EXMOUTH! #6
We went to Turquoise Bay. I rented some snorkelling gear and swam there. The color of the ocean was very nice and I could see a lot of brilliantly colored fish beside me. It was amazing! I will never forget this scene.
Today was New Year’s Day Eve. At night, we had a New Year’s Party. In the Backpacker Hostel’s restaurant, we had big meals. I ate beef lasagna, french fries and salad. It was very delicious. After that, this restaurant changed to a disco. We danced until New Year’s Day. Within 5 seconds the day came, we did the count down. We celebrated it grandly with dancing. It was a cheerful beginning of 2006. I hope I will have a nice year.

EXMOUTH! #5
At first, we went to the Tropic of Capricorn which is called Ningaloo Reef and is just metres from a sandy beach. I rented some snorkelling gear and joined a boat tour. On it, I swam over coral gardens. I saw many brilliantly coloured fish. It was very, very nice.
Finally I arrived at Exmouth. It's a very hot place. I can swim in the sea from tomorrow. It must be fun.

EXMOUTH! #4
At first, we went to Monkey Mia and met the Bottle Nose Dolphins and Pelicans. We could get up to them closely. They’re very cute. There’re in a resort, so a lot of people were there.
Next, we went to Eagle Bluff. Unfortunately, we couldn’t see any wild sharks, but the beach was so beautiful.
At night, we stayed at the Outback Sheep station. There were nothing to it, just kitchens, toilets and showers. We slept outside in sleeping bags. There were a lot of stars, so we slept while looking at the sky and saw a shooting star. It was amazing. We had a campfire and sang each country’s songs and played games and talked a lot. It was fun.

EXMOUTH! #3
We woke up early and we hiked around the Kalbarri NP. We looked at the Loop Nature's Window and Z Bend gorge. The 400 million years old landscape was very marvelous. We swam in a secluded pool while we were looking around there.
After that, we entered the World Heritage area of Shark Bay and we went to Shell Beach whose sand is all shells. It was very unique, but so beautiful. It was the first time I had seen it.
At night, we had an Artisian Spa under the stars. There were a lot of stars and it was very nice.

EXMOUTH! #2
We went to the Hutt River Province which is a small, breakaway country and the second largest on this continent. We met Prince Leonard(but the prince is already an old person.it was interesting.) who told us about their passion for their own country. He said his country was founded to protect farmers from Australia’s government. They have their own money, stamps, church and so on.
After that, we went to the coastal gorges of Kalbari National Park. It was a very beautiful beach. Unfortunately, I couldn’t see whales because of the season…
At night, we jad a mouthwatering Aussie BBQ. We ate kangaroo’s and lamb’s meat, sausages, fried potatoes and salads with bread. The taste of kangaroo is a little sweet and oily. I didn’t like it. After that, we enjoyed talking about our own names. They were difficult to pronounce and remember from each country. I had an enjoyable time.

EXMOUTH! #1
I started a trip to Exmouth. I took a tour by Red Earth Safaris which is small, locally owned and operated, and so very kind that I could enjoy it a lot, I thought.
Today’s main event was the Pinnacles. I have already been there, but only in the daytime. We could see sunset there because we stayed at the Backpacker Hostel which is near the Pinnacles. It was amazing! The Pinnacles had shadows by sunset, so the landscape was different from that of the daytime.
At night, we had dinner of razina and salad. It was delicious. Then after that, I played a card game with some Italian guys. They showed me how to play it. Actually, it’s difficult for me to understand it even though they gave me a lot of advice.. But it was a lot of fun!!

MERRY CHRISTMAS
Finally, today is Christmas day! I went to church to worship. I’m not Christian but I had a good experience. The priest told us that we’re saved from sin by “Jesus” through the meaning of the name.
After that, I went to the city. I couldn’t believe it was so crowded with people yesterday. It was quite silent. Almost all the shops were closed, so it was like the New Year in Japan. Oz should spend this day celebrating with their families.

CHRISTMAS EVE
I joined a Christmas Party at the Backpacker Hostel. The BP Hostel prepared chickens,turkeys, vegetables, bread and so on. When I helped them, I saw a turkey which wasn’t cut yet. It was a very big one.
Today, there were many nationalities as guests. I could talk with them. I could enjoy Summer’s Christmas a lot!

CHRISTMAS EVENT
A Christmas Day here is like a New Year’s Day in Japan. Almost everybody had a day off to celebrate the day so on these days we can see a lot of Christmas events.
Today also has an event which has concerts and a play. The performers staged a play from the Bible. I already knew that story, so I could understand it easily. It was very fantastic. I realized tomorrow is Christmas Eve!

KINGS PARK
I went to Kings Park. Actually, I had already been there at night. I saw a wonderful night view so I wanted to go there in the daytime, too. I could see the whole city from there. It was amazing!

ROTTNEST ISLAND
I went to Rottnest Island. It took about 1.5 hours from Perth by train and ferry. Today was very beautiful weather, so I rented a bicycle and cycled around there. It was very amazing to cycle while looking at the passing views. I could see quokkas, which only found there, and peacocks. I think it was the best place for taking it easy. I could relax a lot but it was my first trip alone. I felt sad...

THE WESTERN AUSTRALIA MUSEUM
I visited the Western Australia Museum. This place is known by having many exhibits of Aboriginal culture, whale's bones, Dinosaur's fossils and so on. I joined a free 30 minute guided tour and the guide gave me some infomation on dinosaurs, Aboriginal history, animals and life in Perth. It was very interesting and I had a lot of fun.

NEXT PLAN!
I decided to go to Exmouth from next Monday. Actually I was wondering about the best place to go this season. I should see many fantastic beaches, caves and so on. How amazing!

SUBIACO
I went to Subiaco which has a lot of fashonable cafes, variety stores and so on.
I found my favorite shops which sell all handmade bags, accessories and clothes. I bought a pochette and 2 hairbands. They are so cute!! Also there are 2 markets in there on every weekend. I could get fruit and vegetables with cheap prices. I like to go to markets on trips because I can feel the local people's lives.

CHRISTMAS IS COMING!
The city is alive with lots of people because Christmas is coming soon. In the shopping mall, I can find a lot of advertisements of the sales and catch sight of the choir who are celebrating Christmas. I can hardly wait for the day!

THANKS A LOT!
I went to the Perth international airport to see Yasu off. He is going to go to South Asia before he goes back to Japan. I feel sad because I had almost only been with him in Australia. I will miss him but time passes, so the circumstance around me should be changed too... I hope he will have a nice trip and great experiences. Thanks a lot for your kindness, Yasu. I will never forget these days we spent together.

FAREWELL MEALS
Yasu who has traveled with me, is going to leave Australia tomorrow. I had dinner with him. He treated me, though I should actually have done it. I feel ashamed for being so clumsy...
We ordered a course menu of seafood. Yasu selected white wine, lobster soup, garlic toast, garlic prawns and a seafood platter from the menu list (because I'm ignorant about it...) . They were so delicious that I was lost for words.
I can't believe that he is going to leave Australia tomorrow...

AROUND PERTH #3
I joined a tour of Margaret River & the Leeuwin Light house.
In Eagles Heritage, I put an eagle on my arm. It was so scary, even though it was with a keeper's help. The eagle show was also interesting.
I also went to Busselton Jetty. It is known as a place which is used in a scene of "being sprited away of Sen and Chihiro"(The animated cartoon movie was produced by Hayao Miyazaki.). Actually I joined this tour because I wanna look there, but unfortunately the tour didn't spend enough time there because it wasn't so interesting for other tourists, except Japanese...

CITY
I took a day off. I walked around the city. These days there are a lot of Christmas decorations all over. The night time illuminations were especially very nice. Also some people put on santa hats on the street. This season is very exciting.

AROUND PERTH #2
I joined a tour of "Pinnacles Desert 4WD Adventure".
In Caversham Wildlife Park, I saw a koala with a baby in her pocket within striking distance. They are very cute.
In Pinnacles, I could feel their history. I have heard a comment, "The wild tombs," about Pinnacles. I thought that it was because something about their landscape was bloody.
In Sand Dunes, we drove by 4WD and tried sandboarding. It was very powerful and interesting.

AROUND PERTH #1
I joined a tour to "WAVE ROCK & Aboriginal Culture". The bus was comfortable because the cushions were very soft and I'm not sure whether only this tour company does it or not, but there was just one staff member acting as the tour guide, conductor and driver. It was different from a Japanese tour.
In Wave Rock, the Aboriginal guide explained to us Wave Rock's history and he introduced Aboriginal songs with bamboo instruments. I felt the greatness of the current of time.

CHRISTMAS PAGEANT
I watched the RAC Channel7 Christmas Pageant which features Santa and a cavalcade of floats and performers making their way through the city. I think the pageants are produced and enjoyed by all in the city without regard to age or sex. Actually, I just came across this event casually. I was lucky. I had an enjoyable time.

PERTH
I moved to Perth which is also on the south side of Australia, but the time difference between Perth and Melbourne is 3 hours, and the flight took about 4 hours. I think Perth is a comfortable place to live because it seems easygoing and the prices are lower than in the big cities. However, there were a lot of Japanese, so I can hear Japanese anywhere.

QUEEN VICTORIA MARKET
We went to the QueenVictoria Market. It was the second time I had been there. We wanted to eat fresh and cheap seafood there before we left Melbourne.
We cooked “Spaghetti Pescatore” with crabs, prawns, clams, mussles and vegetables. It’s taste was fascinating. The soup extracted from the seafood was especially nice! How could we imagine having such a wonderful dinner in the Backpacker Hostel?

NEXT CITY
I have already spent 10 days in Melbourne. I always feel the time flies quickly, especially when I'm traveling. I got a ticket for Perth over the internet. I used a site of "The Flight Centre", which is convenient because it is possible to compare the cost, the departure time, the quality and so on of different airlines. I spent more money for the the flight ticket than I had thought... I'm going to Perth this Friday.

BRUNSWICK ST
I must be a lucky person because it was raining as soon as I came back to Melbourne from the Great Ocean Road!
I went to Brunswick St, which is called the birthplace of the young culture of Melborune. My destination was "Katomandu" which is an outdoor bland shop of NZ and I have loved this one since I came to Australia. These days this shop has Christmas sales, so I wanted to get some goods. I got a Swiss Army Knife, a pouch, locks and a portable umbrella on which logos of Katmandu. I think their quality is good, so I should use them a lot on this trip! I especially wanted to get a Swiss Army Knife for a long time and Yasu gave me it as a Christmas present. I was so glad and I never expected such a thing. Thank you very much, Yasu!!

GREAT OCEAN ROAD/GRAMPIONS NP #4
We concentrated on driving until we arrived in Melbourne because we had to return the car by 14:00. The distance between Apolo Bay and Melbourne made it a little difficult to return the car rental on time..
On the way, I saw wild koalas in the trees. They were taking a nap. The scene was so cute. I could spend 3 days as if it were a first-class tour. I enjoyed good weather and had a lot of fun. Maybe this trip should be the last one driving rental cars with Yasu. Thank you a lot for driving the car for 3 days, Yasu!!

GREAT OCEAN ROAD/GRAMPIONS NP #3
We drove on the Great Ocean Road. Fortunately, I had nice weather. I looked around all the places in the Guide book. I could look at a lot of bizarre rocks and I marveled at the fine, artistic sight with the beautiful contrast of the mountains, seas and rocks. However I was just sorry I couldn't look at the 12 Apostles in the sunset because of the weather...

GREAT OCEAN ROAD/GRAMPIANS NP #2
What a lucky person I am! I had fine weather.
At first, I went bushwalking in the Grampians NP. It took about two and a half hours. I could walk along the mountain streams while hearing the flowing tones. Grand Canyon was very amazing, where I felt the time of some hundred millon years. The air was delicious!
Next, I went to the Balconies whose shape is like a beast. I stood on the rock to take pictures. It was scary..
Finally, I went to the Mckenzie Falls. They were huge falls whose altitude is about 100 metres. I walked around there. It took about one and a half hours.
Fortunately, I could see rainbows in front of them. They were very fantastic!

GREAT OCEAN ROAD/GRAMPIANS NP #1
We set out from Melbourne for the Great Ocean Road and the Grampians NP after I hired a car.
On the way, I stopped by Lake Wendouree in Ballarat to have lunch. It was very beautiful because the scene around there was reflected in the lake. Then we saw a lot of black swans.I was surprised because they were bigger than I had thought when they extended their wings.
After that, we went to Halls Gap. We encountered kangaroos as soon as we arrived there. I heard the weather of the Grampians NP and the Great Ocean Road is changeable. I hope we will get fine weather for 2 days.

ST KILDA/SOUTH BANK
At first, I went to Queen Victoria Market. This was a huge place and had lots of things like food, clothes, accessories and so on, more than I had imagined. The food especially looked very fresh and cheap. I bought crabs, clams and some vegetables there.
Next, I went to St.Kilda and South Bank. Today was very hot, but unfortunately I forgot my swimsuit.. Those were very beautiful places even though near the city. In South Bank, there are a lot of cafes and also a fountain. They were nice places.