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Entries from November and December

kuvaweopu Oct 30 2003 07:49 (Finnish time)

Oct 30 2003 15:49 (Central Australian time)

Hey ho! yesterday we visited Watarrka (King's Canyon) and it was absolutely amazing. We walked the canyon rim and the landscape was breathtakingly beautiful. Today we walked through Kata Tjuta and that was great too. The weather here in the desert is hot (over 36 C) very windy. We are spending the night at a holiday resort near Uluru (mmh, swimming pool). At sunrise tomorrow we will go to Uluru for a nice 10 km morning walk.

kuvaweopu Oct 28 2003 06:31 (Finnish time)

Oct 28 2003 14:31 (Central Australian time)

We're at Alice Springs enjoying the hot desert weather. The town is very nice and we even found an arcade with Bubble Bobble in it. Going there next. We just booked flights from Sydney to Perth and back. We should get to Perth on the 18th of November.
We are shredding our skins and Gandi is trying his hardest to do a hat trick: getting burned in the sun in all the major cities of Australia. Fortunately most of the camping areas here have a swimming pool so we can just relax and enjoy beach and water even here in the middle of Australia.
Tomorrow we will head towards Uluru and Kata Tjuta and after that south towards the coast. Hopefully Winona will work ok. Yesterday we had the charger and battery checked and they were both fine. It's still a mystery why the battery drained overnight. Last night we removed one of the battery cables to avoid having starting problems today. So far so good. We're keeping our fingers crossed that the problem was just some random occurrence.

Gandi Oct 27 2003 04:43 (Finnish time)

Oct 27 2003 12:43 (Central Australian time)

We came, we saw, we conquered the Devil's Marbles. Kind of a surrealist sight in desert. Huge amounts of bugs at our last camping place, I hate them :-)

kuvaweopu Oct 27 2003 04:42 (Finnish time)

Oct 27 2003 12:42 (Central Australian time)

Our Winona is starting to act up:2nd day in a row the battery was empty in the morning. Luckily we had bought starter cables earlier. Now in Alice Springs.

kuvaweopu Oct 26 2003 06:23 (Finnish time)

Oct 26 2003 14:23 (Central Australian time)

Last night we camped near Mataranka, 430 km southeast from Darwin. The place had nice thermal springs and lots of interesting wildlife like turtles, wallabies, hawks and parrots. Now we are visiting Tennant Creek after we had nice rump steaks at a road house. Still 700 km to Alice Springs.

Gandi Oct 25 2003 10:38 (Finnish time)

Oct 25 2003 18:38 (Central Australian time)

Back from Kakadu National Park. Scenery was beautiful, although it is end of dry season, and most of the waters dry. Weather is nice 38 degrees in shadow, mmh.

kuvaweopu Oct 24 2003 15:06 (Finnish time)

Oct 24 2003 23:06 (Central Australian time)

Camping in Jabiru in the middle of Kakadu National Park. Saw some great and ancient Aboriginal rock paintings today. It is hotter than in hell here - want a/c!

Gandi Oct 24 2003 02:39 (Finnish time)

Oct 24 2003 10:39 (Central Australian time)

Now on course to Kakadu rainforests. Not much sleep last night, as I burned myself again. How stupid can you get... :-(

kuvaweopu Oct 23 2003 13:42 (Finnish time)

Oct 23 2003 21:42 (Central Australian time)

Spent the day just relaxing at the camping place pool. Tomorrow we will head for the wonders of the Kakadu national park.

PICTURE Oct 22 2003 10:44 (Finnish time)

Oct 22 2003 18:44 (Central Australian time)

In this one we're up in Darwin walking on the beach. The day was very hot and humid but we couldn't go swimming because of a jelly fish warning. :-( After the beach we went shopping (now we have a boomerang) and uploading these pictures to the diary.
The next few days we'll spend around Darwin and the surrounding region - including the Kakadu national park. Now we're off to the camping area and its nice swimming pool. Laters mates.

PICTURE Oct 22 2003 10:31 (Finnish time)

Oct 22 2003 18:31 (Central Australian time)

Spending the night at a rest stop along the Tablelands Highway. The place was pretty much in the middle of nowhere with only cattle to keep us company. Asmu played didgeridoo in the dark and we enjoyed a very restful night. We think we had some uninvited guests browsing through our foodbags as we found one ripped open and half-eaten bread was next to it. Figuring dingoes were to blame we locked the food securely away to our car after that. A beautiful place indeed.

PICTURE Oct 22 2003 10:14 (Finnish time)

Oct 22 2003 18:14 (Central Australian time)

This one was taken at a rest place near Townsville last week. These little fellas scared us first, but after seeing what they were we were rushing for cameras. Imagine that you are eating dinner in dark resting area and suddenly nerarby bushes start to rustle. Yikes! Snake! no wait.. a possum, and two more. Very brave little creatures and friendly too since they did let us to take this picture.

PICTURE Oct 22 2003 10:04 (Finnish time)

Oct 22 2003 18:04 (Central Australian time)

This picture is from Fraser Island (just a little over week ago) where we suffered a flat tire just after bumping through the inland 4wd track. We had to change the tire on the beach while the high tide was already starting to rise. After a while figuring out how to use the tools in the car and a longer while figuring how to get the spare tire out we managed to sort out the problem.
The flat tire was actually the second problem of the day. The first one came when we just came to the island and the high tide was just two hours away: we had to drive through the beach to get to the inland tracks before the tide. There was very little space on the beach to drive and the water kept coming closer and closer to the car. Then suddenly the beach road was blocked by floating debris. On the other side of the debris was a cliff and on the other side the sea. We couldn't go back because the water was already so high we wouldn't have made it. The only way to go was through the sea and incoming waves hoping the car wouldn't sink in the wet sand. Well, we made it but it certainly was one nervewrecking experience.

Gandi Oct 21 2003 15:28 (Finnish time)

Oct 21 2003 23:28 (Central Australian time)

We are now in Darwin,it is damn hot and humid,loving every second! I only wish our air conditioning would work.Now playing cards at camping area.

kuvaweopu Oct 20 2003 04:07 (Finnish time)

Oct 20 2003 12:07 (Central Australian time)

Finally some GSM coverage. :-) Spent last night at Normanton near the coast of Gulf of Carpentaria. The main roads there are long, straight and from time to time have only one paved lane. The weather is very hot and humid. We saw many kangaroos and cattle roaming free on the roadside. Now driving westwards thru Mt Isa. We hope to reach Darwin by tomorrow afternoon. We have had 0 problems with Winona although she is loaded to the max with our gear.

kuvaweopu Oct 18 2003 11:58 (Finnish time)

Oct 18 2003 19:58 (Central Australian time)

We had a rest day today - just relaxing at the camping park and healing the burnt skin. :) Tomorrow we will start driving west towards Darwin.

Gandi Oct 17 2003 13:46 (Finnish time)

Oct 17 2003 21:46 (Central Australian time)

Wow, unbelievable day behind us! The Great Barrier Reef was awesome! We snorkelled and scuba dived over the coral. And of course burned ourselves. :-)

kuvaweopu Oct 17 2003 01:49 (Finnish time)

Oct 17 2003 09:49 (Central Australian time)

Going to the reef now. Had a shocking wakeup this morning when the (seemingly) loudest bird in the world started chirping next to our tent. :)

kuvaweopu Oct 16 2003 06:51 (Finnish time)

Oct 16 2003 14:51 (Central Australian time)

Cairns. Over 30 C temp in the shadow. No wind. HOT!!! We booked a cruise to the Great Barrier Reef for tomorrow. Ahoy mates! Raise the sails!

kuvaweopu Oct 15 2003 15:17 (Finnish time)

Oct 15 2003 23:17 (Central Australian time)

Camping for the night 250 km south of Cairns. The climate is definitely shifting towards tropical. Saw dozens of dead kangaroos on the road today.

kuvaweopu Oct 15 2003 05:15 (Finnish time)

Oct 15 2003 13:15 (Central Australian time)

Finally a really hot day and we are spending it in a car without a/c. We definitely need a shower.Gandi drives today while I relax at the back

kuvaweopu Oct 14 2003 14:44 (Finnish time)

Oct 14 2003 22:44 (Central Australian time)

Mmh, beer. We are still about 1300 km from Cairns and camping at a rest stop near Gin Gin for the night. I am feeling great! THIS is life.

Gandi Oct 14 2003 09:50 (Finnish time)

Oct 14 2003 17:50 (Central Australian time)

We are back online and alive! Had some eventful two days at Fraser Island. We rented a 4WD, and raced without fear in the beach with the high tide. We also enjoyed the bumpy roads of Fraser Island inland, and everything went smoothly until we had a flat tire. Pitstop was fast, and journey continued safely. Now heading up north. Hopefully there is GSM coverage. Oh, and we watched the last F1 GP. Too bad the Kiminator did not win,but next year he will!

kuvaweopu Oct 12 2003 06:10 (Finnish time)

Oct 12 2003 14:10 (Central Australian time)

Aah, this is vacation: worshipping the sun and swimmimg in the ocean at Rainbow Beach about 200 km north of Brisbane. Everything is perfect!

Gandi Oct 11 2003 15:21 (Finnish time)

Oct 11 2003 23:21 (Central Australian time)

Full moon, no people in sight, just silence. Camping near Rainbow Beach. New equipment in use, fridge works, and mattress feels good. Aah!

Asmu Oct 11 2003 12:48 (Finnish time)

Oct 11 2003 20:48 (Central Australian time)

We repacked our stuff to Winona for more room. Next we found out that our fuel can was missing a seal. Nothing that duct tape and tissue cant fix

PICTURE Oct 11 2003 02:33 (Finnish time)

Oct 11 2003 10:33 (Central Australian time)

This is us riding the Cyclone at Dreamworld. The fourth one is our hostess, Tracy :-) The rides were cool and the free fall machine - The Giant Drop - was excellent, not to mention the Tower of Terror. And of course the animals were adorable.

kuvaweopu Oct 10 2003 16:43 (Finnish time)

Oct 11 2003 00:43 (Central Australian time)

Asmu can't open beer bottles. He just got a wound from trying to open a twist cap beer bottle. We're just finishing burning backups of our digital photos to cds. Sleep calls in a few moments and then tomorrow we intend to go shopping and see the Brisbane downtown. A big thanks to ygrzl for letting us stay for a few nights.

PICTURE Oct 10 2003 16:31 (Finnish time)

Oct 11 2003 00:31 (Central Australian time)

A kangaroo. What else there is to say? It was nice and fluffy. Ok, it was in Dreamworld wildlife park but that's the first kangaroo we saw on this trip. Hoping to see much more later.

PICTURE Oct 10 2003 14:58 (Finnish time)

Oct 10 2003 22:58 (Central Australian time)

We enjoyed the beach and sun at Surfers Paradise. The water temperature was 20 degrees Celcius but we didn't take a swim as it started raining shortly after the picture was taken. :-) It was pretty early in the morning at that time and we had to go to McDonald's for a breakfast as not many places were open yet.

PICTURE Oct 10 2003 14:48 (Finnish time)

Oct 10 2003 22:48 (Central Australian time)

Here's a picture of Winona - our car. Asmu on the left and Gandi on the right. Kuvaweopu took the picture. Winona is a 1991 model Ford Falcon stationwagon with a 4.1 litre six cylinder engine. She's as hot as she looks. The picture was taken on the parking lot of Wentworth Falls at the Blue Mountains.

kuvaweopu Oct 10 2003 05:35 (Finnish time)

Oct 10 2003 13:35 (Central Australian time)

We are at the Dreamworld theme park stuck at the Tower of Terror queue. The ride broke down just before us and they are trying to fix it.

Gandi Oct 10 2003 02:13 (Finnish time)

Oct 10 2003 10:13 (Central Australian time)

Morning started with a nice walk at the beach in Surfers Paradise. Had a nice sleep at Tracys place. Next stop: Dreamworld amusement park!

kuvaweopu Oct 09 2003 13:23 (Finnish time)

Oct 09 2003 21:23 (Central Australian time)

The day was fine and we drove about 800 km all the way to Brisbane. The car registration transfer was sorted out nicely in the end.

kuvaweopu Oct 09 2003 04:04 (Finnish time)

Oct 09 2003 12:04 (Central Australian time)

Oh the wonders of bureaucracy. We are trying to transfer the registration of our car and it is far from easy. At least the sun shining...

Gandi Oct 08 2003 13:30 (Finnish time)

Oct 08 2003 21:30 (Central Australian time)

We are now camped along the Pacific Highway. Grasshoppers are really loud and the atmosphere is great. Nipsu drove good, only few mistakes :)

kuvaweopu Oct 08 2003 09:29 (Finnish time)

Oct 08 2003 17:29 (Central Australian time)

Blue Mtns were nice, especially Wentworth Falls where we hiked a beautiful 6 km trail. Now we drive north and hope to make Brisbane by thursday evening.

kuvaweopu Oct 08 2003 04:22 (Finnish time)

Oct 08 2003 12:22 (Central Australian time)

Aah. The sun is shining and we are driving west of Sydney towards Blue Mountains. Winona (our car) is behaving herself very nicely. She is hot :)

Asmu Oct 07 2003 12:58 (Finnish time)

Oct 07 2003 20:58 (Central Australian time)

Traffic lanes here are very narrow and having steering wheel on the right side is weird. Automatic transmission makes driving easier however

kuvaweopu Oct 07 2003 12:51 (Finnish time)

Oct 07 2003 20:51 (Central Australian time)

We have a car and she is a beaut! After a coolant leak and a new radiator we drove her around Sydney. The car is a -91 model and in top condition

kuvaweopu Oct 07 2003 05:49 (Finnish time)

Oct 07 2003 13:49 (Central Australian time)

Nice. Now I got the flu. Thanks a lot rainy/cold Sydney. Today we will drive to the Zoo with our Ford Falcon. And tomorrow the hell out of here.

Gandi Oct 07 2003 04:31 (Finnish time)

Oct 07 2003 12:31 (Central Australian time)

Wohoo! Car seller called, we can pick up our batmobile in the afternoon. Then some testdriving. Now others are taking a nap, I am playing Bubble Bobble.

kuvaweopu Oct 06 2003 09:52 (Finnish time)

Oct 06 2003 17:52 (Central Australian time)

Rain. again! It is getting boring. Tomorrow we likely get our car and then we will get out of Sydney. Luckily food is good and aussies are nice.

Gandi Oct 05 2003 14:19 (Finnish time)

Oct 05 2003 22:19 (Central Australian time)

I arranged our hostel booking for another extra 2 nights. Hopefully on Tuesday we get to Blue Mountains. Now some Dundee from TV and relaxing.

kuvaweopu Oct 05 2003 10:05 (Finnish time)

Oct 05 2003 18:05 (Central Australian time)

We were at Bondi Beach enjoying the waves and watching the chicks. In other words we shivered in the cold wind and got soaked in thundershower

Gandi Oct 04 2003 12:14 (Finnish time)

Oct 04 2003 20:14 (Central Australian time)

Wohoo! My first car! A beautiful red Ford Falcon, 4.1 litre V6...WROOM! Getting it on Tuesday, so still time in Sydney. Good weather ahead, aaaah!

kuvaweopu Oct 04 2003 12:10 (Finnish time)

Oct 04 2003 20:10 (Central Australian time)

Beer... again. Damn these free beer vouchers. Gandi and me are photographing nightly Sydney and Asmu is sleeping his jetlag off at the hostel.

Asmu Oct 03 2003 23:35 (Finnish time)

Oct 04 2003 07:35 (Central Australian time)

Finally here! Waiting for a train to central. There was a weird smell at the airport. Or maybe I really need a shower...

kuvaweopu Oct 03 2003 15:37 (Finnish time)

Oct 03 2003 23:37 (Central Australian time)

Mmmh... beer. We have tried many aussie beers today as we did yesterday and the day before. :) My personal favorites so far are VB and Coopers

Gandi Oct 03 2003 15:34 (Finnish time)

Oct 03 2003 23:34 (Central Australian time)

Had a fun day again. Some Japanese tourists wanted their pics taken with us, funny :) Tomorrow Asmu will get here,and the car thing is cleared

Asmu Oct 03 2003 14:29 (Finnish time)

Oct 03 2003 22:29 (Central Australian time)

2h stop in Singapore is over. Toilets in airport were very clean.

NOTE Oct 03 2003 06:43 (Finnish time)

Oct 03 2003 14:43 (Central Australian time)

The sun is actually shining for a change. The Sydney Opera house looks very cool. We are getting great pictures of the city. Maybe food next.

kuvaweopu Oct 03 2003 06:03 (Finnish time)

Oct 03 2003 14:03 (Central Australian time)

It is the coldest day yet. But no worries: we are enjoying a walk through Sydneys beautiful gardens. There are huge bats here hanging from the trees.

Gandi Oct 02 2003 20:03 (Finnish time)

Oct 03 2003 04:03 (Central Australian time)

Found a good supermarket today, shopping problems are over. Lasagne was good, but bad news came about the weather: more rains are coming :(

Asmu Oct 02 2003 16:57 (Finnish time)

Oct 03 2003 00:57 (Central Australian time)

Nice, seat 10f. Right next to the emergency exit. Over 24h of flying ahead. Kangaroos here I come!

Asmu Oct 02 2003 09:50 (Finnish time)

Oct 02 2003 17:50 (Central Australian time)

And so it begins...

kuvaweopu Oct 02 2003 07:13 (Finnish time)

Oct 02 2003 15:13 (Central Australian time)

Wow. Just saw James Cameron's Titanic 3D in an IMAX theatre. I'm never going to be impressed by conventional movies again. :( Gotta go see some other movie in there too. as long as we are here. Now we're off to the harbour area and then to eat something.

NOTE Oct 02 2003 03:39 (Finnish time)

Oct 02 2003 11:39 (Central Australian time)

Hooray Jyp! Received match results yesterday, thanks :) Its shorts time finally here, although its a bit cloudy. Yesterday we asked around about cars, and looks like we are buying, not renting. Nipsus journey starts today, although we havent heard of him for a while.

NOTE Oct 01 2003 06:18 (Finnish time)

Oct 01 2003 14:18 (Central Australian time)

We're currently under a tree in a park waiting for the rain to end. And it ain't warm. Just in: NOOoo... this place is swarming with Finns. :(

kuvaweopu Sep 30 2003 13:05 (Finnish time)

Sep 30 2003 21:05 (Central Australian time)

Oh my! What've you crazy aussies done to the moon? Its backwards! We bought some beer and decided to spend the evening quietly - jetlag kills

kuvaweopu Sep 30 2003 10:10 (Finnish time)

Sep 30 2003 18:10 (Central Australian time)

Finally at Sydney and booked in at the hostel. The place looks decent and it's located right at the center of Kings Cross. Oh, our flight actually landed a few minutes early. During the flight we chatted with a nice Finnish stewardess. Damn I'm tired. Only a few neck pain inducing hours of sleep on the plane. Now I'm going to get something to eat and then get some well deserved sleep.

NOTE Sep 30 2003 21:58 (Finnish time)

Oct 01 2003 05:58 (Central Australian time)

Asmu: Australian customs will be very interested in your shoes, at least they looked at ours very closely. We barely managed to avoid cavity search ;)

Gandi Sep 30 2003 10:37 (Finnish time)

Sep 30 2003 18:37 (Central Australian time)

Aah, finally shower. No more smelly me. First glance at hostel: not bad. And everything has gone smoothly so far, except Vienna of course. Now a short lookaround of the neighbourhood and we'll get something to eat.

NOTE Sep 29 2003 23:42 (Finnish time)

Sep 30 2003 07:42 (Central Australian time)

Finally at Kuala Lumpur. We have slept about 2 hours :) Now a quick tour here and a takeoff towards Sydney. Our bodies have no idea what time it is...

NOTE Sep 29 2003 12:39 (Finnish time)

Sep 29 2003 20:39 (Central Australian time)

Unbelievable chaos at Vienna airport. this flight has zero chance of leaving in time. Way to go Austrian Airlines! Well, what else to expect from cheapo flight!

Gandi Sep 29 2003 04:30 (Finnish time)

Sep 29 2003 12:30 (Central Australian time)

ZzZ, must stay awake...kuvaweopus ingenious idea was that we skip tonights sleep, and convert our internal clock to Oz time right awax. Damn him!

Gandi Sep 25 2003 12:33 (Finnish time)

Sep 25 2003 20:33 (Central Australian time)

H-hour is getting closer and closer, now 3 days 19 hours and 26 minutes to go...hmm, I think I should start packing soon. I hope the visitor counter will be fixed soon...

NOTE Sep 23 2003 17:23 (Finnish time)

Sep 24 2003 01:23 (Central Australian time)

The site is now open. Still 6 days, 14 hours and 38 minutes to go. :-)

Entries from November and December

kuvaweopu	Oct 30 2003 07:49 (Finnish time)
	Oct 30 2003 15:49 (Central Australian time)
Hey ho! yesterday we visited Watarrka (King's Canyon) and it was absolutely amazing. We walked the canyon rim and the landscape was breathtakingly beautiful. Today we walked through Kata Tjuta and that was great too. The weather here in the desert is hot (over 36 C) very windy. We are spending the night at a holiday resort near Uluru (mmh, swimming pool). At sunrise tomorrow we will go to Uluru for a nice 10 km morning walk.

kuvaweopu	Oct 28 2003 06:31 (Finnish time)
	Oct 28 2003 14:31 (Central Australian time)
We're at Alice Springs enjoying the hot desert weather. The town is very nice and we even found an arcade with Bubble Bobble in it. Going there next. We just booked flights from Sydney to Perth and back. We should get to Perth on the 18th of November. We are shredding our skins and Gandi is trying his hardest to do a hat trick: getting burned in the sun in all the major cities of Australia. Fortunately most of the camping areas here have a swimming pool so we can just relax and enjoy beach and water even here in the middle of Australia. Tomorrow we will head towards Uluru and Kata Tjuta and after that south towards the coast. Hopefully Winona will work ok. Yesterday we had the charger and battery checked and they were both fine. It's still a mystery why the battery drained overnight. Last night we removed one of the battery cables to avoid having starting problems today. So far so good. We're keeping our fingers crossed that the problem was just some random occurrence.

Gandi	Oct 27 2003 04:43 (Finnish time)
	Oct 27 2003 12:43 (Central Australian time)
We came, we saw, we conquered the Devil's Marbles. Kind of a surrealist sight in desert. Huge amounts of bugs at our last camping place, I hate them :-)

kuvaweopu	Oct 27 2003 04:42 (Finnish time)
	Oct 27 2003 12:42 (Central Australian time)
Our Winona is starting to act up:2nd day in a row the battery was empty in the morning. Luckily we had bought starter cables earlier. Now in Alice Springs.

kuvaweopu	Oct 26 2003 06:23 (Finnish time)
	Oct 26 2003 14:23 (Central Australian time)
Last night we camped near Mataranka, 430 km southeast from Darwin. The place had nice thermal springs and lots of interesting wildlife like turtles, wallabies, hawks and parrots. Now we are visiting Tennant Creek after we had nice rump steaks at a road house. Still 700 km to Alice Springs.

Gandi	Oct 25 2003 10:38 (Finnish time)
	Oct 25 2003 18:38 (Central Australian time)
Back from Kakadu National Park. Scenery was beautiful, although it is end of dry season, and most of the waters dry. Weather is nice 38 degrees in shadow, mmh.

kuvaweopu	Oct 24 2003 15:06 (Finnish time)
	Oct 24 2003 23:06 (Central Australian time)
Camping in Jabiru in the middle of Kakadu National Park. Saw some great and ancient Aboriginal rock paintings today. It is hotter than in hell here - want a/c!

Gandi	Oct 24 2003 02:39 (Finnish time)
	Oct 24 2003 10:39 (Central Australian time)
Now on course to Kakadu rainforests. Not much sleep last night, as I burned myself again. How stupid can you get... :-(

kuvaweopu	Oct 23 2003 13:42 (Finnish time)
	Oct 23 2003 21:42 (Central Australian time)
Spent the day just relaxing at the camping place pool. Tomorrow we will head for the wonders of the Kakadu national park.

PICTURE	Oct 22 2003 10:44 (Finnish time)
	Oct 22 2003 18:44 (Central Australian time)
In this one we're up in Darwin walking on the beach. The day was very hot and humid but we couldn't go swimming because of a jelly fish warning. :-( After the beach we went shopping (now we have a boomerang) and uploading these pictures to the diary. The next few days we'll spend around Darwin and the surrounding region - including the Kakadu national park. Now we're off to the camping area and its nice swimming pool. Laters mates.

PICTURE	Oct 22 2003 10:31 (Finnish time)
	Oct 22 2003 18:31 (Central Australian time)
Spending the night at a rest stop along the Tablelands Highway. The place was pretty much in the middle of nowhere with only cattle to keep us company. Asmu played didgeridoo in the dark and we enjoyed a very restful night. We think we had some uninvited guests browsing through our foodbags as we found one ripped open and half-eaten bread was next to it. Figuring dingoes were to blame we locked the food securely away to our car after that. A beautiful place indeed.

PICTURE	Oct 22 2003 10:14 (Finnish time)
	Oct 22 2003 18:14 (Central Australian time)
This one was taken at a rest place near Townsville last week. These little fellas scared us first, but after seeing what they were we were rushing for cameras. Imagine that you are eating dinner in dark resting area and suddenly nerarby bushes start to rustle. Yikes! Snake! no wait.. a possum, and two more. Very brave little creatures and friendly too since they did let us to take this picture.

PICTURE	Oct 22 2003 10:04 (Finnish time)
	Oct 22 2003 18:04 (Central Australian time)
This picture is from Fraser Island (just a little over week ago) where we suffered a flat tire just after bumping through the inland 4wd track. We had to change the tire on the beach while the high tide was already starting to rise. After a while figuring out how to use the tools in the car and a longer while figuring how to get the spare tire out we managed to sort out the problem. The flat tire was actually the second problem of the day. The first one came when we just came to the island and the high tide was just two hours away: we had to drive through the beach to get to the inland tracks before the tide. There was very little space on the beach to drive and the water kept coming closer and closer to the car. Then suddenly the beach road was blocked by floating debris. On the other side of the debris was a cliff and on the other side the sea. We couldn't go back because the water was already so high we wouldn't have made it. The only way to go was through the sea and incoming waves hoping the car wouldn't sink in the wet sand. Well, we made it but it certainly was one nervewrecking experience.

Gandi	Oct 21 2003 15:28 (Finnish time)
	Oct 21 2003 23:28 (Central Australian time)
We are now in Darwin,it is damn hot and humid,loving every second! I only wish our air conditioning would work.Now playing cards at camping area.

kuvaweopu	Oct 20 2003 04:07 (Finnish time)
	Oct 20 2003 12:07 (Central Australian time)
Finally some GSM coverage. :-) Spent last night at Normanton near the coast of Gulf of Carpentaria. The main roads there are long, straight and from time to time have only one paved lane. The weather is very hot and humid. We saw many kangaroos and cattle roaming free on the roadside. Now driving westwards thru Mt Isa. We hope to reach Darwin by tomorrow afternoon. We have had 0 problems with Winona although she is loaded to the max with our gear.

kuvaweopu	Oct 18 2003 11:58 (Finnish time)
	Oct 18 2003 19:58 (Central Australian time)
We had a rest day today - just relaxing at the camping park and healing the burnt skin. :) Tomorrow we will start driving west towards Darwin.

Gandi	Oct 17 2003 13:46 (Finnish time)
	Oct 17 2003 21:46 (Central Australian time)
Wow, unbelievable day behind us! The Great Barrier Reef was awesome! We snorkelled and scuba dived over the coral. And of course burned ourselves. :-)

kuvaweopu	Oct 17 2003 01:49 (Finnish time)
	Oct 17 2003 09:49 (Central Australian time)
Going to the reef now. Had a shocking wakeup this morning when the (seemingly) loudest bird in the world started chirping next to our tent. :)

kuvaweopu	Oct 16 2003 06:51 (Finnish time)
	Oct 16 2003 14:51 (Central Australian time)
Cairns. Over 30 C temp in the shadow. No wind. HOT!!! We booked a cruise to the Great Barrier Reef for tomorrow. Ahoy mates! Raise the sails!

kuvaweopu	Oct 15 2003 15:17 (Finnish time)
	Oct 15 2003 23:17 (Central Australian time)
Camping for the night 250 km south of Cairns. The climate is definitely shifting towards tropical. Saw dozens of dead kangaroos on the road today.

kuvaweopu	Oct 15 2003 05:15 (Finnish time)
	Oct 15 2003 13:15 (Central Australian time)
Finally a really hot day and we are spending it in a car without a/c. We definitely need a shower.Gandi drives today while I relax at the back

kuvaweopu	Oct 14 2003 14:44 (Finnish time)
	Oct 14 2003 22:44 (Central Australian time)
Mmh, beer. We are still about 1300 km from Cairns and camping at a rest stop near Gin Gin for the night. I am feeling great! THIS is life.

Gandi	Oct 14 2003 09:50 (Finnish time)
	Oct 14 2003 17:50 (Central Australian time)
We are back online and alive! Had some eventful two days at Fraser Island. We rented a 4WD, and raced without fear in the beach with the high tide. We also enjoyed the bumpy roads of Fraser Island inland, and everything went smoothly until we had a flat tire. Pitstop was fast, and journey continued safely. Now heading up north. Hopefully there is GSM coverage. Oh, and we watched the last F1 GP. Too bad the Kiminator did not win,but next year he will!

kuvaweopu	Oct 12 2003 06:10 (Finnish time)
	Oct 12 2003 14:10 (Central Australian time)
Aah, this is vacation: worshipping the sun and swimmimg in the ocean at Rainbow Beach about 200 km north of Brisbane. Everything is perfect!

Gandi	Oct 11 2003 15:21 (Finnish time)
	Oct 11 2003 23:21 (Central Australian time)
Full moon, no people in sight, just silence. Camping near Rainbow Beach. New equipment in use, fridge works, and mattress feels good. Aah!

Asmu	Oct 11 2003 12:48 (Finnish time)
	Oct 11 2003 20:48 (Central Australian time)
We repacked our stuff to Winona for more room. Next we found out that our fuel can was missing a seal. Nothing that duct tape and tissue cant fix

PICTURE	Oct 11 2003 02:33 (Finnish time)
	Oct 11 2003 10:33 (Central Australian time)
This is us riding the Cyclone at Dreamworld. The fourth one is our hostess, Tracy :-) The rides were cool and the free fall machine - The Giant Drop - was excellent, not to mention the Tower of Terror. And of course the animals were adorable.

kuvaweopu	Oct 10 2003 16:43 (Finnish time)
	Oct 11 2003 00:43 (Central Australian time)
Asmu can't open beer bottles. He just got a wound from trying to open a twist cap beer bottle. We're just finishing burning backups of our digital photos to cds. Sleep calls in a few moments and then tomorrow we intend to go shopping and see the Brisbane downtown. A big thanks to ygrzl for letting us stay for a few nights.

PICTURE	Oct 10 2003 16:31 (Finnish time)
	Oct 11 2003 00:31 (Central Australian time)
A kangaroo. What else there is to say? It was nice and fluffy. Ok, it was in Dreamworld wildlife park but that's the first kangaroo we saw on this trip. Hoping to see much more later.

PICTURE	Oct 10 2003 14:58 (Finnish time)
	Oct 10 2003 22:58 (Central Australian time)
We enjoyed the beach and sun at Surfers Paradise. The water temperature was 20 degrees Celcius but we didn't take a swim as it started raining shortly after the picture was taken. :-) It was pretty early in the morning at that time and we had to go to McDonald's for a breakfast as not many places were open yet.