things to make me go, AAAAAAAAAAA

so i was having the last day with my brother today before he flys out home tomorrow morning, this means that it is coming to the end of 5weeks with him. this i have found hard!! mainly because he has been having extra hearing problems recently and this has reduced me to just not talking most of the time! im not being rude but it is just that he doesnt hear, and to start with i had to be fully facing him for him to lip read me as he just wasnt hearing; but thats ok, but the thing that just got to me the most was that he guesses so much what your saying, and normally i have been patient with him but after a few days i'd take all the time i needed to make sure that i fully heard. this i thing annoyed him as some he did but when he is directing how life works by him guessing what your saying i think isnt far. this i was reminded of today when having lunch as today has been the first day in seems ages that we have been alone together for an long period and encluding an meal; mainly as we have been staying with family and before then he was only with me in sydney for 2 days and i travelled alone for most an week due to him having to find an specialist to look at his ears. this being the reason for staying in mackay longer and rushing to blacksmiths. incase u have been actually reading and wondering the 'appoinments' or whatever word i used.

life is great! the sun is in and out all the time but apparently whenever they get visitors here it rains (storms), and this has been no excpetion. i feel a lot more chilled out now that i am here and having really fitted into the family, even though im only here for 2 weeks but then that is what is even more welcoming. my feelings about this trip keep changing and the question of would i have done some things differently keeps popping up! partly because as i sit there eating or walking down this street in silence (we are not whats going on around us) i think about moments that ... would like this or if i was here with the guys etc. but then i wonder if i think about everyone because i miss them or that i just miss talking with some1.
but there are just lots of questions and am trying to use these to start on the long task that im allowing this journey to allow, change me! what a scary thing, whether its good of not we will have to see.

the main thing i keep thinking of is my relationship with God and how that is effected. now that brings up lots of questions and i just want to be able to see him in lots of places i go and be challenged by and with my belief in him. i have already had two Tracey moments (these are possible awkard 'christian' moments). one was to do with sex in a bar (well that was where the convosation was held but wasnt about the place to have it, lol) and the other was not so a tracey mo but had the posibility; when on our tour in alice my christian music on my ipod kept coming up and some realising half way through the song etc. but i made a choice not to go up to front and skip the selection on. oh btw tracey moments came up when having a conversation with an inspiring friend about being bold and talking with people as they know and you know the likelyhood of seeing them whilst traveling and that people are interested but scared to ask peeps etc!

so as my life feels worthless and then i realise where i am! but is that what makes you you? i've been reading an book (well 3, i think chloe has been rubbing off on me) but the last one making me thing about life, worth and relationships. and at the moment i think that its the relationships that make you worth who you are and thats what scares people, that they can lose all of their identity by changing who they have relations with (not b/gf ones but all contact with people). scary a! and it cost me how much to think about this?!?! lol, but meeting new people and watching and feeling the culture differences, even slight, is brillaint and showing me how i can be a better person by only slightly being different and that can be a huge inpact! and i wanna be an impact, but i shall leave that all up to God show me when and how

(there is a reason no full spot was used btw)

so gtg now as end school and the boys arriving home! i dont want to lose updates by people and only 2 peeps have updated me, so cheers guys! well, im about to check fb so that may be a lie, hehe

Blacksmiths

awesome, we are hanging out all over different parts of the beach! best bit is deff body boarding down sand dunes to the creek below and seeing how far you skim across it!!

last night we slept out on the beach and was sleeping under the stars until the wind picked up and knocked down part the tent so that we then moved inside, silly wind, lol. so overall tho it was awesome, and great fun. but lots of being relaxed and doing things in the true aussie relaxed fashion! 

an actual house to live in!

so since i last was able to update i managed to get on the internet but the comp i was using didnt like this site or hotmail!! so only had facebook, what a shame, lol.

still, left camberra on tuesday and up to warwick farm for the night; i pulled into an hotel to ask for directions for a caravan park and ended up staying the night in their carpark instead. so was a very weird place to spend the night, also that was the night and neighbourhood where a man was shot. so making that night even more surreal. but its all good and i end up bk in sydney a few hours after the hr journey it was ment to take me, silly traffic, and even more eventually found the place!!! so drove over the Harbour Bridge :)

had a fairly chilled out day rest of weds and enjoyed an early night. stayed in sydney until sunday lunch so had lots of things to do in that time.
went to a couple museums and chilled out in a few cafes during the rain and winter temperatures, the coldest 48hrs in October for 25yrs or something here. i wanted for than a jumper i can tell you, from 38 up in queensland to 15 it is a shock to the system. but its all good and the sun is back and the clouds have gone ish so that its all gravy. so this week i had done some amaxing things and just really had time to be able to enjoy Sydney, the best day was sat where we started the day with behind the scenes at the Sydney Opera House so meeting at the stage door 7am and finishing with the twlight walk (last before price went up and was sunset walk, lol) on the Sydney Harbour Bridge. we visited manly, bondi, olympics stadium and complex, swimming in the training pool (olypics complex), ferry's, darling harbour, and places!! so the more i seem to do at sydney i more i seem to learn there is to do! it is just crazy.

so thats a fast update and there is just so much that i keep forgetting that i've done and will remember when prompted im sure, but you can have teh pleasure of prompting when i get home!! hehe

but now we are up in blacksmiths with the first night inside a normal house with normal people. very enjoyable to just be with an family and not resturant and wierd mixes of foods to make an meal! ops, but that was great but so is this change!!

Camberra, now!!

so havent got long again as im only online as needed to pay off some toll road thing. today i was inside parliament house, and the old one for lunch!!! was very weird, but great to do. only here for the day as the van is bk in sydney tomorrow!! so am driving bk up when i finish this interent session.

so left brisbane and popped into surfers paridise, bryon bay (sunset at cape bryon). then down to a.......... somewhere just above Coffs harbour!! to sleep. sunday was coffs harbour for a riverside breaky and down the coast, stopping off here and there untill arriving at blacksmiths, of newcastle. we stayed with noel and mel, and monday morning was just beautiful having seats, carpet and space when having breakfast!! we then got onto the jobs needed, and as result i left matt early aft and set off to the road. i was aiming for blue mountains but somehow ended up in canberra!! lol, but it was gd, and worth it as now been somewhere were i wouldnt have planned to visit.

so last night i slept in the capital city of aus!! and now tonight somewhere around or just outside syndey!! but its all gd, and i shall play be ear; i love having a van that i drive and sleep in :)

the hard life of traveling

so with only an 20min internet session its going to have to be fast im sorry!

but things have been interesting this week, and im sorry that it has been a week.
back to last sat tho and went to magnetic island, man it is just so beautiful. lots of beach and chilling out which was great, so then back on the ferry and into a place of food comsumption and straight into the van and to hit the road, we started longer drives due to time.

home hill for that night only 4hrs driving, then down to mackay on the sunday. was what really nice was that the campsite was full but found us a spot and also that there was an church next door, i heard the music so went to investigate. then found out the service times and went back then. it was just the encouragement taht i needed, to see a church with it's heart in the future and being Godly in working towards that future. went to dinner with some of them after so was awesome getting to know them a bit now.
we had to stay in mackay for a couple of days for boring reasons, and also the reasons that we are now madly driving lots today and tomorrow as soon as i finish this. but anyhow down to gladstone and straight to hervey bay (these places we slept) from hervey bay we took an tour to fraiser island and wow, wow, wow, it is just awesome. my plan is to one day come back and do the 90km walk over 5 days that there is on the island and enjoy every minute of it! its just an breath taking place that is amazing with the nature and stories to its form and why it is it today.
down to austrailia zoo and watch the mint croc show, man they can move in the water it they wnat to!!!

now in brisbane but not for long as we hit the highway and down out of queensland and into new south wales. the plan in 10hrs driving arriving monday morning in blacksmiths (our next need to destination). so lots going on but seems not lots, how weird tho!

been great hearing stuff from back home but i will reply soon properly when have more internet time than restricted time :(
oh the sun is great here tho we seem to keep finding the rain spots, :( lol, but its k as we can drive in the rain but the aussie's dont seem to be at used to it, lol

the long road! and already breaking our policy hire aggrement everyday, ops

so i think that i was last on the internet in alice! so since then we have had 2nights in cairns and picked up our 'chubby' and not an 'hi-top' as thought. that has been my accommodation but so far we have stayed next to Lake Tinaroo, Mission Beach & Junaroo Falls with tonights destination tbc with around Townsville.

so we hit cairns straight into the reef :D
man i so needed james barnett that day, there were just tons of amazing things and i just wanted to learn all about it! (its ok, that has now passed and am just happy with the beautiful surroundings and scenery). we went snorkeling over it all and brought an underwater camera disposable thing, so will develop the photos sometime.
so after the day of being in the sun, i have had a red back until now when my shoulders are starting to peel, ops, but at least only were annoying at night and didn't hurt!! so have learnt that need to take better care or just care in general of my skin while out in lovely sun that isn't from UK.

the saga of the camper, well, it all started when we were doing the van check of previous damage and it seemed that it looked like a 'chubby' and not the 'hi-top' that i thought i had told the lady (note not the man i had booked everything else with at STA); as it turns out STA had booked me a chubby and not an hi-top and there wasn't one in so we couldn't even take with with an up-grade. so we sent off in search of food :) and we went round in circles ish (more like random direction) in search of the 2 food stores that we had seen and know had food in unlike the store i saw and found out only food it had was fizzy pop and crisps, or chips.
we headed up to port dougless and found out great night life and lots bars but not much for day so headed off and went to the tablelands. ending at lake tinaroo for lovely sunset and cool shaded sleep. sorry no sunset as i had a theological photographic moment and decided that how can you have moments close to your heart when they are all public and its no longer 'special' so i have chosen to keep that sunset to myself; its not that it was crap william :P
also went to an mango winery (was nice wines and spirits but couldnt really afford to buy them, was nice tho!!

so next day off to the rainforest, or wet tropics forest as a sign i saw somewhere which made me laugh so hard! we went over the top as we had been driving through it already so onto the skyrail or gondela as we call them in normal places. down to the beach for lunch with the funnist name ever and back to cairns to the mac and post shops and a visit to food supermarkets too :D
i learnt that putting nothing but address on postcards might not be an good idea as they could go either seamail or airmail so you will have to see and also see if your lucky of not! missed people out! and its so crazy expensive to post things!!!
down to misson beach and hook up with some electric and can re-charge up items. (none mentioned to due to clever theifs, or me not remembering what i actually have with me).

yesterday we have a day of national parks, waterfalls and swimming in the rivers, and of course being bitten by flys and ants :( not so happy. but some very lovely amazing places passed and visited down random country roads. the best road ever is not the one which drives through an banana plantation, was very exciting, matt thinks that im weird with makes me happy and i think are exciting (like sleeping in the rainforest, later that day). and then onto last waterfall of the day where we camped. which was in the middle of an rainforest. we saw wild kangeroo (was hiding and by time took and photo had long jumped away so have picture of grass instead, haha.)
i think that i scared myself by animals last night on a walk by my self, as there were noises and it was getting dark (little girl story i know). anyway was fine until 3 lizard things dropped from the tree around me in different directions stopped and made me see who was boss (maybe me) and then walked, or ran off. that freaked me then i regained my self and decided i should act my age so then walked back rather loudly top the road with lots of vibrations and noise, then back to site.

today i woke and had a bush shower, cold water, but still an shower, then into van and back through the water on roads or fords in sensible places. onto townsville to try to book place on magnetic island for next 2 night but are fully booked so changed plans and went to aquarium called reef HQ, lol. and chill-out day and found internet shop.

so thats really it. there are few more side stories but if i tell it all i would have nothing to talk about!! lol, made my excuses for not remembering it all! yay

oh, about the title we agreed to not go on unsealed roads more that 500m to campsites and picnic spots and been on roads longer that 1.5k each day, ops. but we're driving them nice so its ok

klio

Uluru, Kings Canyon and Kata Tjuta!!

so im back from the dessert! well, its a half dessert, its ment to be but the plants have worked its way down through the hard rock to the sand stone below that which holds lots of water!!!
but it still feels like one.
so been lots going on over the last 3 days which have been the tour. the culture is so interesting to learn and try to get my head round. what i hadnt understood before in aboriginal culture that there is childrens 'business', 'mans business' and 'womans business'. also that you have to earn your right to learn more; this has just really fasinated me and confused me at the same time. but what has surprised me the most is that their culture hasnt progressed in the last 2000 years they believe there to have been aboriginals around living in the vast expanse of nothingness. compared to the european and western culture of just being able to learn things we have progressed and changed how we have lived accordingly. the aboriginal tribe living around ayers rock (sorry for spello in facebook, if you saw) only changed during an famine when there was westerners around in the 70s. but i think the best thing about there traditions is that there are still people alive today who can remember seeing their first white person. they can still ask questions to the people who lived fully in their traditional culture before whites appeared.
Uluru is not the rock but a sacred part of it, and kata tjuta is all sacred so that is why you wont have seen pictures of it as its not allowed to have publicity photos of it and there are no photo's of sacred sites.

lots of travelling have been done in the last 3 days, mainly driving as that was how we got around, but also as everything is just so spread out and far away. around 1400 kms have been travelled on the bus over those days im fairly sure. which is an alful lot of sitting on my bum, again. now we're leaving the fun filled place called alice springs and last night was talking with an local and he was saying that after 30years of being here he still hasnt found something things to do! lol, which was my impression when i arrived and also i totally behind beth 100% in saying that there is nothing at alice springs except the difference would be the tour that i met many great people on!!