The last 45mins of the flight to Melbourne was particularly disorientating. They turned off the in-flight entertainment just as we passed over Adelaide so I couldn't plot our course. (This was as opposed to the Singapore leg where we could see the flightplan screen even as we landed!) It was local time around 4am, and completely black outside, no light from anywhere on the ground was visible. And I don't have a watch. So we landed without me having any concept whatsoever of time, distance, location, or altitude! Eerie.

It was good to get off the plane. Despite having a connection in Melbourne for Brisbane, we had to go through customs and baggage collection; effectively they were two completely separate journeys.

To answer my previous pondering - a box of toffees does count as food, but the folks at customs weren't too bothered about that. They did keep the apple though that had been part of the food allocation from the airline - it wasn't even as if I'd brought it the whole way with me!

Wandered through Melbourne airport. The lady at the information desk only really knew about travel between the airport and Melbourne city centre, and not to places beyond Melbourne (I was hoping she'd know how to get to Hamilton), but never mind, I've still got a week to find that out! Bumped into another couple of young travellers, who were off to Brisbane for a 9-week holiday (seems one of them had parents in the region); they were a little concerned they'd end up missing their flight but it turns out they were on the plane after me!

Checked my baggage in (I'd already got a boarding card from when I checked in at Heathrow - at Melbourne there was a separate desk for international passengers going forth on domestic flights).

Didn't get to spend too long in the airport - about five mins after arriving at the gate, they called the flight!

I had a really good seat this time. It was an aisle seat, at the very front of the plane, directly behind business class. So not only did I have the aisle to stretch out in, but also since the two business class seats took up slightly less width than the three economy seats I could almost also stretch out directly in front.

There was a TV screen in front but I didn't listen in, was too busy reading/writing. On board we were also given breakfast (which was now my third on the whole journey). The sun came up too and so we had a pretty nice sunrise through the windows.

Upon arrival in Melbourne it had been thoroughly miserably dark and wet - a bit like what I'd left London in (well Birmingham anyway). But the sun to Brisbane shone brightly and illuminated some weird scenery, mountainous, crusty! I was on the wrong side of the plane but occasionally I could see bits of coast.

We landed in Brisbane again to bright sunshine at around 8am (I think we were even slightly early!). Came off the plane, walked into the terminal, and immediately got called out. It being a domestic terminal of course, procedures are a tad different. Lisa and her parents were there waiting for me before I'd even had a chance to collect my luggage!!

(Security wasn't that lax; Lisa's mother had her nail file taken from her as she passed through to reach arrivals.)

Anyway. We picked up my bag and set off down the motorway. I never knew they drove on the left in Australia! The car was pretty full - it wasn't just Lisa and her parents but also Jayden - Lisa's nephew, seven years old, and typically seven.

Most of the family were hungry, so we stopped on route to get petrol (BP) and breakfast, at McDonalds. Fourth breakfast in around a 24 hour period, and despite it's origin was probably the best thus far. So much for airline food. It was a reasonably sized dining area, with several food outlets (including a KFC that only opened as we ate) and children's play area. Probably about a quarter of the clientele were barefoot, not what you'd expect to find in the UK, especially not in the bleak mid-winter!

It didn't really take too long to get home, or maybe that's cos when you've got a seven year old in the back of the car with you, you're pretty easily distracted!

Lisa's house is actually quite nice. One storey (am I the only person I know out of all my online pals abroad to have a house with stairs in?!). The layout is a bit odd, it seems to square off on itself, with more doors it could easily be a game in Takeshi's Castle! I'm in a pretty sizable room at the front/side of the house, next to one of the bathrooms. Apparently an extension was added some time ago, which might explain why there are two bathrooms either side of a toilet. The garden's pretty big too, and contains an industrial sized washing spindle!!

We chatted for a bit - I got asked lots of questions! - Had a spot of lunch - and then went out to take Jayden home. We went through Bli Bli, where Lisa used to live (village?), then stayed for a couple of hours at Jayden's house.

The surrounding countryside is dominated by one crop. There are fields and fields of sugar cane! Unfortunately this seems to be a dying industry in this part of the world, but around Bli Bli, virtually everywhere you looked there were sugar cane plants, two metres high and beyond. And small, (narrow) railway lines that sugar cane trains run on.

It got dark pretty quickly, at first it looked like storm clouds but it was just night-time. This takes some getting used to - English summer conditions but dark by 5pm. It's winter Jim, but not as we know it. Summer's are melty-hot though so I'm glad I never went over at Christmas. This is pretty much the perfect time!

I know I'm passing over some of this quite quick but I was getting really tired at this point!

We called in at a chippy. The fish available were cod, flake, dory, or one or two others eventually (I had flake); could have it crumbed or battered (I had crumbed). Took a while to cook but it was a pleasant evening. Saw the Southern Cross in the night sky, obviously never seen that before! We had the fish and chips when we got home; chips a bit naff but the fish was lovely.

Long ago, at the McDonalds, I drew out some Aussie dollars, very colourful! However I hadn't a clue how much they were worth! Just before I went to bed, Lisa checked up online and we found out that $1 is worth around 40p. My McDonalds "Big Breakfast" and large Coke had come to $5.90, or almost £2.40. The fish was around $4. Not yet bought anything that I can price relate to - so not yet worked out if this is going to be cheaper or not!

Went to bed around 8pm-ish, after nearly falling asleep in the living room a few times while watching TV! And they had two hours of Home and Away to watch on tape. Dang!!! :P