TAG Directors 2009 and their 5 children (who all also were at camp 2009). It was a couple of days before Flora came over from Sydney. The week and a half spent at the Dalton's was very eventful. We played lego, dolls, chase in the garden and many other childrens games. As adults we also engaged in a very quick game of cluedo, despite Jamie trying to follow the rules!! Our time spent at the Dalton's provided us with great food, great hospitality and of course, great company! It definitely served as a great beginning to our Great Australian Adventure!
Karijini National Park - We spent 3 nights sleeping in the great outdoors and making small treks to cool off in little scenic gorges. Our campsite was surrounded by bush fires during our stay, but thankfully did not effect us!
Dolphins at Monkey Mia - early in the morning the dolphins come right up to the beach to visit humans and allow them to be fed. They came on 2 occasions while we were there and we could see them up close.
Pinacles - Strange rock formations in the desert was the first stop on our tour.
Turquoise Bay - The explanation is in its name, a beautiful beach with crystal clear water, a great place to relax and take in some rays!We are currently in Darwin until 30/11 when our next tour to Alice Springs begins. Western Australia is now covered, we saw so much and enjoyed it all, but this is only just the beginning, keep posted for another update on the great Australian Adventure soon!
Photos
What a month for partying! We have definitely put Sydney to the test.... and we can confirm, it doesn't have anything on London! Here are a few highlights!
With the return of Zoey from my first time in Sydney, we partied in Kings Cross, probably the busiest in Sydney. We visited a few drifferent bars this evening, none of which were much to report on!
Our Sydney leaving do (my second Sydney leaving do). We started at the bowls club opposite my work and then headed to Nikki's house before finishing the night at Candy's in the early hours of the morning. A great send off!
The past month has been spent comparing quotes, searching trips and tours and finalising the great australian adventure we will embark on in November. Below is the itinerary for the trip. If you haven't already received it via email, here it is. Now you know exactly where we are until the new year. Look out for the next post for how the adventure is going! I can't guarantee an update before we arrive in the Gold Coast on 23rd December, but I will try!
After completing a whole month at Pinpoint, things were going well. I had taken on many new programs which meant lots more calls. The team in the office was a lot smaller than last time but there were a few familiar faces and some new ones that made it a lot of fun! When the start of the great australian adventure was decided, I have two weeks notice to work so they were aware. Of course, they let me go before, and they could again. I made it as far as the afternoon the day before my last day when I was advised I was not going to be needed the following day. I was so close to being the one who left willingly!
Pinpoint has given me a few months of work while in Australia and was a great place to work. This is mainly thanks to Andy, Robin and Cammille. What awesome people to work with!
Catching up with some of the people I worked with in March: Andy, Robin and Cammille.
Avenue Q, a Broadway production touring in Sydney. Avenue Q stars puppets and it was a really enjoyable show!
Took a trip to visit Flora's mum's cousin in Manly where we were able to see views of the city from beyond the harbour.
Free tickets from work to see the guest preview of Surrogates, New Bruce Willis movie!
The Dust Storm that took Sydney by surprise. That was an impressive sight, to wake up and the sky be completely orange!
The Broadway Wedding - 27th September 2009
The last of Australia involved a night out with the flexirent crew before my departure. This was a great night by all in St. Kilda. Everyone was under the impression that I was flying to America while I was actually partying away in Melbourne still. It was then 2 days later that I flew to London via Kuala Lumpa for a week full of surprise visits! I arrived home at approximately 9pm after a long journey of shuttles, planes, trains, buses and taxis. Left all my luggage outside the back door and crept into the house, poked my head around the lounge door and said 'hiya'. Mum and Dad were shocked with mum's words 'where did you come from'. Of course they weren't expecting to see me until sometime in 2010! Emma was also home so it was then onto surprise her!
you would have missed it. I was blessed to have such an awesome team at the pool this summer, Armand, Garland, Heather, Monthy, Sky, Tiffany, and Zoe. Each of them an asset to Tecumseh pool this summer. I had so much fun with them and there was never a day that went by that if I turned up to the pool unhappy I would leave in the same way.
But I’ll not waste time boring you about that. The job started 4th May, and it’s for 8 weeks, thankfully Chris, Gemma, Flora and I all managed to get a job at the same place! Pretty good when Flora and I didn’t even apply for the position! We work in a team of 10, mostly backpackers so it’s good fun. We have had a few nights out after work, one at the weekly hostel quiz one week. We don’t actually have a boss, he lives in Sydney, and he came down to train us before leaving 2 weeks later, leaving us to fend for ourselves! In summary, I work with great people and it pays! Having said that, there's a possibility of a job in Sydney on my return in September. 
This meant 5 of us had to sleep in the 3 man camper! On Saturday we awoke to discover the campsite was at the bottom of Mount Oberon and the weather was on and off, rain for 5 minutes then clear skies and so on! We visited Squeaky Beach and Picnic Bay, and realised our gas stove didn’t work. Cheese sandwiches for lunch and dinner. We managed to find a BBQ at the campsite on Sunday and ate bacon sandwiches for breakfast and lunch. We walked up mount Oberon and watched as one way the clouds were dark grey, and another way the sky was completely blue! There were some spectacular views but it was similar to the Lake District with the cold wind blowing! The weekend was a great success despite the challenges.
We started in Geelong on Friday and started the great ocean road on Saturday morning. We stopped at Bells Beach (world famous surfing beach), Aireys Inlet Lighthouse, Otway Ranges - Erskin Falls & Teddy's lookout, Lorne, Shoak Falls, Kenneit River (for lunch), before finally arriving at the 12 Apostles, London Bridge and the Arch. The road is long and winding but is home to some stunning views! If you have never heard of the 12 apostles, check out the pictures, they are awesome land blocks left from erosion in the ocean. An evening enjoying the warmth of the Warranambool hotel bar for most of the evening before heading back to the cold of the campsite. We left Warranambool on Sunday early to look for whalesat Logans beach, none to see though unfortunately. It was then onto teh Grampians via Tower Hill reserve crater walk where we spotted a koala, many emus and a wallaby with a baby in its pouch. 
We stopped for a pint in the Stump Pub, the oldest licensed pub in Victoria. We found another pub to sit in to pass the eveing before the cold night ahead! On Monday we got up early and beat the weatehr, we managed to complete the pinnacle walk through the Grand Canyon before the heavens opened which was a stunning walk! We managed to attempt the Silverline Falls, Reids lookout and the Balconies during the rain but the weather did not allow us to enjoy the views so much! The rain stopped in the afternoon for us to check out McKenzie falls which were spectacular! It was then a long drive back to the city to take showers and get a good nights sleep!!
What a month!! It all started with the loss of my job in Sydney which in 5 days landed me in a new part of Australia. Within 5 days of losing my job I bought a plane ticket, packed up, had a leaving do and moved to Melbourne for my next adventure! And here we are 3 weeks later (end of April), still jobless! But thanks to not having to pay rent in Sydney, I am still managing to live comfortably on the money I saved while working.
The Easter weekend involved long walks around Melbourne getting to know the city and checking out the architecture. There are so many random art pieces scattered throughout the city. On Easter Sunday we took a train out into the country where Kim (mate from camp) picked us up and drove us to a few wineries and then for a short walk at Badger Creek. We took a trip via Ramsey Street on the way back to the city! Easter Monday took us to Phillip Island to see the penguins returning from their time at sea, along with a visit to a wildlife park, a surfing beach and free pizza!
As for the weather in Melbourne... this city has the ability to go through four seasons in just one day. You can wake up and the rain will be pouring down, then after taking a shower the sun will be shining with bright blue skies! The temperatures have dropped considerably compared to Sydney. Over one night the temperature dropped to the teens from the mid twenties. Right now it is turning to winter, and the temperatures are very similar to England. Bring on the summer, only 2 months away, and the beauty of following the summer around the globe!Future Plans?
With just over one month left in Australia before a return to Camp Tecumseh, there are no definite plans for future travel. I have a return ticket from Melbourne to New York and I will be returning here in September. As for plans after this date………
…… only time will tell!
New photo links will be up in the next couple of days!
The Sunday before Christmas we ventured down to Burleigh to watch the Christmas Carols and fireworks, however, we arrived too late and missed it all. Instead we watched the moon rising over the ocean, so not all was lost!
Christmas was a very strange occasion in the heat, but very much enjoyed! Santa made an appearance on the beach, and the hat from Santa was by request, worn on the beach!
If you would like to see more pictures from this months events, please follow the links below. They will direct you to facebook where my photos are. You can view them even if you aren't a member of facebook!
