Melbourne & Up & Running

Hey all!

We're down under and lovin' it. We have a new pad off Inkerman Street, St. Kilda (where else?) and the whole apartment block is Irish! We left the Home hostel and are sorting a DVD player and broadband currently, as lads do... "Get the essentials" as they say.

Melbourne is a great place. Love the city centre, love the suburbs. Transportation is perfection here. One ticket for bus, train and tram unlike at home. It means we pop in and out everyday on the tram with a weekly ticket. There are shops and fastfood joints all over town. We chill out most days, take pics and have a drink or eat.

The lads will be sorting jobs this week I'd say. I'm going to take it easy for a while. i have some web stuff to do for George. We will be posting Ian's pics soon, when we get all our laptops. Ian's pics are amazing, he'll be posting the best ones and I'll rob some of them too.

Make sure you leave a comment if you come on too, haven't spoken to loads of you in ages... Chat to you all soon.

El Gringo

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The Pad

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Sydney, 25 and the rest...

I haven't posted in a little while, mainly due to a lack of events of true merit. Since my last post I went to see Hard-Fi in the Prince of Wales, we have celebrated my 25th birthday (whaaahay) and visited Sydney to hook with a friend of Ian's.

Hard-Fi were class! The new album "Once Upon a Time in the West" is pretty solid, and for anyone in Melbourne if a decent band are playing The Prince check them out. Nice intimate venue, although lads watch out! The pub downstairs is "half & half", with one side of the bar catering to a gay audience. Joe and I only found out after being there a few times, haha. So don't moan and say Jonny sent you to a gay bar in Melbourne. There are a fair few bars in Melbourne like that. It is the bohemian/more fashionable version of Sydney.

The perks of being 25 are few but still by far the best is car rental in Australia. More on this later in the post but basically I can get the higher class of car/jeep here being over 25. Audi A4, Holdens (which are class) and pimped out Yutes (Aussie pickups). The birthday was a fairly Irish orientated affair. Got some of our friends over, few drinks and then on to our usual haunt of Revellers here in Melbourne. Great night, thanks to the lads (especially Joe and Frankie for looking after me) and indeed all the girlies that gave me 25 kisses... There's the second bonus! Older = More birthday kisses ;) Thanks to everyone at home for remembering me as well.

Right so onto Sydney then. Joe and Brian had headed to Perth the previous weekend to hook up with Erica/Suzie and the girls before they left Oz. They had a ball so can't wait to get to Perth eventually. Ian's friend, Nal, was heading to Sydney for a days so Ian asked would I be interested in heading up. I jumped at the chance of course, so we packed up and got a 10 hour train to Sydney. We grabbed a hostel on Pitt Street for 4 nights. A massive turn up for the books was a message on this here blog from a friend of ours Ian and Joe met in Sri Lanka, Matt from England. He was in Sydney working and was wondering where we were. On the Saturday we met both Nal and Matt and hit the town.

Sydney is a great spot, much livlier than Melbourne. We ripped it up with the two lads and I ended up staying up all night with Matt to watch the rugby final. Got to bed at 9 after 14 hours on the trot. I was back on the drink for the weekend away with Ian but did well to have 7 weeks in Melbourne (apart from the birthday) on the dry. It is possible, I can vouch for it!

Right so, what next? Well Matt had a good chat with me and Ian about coming up here for jobs. Being the sound man that he is, he had 3 agencies ringing me on Monday morning. In between "touristing" it up at the Opera House we popped in for a meeting with a recruitment agency (in our shorts and thongs... That's what flip-flops are called in Oz! I swear, no mess). So in my thongs, they went through our CVs. I rang Brian and pretty much on the spot we decided to move up here by the following weekend. The motivation for moving to Sydney after only 7 weeks in Melbourne was triple fold; (a) the jobs availability is better, (b) Sydney is far busier and more craic, and lastly (c) the accommodation situation. There is work in Melbourne but no real IT based positions. Melbourne is a tad more laid back than Sydney so we fancied getting up there to get decent accommodation and setup before the mad rush at Xmas.

Decision made then! Now the fun part. We are going for a meal this Saturday for our last days in Melbourne and then a big house party. After that we are renitng the biggest car the rental company can give us and we're going on a road trip to Sydney for two days. We arrive Monday/Tuesday with the job and appartment hunt on!

Whoa!! Big post but if you made it all the way through, I'll post after some more partying in Sydney... Oh and I'll do my best to get a job... Don't hold your the breath though! :P

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Road Trip

We left Melbourne on Tuesday morning. Brian and I went to the Europcar outlet down the road and picked up our Subaru Outback 4wd 2.5L estate. What a drive! Tiptronic gears and a sport setting... Yipes!

We packed the car, had a ton of stuff after only a few weeks (check out the height of wheel arch on the front suspension). We were on the road and leaving Melbourne by 9 o'clock. We drove through the city centre and took some photos as we did. Melbourne is roughly 12 hours direct to Sydney but we'd be taking the ocean road, for the views and the craic!

The drive was grand, Brian and I sharing the load. The roads are really good and Aussies are much better motorway and dual carraigeway drivers than the Irish are. They actually use the right lanes for overtaking, how silly is that!?! We hit a seaside town for some mini-glof (for the record Joe and Ian tied the lead with a score of 46!). I was let down by the par 2 forth, where the mini-golfer is challenged with what only can be described as the Everest of tee shots!! We stopped over in a quaint town called Bega with a lovely lady at a local motel sorting us with a room for the night.

Up early the next morning for the road to Sydney again, driving straight there as we had to drop the car off that day. We arrived in Sydney at 4 in the afternoon and Joe and Brian dropped the car back. We hit the town for a few drinks with our good friend Matt again. We had a brilliant night as always, actually managing to make it home before the sun came up!

We're here, here to stay for approximately six months. Brian has a job sorted here already, but no we have no accommodation as of yet. Joe and I are off back to Melbourne for the races next week. We will be meeting up with his lovely sister and doing a spot of betting on the horsies!

Hope everyone is well! In the next set of pics I'll be suited and booted, and at the races! And they're off!

In other news, the Dubs Down Under: Ray (my brother), Dave (Fitzy) and Dec (Codeine) have started their Asia adventure this week. Check out they're blog at www.dubsdownunder.net

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Melbourne Cup at Flemington

Oh yes! Only arrived in Sydney and we were jetting back to Melbs. Staying on Frankie's & Jalinda's floor for a few days. The Cup in a Tuesday this year with the whole state of Victoria on a public holiday. We were up early at 9 for the train. I had bought a new suit with the help of the lads back in Sydney and was looking sharp. Joe was his usual self, swagger included, looking the bee's knees.

We grabbed a train out to the course and were in for a quick bratwurst, hotdog and a beer. The day was a scorcher. We all got burnt. Joe and I won nothing, we had two second places but we throughly enjoyed it all the same. We drank champagne and smoked cigars none the less.

We hit the town and met up with Joe's lovely sister, Ann, and her friends. We had a great day and an even better night. Cheers to the lads in Melbourne for letting us stay on the floor and also to Ann and the girls for stuffing us at the track.

Enjoy the pics, the sun is getting hotter and hotter you'll be glad to hear. I am so burnt today. You can see it in the pics of the night!

Back to Sydney Friday for apartment hunting (more partying).. YAY

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House Hunt, Job Seek & Party, Party

From back to front, a week that ended with a relaxing Sunday on Bondi but started with the stress of a house hunt in Sydney.

Joe and I were back to reality in Sydney after a fantastic week in Melbourne. Saturday last meant the start of apartment viewings and house hunting. We have seen more than 20 properties in a week to date, including five in one day!

Apartment viewings have not been altogether fruitful. We have seen lovely places, not so lovely places and average places. The problem with Sydney so far, apart from the fact that half the world is here for the summer, is that most places want only 2 people to a 2 bedroom apartment. If it is the case that the place is suitable for more than 2 people then couples or girls are preferred. Joe and I have been very determined and have spoken to half the real estates in Sydney at this stage.

We will hear back from a couple of places this week, and I'm sure view a few more places so a final update will hopefully present itself this week.

The job hunt has taken a back seat while the accommodation remains unresolved. Joe is looking for something this week and, thanks to our good friend Matt, I have an interview on Tuesday with Common Wealth Bank. Fingers & toes crossed and all that! Brian is working away and Ian is hopeful of getting another contract offer this week.

We hit Cheers (YES the BAR) on Thursday for a few games of pool and beers. If you see me in a suit then you'll know we are dedicated to finding "the nicest pad in Sydney!!" When the weekend arrived, Brian and Matt went to see the band they liked at the music festival last week on Saturday night. The rest of us stayed in. Very grounded of us!

Sunday brought Bondi Beach day. We got up and headed over via train and bus, stopping for brekkie at Bondi Junction. Had a lovely relaxed day in the sun. We strolled up the Coast Path to see Cliff's Place. For anyone that doesn't know Cliff personally, he is an old hippy, I suppose, that lives in the cliffs on Bondi Bay. Didn't actually see him but wouldn't blame him. From the pics you can see how many people are actually in his back garden, not cool man!

There were some sculptures on the walkway. Very interesting modern art but not my thing! Everyone knows I'm a renaissance man. After we had a beer on the beach and Matt suggested we head back to his apartment block for a swim, sauna and jacuzzi! He lives in the Radisson don't cha know! Very suave and a great finish to the week.

This week we'll take jobs all around and a palace to stay in. Here's aiming high! Oh and if you see grumpy faces in the pics, it's because we know we're making everyone jealous so we might start pretending we're having a terrible time! ;)

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Off to work we go

In the morning I start work in Commonwealth Bank, Sydney. Matt was his usual courteous self and put my name forward for a job in his department. I did the interview on Tuesday with Aaron from Commonwealth. He was really sound and rang me Friday to tell me I was successful. Looking forward to starting tomorrow when I'll be doing 1st and 2nd line support for 2000 users throughout the company.

The other BIG news is we moved into a new house last night! The landlord, John, is sound. We now have enough space for the lads when they get over. I have a room on my own for the first while. A double bed, in whats been coined the "Japenese" room. I have a bed 2 inches off the floor, very oriental. The house is great. We still have no kitchen, he's finishing it up now ;) It's close to all kinds of amenities and the train. There are wooden floors and a brand new bathroom. We have a 32' TV and DVD player. Foxtel (Autralian Sky Digital equivalent) and 24MB broadband are on the way this coming week. We'll be renting a BBQ, cinema kit and some more TVs. I'll post pics after the weekend when we'll be having a few drinks. Til then it's get the head down for the first week in work.

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Sydney vs LA Galaxy

Well hello again all, this time Jonny has trusted me to upload to his blog seems after I blogged for Brian hits went up ten fold, He is a little worried Dubs down under are getting more interest at the moment LOL!

On a serious note we were lucky enough to get 6 tickets together for me, Jonny, Colin and a few of his friends in good seats just behind the goal and settled down in anticipation of a great end-to-end football match (I still cannot call it soccer!). Transport to and from the stadium was well organised and free which is always a bonus and the actual stadium its self was superb.

The match itself was a 80,000 sell out and considering Sydney normally only average 16,000 you can see the kind of effect me and Jonny had on the match, oh and some other fella called Becham or something! Well the match wasnt the most thrilling of matches and me and Jonny were itching to get on especially me in my new Galaxy shirt which Jonny kindly bought for me and got my name on as a thank you for helping him get a job at the bank! You really didnt have to do that Jonny but it was much apprecieted and I will get you back when you are least expecting it!

Anyhow hope you enjoy the pics they are slightly more interested than the game was!

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Bondi & Buideals

The weekend before the lads arrived we ventured over to Bondi beach for the time to go out for the night. We met up with Karen, Aoife, Elaine & Orlaigh in there's, and had a few beers as you can see :)

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The Dubs Down Under bus pulls into town

The lads arrived safe and sound ib Tuesday of last week. A quick catch up and a beer was had before the working crew hit the hay. We gave them the tour of the house and the festivities began the next night with all the crew hitting Sydney city centre. A fine night had by all and a sign of thinks to come?

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The XMAS Party

The following weekend the Xmas party was upon us. I have to say I'm not a fan of Xmas parties in general but OMG was it the best night ever. About 2000 people, a band that rocked the roof off, drink, food and all under the luxurious roof of the Hilton Hotel, Sydney.

I have to say it was hilarious and you should also check out the band that played it... http://www.myspace.com/sneakysoundsystem

You'll see pictures of my Team Leader, Aaron, and manager, Bev, below having a bit of a boogie. It was a 70's themed event but Matt & I got dolled up but didn't get costumed out. Hope you enjoy the pics as much as we did on the night.

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I AM BEOWULF

Forgot to post these a while ago. We went to see Beowulf in 3D at the IMAX and it was incredible! The biggest screen in the world, the best graphics I've ever seen, and in 3D, and the funkiest glasses!

The other shots are of some of the festive events that are happening in the city. This one took place on Darling Harbour. It involved a massive floating stage on the harbour water, fireworks (that would kick SkyFest's ass) and Santa on a jetski. No snow but festive all the same!

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Happy Xmas!!

Happy Xmas everyone! Hope everyone is well at home. I'll be adding the Xmas pics to this post, so it'll be a bit of a rolling one. Have two YouTube vids too as a little present for Xmas :) One from the, as always, amazing Stand and a sneak at the new Batman movie, which I can't wait for!

Happy Xmas everyone!

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Snow is falling... Well not really but you get the point

Happy New Year everyone! Sorry I haven't been on the update wagon since before Xmas but with working through Xmas and the New Year and all the things that were happening I haven't had time to sit down to be quite honest.

We'll start way back in '07 with Xmas eve and dinner. We had a great Xmas! The food was amazing you'll be glad to here. After avoiding a near national disaster when someone (who will remain nameless.... Dec!) left the turkey in the freezer over night, we sat down and had a fantastic night. There are too many photos and nights out to even remember over the period so I'll throw up the dinner piccies!!

Happy Crimbo!!

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Time for 2008!

With Xmas come and gone, secret santas out in force we organised New Years Eve. Matt & I finished work at 3 and had a few drinks while the troops assembled. We had a good night, sat under the Harbour bridge with a few drinks and the fireworks. I will try and get up the video of us at the countdown because it's meant to be hilarious, although I cannot confirm this as I have yet to see it.

Below is a video from one of the lads in work, he was near enough to where we stood on Circular Quay, Sydney Harbour.

Hope everyone else had a spectacular NYE!!

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Australia vs India, Day 4, SCG Jan 2008

The title says it all really. The best cricket team in the world by far against the current 20-20 World Cup winners. With the little master Sacchin Tendulkar and all the stars the Kangeroos have, Australia at the crease and an eventual last over win on the 5th day... A great spectacul and a good day all round!

We saw Hayden's hundred, slagged most of the Indian team off and we'll be doing it again you know!

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What a week

A quick post about the week so far and what's to come...

Did Kings of Leon the other week so will have the pics up soon as I grab them off Ray. This week has been crazy. Meech has left work and I'm still trucking away. Was on earlies this week, managed to go to the Sydney FC game on Sunday and have a feww pints after. Up at 5.30 all week but still got to Rage Against the Machine on Tuesday night. Pictures to follow of all.

This weekend is Australia Day. So Sydney FC game again on Friday night and then Coogee all Saturday. We have Monday off too as it's a bank holiday. Pictures and stories to come of all the above and more...

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Kings of Leon

The 9th of January brought Kings of Leon onto a stage in Sydney. We bought tickets like way back in September and in fact I had two extra because Meech & Brian decided to hit another gig the enxt night. The phone hopped off the desk in work when Ray, quite kindly, put my number on the Internet.

The gig was great, although it was the end of the world tour, so I think they were a little bit weary by the time the hit Australia. I loved it! Dec, Fitz, Ray & Colly from work loved it and I'd definitely would be grabbing another ticket for them again. They have an amazing sound and live put on a great show. Enjoy the pics and vids!

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Sydney winning the league?

Sydney FC's last game of the season was a home fixture against the Melbourne Victory. Melbourne were the defending chanpions but had a poor season and were not in contention for the league. Four teams were equal on points going into the last game of the season and Sydney looked like they had a chance. They needed to be beat Melbourne by 3 goals after results on Saturday.

The standard in the A-League is not that high but it is a league in it's infancy. The support however is far from muted! 33,000 plus game to see the game that Sydney went 1-0 up in after 4 minutes. The fans went nuts. Unfortunately, a less than sympathetic ref and a goal straight after half time from Melbourne made life difficult. The game finished 2-2 in the end with a clearcut pen for Sydney turned down.

Now the top 4 play a playoff for a second competition. Sydney are home in a 2 legged match on Friday. To the start the bank holiday weekend off with a bang, after work I'm meeting Steve from work and we'll be watching the game in the season ticket holders stand.

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Rage Against the Machine

Tuesday the 22nd was Rage Against the Machine in the Sydney Entertainment Centre. Paddy sorted the tickets and we hit town. I was actually nervous going to this gig. There's something every special about seeing a band when they haven't been around for 10 years and you know you will never see them again.

You hope they live up to what you remember them as becuase otherwise that memory is stuck with you forever. Every band plays a bad gig from time to time but from Tuesday night, I reckon it's a rare thing when it's Rage on stage.

I've never seen energy levels that high from a crowd. Aussie crowds are known to be subdued at the best of times but WOW. There was a Mexican wave circling the arena before even stepped on stage. The crowd behaved impeccably and even though there was rough and tumble it was in good spirits.

Enjoy the pics and vids, it was a special night. Lucky my camera got out of there tbh :)

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The Tahs!!

Super 14s is back! That meant the boys were off down to Sydney Football Ground to see the NSW Waratahs play The Hurricanes!

Good game of rugby. Well I've never been to one before but it seemed good lol There was one or two BIG hits and we were right beside the action.

AFL season starts back again soon so we'll be doing that too... C'Mon the HAWKS!!

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Australia Day

Australia Day is a national celebration of all things Australian. So if you ask an Aussie "it's Australia Day... What should I do?". They'll say "go to the park and get p***ed". It's not unlike a Saturday night at home then from my understanding.

There are fireworks. You can drink alcohol in the streets and generally have the craic. Vids to follow of me and Dec having some fun :)

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For Mum!

My beautiful mother arrived back in February to see myself and Ray, while also seeing Australia and New Zealand. She said she always wanted to see this place and had discussed moving here a long, long time ago! She's been fantastic since she arrived from Hong Kong and we have loved having her here. She was pampering the lads from day one and of course they all adore the lovely Anne Keane. Who doesn't!!

I have put together a few photos here of her time so far with us. She is in New Zealand as I write this, and having the time of her life as usual I would guess lol

Myself, Matt & Dave brought her to the Blue Mountains. We had a great time! Lovely day, up early on the train and having breakfast in the mountains at 10. We walked around, got the cable cars and train. We got some great photos and finally did something touristy since arriving in Sydney.

Back in Sydney she met the lads at the harbour to see the historic passing of the Queen Elizabeth and Queen Victoria ships. Amazing event and two of the biggest feats of engineerig to be seen on waters anywhere on the world.

Mum and I then took off for Perth to get the best weather of the summer here so far. It got up to 42 degrees while we were there would you believe. We loved the beaches and walking at night time. We had a few drinks here, a coffee there and had a relaxing few days.

Since then she has been to Melbourne which she loved. TOLD YOU SO MUM! Loads of little shops and arcades, cafes and evening strolling.

We'll be gutted when she leaves but it won't be too long until we see her smile again I bet :)

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Oil & Water We Weren't

Back in February we booked tickets for Incubus in Luna Park. I have always been a fan of these guys. They're not huge in Europe, certainly much bigger across the pond, but some of their stuff has been greet since they strayed from a DJ mixed band.

The gig was set in an amusement park. Although the crowd was a little on the young girl and Aussie "I'm a surfer, I swear" level, Incubus threw down some good stuff. Certainly they are a band settled in their ways and sound. Look forward to the next installment in sultry, surfer sounds. Enjoy vids and pics guys! xD

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"Playgrounder Weekend Changed My Life!!"

Ok maybe a little bit of an exaggeration... Guitar Hero and Rubex cubes changed my life but still, pretty damn close!

For those of you completely confused, give me one post, a few pics and a video or two of your time to explain... Sitting on the train way back in January in the dry heat of the evening sun, sweating like crazy in a humid non-air conditioned cab of a Sydney train I spotted a diamond in the rough. This diamond was found in the gig guide of Mx (the Metro equivalent in Sydney) in the form of a festival taking place in March. The name of said festival was the Playgrounder Weekend. I liken it to a smaller Electric Picnic, an obvious plus, and Maximo Park were headlining!

Brian, Ian & Joe as well as the rest of the usual suspects were all up for it. When it came closer, in came the sick notes. Brian, Ian & Joe decided not too come, but we added Duane, Meech's mate, and Daragh, Dave's mate to the clan and off we went. Dec and Ray headed down, as the two employment challenged of the group, to set up the tent and the rest headed down that night.

The first night it lashed rain, so some of us stayed in the tent for preparation for the session ahead. Matt went out with Duane and had a merry time. The real stuff started on Saturday. Up at 8 because the tent turned into a sauna, being in Australia and with 8 lads in the tent. What an amazing start to the morning though. The festival is set down river to a small town 2 hours outside Sydney. To cross the river you have to get a ferry. it's that big and the mountains are that severe around it. The ferry takes 40 minutes to take you down to the fun and it felt like we were in an episode of Lost waking up on the Saturday.

After a cold, baltic if you will, shower and some warmup drinks we headed to the pool (yes an outdoor pool, take that Oxygen!!). We hit a few bars and then the main stage. It is a lot like Elecy Pic but not quite as extravagant as it's irish equivalent. The main stage was cool, we chilled and got a photo with some Indians and the Mario Bros... I will explain the latter as I'm sure you'll all be like whaaaaa?!?!? Saturday is fancy dress and of course, the Irish weren't gonna be letting the side down! You'll have to see the pics to believe it. The highlight of the night was a 7 year old boy seeing Fitzy dressed up. He almost died right there on his Dad's shoulders! We had a great night and there would be even more pics if I hadn't lost my camera :(

Sunday was just as cool. Maximo played the set of a life time and I gave Ian Brown some grief!! Enjoy all the pics, it was a classic weekend. We still shout in work "TAKE ME BACK TO THE ISLAND!" in reference to the fact that Matt actually thought he was on an island! He even told work that that's where he'd been... To infinity and beyond!!

PS Check the photos first as I have to post videos before pictures!!

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Sydney Swans

When we arrived in Melbourne, way back in September, it was AFL finals time. Victoria is an AFL mad state and with 3 Victorian teams in the last four the city was awash with colour and tempo. We didn't get a chance to see a game in the flesh but certainly enjoyed watching the pinnacle of the AFL season in some Aussie pubs in St. Kilda.

I wanted to get an AFL jersey, or guerensey as they are known here, but had no idea which team to choose. I picked the Hawks in the end and pretty much wore that jersy well into the New Year. When in Perth I bought all the lads back home one (I haven't forgotten about the rest of you either btw, just didn't have the cash >.>) and being on the West Coast I got an Eagles training jersey.

lol at the cheesy team music!

The new season started 4 weeks ago and we had pencilled in the Swans first home game in the SCG (the scene of our first day out at the cricket in January). Going to the game with Ray, Fitz and Dara all kitted out compelled me to also get a jersey for fear of looking the idiot in a Waratah's rugby jersey. The pictures are below, they don't tell half the story of the day. I will let Ray explain in his own words as he'll probably go nuts at me again if I tell it from my perspective. Needless to say, there were tears, although mine were from pure uncontrollable laughter... hahaha

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Paddy's Day with Mrs. Doyle & the rest!

I said I would throw the Paddy's pics up. Nothing spectacular. The lads went the park on the Sunday for the parade. I was struggling from the Saturday in town... These pics are from the Monday night when after work we hit the Junction for some Guinness. U2 tribute band were pretty decent, the pints weren't lol!!

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Ian is back?

I saw Ian with a camera in his hand the other day. It reminded me how little I've seen him out and about like he had been prior to arriving to NSW. It seems since we arrived in Sydney we have all lost our artistic and creatives touches. Why I don't know. Is it that we have worked alot, been out and doing alot? Brian, Joe & I really haven't done any design in 6 months. In a week in Melbourne we managed to design the whole gardacricket.ie site and add features we have never before used. Ian & Brian have taken very little photos since arriving here from Victoria. I can't really explain it but in Melbourne you definitely felt inspired by the city and ambiance around you. Melbourne is a stunningly beautiful place. The river by night, the lines and skyline of the skyscrapers as well as the culture of fashion and art, both street and contemporary, throughout the place are all inspiring.

This post is to highlight some of Ian's work which many of you probably have never seen. Brian has some great shots too and I have both their Flickr pages added to the navigation now under 'Randomness'. Below is some images he has taken in India, Melbourne and Sydney. Enjoy them and see more of Ian and Brian's work at their Fickr pages :)

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Toronga Zoo!

Wow! A little behind on the posts. I have definitely fallen into the comfort zone in Sydney, go to work, come home and chill, get up for work etc. Well that was before we got some new tenants at the house! The girls, Emma, Dee, Amy and Jenna, arrived 2 weeks ago and boy has the house changed. Not only are we back in tourist mode with more newbies but they have also shaken up a house that the "boys" up to this piont had been calling their own.

Anyways more to come on the girl's arrival later... This post is about a few bears, a tiger and some giraffes!! Enjoy the pics, there will be no more from Sydney soon so we'll cherish them.

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Finishing up in Sydney is harder than you know

Teapots, birthdays, zoos, parties, BBQs and shopping have been just a few of the things that have filled our far from mundane finish in Sydney. This place has been home for over 6 months now for me and coming into the final week I have only now realised how much I'll miss the place. When you come to Australia you are either a Melbourne man or a Sydney man. Having fallen in love Melbourne, Sydney has always been tougher to warm to. Of course most of the reason behind me missing it will be all the good times, friends and experiences squeezed into 6 months but part of me will miss working, living and breathing in this city.

Tomorrow morning I will be booking mine and Joe's flights back to the Northern Hemisphere. I say NH because a flight home is the last thing on our mind, lol. Itinerary is as follows (roughly):

• 30th May - Jonny & Matt head up the east coast


• 23rd June - Joe finishes work


• 29th June - Matt heads back to Sydney to meet up with Brian


• 30th June - Joe arrives in Cairns for diving with Jonny


• 4th July - Jonny & Joe fly to Auckland


• 4th August - Jonny & Joe fly from Christchurch to Sydney, Sydney to Kuala Lumpur


• 7th August - Jonny & Joe fly to Jakarta to meet Ian & Paddy for 2 months in Indonesia


• 5th October - Jonny & Joe fly to Colombo, Sri Lanka


• 10th October - Jonny & Joe fly to London


• 13th October - Jonny flies to Frankfurt

Quite a bit to go then, haha. It's all provisional and dates will most likely change. From Frankfurt I will make my way across Europe as far as money will allow. Perhaps to the South of France, who knows.

Looking forward to the east coast with Meech, the adventures have only just begun. Below is my last 2 weeks in Sydney, crazy looking back now, We had Brian's birthday at a Tapas bar, then Joe's with teapots and then United winning "that" match. You will see me congratulate Fitz in the pics, see Liverpool fans are gracious not like you Mancs. Peace out Sydney, maybe I'll see you again sometime, then again maybe not :P

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East Coast is Da Bomb!

Jega bomb, after jega bomb, after jega bomb... No seriously we do tourist stuff too and we have the photos to prove it.

We started off leaving the house at 8 o'clock on a dark and driery Saturday night. Leaving the lads and 2 girls was a strange feeling. Our home for 6 months, Ashfield, was a fantastic experience. It holds memories for all of us and we'll laugh next time we meet up at all of the stories that we were a part of while living on the "ranch".

The last post was about Sydney so lets get down the long journey home for myself & the boys that will be part of it. We arrived in Byron Bay at 9.30 in the morning the next day and jumped straight into a bus for the Lodge Hostel just outside the town. We got straight back into town after familiarising ourselves with "backpackerism" and hostel life again. No more digital TV and 42' plasmas for Matt & me. Byron Bay is a small little town. It's easy to get around and good for the surf and the ideallic, picturesque views. It's a nice spot to start/finish your East Coast journey as it's so laid back. The weather has been pretty poor so far so we got pics and spent the evening having a few drinks.

The next day we took the bus to Nimbin. Nimbin, for those that don't know it, is a small town an hour and a half from Byron Bay where hippies settled and started to grow weed in the 70s. Today it still has those same hippies, just not as youthful, and they are still selling and smoking weed. It is not legal for them to do so as many people think. They persist however, with the police cracking down once a year. It's a surreal place, not like Amsterdam, you are free to smoke in their cafes but police monitor the whole situation. We enjoyed the day and headed off on the bus to have a BBQ before heading back to Byron.

The next day it was on to Surfers Paradise. What a crazy place! A mix between Vegas, Miami and a holiday resort in Spain. Some cool people around and some good surf. Matt & I took advantage and hit the waves for our first time. We loved it. Although the waves were small, the stormy weather meant rough sea but we both managed to get up and ride some waves. Love the pics, especially the one where Matt breaks surf etiquette & takes me out while I was on a 10 footer!

Next on the road was Brisbane. We only booked one night as we estimated that Brissy would be crap. It lived up to our expectation unfortunately. We spent the day at the gym and walking around the city. Nothing to even to take a photo of so there is none here either, sorry haha.

We are at the minute in Noosa. Love Noosa. If anyone wants to retire, come here! It is a beautiful place with lovely shops, beach, houses and people. The weather is bad here so all we did was have a mountain bike, see some helicopters and enjoyed a few schooners (Aussie beers, they don't drink pints). Next on the road is Hervey Bay and Fraiser Island. It's an understatement to say we can't wait for that.

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Fraser Island

Jonny has asked me to blog this week for him so I will do my best to explain a superb week which started with a five hour bus ride from Noosa to Hervey Bay. As explained by Jonny Noosa was a haven, picturesque spot and we were sorry we couldn't have stayed longer but unfortunately Fraser Island was calling!!! For those who don't know Fraser Island, it stretches over 123 kilometres along the southern coast of Queensland with an area of 184,000 hectares. It is the largest sand island in the world, dotted with off road tracks and beautiful fresh water lakes. We booked ourselves on a 3 day, 2 night self-driven camping trip with our very own 4x4 vehicle.

We arrived from Noosa in good time for our pre meeting where we were broken down into 2 groups of 10 and 11, it's fair to say we were happy with the group we got which consisted of an English and Irish couple, me, Jonny and Four girls from England Taiwan, Germany and Denmark. After watching the safety video and running through the huge list of do's and don'ts, as a group we went shopping for 3 days worth of food and amenities for the trip. This was a great way to get to know our new group mates and yes we also stocked up on a few alcoholic beverages.

Next day we were up nice and early to collect our vehicle, sign for our camping and cooking equipment and load our vehicle, ready to board the ferry over to the island. Jonny volunteered himself to drive the first leg and off we set expectations high and the mood humorous. As soon as we arrived on the Island we knew we were in a for a special few days and the endless paragraphs I could write would not do it justice. As they say a picture paints a thousand words so all I will conclude on was Fraser Island is that it is a must do experience on the East Coast with some amazing and exhilarating views. Nothing quite beats sitting round a camp fire by moon light sharing stories and jokes with a cold beer amongst great company. I hope you enjoy the pics as much as Jonny enjoyed posing for them!!

After Fraser Island it was back to Hervey bay for a night and as a group we said goodbye to Connor and Edel, the Irish couple, and the rest of the group descended on the local nightclub (Morocco's) for an excellent night out and no we didn't hit the Jega bombs (they had none!).

Next stop was 1770. 1770 was not part of the original plan but as we have enjoyed surfing so much we decided to stop for a couple of days to catch some waves. We headed there with two of the girls we had met on Fraser Island, Sarah and Anna, and we have also arranged to meet back up with Pete and Rebecca (the English couple) and May the Danish girl in Airlie beach to do the Whitsunday's Islands. 1770 was another unexpected haven and we stayed in what has to be the best hostel so far, called Cool Bananas, and we were all sorry not ot have had longer here to enjoy the tranquillity and beauty of the place. We got a mornings surfing in and a few of us then heading off to watch the sunset with a few beers in the late afternoon.

So we now find ourselves in Airlie Beach eagerly awaiting to meet back up with the others and do the Whitsunday's tour which is basically 3 days, 2 nights sailing on a Catamaran around the Great Barrier Reef, I know it's a hard old life but after 6 months of working in Sydney we certainly are enjoying ourselves and I personally don't think I could ask for anymore.

In conclusion, an excellent week again full of laughter, breathtaking scenery, lifelong memories and some fast tracked friendships made along the way. Hope you enjoy the blog and pics and tune back in next week for week 3's update which should be full of more pics and some stories from Whitsunday's.

Meech

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Blue Seas, Blue Skies & White Water

We started week 3 of the east coast trip with a Monday sailing for Whitsundays. Whitsundays is a collection of islands and barrier reef that you access from Airlie Beach. Airlie Beach, aptly named, has no actual beach but is the camp zero for all your sailing trips in and around Whitsundays. We left on an overcast Monday, hoping that we would get one day of sunshine for a few decent pics.

The plan of action for the Pride of Airlie boat that we traveled on was two nights on Mole Island, the first day sailing straight there and the second day sailing to see White Haven Beach and do some snorkeling before returning to the island. We had some fun on the boat and the first night getting to know the other 51 people on the boat. We were with the guys and gals from Fraser Island again, Pete, Rebecca, Anna & Sarah so there were some familiar faces already on board.

We partied from 7.30 the second day, enjoying the views and the ride on the boat. We got some sun bathing in on one of the nicest beaches in the world, some beverages on top deck and some diving and snorkeling. We even managed some golf when we got back to Mole Island! The third day involved getting back to the main land with some lunch and snorkeling along the way. The sea was remarkably rougher the third day, which made for some interesting events on the sea sickness/bit hungover side. We arrived back, hit the hay for an hour and all met up that night for a few drinks to laugh and joke about the last two nights and three days. A cool time, in a quality place, with some crazy people. We loved it!

Now that we had gotten Fraser Island and Whitsundays out of the way on our east coast exploration we turned our sights on some adventure in Mission Beach. Matt wanted to do the skydive (mine will be over snow in New Zealand) and we said we'd give white water rafting a go too. On the Saturday morning Matt got up, ready for his pick up at 7.30. He was nervous, he'll admit that himself, but he was significantly more calm that I'll be when I wake up the morning of my jump so I won't slag him off. I got up after he left and walked to Mission Beach to see if I could see him land. I arrived at the beach at 9 o' clock on the dot to see 10 tiny black spots on the blue sky jumping from an aircraft 14,000 feet above me. Sixty seconds of free fall and three minutes of parachuting later Matt swung overhead. He was buzzing when he hit the ground, a smile a mile wide on his face. The pictures don't do it justice. His DVD is quite literally amazing to watch but still not a patch on the real thing.

The next day was rafting time. 7.30 pickup again for myself, Matt & Pete this time. Rafting was quality! We were due to spend the day on the Tully River, a grade 4 river with both technical and high volume rapids. We got a stroke of luck when there were 3 empty spaces on the Xtreme rafting boats so it meant we would also be doing rock jumps, rock slides and plunge pools, and some swimming through rapids. It was an amazing day! We loved every second of it, a bit sore typing this the next day but definitely worth it.

Not a bad week so... Snorkeling on the Great Barrier reef, lounging on some of the best beaches in the world, partying to the wee hours on a boat, sky diving and some white water action thrown in. How was your week? Haha

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See you Meech!

It's Friday morning & we're waiting to head to the airport to fly to Auckland, New Zealand. We can't wait! Last Saturday Matt headed back to Sydney to hook up with Brian and begin their trip home through New Zealand & South America.

Joe arrived the previous Tuesday & we partied until Matt left with some of the Fraser Island crew. Pete & Rebecca headed off to Asia while we met up with Anna & Sarah to watch some of the footie and have a dance. Anna I said I'd mention you so here you go, "it's ok, it's alright". Enjoy your travels, and good luck to both you and Sarah getting home!

Meech took off after a session on the Friday. Needless to be say he'll be missed. A class act and we'll all be in the local in Manchester before Christmas, I guarantee it! It's back to the Full Moon, Thailand team, Joe & I for some wild Kiwi experiences. I'll be going crazy over there; ski dives, snow boarding, glacier hikes, mountain biking and basically anything that'll make you go fast.

Here are some pics of the last two weeks, and I guarantee they will be nothing in comparison to the next post. We have one last night in Australia when we fly from Christchurch to Kuala Lumpur but for now, goodbye Oz.

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