Canberra - "Little Brussels"

With Meg having grown up in Washington DC, and us having previously taken a mini-break to Brussels we headed to Canberra feeling fully prepared for the Government Capital of Australia.

Canberra was born of a compromise between Sydney and Melbourne, both competing to become the capital of the newly independent Australia. And much like Brussels and DC the clean city has great museums but a slightly sterile bar scene.

Nonetheless, our guidebook promised of a small brewery and pub in Canberra which produced several styles of beer including "real English ale", so following a quick look around Parliament House and taking in a view of the city from its grass-covered roof, we made the final steps of our pilgrimage for a proper pint of beer.

We excitedly ordered pints (not a "midi" or "schooner") of Bulldog Best Bitter and tried not to laugh when the barman warned us "it's not cold like normal beer". It was a pretty decent beer, as were their other ales on tap and after a few hours of enjoyment we headed to a nearby curry house which really made us feel at home!

The next day we checked out the art galleries and museums where the highlight had to be a showcase of Rolf Harris' wobble-board at the National History Museum. Unfortunately we subsequently couldn't get "tie me kangaroo down, sport" out of our heads for the next few hours.

On our last evening we went out for Chinese dinner at a restaurant near Capital Hill and found ourselves on a table near to Tony Abbott, the leader of the Opposition Party and potentially the Australian Prime Minister the next morning. At one point we were startled by his cackling laugh but the most concerned diners in the restaurant were the three burly men on the table behind us doing a bad job of looking undercover, and scrutinising Mark as he took a sly photo of Mr Abbott (below):

Sydney Handyman

To bring in some extra cash and to keep him occupied, Mark decided to combine his DIY and Project Management skills and work as a freelance Handyman in Sydney. Without transport or a full set of tools it wasn't always easy but everyone was very happy with the finished work. Below are a few photos of some of his projects.

Fireplace surround project: Before

Fireplace surround project: MDF surround to match existing style of room

Fireplace surround project: Completion

Bathroom project: Before (water-damaged 1970's brown melamine and matching brown taps)

Bathroom project: Removing all rotten chipboard

Bathroom project: Vietnamese motorcycle mask for dust protection!

Bathroom project: New natural timber fascia and reduced shelf length

Bathroom Project: completion including new taps to sink and bath

Bathroom Project: completion

TV Cabinet Project: Getting started - Using a sofa and a wall instead of clamps!

TV Cabinet Project: Cutting all timber by hand (and trying not to cut the chair!)

TV Cabinet Project: Taking shape

TV Cabinet Project: Timber stain to match the existing furniture

TV Cabinet Project: Completion

Study shelf project: Before

Study shelf project: Completion

Study shelf project: Discreet shelf supports

"Living the dream" in Coogee

We really landed on our feet in Sydney by accepting the kind offer of a place to stay from Heppers Lepers FC legend Mike Aage Phipps

He'd found a beachside apartment with a sea view and was "living the dream" in the Eastern suburb of Coogee, home of the infamous Coogee Bay Hotel and perhaps most famous for the "Shark-Arm Murder Case" where a captured shark in Coogee regurgitated the arm of a missing person leading to a murder investigation.

It was a great place to live and Meg took the opportunity to take drawing lessons in the city while Mark headed out to Bondi to teach his friend Tom how to surf.

Our weekends usually involved barbeque parties round at Mike's in the day followed by evenings out at the "CBH".

We watched Sydney Swans play Aussie Rules at the SCG and a dramatic Rugby League game involving the Tigers and the Roosters at the Sydney Football Stadium. But the best sport of all involved blasting away a hangover with a game of bat-and-ball in the sea. The water was still pretty cold at this time of year but after the first 10 minutes the initial burn had gone and it felt less painful. Perhaps that was just the early warning signs of hypothermia setting in?

It was great having our own bedroom in a fantastic apartment and we quickly settled into our new comfortable lives in Coogee. Possibly so much so that we could feel all of travellers hardiness ebbing away and the thought of hitting the road again seemed a daunting prospect.

Cairns to Sydney (Part 3)

After enjoying some amazing weather in Brisbane and the Gold Coast, we made the long journey South to the cooler climate of Hunter Valley. We woke early the next morning and were tasting the first of many glasses of wine by 10:15 am. Throughout the day we visited a large number of vineyards with a few sensible pit stops to soak up the booze with bread, olives, cheese, chocolate and . . . beer! Our day then ended with a cheese and wine evening back in the camper van!

Our final destination before Sydney was the spectacular Blue Mountains where the temperature dropped to freezing and making cups of tea and bacon sandwiches in gale-force winds resulted in both frying and flying bacon. The ten-second rule was obviously applied! The scenery created by the sandstone rock formations was breathtaking and we explored the mountains on foot as well as taking two cable-cars and a near-vertical railway to get a closer look.

And after covering over 4000km and sleeping 22 nights in a camper we arrived into Botany Bay where we would spend our last evening living on wheels. We promptly set about having a party in the van which involved a few bottles of bubbly and some very bad singing by one individual (who wont be named!)

The next morning we bumped our heads inside the van for the last time and then checked into the Sydney Travelodge which felt like a palace in comparison - hot and cold running water, carpets, a proper bed ... amazing! We then enjoyed two lovely days exploring Sydney in the glorious winter sunshine. Breakfast in Darling Harbour, taking in the views from the top of the Sydney Tower, a few photos in front of the Opera House, the ferry to Watsons Bay for fish at Doyles restaurant, looking out to the ocean from South Head, having a beer at Icebergs in Bondi and watching the surfers, and finally a pub-crawl of The Rocks to cap off Helen's time in Australia. We were sad to say goodbye but glad that we'd spent such good times together.