Quest Launceston

... to a BBQ at her friend's place. It was a fun, relaxed gathering, conducted on milk crates with lots of singing and chatter. I loved their sense of humour and lightheartedness. The conversation flowed easily.<br><br>Ana had some assignments to do and our long day had made us tired, so we left the party early. Ana had a treat for me though - I'd seen on her Couchsurfing profile that she was a freegan. I'd read about dumpster diving in the past, but had been too nervous to try it on ...

... gave him a treat. Blow me down, a bit later the same dog singled me out, as I had also made us some sandwiches to eat on the plane and finished off a couple of pieces of fruit. Smart dogs, it really wouldn't be worth trying to sneak food into Tassie.<br><br>We were picked up at the airport and taken to our home for the next week by the parents of the folk H was to work for. They were a delightful English couple in their late 70&#8217;s, with still very strong cockney ...

... br>skull = drink a beer in a single draught w/o taking a breath<br>Tinny = can of beer<br>freshie = fresh water crocodile<br>Kiwi = New Zealander<br>mate ("maaaate") = guy<br>mozzies = mosquitos<br>Aussie rules = football (I mean, Aussie rules, ok?))<br>footy = football (rugby or Aussie rules, not soccer)<br>brekky = breakfast<br>plonk = cheap wine<br>**** weak = tasteless (!)<br>get stuffed = go ...

... and only ever went back to see it finished something like 25 years later. after the govt apologised. oh, and we passed the end of the wharf bit where russell crowe lives. it was dark though and we didn't see him. and as one does in sydney we went off to bingay. for the unitiated this is bingo conducted by folk in drag. unfortunately i couldn´t understand their accent and ended up calling house at the wrong time. i was shamed for this by being ...

... it was the best IGA' she'd ever been in! jeez, she lives an exciting life, we thought! however, as we left, meat, cheese and loaf in hand, i have to admit, i was inclined to agree with her! after a short drive, as all drives were short-ish before the nullabor plain roadtrip, we reached the town of mount barker, where sean left me in the van FOREVER to go talk wines with the lovely people of the plantagenet winery! next was the dusty road to the all but cut off - apart from ...

... who apparently fuses exotic instruments with American Funk. When I read that one of his influences is Van Morrison I was sold! We then went on to the art gallery of New South Wales which has a very eclectic collection. Tomorrow is the Harbour Bridge and then Bondi and we have Cafe Sydney in the evening. I'm going to try and upload some photos so hopefully you'll see them soon. With lots of love xxx R&amp;J (to be married!)

... to see the country side. We drove up to the block of land that Randall and Lisa have brought to retire on. Its an awesome block miles from anywhere and sits on a ridge between two mountains on about 200 acres. Its amazing. They are very lucky. We then drove out to the ocean and had lunch at the Elephant Pass Pancake Parlour. Yummy!!!! We then drove north and went to their favourite camping spot the Frome Dam and to the Pub in the Paddock ...

... return trip to Hobart. All this driving is wearing me out, and I sort of feel like I'm pulling a John McCain and getting too old for this (too soon?). At least that's how I feel for now, I think when I stop driving and start taking the bus it'll be better. <br><br><br><br>Now, I've read somewhere that backpackers in Aussie can be really lazy and not really in a traveling spirit, and I've seen a lot of it myself. Some of them drink all night and spend their ...

... but before considering further travels I completely enjoyed my stay here. People say you either like Sidney or Melbourne. Can't comment on that yet as I've only been to Sidney so far, but Sidney definitely rocks. Went on a free tour of the city and then travelled around with Mike whom I met in the hostel. We toured the opera house and went to the zoo which is really quite nice, saw our first Australian Animals: Koala's (sweeeeet!), kangaroos, wallabies, echidnas, dingos ...

... to Scottsdale. Another very winding road from here to the lookout Point, and then on to Launceston. We arrived in Launceston just before 4 pm and the sun was shining. Parked the car opposite the police station and got out to explore. Not much on in Launceston on a late Sunday afternoon. There was much more happening in St. Helen's! We did find an internet place (Cyber King) that was open, so quickly checked our mail. We walked over to ...