Rainbow Beach, Fraser Island and Brisbane

25/02
We wake up at 7am as our flight to Brisbane is early. The flight is pretty short (2hours). We still dream of our dives, Val reads the inflight magazines, I write a bit about the past few days. We now touch down in Brisbane. It not as hot and humid as Cairns! Which feels nice. We have hired a car and at the rental office desks, we're being asked if we would like a free upgrade to a bigger car (we originally hired a small, tiny and cheap car!). Of course! We are upgraded to a big Holden (Aussie made), very luxurious. Nice because we have quite a few kilometres to our next destination: Rainbow Beach. The choice is simple: sandy beach, surfing and diving!
Few hours later we reach Noosa for lunch. It's a seaside resort, famous for its surf waves. It's quite big and quite posh in fact. The beach is lovely, but it feels a little bit too built up. I get new flip-flops as mine are pretty tired. We then drive again for a while and we make it to Debbie's, our new accomodation, in Rainbow Beach. It's the start of the low season and it's not busy. Instead of staying in the main house, we're upgraded (once again!!!) to a lovely semi-detached house, bedroom, (great) bathroom, kitchen and living room. What a change from the boat cabin and the grotty place!!Nice to have some space and a house for ourselves! We walk around town, watching the burning sky of the sunset. We do a bit a shopping for tomorrow's breakie. We watch a bit of TV and off to bed. The past few days have been intense, we need more rest and it seems to be the perfect place.

26/02
The night has been really rainy. But the day is welcoming us with a great blue sky. Slow start but we go to have a look at the beautiful sandy beach, quite wild with bushes arouund and no houses. We walk along the breaking waves. It's quite windy but it feels like a proper holiday time. The feeling of rush is slowly fading away. We do a bit of food shopping, book tomorrow's excursion, and then go home where I fire up the BBQ, Aussie style. We've bought some chicken with Teryaki marinade. It's great to wind down this way! We're really enjoying our time here. We're very relaxed and peaceful. Rainbow Beach is a very small resort town (more like a village really). And it's not crowded. And the house is so quiet. After lunch, a little nap (I think we took that nice little habit on the boat!) and we're off to the beach. I decide to enjoy my afternoon surfing the Aussie waves. Val stays on the beach reading, chilling out and sunbathing. It's a nice day, warm despite the strong wind. Good to have a bit of sun. Back on the beach we walk on the golden sand before sunset and then go home. Tonight it's lamb BBQ and fresh salad and a glass of rose. Lovely!

27/02
Early start today, we're going to Fraser Island, the largest sand island in the world. We booked a tour even if we are not big fans of them but we have no time here so one day on the island will do. We drive around to pick up the group, we are 12, mainly foreigners and everyone seems nice. We take the small ferry that cross the sandy straight separating the island from the mainland. It is pouring rain, we are very annoyed as it is supposed to e amazing...Nice ride on the beach, it is all sandy so 4WD ride on the sand and it feels quite fun! Our small coach gets stuck in the sand, a great start of the day!!!We drive around, go for tea in a resort then visit the Lake McKenzie, a stunning lake with blue water, white sandy beach, it is a perched lake, depending on rainfall.
Fraser Island is a world heritage site because of its exceptional natural beauty, its sandy beaches, dunes, its tall rainforest, dune lakes and it is truly incredible. The vegetation has grown despite the fact that is it all sand, the plants find nutrients from thin coatings on the sand grains and then from the forest floor, incredible! The rain has stopped now, we can enjoy the place, it is a huge island stretching over 123 kilometres in length. The lakes are great, the island is surrounded by saltwater but has more than 100 freshwater lakes!! We visit the rainforest, a proper rainforest with tall trees, a thick canopy of leaves, pines, eucalyptus, satinay trees (only found here). Truly beautiful. We have a short lunch break then we head on to the famous 75 Mile Beach, an amazing beach which is also a highway where all road rules apply, but also a runaway!!! We go to Eli Creek, visit an old logging camp and see the Maheno shipwreck which was struck in 1935 by a cyclone, we observe some coloured sands, the weird coastal dunes formations. We learn about the strong history, the logging industry, it is very interesting and this island is incredible. We both feel this day was a great introduction but we want more so we will have to come back here as it feels magical. We get back to Rainbow Beach around 5pm then go for a long walk on the beach until dusk, it feels peaceful and serene, we both reflect on our time here...our Australian moment is coming to an end, we both loved it, felt connected to this continent with so many aspects and contrasts.

28/02
We are leaving this country tomorrow, feels weird and a bit sad as we both really loved being here, it was fun, beautiful, magical, exciting and sometimes intense, a country gigantic and diverse, with amazing landscapes, strong history and friedly people. We have seen friends here, stayed in homes, met new people, overcome fears, had fun...It was a really good experience and we want to come back to dscover more!!
We wake up around 8sih to finish packing, go to the post office and then walk to the beach, we are sending many stuff back home as our bacpacks are too heavy and soon we won't have the luxury of cars in Asia so we are from now on travelling light!!! It is really sunny and hot, the vibe is a holida one, people in shorts, bikinis, the beach is quite busy, I am going surfing this morning and Val swimming, reading and resting. A beautiful morning. I enjoy the surf, the waves, but it goes very quickly. Already time to go, Val loses her sunglasses in the waves...a gift to this place then!! We leave around 2pm, to go to Brisbane, our last stop before our flight to Bali. Tonight, we are staying at Nigel's, who used to work with Val in Oval. Going to be nice to meet new faces and stay in a home again! The drive is long and a bit boring, but we manage to arrive a bit early so rush to the koala sanctuary to see some little animals before going to Nigel. We are late!!It is closing in 10 minutes and the guy doesn't want to let us in, Val is very disappointed but a kind lady tour guide sees us and sneaks us in discreetly and so we get to see two cute koalas before leaving the country! They look like furry toys, very cute and cuddly...
We reach Nigel and Nikki's, Val is really pleased to catch up, we meet the boys, have a BBQ, lots of wine, laughter anfd many interestring conversations, Nikki lived in Oz before and worked with Aboriginal communities, a truly intense experience. Very enlightening for us to share with them, about their life here, the many changes and challenges...Inspiring to hear about relocating, starting afresh here and dreaming of a new life with your family...a great night!!

Cairns and the Great Barrier Reef

18/02
Landing at Cairns airport, we pick up our bags and head out to grab a taxi, making our way to Cairns City Backpacker, our base in Cairns.
The hostel is set within a complex of 2 Queenslanders houses surrounded by trees. It has a swimming pool (more like a big tub, really!) and outside sitting area. The first thing that strikes us is the humidity and its smell. We experienced this in NZ too. That sort of smell, which is a mix of rotten leaves and humidity that does not go away...sweet and hard at the same time, stays everywhere in the bags, the clothes, us and so on.
The hostel and its buildings are definitely not recent. It's dated and probably in need of refurbishment, but hey, it's cheap and we won't stay there much (and prepares us for the wet!!). We unpack and decide to go do some breakfast shopping in the nearby supermarket. And then it's already the end of the day! We head off to our free hostel meal at the Woolshed, a bar/restaurant hosting evening events everyday, every week. There is a free shuttle service from the backpacker to the restaurant.Cool! On the way we speak to a young canadian girl and Richard, a young Aussie from Perth who's just come back from Vietnam. We get some very good information from him: where to go, what to see etc.
We arrive at the bar, it is ramed with backpackers (mostly in their early 20's) spending their cash on booze and meal upgrades. The free meal consists of Chili con carne, spaghetti bolognese or vegetarian pasta. We both opt for the chilli.
Once again we feel a bit weird there, we are not this age anymore. We've spent the past few years hosting or going to dinner parties, enjoying (too?) deep conversations around few bottles of wine. But here it's different, welcome to Party Land!!! Drinking, flirting, drinking more, and flirting even more...Sexual young energy in the air! We are both puzzled to feel that bit older! It is funny though and we're having fun watching them. We then come back to our hostel and have an early-ish night because tomorrow is a big day. We'll start the Open Water Diver course, that will teach us how to become closer to marine mamals!

19/02
The pick up time for the course is at 8.30am, we drive to the Pro Dive centre. We run through the course introduction, fill up all the paperwork, and start with the theory all morning. It feels like going back to school (and it is!). The morning goes very quickly (funny, in my (Fab) school time, I felt minutes were hours and days were very long!!!!) and we take our food order for the lunch break. Meanwhile we have the diving medical exam.
At the beginning of the afternoon, the swimming pool exercise starts: getting our equipment ready and how to look after it, how to breathe underwater, which turns out difficult for Val. Some other exercises involve removing the mask underwater, filling it up with water and flushing it with air. The mask is extremely hard to remove underwater, and Val experiences a big stress, she panics a bit and this stress is enhanced by some problems with her contact lenses. She ends up losing one. The first drills are painful for her and she'll now be very tensed everytime we'll have to do do some masks and regulators exercises.
Susan (Sue), our German instructor tries her best to reassure her and goes through some tips to get Val back on a more relaxed attitude. But the course is quite intense and the schedule is busy. We need to get on with the tuition. Val feels a bit rushed and wishes we had more time to get used to the new environment.
Out of the water again, we learn a bit more about the equipment we are going to use. And it's the end of day one. We get a drop off to our hostel. We rest for a bit, a debrief. Val becomes anxious as the night draws close, she want to give up, as she feel she can't overcome her irrational fears. The moment is intense. I (Fab) feel OK and try my best to calm her down. The night will be difficult...

20/02
Around our morning breakfast, Val is quiet but agitated. The night has not helped her too much and she's very anxious, as we start the morning in the pool, trying out different type of equipments, masks, snorkel, finns etc. before doing the second part of our pool exercises. Val is stressed with the mask exercise again, still not succeeding to keep calm. Eveytime she gets to do the mask thing she feels like she suffocates, that she's going to drawn, her nose filling up with water. It's extremely stressful for her, even in the shallow end of the pool. More difficulties arise as we are now in the deep end of the pool. We need to practice the emergency ascent. Val hates it. But she bravely persists and with a lot of Sue's persuasion, she succeeds (uncomfortably but brilliantly) in all the exercises.
We break for lunch, heading out to the centre of town before going to the Pro Dive shop to see if we want to buy the equipment we tried earlier on and register for the boat trip. After the bad mask/contact lenses experience and hours of chatting together, Val decides to buy a prescription mask to feel safer and have less to worry about as tomorrow is a different story: we'll be in the Big Blue!!!
Our wallets lighter of few dollars, we go back to the classroom for more theory and the final exam, we pass the test, Fab being mister 100 percent!
It's been a long day and we have to wake up really early to get to the boat and sail to the reef. We're not lucky as few youngsters party hard all night in the hostel. Some Irish guys get really drunk and we have to ask them to be quiet, twice, but it doesn't work. We'll end up with only two hours sleep...not a great night before the big trip!!!

21/02
The pick up is at 5.50!!! It's hard core with barely no sleep. We need to stow the bags, to check in. We wait at the shop, then we're all ready to go, 32 passengers and 7 staff! We arrive on the boat, Scubadiver 2. We get a briefing for what is going to happen in the next three days, get the security briefing and procedures.
We are 2 groups of beginners and some advanced divers as well, first briefing: we learn about the boat, we get to know the staff, the schedule. The boat leaves Cairns harbour.
We take some time to rest (at last but only a little bit) until we moore in the great barrier reef around 10.30am.
Everything goes quickly, we're here to dive and if it is too slow, we can't do all the training dives we need to be able to do the free dives after the certification. We get ready for the first training dive. It is funny to see 36 people getting ready in such a short time, on the same deck, dressing up in black protective lycra suites, BCD (Buoyancy Control Device, that's the inflatable jacket in layman's term), the (heavy for Val!) weight belt, mask, snorkel etc. A total of 15Kg on the back. We feel a little bit like donkeys really! It also feels a bit like an army operation...or a James Bond movie!
And there we are, ready to go, looking high, hand holding the mask, one big step ahead and we fall in the big blue, heart beating hard, all our senses completely alert. A big 'splash' later, that noise everybody heard sometimes on TV or else, that very noise of breathing underwater, well, we're producing it... amazing and up we go up, the BCD makes us float like a big buoy! It's crazy, dear old Archimed! But the fun's quickly over, we need to 'sink' to dive, down there, and meet some of the GBR locals... We deflate our BCD, looking at the bubbles going to the surface and disappearing...We feel the increasing pressure on our eardrums, we need to 'equalise' the pressure between the inside of our bodies and the outside. But we go down fairly quickly without much problems (a bit for me, Fab, actually, well you know, ears...work stuff!!!!)
Val is stressed in the ocean, she's apprehensive for the mask exercises but we do not have to do anything for the first dive. We just need to follow our instructor, 12m below, looking at what we've been all dreaming of for the past few days. And here they are, little Nemos (clown fish), anemones, all sorts of corals and beautiful angelfishes, surgeonfishes, parrotfishes, butterflyfishes...and few minutes later, round the corner of a rock, a green turtle! She's swimming 'like a bird in the sky', munching a jellyfish away (good on her we're all thinking!). It's beautiful, so serene, so relaxing...Val is relaxed, sucking fast her air away like I also do (we both are 'air pigs', great huh!!), I've also managed to calm down. It's funny, I keep having that sensation of 'falling' when I dive!
And between two animal discoveries we also practice our new skills, and the buddy system. It's a great dive, a good start! We then stop for the lunch break, Val is seasick, many people are, lots of (small) waves, but the boat rocks side to side.
She is also tensed as she worries she won't manage to do the mask exercise again...It's now time for the second training dive. We do lots of exercises, and the mask stuff comes. Val nearly suffocates under the water and has to be held by the instructor, she starts to worry she won't pass, with that weird feeling of suffocation (which does not happen) and anxiety...I am fine, but feel worried for Val, she's not quite enjoying her time here. We break, come back on the boat to chill out. We debrief, like after each dive, we chat to people. The group is very mixed, different ages, nationalities. There is a nice atmosphere on the boat. We have our meal and off to bed. Tomorrow is going to be challenging, we have the practical test. The boat is still rocking. And Val is getting extremely nervous.

22/02
After a very tensed night we have our first dive at 7am. It's hard to wake up and go straight in the water without a breakie!! We see a green turtle, but Val is getting low on air quickly. She's is very tense because of the exercises again. We learn about compass navigation. The masks stuff comes back again. And another panic for Val with the mask. But the group is small. It's quite nice for her to feel surrounded, supported and encouraged by all.
We break and we go for our last training dive. We all have to succeed or we won't pass the certification. After much worry, the mask exercise is finally cleared by Val without too much problem but it still feels difficult and stressful. We surface. It's now 11.30am and during the debrief, it's a success for both of us. We are now certified divers (yipee, no more mask stuff, ever!!!) and we can dive alone with a buddy up (or down!) to 18 metres. Lunch break, then it's time for our first dive ALONE, as a team, with no supervision. It is 3pm, we see sharks, stingrays, many fishes: triggerfishes (beautiful but stear clear, they are the pittbulls of the ocean!), clown fish, little Nemos etc. It feels great and peaceful, we're both comfortable in the water but Val's still breathing too quickly. It will be a big challenge to learn to regulate her breathing and feel more relaxed under water.
We then chill out, sleep a bit to recover, and then we get ready for the next dive. The night dive. Big anxiety for me. I feel scared of diving in the darkness. In fact I feel anxious again to experience what I would now qualify as the 'Milford' syndrom! Sue, our instructor, tries to make everyone laugh with a funny but brilliantly scary briefing with big great white sharks stories...We actually do see some sharks (not the big great white!) very close to the boat and many people are uneasy. Weirdly enough Val feels good about it, she really wants to do that dive and feels excited about it. I am anxious but make it to the water, we all slowly dive in the dark, with torches, feeling peaceful, following the little lights of the diver in front of us. We all (7 of us) stay very close to each other...Some people panick and go back to the surface, like little balloons flying up to high skies. We both feel relaxed, I even manage to overcome my fear of dark. We dive under a small overhang (yes me, too!) and see a gigantic sleeping green turtle tucked under a rock! It's magical, I lay down flat on the sandy bottom and stare at the beauty! We see fishes asleep, like the parrotfish in his snort bubble and then slowly start to ascent and we see some sharks around, quite impressive! Back on the boat around 9ish for some cake. We both feel really good, and empowered! We spend some time chatting with a French couple met on the boat and then off to bed. Good achievement, it feels great!

23/02
It's a very long and intense day today as we have to fit in 3 dives before 12!! We wake up and do the first dive a 6.30am. It's so hard to get in the water so early, we feel unmotivated...but are rewarded with a great dive, seeing two turtles eating corals and jellyfish. We managed to get very close to them. They're beautiful creatures swimming so graciously! We get to see more sharks, even a black tip, pretty rare apparently. We feel good to be alone in the water and relaxed. It's one of our best dives, with many fishes. We break for breakfast and then another dive at 9.30am. It is pretty exhausting! We are a team of three this time with Ryan our divemaster as he has no buddy. It's not that interesting. It is now raining and the water is a bit murky. Well, not that much in fact as it is the Great Barrier Reef and the visibility is still great but not as perfect! We are lucky to learn to dive in near perfect conditions and water! We chill out then the third dive comes, Val feels lazy and I find another buddy to go with, Sam. Val stays on the boat, chats with Sue our instructor who is the vigil-look out for this dive. A moment later I come back. The dive was very enjoyable. I swam under an arch, saw enormous maori wrasses (they're as big as my dive buddy!!!) and more little clown fishes!
Last lunch as a team on the boat, we have a debrief then agree to all meet for a goodbye dinner tonight. We make it back to the shop to pick up our bags then we're off to the hostel, we are staying again in the grotty backpacker but want a different room as the first one was too close to the action!! We take a hot shower, the proper first one in 3 days, so nice! We chill out a bit then off to town for our dinner. Nice evening, dinner then drinks with the group, we all end up in a club-bar, full of youngsters. We do feel very old at the moment, everyone in their twenties!!! Val feels like an old granny, I do not quite feel adequate... but we have fun, we dance, we have few drinks. We leave and go back to the hostel under the tropical rain at 2 am!! We both feel dizzy, wobbly because of the boat, we got used to having the floor moving and it keeps doing that now.... And it is not the alcohol!! It was nice to socialise, be with a group of people and share some common interests. Lights off.

24/02
We are lazy today and spend the morning sleeping. We spend a part of the day planning the trip. We are leaving tomorrow for Brisbane, we have to book a flight, find a car and some cheap place to stay for few days before Bali. It is hot and we feel tired. The boat trip was great but intense and full on. We are a bit exhausted, but in a nice way.
We finally leave the hostel around 2ish, go for a light lunch and a walk, but it is really humid and hot. We chill out in the pool at the Esplanade. Cairns does not really have a proper beach in town. So they've built a splendid pool overlooking the sea. We then go to the internet cafe, book our trip, then back to our canteen for our free meal (part of our hostel deal, we still get a free meal each day...chili con carne or spaghetti...a bit boring after three nights but it is free!!!). Back to the hotel as we have to pack and get ready, the flight is early again tomorrow. A lazy planning day then!

Melbourne, Wollongong and Sydney

12/02
The morning is gone quickly as we have to take a plae at midday so we do a quick shopping in Alice Springs around town then drive to the airport, we dsay bye bye to our fun 4WD then it is a long flight back to Melbourne.
We pick up the new car, the last one here, we will then use public transports, and back to our little hostel in Melbourne. We spent the eve watching tv and I eat lots of nutella!!Naughty me...nice to chill out and do nothing...

13/02
We sped the morning in the Queen Victoria Market, the mother of all Melbourne markets. I leave quiuckly as I decided to do the cheesy Neighbours tour!!Yes!!!! Fab goes to the barber, gets his hair cut, then shops for a bag in the Crumpler factory. I have an OK time, atching the sopa set, meeting some member sof the cast,. seeing the street, the famous Ramsay Street!!How cheesy is that!!!
WWe met aain around 6.30pm whee we leave Melbourne and reach Albury at 11.30pm. Such a logn drive to reac Syden, going to taketwo days....We find a motel as we are too tired to drive more. We need to be in Wollongong at Amy and Dion's on the 14/02. Luckily enough, we get a nice room at discounted price, nice t have a bit of luxury: an esnuite bathroom!!
We reflect on the bushfires, we saw the desolation, the consequences of those horrible fires in the north of Victoria, desolated empty burnt lands, very depressing...

14/02
We leave the motel around 10.30am, drive all day along the Hume Highway. we do a little stopover to see Jervis Bay under the pouring rain, one of the most stunning spot in east coast, white sand and blue water apparently...We found everything grey and it is a bit depressing!! We see some dolhins in the grey sea...nice! We drive off to Wollongong to Amy and Dion's. Amy is a friend of Fab from wor, and she moved back to Oz a year ago. We meeet up with Baby Sofia. We hae an amazing dinner, Dion is a real chef! The house is beautiful and it is nice to be with friends in a home. we are only 82 kilometres south of Sydney.we chat, drink and eat until 2.30am, we talk about travelling, life, baby, Oz, etc. A relaxed time for us!

15/02
We have a good morning, very chilled, we ae being pampered, Dion cooks us some pancakes, with fresh fruits and honey. It is pouring rain again, funny to be in Oz and see so much rain, remindsus of London!! But it feels very tropical here if a little cold. We chat till 2pm, then make our way to Sydney. Was so good to catch up and be in a home, and be looked after!!
It rains the wole journey, we just have time to go and see the Sydney Harbour, the soul of the city. We get a glimpse of the Sydney Opera House, such an icon in Oz and the nice Harbour Bridge, built in 1932. We then drive over the bridge to Tanya and Mike's in an affluent northern suburb, Mosman. Tanya is our friend Cara ' sister, so nice to be welcomed in another home!! It is a beautiful Federation house. We meet up wit the kids, William and Lara then have a nice dinner, finding out more about themselves, their experience of Oz, quite inspiring. Again nice to be with people in a very homely atmosphere.

16/02
We start the day, relaxed, doing our washing machine and chatting with Mike about life here, we then drive off to Bondi Beach. Bondi Beach is one of Australia's most famous beaches and among the world's most well-known beaches!!Funny to go there! Miraculously the weather cleared up on another one of Sydney's icon and we get to see it with a bit of sun...won't last tho!!It is a cool place, shabby chic, a great beach with impressive waves. Lots of surfinghere, surf life saving was started in Australia and the Bondi Surf Bathers' Life Saving Club was formed in 1906. We sart the long coastal walk from Bondi to Coogee along the clifftops via Bronte where we have lunch in a lovely cafe. We see may swimming baths, panoramic views, big waves. But is now pouring rain again and badly, we are so wet!We fight with the wind. How funny to be in of the sunniest spot of Oz under the rain! we watch the rain, the sea, we talk about sharks, a shark attacked a surfer here yesterday, almost severing one of his hands. It was one of the first reported attack in 80 years on Bondi!!
The walk back is exhausting, we are wet and a bit fed up!!!We stop over at the skate park (weather cleared up again on Bondi!!!), Fab feels he wants to ride again, nice to watc tem , they are really good! We observe the joggers, there are so many of tem, eery body is fit and healthy, running around the bach, impressve!!!A real cliche but a nice one...people go running before or after wor, the beach lifestyle seems nice. We go back home and have a nice dinner with Tanya and Mike, nice to be with people, to hear about their experience here as expats. Bed time.

17/02
The morning is very relaxed, we have a chat with Mike, then he drops us to the ferry, we ride to the city, it is nice to be on the water, there are great views of the Opera House, the bridge, the harbour, nice. We decide to do a bit more visits ad walk around the Rocks, the site of Sydney's first European settlement, many old buildings, wharves, old pubs...nice walk in an interesting part of town, we learn about the history, the wharf workers, te bubonic plague in 1900, the construction of the bridge. We then walk to the Opera House along the waterside, it is such an amazing building from every angle, there are so many tiles, it feels light, airy and so ahead of its time. Revolutionary really and such an incon in the landscape! We both reflect on how architecture can influence the feel and vibe of a city, defining it deeply. We have a light lunch close to the water, then we take a ferry to Manly, despite the bad weather ad grey clouds. Nice ferr ride, atching the water, the beaches, it is a really nice laid-back suburb with great views of the city, the harbour and apparently an amazing coastal walk to do but we are unlucky and it starts pouring rain so we rush to get the bus and back to Mosman to get our car back. We drive to Epping where our friends Nadia and Keith live. so cool to see them in their place, we spend a great eve, chatting, catching up, remembering our trip to the Cook Islands, Keith bbqued for us and it is great to be together. Late night then off to bed!

18/02
We have a good breakfast and time with Keith, then we drive to Newtown on the way to the airport, it is a nice suburb, edgy, trendy, with many shops and restaurants...a good bohemian vibe...nice litte stop before rushing to jump in a plane, we are now off to Cairns to do our diving course!

The Red Centre

8/02
We go to the airport very early and spend a long time waiting to get in our low cost flight to Alice Springs. Not as much space as previously, my back has been painful for the last few days and the big lady behind me keeps pushing her knees into my seat... pure joy! After 2 and a half hours of flight we land in Alice Springs, the capital city of the Northern Territory, change our watch, the time is different here as the country is so big... get our bags back and get the rented 4WD!! We have been upgraded for free and get a BIG Nissan Patrol!!! We are planning to do lots of tracks as we want to see few sites and leave the sealed roads. Very exciting!! After driving Pepe for a month, Fab is pleased of his new car! We drive to the cheap motel, very old and dated, quite dirty but again we get an upgrade and get a shower in our room. The motel is dirty really, old carpets, dated equipment but it was the cheapest in town and we know why!! We got for a walk in Alice to buy some food and see the town, despite the heat, it is around 39-40 and the sun is really killing us... We stop to buy a hat for Fab and get some fly nets to protect our faces as the flies are MAD and all over the place, hundred of them relentlessly attack us!!
The town of Alice Springs is the product of 19th century pioneers who opened up Australia’s interior. It is supposed to be a modern outback town, the base to explore the region. It is Sunday so everything but tourists shops are closed, we wander around the little streets but our impressions are not great... Many Aboriginal people are in the streets, begging or resting, looking very dirty and poor, a lot of them drunk... The shops seem to be owned by white people and the exploitation of the Aboriginal culture seems very strong... Maybe we are mistaken but it feels like the communities are very separate. We go back to the motel, have a late lunch then decide to drive to explore a bit. We go to the West MacDonnell Range, a mountain range stretching east to west for 400 kilometres around Alice, we drive to Standley Chasm, to see this narrow cleft in the Range. But have to pay to get in... It is owned by some indigenous communities and we will found out that all is about tourism here and making money... People have to find a way to make a living in this vast land... We don’t like having to pay to see some nature, but hey... We go for a little walk, the heat is bad and the flies are crazy, Fab is carrying a bag that is soon covered with flies, we are glad to have the little nets on our faces!!! It is beautiful, the rock formations are red, orange, very impressive with cathedral-height walls, creating a nice passage in the rocks. The colours are strong, ochre, fiery, with beautiful sun reflections. We drive again for a while on sealed and unsealed roads, the landscape around us is glorious, we go to the Ellery Creek Big Hole, a nice waterhole but don’t stop for long, we drive back to Alice and the sunset is amazing, the Ranges offer spectacular scenery with changing colours, the desert is really red and fiery, it is truly beautiful and feels peaceful. I connect a lot with that nature, it feels strong, harsh and intense. Inspiring, also for Fab who takes many pictures, we reflect on the significance of the land, on the Aboriginal culture, how the people are the custodians of the territory... We both want to find out about their culture but not sure how as everything seems to be touristy and not really authentic... I like the idea that they connect spiritually with their places, how it is feeding their arts... So different from what we have seen and the physical state of the people we saw today... We found out that the town has a massive problem with alcoholism and domestic violence, apparently mainly in the Aboriginal communities. It has now being declared a DRY TOWN! It is illegal to consume alcohol in public within the town boundaries except in bars or hotel... The take away purchases of alcohol is also restricted... All that to make the city safer... The heat is still on, it is now 8.30, it is probably 30 degres, we were hoping for a cool evening but that is not the case. A bit of food, we chat to a Spanish couple who came to Australia for a research project on penguins we tell them about NZ. We then get ready for tomorrow as the drive to Kings Canyon will be unsealed and we need to be ready for the big outback adventure... very exciting!!

9\02
We wake up early and manage to leave the hotel around 8.30, it is already 31 degres and very dry, we first drive to Hermannsburg to get our travel permit to drive onto Aboriginal lands. It is a small village, with an historical element, it used to be a Lutherian mission and one of the first ‘towns’ in the region, we see some missionary houses and get the permit to drive on the Meerenie Loop which winds west from Alice to Wattarka National Park (Kings Canyon). The morning is a real adventure, driving on unsealed roads, seeing rugged mountains, the desert is greener here, we are both surpised expecting it to be very dry. We will find out later tat there has been some rains, the flora is quick to develop and it is very green, arid type vegetation, with red sands. Challenging driving route but very fun! It takes us the all morning till 2pm, we stop few times to take pictures, to look at wild horses, we even see a wallaby or kangaroo, jumping around! We finally reach the resort were we are staying in the Park, it is the only facilities here, we get a small lodge in the campsite (a concrete small room with no bathroom) but there is a pool in here so we might use it... But it still to hot to do anything... We have a quick lunch then Fab naps and I write... We are here to do some walks and see Kings Canyon, in the George Hill Range. The National Park is supposed to be great with nice tracks, nature, rim walks and creek walk with nice views of the Canyon walls... We buy some juices at the resort shop and spend half an hour chatting with Simon, from Brisbane, he gives us some tips and advice on his region and where to see the sunset here... nice. Around 5ish we go for a walk around the Canyon, we do the easy walk on the canyon floor, he mountain range is beautiful and it is a really nice easy walk, we see many birds, many plants, trees with white trunk, admire the rock formations, we then decide to drive to a better spot to see the sunset over the Range. We spend an hour or so on the roof of our 4WD car, watching the sunset on this mountain, colours change, Fab takes many piccies trying to capture the gradual colour changes of the rocks, the moon is nearly full and looks striking, there is a nice breeze, it feels so nice, the serenity and peacefulness of the landscape really touch us. We both feel very happy, it is nature perfect... Back to our little lodge, for a quick meal of Chinese noodles and cheap soup, as we are waking up at 5am to walk to the rim of the Canyon and see the sunrise... Apparently it is a wonderful walk, quite rocky but worth doing... Bedtime, trying to avoid crossing dingoes (wild dogs running around the campsite!)...

10/02
Hard to wake up at 5am, I still manage to get a shower and a quick breakie, we drive to the Canyon at 5.45, it is dark but also bright as the moon is so full, we both feel sleepy but excited, few coaches and 4WD cars are already there... It is popular! The nice breeze keeps us cool and we won’t suffer from the heat until 9am, good!! It is probably ‘only’ 27 degres right now!! The beginning of the walk is not easy, a big rock climb to the rim of the canyon, many steps, I feel breathless and tired but keep going, Fab is taking millions of piccies already... The sun is slowly coming up, we reach the top and start walking along the rim, we are rewarded with marvellous views of the canyon and of the National Park. We are only 900 metres above sea level but it feels higher, the sheer red rocks start changing colours and being lit up by the sun, truly beautiful, there are many different levels, we walk around for 3 hours, seeing rocky formations, waterhole, the river bed, the garden of Eden, a little oasis with native plants dating back from prehoristorical times... Amazing... Nice to see the sunrise light up the canyons walls, it is magnificent. We slowly go down the hills, the walk is over, it is 9.30am And the sun starts to be really hot and we are baking on those red rocks... The sun starts to bake us... We can check out at 11am so decide to go to the pool to refresh ourselves, nice little dip, a shower then we jump in the car... Off to Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park... After 3 hours drive, under the sun, in the desert, we reach our destination, the Ayers Rock resort. Nice drive, but a bit monotonous, the desert is green, lush with many red rocks and sand, some valleys, plains, nice though, we stop at Curtin Springs, a working cattle station in the desert... And finally see the ROCK, Uluru, from far away, it is big but not that big, a huge monolith standing 348 metres high and red! The resort is the only place to stay in Ayers Rock, it is very commercial, 6 hotels, and a campsite, 23 kms from the Rock, we are here to see Uluru of course, probably the most famous natural landmark of Australia, the big rock, an icon really but also a place of great significance to the Aboriginal people, a very spiritual place but te national park has also other sites to see. It is said that the Aboriginal have inhabited this region for at least 50 000 years. The local Aboriginal the Anangu people are the traditional owners of Uluru, the park is jointly managed by them and the government. We reach our little cabin, nice, but a bit dated, a little wooden house in the campsite, we go for a drive around, try to find some food, it is funny and commercial, a town has been created around this rock, and just to service tourists, weird... We are planning to go for the sunset and tomorrow wake up early for the sunrise walk, around the rock, it is a long walk, around 10 kilometres. We decide to chill out until 6ish, when the sun is not so hot anymore... Fab naps, again, he is tired, I write on the terrace protected by my face net... I look weird but the flies are even worse than in the Canyon, they relentlessly attack you... We are both impatient to see the rock from close. Around 6.30, we go to the view point, a car park where we end up with few other people waiting for the sunset. The atmosphere is nice, we settle on the roof of our car, Fab chats with a guy from Singapore, I look at this monolith, impressive. Slowly the sun falls, the shadows evolve, distort themselves, the light changes. The rock turns red, ochre, it radiates, it's pretty spectacular. We are both touched by so much beauty... Funny to think it is just a big rock... but much more in fact... The night falls, the cars leave the car park, we stay there, chat to the ranger, and suddenly the moon rises over Uluru! There is nobody here, and we are amazed by the rise of the moon, it is full moon, we are lucky!! An incredible moment! After this brilliant eve, we go to bed early as we have to wake up at 5 am to see the sunset... It's going to be hard!!! The room is filled with insects and the camping toilets have information panels on venomous snakes, fun!

11/02
Hard to wake up, we rush to arrive before sunrise on Ayers Rock-Uluru, a race against time... We're vampires this morning, arriving before the sun! We stop along the road to see the sunrise: the rock is burning, it is different this time, red, intense, the desert landscapes become red, it is really magical and we suddenly forget how tired we are!! We then start the 'base walk', hiking around the rock, uber motivated!!! 10kms!! It is 7am and we are happy to be standing here, early and first on the scene!! The sky is deep blue, the sun begins to bake but a slight breeze spares us from heat and flies! We walk around, find the rock caves with Aboriginal rock paintings, see the sacred places closed to visitors, and observe the vegetation so close to this amazing monolith. It is beautiful and very quiet, we meet few people, it is still too early. The Park has been classified World Heritage by UNESCO in 1987 for two reasons: its biological and geological as well as its cultural significance. Uluru is bigger than it seems, masses of rock like waves, dunes appear at every turn, the forms are different, the colours too, the textures, shapes also... Very impressive! The beauty here is pure. The walk is a bit long, we stops few times, find the place where idiots climb the rock despite the fact that it is an offense to the aborigines, and such a lack of respect for cultures drives me mad!!! Uluru is very important to Aboriginal culture, it is a holy place, here as elsewhere, nature and culture interact, they are permanently connected. Because for these people, there was no difference between nature and culture, between past and present: everything comes from the Dreamtime, the time of the Dream and all returns to it. For the Anangu people, the Dreamtime is called Tjukurrpa. Katja Tjuta and Uluru were not places to live but places of passage and ceremonies. Anangu tribes were nomads who walked for miles in search of water and food. Their sacred law told them how to maintain the landscape and protect its resources. Unfortunately the tourists demand to climb is very high, the Anangu urge visitors not to succumb to this temptation. The access road to the summit is one of their sacred routes... After this beautiful walk, we visit the cultural centre which gives us an insight on those people, exterminated by the first European invaders. A culture closely linked to land and ancestors. Whole generations of Aborigines have been destroyed, with no culture and heritage. We understand better now the people we saw in Alice Springs, the legacy of a program of eradication... We browse the shops, owned by Aboriginal people, we talk about paintings and their meanings, do some shopping!
Then we drive to Mount Olga, Kata Tjuta, a group of rounded rocks, which are older than Uluru, in the same national park. We do a small walk but the heat is terrible and flies assail us... A picnic in the car and we hit the road to Alice Springs, 450 kms to do: thanks for the air con in the car!!! We want to arrive before 7pm to chill out tonight and rest before the flight to Melbourne tomorrow. Long drive on the dusty roads across the desert, we exchange about this experience. For me especially the Red Centre is the real Australia, the huge red sand dunes, stunning gorges, desert are fantastic. We both love the region very diverse and huge, very inspiring. The natural beauty of these places, their mythological footprint touched us, we hope to return one day to contemplate those places again. Arrived around 7pm, back in our little urban oasis in the desert, we find our motel room and go for a naughty Mac Donald tonight (bad!)... Time for bed!

Melbourne and the heat!

6/02
The morning is gone so quickly, we use the free internet at the hotel and plan the rest of our trip to Australia: booking our diving courses in Cairns, booking planes, cars etc etc. This is time consuming and frustrating, we are impatient, and want to explore the city but this time, we have to plan to do less and relax more…
We go food shopping, have some basic lunch in a food hall, the concept can be found here too, as is the strong presence and influence in Asia, very similar to New Zealand! We go for a wander around the centre, Federation Square, a great place with interesting architecture and modern buildings. It's hot now so we decide to visit the Ian Potter Center, part of the National Gallery of Victoria. We see some 'Aboriginal art', and a fantastic exhibition of photographs of Rennie Ellis, an Australian photographer who took more than 200 000, documenting Australian life in the 60-70ies.

Then we go exploring the city, using the free tram - City Circle - which encircles the city centre: Flinders Street, Flinders Street station, main railway station and a Victorian monument typical of Melbourne, the Harbour Esplanade, the Yarra River, Spring Street etc etc. We're a bit lazy, we stay in the tram and listen to the comments on the city. This feels like an American city, the blocks, the vibe but with a strong Victorian influence. The CBD (downtown) is very small, our small backpacker hotel is well located in the centre, near Chinatown. Our first impressions are good, Melbourne is a busy, buzzing city, very bohemian, very cosmopolitan, quite trendy and relaxed at the same time. The cafe terraces, the galleries, exhibitions, small bars, well rather nice ... The evening is quiet, more Internet and planning. I watch my Australian soaps, nice to see them here and not in London!! We try to rest but there are several bars in the street and Australians are feeling festive… Everybody seems to fear tomorrow, temperatures will apparently go up 45 degrees, the highest temperature ever recorded in Melbourne! It's hot today but it's weird to think that tomorrow will be a day of OVER heat!

7/02
After a short night, we spend the morning in the hotel to finish our bookings (we leave tomorrow morning for the desert and the red centre, so we must organise the rest of the trip), do laundry ... the temperature seems to rise but the fan in the room somehow reduces heat. It is getting late, we want to go to St Kilda beach, an area of Melbourne that is reputed to be very lively with cafes, bars and restaurants everywhere. We leave the hotel around 1 pm and it is the big shock: it is extremely hot, the wind blows and is hot! It feels like walking in the breath of a giant hair dryer and hot! We hide in the shade, we can walk but after two minutes, it is a real effort, crazy! After half an hour of tram, we arrive in St Kilda, nice neighborhood, we are fighting against the heat but visit the city, nice shopping streets, lively cafes, people go for some air in the restaurants and bars.... Very bohemian but very Australian also ... after a quick lunch in a Japanese, with air conditioning (happiness), we go to the beach, it's funny, everyone wants to feel fresh and is in the water, covered with sunscreen ... the sun is very hot, very tough, the wind is burning and there is a sandstorm on the beach! Not fun ... we remember the news yesterday and the TV images of London in the snow ... a surprising contrast!
We spend time in the water, we watch the people, the beach... then we go for a mini walk to a small bar, there is a rock concert. Nice to listen to some music and chill out in the bar…but it is really too hot, we are able to return into town, take some pictures, look at the bakeries! We have never been so hot in our lives! I remember Egypt, the desert heat, but the heat here is far more overwhelming. We go back to our Japanese restaurant for a coke and wait for the storm! The sky darkens, the sky is grey, blue, beige, very special, but no rain, we go back into town with the tram, back in the city centre. The temperature drops, it is about 28 degres but we are finally feeling OK... whew! A little walk, we buy some pizza and back to the room, we will rest tonight. We are tired, Billy Elliot is on TV, and we are leaving very early tomorrow morning. The day was hot, suffocating, temperatures have reached 46.7 degrees in Melbourne, it was the hottest place on the planet today: mad! Unfortunately, many fires broke out in the bush and 14 people lost their lives, many firefighters are still mobilized, a real disaster. Temperatures are falling but the firesnwill probably take a few days before being extinguished.