Departure

I’m leaving Australia for Japan in another 4 hours!Oh， I cannot believe it!

Campsie

I just went to BIG W in Campsie center this morning. Campsie is the closest shpping area to our house- only a 10 minutes walk. I was supposed to go to other place after shopping， but I couldn’t. I bought a lot than I expected-CDs， a coffee maker， magazines and a box of natella (it痴 the bomb!). I started worrying whether my luggage would be overweight. Then I went to a bank to close my account. Ah， I cannot believe that I will be in Japan next week!

uni

Today I studied all day long at uni tough I maybe fell a sleep many times;-( I wanted to collect some materials about media studies， and Jen took me her uni， cos her uni has a big library. It was a bit far away from our house-40 minutes by car. But there痴 a shopping center near the uni， so we went out there to have lunch during Jen痴 lunch time. I tried Hungry Jacks for the first time - unbelievably! I wanted to try but didn稚 have any chances! I had a grilled chicken burger-it was really yummy! Jen had a class from 10 am to 6 pm， though she had a lunch break for 1h and half. She is one year younger than me， who is very eager in her studies and her jobs. She has once told me what she wants to be in the future. She said 典o become what I want to be， now， I have to work hard even in a difficult situation. I just need to go forward， I can稚 look back. I was really impressed by her words. She is looking straight ahead and doing what she has to do now.

an advertisement in the sky

Before we went out to Manly beach this morning， I found an advertisement in such a place-the sky! Jen told me that she sometimes finds "MARRY ME" in the sky!

National Museum

Parliament House， Old parliament house

Parliament House Old Parliament House

Canberra

I’m in Canberra now...it’s stinking y hot here;-( I just arrived here this afternoon， it just took 3 hours and half from Sydney by bus.I came here to do some research for my graduation theses. Hope I can study hard!I will stay here for a few days， and go back to Sydney.

Saturday night!

The city was crowded with people who went out for drinking. It’s the Saturday night!I went out with Jenny， Virginia，Jason and Kenny after dinner.We went to an ice cream shop and had a huge ice cream， about 30 scoops.We enjoyed at the beginning， but some of the ice cream were yuck;-(Anyway， we enjoyed eating the ice cream! (Virginia became sick because of the ice cream this morning.)Then we went to see the Harbour Bridge， which has a special light show for the New Year.That was absolutely beautiful!

Window shopping

2004!!!

It is very hot in Sydney today!I went to Bondi beach with my host sister， Jenny and her boyfriend， Jason.There are soooo many people enjoying swimming and getting tanned. I went to the Perm beach yesterday，too. My face and body got a good(heaby?) tan!I don’t feel like that I had a new year! I miss the banch of New Year cards and Ozouni!Happy New Year to you all!

New Year’s Eve

Today is also hot in Sydney.I went to the Palm beach with Jenny and Jason.The water was still cold but it doesn’t matter!There was a nice breeze and we all fell into a sleep.When we got up， everyone has gone.That was a nice and cozy afternoon!I saw the Sydney bridge fireworks from the flat of uncle Bird. He lives in the top floor， and we could see the fireworks from the balcony. I really enjoyed the fireworks and the new year’s eve with everyone!

Sydney

I’m enjoting my stay in Sydney with my host family.I met this family 6 years ago， when I came to Sydney for 2 weeks. This is my 3rd time to visit them this year. They are always kind to me and I can feel really relaxed.I met uncle Leapy today- he is a godfather of my host sisters.He works in Shanghai at the moment， and came back to Sydney for holidays.He hasn’t changed at all， he is kind and funny， and also he has a really nice smile! He gave me his address in China -just in case if I could visit him in Shanghai. Nice to see you again， uncle Leapy!

from Tassie to Sydney

It was relly hard to say good-by to Harvey and Betty at the airport...I really had a good time with them. They were always kind and funny!I could find a cosy place in Tassie， and came to love it!I enjoyed the beautiful scenery， yummy foods and lovely people!I will definitely come back here in the future!

Lavender farm and Launceston Cycling Race

No clouds in the sky- Launceston has a beautiful day today!I went to the lavender farm this morning. The flowers were not in full bloom， but they were still beautiful.I was amaged at the size of the farm! It’s huge! On the way back to the city， I had strawberries with ice cream. Beautiful! Tasmania is famous for berries and apples- and also， It produces wood chips and beef to export to Japan.I saw cows which is gonna be sold to a Japanese chain store，J***O.In the evening， I went to see the indoor cycling race with Harvey and Betty.I could watch exciting games until 11 o’clock! We found a Japanse cyclist， and Harvey took me to him to take a photo;-) We went to some other cyclists from USA and QLD(banana bender!) to take photos...I made a good memory tonight! Thanks Harvey!Woodchop- this is a sport in Australia， and maybe， also in NZ and in USA. They compete the time to saw a log in half. One of the woodchoppers was Betty’s friend，Dave. He was biiiiig! And of course， I and Harvey went to him to ask for a photo;-)

Cradle Mountain

Todya I went to Cradle Mountain through Sheffield -the "town of murals." There’re so many drawings on the walls of buildings in this town. When we arrived at the National Park， the weather was not really nice， we got some rain! But we could see the mountains and crystal clear water in the lake. Tasmania is a beautiful place， I feel in this way cos I like to see a lot of hills. Today， I found beautiful beautiful hills on the way back to Launceston.The hills spread out before us with soft and smooth surface with green grass. Cars stop for cows to cross the road. Time passes slowly and calmly here. Today’s most exciting event was bike race in the city.Harvey and Betty took me to the city in the evening and I was so excited to see the race! The speed of the bike was very fast! Cool!!!

Cricket

I was just eating，sleeping and watching cricket on TV today. Australia vs India The game starts from 11 a.m. and finishes at 6 p.m.. It’s interesting that they have time for lunch(40 min)， tea(20 min) and drinks(5min per hour). It takes 5 days to finish the game. Cricket is a sport for gentlmen;-)

Happy Christmas!

Here in Launceston， it’s a bit chilly but a lovely sunny day today!We had a glass of champagne and croissant with a slice of ham. They told me having ham and champagne is the traditional Christmas breaky. We were supposed to go to the church after that， but we missed it! Betty was preparing the big turkey for the Christmas lunch. Before the Christmas lunch， there was a time to open lots of presents! There were so many presents under the Christmas tree. Everyone gave kisses and hugs each other as they opened their presents. That was a happy and touching moment.They doesn’t seem to place a special meaning on religious belief on the Christmas， but it might be one of important opportunities for the family to gather round. I also got a pressie from Grrigs family unexpectedly， that was the most exciting moment for me!Thank you very much!!!After we finished opening lots of pressies，then we had so many gorgeous dished;-) We gave thanks for today with closing eyes and holding hands with each other. It started with seafood and then Christmas turkey，baked veges， pokes， ice cream cake with berries(Tasmania is famous for berries!).Oh...I’m too full now， and so happy to have such a wonderful Christmas!Thank you very much Harvey， Betty， Pip， Heath， Grandma and Muffy! I will never forget this happy summer Christmas in Tasmani. Happy Christmas to everyone!

Christmas Shopping

It’s a lovely day today! I saw some boys swimming in the river， but I think it’s still cold in the water! Today was the last day to shop for Christmas presents before the Christmas day! So I went to the city with Harvey by his red (Christmas) car， which is really cute!The city was filled with people with shopping bags. I saw Santa Claus on the street， and Harvey took a photo of us! Santa gave me his address for a cipy. He was funny;-) There were the kids Santa in front of a local small shop. They were staying there all day long to give away lollies to people;-) Lovely!

Launceston

It just took 2 hours and half by bus to get to Launceston from Hobart. Launny is the 3rd oldest city in Austalia， and we can find a lot of pretty， old buildings. Harvey came to the but station to pick me up! He hasn’t changed at all， and I was sooooo happy to see him again! I saw lovely people here， his wife Betty， his daughter Pip and his son’s friend Stuart. His son Heath and his mum(granma) is coming from Hobart tomorrow!They are really nice and I settled in this cosy home! Muffy

Wineglass Bay

I’ve often heard that Tasmania is simillar to NZ.and I thought it migth be true.There are lots og hills in Tasmania like NZ， however they are not so high as ones in NZ. I found many hills also when I moved from Melbourne to Adelaide by bus. In tasmania ， they have many sheeps， as well. I saw more sheeps rather than cows. There are golden grass over there， and a small pond lies on the green meadow， there are some sheeps feeding in it. These scenery reminds me NZ.I also found a baby giraffe eating leaves from the tree! And it was wearing a Christmas cap(the Santa’s red hat). ---Nobody believes me， but it’s true! I should have taken photo of it!!! Well， it was raining when we ger to Winegrass Bay， but I really enjoyed the tour itself.The strawberry ice cream I had in the farm was really nice and huge! I ordered for a Small ice cream， but it was a Large one! Happy happy happy! Yum Yum Yum!People are very friendly and it’s always nice to see these nice and unique people. There was a mom & a daughter who are coming from Malaysia. The mum was really funny， and she always cracked us up! She is a character!

Port Arthur

Port Arthur is the historical sites to see the life of convicts sent to Tasmania from Britain.The worst prison is separated from outside with 3 doors-it means that there is no verval & physical communications，no sound and of course no light in the prison. You can imagine how this terrible penalty affect a person physically and mentally.We also looked around the ruin used as a hospital.The building has a funny room layout， there is a mortuary between a kitchen and a food storeroom.So people had to go through the mortuary to bring some food to cook in the kitchen. The guide add some explanation that thre are flises to come and go throughout the building. It means that some flies covering the body in a mortuary might swarm over the foods people have. Terrible!Well， in the evening， I went to a park to listen to Chrismas carols. It’s an annual event and there were thousands of people were sitting on the grass with a candol. On the way home， a girl run up me to say，"Happy Christmas and happy new year!"The park was filled with happiness and joyfulness.Happy Christmas!

Salamanca Market

We had a lovely weather today-though it’s still chilly for me.I went to 2-hour-walk with Pa this morning. He told me about Australian history and custom all the way to the Tasman Bridge.Then I went to the Salamanca Market with Sue.You can find everything there; fresh veges， fruits， fresh baked breads，crafts， cards， secondhand books and clothes， coffee shops and so on. There are some girls and boys playing tunes with their instruments on the street. That was a lovely market and well worth a visit!

Chocolate Factory & Brewery

I visited a chocolate factory in the morning.The company produces my favorite chocolate-Freddo!The factory was standing beside a big lake， in the outskirt of Hobart.Inside the factory， it was filled with a sweet smell of chocolate.We tried some fresh chocolates， as we walked around the factory with a guide to see the process of chocolate-making. In the afternoon， I went to the crewery by bus!The building was looked like a ghost house， it was standing stately with a smoky chimney. This brewery is the oldest brewery in Australia. We crimbed the stairs up & down with wearing glasses and ear guards. It was fantastic to see the each stage of fermentation.After the tour， we got free beer! Yum Yum;-)I was pissed before finishing one glass of beer though;-(

My life in Hobart

The hostel I stay in Hobart is much smaller than the one I stayed in Melbourne. And everyone in the hostel is really friendly.I met Sue at the hostel，so these day I often hang out with her.Once we go into the kichen， it takes 2 hours to get out from it. There is often a free English lesson by 2 teachers-an English teacher coming from China and Pa who were an Enlish teacher in China looong time ago.Once I and Sue start talking in English， they start fixing our pronounsiation. Today’s word were Sydney and Melbourne!Sometimes...maybe often...the lesson bothers us， but we are still good students.

Hobart

Hobart is like a small Adelaide.I might prefer this small town rather than Melbourne. Because there are not so many people and cars;-)Of course， Melbourne is a wonderful place to visit， but I’m happy to find the place where I can feel relaxed.

Melbourne Aquarium and Museum

Phew! It was a really lovely day today! It was warm...hot，actually.Then I went to the Melbourne Aquarium to cool down today! I rode the Dive Simulator.After that，I felt sick for a while......，but it was still good...yeah good.Then I went to the museun by tram. There were huge models of dinasaurs， their real footsprints and also， the fossiles of their huge bones! The bone was like 1.5m long! And it’s just ONE of the bones! There are some other sections; Children’s museum-children and adults can learn together by playing! Forest Gallery-you can walk through the artificial forests and learn about water，weather， bush fires and animals in the forests.Australia Gallery- there was an exhibition about the Victoria. You can find the model of a famouse horse(I forgot the name though...).Mlbourne is the famouse for the house race like the Melbourne Cup!!!Bunjilaka-an impressive exhibition of Aboriginal history and culture. There was an exhibition about the stolen generation with pictures and sound.

St.Kilda Sunday market，National Gallely of Victoria，China town.....

Today I went to St.Kilda by tram，cos there was a sunday market! I love these kind of local markets!!!There are many shops along the road， and so many people enjoy looking at their art works and crafts.I bought some beautiful pictures， 3 beautiful bells and mags with fanny faces.Today I finally realized that tram is really useful in the huge city in Melbourne.There are some zones(1 to 3)， and if you had a one-day ticket(metcard)， you can hop on and off from bus，train and tram for 1 day freely! I bought one-day ticket(Zone1) today，it costs only 5 dollers 20 cents.Bargain! Anyway， I went to the National Gallely near the Federation Square on the way to the city.That was great! There are so many works to see;chairs， dresses，china，of course art works(there were some Japanese art works，too).And above all，the building of the gallely was wonderful by itself.I was really impressed by the building! I met an Australian girl，shemoved from Brisbane to Melbourne 4 months ago， and she also liked the building very muchly!Buuut I’ve already written much today，so I will continue this diary next time!Tomorrow is the last day in Melbourne! What should I do...??

Lygon Street

I went to Lygon street， where we can find a lot of Italian people. There are many pretty Italian cafes，lolly shops，cake shops，confectioneries and so on.They all look pretty!I think I have to go to Italy next time;-)!Also，I found a special place today! That’s the rooftop of the hostel I stay.It opens from 7am-11pm，and I can enjoy panoramatic view of Melbourne! I enjoyed beautiful sunset today! At night time， the city was pretty with lightning!

Day 3 - Great Ocean Road

12 ApostlesLondon Bridge

Day 2

Southern Sea

A long journey to Melbourne

I joined a tour to go down to Melbourne from Adelaide.There were 21 people altohethere in the tour group.They are teachers，students，engineers，etc and they are coming from America，UK，Malaysia，Korea，Germany and Japan.The small bus was full with people! Phew!

Yum yum yum;-)

After visiting Adelaide Botanical Garden and MIgration museum， I went to the pancake shop again!This time I tried Walnut Syrup Pancake with ice cream!Yummmm，，，，and I can feel totally relaxed at the shop.I became a big fan of this cozy place!

Touring in Adelaide

Today I met Papasan- who is a father of Jacqui，my aussie friend in Japan，his wife， Annie and her older brother Robert.Papasan- Richard brought me to Mt.Lofty，Windy Point，an university and their pretty house.He is cheerful and funny! After I met Annie-she is also cute and funny!-，we went to Glenelg(We can get there by tram from the city).Glenelg has a wonderful beach! We went to the Robert’s apartment which stands in front of the beach， and saw a beautiful sunset. What a wonderful day today!Jacquie，Papasan，Annie and Robert， thank you very much for today!

Adelaide

I arrived in Adeladie this afternoon.I haven’t seen anything particularly yet， but the city looks beautiful.I went to drinking with my roommates at night.I’m still cheap drank， and was pissed after finishing one bottle of beer.

Perth Mint

Guess what!I touched a 11kg gold bar today! It’s worth A$200.000!But it was too heavy to lift up， so I couldn’t do anything with it.(they said that god is 19 times heavier than water!)Also， I war Gold Pour in the melting house， which was used from 1899 to 1990.A smelter took out gold from a burning furnace and run it into a mold.After 20 seconds， he put it into water to cool it down.That was amazing to see him taking out gold bar from the mold. The gold is A$100.000!

Perth Airport

Now I’m waiting for his flight at 10p.m..Time flies! 4 days passed too quickly for me. Hope he will have a safe trip to Japan;-)Thank you so much for making wonderful memory!It is always hard to say good-by，see you again soon in Japan!

Pinnacles

We saw an amazing scenary at Pinnacles today...they are looked like a cemetery for me though.Indian Ocean was green and blue- stanning beautiful!We tried sandsurfing，as well!That was a quite fun!

Rottnest Island

-Rating- Rottnest Island ☆☆☆☆☆That was absolutely beautiful place.I really liked the colours of the ocean and my boyfriend liked the colours of the sky，blue， green，dark blue， white and so on.Fantastic!!!

What a lovely day!

It is sunny and warm today in Perth.My boyfriend arrived here this early morning.He will stay here for 4 days and then go straight back to Japan.We spent a few hours in Fremantle.That was a small and lovely place and we enjoyed walking around.We spent some time for shopping and cooking in the afternoon.Fun fun fun;-)

Australian film - Japanese Story

After walking around the city with Jennifer， we had a cuppa at the Chester street.We didn’t know the name of the street， so we just called it with the name of Jen’s hometown.She said her hometown- Chester- looks pretty much like this street. How pretty! We talked about everything- mainly about our future and our own country.She’s gonna work for a while from tomorrow in Williams， where is too small to find on the map-it’s in the OUTBACK!In the afternoon， we went to a cinema to watch Japanese Story.This is an Australian film， about a couple;an Australian woman and a Japanese man met in Australia.The story went on very quickly，and also Japanese characteristics and its customs were exaggerated through the act of the Japanese man.But it was interesting to see how people distinguish JAPANESE from them.

just relaxed...

I just went to the art musium and had a cappa at the cafe near the musium.Actually I forgot to enter the musium， I just enjoyed food and came back;-0I just finished eating my dinner.I’m soooo full now! I forgot my diet again;-(My roommates took me to the Indian restaurant near the hostel，and I got some take-away foods which cost only 2 dollers!

Perth in Australia

I just came back to Australia from Auckland this evening!It was a long trip;7h30m! But guess what?! This flight was for free!Phew!The airline company offered 1000 seats for free， and I was one of them! Good on me;-)

Wellington

Wellignton has a lot of slopes - that is good for my exercise!It has a lot of cafe，too!When we entered one of them，David drew a leaf on a white coffee with a spoon. He explained "Coffee has to be just right to become like this. Coffee is just coffee，but Wellington’s cafes are art." He also took us to a concert of one of his friends at school.The main theme of the concert was Maori music and Jazz.Her performance was fantastic! He and his share-mates are musicians.I visited their studio at midnight，and then...!They recorded my voice.......oh dear! but that was quite fun;-)

I’m in Picton

Picton is a small and peaceful town.I feel really relaxed! I’m staying at dorm-room at the youth hoste，But there is no one to share the room with me today...a little bit samishii...I will go to Wellington tomorow morning by ferry! Then I’m gonna see one of my friend， Henna there!Phew;-)!

Lake Tekapo

There is nothing in thie small town， except a beautiful lake，Tekapo.It was fantastic especially in the evening.I couldn’t do anything， but watching this fantastic lake to change its colours from blue to silver， white， orange， pink and dark blue. After the sunset around 9 o’clock， there were just so many stars upon me;-)I’ve never seen such an gorgeous sky in my life!

Queenstown

I spent 11 hours on the bus， but I didn’t get bored at all! I was just looking out of the window.There are lots of hills filled with wild flowers and animals.

Milford Sound

I’m staying in Queenstown at the moment. Today I went to Milford Sound by bus.It took over 12 hours by return! Phew!

Tranz Alpine

I caught a train called Tranz Alpine from Christchurch to Greymouth.

Akaroa

Akaroa was a small and lovely place， it takes only 2 hours to get there by bus from Christchurch.Tomorrow， I will move to Greymouth by train!

Christchrch

Phew! I finally reached Nea Zealand! It was a long long long long long way top get here! I’m bloody tired cos my flight arrived Christchurch at 1 a.m..But the view of the city from the sky was really beautiful，Amazing!