3hrs 5mins from Nadi to Auckland then 3hrs 30mins to Sydney

Planned arrival : 15th November 2003

Planned departure : 15th February 2004

21st November

Nicola writes...We have settled into Australian life very easily, probably because it all seems so English. We have an adoptive family, all the comforts of home, and we even have to work for our money again. More to the point there is the radio which plays English music, the media, and the shops. Sydney is just London but with sun, more space, a cleaner atmosphere and the bonus of the Harbour. Substitute the sea for the Thames, the Opera House for the South Bank and you have my new metropolitan heaven. In the sunshine everything positively gleams with the water so close.

The good news is that me and Rachel both have jobs already. We are working as waitresses at The Rocks Cafe which is, unsurprisingly, situated at The Rocks area of Sydney. Very famous as the first settlers landed there. Even more importantly it is right opposite the Opera House. Stunning location. Right at the heart of the most beautiful part of the city. I'm pretty chuffed with that.

Until job security arrived (we begin this Sunday) we had been shamelessly canvassing ourselves around the city, throwing our CVs at anyone who would take them. I began ambitiously by going to all the theatres and even managed to get a CV in at the Opera House itself. Well, you've got to aim high! They said they would let me know if they needed an Usher. Because of trawling up and down the city streets repeatedly on our job hunt, we are pretty familiar with Sydney now and how it all connects up. We know George Street well and all the shops along it. Oh, this leads me to a horror story and a warning to all backpackers...

NEVER SKIMP ON HAIR CUTS!!!

Obviously we are on a tight budget and we also happened to be in dire need of a hair cut after travelling for this amount of time. Namely my fringe needed doing as it was at my lips and completely ridiculous. Unfortunately we were attracted by the sign that read $10 and got sucked in with the idea of a 'bargain cut'. Suffice to say that I no longer have a fringe as it is about 2cm long. I'm mortified. This crazy chinese woman cut it off in one snip and ruined my face forever. I look like a male musketeer. I had even pointed hopefully at my passport photo to show her how I wanted my hair and add caution to her cutting. But no, she just took one sweeping cut and chopped the lot. Here I would like to make it clear that I dearly love my hairdresser Becky in England and profess her a wonderful and talented woman.

Anyway, away from this sore point and onto celebrations such as the Rugby. We have been getting quite into the World Cup as it is so big over here. We watched the England Semi Final outside on a big screen at Darling Harbour with a load of English fans and that was incredible. For the final we are at a BBQ with a load of Aussies so I really hope England pull out all the stops or we will be roasted along with the food! All pretty fun though.

Does anyone know why England are known as The Poms? It's bothering me and Rachel so do email us your answers.

To sum up, we are very happy and settled but it really does all feel similar to home only with some newly spectacular views. The family that are looking after us are so welcoming and friendly and put us completely at ease. It really feels like our home too and we can help ourselves to food and come and go as we please. We did some sightseeing today at Hyde Park barracks and learned about the convicts. Tomorrow we are going to a market in Paddington which is meant to be good, then having lunch at a famous Pie shop in a place called Woolloomoolloo (what a name!) and possibly catching a free didgiridu show before heading back to cheer on the Brits at Rugby!

The work begins on Sunday however at the Cafe and I'm not much looking forward to working for a living again. Might be a shock to the system after being a lady of leisure for so long.

25th November

Rachel writes...Thanks for all the news and gossip from England! I've felt as if Ive been back home the last few days thanks to Jonny Wilkinson who is full heartedly responsible for my minor addiction to the game of rugby at the mo (don't worry, this condition will fade!)

What a game, though it was a little difficult to show youre true support when youre in a room full of aussies! Darling harbour was taken over by us Poms with the white and red shirts everywhere! It was a fantastic night and as the people we are staying with know Louis Moodys parents, we got to find out what all the England team were up to afterwards. Anyway enough of that.

I hear it is raining in England but you are not alone - it has rained every day over here apart from one (but it is still hotter!)

Our new job at the Rocks Cafe is tiring as it is a real tourist haunt. Why oh why have I gone for a waitressing job (again!) Note to self - When considering future careers - delete hospitality!!( though the Americans are always very understanding)

Not much else to report, those of you who have seen the website know that nic and I received haircuts from hell and both look ridiculus so we hope it grows out by Christmas. If you ever see a chinese bloke with scissors run RUN in the opposite direction!

Sydney is really a stunning city, a bit like a cleaner, warmer London! We are definitely going to Bondi as soon as the sun comes out before we lose our Fiji tans.

Nicola writes... Hopefully Rachel has sent a full report of the Rugby Final atmosphere - she was even more into it than me and has hopefully summed it up well for the website. Suffice to say we were screaming at the screen in this Australian family's living room and shouting "Get in!" when the glorious victory finally came about. Although we were shaking with relief and exhaustion by the end of what was a pretty tense match.

Working in the cafe the next day was funny as the place was mostly full of Poms still drinking from the night before. One table enjoyed a beer breakfast. I also had the pleasure of pulling down the Wallabies flag that had been prematurely displayed in the cafe with the words 'We are the Champions' scrawled upon it. I rather enjoyed the symbolic redecoration to cheers from the British customers. Top moment. And I'm not even particularly patriotic... but the atmosphere in Sydney has been infectious. Oh, and the Australian neighbour across the street sent me and Rachel a deflated Wallabees helium balloon and said it summarised how he felt. Bless. We have not gloated however - simply held her heads proudly and been relieved that we have not been the subject of taunting which would have probably haunted us for the remainder of our stay.

Swing low sweet chariot indeed! Hear, hear!

1st January 2004!

New Year In Sydney

Nicola and Rachel write... Happy New Year! We are feeling absolutely shattered so its baby steps for us (excuse the poor quality of writing). We hope that you all had a smashing new year. Sydney was amazing. We started off by meeting Loz and Debbie and their German friends at the Opera house and took a walk to the embankment in Woolloomooloo (where Russel Crowe lives) where we could see the Harbour Bridge. It all began in a very civilised way when we all sat down to have a picnic. There were so many people there of all different races so it was a really worldly atmosphere. The multi-cultural experience has been one of the most important things to come out of Sydney. This year’s theme was light and sound and they didn’t disappoint! We watched the actual fireworks with a man who was a little more than enthusiastic, exclaiming at regular intervals "Ohh the indigos and look at the reds" Every illumination brought more of this until he was literally (and quite frighteningly) foaming at the mouth!

One thing we are both pleased about is the Australian tradition of pashing. Once 2004 began it was kisses galore, there was a lot of love! After cashing in on this we began our manoeuvre to Bondi Beach. On the way we just happened to bump into Ian Mckellen. Yes Gandalf himself is in Sydney for the festival this month! We heard his voice before we saw him but didn’t want to bother him as he seemed to be celebrating hard with a bunch of flamboyant youths. Bondi was quiet. There didn’t seem to be the alternative party there that we had hoped. However we met a guy from work and sat with his group of Kings Cross backpackers until the sun came up.

courtesy of Martin Simunic photographic and video services

Christmas Day was much like any in England only far warmer, which is a little strange when all their traditions are for cold weather. People sing ‘White Christmas’ and poor Santa is still dressed in boots. We went and watched carols in the Domain, which is broadcast on Australian T.V. It was a really atmospheric night with all the Aussies waving their candles in the night’s sky. It was nice to be part of a family at Christmas even if it wasn’t our own. We still got up at 6.30 to open the presents as Jack (adopted brother) was so excited.

We are sorry there hasn’t been an update for a while but with working and Christmas, time seems to escape us. Recently we went up the SE bridge pylon and the AMP tower so we have now seen the city from the sky. It was great to be able to jigsaw all the different parts of Sydney together which is something we wouldn’t of been able to do at the start. Now we think we know it better than London. We realised that we have seen most of the attractions and suburbs. We went to the Olympic park on Tuesday and stood outside the Telstra Stadium where England scored their victory. We also saw the torch and the rings from the 2000 Olympics. Most of our time is spent on the beaches and scouring sights like these.

Your messages meant a lot to us over Christmas and it was great to hear from home. We will keep you more regularly updated when we start the backpacking trail again in mid-January. Before then we have a trip to the Blue Mountains to look forward to as well as the Sydney Festival.

17th January 2004

Nicola writes...So this week involved leaving the Rocks Café which was actually very sad. I had just made friends with the Spanish barman and Czechoslovakian chef and was having a real laugh at work in the Sydney sun shine at the outdoor café. The Rocks area is so beautiful and feels like a second home now. Hugging goodbye to my worldly friends made me appreciate how good an experience Sydney has been for me. I meet such a variety of people in that job and know the city well enough to advise people on where to go, what to see, and what transport to take. I feel like I’m in the centre of the action there, looking out across the Opera House. It has become my city and separation will be tough.

We went to see Cold Mountain at the cinema one night which was essential escapism, especially as Jude Law is beautiful beyond comparison. Most exciting about the trip is the fact that we saw the film at a retro picture palace where the curtains are drawn up before the film, and glossy black and white photos of old movie stars adorn the walls. True movie magic.

At the Studio theatre of Sydney Opera House we watched a double bill of plays, ‘Eclipse’ followed by ‘The Musicians’. I loved having a night out at the theatre again, watching a collaborative project between the Australian theatre for young people, and the British National Theatre. It was part of the Sydney festival and an excellent treat. Afterwards we mulled about on the forecourt of the Opera House, soaking up the sparkling city and listening to the jazz playing below. The bridge was all lit up with lasers glistening on the harbour. Without sounding too dramatic, it is a view that elevates my very being! Gush.

We are very excited about the road trip to Melbourne with Gideon, who is charming, intelligent and looks like Hugh Grant. We should be driving the coastal road, getting off the beaten track, camping in national parks and being real explorers. It’s the freedom ride of teen dreams!

Unfortunately after 5 weeks of solid sunshine it began to rain again yesterday literally dampening our plans to go to the Latino Festival at Darling Harbour and dance outside all night. We are sad not to have gone but the weather really made things difficult.

Anyway, we now have our new itinerary. Again it is only preliminary and subject to change.

Rachel writes... I am feeling in a very reflective mood today as my time in Sydney is coming to an end. I’ve had an amazing time and was even beginning to enjoy work! The Sydney festival is on at the moment and the City has been lit up with lasers so the bridge looks even more fantastic than usual.

We went to see two plays at the Opera House the other night. One called ‘Eclipse’ by the poet Simon Armitage and ‘The Musicians’ by Patrick Marber. They were performed by the National Theatre from England and the Australian youth theatre and were both great though some of the aussies clearly weren’t prepared or couldn’t speak with English accents for their parts, which was funny. By far the funniest however was the guy who based his appearance and accent on Alan Partridge. He had us in stitches.

We have also gone to The Blue Mountains recently and visited the three sisters and echo point. The best activity was definitely horse riding in the Megalong Valley. I think they saw Nicola and I coming though as comically I got Jester who spent the whole time wanting to get home and kept trying to canter down hills and round corners with no thought to his poor rider who was suddenly woken from her sight seeing with a jolt and forced to cling on for dear life! Nicola got Wally who didn’t actually want to move at all and refused to go into a canter for practically the whole trip so with the group waiting for Nicola and my horse trying to get a lead on everyone else’s, we looked like a right pair. By the end we looked remotely professional though, mastering some kind of control over our wayward horses! They had really thick Aussie accents in the valley and we just had to get our pictures taken by the yellow Kangaroo sign by the side of the road!

We will miss our family in Sydney and are going to see Jazz in the Domain tonight with them and then we are off to Uluru tomorrow and then Darwin. It is the Monsoon season up there and apparently the croc and alligator populations are getting out of control so even the aussies think we’re nuts but we’re looking forward to it. We have also got a really good deal on a rental car so our road trip is going ahead. Gideon is going to book it for us. Once in Melbourne we think we might go on a surf course for a day as the guarantee is that you will be standing on the board by the end of it. They may have met their match with Nicola and me but it is a challenge.

Obviously we can’t miss out on the tour of Ramsey Street either so we will let you know if we bump into Harold! I better go as I still have to pack my bag (again).

24th January 2004

Rachel writes...Well it doesn't seem that long since I last contacted you but so much has happened since then. Not only have I been introduced to (and in somecases eaten) some interesting wildlife, but Nic and I have grown to love Uluru and Alice Springs. As I looked out the window of the plane at Uluru, first impressions were definitely of the "I've flown thousands of miles to see a huge rock - this could be a mistake" kind but for some unknown reason this huge rock has a habit of growing on you.

Our first day did not start well, with a series of comical events. Firstly we broke our tent. Yes all that Duke of Edinburgh training has seemed to have had little effect. It is only the second time we've used it and it is ridiculously small as it is and now the end is all caved in so god help us if it rains!! It is also ludicrously expensive as they can charge what they like - it's in the middle of nowhere after all. The next day we had to get up at 4 am to watch the sunrise at Uluru and we almost missed it due to a lack of organisation and Nicola!

Yes Nicola's sense of direction, which as anyone knows is poor at the best of times took a hilarious turn for the worse at 4 in the morning. I thought by pitching our tent 100 yards from the bathroom, that it would all be ok but oh no. We were running late so we only took the one torch and to save time Nicola took the torch and went back to the tent to collect our bags - or so I thought. I was left brushing my teeth in pitch blackness a few yards from a red back spider ( of the highly poisoness variety, like there is anything else in Australia!) So imagine my horror when I arrived back at the tent to find no sign of her. After screaming Nicola (and probably waking every unfortunate soul within a mile radius, I see a torch light bounding towards me at break neck speed with a sheepish voice shouting 'coming'.

Nicola had somehow walked off in the wrong direction, towards the gents, somewhere in between the bathroom entrance and our tent. Somehow, hilariously we still made the bus.

We watched the colours of Uluru change at sunrise. However the best part of the day was going on the 2 hour ranger walk where we learnt all about the Anunga aboriginals and what they eat and their sacred places. Uluru is definitely a place you can find yourself and there is a real spiritual feeling. We also did the 10km base walk and by the time we finished it was 42 degrees - so time to jump in the pool.

The next day was the Olgas. These are far more spectacular in terms of views and it feels as though you are entering the lost world. Our campsite also had a grasshopper infestation and there were thousands of them so as you walked they catapulted themselves at your legs and arms - absolutely crazy. Speaking of creatures , I am guessing that one in ten deaths in the outback are caused by flies. They surround your face and dive bomb your eyes and mouth and crawl under your glasses and in your ears. Basically drive you insane! It is amazing if you get to see anything through the fog of them.

Alice Springs was fantastic and Nic and I ate some insect eggs, bush coconut and bush tomato. We all backed away when the ranger started looking for a witchity grub. He was most dissappionted when he couldn't find one. We were relieved. I am a bit of an expert on the old witchity grub and its medical purposes now as well as the witchity bush but I hope I never have to use them!!

We are now in Darwin and the wealth of insects continues. Last night I shared my shower with the biggest cockroach you have ever seen in your life. Nicola was laughing at me as I screamed hysterically. Everytime I thought it had gone its horrible antennae poked over the top of the shower again. It was the worst shower I have ever had! Tomorrow we are going to go on a big 4 wheel drive tour and feed some crocadiles. I am not sure what that entails but can only assume that we are NOT the food.

28th January 2004

Nicola writes...I finally feel like I have arrived in the real Australia. Darwin is the land of Crocodile Dundee and all my glorious stereotypes of Australia. In Darwin itself the city is pretty dead and there is little to do so we got a tour to Litchfield National Park, and Kakadu. The last two days have been brilliant as we explored Kakadu in a four-wheel drive with a full-on Aussie guide. All the men here wear the big rimmed hats and have thick accents. They know about hunting and bush tucker. Talking of bush tucker - Rachel licked the bottom of a green ant to get a sweet sherbet flavour. I abstained on that occasion!

The tour kicked off with a crocodile cruise on the Adelaide River where we saw crocs jumping out the water for bait. It was amazing. The rest of the time was spent walking round this lush tropical environment, swimming in gorgeous waterfalls, admiring views and the stone country, looking at Aboriginal rock art, wowing over termite mounds twice the size of human beings and swatting persistant flies! In the evening we had Didjeridoo lessons and ate in the bush camp. The guides are fantastic and would randomly stop the car to run out and chase a lizard into the bush, trying to catch one for us. Honestly, it was proper Paul Hogan-style madness. We stopped at an outback Pub where they have the Buffalo from Crocodile Dundee.

It was just good to get out to nature for a few days, lie in springs and natural jacuzzis. The group we travelled with were a great laugh and it was lovely to have friends around for a few days. You attach yourself to other travellers so quickly.

So, that is the report from Darwin. So much happened that it is tough to sum up neatly. It felt like a real Oz experience and guess what film I want to watch again when I get home? Who's up for Crocodile Dundee at my house? Anyone?

1st February 2004

Nicola writes...Thought I'd give you the low-down on what is going on at the moment. We have now embarked upon the road trip with Gideon (the Texan we met in Fiji who looks like Hugh Grant). We are driving to Melbourne over 2 weeks, camping in national parks, swimming in beaches and exploring anything that catches our eye on the way. Gideon is incredibly knowledgable about every topic under the sun, and can talk to anyone about anything. You have to meet him to believe it. Anyway, the three of us get on well and I am getting lots of lessons in healthy eating and cooking. No more instant noodles for us campers as Gideon teaches us to make Risotto, Stir Fries and uses a range of veg, seasoning etc. Very good preparation for Uni. Also a very good detox diet for me and if I lose weight then that is a bonus.

Anyway, enough trivial details.. on to the trip! The first day we drove out of Sydney into the sunshine, stopped at a gorgeous encaved pool and swam around it until we hit a beach. Very idyllic. We hopped back into the car and drove on and then disaster struck! The car was making a terrible noise which we instantly guessed was lack of petrol. Gideon hitched into the nearest town to get petrol and returned but the sound was not quelled. Then I flagged down a van and it turned out that our exhaust had fallen straight off. What a nightmare. We ended up on the back of a tow truck! The vehicle is a Toyota Camry by the way, before you boys ask, and should have been perfectly reliable.

That set-back dealt with, we proceeded on and are camping our way round the coast line. We visited Hyams beach which boasts the 'whitest sand in the world'. Apparently, that is 'classified' in the Guiness Book of Records. After that world No.1 we headed to Canberra.

Why is Canberra Australia's Capital? We knew that it was a quiet, dull place. We felt that we had to see it becuase it is the capital. We were aware that it is a manufactured, purpose-built city in between Sydney and Melbourne because there was a feud as to which of those two cities should be capital. I was prepared for man-made lakes, bland buildings and boredom. Nothing could prepare me for Canberra. It is the most boring place in the world and should be 'classified' as such in the Guiness Book of Records. It has no charm or character. A tourist guide at our camp site even laughed at us when we asked what to do in Canberra. There is nothing to do. This is the lady who is paid to specialise in tourism here. We went up the sky tower for a view of the blandest city in the world and ended up laughing. One of the posters advertising local highlights included 'city buildings'. When that sight becomes a listed attraction, the alarm bells really ring. Suffice to say you feel empty for making the trip there and just have to laugh at it all. Nonetheless we have dutifully viewed Parliament House, visited the Museum and actaully enjoyed the local market. Lots of free food samples! I would also hasten to add that I am sure the community in Canberra is very strong and it must be a peaceful place to live. Just don't visit - ever! It's the best advice I can give you.

More interesting are the little towns we have happened upon on the drive so far. In one place on the way to Canberra we stumbled upon a country music festival where these old rockers were playing on the back of a parked Lorry in front of a Pub. Such a bizarre sight to see the locals getting into it all, and we stuck around for a couple of numbers as well, most entertained. The local people that you get chatting to in these nowhere towns is what makes the trip so worthwhile and fascinating for me. You just meet all sorts of characters and feel a sense of the world's spectrum of people. We met a 68 year old lady at a hostel in Darwin who was doing a round the world trip on her pension! Anyway, I could rattle on about these little oddities for days and of the funny conversations that come up. Especially with Gideon around - he seems to inspire people to tell them their life story, which isn't always a good thing!

So there is a glimpse into our life at present. We should break free of Canberra's boredom tomorrow and head for the Snowy Mountains.

14th February 2004

Rachel writes... Well we've done it, officially the cheesiest, most touristy and hilarious of trips out. Yes we visited the street of Neighbours! Ramsey street is actually Pitt Street and it is this tiny little cul de sac in the eastern suburbs of Melbourne. Tiny is the optimum word!! We soaked up the atmosphere as we stepped from the hostel into a mini bus with Neighbours painted across the sides and watched a DVD of various musical singles from past neighbours veterans (some were truly horrendous)!

Our tour guide fed us up on jelly sweets and the first stop was the street! Did you know that Erinsbrough is an anagram of neighbours! Ah good old grundy. We got our pictures taken with the Ramsey street sign and outside all of the houses. We particulary liked Harold Bishops house (they have to have security there at night to stop people stealing rocks from his garden - bizarre!) Then it was off to see Erinsbrough High school and the studios. It is like Charlie's chocolate factory in there and no one is allowed in, but as we were outside the front Jaye Bunyan aka Jack Scully was chaufered past in a car and pulled a hilarious face. We also saw Toadie's yellow cab, the outside of the Lassitors' complex and watched an old eppie where Todd dies on the way home. No surprises that most of the tour was English then and I think every aussie officially cringed when we told them we were going on it. Harold is at the bar on Monday but we will already be in Asia so we will miss him. So we have lowered ourselves to the cheesiest tourists imaginable but it had to be done.

Melbourne is an arty city with tiny little alleys and streets with greek and Italian restaurants. Its south bank is like London's but on a smaller scale and it is definitly student orientated. We could stay here much longer than we are but it is time to move on to Asia.

We said goodbye to Gideon yesterday which was really sad. A fantastic guy and a great cook. One of those people who inspires you to read more and know more about the world around you. He has now gained a cow boy hat for his twenty-fifth from us so he can fulfil all our Texan stereotypes. The road trip has been fantastic and we went to Philip Island and watched 600 penguins come home for the night across the beach including baby penguins. We also climbed Mt Kosiosko in the Snowy mountains, the highest point in Australia but at a meagre 2220 metres it wasn't hard and the most spectacular views were from Mnt Oberon at Wilsons prom.

We saw a wombat at Wilsons prom and they are big. It saw our food and came running towards it and we had to herd it away to save our dinner! We have also enjoyed the company of many wallabies and possoms all of which are as cute as you can imagine. We haven't seen a koala in the wild yet though and we are running out of time!

We are in limbo at the mo and are getting a night bus to Sydney before flying out to Asia on Sunday. We feel totally unprepared but are ready for a new challenge.

Nicola adds... I have had a wonderful time at the National Parks and of what we saw 'Wilson's Prom' was by far the most visually stunning. It had an abundance of wildlife, the air was filled with kookaburra calls and the coastal rocky views were breathtaking. Indescribable, the place just gave you such a natural high. I have loved the camping experience and the natural life. We swam in the sea, washed in the river and lived as cheaply as possible (sometimes sneaking one of us into campsites for free by hiding either me or Rachel from view in the back seat). We've done lots of walking, observed a huge range of Aussie wildlife and had a very peaceful trip. Feel like a natural earth woman.

17th February 2004

Nicola writes...we went to Wendy and Steve's house when we arrived in Sydney. They were superb to us. They had picked up our new flight tickets for us (because the Flight Centre was closed on a Sunday), they let us have showers and freshen up, they laid out a fabulous lunch and drove us to the airport again (which saved us a lot on transport).