Saturday, 28 January 2012

Sunday 29th January - I'm back!

Apologies for the lack of blogging the past few days...time has flown by and i haven't had a chance to set my mind to writing the blog.

Thursday was Australia day so as it was a public holiday, people from work had arranged to meet on the beach for a breakfast bbq -Aussie style! We were meeting at 8am so Gaz was not best pleased being dragged out of bed at that hour and being pinned still so i could tie an aussie flag bandana around his head. We were surprised to see just how many people from work had turned up. Gaz bonded really well with some of the receptionists husbands who all took control of the bbq. We had the works - beans (cooked in the tin on the bbq), eggs, sausages, bacon....jacqui had bought champagne, orange juice...there was cake, croissants, fruit and more...the girls had hung aussie flags around the bbq area and everyone was told we had to dress aussie so we all had bandanas, hats, rub on tattoos of the aussie flag. It was great fun! So many people turned up and we were there till 11ish...some people stayed on later and carried on the drinking. The weather was dry (luckily) so it made it all the more enjoyable.

Friday and i was back in work. It had rained non-stop all night and carried on to rain for the whole of friday. We even got to leave work 15 minutes early because the river that surrounds our building was overflowing and peoples cars were getting progressively submerged in the water. The weather must have put a lot of people off coming because it was a really chilled and relaxed day.

Yesterday i put pictures of australia day up on Facebook and had an immediate message from one of the dentists, Amit, who requested a copy of all the photographs of him, his wife and his baby. He loved the photographs and said there were a few he wanted to get blown up to put on the wall. He was delighted with then so i popped an electronic copy of them all round to his house. Im really enjoying this photography business! i don't always like asking people for photographs at a party and i must admit that my favourite pics from australia day are the natural ones where people are not expecting the photograph and aren't necessarily looking at the camera. I spent the rest of saturday editing photographs from the holiday with mum and dad. In all i had taken 905 pictures (and thats AFTER deleting blurred images each day). The hardest part was deciding which ones were to make it into the album but after hours of flicking through them all, deleting pictures via process of elimination, i managed to get them down to 248 images.

today Gaz and i had a lie in and have packed because i am being sent to Gayndah (2 hours inland from hervey bay) to the middle of nowhere to work in a dental clinic there. i don't really want to go but as i don't have a choice, I'm just getting on with it! Gaz is coming with me and is going to be bored senseless. I will write the blog providing we can get internet out there! oh and congratulations to ian on catching that huge fish!!! great photo!

Tuesday, 24 January 2012

Tuesday 24th January - Back to work

The tram car on sunday evening was so much fun! We didn't know what to expect but it was definitely in the top 5 things we did this holiday. The interior of the tram was victorian decor and i was amazed how much they could fit in to such a small space. The food was one of the best meals we have had - a starter of pate and capsicum dip with bread and crackers, a main of beef fillet and a desert of sticky date pudding - yum yum! They also had a vast selection of alcohol that was all inclusive and flowed all night. Im impressed how they can cook such fine food...on a tram. We even got to see the sights of melbourne from the comfort of our diner table. It took us down through st kildas to where we had been earlier that day and all around. A great time was had by all, it was just a shame to leave the tram, knowing that the next day we would be saying farewell to mum and dad. After the meal we had a look round the crown casino but we decided to head back outside into the sunshine and enjoy our last night together in a bar with some drinks, enjoying the sounds of a street performer on his guitar.

Monday morning and we left the hotel and drove to melbourne airport. The toll roads were very confusing and we also didn't find a petrol station on the way so we got stung by hertz company when taking the car back to have them fill up our tank of petrol - its 3 times more expensive to get them to fill it up than to get it done in a petrol station! When we checked in, we were flying back with a different airline to jetstar who we flew to adelaide with. What we didn't realise was the luggage allowance was less going back! We ended up taking out bits and stuffing them in our pockets to make the cases lighter...only to put them back in the cases as soon as we got around the corner. Waste of time really! The flight was smooth apart from the odd screaming kid. We drove mum and dad to their hotel which they were staying in for the night - it was a bit of a nightmare trying to get around brisbane with the sat nab, trying to avoid the toll roads. Eventually we got to where we needed to be and mum and dad treated us to some lunch and a goodbye meal. the weather in brisbane was awful - they've had non stop rain here since we got to adelaide so thank god we left the east coast and headed south! I got to the end of my meal and started to feel sick at the bought of saying bye to mum and dad. It was really hard waving them goodbye and the car ride home was tearful. It was worse getting back to the house and seeing the beds in which they slept and their towels...but today i have been in work and have cheered up a little. It is comforting to think in 6 months we will be home in the uk and seeing our parents again. Mum and dad are on their flight home now. We all had great time and will have lots of fond memories of the trip :)

Saturday, 21 January 2012

Sunday 22nd January - Melbourne

So yesterday we arrived in Melbourne. Gaz drove us safely to the hotel which is located just over the bridge from the Southbank...a great location! We went for a stroll over to the southbank - as gaz has spent some time in melbourne on his travels in the past, he remembered that the southbank was where all the cafes are that overlook the river. We stopped at a nice cafe and had breakfast before walking back over the bridge and taking a look at flinders street station - the oldest train station in australia. Melbourne is really busy at the moment with the tennis grand open and also a poker tournament in the casino. Melbourne has a free tourist shuttle bus that gives you a guided tour of melbourne. A bus arrives every half hour and we werent waiting long before the next bus appeared. It was very busy on board but we managed to get seats at the back of the bus. We got shown around melbourne cricket ground, all around the botanical gardens, over to the docklands etc etc. It was very informative. After we hopped off, we went to the melbourne aquarium. It was very disappointing inside. The penguin tank was over crowded and they looked very depressed. Kids were EVERYWHERE and overly excited - it was very noisy and took ages to get to the front of each tank to get to see the fish. The aquarium is at present promoting a pirate theme of sharks swimming around sunken pirate ships...it was very disappointing to see a small shark tank with a treasure chest in it - the sunken ship was outside in the river with MELBOURNE AQUARIUM written in big writing. It didnt take us long to get around it all - i must say, sydney aquarium was 10 times better! We were glad to be out in the air, away from the screaming kids. The sun was shining so we went for a drink in a bar and had some food. In the evening we went to chinatown. It was good fun walking down the street and seeing all the different chinese restaurants. It was packed! At one point we all jumpe dout of our skin as loud bangs appeared down one of the alley ways. It was firecrackers that had been set off to get peoples attention. 2 people were dressed inside a chinese dragon and dancing around to drums. It was very entertaining and attracted quite an audience. Dad chose the chinese restaurant to eat in and it was a great choice. This was a family run restaurant and looked small front he inside but they took us inside and up the stairs to another eating area. the food was amazing! the best we have had out here on this trip!

This morning we had a lye in and met mum and dad downstairs at 10am. We went back over to the southbank for breakfast. We took a taxi to st kilda to have a look at the outskirts of melbourne by the beach. It was very hot (around 31 degrees) and it was well worth a cold drink in a cafe overlooking the beach. The beach we were sat at was a designated dog beach so there were dogs everywhere playing in the water, rolling in the sand and barking. It was nic to see them having a good time! We walked along the beach and headed through albert park. It was so hot we decided to get a taxi back to the southbank so that mum and i could go up the skydeck (the tallest building in melbourne). Gaz and dad meanwhile sat in a bar having a drink. The views from the skydeck were amazing and we could even see the grand open tennis being played! They had an outside area to the skydeck which was a little daunting as you could feel it swaying a little in the breeze. Mum and i were up there about 20 minutes before joining gaz and dad in the bar. We strolled back to the hotel and are currently getting ready for the melbourne tram car restaurant. This is a 3 course dinner that gaz and i are treating mum and dad to...on a tram car. Apparently this is one of the things to do in melbourne! tomorrow we are flying back to brisbane and will be wishing mum and dad farewell. It will be sad to see them go but then we know it wont be long until we are back in the uk and seeing them again so hopefully wont be as hard as when gaz's parents left us.

Saturday 21st January - Phillip Island and Melbourne

Yesterday we travelled to Phillip Island - famous for its nightly penguin parade. We left mount Gambier and decided to take the ferry over to sorrento and then drive around to phillip island (which is connected to the mainland by a bridge). We chose this route over going through the centre of Melbourne so as to avoid the toll roads and the traffic congestion. The ferry ride was great apart fromt he screaming kids sat behind us....well maybe they werent quite sitting, more climbing over all the chairs, kicking the ferry windows whilst the mother sat on her phone. We seem to have attracted these kinds of kids this holiday. When we got to Phillip Island it was too early to check in so we drove 10  minutes up to 'churchill island' which was where the first european settlement began in victoria. It is a working farm but the animals looked a little bit sad all locked up in their pens. There wasnt much to see and it was a little disappointing and they didnt have half of the animals the farm map claimed to have had. We drove over to the koala conservation park. Now this was good fun. There are 36 koalas in a woodland...They arent truely wild because they are fed eucalyptus leaves daily but they arent couped up in a pen. They have lots of room to  move freely and it was good fun trying to spot them through the trees. They dont do much but they are so cute! One of the koalas had a little baby fast asleep on her back. I wanted to take one home but Gaz wouldnt let me. After the koala walk we went back to the accommodation and had some lunch in the cafe next door. We stayed in 'the island' a new hostel that hasnt long been built - but we had private rooms with our own bathroom. It wasnt too bad in there...the bed was very comfy and had a flat screen tv and was clean enough. In the evening we drove to the other side of the island. We took a few pics of the grand prix track purposely for Gazs parents as they may come here one day to watch the motor GP. It was on route to the penguine parade so carried on the drive but arrived very early for the parade - instead we drove to 'nobbies centre' which was a very bad tourist trap. There wasnt much here apart from some seals (which you couldnt see unless you paid to use binoculars) a very large gift shop and a cafe. Lots of tour groups had stopped off her pre penguin parade.

I had done lots of research into the parade. All the reviews i said repeated 2 things - 1. its very cold and 2. pay the extra and get the penguine plus tickets. This is the second most popular tourist attraction in australia. It attracts thousands of people each night who are all squished onto large stands to watch the penguins waddle up the beach to their burrows. The penguin plus allows 190 people onto their own private viewing platform. Our platform is where 70% of the penguines walk onto the shore after a long days fishing. It is breeding season so even more penguins travel to shore. We sat 3 rows back and were an hour and a half early...so waited and waited. There wa sa woman sat in front of us with her son and daughter...she turned and started asking where we were from. Gaz an di mentioned we were living in hervey bay. She asked what we do ...as i hate saying IM A DENTIST i just said 'i work in a dental clinic in hervey bay'...her next question was....oh are you a hygienist? this is not an uncommmon question that i get...so i said no i was a dentist and she then went on to ask how much i earn and how much are university fees etc....her daughter was a fourth year medic and i think the mother was quite competitive. We carried on waiting for the penguins, there was a family in front with 2 young boys who were VERY annoying and loved to show off to everyone. The penguins started approaching the beach at 9.15pm...at this point the boys got completely in our way and for a fe wminutes we couldnt see much. Eventually they moved and it was fine. The penguins were AMAZING! they are little penguins - they only grow to 33cm. SOOOOO CUTE! they come ashore after a day finding food and then waddle back to their burrows to feed their partner and their chick. he chicks come out of the burrow when it is dark to greet their partner. The penguins arrive in 'rafts' (a group of penguins) and i was expecting to only see 10-20 but no, how wrong was i? they came in their hundreds! the whole thing lasted over an hour. It was great! And so lovely to see them totting down a sand hill, to pick up too much speed, over balance and fall face first into the sand. It was adorable! I wanted to take a penguin home....again, gaz said no. We had our own privat eboardwalk being penguin plus so we got to walk all the way up the beach and through the sand dunes to see the penguins getting to their burrow. It was the best part of the trip so far and i cant explain just how amazing it was to see these penguins arriving on shore, totally un interested by the human presence...brave little penguins!

After a night on Phillip island, we have today arrived in melbourne. As i write the blog mum and da dhave knocked to go for a chinese in china town...i will continue the post tomorrow!

Thursday, 19 January 2012

Thursday 19th January - Mt Gambier to Apollo bay to Geelong

I didnt get a chance to write the blog last night so i will have to delve deep to try and remember what we have been up to as there has been so much happening i dont even know what day of the week it is, what the date is or where we are right now! We have been so busy its all blurring into one!

We left mount gambier and headed to Apollo bay. It was to be the start of the ocean road but before that, we stopped in Heywood for some much needed breakfast supplies. A pastie and a cake later (at 10am) and we were back on the road. We had a brief stop in port fairy and picked up some brochures from the tourist information place. The woman inside told us about the lovely lighthouse and marina around the corner...Dad and Gaz couldnt be bothered with it so we never got to see it but i hear its lovely! Along the drive the sun started to peer though the clouds. It wasnt cold by any means but at one point i thought it was going to rain. We did the great ocean road from west to eat by which point the sun was shining and the flies were out, hitching free rides on peoples backs and head butting us in the face....continuously. The first part of the ocean road had lots of stops for scenic lookouts. The london bridge, the arch, thunder cave, loch and gorge and last but not least the apostles were all some of the stops that we made. In the end we were hoping not to see another brown tourist sign pointing in the direction of more rocks because by this point we had been 'rocked out' and the rocks were all beginning to look the same. The apostles were probably the most over rated tourist attraction, plonking a big tourist centre next to them and charging a fortune for helicopter rides over the rocks. It was heaving...japanese tourists everywhere taking photos of everything and anything.

Gaz drove the whole drive and enjoyed the meandering road which he said was much more interesting than the boring stretch from victor harbour to mount gambier. We didnt get to Apollo Bay until 6ish. We checked in at our motel just down the road from the main street and the beach. I must say, Apollo Bay was lovely. We have crossed the border from South Australia into Victoria so the time difference has changed - Victoria is half hour ahead of South Australia which my iphone managed to pick up on automatically - so clever! Apollo bay is very touristy but still has the charm of a fishing village. We took a walk down to the marina and Gaz had fun watching all the people fishing off the rocks. the water was so clear you could see shoulsi of fish in the water. Gaz was climbing on a wall so had a view out of the marina into the ocean and said he saw a huge sting ray (the biggest he has ever seen in the wild).

The restaurants in Apollo bay were very expensive so we had dinner in the pub at the end of the main street. the food was good and we were in need of a good sleep after our busy day.

The next day we had a lye in and left Apollo Bay at 9.45am. We were finishing the last stretch of the ocean road which would end in Torquay. The last part of the ocean road was still very scenic and the sea was a beautiful colour blue, reflecting in the hot summer sun. Gaz has been enjoying the driving so didnt mind doing the last stretch of the ocean road. I think the ocean road was pretty and im really glad we have done it.....but it is just a road. It was built by the victorians post world war I to encourage commercialism (i think thats what i read anyway) and it has worked. People flock in their thousands every day to see this stretch of road but i must be honest, the UK coastline is just as impressive...we just dont get the weather to enjoy it as much!

The highlight of the days trip along the ocean road was to stop at split point lighthouse - this lighthouse was the one that they used to film 'round the twist', a programme gaz and i used to watch when we were  kids. Gaz didnt appreciate me blaring the theme tune as we marched up to the lighthouse, causing people to stare. We almost drove past the lighthouse because i thought the lighthouse was in Torquay, not Airey Inlet. A few pictures later and an important update to facebook to 'check in' at the lighthouse and we were back on the road and heading towards torquay. Here we stopped off and had some lunch. Mum thought it was great they had put a bowl of water down by her seat for the dogs to drink from...that was until she got up to leave, forgot it was there and stuck her foot in the dogs bowl.

We spent the night in Geelong. At first i was unsure about the place. It was a population of 250,000 people and that was from the 2006 census so it has only got bigger. The hotel was just a little way out of the centre. When we arrived, Gaz had a nap and i went for a walk with mum and dad. To my surprise, the marina was beautiful. There was a lovely long pier with a restaurant at the end and people fishing from it. There was lots of open parkland and modern art scattered around. I was very impressed, it was just a shame for the very busy road that runs parallel to the coastline. In the evening we went back to the marina to show gaz who was also impressed and sat in a restaurant overlooking the water. The service was pretty poor and we waited ages to get served but the food was good. Gaz and i even had a milkshake.  i am on the ferry writting this and about to loose 3g so i will carry on the blog later! Over to phillip island for penguin parade!!!!

Tuesday, 17 January 2012

Tuesday 17th January - Victor Harbour to Mount Gambier

On Monday morning we woke up to bright sunshine and no wind. It was a lovely morning on kangaroo island. We left the hotel and picked up some fresh baguettes from the local bakery to eat on our picnic. Dad did the driving today which gave Gaz a break and also allowed Dad to test drive the car on the quiet, straight roads. We left Kingscote (the area in which we stayed) and drove up to American river. This place is actually an inlet but was mistaken for a river which is unsurprising when you see it. This was a great spot for bird watching and we saw lots and lots of pelicans. There wasnt much else going on in this place so we headed towards the ferry and found a perfect spot for a picnic. It was in a place called christmas cove - boulders brought down by the drift of a previous glacier millions of years ago are still present and you can even see the scratches on the cliff walls from where the glacier moved. It was very quiet in the cove and we had a great spot on a bench in the shade, surrounded by a family of magpies. They were very cute and well behaved, staying a distance away from us and watching patiently waiting for some food. Gaz even took a liking to them because they were so well behaved.

After lunch we drove to the ferry and were very lucky to have caught the earlier ferry, otherwise we would have had to have waited over an hour to catch the next one. The sea wasnt as rough getting back to cape jervis and gaz had a little nap before the next part of the journey - an hours drive to encounter bay for our overnight stay in victor harbour. Encounter bay is where matthew flinders (british guy) was mapping the coastline of australia and bumped in to a french guy (whose name i forget) and unaware that both countries were at war with one another, decided to map the coastline together. Victor harbour was just up the road from encounter bay. We checked in at the motel - a very basic but clean enough place for a nightcap. The sun was very hot so we slapped on the sun screen and took a stroll down the road. We are very well located on the main street in Victor harbour and the beach was only a short walk down the main street. There was a bridge that you could walk on to get to 'granite island' - an area of land formed by volcanic rock. The walk over also offered a horse drawn tram ride from a huge Clydesdale horse. We didnt go on it but watched the poor thing pulling this tram in the heat of the day. On the island gaz and i sat on a bench in the shade as it was too hot to go on! mum and dad had a walk further around the island...they have resident penguines here which you can see arrive in the evenings but as we are doing all that on phillip island, we didnt feel the need to see them here. Mum and dad went back to the main street for a beer and gaz and i tucked n to strawberrys and ice cream from a local food stand. It is a very pretty area...quite a lot of people living here. In the evening Dad requested a mcdonalds...we took the food and ate it next to the beach...it was very nice! Although the sun had gone down, it was still very warm and we stood listening to the sea for a while.

This morning Dad knocked on the door to wake gaz and i up...we had forgot to set the alarm! Again, the sun was shining and the weather was hot. It got to 39 degrees today but luckily we were in the car at the time - god bless air conditioning! Our journey today took us on a long drive from victor harbour to mount gambier - this was a 5 hour drive and gaz drove the whole way! he did very well. I must admit, the drive was VERY boring. there wasnt much to see at all...we passed lake Alexandrina (the biggest freshwater lake in australia) and lake albert...but we couldnt see much from the road. The rest of the drive was along coast...but the land was baron...we drove past many vineyards but the whole area lacked any excitement. Infact the drive was so boring, the highlight was reaching the Big Lobster in kingston and getting a picture of it! Oh and there was one bit...sat nav tried taking us over a river but ummm....there was no road. So instead there was a barge! it was free and a bit of a shock but it was great fun! it only took a few minutes to get to the other side and made the journey more fun. We had lunch in kingston and gaz carried on the drive. We are now in Mount Gambier for the night which appears to be a series of dormant volcanoes. We took a drive to 'the blue lake' which is what it says on the tin! the colour was beautifully blue which is so lucky because it is only this colour at a certain time in the year and then it goes grey in colour. The lake has been formed in the crater of one of the volcanoes.

This evening we have been for a meal in the local tavern down the road from our motel. The motel again is very basic but it is very clean and comfortable...i have made sure that where we stay has parking and air conditioning! tomorrow we start the great ocean road and will be spending the night in apollo bay....cant wait!

Sunday, 15 January 2012

Sunday 15th January - Kangaroo Island

So yesterday we were up and ready to leave Adelaide behind us. I had seen a coastal area of Adelaide (Glenelg) advertised in a local 'things to do' brochure in the hotel room and thought it would be worth dragging everyone there for a visit. We were pleasantly surprised to find a very nice area of coastal shops and a few grand looking buildings. We took a walk along the pier in the baking sun and watched two fishermen catching squid. They were catching their second fish as we arrived...it was bizarre to see them squirting ink at the fishermen in an angry protest at being caught. We strolled along the water front and envied the view of the houses that overlooked the ocean with uninterrupted views.

Back in the car and Gaz carried on the long drive down to Cape Jervis to catch the ferry to kangaroo island. We encountered a slight problem an hour from the ferry port when the sat nav kept trying to take us on a road that was closed. Matters were made worse by the fact we had left the sat nav holder back in Brisbane and i therefore had to hold the sat nav for gaz to see. I thought i would be clever and try and jam the satnav between the windscreen and the dashboard however the plan backfired and i ended up breaking the charger which was fixed in to the phone. It meant we would have no sat nav within a few minutes. Gaz took a turning and luckily enough, it led us to an autobahn shop where we could 1. buy a new sat nav charger and 2. a holder for the sat nav. We asked the woman in the shop and she gave us directions to a new road that would take us the same way as the closed road. Success. We were back on the road and heading in the right direction...stress over! Dad has bought a new map though 'just in case' which is a good thing to have in the car anyway.

On the way we stopped off for lunch in a town that i 'researched'...i actually just looked up on google maps  for the nearest on route seaside town and it took us to Aldinga. It was a fantastic place to stop...we picked up cold drinks from the seafront newsagents and walked over to a bench overlooking a spectacular beach. The view was great and mum made friends with the local seaguls. At first there was one...then two...then three....then loads!

Back on the road and we got to the ferry terminal in good time. We paid the extra money and caught the earlier ferry just so that we werent hanging around for too long. The ferry took 45mins to get from Cape Jervis to Penneshaw (Kangaroo Island). On the other side it was still light and Gaz drove us safely to the hotel we are staying in. When i booked kangaroo island there werent many places to stay (turns out there was a big wedding on last night) but mum and dad seem pleased with where we have rocked up at. They have the 'executive' room...no it isnt really as posh as it sounds...the motel needs updating but it does have a flat screen tv, a spa bath (that looks a little stained and uninviting) but they have the best view! Their balcony overlooks the ocean and they have 2 comfy chairs on the inside of the balcony that they can swivel around to look out the window.

As we didnt check in till after 8pm, we went in search of food up the road at the Aurora Hotel. The food was very nice and we sat at a table with a great sea view.

Today we were up and Gaz drove us to 'seal bay' Again, the weather was hot and sunny...but not too hot..the weather is bearable. We couldnt believe how many seals were on the beach! We did a tour that took us right down on to the beach, standing around 10metres away from the wild seal colony. It was lovely to see the mums and their seal pups. Apparently it is mating season so we saw the occasional raucous between the male seals and the attempts of the males to woo the females... and failing. Typical!

Our next stop was for lunch at Vivonne bay. We enjoyed a picnic on a deserted beach. The sea here was so blue it was like something photo shopped on a postcard. Again we were joined by a seagul, begging for scraps.

We carried on to Flinders chase national park and drove to admirals arch...here there was another seal colony - these were different seals to the one at seal  bay. these were new zealand fur seals...there was a walk down to the archway in the rock (called admirals arch) and along the walkway you could peer down to see the wild seals playing on the rocks and sleeping. The waves were crashing against the rocks and the wind was blowing a gale, masking the heat from the sun.

Our next stopw as to 'remarkable rocks'. Gaz was feeling a little tired as he has done all the driving (and is doing a great job) so he stayed in the car and had a nap whilst the rest of us took a stroll over to the rocks. These rocks have been formed at the top of a cliff by weathering...the shapes of the rocks really were 'remarkable' and dad has rated this as his favourite thing of the day so far (and he wasnt being sarcastic).

Gaz wants me to add at this point that all the drivers on the road wave to each other even though no one knows each other.

Finally we went back to Flinders Chase visitors centre and took a very very long walk (30 minutes each way) to find a platypus...not surprisingly, we didnt see one. The water was dark and muggy...We did however spot a few crayfish which gaz says is the biggest cray fish he has ever seen. You therefore officially have more chance of seeing a crayfish than seeing a platypus on the platypus trail.

We got back to the hotel and headed to an italian restaurant where we had an excellent meal. Tomorrow we are leaving the island and making our way to Victor Harbour.

Friday, 13 January 2012

Friday 13th January - Adelaide

Yesterday we drove down to Bray in the Brisbane to stay at the essence apartments (again) before our early morning flight to Adelaide. Gaz and i thought we would treat our parents to a hogs breath cafe...we took Gaz's parents to the one in Hervey Bay and they loved it...they cook the steaks for 18hours but are succulent and very yummy. Mum had a steak and loved it but dad had a chicken ceaser wrap. We got back to the hotel and had an early night.

At 4am our alarms were ringing to get us up. We were very punctual and left just before 4.30am and headed to Brisbane airport. Gaz and i had early morning pancakes at one of the cafes...in hindsight probably didnt need those pancakes dripping in maple syrup. The plane left at 6.15am and we were in Adelaide by 9.20am (Bare in mind Adelaide is also 30minutes ahead of queensland time). We went to pick up our car at the hertz garage. There was a problem. I had booked a toyota corolla sedan...the woman behind the desk informed us that our car had been given to someone else! Its poppycock because i booked that specific car and they have  your flight number so they knew our flight was on its way yet they still gave it away! the woman said she would give us a toyota corolla hatchback...the boot of which can just about hole on e large suitcase. I explained that was not the car i had booked and we would require lots of space for luggage as we will be spending a lot of time in the car. She umm'd and arrr'ed for a few minutes and asked if we had used hertz before. I explained we used them on 2 occasions when we had the car take us up to hervey bay and also when we had a car for a few days to drive us around hervey bay. For some reason this changed her mind and she offered us an upgrade to a bigger, better car...free of charge! perfect...but that should have been offered to us straight away as it wasnt our problem she had given our car away in the first place!

Gaz drove us to our hotel in Adelaide city centre. Its in a great location, right on the main street where 'its all happening'. The rooms are spacious and modern and we have a king sized bed...im even more impressed with the free toothpaste and toothbrush in the bathroom! (yes i am easily pleased). We wondered around the city centre for much of the morning/afternoon. It really is a lovely city...there are so many shops! And a very cosmopolitan feel to it, a bit like some areas of london...with lots of cafes and restaurants with seating outside along the street. Some of the buildings are old and quaint mixed among the more modern, artistic of buildings. The city is surrounded by parkland and the botanical gardens were beautiful. When the sun shines here its very hot...but the wind is cold. I joined mum in the outdoors jacuzzi of the hotel...it was great to relax after an early start.

This evening we have been to the Schutzenfest beer festival in one of the parks. The hotel was not too far away..there was a free shuttle bus but we thought we would walk it to see a bit more of Adelaide. It wa busy inside the grounds and mum and dad enjoyed a beer or two...Gaz and i enjoyed a sausage or two...it was great until the sun disappeared and then it began to get chilly so we caught the free shuttle bus and walked back to the british pub we had seen earlier in the day. You would think, being british, we would be entitiled in to the british pub...but no....we had 'sneakers' on (trainers) and were not allowed in because of our footwear...we were even more british than the bouncer yet not allowed in...how ironic. Instead we headed back towards the hotel and had a drink outside one of the pubs nearby that welcomed our sneakers. Tomorrow we will be heading south of Adelaide to kangaroo island. VERY excited!

Wednesday, 11 January 2012

Wednesday 11th January - Calm before the storm

Today was a relaxing day in Hervey Bay. Mum, Dad and i went for a stroll along the beach this morning. It was a very warm day but the morning and early afternoon was cloudy and even Mum burnt her arms...it is deceiving just how strong the sun is even when its overcast. The tide was in but on its way out so we had to cut right up next to the rocks in places to get past. We strolled on the pier and i managed to get this photograph of mum and dad before my camera lens fogged up! Due to the humidity, the lens fogs whenever i take it out of the camera case...Gaz's mum has told me to leave it out so the lens can warm up in sufficient time before i take a photo...the fogging was getting rather annoying!



Mum and dad popped out to the butchers and were surprised at how friendly the butcher was...and impressed that he remembered their faces from the day before and he wasn't even the guy that served them! Mum cooked us some chicken and a fantastic salad...with apple and cheese mixed into the lettuce, onion, tomatoes and cucumber? who would have thought that would be so tasty in a salad! After lunch we drove over to Booral to where i have my horse riding lessons. Luckily the horses were at the entrance to the field so we were able to give them a pet. I introduced the family to Buddy..the horse i usually ride. He enjoyed the apple i fed him but kept nosing me wanting more...unfortunately the camera isn't edible but he did try! Here is a photo of Buddy...i probably should have got a better angle on him so that his head didn't look so big but i was limited with movement as there was a tree next to me. 



When we got back to the house it was time for a relaxing dip in the pool! Dad didn't join us as he was a little red from the walk so he stayed in the shade but mum had a swim. We worked up an appetite for a meal at the boat club - dad had his usual fish and chips (scraping off the batter to eat the fish as per usual) and mum went for the boat club burger thinking it would be a light meal...only it was huge! You know you are a regular somewhere when the guy showing you to your seats automatically assumes you are wanting a table for 2 (as usually it is only gas and i) and is surprised when you say...no, table for 4 please...and he then responds 'i have your usual table by the window'.  The food was great and what better way to let it go down than a stroll along Urangan Pier....the pier that is deceivingly long! The weather has been fantastic...i am so glad it hasn't been raining! Tomorrow we head down to Brisbane to get some rest before an early morning flight on Friday. 

Tuesday, 10 January 2012

Tuesday 10th January - Hervey Bay

What a great day! Mum and dad enjoyed morning tea and coffee on the balcony. Thankfully the sun was shining today and it reached 32degrees! Gaz played on the computer leaving some alone time for me and the parents. I drove them down to the botanical gardens Hervey bay which they were very impressed with. The gardens are peaceful with the tranquil noise of the water fountains in the lake. I showed mum and dad the resident turtles in the lake who kept popping their little heads out of the water to see what was going on. Very cute. It was very hot so we got back in the car and drove over to Togoom (an area that rated highly with Gaz's parents). Fortunately when we arrived, the tide was in which makes the place look so much more scenic than when the tide is out. Mum and dad were in awe of peoples houses with boats at the bottom of their garden occupying the sea. We tried to buy some cold beers in the cafe and take them for our picnic but we were told off and told they did not have a licence for us to take alcohol off the premises. They drank the beers at the table instead and afterwards we grabbed the picnic box from the car and took it over to a sandy part of Togoom. We crossed a bridge and saw the biggest crab i have ever seen shuffling its way down the river. There were also lots of little crabs in the mangroves - the colour of which was beautiful...a bright blue shell. We also spotted some little fish with legs walking along the mud flats? don't know what they were! Anyway, we enjoyed the picnic in the shade on the beach and sat amazed at how quiet it was around there.

When we got back to the house mid afternoon, Gaz had finished on the computer. We sat on the balcony before mum and dad ventured to the butchers to get meat for the bbq. Gaz and i went in the pool which was the warmest it has been! Mum and dad joined us not long after they got back. I had to vacate the pool around 4pm to get ready for an interview at Primere Dental Studio. Fro the outside the place looked pretty smart but inside looked a little dated and run down. I was told previously that the job was meant for a woman but her husband died of a heart attack and she hadn't been in touch with the practice manager. I had a voice mail this morning saying the job was definitely available as this woman had had to go back to china. By the time i turned up for the interview i was informed that the woman was 'in shock' and would now like the job back. Therefore, the job was no longer available but she wanted to get me in 'just in case' it all falls through with this woman. Any way, i wasn't too bothered...the practice was very shabby compared to Aura (the previous job i have been offered)...and although she said she could make the unit left handed, the room was tiny and there is no way it could be left handed to suit my needs. I went home not really giving two hoots about the job being taken as i would have only turned it down if it was still on offer. I think I've been spoilt with how nice Aura was!

Gaz drove us up to point vernon to see the eagles nest - it would appear a family of crows has taken over? Not quite sure if the eagles have gone on holiday but 4 big black crows had their heads int he eagles nest. We carried on the drive in the search for the local kangaroos that we have seen grazing around peoples gardens. It wasn't looking too promising but gas drove past an opening to a field and i spotted one lying down. We went to inspect...there wasn't just one...we thought there were 4...then we saw more...then in the distance...hundreds. It was great to see so many wild kangaroos going about their business, letting us snap photos of them. Beautiful creatures.

After the kangaroo tour, we had a bbq over the road next to the beach. Mum and dad had picked a good selection of meats from the butchers and gas cooked it all - he would make his dad proud! A few BCB's (burnt crispy bits) but all cooked to perfection!

We have been sitting down at the picnic area for most of the night and have only now (9pm) retired to the comfort of our bedrooms. I think mum is sat on the balcony enjoying the warm evening in the fresh air. Tomorrow is meant to be even hotter than today and will be our last full day in hervey bay with mum and dad before we drive down to brisbane on thursday. Enjoy the pics!




Monday, 9 January 2012

Monday 9th January - Parents to stay!

On saturday morning i drove Gaz and i down to brisbane. My parents were not arriving until sunday evening but it was a perfect opportunity to get some shopping done at Chermside shopping centre in Brisbane for some much needed clothes and the essentials - ie. Macbook air and iphone4s. For those that are unaware, Chermside shopping centre is huge and has many shops including an apple store. Saturday was devoted to the apple store. I am now the proud owner of not only a macbook air but also an iphone4s. I was so excited about my new purchase (which Gaz very kindly stuck on his credit card...but i will pay him back!), i told a girl in the newsagents next door we had just been to the mac store...i only said it because i was so excited but in hindsight, it sounded very snobby. We checked in to our hotel, intact it is the same hotel we stayed in with Gaz's parents before our moreton island trip. In the evening we met up with Emily and Tony (our friends who live in Brisbane) and had a hogs breath cafe meal. i must admit the hogs breath didn't have quite the charm of the one in Hervey Bay as the staff were a little miserable in Brisbane but none the less, the food was still excellent.

Sunday morning and it was time for a day of serious shopping. I went around the shops with Gaz in the morning and i was very impressed to see he was picking out smart clothes! i don't mean to sound patronising but in gaz's own words 'i do dress a bit like a tramp'. We ate lunch together in the food court before parting ways and i went on my own mission to find some clothes. I bought some much needed underwear from la senza and some hair products and MAC makeup i desperately needed...but i couldn't find anything i liked in any of the clothes shops...except one 350AUD dress. As luck would have it, it was in the sale so i had to have it! When Gaz and i met back up i was pleased to see he had bought 3 pairs of very smart surfy shorts and 2 t shirts and 2 polo shirts. He even bought new flip flops to replace the very worn ones he has had for the last number of years. We chose some designer sunglasses for him in the sunglass shop and he purchased some new beaded surfy necklace and bracelets for himself. He looks very trendy!!!

We didn't have long back at the hotel before leaving to pick up mum and dad from the airport. It was really great to see them! They said the flight wasn't too bad as dad had slept most of the way..mum had made friends with the german guy in front who kept putting his seat back on her and dad slept. We drove them to the hotel where we dropped their luggage and as it was nearing 9pm, we went straight out to get a bite to eat before places closed. We sat outside in a burger venue just down the road...again outside the chermside shopping centre. The weather was really hot all day so it was great for mum and dad to experience Aus without the rain! We got back to the hotel and sat chatting on the balcony before heading to bed for a well earned sleep!

This morning mum and dad were up early. it is hard to sleep much past 6am when the sun is blaring through the windows! i woke up at 7.30am to find them both sat on the balcony enjoying a cup of coffee. Mum had her legs out and was basking in the sun. Dad sat with his long sleeved shirt and trousers on...must have been baking!

Once gas was up, he offered to drive us to hervey bay. Bless him, he drove the whole 3.5 hour trip north to hervey bay and i didn't drive once. Thank you gaz! It has been very hot today. Thank god for air conditioning because we got stuck in a half hour traffic jam on the bruce highway..that wasn't much fun.

We gave mum and dad a tour of the house before heading down the esplanade to hoolihans (the irish pub) to grab some lunch. Afterwards, we strolled on the beach and then took them down to the marina to see some of the impressive boats that are docked there. The sun beat down on us so we grabbed a drink in the boat club and sat on the decking outside, enjoying the view of the boats and the heat from the sun. We headed home and had a dip in the pool to cool off!

Gaz cooked a curry tonight. Well, i say A curry - he cooked 3 different types!!! We had a korma, which was excellent....a bhuna and a madras. Unfortunately he rushed the madras and accidentally put 4 times as much chilli in the curry as intended...It was very hot but still fantastic. My parents were very impressed!!! Gaz is quite the master chef...we are all pretty knackered now so have left mum and dad on the balcony and we are off to bed!

Friday, 6 January 2012

06/01/2012 110 posts later, and Gareth finally contributes

So I have been informed by Dad, through the intermediary of Vicky, that I should write at least one of the blog posts. Seeing as I went fishing the other day I was not surprised to see the timing of this request and as such it seems to make sense that I take over the blog duty for the day.

Unfortunately less seems to happen in my general day than vicky's so I hope you are prepared to be underwhelmed.

I should probably start today's blog post with an account of my fishing trip yesterday. The scene is set as so, Vicky wakes me up at 5am (worrying about a patient she numbed up "a bit too much"), I attempt to reassure her/dismiss any talk so I can get back to sleep, the next thing I know, I have woken up due to my phone vibrating. At first i called for vicky (why i have no idea) before eventually realising that it was somebody calling me. I am not at my cerebral best in the morning (this generalisation covers the entire morning) but i mustered the energy at 8.20am to answer the phone and attempt to piece together who I was talking too. After a good 30 seconds I realised who i was talking too and had arranged to join Mark (work colleague of Vicky's) to go out for a mornings fishing.

I scoffed some breakfast, put on the sun block and attempted to mask the smell of the previous nights exercise with a generous helping of deodorant a la, the spanish shower, fortunately with some decent success. Mark picked me up in his 4x4 with his 6 metre tiny and 40hp motor in tow. We drive along to Vernon point and quickly launch the boat into the sea. It appeared the everyone who was not in work were on their boats, albeit no more than 500 yards from the shore. As such, Mark decided to motor just a little bit further away and we set up for some fishing.

The rods were fairly light and similar to that of the ones currently propped up in the garage and we had a mixture of squid and prawns for bait. Mark handed me my road and by the time he got his own in the water i had already caught a "insert generic snapper like fish name" here. The hook was only ever so slightly smaller than the fish. It was an omen of things to come. After about 3-4 hours of fishing we had caught a large variety of fish albeit on a narrow scale of size! I will state this part just now, I did catch the biggest fish, which is what is important! but all in all we caught the snapper-esq fish, a "grinner" (like a flathead, large open mouth, that has a certain toothy grin), flathead (about 12 inches), parrot fish, a toady (that spat water over both of us), cod and, weirdest of all, mark had proclaimed that i had caught a "knot" eel. It was brown and looked like a small 12 inch moray eel.... It was only as i lifted it out of the water that i saw where this fish got it's name from as it tried to knot itself around the hook and line. It was very interesting to watch, however it made it difficult to remove the hook, I suggested to Mark that i lower it back in to the water so that it could un-tie itself and then i could either cut the line or try to be quick and remove the hook. Unfortunately the fish had different ideas, and abused the "give an inch, take a mile" mantra as he went into knot overdrive, worked up past the weight and a further 6 to 12 inches up the line. "Uhhh Mark...." there was literally nothing we could do but cut the line, weight hook and all... cut a long story short, it sank pretty fast. But as all fishermen are eternal optimists, I am sure he freed himself.... sort of.... maybe......hmmmm. The absolute worst case scenario is he will reintegrate into the food system.

That was the last fish of the day and I got back to the house just in time for vicky's lunch break! It was really enjoyable and i hope i'm lucky enough or good enough at bribing Mark with offers of newly discovered curry recipes that he will take me out on it again.

The rest of the day was "as usual" so to speak. I played more computer and we settled for an early night.


After writing so much about yesterday I really don't want to make this post tl;dr (too long, didn't read) so i will keep it brief (not least for the fact that not a lot happened) I succeeded at playing the computer more and Vicky went out for an afternoon/evening ride out with Cassie from work. I was told it was "hot but enjoyable" without much expansion on that but she seemed very happy with being able to go out for a ride so obviously it was good. After this we decided to do another session of that bastard (the bastard is silent when pronouncing the full title) bodyrockers home workout. Thankfully the evening off the night before meant that we were slightly more recovered/supple than previously, we bashed through the workout and felt relatively ok after it, to the point that even I was happy to create some further exercises to push ourselves that little bit harder tonight than we would have otherwise. Bring out the boxing gloves and pads, and 5 minutes later I'm shouting at Vicky every word under the sun. I have no idea how thin our garage walls are but I would not be surprised if it sounded like a case of domestic abuse. "why.. do you do this to me.." thud! "Stop talking..." whack! I think we both enjoyed it really though and it was good to get that little bit extra done (and not just ache in our quads for a change).

We then needed to get some food but most of the restaurants in Hervey bay stop serving by 9... I know, I don't know why either, but we were able to find a nice boodle bar that was open for another 20 mins so we scooted off an enjoyed some nice fresh beef and noodles (mine sans all the veg that vicky added to hers), scoffed it down and got back to the house for about 9.30 pm.

We're both very excited about the prospect of seeing Alan and Gloria on Sunday (hope your flight is alright guys) and Vicky is also very excited about our trip to Brisbane shopping (note the difference in the excitement between the two events, the excitement for shopping is singular). I am currently sat here trying to think of ways i can procrastinate whilst in Chermside shopping centre. I have already prepared my answers "it looks great on you!".... "Wow, both look stunning, you can get either one you want!", "I'll be at Mcdonalds if you need me..." and lastly "zzzz". hopefully the relationship will survive tomorrow. If vicky thinks i moan when it comes to working out, then it's just the tip of the iceberg compared to when shopping!

See you soon guys (i will try to post another update sooner than the next 110 posts)

Gareth out!

Thursday, 5 January 2012

Thursday 5th January - Holiday begins!

Work yesterday was a nightmare. I managed to drop some poor old ladies dentures on the floor right in front of her, snap 2mm off the end of some moody buggers tooth and couldnt get it out and i even injected some tiny dwarf girl and gave her bells palsy! She rang 3 hours later concerned she still couldnt move her eye or blink so i had to try and calm her down and tell her 'these things happen, you'll be fine'...oops. Despite knowing the poor girl would be fine, i still woke up at 4am this morning not able to sleep, just a little concerned about her.

After work yesterday i went for a power walk with Jacqui who is like a little pocket rocket! It was hard work keeping up with her up and down all the hills. When i got back Gaz and i did day 2 of the body rocker challenge. Gaz is very sore from it today and my legs arent feeling too great either. We have made a mutual agreement with each other that instead of doing the workouts monday to friday and have sat/sun rest, we will instead break up the rest days, so tonight was a rest day (we will just do tonights workout tomorrow night and only take one rest day on the weekend instead of 2 so that we catch up with the programme).

Today work went a bit more smoothly. I had a nice surprise when Gaz text me at 8.30am to say Mark (the lab technician) has rung him and is taking Gaz out on his boat. The weather was hot and sunny, not very windy - perfect conditions for fishing. Gaz and Mark both caught a variety of things, nothing worth keeping though apparently. It was nice to come home at lunch time and have Gaz enthusiastic and excited about how his morning went. He should definitely go out more often!

Tuesday, 3 January 2012

Tuesday 3rd January - Day 1 bodyrocker challenge

Work was pretty busy today probably because people were trying to escape the heat from outside so thought they would turn up for their appointments in the air conditioned surgeries. 
Gaz did well on the computer but was a little drowsy after taking a sleeping tablet the night before.
This evening we both did the first of a 30 day bodyrocker challenge...the aim was to do 7 exercises, each one we had to do as many repetitions as we could for 50seconds before a 10 second rest and carrying on to do the next exercise. Overall it was 7 minutes of exercise which sounds like nothing, but believe me when you are going as fast as you can on each exercise, its hard! Gaz and i were both sweating after the 7 minutes. In 30 days we will do exactly the same drill to see if we have improved on the number of reps that we do. Bodyrocker website has also posted an eating plan...it will be difficult to follow it strictly when mum and dad are here but we will take the key aspects of it and try to follow them through for the 30 days. Gaz is doing the shop tomorrow, mainly for fruit and veg...oh and some salmon which he has informed me he will be vacating the room when i start cooking it as he hates the smell of fish. 

My eating plan for today hasnt been too bad....cereal, left over chilli for lunch and 2 weetbix is all ive had today...day 3 of no chocolate :( I dont drink, i dont smoke and i dont do drugs....but i do love chocolate! Am looking forward to my second bodyrocker challenge tomorrow! 

Monday, 2 January 2012

Monday 2nd January - 2012 CHALLENGE

Gaz and i didnt get up till 9.30am today...bliss! Ive finally sorted out mum and dads trip and we are both very excited for their arrival this coming saturday! Gaz and i will be heading down friday so that i can raid the apple store for a new laptop and iphone...good times! We are then going to have all of saturday to shop aswell which gaz is very excited about...not. Infact Gaz wore the shirt mum bought him from hollister and the new jeans i bought him from NEXT for new year and he looked VERY smart!

Gaz played on the computer today...he did well. Im always limited as to how much info i can give away on the blog 'just in case' but overall hes making twice what im on!

I always like to have a challenge for the year...in 2006 i travelled east coast of aus, in 2007 i travelled canada from Toronto through to Vancouver...2008 i did Italy (more of a holiday though)with mum and learnt to snowboard..2009 - i must have fallen asleep in this year? but i did get some more snowboarding in....2010 i climbed kilimanjaro and in 2011 i did the edinburgh marathon. So i need a new challenge for the year. I thought long and hard but if theres one thing thats bugging me right now, its my weight. I have recently come across a website called bodyrocker-tv and its an exercise programme to follow at home. It involves no gym membership, no fancy equipment and can all be done in the comfort of your own home. It has a different workout for each day that usually takes no more than 20 mins but its a very intense workout..the bodyrocker website is even putting together a full diet programme to follow for the month. At present im a size 10 but the more size 12 side of size 10....my aim is to drop to a size 8 - and the more size 6 side of size 8. Gaz says size 6 is too skinny so a small size 8 would be great! Ill be weighing myself every morning before work (around 7.15am). My current weight is 62KG.

Gaz has taken a before photo of me tonight...but its a little embarrassing so after 1 month i will put it up against a second photo showing my progress...this is my challenge for 2012 so i will keep going with it until i get to my desired weight/size. I started yesterday with eating healthy and have managed to carry it on through to today. As of tomorrow i will be following the body rocker diet. I will keep my own progress posted on this  blog. Gaz says hes going to do it with me...he wouldnt stand for a before photo though lol.