ReTuRn Of ThE mIkE

Mikey is really happy to be back in Australia - the best part of being in Australia is featuring on my blog (that's what he told me). He loves having his photo taken....


We tried to pack in as much as we could in a few days in Sydney before our big adventure up north.

Another trip to the Blue Mountains for me - much more fun with someone to talk to! It's beautiful up there and a lot warmer than last time. I didn't even need any fizzy snakes to keep me going...

We superimposed ourselves on this lovely backdrop as we couldn't actually find it on our walk around the mountain tops...

Then we headed to Palm Beach for a day of sunbathing. The sea was trecherous but we were very careful to swim between the flags. I felt a sense of responsibility towards Mikey who is only used to the calm waters of Bournemouth...

And finally we went to the "Art and About" exhibtion in the city centre. It was lots of art installations in quiet, dark, deserted alley ways. Not sure how sensible this was at 10pm at night, but I'm told Sydney is a relatively safe place and we lived to tell the tale.

The Red Centre - Part Three: A Bit of a Hike and a Rock

A big part of the trip was HIKING! This is what the Americans called it. It wasn't too hot while we were there and our guide was kind enough to make sure that we were up and out by 6am each morning which meant that it was actually a bit cold some of the time.

We saw some spectacular scenery...

... climbed some very steep rocks.....

... felt very small at the base of Uluru - "Where's Wally?"

And we were lucky enough to watch the sunset at Uluru - impressive!

The Red Centre - Part Two: Swag Bag

I was picked up at 6am by our 4 x 4 and Tony, our guide. There were 9 people in my group, including 3 girls from California, a German (not the ridiculous kind), 2 Danish girls and 2 Australians.

Our first job was to collect firewood for our campfire. Not the stuff on the floor already.. no good. The boys had to break down the trees - the one behind me didn't last long.

We stayed in some beautiful campsites in the middle of the bush, watched gorgeous sunsets, toasted marshmallows and had a disco. And not a spider or snake in sight.

This is my swag. I loved it so much - I would like one for Christmas but not sure how much use I'd get out of it with 230 days of rain in the UK (this is not a joke - I looked it up on the internet).

There was a gorgeous view when I woke up in the morning after a very peaceful night's sleep, disturbed only by a couple of dingos and a hopping mouse - hop, hop.

The Red Centre - Part One: A Town Called Alice

It's been a bit quiet on the blog for the past few weeks and that's because I've been saving up for a trip to "the red centre". I decided to be a backpacker so found a nice little hostel just outside town and prepared myself for hanging out with some 18 year old gap year backpackers. Here's my hostel. Note the security gates...

Alice Springs is a quiet town. It has a river - see below. It's a bit dry.

The biggest difference to Sydney (at least the part that I live in) was the presence of a large Aboriginal Community. The white Australians seem to be trying their best to integrate them in to the white society but the success of this is a long, long way off.

I felt a bit uncomfortable taking a photo but to give you an idea, there are a lot of people sitting in the shade like this. If I'm honest, I was glad to be only spending one night in Alice before my trip in to the outback.