the town heaps with Jess and her brother Jack and friends. Swimming in their pool, lots of bike riding, few runs in the heat, went to the Reggaetown Music Festival Saturday, and so much more I can't even remember at the moment. Last night was the fireworks to rap up the Cairns Festival, Jess and I went swimming in the lagoon on the esplanade and had a great view directly in front of us. I LOVE fireworks, that helped to make up for missing 4th of July.

There's more to catch up on but I'm spent here and have to get up early to catch my flight. Not sure if I'll have internet in Murgon so might be off the radar awhile. Looking forward to meeting new people and seeing new places!

Over and out...

Cairns- Queensland

Mike left Sunday night and I've been staying with a friend and her family, Jess Lipman from IH, the last week while I try and find work. I'm completely broke! I came up here with the idea and hopes of getting work on a dive boat to explore more of the Great Barrier Reef, but it's not looking too promising. It's the low season now and not many boats are hiring. I don't have any contacts here either which doesn't help when that's what matters up here. The Lipmans are only a 15min bike into the main city center so I've been riding down nearly everyday to the marina asking around if anyone needs crew. I've gotten to where I'm volunteering just to get out on a boat but its that slow that no one needs help. I've learned too that tourism is down (mainly from Japan which is the majority of tourism dollars) b/c of swine flu fears. ugh. Not only do I want to work out on the water, I'm also really interested in finding work on a farm. I recently joined WWOOF; willing workers on organic farms. There are all sorts of host farms/families that are members that take you in, give you a bed, and feed you in return for work. Could be anything from cattle mustering, fencing, caring for the animals, picking fruit, weeding, cooking, general farm maintenance, yoga/meditation retreats, horse farms, you name it. Google it if you're more interested, it sounds like a great opportunity to get off the beaten track and settle in with an Aussie family. I've emailed several hosts but only one has written back saying they're booked up until October. Hopefully something turns up!

Other than looking for work, I've just been hanging out here in Cairns. Wish I had more money during this downtime to get out more but oh well. The Cairns Festival is going on all this month so there's always something going on in town. Next weekend there is a reggae festival in the botanic gardens I think I'll go to. One of the headliners I saw at Blues Fest back in April I really liked and few other bands I know of so should be a good show. Always like discovering new musicians too :)

Jess and I going for a hike tomorrow at a place called the Pyramids. All I know is its just south of here and she's making it out to be quite the hike so looking forward to that!

All for now, Jess has a pool so think I'll go for a cool off swim.

Cheers

East Coast Roadtrip

Lots to catch up on! Just spent the last few weeks working my way north up to Cairns. Mike flew down and met me in Melbourne. Stayed for a few days exploring the city on our runs, visited the museum, hired bikes and rode down south to Brighton Beach, and started getting our beer belly's in shape for the weeks to come.

Brighton Beach- just south of St. Kilda about 40 min bike ride from the Melb. city center. Unique row of beach huts in all different colors/designs.

Flew up to Brisbane next and stayed for one night. We went and saw a show on Brunswick St at this small venue upstairs called The Troubadour. Happened upon a great night of music by Fisher's King and Declan Kelly. Was an intimate crowd of maybe 20 but the vibe was excellent and they still played their hearts out. Declan Kelly's encore turned into nearly an hour jam session with friends from the audience going up on stage to play their instruments. At one point there was 10 people on stage making impromptu music; incredible! We bought a couple CD's which turned into the theme music for the rest of the trip.

Next morning we picked up our Wicked van, pics below will show what a shit can it was but we still called it home.

First off, we headed south to Springbrook Nat'l Park to hike around the waterfalls, even got away with some free camping b/c the park ranger didn't check over our campsite!

One of the waterfalls we hiked to, Mike is in the lower left...

Went another couple hours south to Byron Bay for a few days. Small little beach town with lots of character. Took a day and drove out to Nimbin thats tucked away in these gorgeous hills more inland. Stopped off at The Channon markets on the way, the whole day was a beautiful drive winding through the forests on the narrow country roads. Mike was driving and still pretty new at staying on the left side so it was a tad un-nerving but we made it out alive. After getting our fill of Byron, we started the looooooong journey back North up the coast.

After driving for several weeks it has all sort of blended together but I'll just go over some of my highlights.

For the most part we camped at night at rest stops along the way.

This was one of the many places we pulled over to camp. As good as a spot we thought this was, we had to pack up during dinner prep b/c we couldn't find the lighter to light the camp stove. Turned out okay though b/c we found an even better one!

Australia really stresses the importance of "Stop, Revive, and Survive" so there are rest stops pretty frequently that are for the most part pretty well kept and safe. Best part, they're free! Few times we stopped at caravan parks to use the showers but rest stops are the way to go. Our favorite one was actually near a truck stop odd enough. We parked next to this beautiful lake and got in just in time for a great sunset.

The truck stop had showers and laundry facilities which timing wise fell right around when they were needed in the trip; maybe week into it? We spent our whole next morning getting cleaned up and cleaning out the van.

Notice my laundry line hanging inside??

Morning at a rest stop cooking up a delicious brekkie on the stoves provided.

There were fresh fruit/veg stands everywhere. We stopped off pretty frequently, this was one was especially good b/c the people were so friendly and lots of variety. Only $11 for tomatoes, carrots, oranges, squash, apples, bananas, zucchini, pears, I feel like I'm forgetting a few...

One of the caravan parks we stayed at was just south of Mackay at Armstrong Beach. It was about 10k off the highway and we just happened upon it after not being able to find the original park we were looking for. It was pretty crammed but we squeezed into one of the last spots. This place had some characters staying there, like the infamous Paddy and his dog McGinty. He was the Irish caravan park drunk who will talk your ear off once he gets going! Mike and I got sucked in for over an hour, it was really amusing and funny but we eventually had to excuse ourselves so we could make some dinner. The owners of the park said we were up in croc country and that crocs were both north and south of the park so next morning we went for a beach run in search of a few! No luck unfortunately, but still a great run.

Next stop was Airlie Beach, by far our favorite stop. It's the gateway to the Whitsundays Islands and world famous sailing. Got into town, walked down the main drag and saw a free camping sign outside an info center. Curious, we went in to enquire and 20 min later had signed up for a couple days of sailing in turn for a free nights stay at a caravan park. Our boat, s/v Hammer, was a retired sailing boat that was beautiful.

There were about 20 other passengers from all around the world (Italy, France, Canada, Israel, Spain, UK, Ireland, and probably few more) and 3 crew who were a lot of fun.

Sailing into the sunset

It was a very relaxed time with lots of sunshine, beaches, snorkeling, diving, good food, and of course...sailing. It was Mike's first dive and he enjoyed it so much that he's now going to get PADI certified. I dove in what's called the fish bowl off Hayman Island and its named appropriately. Weaving in and out of the massive towers and walls of coral reef was stunning and there was so many colorful fish there's no way you could keep count. I've been to many beaches, but when we stopped off at Whitehaven I was awe struck. The water was pure turquoise contrasting against the sand that was white like baby powder and felt like it too. It was paradise.

This just doesn't do any justice...

There were massive herds of these little blue crabs and when we got close enough to where we were walking in the middle of them they eventually all disappeared in the sand quickly digging themselves to safety.

This was the highlight of our entire trip, sailing in the Whitsundays. We saw whales, dolphins, turtles, sting rays, and jellies, to name some of the wildlife we saw. I recommend it to anyone cruising the east coast.

Hanging over-board with the sails up...

Next major stop was Townsville where we caught a ferry over to Magnetic Island. Stayed in a bungalow just a few minutes from the beach where we were able to rent a double sea kayak for a morning paddle.

Also did some hiking around the island as well. We thought about renting a moke, these small go-cart like vehicles cruising all over the island but decided to head back to the mainland after one night's stay and make our way up to Daintree Nat'l Park. The park is just north of Cairns, beautiful rainforest that meets up with the ocean. Spent the day driving through the park, stopping for off for walks and made it out to Cape Tribulation.

Funky tree in the rainforest

Also went on a croc safari down the river that runs through to the ocean.

Luci was testing the waters...trying to catch a croc :)

Don't worry Mom, I can out run them!

From my own size classification system, we saw one small one on a log, one medium one in the water and one large one on the beach. The guide had such a strong accent neither of us really understood what he was saying except grew up in the area and liked to fish with his brother. Was hoping to learn a little more about the crocs but it was still a beautiful view on the boat.

Our last night camping in Luci (short for Lucifer, what we named the van) we pulled over off the Hwy that hugs the coastline and were only 20m from the water. Drank the rest of our beer and made one last great dinner with our limited kitchen utensils.

Returned the van on the 22nd and spent the next two days walking around Cairns. The Cairns Festival is going on the whole month so lots of action around town. Music, art, food, film, etc.

All in all, we had a fantastic trip!

KOKODA TRACK

It's my birthday today! The day I'm always so excited for all year long and when its here, well, it feels like any other day I suppose. Settling in for the night at home now, soaking up my last week here in Newy. I've spent the day coming down from such a huge high I've been on the last 2 wks from my journey in Papua New Guinea. A trip that I don't think I'll ever be able to adequately describe b/c only those 9 other mates who hiked along side me will be the ones who fully understand the impact of this experience; Simo, Jase, JT, Coates, Kez, Bindy, Big Lisa, Little Lisa, and Jackie. All friends associated in various ways, mostly through Uni. The group dynamic was priceless. 

We flew into the capital city Port Moresby on July 12th to overnight before starting our trek on the 13th. Was nearly a 2 hr drive from our hotel to Owen's Corner where we started the hike. What was supposed to take 9 days we did in 8 to make sure we got into Kokoda in time to catch the plane back to Moresby. And what I mean by plane is a small 15 seater puddle jumper that uses a grass airstrip. 

Each day was quite strenuous, a lot of up and a lot of down. And not just any up and down, STEEP and muddy. To top it off, we all carried our packs weighing around 18-20 kilos (about 40 lbs.). Add some rainshowers here and there to make conditions slippery and you have one hell of  a hike. With that said, we had a very fit group. There wasn't a single weak link and we all finished everyday strong and still had enough energy to run around camp and get into whatever shenanigans came up. We woke up every morning at 5:30 and started walking around 7 or a little thereafter. Since we had such a fast paced group, Jeffery our leader wasn't too concerned with getting us going quickly in the morning b/c we always beat time at the end of the day. We usually got into camp around 3-4pm to explore the area and relax. 

We walked through many villages that still live quite primitively. Was nice to live the simple life for those days in the jungle bathing in the rivers and streams, eating by the campfire and sleeping in the huts. We camped a few nights in our tents but mostly slept on the hut floors. We brought along school supplies and stickers for the kids that we off loaded in various spots along the way that they were thankful for. The natives were really shy but gladly smiled and waved back after being acknowledged by us. Even our porters took awhile to warm up to us, but once they realized we had a genuine interest in getting to know them they gradually let their guards down. For the 10 of us trekkers we had 14 porters. A trek master, lead guide, two spare personal porters in case needed if someone couldn't carry their pack, and the rest were food porters. Each and everyone of them were incredible in their own way and it was a pleasure for us to walk with them. They were always nearby to help us cross a river or give a helping hand on an especially steep section. They got us hyped each morning before we started out on the trail with what became our signature chants. 

Day 2 (I think), pretty steep climb. Always rewarding when you reach top though. 

Our camp second night, one of my favorites. We had this whole open grass area to run around and play like the young kids we are. 

Sleeping in the huts all cozy-like. 

Lunch break up in the mtns. The clouds rolled in and out while eating here. 

Lunch consisted of crackers, cheese, peanuts, vegemite, some sort of canned fish, one can of beans, one can of spaghetti, peanut butter, and jelly. Some days we would get ramen noodles, loved those days. 

One of the ba-zillion river crossings. Our second day we had 22 alone. We just took our boots off and walked in sandals b/c it was too much effort to keep taking them on and off. 

Hydration is KEY! Bindy along side me here; one of the greatest people I've met, great girl she is. 

After our longest day of 10 hrs hiking, we got into Efogi way up in the clouds. I'd say the largest village we went through. Group of kids playing footy on their dirt field. 

Sim's artistic side, I like it :)

Brigade Hill rest stop, breathtaking view. 

Camp on 4th (I think) night. Had the place all to ourselves. 

Our trek leader Jeffry on the left and the beloved Graydon master stick carver on right. 

Our own angels on the track. Great pic Sim

What trip is complete without the jump shot?

The boys, God love 'em!

War Memorial at Isurava. Four massive granite slabs with the words Courage, Mateship, Sacrifice, and Endurance engraved. Kokoda is just down in the valley, one more day to go. The man playing the bagpipes is from another group, we just happened to be there too and were able to listen in. 

Last day, we were pretty anxious to finish as shown here trying to pass another group going down. Gorgeous jungle huh?

The airport in Kokoda. We sat on the cement slab and played cards waiting for our plane. 

Leavin' on jet plane...

It's too much to recap everyday, but I will say that one of my highlights was meeting the last living fuzzy wuzzy angel who is 102 yrs old. The fuzzy wuzzy angels, named so by the mothers of Australian soldiers, were the natives of PNG who during WW2 helped pull out wounded Australian diggers (aka soldiers) and get them to safety. They put their own lives at risk by playing a crucial role to keep the Japanese advance at bay. After learning so much about Kokoda since I've found about the hike a few months ago, it was a huge honor to have met him. I'm not the most emotional personal, but I do have to admit when I saw his small, hunched over body adored with medals and bravery pins walk slowly up to our group to meet us, I got a a little choked up. There wasn't many words exchanged due to the language barrier but there was an unspoken energy in the air that we all felt and I think will always remember. I know I will and I'm not even Australian!  

This is the village we met the fuzzy wuzzy. One of the few pics I can take credit for. I was pretty slack with photos since 9 others were snapping away. 

Group shot with the angel and porter Musta on left. 

After returning back to Oz late Wednesday, we reunited in Patonga on the central coast Friday night for my birthday and a Kokoda reunion. Was a wonderful way to spend my birthday at Sim's family beach house. We ate heaps of great food, cruised around in the dinghy, did some cliff jumping, and of course put back a few beers. 

It was sad leaving Patonga knowing my Kokoda adventure has come to an end. I've taken away, yet again like I have many times before now, priceless memories and more great friends I meet along the way when traveling. 

Cheers

Great Ocean Road-Melbourne

Our last day in Adelaide we hired bikes and saw the city peddling around as well as the outskirts along the river and through the parks. 

Saturday we started our trip towards Melbs. We ended up hitchhiking with a dutch guy, Remco, who was heading the same way and wanted some company. We met him in our hostel and so began the journey. First day we stopped in the small coastal town of Robe, the one road in is the same one that takes you back out. Spent the afternoon at the Scottish pub in town and then headed to the hostel to make some dinner and put a few more beers back. This was hands down one of the best hostels I've stayed in throughout all my travels. It was this gorgeous historic manor run by the sweetest couple. Deb and Scott took us in like family and after cooking our dinner together invited us to their section of the manor. The three of us, Deb and Scott and their son and his friend stayed up until the late hours drinking and playing Wii. Scott clearly played this thing religiously as he was impossible to beat! Sunday we drove to Port Fairy and this southern front that began in Adelaide continued to follow us bringing rainy weather. We stopped at a cafe to get some warm drinks and get out of the rain. Dropped Bobert off at a hostel in town and then Remco and I went and camped on the beach; for both good value and to save some money. Had a few beers left over from Robe in the eskie so took care of them while enjoying the night surf. 

Monday we continued along the coast line towards Lorne. Again, pretty shit weather so stopping off along the way to view the London Bridge, the Grotto, Arch, 12 Apostles, etc. was more a quick dash from the car to the viewing areas before getting soaked by the rain. This was my third time along the GOR so I wasn't too upset not seeing the views at their greatest but was disappointed for the guys who hadn't been here before. Our hostel in Lorne was really nice too. It was a group of cabins nestled into the very green hillside and white cockatoos everywhere! I was going to camp out with Remco again, but decided to just pay for a warm bed since Bobert had hooked up a few days accommodation with a friend in Melbs. We had some strange encounters with other travelers staying in our cabin. One guy was convinced I was in a movie that a travel agency had done in Alaska and I kept telling him he has me confused with someone else. He was pretty insistent that I watch the short video as he was sure it was me so I humored him to find out that he thought I was was a 13 yr girl who had won an essay writing contest in her school and won a trip to AK! Later in the evening he wanted to show me all 'his' pictures he has taken but were clearly downloaded from the web as copy rights were plastered all over them. To top if off, he tried getting into a discussion about how the world is coming to end b/c the Aluminati (made up of past presidents and all the celebrities of the world) is taking over and our only salvation is Jesus. These are just a few examples of how strange this guy was! The other man in our room stumbled in late tripping out on drugs. He stripped off his clothes and crawled into the fetal position in his bed rocking back and fourth. Very bizarre. Other than that it was a lovely place to stay! Only hostel I've been to that has free internet and laundry. 

Tuesday we made our way to Melbs, was only a 3 hr drive or so. Remco dropped us off in St Kilda south of the city center where we said our goodbyes. Bobert has a friend, Kellie, who he knew while living in Maui and she has since moved back home to Melb. Such a great host, very accommodating and made us feel like home. Next day we spent the entire afternoon at the pub along with Kellie's boyfriend, great way to spend the day! Night before I flew back home to Newy we had an incredible home made lamb roast at Kellie's parents house...YUM! Full on three course meal, it was amazing. 

Back home now as of last Friday. Thought about hitching back up from Melbs but the group had a Kokoda training hike on Saturday I didn't want to miss out on so just bought a ticket home. We hiked a section of the Great North Walk that is a trail starting at The Rocks in Sydney and ends in Newy. Pretty good hike, part we did was 29k that took us 10 hrs due to the steep up/down nature of it. Woke up Sunday having that great sore feeling and some new blisters. 

Went to a clinic yesterday and got my Dr's note all sorted for Kokoda as well as some shots so its all coming together. Can't believe a month from today we'll be a few days into the jungle. 

Until then I'll just work as much as I can! 

Cheers

Kangaroo Island

Got into Adelaide late last night after 3 days on KI. After vising the farms our first day we went to the pub for a few happy hour beers and then cooked up some roo steaks at the hostel. Next day we spent in Flinder's National Park hiking around. Went out to Admirals Arch where hundreds of New Zealand fur seals were hauled out and next stop was the Remarkable rocks. A group of massive rocks coming out of the sea in all funky shapes/sizes. We stayed at a wildlife sanctuary in Hanson's Bay our second night. There was only one other Israeli couple there so pretty quiet place. In the middle of cooking up some dinner a Swedish volunteer girl walked in with a koala clinging on to her. Lala was rescued last year by the couple that run the place and had just had her evening milk protein meal and full of energy. I got to hold her for awhile and then we let her run around the place and she climbed all over the furniture for about 5 min until her spurt of energy was gone and back to the normal lazy state they are. I've never seen a koala so active! Held her again before they took her bed, she was really soft and smelled of eucalyptus. This was definitely one of my highlights on the island. Next morning we walked along the koala walk a few minute's away from the lodge. Just this long road lined with eucalyptus trees. We walked all the way to the end without seeing a single one but on our way back spotted 5 up in the trees. Rest of the day we drove along the southern shore of the island stopping off for various walks and beaches. Once back in Penneshaw, hung out at the beach for awhile before returning the car and catching the ferry back to Cape Jervis. Had hoped to see more wildlife than what we did but still managed to catch a few wallabies, kangaroos, NZ fur seals, koalas, and snakes.
We got into our hostel late last night and will spend a few days in town here before renting another car and making our way along the Great Ocean Road in route to Melbourne. There's a bike rental place just around the corner from our hostel so either today or tomorrow we'll hire some and check out the city.

Cheers

South Australia

Bobert got into Newy last Thursday to visit for a couple weeks so we've made our way down to SA. First couple days was mellow so he could try and recoup from a long journey over from Africa and start sorting out plans for our travels. We did go out Friday night which turned into Saturday being a complete waste on my part for having a massive hangover. We stayed in Sydney Saturday night for our early morning flight down to Adelaide. Upon arrival, we took a bus 1.5hrs south of Adelaide to a little coastal town Victor Harbor. Cute little town that was pretty empty though since its low season now and winter is here. We walked around the small town centre and walked the 20min across the causeway over to Granite Island. You can either walk over the island, like we did, or you can jump on one of the big carriages being drawn by Clydesdale's down what looks like a railroad track. The island is pretty small, only took about 40 min to walk the circumference but lots of rocks and cliff edges to climb on and get distracted. Even at dinner it was still too soon to drink, for me that is, so had a low key night of pizza and watching episodes of The Office back at our hostel.
Woke up early this morning to make the 1.5hr drive to Cape Jervis to catch the ferry over to Kangaroo Island. Was a gorgeous, scenic drive with nothing but green rolling hills and livestock scattered about. Came into the eastern side of the island at Penneshaw and picked up our rental car. Have done a few side hikes, lunch on the beach, and visited several farms. The honey farm, aside from Clifford, the quiet and non-informative owner, was really nice. KI is a sanctuary for the pure ligurian bees that are unique in the world. Tasted several honey's and bought some honey ice cream that was delicious! Stopped by a Lavender farm that had just closed for the season and also a Eucalyptus Farm that we caught just minutes from closing so were able to chat with the owner for awhile. He also raised emus so talked about the hobby farm back home which he got a kick out of. We're staying in Kingscote tonight at a backpackers and will start to make our way to the western side of the island tomorrow in hopes of seeing more wildlife. KI more famous wildlife consists of kangaroos, wallabies, koalas, and penguins. We'll be on KI until Wednesday evening then head back up to Adelaide and go from there.
At the library now, time is up for computer. Will try and keep this updated over the next couple weeks to avoid having to write a massive entry when I get back to Newy! So stay posted....

Cheers

Kokoda!

Quick update that I've finally gotten my senses together and boughten the plane ticket to Papua New Guinea! Will be embarking on the 9 day Kokoda Trek through the jungle with 9 other Aussies. Should be quite the adventure. Between my own research and talking with others, sounds like I'm in for quite a hard hike. I can't wait :) 

Have been picking up more shifts at the bar in town, which is good b/c its cash in hand that goes right towards my Kokoda fund. I've been waitressing in the bistro but will have my first go behind the bar tomorrow night after the bistro closes. 

Also bought some plane tickets for myself and Bobert to fly down to Adelaide end of the month, looking forward to catch up with him and hear all about his recent African travels! Always nice to check out new areas too as I haven't been to Southern Australia yet. 

All for now, just really excited about Kokoda and want to share with the world!

Cheers

Hey all, haven't written in awhile b/c nothing too exciting to report. Have been trying to work as much as I can to save up money for travels. Aside from the Pet Shop, I've picked up a few shifts at a pub but haven't been told if I'm officially on the roster yet. I want to bring in some extra cash so I can afford to hike the Kokoda Trail in July. Every day is a different battle in my head on whether to spend $3000 on a 9 day hike or use the money to see more of Oz and even go spend a month in SE Asia. 

Other than working have just been spending time with friends, going to Knights Rugby games, beach runs, hiking around local national parks, eating yummy kangaroo steaks, drinking some aussie red, and researching all places/trips I want to do while here. Newcastle has been a great first stop to work and see old mates, but I'm getting antsy to get back on the road. Think I'll stay here for about 2 more months which should set me up to travel for a bit without worrying about how to pay for it. Really want to explore more of Queensland and get over to the Western Australia too. 

Good friend Bobert (worked with him on the boat) is coming to visit next week so really excited to see him and go adventure off for a couple weeks. 

All for now, hope this finds you well and happy. 

Cheers

Aussie Slang

Hey all, here's some translation from Down Unda....

Arvo- afternoon

Ace!- excellent

Middy- sm beer

Schooner- lg beer

Bludger- slacker, relies on others

Mozzie- mosquito

Swimmas- swimsuit

Sunnies- sunglasses

Billy- teapot

Pash- kiss

Pissed- drunk

Sanger- sandwich

Sheila- woman

Bloke- man

Shout- turn to buy the round of drinks "my/your shout"

Swag- rolled up bedding for camping

True Blue- patriotic for Oz

Fairy Floss- cotton candy

Esky- cooler

Dunny or Loo- bathroom

Ute- pickup truck

Brekkie- breakfast

She'll be right!- everything will turn out okay

Stuffed- tired

Footy- Australian Rules Football 

Digger- soldier

Chook- chickens

Barbie- BBQ

Skull- down your beer in one take

Paddock- pasture land

Lollies- candy

Jackaroo/Jillaroo- cowboy/cowgirl

Servo- gas station

Heaps- lots of 

Grog- liquor, beer

There are SO MANY more slang terms. They really do have their own language, these are just a few I can think of now. 

ANZAC Day and Caves Beach

Last Saturday the 25th was ANZAC day celebrating the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps. It is a day of remembrance for those soldiers who fought at Gallipoli in Turkey during WW1. It's now also celebrated as an overall salute to all veterans and those currently serving in active duty. Similar to our Veterans Day. I went to a sunrise service at Knobby's Beach in town with Tegan and Kez to show respect for the Anzac's. It was an early start to the day but really glad I was able to attend and experience such an important  day in this country. Most of the service was conducted while it was still dark, but as the sun came up it started to wrap up. The ocean was churning and the waves were massive and very loud the entire time. At the end they shot off 4 cannons and I about jumped out of my skin everytime since I was so close to it. Afterwards we went out for brekkie, I went to work for the afternoon, then went out that night with friends for some Anzac beers. Great day all in all!

Sunday took a trip about 30 min south to Caves Beach. Before going to the beach we stopped in town at a fresh seafood stand and had a great meal of fish and chips. It was a great lunch to soak up the beers from the previous night celebrating Anzac day. Have been wanting to go for the past month so excited to finally get down there. Only have to time the tides right so you can get to the caves from the beach explore for a bit and then be out before the tide comes back in. Kez and I have been doing random training sessions for Kokoda that incorporate some sort of hiking with our packs on in hopes that they become second nature to us. So the idea was to hike around the caves with our packs but didn't end up that way. You enter through this large cave opening that gradually gets smaller and smaller until you have to crawl through this small section to get onto the other side of the beach. So we left our packs at the entrance. We spent a couple hours I would guess going in and out of different caverns and walking out onto all the rocks in the sea to sit and watch the ocean swell. Crawled back through the way we came, put our packs on and walked about a mile down the beach in the opposite direction going up and down the sand dunes to get some hills in. I'm sure Kez and I looked pretty out of place lugging around loaded packs while going down the beach. After awhile we again dropped the packs, sat down on the dunes, and this time watched a pod of dolphins play in the surf out in front of us. We just talked, I dozed in and out of a nap, and enjoyed the sun and solitude before walking back to the car. There were about 150 stairs up to the car so while Tegs waited at the top for us, Kez and I did 5 trips up and down the stairs since Kokoda is either downhill or up hill.  

Next weekend we're going to try and get up to Nelson's Bay about an hour north of Newy, will write more then. 

Cheers