Sunday 23rd March 2008 - Kakadu National Park

We decided whilst in Darwin to visit the kakadu National Park. Australia had recently experienced a lot of rainfall so some areas of the park were unfortunately closed due to flooding. However we did get to see some awesome waterfalls, landscape and see some aboriginal art on rocks around the park. We also decided to go on a crocodile cruise, which began with the boat companies snakes being bought out for people to hold and have their photo taken! Everyone laughed as I stood around 100 meters away cringing! On the way back to Darwin we stopped off at a shop run by Aborigines selling art and didgeridoo's etc... This was nice to see as so many of the shops selling the art not owned by Aborigines!

Thursday 20th March 2008 - The Ghan

Because we had travelled by bus from Adelaide to Alice Springs, we had to travel on the famous Ghan train from Alice Springs to Darwin. The train ride took 24.5hrs and stopped off for around four hours at a place called Katherine. This gave us a much needed break from the train and an opportunity to walk round the town of Katherine. What a strange place, the town was very small with speakers all around blasting the local radio station out! Very few people were around as it was a Bank Holiday in Australia. The train itself was actually surprisingly good, the seats were spacious with every two carriages sharing a lounge and dining carriage.

Monday 17th March 2008 - Ayers Rock

Wasting no time we headed from Alice Springs straight to Ayers Rock. We stayed in the area for a couple of days so we could watch the sunset, sunrise and walk around the rock. Unfortunately we couldn't climb the rock because the temperature was above 36 degrees! Not that I wanted to as you know I'm scared of heights, but Steve did. Apparently the Rock and surrounding area is still a very sacred site to the Aborigines and there was areas around the rock you could not photograph. They also do not like people climbing the rock, especially as so many tourist have fallen to their death. However, the rock was awesome, especially watching the sunset whilst drinking champagne!

Saturday 15th March 2008 - Adelaide to Alice Springs

Instead of flying we decided to book ourselves on a two day tour travelling from Adelaide to Alice Springs. The company we chose was called Groovy Grape and so was our bus driver / tour guide. We had a 21 seater mini bus with a trailer on the back to carry every ones luggage. The bus was full and off we went heading towards the Stuart Highway which takes you all the way to Alice Springs. We travelled in the mini bus for around 12 hours the first day and stopped overnight at Coober Perdy, home to 80% of the world's opal production and a landscape that looked more like Mars. The locals live underground and so did we that night! The following day we had a quick tour around and underground mine and then back on the Stuart Highway for Alice Springs.

Now normally travelling in a packed mini bus, temperature outside around 40 degrees, air con off most of the time you getting the picture yet... hot and sweaty! But boy it was the most amazing two days. The bus driver / tour guide was called Clancy and we became the Clancy family for two days, check out our family portrait (Clancy is the one in the blue vest lying down at the front) and he was amazing fun. We had games, sing songs and water fights on the bus. It was an absolute scream and we all got on so well, we met up for dinner our first night in Alice Springs!

Monday 10th March 2008 - Kangaroo Island

After a few days of rest and exploring Adelaide we started our three days, two nights trip to Kangaroo Island. We were picked up from our accommodation along with around 14 others and we began our trip to the Harbour. At the Harbour we were split into two groups and went in a tin boat across to the Island! On the Island we headed to our camp site which was an experience. We ate Kangaroo Fajitas for dinner, well I chose the vegetarian option and whined about poor Skippy all night. Then we bedded down on our swags. Yes we were camping! A swag is a sleeping bag cover that acts as your tent.

Next morning we were up bright and early on off to explore the Island. We visited Flinders national Park, Remarkable Rocks, and did some sand boarding. Now that was great fun watching Steve try to sand board standing, didn't look like the sand tasted too good! I wasn't much good either!

The following day we went on a guided walk with the sea lions at Seal Bay, Koala Bear and Kangaroo watching, swimming in the ocean and our drive including ferry across the water and back to Adelaide.

Thursday 6th March 2008 - Leaving Melbourne

Today we finally had a rest day to chill out, get some washing done and pack our stuff up. We were booked on the Firefly over night bus service from Melbourne to Adelaide. As most of you know I am not a great fan of cities and can't say I'm all that upset about leaving Melbourne.

Wednesday 5th March 2008 - Grampians

Grampians is one of the world's oldest and most spectacular mountain ranges, rich in Aboriginal history, and with an abundance of wildlife. So we decided today we would drive straight into the heart of the Grampians National Park and took a walk through the wonderland ranges. We then drove to the Brambuk Aboriginal Cultural Centre, full of the history and culture of the local aboriginal communities. No rest for the wicked, off for a hike to the remarkable Jaws of Death/ Balconies and Reeds Lookout. Then we hiked to the base of Australia's most inspiring waterfall - Mackenzie Falls for a quick dip to cool off before making our way back to the city.

Tuesday 4th March 2008 - Phillip Island

Yes we headed out of Melbourne for another day trip to Phillip Island. On the was we stopped at a local wildlife park to meet some furry and cute animals. We stroked a baby Wombat, hand feed Kangaroos and got very close to some Koala's. We then headed over the bridge and onto Phillip Island. Once on the Island we headed to Woolamai beach to see the giant surf, visited the Marine Centre and strolled along the boardwalk to view the majestic rocky coast and home to a colony of fur seals. We they chilled on the beach eating pizza waiting for the sun to go down so we could go watch the Penquin Parade! The island has the worlds smallest pen quins and they emerge every night from the sea and waddle ashore. Around 300 Pen quins surfed to shore over about 45minutes. They would wait for a group of around 10 and slowly waddle across the sand. We were not allowed to use our cameras as we would have scared the Penquins.

Monday 3rd March 2008 - Great Ocean Road

Went on a day trip along the great Ocean Road. We got to see the lighthouse from the TV series 'Round the Twist' the 12 Apostles, London Bridge and Southern Australia's famous Belles Beach. The weather was fantastic all day and our tour guide and group we great fun to be with.

Saturday 1st & Sunday 2nd March 2008 - Melbourne

We just couldn't believe our luck, the World Super Bikes was on at Phillip Island just a two hour drive from Melbourne on the Sunday. We decided to go and after spending hours on the Internet and talking to people we decided that hiring a car and driving to Phillip Island was the way to go. We got up early on the Sunday morning and walked around Melbourne looking for Car Hire Companies. After lots of walking and being told no cars available we finally got ourselves a little 2 door red Hyundai Getz hire vehicle and armed with a map and directions we headed to Phillip Island. After asking for directions at numerous garages we finally made it to Phillip Island at around 1pm! Boy the road signs in Melbourne are useless! and my map reading is not what it should be! Luckily the main race didn't start until around 3pm. Check out the photos and if you saw the race on TV, you would have seen us both on the side of the track! Well, our bike friends at home told us they saw us on TV and what clothes we were wearing!

Our next four days in Sydney

We spent the next four days checking out the sights in Sydney including Oprah House, Harbour Bridge, Botanical Gardens, Bondi Beach and the Sydney Tower! However Steve did bring the good old English weather with him, because since he arrived it's been over cast and raining in Sydney. We did however decide to leave Sydney on Saturday 1st March and therefore we would miss out on the Mardi Gras! However the helpful people at OZ Intro booked some fantastic tours for us and our flight out to Melbourne. They also mentioned the Mardi Gras was so popular and you never really get to see much of the parade due to the crowds! We were also really struggling to find accommodation the closer it got to Mardi Gras!

Monday 18th February 2008 - Sydney

Today I arrived in Sydney, Australia and was collected at the airport by Damitri from Oz Intro. Oz Intro for those of you who do not know is a company set up to help out travellers and people wanting to work in Australia. They take care off all important stuff like your visa, bank account, medicare, Sim card etc... they also sort your accommodation out for the 1st week and do loads of fun day trips such as learn to surf, blue mountain, jet boat round Sydney Harbour, pub crawl, sunbathing on Bondi Beach and barbecue. I met some great people doing Oz Intro and had some fun days and nights sleeping in the mixed dorm hostel! Check out the pictures and apologises for having to wait for so long!

Table Mountain

After many days of trying I finally managed Table Mountain. It's a flat-topped mountain forming a prominent landmark overlooking the city of Cape Town. We travelled via cable car 1302 m above sea level, to the plateau at the top of the mountain. There we had fantastic views overlooking Cape Town, Table Bay and Robben Island to the north, and the Atlantic seaboard to the west and south.

Saturday 2nd February - Swakopmund

Finally a day off from travelling and much needed rest day to chill. Swakopmund is a popular holiday destination, much loved by Namibians, as its climate is much cooler from the rest of the country. Not one to sit around, I decided to go on a Dolphin cruise and got a few extra surprises whilst on the boat. The first was a seal that decided to come on board for his daily snack of dead fish from the owner of the boat. The next was the pelicans that I thought were going to take my head off flying directly towards the boat. The Dolphins appeared and disappeared very quickly, way too fast to catch them on film! The cruise ended with a lunch consisting of Champagne and Oysters. Oh well, lucky for me they also served a cold buffet of sandwiches and meat snacks!

Friday 1st February - Sesriem

My day began with a very early start (05.15am!) as we entered the gateway to the sand dune desert in Sesriem. Set in a beautiful landscape with mountains to the east and dunes to the west. Yes I attempted to walk to the top of sand dune (47) but didn't make. Those of you who know me well, know I am not keen on heights and believe you me, that sand dune was very high!

Wednesday 30th January - Fish River Canyon

I crossed the Border into Namibia and headed for the Fish River Canyon. The canyon is situated along the lower reaches of the Fish River and is one of the most impressive natural beauties in the southern part of Namibia. I sat at one of the viewpoints watching the sun go down munching light snacks and drinking plenty of cool drinks. Even when the sun goes down is still hot hot hot! Can you believe people actually use to hike up and down the canyon! Apparently they no longer allow hiking due to a Frenchmen dying of dehydration on the Canyon as it took the emergency services five days to get there.

Tuesday 29th January - The Orange River

Today I left Cape Town and was heading for Namibia. First stop over on route was The Orange River, which is the longest river in South Africa. The river forms part of the international borders between South Africa and Namibia. Although the river does not pass through any major cities, it plays an important role in the South African economy by providing water for irrigation, as well as hydroelectric power.

Monday 28th January - Jackass Penguins

Today I visited the African Penguins at The Boulders, one of the most popular destinations in Cape Town. It's has a colony of Jackass Penguins, wandering free amongst the bathers with not a care in the world. The colony was initially started with just two breeding pairs in 1982 and has now grown to over 3000 birds. They are so cute when they walk, it reminds me of the way someone I know dances - mentioning no names!

Wednesday 23rd January - Cape Town

Due to me being disorganised and not realising that the tour I begin this Sunday covers a trip to the top of Table Mountain, we re-organised ourselves and travelled around the South Western Tip of Africa. This included a range of mountains stretching from Signal Hill in the north to Cape Point in the south and the seas and coastline of the peninsula. The narrow stretch of land with its valleys, bays and beaches is surrounded by the waters of the Atlantic Ocean in the west and the warmer waters of False Bay and has within its boundaries two world-renowned landmarks - Table Mountain and the Cape of Good Hope.

Finally arrived in Cape Town, South Africa

After a delayed departure from Heathrow, an unexpected stop over in Frankfurt I have finally arrived in Cape Town, South Africa. Spent most of today relaxing and enjoying the warm weather. Tomorrow I am off to Cape Town's most famous landmark and one of the city's greatest attractions, Table Mountain. Not looking forward to travelling to the top of the mountain by a revolving cable car, but apparently it takes you to the top in a just a few minutes. Beats hiking to the top which can take up to five hours!

Five days to go and counting

In five days I will begin my journey flying from London Heathrow to Cape Town, South Africa. Once in South Africa I will be spending a week with family and then starting my tour. My tour covers Namibia, Botswana & Zimbabwe and finishes in Johannesburg on the 17th February. From Johannesburg I fly onto Sydney, Australia. I am now going to try once again to pack for my trip. If anyone has ideas how a female manages to squeeze everything including the kitchen sink into her back pack please let me know!