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