We called our friends from the airport the following day, to thank them for their wonderful hospitality. I don't think that I have ever been so depressed as I was that day. I had no right to be miserable, we were off to Hong Kong for 6 days and we both love it there, but I didn't want to leave Australia. Sparks also wished that we had maybe just booked a couple of nights in Hong Kong and had a few extra days in Aussie. We could have gone to Cairns for a couple of days, done a Barrier Reef tour but........it was too late to change our plans.
I am still miserable now when I think back to what a brilliant time we had and the horrendous work situation I came home to, but life goes on. So in memory of a fab time, here are my likes and dislikes (yes, there are a couple) about Australia.
I loved that I felt immediately comfortable there, the people were all polite, friendly and helpful. I loved the food, well, most of it......nice runny eggs, thick meaty bacon, plentiful fish, good thick steaks, smoothies and the best red wines in the world. I hated how they tend to char-grill their meats so that the outer coating has strips of burnt areas on it. IMO, there's no excuse for burning food, it tastes vile so if there are any Aussie chefs reading this STOP IT!!!!
I loved that even on rainy days we had plenty to do. We did have plenty of rain and clouds but it was never really freezing cold like here and people welcomed the rain due to recent droughts. I didn't mind that some areas had water restrictions of various grades in place. My friends showered whilst stood in a washing up bowl and used the shower water to clean cars and water gardens. It didn't bother them and they had adapted well to their lifestyle....It wouldn't bother me either.
I loved that it is commonplace to see animals in the wild, koalas, snakes, echidnas, possums, kangaroos etc.... I didn't love the fact that there are loads of venomous and toothsome creatures also in the wild, but with a bit of common sense, encounters with these animals can be avoided. I was also a bit jittery when I noticed a spider at my mate's house which could have devoured her dog... Honestly, there are some really big ones here.
I loved the 'no worries' attitude and that everyone is given a fair go. By the end of the holiday we had totally chilled and if anyone said "the train is late," "your food will be 15 minutes," "you're under arrest," our answer was always............."no worries."
I loved the sky, especially at night. It was always really starry when it was clear, I could have gazed at it forever. I loved the noise of the parakeets in the mornings and the colourful early morning flights. Long straight roads with hardly any traffic and the fact that during the whole 3 weeks we only spotted 1 dog turd on the pavement (and believe me, I am like Hawkeye when it comes to spotting turds).
I didn't like that there were murders on the news and there had been race riots in Sydney. A mental moslem cleric winding everyone up, a young lad dying of a snake bite, a shark attack, rapes in Brisbane and the flies but hell...........you can't like everything.
There was certainly nothing worse happening there, than here, in fact, if I had to pit Aussie against the UK in the most desirable place to live and work, I'd go for Aussie...
So, I'm saving like mad to go back. I want to see the Great Barrier Reef, Uluru, Adelaide, Perth, Darwin, Kakadu, Alice Springs, The Bungle Bungles, The Daintree, Kimberley and Tassie. I have a feeling that our next trip might be a busy one
Here are some of us, Sparks on the beach (Great Ocean Rd), us cruising the Yarra (I am well aware that my hair is a mess, but 'no worries'), me and my favourite friends.