2016 is off and running… Hoping this year will bring more success and a definite change in some aspects!!
Not much to report as such.. I’ve visited the Capital of Australia to take in a more cultural trip for 3 days with Marcus before returning to Sydney for a week of pure pain and suffering!!
Off we went to Canberra, not really sure what to expect but as we booked it the day before in a definite ‘yolo’ moment, we went open minded and it definitely bettered my expectations!
Although the the weather was grim and went we ploughed through it to visit some truly amazing sites and memorials commemorating the fantastic effort and commitment shown by the Australian armed forces during many wars such as WW1, WW2, Korean War, Vietnam and even now in Afghanistan… The soldiers fought along side British troops on the battlefield as our allies and supported them. The Australian War Memorial was absolutely amazing, a truly breathtaking experience to see such an amazing commemoration. Huge statues, walls of thousands of names of servicemen lost in the wars and also so many rooms filled with memorabilia it was a maze!
As we went around on a 90 minute, we passed through the different time zones and continued on the journey but it was incredible to see what people went through. We luckily were around at 5pm for the daily ceremony and playing of the ‘last post’ and laying of a reef in memory of those fallen. Here are some pictures…
Day 2…
Off we went with our walking boots on.. We took it upon ourselves to climb a lookout which didn’t look too big when you look at it but climbing it was a whole different story…
Mount Ainslie lookout covers the whole of Canberra but it’s extra special as it shows the Australian War Memorial at one end and then the Anzac Parade leading perfectly down straight to river which is then laid upon by the Parlimentary building of Australia.. A beautiful picture!
We then actually ventured down to that tiny spot in the distance and went inside the parliament building which seemed surreal in a way that access to a building of this statute would be unimaginable in the UK.. We were able to walk around the rooms where major diplomatic meetings would be held regularly to make key decisions for Australia but also caught up on the history of the Government also.
Once our trip to Canberra was over, we headed back to Sydney and wanted to try a new part so opted to go north of the bridge and visited a well renowned place called Manly… A beautiful little suburb, beaches that were made for me, weather to die for… That is however if you haven’t developed such a bad skin condition that nobody could tell me what was wrong but I was covered neck to toe in a red searing rash. Any remote ray of sun and I was in agony wanting to tear my skin off.. I could of coped having to stay indoors potentially… If we weren’t staying in the worst hostel I’ve been too yet.. It’s was ridiculously dirty, no hot water, no wifi, nothing.. We ended up paying for 6 nights and only lasting 4 due to Joss being bitten to pieces by bed bugs which was the final straw…
Off we went back to the luxury of our favourite Sydney hostel where our journey in Australia all began 15 weeks ago! Our final week in Sydney potentially, our final week with Joss by the looks of it.. Sad sad times.
We have all departed, George Matt Marcus and I are currently in Adelaide where we prepare to drive to Melbourne in a campervan whilst Joss remains in Sydney with a job .. Good luck brother!!
What the future holds?? Now that is a mystery, spend some time in Melbourne when we arrive and hopefully it will live up to the amazing reviews that we have heard along the way!!
Lots of love xx
Trip of a lifetime... 