Fiji

February 29th - April 1st 2012

I didn't keep a journal at all in Fiji and therefore have to rely on photographs to remember exactly what we got up to, which to be quite honest wasn't very much! We immersed ourselves entirely in Fijian life and adjusted to 'Fiji Time' where things take as long as they'll take, there is no rush and you just have to surrender yourself to the laid back way of life.

We turned up at our lodgings which was a dorm room at Bamboo on Fiji's main island of Viti Levu. After some time here watching volleyball and taking part in Kava ceremonies we organised our island hopping adventure which would be 16 days exploring the Yasawa's and Mamanuca's. There are no ATM's on the islands, some don't even have electricity 24 hours a day so we had to venture in to town to try and get enough money for the whole trip as the local ATM would only let us have so much. After a bit of stress we finally found a bank that would allow us to take out as much as we needed. We boarded our coach which led to the ferry terminal at Denerau.

Nabua Lodge - Nacula Island

Our first island and a beautiful one at that. We learnt the 'Bula' dance and played games with the other guests most of whom where beautiful blonde Swedish girls. We went for a walk in the hills and stared down at the crystalline water. We slept in bunkbeds in a dorm 'bure' and showered outside. On one of the days we ventured to the Blue Lagoon to go snorkelling in the clear waters. This is where a Brooke Shields movie was filmed and it was supremely beautiful.



Nacula Island

White Sandy Beach - Naviti Island

We had our own private hut in the gardens right by the beach and I celebrated my 24th birthday here. Disappointingly it rained on my birthday though I did get cake! We did more dancing and game playing, Craig won one of the games again as he won on the last island too, he has a knack for it! I had to lead a dance congo line which was extremely embarrassing, Craig winds me up about it to this day due to my lack of dance skills under pressure! We met great people here, Klaus, Keeley and Colin who we had laughs with round the dinner table. We played card games with the locals and frisbee on the beach.

Bula Dancing

Octopus Resort - Waya Island

This was my belated birthday treat as Octopus is one of the more upmarket resorts on the Yasawa's. We got a great deal when we booked it meaning that we stayed in a four person bure for the same price as the big dorm. It had a beautiful outdoor shower attached so you could shower under the stars but with hot water as all the other places in Fiji had been cold water so far. The beach here was stunning but there was also the advantage of a pool which we made full use of. The food here was much nicer and there were more treats like ice cream and milkshakes although you had to pay extra for them. We joined in with the quiz night with some Australians and a couple of French girls. We drew several times on the general knowledge questions but always lost the tie breaker which was an embarrassing dance or performance. Keeley joined us on this island which was lovely.



Octopus Resort Beach

Wayalailai Ecohaven - Waya Lai Lai Island

Our dorm on this island was the biggest and hottest. By this point we were getting fed up of learning the bula dance as we already knew it off by heart! One day we decided to climb to the top of the island which was the hardest climb I've ever undertaken due to the speed at which the Fijian guide took us up there. Many people turned back but after a few tears Craig pushed me on and we reached the top dripping with sweat but it was worth it for the achievement and views. The rest of the time we walked on the beach, lazed around in hammocks and read books. I was in the middle of Stephen King's The Tommyknockers.

View from the top of Waya Lai Lai

Bounty Island

Bounty Island was another slightly more upmarket resort. We had a small dorm to ourselves but only stayed for one night as we needed to stay somewhere in order to get our boat to the next island chain, the Mamanuca's. The island was small compared to the others that we had been on, we walked around it in less than an hour. The food here was really delicious which was great as the last place wasn't so great. It would have been nice to stay here longer as they had free activities but we didn't have time.



Bounty Island

Mana Island

The accommodation on Mana Island was the worst. The dorm bunk beds were old and uncomfortable, the rooms had one tiny fan and no air conditioning so it was incredibly hot and the food was horrible. We spent a lot of time moaning with the other guests which bought us all closer! We met the wonderful Neil and Alice here as well as lots of other lovely people. We heard a story of a British guy that was attacked by several dogs on the island just a day or two before we arrived which shook us up and meant that we didn't want to walk around the island alone. We led on the beach and Craig learnt how to make coconut jewellery. We watched a local Fijian man dance with fire, did drawing with the local children and saw the most amazing sun sets.

Beautiful colours

Our trip around the islands had been great, they sum up paradise with their white sandy beaches, clear waters and lovely friendly locals. After the islands we returned to Bamboo where we had a traditional Lovo dinner before seeing a bit of the south of Viti Levu. We visited Sigatoka Sand Dunes and went to Fiji's capital Suva. We stayed in the Rainforest Lodge and at the Beachhouse on Fiji's beautiful Coral Coast.

Our last few days weren't so great as Fiji was hit with terrible storms leaving many homes without running water or electricity. We didn't know if we would make it out of Fiji due to the weather but luckily managed to catch our flight although it was extremely delayed. It was a shame to leave Fiji on a bad note as we'd loved our time here although probably stayed a lot longer than we really needed to.

Melbourne, Australia

February 23rd - February 28th 2012

 

We arrived back in Melbourne before dawn and walked with our heavy rucksacks to the top of Elizabeth Street right by Queen Victoria Market where our hostel was situated. We were incredibly tired as we'd had a sleepless night on the coach but weren't able to get into our dorm yet so we left our rucksacks and after breakfast walked down to the river. This was our second time in Melbourne as before we spent a week in a luxurious apartment in the Docklands area with Mum and Jo. We had to return as we were flying from here to Fiji.

Once our room was ready we walked back up the hill to the hostel and checked in. This was our first encounter with an Australian hostel as we'd stayed for two months in our own camper, a couple of weeks in apartments with mum or at Reva's lovely house. The hostel was an absolute dive. The room was disgusting but mostly because the people living in it seemed to think that they could tip their whole rucksack contents on to the floor and leave it there. Some English guy left food in his locker and obviously never cleaned it as whenever he opened it the whole room would be filled with the gross smell of rotting food, my bunk was right next to this locker. The kitchen was horrible, hardly any utensils and the ones that were there were filthy. I'd love to say that we looked at the state of the hostel and walked out in disgust to a better one but when your budget is so tiny you just have to grin and bear it. We left for supplies and got some chips for dinner, the lovely guy must have felt sorry for us and gave us free food, maybe because of our depressed faces at the thought of going back to the dorm!

Disgusting dorm

After a sleepless night thanks to the idiots in the hostel we left early and went across the road to the market where we bought army style metal cups for our tea and coffee and treated ourselves to apples and grapes! After a look around the hundreds of stalls we strolled down to the Ian Potter Centre and had a look around the galleries. There was a great exhibition of the photographs of Fred Kruger and some lovely aboriginal pieces too.



Art Gallery

The following day we decided to go down to the National Gallery of Victoria. We walked down Swanston Street and across the bridge to the big museum. At the entrance is a huge glass wall with water running down it which is a striking feature. The galleries were huge, we walked around it examining most pieces in detail, the variety was massive and there were some beautiful Impressionist paintings. After lunch we found one of Melbourne's famous lanes covered in graffiti art. In the afternoon we went to the library and after using the free internet sat outside on the grass soaking up the hot late afternoon sun.

Graffiti

Graffiti

On February 26th we decided to walk down to the Australian Centre of Contemporary Art or ACCA which was again across the river. The space is housed in an industrial building to reflect the area around it. There was an exhibition by Pipilotti Rist called 'I Packed The Postcard In My Suitcase' which comprised of installations involving light and sound. After the exhibition we went outside in to the blistering heat and walked to the Hopetoun Tea Rooms which we had seen when we were here last. We treated ourselves to a milkshake and cake each which wasn't cheap as it came to $31. The cakes were delicious so we felt it was money well spent and a treat from mum as she had left us with a bit of money on her travel card. We spent the evening talking to family on Skype, I was feeling low as over the past week my camera had slowly started to give up and the lack of sleep in the hostel was getting me down. Talking to mum cheered me up instantly though, I wished she was able to spend longer with us.

Pavlova

As we would be leaving Australia for Fiji in a few days I needed to desperately get my camera looked at and fixed. After enquiring in a camera shop we went to see a guy who immediately diagnosed the problem as the copper wire linking the camera to the lens had frayed due to so much use. He wasn't able to fix the problem in the time we had left but recommended that I simply buy a new lens which would sort the problem. He gave up his time to have a look at the camera and didn't ask for anything in return, what a lovely guy! We went to a few shops and I got a new lens for $200 which was $50 cheaper than anywhere else so I was happy to at least know that I would have full use of my camera again. Craig bought a mini netbook as it was such a good deal so that we would be able to use wifi and hopefully save money on internet cafes. After a stroll around the city we had dinner at a little fish and chip restaurant which was lovely and better than making food in the hostel kitchen.

February 28th was our last day in Melbourne and in Australia! We were so happy to leave our hostel and will be glad to never have to return. Our time in Australia had been an amazing one, we travelled thousands of miles in our own little campervan experiencing all different landscapes and cities. We had lived in a cramped little camper, experienced luxury and had a taste of living in a real Australian home as well as seeing what a few dollars a night will get you in a hostel. We visited new friends made in Asia and discovered real Australian hospitality. Our highlights were Cairns and Tropical North Queensland and off the beaten track areas like the Waterfall Way and Charters Towers. Sydney was great to see but we definitely preferred the countryside and the places where there were few tourists and backpackers.

Adelaide, Australia

February 9th - February 22nd 2012

We arrived in Adelaide in the early hours of the morning and after a quick glance of the map started walking from the bus terminal to North Adelaide where our apartment for the week was. It was a long walk with our heavy rucksacks but as we went we watched the sunrise over the city and park.

We eventually found the apartment and caught up on lost sleep. Once up we walked to the supermarket for supplies and then in the evening were picked up by Reva, mum's friend that moved to Adelaide a few years ago. We had dinner in Reva's beautiful home and discussed our trip so far and the adventures that we had been on.

The next day we went to Adelaide Zoo as mum really wanted to go. We walked to it as it wasn't far from our apartment. We saw loads of wonderful animals, the pandas being a particular highlight. It was nice to see a Zoo that had high standards unlike some of the places we'd seen in Asia like the Beijing Zoo for example where people don't seem to have much respect for animal welfare and instead treat the animals like objects of entertainment.

Panda in Adelaide Zoo

February 11th we walked into the city centre and mum and Jo spent quite some time in the gift shops looking for souvenirs to take home. Craig and I knew that we had plenty of time to see the sights and museums of Adelaide because after mum and Jo would be flying home we still had quite a few days here before returning back to Melbourne so we were happy to spend the day chilled out wandering around taking in the sights. We went to see the big fountain and Rundle Mall which has some lovely street sculptures.

The following day we went for a walk along the river before stopping at a lovely little cafe for drinks and cakes. In the afternoon Reva's husband Mark picked us up and we went to theirs for a traditional Australian barbecue. The food was great and we got to catch up with Reva's children who I grew up with. When we got back to the apartment we had a text from Reva offering us a place to stay when mum and Jo flew home which was so kind of them as it would save us a lot of money and provide us with a nice place to stay rather than having to go to a hostel.

February 13th we walked into the city and hired a car. Craig was designated driver and we drove up to Mount Lofty. After lunch in the restaurant with amazing views we took some photographs. It was a scorching hot day and from the summit of Mount Lofty you can see the whole of Adelaide.

Mum and Me at Mount Lofty

The next day we woke up early and drove the hour and a half to Victor Harbour. We parked up and walked along the pier which joins Victor Harbour to Granite Island. We had lunch on Granite Island and then went for a walk, it was another hot day but the walk didn't take too long as the island is so small. We drove to another little town and went in a couple of the shops and sat on the beachfront people watching.

Bridge connecting Granite Island to Victor Harbour

February 15th we drove to Hahndorf which is an old German settlement in the Adelaide Hills. The town is full of quaint little shops. We stopped off for a cream tea at a lovely cafe before browsing through the shops. Mum and Jo managed to pick up loads of great things to take home with them. In the evening we dropped off our big rucksacks at Reva's as we would be going there the next day to stay with them for a few days.

Hot chocolates in Hahndorf

The following day was one that I had been dreading, saying goodbye to mum and Jo as they would be flying home. The last 16 days went so unbelievably quickly. We packed up and drove mum and Jo to the airport and waved them off at the terminal. There were tears as it was still months before I'd be seeing mum again and we weren't sure exactly when that was going to be. Before leaving Jo gave us the parking ticket money and mum left us her currency card which still had a couple of hundred dollars on it. I'm so lucky to have a mum like mine and lucky to have mums friend Jo as well. We returned the car to Thrifty in the nick of time after a mad dash. After a Chinese for lunch we bought bus tickets and made our way to Reva's where we had dinner and settled in.

February 17th was our first day without mum and Jo in Adelaide. We went to the Art Gallery of South Australia which had contemporary art temporarily placed amongst the traditional art as part of an arts festival. We went to the library and had a look around before going on the internet to catch up on events at home. We then went to the Museum and learned all about Aboriginal people and saw a variety of exhibitions. We walked down to Central Market which has stalls for everything that you'd ever want to eat, fruit and veg, cheeses, wines. For dinner we ate cheaply, I had a veggie curry while Craig went for all you can eat Chinese.



Art Gallery of South Australia

The next day we decided to spend at the seaside so we got the bus into the city and hopped on to a tram which takes you all the way to Glenelg. We walked to the end of the pier and watched the people fishing and the kids jumping in to the water. We walked around town and bought some $3 strawberries which we took to the seafront and ate while people watching. After a long walk in the sun and some chips for dinner we got the tram back to Adelaide.

On February 19th we decided to go to the Immigration Museum. Entry was by donation so we put in a couple of dollars and walked around learning all about the British colonisation and the Aboriginal people that it affected. Some stories were absolutely heartbreaking and I couldn't help but feel so awful for those affected, especially the stories of Aboriginal children taken from home so that they wouldn't grow up with those traditions. After the museum we wandered down Rundle Street to the Garden of Unearthly Delights which is like a circus/carnival.

Garden of Unearthly Delights

The following day was almost like a typical Saturday at home because we decided to go to the cinema and watch Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy. We had amazing enchiladas for dinner and chilled out at Reva's.

For our last full day in Adelaide we decided to go to the Botanical Gardens as it's just about the only thing in Adelaide that we hadn't done and it was free. We took a picnic and sat on the grass in the perfect sunshine. The gardens were beautiful and kept us entertained for the rest of the day. The following day we chilled out and then got dropped off at the coach station for our overnight journey back to Melbourne.

Botanical Gardens

Great Ocean Road, Australia

February 6th - February 8th 2012

We woke up early and headed out to meet the minibus for our tour of The Twelve Apostles. Our first stop was Bells Beach where we had billy tea, Lamington cakes and crackers with vegemite and watched some wild kangaroos in the distant fields. A very Australian start to the day.

First Stack

After morning tea we saw one of the amazing 'stacks' which is what the Twelve Apostles are made up of and we went to a lighthouse which featured in an Australian TV show. After taking in the beautiful ocean views and the white lighthouse we drove on to the Great Ocean Road gateway. We stopped at the memorial to the people that built the road after the war and then stopped at a place where we saw wild koalas and fed the brightly coloured birds.



Feeding the Birds

We stopped for lunch and then drove through the countryside before getting out to go on a walk through the forest which was really interesting but very cold. After the forest walk we came to another stack and walked down the steep steps to the beach to get some closer photographs. In the van we sucked on eucalyptus sweets to keep from falling asleep because although the guide was great and very informative he had a monotone voice which was sending me and Jo to sleep.

A few minutes drive down the road and we saw the actual Twelve Apostles which consist of several (but not twelve) rock stacks which have been carved away over time by the crashing waves. They were a beautiful sight to behold and we managed to get some nice photographs of them although all the viewpoints were pretty crowded. The next stop was to a cave and some interesting rock formations carved over many years by the sea.

Two of The Apostles

The final stop of the day was to London Bridge, an impressive section of land that has been eroded over years to form a kind of bridge which used to be attached but collapsed fairly recently. Apparently you used to be able to easily walk over the bridge and people were stranded on the other side when it eventually did collapse but luckily they were saved.

After London Bridge we stopped for dinner and chatted to other people on the tour before the very long drive back to Docklands and our lovely apartment.

The Four of Us and London Bridge

The following day we had a relaxed stroll around Melbourne after our very busy tour and ate ice cream. Tomorrow we would be leaving Melbourne to go to Adelaide, mum and Jo were flying but us backpackers were taking the overnight Greyhound coach to save money, something I was very much dreading.

February 8th was our last morning in the luxurious Docklands apartment which we had had such a wonderful time in. We packed up and checked out and after a lovely breakfast at a local cafe saw mum and Jo off as their flight was soon whereas we had to wait all day for our coach. Craig and I caught the tram to Flinders Station and then walked to the library where we spent an hour on the internet catching up with events from home. After Nando's for dinner we walked back to the apartment to collect our rucksacks before walking to the bus station to catch our coach to Adelaide.

Melbourne, Australia

January 28th - February 5th 2012

We drove into suburban Melbourne and over the next few days prepared our campervan for handing it back on February 1st. We cleaned it from top to bottom and attempted to sell bits and pieces that we bought along the journey. The campervan was looking in great shape but we were worried about a few chips in the windscreen which we picked up weeks ago and knew we'd have to get sorted. We saved money any way we could just in case we'd have to pay hundreds for a new windscreen and gave the camper a DIY wash rather than forking out for a professional clean. In the evenings we chilled out reading our books and savouring the last few days of being in the camper where we had lived for 2 months. I was getting very excited as soon I would be seeing my mum who was flying out to meet us in Melbourne.

Shiny Campervan

February 1st came and we left our campsite and drove down the complicated roads to Melbourne, full of tram ways and hard to comprehend turns. We found the apartment buildings where mum and her friend Jo had arrived at and parked up. Mum came down and we had a cinematic run and hug moment with a few tears as I hadn't seen her in 5 long months which felt like a lifetime.

We dropped our bags off at the beautiful apartment which we would be spending the next few days in. Mum and Jo had organised and paid for it and it was pure luxury, modern and with amazing views over Melbourne's harbour. After a whistle stop tour of the apartment we got back in our empty camper and drove it to Travellers Autobarn. We fuelled up but weren't able to get a gas refill as easily as we could in Byron Bay. After explaining the campers problems the guy decided to call it square, we didn't have to pay for the gas refill or the windscreen repairs due to the difficulties we'd had with the front door lock, broken sat nav and the original cleanliness of the camper. We walked away feeling great as we'd saved a lot of money and felt that Travellers Autobarn gave us great customer service.

Melbourne

We walked through town back to the apartment and went out shopping for supplies. After weeks of tomato pasta and beans on toast we were able to buy fruit and vegetables, yoghurts and sweets! We had delicious fajitas for dinner and watched TV before getting in to our massive and amazingly comfy bed.

The next morning was a lazy one as mum and Jo were still jet lagged and we couldnt get out of our amazing bed! We had breakfast and went for a walk. First to the harbour and then over the bridge and along the South Bank. Jo treated us to our first ice cream in Australia and we savoured every bit. After walking through some very pretty gardens we sat down by the river with a view of some sculptural art pieces and rowers on the river. We walked to Federation Square where we sat and had some expensive nibbles at a cafe. We window shopped along various streets before walking back to the apartment where we chilled out for the evening. The following day was another laid back one where we booked two tours and wandered around eating ice cream. Craig and I would be returning to Melbourne later in the trip as we were flying to Fiji from Melbourne so we didn't want to do too much in order to save lots of activities for later.

Amazing nachos in Federation Square

On February 4th we got up early for our first tour which was a trip on the Puffing Billy Steam Train. Unfortunately Jo wasnt feeling well so the three of us left withour her. Our first stop was for morning tea where we had scones with jam and cream and met some of the native birds. We then drove on to Belgrave Station where we boarded the steam train. It took us through some beatuiful landscapes and through the Melbourne countryside. We got to Menzies Creek and got back on to the bus which took us to Sassafras a pretty little town full of quaint shops which we had a chance to look in though we could have spent hours there.

Puffing Billy

Me and Mum in Sassafras

The following day we wandered to the other side of the Docklands and stumbled across a boat show. We then caught the free circle tram to Federation Square and we had a look around the Victorian Arts Centre Makers Market. We crossed the bridge and found a Turkish Market and then stopped at the lovely cafe for lunch. We explored a little bit of Chinatown and then walked back to Docklands passing some trees wearing Aboriginal style wooly jumpers.

Snowy Mountains, Australia

January 27th 2012

Today's journey was a little bit of a disaster because while choosing a route from Cooma to Melbourne I chose an unsealed road which the campervan isn't permitted to go down but I didn't think it would be too bad, I was very wrong! We struggled down the bumpy, rocky, gravely roads for quite a few miles before having to turn back and find an alternative route because we were too afraid of the damage that might be caused to the van which we would have to pay for when we returned it in a few days time. Whilst driving down the road I managed to get some great landscape photographs which made the journey worthwhile even though at the time we felt a bit rubbish as we felt that time and petrol had been wasted.

We decided on another route through Kosciuszko National Park. We got our ticket at the barrier as you have to pay if you want to stop anywhere in the park, to save money we decided not to stop and drive straight through taking pictures from the campervan as we went. We drove through some more beautiful scenery though it was completely different to the scenery that we had driven through this morning. The roads twisted and turned, up and down. Once through the park we started to drive on level ground and went past some lakes, we passed two wild kangaroos before turning in to a rest stop for the evening. It had been a long day of driving with stresses but the photos are some of my favourite of Australia.

Canberra, Australia

January 24th - January 26th 2012

Once we got our campervan going we drove to the Blue Mountains. It was really miserable and drizzly so once we finally got to the viewpoints we couldn't actually see anything but white fog. We drove around and got some shopping from Katoomba before driving down some very windy country lanes which eventually took us to a free campsite in the middle of the forest. It was cold and damp but once we pitched up on a spot and started cooking our dinner it felt really cosy. There were plenty of other campers about so although it was an isolated place we were surrounded by other people so the dark forest didn't seem scary.



Misty roads

The next day we packed up and drove back up the twisting roads to Govetts Leap where we hoped that the fog had cleared so that we could get a good view...it hadn't.  Again we were faced with thick white fog. It was a bit of a shame, I've seen the Blue Mountains before on a previous trip and it was a highlight but Craig hasn't and he missed out. After driving to Echo Point Lookout to the same view of white nothingness we gave up and started to make the journey to our next city, Australia's capital, Canberra.

The views on the journey were beautiful and the weather started to clear as we got to lower ground. We found a basic camp site for the night and watched a beautiful sun set from our camper.

Sunset over treetops

We left our caravan park and drove in to Canberra's city centre. On the way we noticed that the city was full of spirit as today January 26th is Australia Day. We parked up and went to the National Gallery of Australia and spent a good few hours in there admiring art from all different era's and countries. We could have spent longer in the museum but started to feel hunger pangs and so left to make ourselves some lunch. Afterwards we went to the National Portrait Gallery and looked at a huge collection of traditional and modern portrait paintings. Both museums were free so it was a cheap day sightseeing.

Aboriginal Embassy

After the galleries we walked along Lake Burley Griffen to the sound of Men At Work's Land Down Under which was playing to locals who were setting up celebratory picnics and barnecues. We then walked inwards to the Old Parliament House and gardens. We walked past the Aboriginal Tent Embassy, a sight for protest among Aboriginal people and into some pretty rose gardens. We then waked by the new modern Parliament House and then back to the camper where we drove south through some beautiful country landscapes to a free rest stop just outside Cooma which had fantastic views over fields and a river.

Outside Cooma