Australia so far...

What can I tell you about Aus...? It's just like England but laid back, friendlier and a LOT hotter!!!

We started off in the Ayers Rock Resort which H has already told you about. Outback craziness aside the rock itself, Uluru, is an awesome sight. Our trek around the base was beautiful, I never believed a rock could have personality but that one certainly has something special. We missed Kings Canyon, Kara Tjuta and other places that are well renown but what we did see was well worth the trip to the Northern Territory.... Our travels were never going to be about seeing everything a particular area or country has to offer, it's far more about the breadth of experiences we'll be able to enjoy by packing so many destinations in - and on that basis I'm more than satisfied with our fleeting visit to the Uluru National Park. After our brief stop off in Alice Springs (home of the Flying Doctors and Australia's first telegram station) we flew back to Adelaide, hired a car and hit the road bound for Melbourne.

After a couple of stops in foodie Hahndorf and wine region Langehorne Creek we reached the beginings of the Great Ocean Road. Highlights for me included a blisteringly hot day in Robe where we had delicious lobster, London bridge and the 12 apostles, seeing koalas in the wild and singing along with H to our cheesy cd of popular hits - having our own car was great! And the fact that it was automatic was also a very good thing. I was however quite homesick during the week we travelled from Adelaide to Melbourne and I have no idea why. Speaking to my parents and Adrian helped and H was brilliant fun and always on hand with a hug, so I was fine I just wasn't as happy as I should have been... Until Melbourne's glistening sky scrapers came into view!

St Kilda, where we're staying in Melbourne is a home away from home. It's a great area choc full of restaurants, bars, shops, gelateri and über hip/beautiful people. It's on the coast, it's green and it's 10 mins from the city on a tram (!). The homesickness lifted the minute we arrived and settled into our apartment. We've been here for 6 nights so far and I love it still.

Christmas is very nearly here and I'm so happy to be spending it in Australia. The people here are so friendly, the weather is beautiful and our prolonged stay in Melbourne has given us time to settle and recharge. I feel very lucky indeed.

Have a wonderful Christmas Day!!!