Dom · Andra

The weekend at Nanga has to count as an absolute highlight of the year. Katrine, Julia, Hannah, Lars and I drove down south with a bunch of other students from our sports science class in mid-October. The camp was run by fourth-year students training to be teachers, and the atmosphere was pretty much that of a teen summer camp, except that uni students seem to have far fewer inhibitions and consequently have far more fun. We were split into four teams to reflect the different aspects of Australia (Desert, Bush, Coast, Urban) and decided on team names and slogans, and made banners and shields the first night. My team – the blue-shirted Coastal team – decided we'd be the Sandy Cracks ("We'll bury you!"), while Desert became the Camel Toes ("One hump or two?"), Urban turned into Slumdog Millionaires ("Respect the money!") and Bush team became Bush Rangers ("Got bush?"). The weekend was crammed with team challenges and competitions, including balancing on low ropes, orienteering, volleyball in kayaks, rafting on the river, bush cooking and an eating contest (I was declared a living legend as I polished off a huge bottle of thick chocolate sauce in about one minute – pride!). In the evening there were charades and pictionary and singing around the campfire – and yes, they really do sing Waltzing Matilda and Kookaburra Sits in the Old Gum Tree... It was an absolutely fantastic weekend and an experience I will treasure for life.

Then there's Rottnest. Almost two weeks ago, Hannah, Julia, Katrine and I spent the most amazing Sunday having a proper old-fashioned holiday. We caught a morning ferry and enjoyed a leisurely breakfast before hiring ancient bikes without gears and setting off to explore the island. We saw the famous quokkas, which really do look like a cross between a giant rat and a kangaroo – and are surprisingly cute. As we biked around, we took in spectacular views and found some stunning beaches. Scorching sun, rolling hills, pure white sand and crystal clear water... what more can you ask for? I wish I had more time here, so I could go back and spend a week. So beautiful.

But – apart from a farewell drinks evening in Subiaco tomorrow night – my time in Perth is pretty much over, strange as that seems to me. Sad as I am to be leaving, I am ridiculously excited about travelling. Katrine and I are starting our epic adventure in just a few days. We fly to Darwin this coming Wednesday and begin our trip with a three-day adventure tour of Kakadu National Park, where we hope to see spectacular nature and avoid being eaten by saltwater crocodiles. Here's hoping we emerge with all our limbs intact.

After Kakadu, we head down to Alice Springs, where we'll meet up with Julia and Hannah – and, believe it or not, Dash (and maybe also Alex) whom we met randomly in Denham during spring break! I predict more Emu Export, "fish wine" and crazy times... Also, Katrine, Julia and I have booked a trip to Uluru / Ayers Rock, which I am so excited about – I've wanted to see the Red Centre since I don't know when!

Katrine and I then head south-east to Melbourne, where we'll be staying with the nephew of one of our professors (Australians really are wonderfully friendly and helpful – even to the point of forcing their relatives to shelter random international students). We only have a few days to explore the city, but we're hoping to see as much as possible. After Melbourne, we head to Sydney, where we'll be staying with my brother's friend Rob, who's even said he'll pick us up from the airport and show us the city (again with the friendliness!) – should be fun!

Pressed for time as always, we only get to spend a few days in Sydney before we head north for Cairns. First up is scuba diving on the Great Barrier Reef – I'm so excited to finally use my new skills and explore the corals and marine life. Katrine and I will also be heading up to Cape Tribulation to spend two days in the rainforest, which is something I've wanted to do since I was a little girl, so it's a bit of a dream come true.

After Cairns, we head down the Queensland coast until we get to Airlie Beach. From here, we've booked a sailing trip to explore the tropical Whitsunday Islands. Should be a nice relaxing few days of sailing, sunbathing, swimming and snorkelling! After the Whitsundays we head to Hervey Bay, where we again meet up with Julia. The three of us will spend a few days exploring Fraser Island before getting a greyhound bus to Brisbane, where Hannah will be joining us as we prepare to say goodbye to Australia.

On the 13th of December the four of us will fly to Auckland, New Zealand, and the following day we fly down to Christchurch. From here, we plan to hire a car and go on a road trip again as we had such a good time on spring break. A week later will see us back in Auckland and then, on the 22nd, we fly to Fiji. We're going island hopping on the Yasawa islands for a week, so who knows exactly which beach we'll be on for Christmas – but we've agreed to bring tinsel so we can decorate a palm tree or something, and we'll sing some carols when we're not too busy scuba diving or sunbathing. It'll be a bit strange to celebrate Christmas wearing a bikini, but I'm pretty sure I'll cope.

On the 29th, Julia and Hannah will return to Australia, while Katrine and I head for Los Angeles to begin the final leg of our journey. We will spend New Years in San Fransisco and stop over in New York for a brief visit before flying home on the 3rd of January. If all goes according to plan, we'll be landing in Oslo in the early afternoon of the 4th of January 2010, almost exactly six months after we left. I can't even begin to express how amazing my time in Australia has been so far – and the adventure has really only just started...

I'll try to update here and there while we're travelling, and hopefully I'll get to post some photos as well – but otherwise, I think you can safely assume that no news is good news, and I'm probably just busy having a blast :)

Current Location:	Perth, Australia
Current Mood:	excited