On the way back from the supermarket

On the way back from the supermarket
Originally uploaded by lucie.gray

It seams such a long time since I posted and that is mainly because it is, I'm sorry I have been so slow on the uptake but with lack of internet over the past few weeks and lots of darting all over the place i've not had much chance to catch up.

Australia is vast, bigger than europe and a place where your idea of distance is confused and a 2 hour drive is 'just down the road' But here I am where I started in Melbourne and with 5 out of the 7 states ticked of my to see list I think I've done quite well.

After diving in Cairns I headed up to Cape tribulation, where the tropical rainforest meets the beach and it's so untouched it must look pretty much the same as when Cook found it back in 1770. I stayed in a very remote hostel right in the forest and just off the beach. It was so far removed that it was a 2 hour round walk to the shop! Needless to say I did loads of walking while I was up there, even taking in a night walk in the jungle were we got to see lots of sleeping lizards and birds as well as my first wild snake, not something I wish to repeat!

Waiting for the show to start

Waiting for the show to start
Originally uploaded by lucie.gray

I left Cairns and flew to Alice Springs for a 4 day tour of Uluru, the Olgas and Kings Canyon. Oh my goodness nothing in the world could be quite like this place. You drive for hours and see nothing but a huge cartoon sky and red sand with a few bushes dotted about. After the fourth hour of nothing I really did wonder why I had wasted my time and money to go and see a big pebble. The rock itself is very impressive but I found myself finding people spotting much more fun. The first evening we went to watch the sun set over Uluru something the every tour does so after our guide told us to hurry up or we might not get a parking space we jumped on the bus and headed to the rather busy 'sunset viewing carpark'

I have never found something to funny in all my life and I luckily found myself in the company of a German with a sense of humour as we went off to do a spot of people watching. This is where the tour operators go to town and bring out the champagne and nibbles before the show starts, you could point out the more posh tours by the cut glass champagne flutes and the cheaper backpacker options with their plastic mugs. (I was more middle of the road with a bog standard glass and sparkling wine)

I was really lucky with my trip and because we were quite a small group, the first two nights we were upgraded to another trip which included someone to cook for us and tents with beds and fans. It was so hot that most days we had to get up before sunrise to enable us to do the walks, on one day it was 28 degrees when we started walking at 6.30 and nearly 40 when we finished at 10! I have never been so hot in all my life. I would love to say that my trip got me closer to understanding the Aboriginal culture but no... It did help me to fully appreciate air conditioning though.

Tasmania

Long and winding road
Originally uploaded by lucie.gray

After a quick weekend stop in Melbourne I gathered my things and My brother and headed down to Tasmania for 5 days. Ade and I had discussed what we wanted to do with our time and we both agreed that we wanted to do lots of walking and avoid towns. As it turns out Tasmania only offers steep walks and long and winding roads in between them.

We found some beautiful beaches, amazing views along the way and some fantastic fish restaurants. We also did our bit for the local economy by consuming local beers and wines (which we felt were well deserved from all the walking)