Hi all,

I realised I'm well overdue for giving a highlights/low lights report on our time in Oz, so here goes:

Probably the lowest point was having a cough/cold yucky thing that started just as we arrived in Oz and then seemed to drag on for weeks and has only just now really gone - so that's about 6 weeks in total! Also, we had a lot of rain whilst we were up in Cairns, which put a dampener on some things, but hey, that's life. The other low was staying at Base Backpackers on Magnetic island, which was absolutely awful and guaranteed no sleep ;-( However, at least the second night there was lovely, but only because we paid a lot more money for a room at the other end of the site which was quiet, had just us in the room and was overlooking the sea.

My highlights were numerous! Snorkeling on the Barrier Reef in several locations was amazing (especially swimming with turtles). Also, our chartered plane ride to, and day at, Lizard Island was breathtaking and will never be forgotten. Sailing around the Whitsunday Islands on a tall ship, the Derwent Hunter was also incredible. Staying in a beautiful apartment in St Kilda, Melbourne was sheer luxury, and it was fun to meet lots of Penny's rellies, and great to spend Easter weekend camping with some of them in the outback, at lake Mungo National Park. THANK YOU ALL!

It was also great to stay with Gus & Jen in Sydney too, and to walk over the Harbour Bridge, see the Opera House, enjoyed a couple of ferry rides etc. The most awesome part for me was watching the giant stingray in the Aquarium, a most majestic and mysterious creature...... so hard to describe, really, in a way that does it justice, but I was totally mesmerised.

There were probably lots of other things that were amazing too, but these are the things that spring immediately to mind - not a bad list considering! I'd definitely recommend OZ to anyone, and we only got to see a tiny part of it - did you know that it's the side of Europe, or N. Am and a bit of Canada thrown in too? 4 1/2 weeks isn't log when you consider such vastness, so there's plenty of scope for going back and seeing more!

Well, I hope that gives a flavour of some highs and lows in Oz. Let me know your own thoughts, especially if you've been there yourself.

That's all for this post, but there may be one to follow from Pen and then probably a joint one on our travels in NZ so far........ watch this space.

bye for now, and love to you all,

Linda xx