Madrid is a very relaxed city with hundreds of parks and plaza's to relax in and watch the world go by. And there are some very strange people in that world. Performance art seems to be the thing on the streets with man dressed up as babies in pushchairs, women as statues and one bloke dressed as a pot plant. Well I suppose it's a living.

Visited the Royal Palace of Madrid, the Palacio Real. It certainly gives Buckingham Palace a run for its money even if the Royal Family moved out years ago. The throne room is a work of art in itself.

Now off to the airport, fighting the crowds attending the Spanish premier of El Rey León at the theatre next door.

Drove north towards Madrid stopping at the town of Consuegra famous for its windmills. They stand proud on top of the hills like giants, or at least that's what Don Quixote through when he passed this way, in the novel bearing his name. Did some Tilting at the windmills, which I learned later is not just leaning at an angle towards them.

There is an old Castle on the hill adding drama to the whole aspect.

After a visit to the hill topped town of Tolodo drove into Madrid, just missing the rush hour. Was a real nightmare to find the hotel, because of all the appaling pedestrianization that has taken place frustrating the poor motorist. Thanks goodness for sat nav. Made it eventually and then dropped the car at the station. Walked back to the hotel, a walk made much easier by the delightful pedestrianization that has taken place, greatly enhancing live for the grateful walker.

At the end of the 10th century Córdoba was the most populous city on earth, with around a million people located in the capital of the Caliphate, from where emirs ruled the Iberian peninsula (Al-Andalus) and parts of North Africa. Strange to think while Harold was taking one in the eye for England and surfs shivered in their mud huts in the barbaric middle ages, here was a civilized and enlightened culture influencing much of the known world.

The Mosque they built here still stands. A massive block in the centre of the city, at its height it could hold 40,000 praying. Not any more of course as when the Catholics took over they converted it into a church, but they kept the basic building so the prayer hall still stands, just as it did 1000 years ago.

What they did do is to rip a big hole in the middle of the mosque and plonk a great cathedral in it. It's quite bizarre to be walking through a dimly lit prayer hall, to turn the corner and suddenly be inside the most tremendous church.

If you ever forget that Southern Spain was part of a great Muslim Caliphate then a visit to Seville will surely remind you. The city is stuffed full of Muslim relics with two of its greatest treasures, the Cathedral and the Alcázar built on Islamic foundations.

The Cathedral is immense. It is the third biggest in the World, after St Peters in Rome and St Paul's in London, but looks bigger inside mainly because of its cavernous interior soars to the top of the guided columns. It's full of relics of course. The finger-bone of St Barnabas, the left toenail of St Jerome, the pubic hair of St Anthony, its all here, crammed into a solid silver reliquary. (I may have made some of those up but you get the idea)

The tomb of Christopher Columbus stands in one corner. An elaborate affair it features four soldiers carrying a coffin high in the air. There is some doubt as to whether the old boy is actually buried there or not, as he seems to have traveled just as much in death as in life. His remains traveled from Valladolid to Seville before moving onto the Dominican Republic then Havana before returning to Seville in 1898. Not that there is much left to test after 500 years, but DNA tests on what there is seem to point to the bones actually being his.

The old Minaret is very similar to those across the water in Morocco. This one is now a bell tower and you can walk the path to the top. I say walk because you get to the top via a long long ramp, the idea was you could ride your horse to the top. Beats a chair lift I guess. The view from the top is tremendous and you can see the whole city streched out below

The Alcázar is just across the square. It is still the official Seville residence of King Juan Carlos and it is absolutely beautiful. While it may lack the stunning location of Granada's Alhambra Palace, it certainly makes up for it with amazing architecture and fragrant gardens flanked by refreshing water features.

Now back at the coast on the spit of land that ends in the city of Cadiz. It is the oldest continuously inhabited part of Europe, so odds on we all had a few ancestors reside here at some time. The city is crammed on the the point at the end of the spit with houses and building fighting for space in between the narrow streets. Climbed up the bell tower for a fantastic panorama of the whole city below.

Staying right by the beach so when for a dip as the sun went down.

Spent the day in the stunning hill top town of Ronda. Well I say hill top, more like Canyon topped and it is perched on the edge of an enormous cliff overlooking a wide Canyon. The East and West parts of the town are seperated by a tremendous Gorge with quite the ugliest bridge linking the two. It's called the New bridge, which just goes to show modern architecture is to blame, and it opened in 1793. Apparently the architect fell to his death while trying to carve the date on the site of the bridge.

My Hotel is perched on the edge of the Gorge and I mean literally on the edge, If I sit on my balcony I can look through the railings to the river 100 meters below. It looks rather dark down there as it doesn't see much sunlight. I did think of climbing the steps to the bottom, but given I've walked my legs off over the last few days thought better of it.

In the afternoon visited a museum which had some rather appalling instruments of torture and execution, relics of the Inquistion, What was done in the name of God was absolutely horrific and quite turns your stomach.

Made it into the Alhambra by the skin of my teeth. It meant getting up at 7am, trekking through the still dark streets and plodding my way up to the complex just as the sun was rising. I was a bit horrified when I saw the queue that had already formed snaking round the car park and even more worried when they announced there were only 300 tickets available for today. There were at least 500 in the queue. But then I found the self service ticket machines, which had a much shorter queue, so managed to get one of the last 50 tickets.

I was certainly worth it. The fortress o top of the hill has a stunning position dominating the city. There are several different parts of the complex with fragrant gardens and refreshing water features. The view from the watch tower is over the whole plain on which Granada is set and to the mountains of the Sierra Nevada beyond.

In the city I visited the Cathedral and the Royal Chapel, which contains the simple lead coffins of Ferdinand and Isabella.

Headed down the coast into Andalusia and the South Coast port of Almeria. Beautiful sunny day so I climbed up to the Alcazaba fortress with extensive views over the city and the Mediterranean. Many family's out enjoying a Sunday stroll.

Today ventured up into the foothills of the Sierra Nevada and Los Alpujarras. The villages clinging to the sides of the valleys were quite incredible, Bundles of houses, all brilliant while, are hewn into some incredibly steep hillsides. From afar it looks like a splash of while paint dabbed onto the side of the mountain and its only when you get close you can see the tiny lanes and paths through the houses. It was quite a tourist spot so pretty busy.

Now in Granada, home of ITV in the North, so says Wikipedia. It is also a beautiful city in the foothills of the mountains. Wandered up through the town. Hoping to go to the Alhambra tomorrow, but tickets are very scarce, so I might have to make do with wandering around the outside.

Headed South taking in the cute little town of Xàtiva. It's the birth place of Rodrigo Borgia who became Pope Alexander VI, mainly because of his skill in buying votes for the papal election. His birth house is still in the centre of town, although all that remains of the 15th Century one is the stone archway over the door.

The town nestles underneath the magnificent Castle which offers tremendous views over the surrounding countryside. It is a steep climb to the top, but one well worth making. Over the years it held many illustrious prisoners in its dank dungeon.

Stopped for a couple of hours in Elche and wandered through its palm groves. They were first planted by the Romans, so have lasted a while.

Now in Murcia, capital of Murcia region. Took a walk to the square weaved my way through the hundreds of brides on the streets. It was busy in the Cathedral with the confessions boxes full of young boys confessing their sins. Just what a middle aged single male is doing listing to the innermost thoughts of adolescent boys is a matter for debate.

On the way back came across a bizarre parade marching through the narrow streets. A cornucopia of people all carrying tourches, proceeding 20 men all shouldering a gigantic image of the Madonna, covered in candles, wobbling its way down the road followed by a brass band. Not a clue what it was for, but it was quite a sight.

Left Barcelona and traveled South West along the coast stopping at Tarragona on the way down. It's a charming little city perched high over the Mediterranean with some wonderful Roman ruins. The Circus is perched high over the bay so Gladiators would have had a lovely view just before they were hacked to death or eaten by Lions.

Now in Valencia, another city full of history and packed with churches. The Cathedral is full of works of art and relics. You can see the grinning skull of some Saint or Other peeking out the stomach of a plaster priest. There is the mummified hand of San Vicente Martyr, looking rather gone off in a glass case. And then there is the Holy Grail itself. Held high in a golden casket on an ancient wall. None of your fakes that litter other churches in Europe, this is the real thing, the authentic cup used by Jesus in the Last Supper. Apparently.

Further out the stone work gives way to the City of Arts and Sciences, a host of modern buildings inhabiting the former riverbed like some family of gigantic metallic Armadillos.

Explored the slopes of Montjuic overlooking the city. Fantastic views extending over the who area, from the planes landing in the West to the smokestacks of the industrial east. Even the Sangrada Familia looks good from up here. The slopes of the hill were the location for many of the Olympic events including the main stadium and its torch holder which still dominates the area.

At the bottom of the hill is a former bull ring, no converted to a much better use as a shopping centre and arena. A much better use for all concerned, especially the Bull.

Arrived in Sunny Barcelona after a painless 2 hour flight from sunny Luton. Managed to squash all my luggage into hand baggage which certanly speeds things you when you arrive. The train goes direct from the airport to the centre of town so was in the hotel just over an hour after landing.

Spent today wandering the city, taking in the sights. The most famous is the La Sagrada Família, a Cathedral that was only started just over 100 years ago, and is still being built today. There is a target date of 2040 for the finish. I have to say it is one of the ugliest buildings I have seen in a long time, although the vista is probably not helped by the heaps of scaffolding surrounding it. It just looks a bit over the top for my taste. A bit like the Christmas tree with to much tinsel. Plenty of admirers fighting to get in though, and a pretty impressive view from the top.

Spent the afternoon wandering around the port, which like so many city's from Melbourne to Liverpool, has been gentrified and now boats museums and cafes galore.

Last full day in Australia so took a trip down to Litchfield National Park a hundred KM south of Darwin. We stopped on the way down at the Adelaide River to see the famous jumping Crocodiles. And jump they certainly do. The trip is amazing. You take to the water in a small 40 seat boat and set off down the Adelaide river. It all seems so peaceful, just the place for a swim, until you notice a dark shape heading towards the boat like an exocets. It all gets very surreal then as the boat driver dangles a pork chop on a fishing line over the side of the boat and suddenly this monster is alongside the boat snapping and leaping until it can twist its jaws around the meat. It's like going through a theme park and difficult comprehend that the enormous reptile alongside the boat is not some anamotronic put there to please the crowds, but a killing machine looking for food. We saw two massive males, both over 5 meters long, and several smaller females. Very exciting. In the afternoon we visited some waterholes where you could actually swim, they were high enough in the hills that they were croc safe.

Took a trip down to Kakadu National Park, some 300km south east of Darwin. It's a big place roughly the same size as Slovenia. and stuffed full a birds and animals. Being the wet season there is a bit more water around than in the dry season, something bright home when the guide on the boat trip pointed out we were sailing round the dry season Car Park, and indeed we were as yoiu could see the One Way signs just peeking up from the nine feet of water now over the tarmac. The park has a number of ancient Aboriginal paintings of various gods and spirits, etched onto the cliffs, some of which are up tp 40,000 years old. It is also home to 80% of the Crocodiles in the Northern Territory, which is an awful lot of Crocodiles. However most of them were hiding so we only saw one female, protecting a nest.

Took the two hour flight across the top of Australia to my last stop before home, Darwin capital of the Northern Territory., a place nearer to Singapore than it is to Sydney. It's getting towards the end of the wet season up here so there was sunshine when I arrived at a balmy 30 degrees. But I have never known a place where the weather can change so suddenly. One minute bright Sunshine and literally the next torrential rain. Not even time to get your umbrella out, not that it would do much good with the force of the rain. And then ten minutes later Sunshine again.

Darwin itself is positioned on a promontory surrounded by water. It's a very young city, founded in the life of my Great Grandfather, settlers arrived in 1862. The city had been flattened twice, once in 1942 by the Japanese Air force and once in 1974 by Cyclone Tracy which destroyed 75% of the city. So there are a lot of memorials and plaques around commemorating those two events.

Popped over the mountain to the Tourist heavy town of Kuranda in the hills above Cairns. To get there I traveled on the Skytrain, on of the longest Gondola rides in the world, which takes you high into the hills, stopping at a magnificent broadwalk at the peak. Totally missed seeing the large python sitting on top of a bush until a ranger pointed it out. It had a rather large bulge in the middle, indicating some poor rodent had recently been consumed.

Managed to make it to Cairna, dispite the best efforts of the weather to prevent me. The poor Cassoway Coast has certainly been suffering over the last month. First Cyclone Yasi blew houses apart and blocked all the drains with debris, and now record rains have flooded the town along the coast. There has been over half a meter of rain over the past few days and the Bruce Highway is still cut off and likely to remain so for a few days. So I had to take a detour via the Kennedy Highway. Being Australia the alternative route was not an easy option as it added 300Km and three hours to the drive from Townsville, making 7 hours in total. I was a bit worried about what state the road would be in but on the whole it was amazingly good and it ploughed through mile after mile of outback. At one point my Sat Nav said “turn left in 365Km”. There were a few dodgy moments when it went down to single track. Fine most of the time until you got a three section Road Train tearing towards you and you have to shuffle over to the side as far as you could get to avoid being mown down. Went through the monsoon trough that is causing all the trouble about half way and it certainly was raining. Now safely in Cairns and the end of my road journey. The promenade has signs telling you not to go in the water because of the Jelly Fish and the Crocodiles that inhabit this coast. So I went for a swim. But only in the artificial Saltwater lagoon nestled on the Sea front with glorious views over the Coral Sea.

The sun came out today so celebrated by taking to the water and cruising around the Whit Sunday Islands. The boat was an Ocean Raft, which promised all kinds of thrills and spille, and it didn't disappoint, with 2m seas to contend with. You could say I got a bit wet. The trip was worth it through for the stunning scenery and pristine white beaches. Even went for a bit of snorkeling looking very smart in my stinger suit, something you have to wear in case any box jellyfish come floating by. Floods bad again north of here which may disrupt my journey to Cairns. The main road is closed at present under 45cm of Water.

Rapidly moving up the coast towards Cairns, much like the rain storm I seem to be caught up in. Queensland has had a bit of a Summer, with floods at Christmas, Cyclone Yasi last month and now more flooding in the tropical North. I had a small taste of it today with lashing rain driving into your body. Grief knows what it would be like up here in a Cyclone. It hasn’t all been wet, Dropped into Bunderburg yesterday, home of aviator, Bert Hinkler. They are very proud of him in the town with a whole museum dedicated to the man who flew from the UK to Australia in small byplane in the 1920’s. When he returned to his home town, he landed in the main park in Bunderburg and taxied up the street to his parents house. Not that’s how to make a return home. The park has many mementoes including his old house, shipped brick by brick from Southampton. Not many detached properties from suburban Southampton end up in the Queensland Rainforest. In the museum there is also a sliver of wood from one of his first planes in a glass case. A piece of wood that has an amazing history as besides being part of one of the first machines to fly, it was also due to go into space as part of the ill fated Challenger Space Shuttle mission in 1986. After the shuttle exploded, debris was found all along the Florida coast, including the container containing the piece of the plane, completely unscathed.

Yesterday stayed in Rockhampton, which is bang on the tropic of Capricorn, so am now officially in the tropics.

Very wet as I headed onwards and upwards moving up the coast of Queensland. Called in at one of Australia's most visited attractions, the wonderful Australia Zoo, formally the home of Steve Irwin. As you can guess the place is choc-a-blok with Crocs, most of them captured in North Queensland from areas where they were proving a danger to humans. It's not good just relocating the Crocs as apparently they home. The place is full of all kinds of fauna from around the world all in very animal friendly enclosures. The show is stunning. Like the Lion King with real animals. How on earth do they train a Crane to fly in across the park, land in the stadium, strut around and eat a few fish and then walk off to around of applause. Popped into the animal Hospital as well. Quite bizarre seeing a Koala snuggled up in a sleeping bag, a Wombat with a plaster cast and a fruit bat being given oxygen.

From beautiful Byron Bay moved on up towards the Gold Coast. Took a final trip up to the lighthouse and the cliffs at what is the most easterly point on the Australia mainland. It really is a magical place and from the cliffs you can look down on pods of Dolphins playing in the water below, and Stingrays flapping by. The Gold Coast is a bit of a contrast. It is like someone has taken an avenue in New York and plonked it down on the edge of the Ocean. It is quite a surprise to see the skyscrapers in the distance as you head towards Suffers Paradise. Today arrived at Brisbane, yet another city founded as a punishment settlement for repeat offenders. The city centre is held in a loop formed by the Brisbane River, the same river which brought such terrible flooding into the heart to the state capital just one month ago. The devastation was quite appalling, with the destruction still much in evidence along the waterfront. But the city is fighting back with teams of contractors digging through the mud and reconstructing the buildings. I can tell I am sub-tropical now as I have a lizard on my veranda and there are some massive fruit bats flying about.

Headed north again this time towards the beautiful Port Macquarie nestled between the Pacific Ocean and the Hastings River. Another beautiful stretch of coastline in the way up. Went for a walk along the cliffs and met a rather large Lace Monitor coming in the other direction. Now Lace Monitors are not poisonous, but have rather unhygienic eating habits due to the way they feed, which is usually by sticking their head up a dead Kangaroo's bottom and eating the insides, so a bite gets very infected. Needless to say I gave it a wide berth. Today ventured even further north taking in the Waterfall Way. I saw one, which is hardly a "Way", but it was a nice one. Also passed through the town of MaClean, which thinks it is in Scotland. It has an annual highland games and pictures of Nessie in all the shop windows. The image is slightly spoiled by the 35 degree heat. If they wanted reality they could at least have simulated driving rain and a howling gale. Arrived in Byron Bay this evening and climbed up to the lighthouse just in time for a fantastic sunset. Was a bit freaky coming down the the dark.

Left the City of Sydney and headed north towards Newcastle. Not the Tyne version but Newcastle Upon Hunter. It's much the same as it's namesake back home except for the fact it's 30 degrees warmer and the girls wear more clothes. Oh and you can understand the accent which helps. It's a bit more industrial than Sydney, instead of Cruise Liners in the harbour there are Oil Tankers creeping out between the heads. On the way up dropped in at the Australian Reptile Centre where they have a big Alligator breeding programme. Obviously they think that Australia doesn't have enough dangerous species already and they want to up the numbers by breeding non indigenous reptiles as well. And very successfully by the numbers in the lake. They also had the usual deadly serpents and spiders to thrill the kids.

Yesterday left the heat of the city and ventured west into the Great Dividing Range and more specifically the Blue Mountains, so 60KM west of Sydney. The last time i was here, in 2000, it was thick fog and I couldn't see a thing, but Friday you could see for miles, a truly spectacular view. From Katoomba you can gaze over a vast basin filled with millions of Eucalyptus trees, all giving off that peculiar blue haze which gave the region its name. You can be dropped down the worlds steepest incline railway 415m to the bottom where there is a forest walk, or for the intrepid the start of the climb back out. I took the cable car out. Today just wandered around the city taking in the views. It was to hot to do anything else.

Back in Sydney, still the most stunning city in the World. It certainly is anyhow on a day like today, with glorious sunshine lighting the effervescent Quay framed between the steel gray of the colossal Harbour bridge and the pale white sales of the stunning Opera House. Arthur Philip hit the nail on the head in 1788, when he declared Port Jackson the finest harbour in the world, having the previous week turned his nose up at the port suggested by Captain Cook, Botany Bay to the south..I did all the tourist things today, starting with the Bridge Climb. Yes I did it before, but that was 10 years ago. Once every ten years is not excessive and it is one of the great events you can do in the world. It takes three hours, but feels about 30 minutes as there is so much to see. The views are amazing, from the Blue Mountains in the West to the Heads at the mouth of the Harbour. In the afternoon I had a tour round the Opera House and then caught the ferry back to Darling Harbour. I had the Bridge on my left, the Opera House on my right and someone changing a babies nappy right in front.

Left Victoria and entered New South Wales as i head up the coast towards Sydney. It's not for nothing that it is called the Sapphire Coast as every turn on the road reveals another stunning vista of rolling green forests reaching down to golden sands and Sapphire seas. Stopped at Eden for a look around the killer whale museum. It holds the bones of old Tom, a killer whale who, around the turn of the century was renowned for helping whale hunters track down humpbacks for harvesting. He used to drive them into the bay where the whalers would kill them and then allow Tom to feast on the whales tounge as a reward. Onward to Sydney now.

Headed west from Melbourne into Grippsland, home of the ninety mile beach. On the way out of Melbourne popped into Pinoak Court in South Vermont. Just an ordinary suburban which looks much the same as any other, you may think, although the fact it has a load of ‘Road Closed’ signs stored at the bottom of the drive, ready for action, give a clue to this areas claim to fame. For this road has seen so much tragedy and heartbreak over the last quarter of a century it has a solid place in the history of Australia. For it was here that Lucy started choking requiring an emergency tracheotomy from Clive the Doctor. It was here that Daphne went into labour and gave birth without even removing her knickers. And it was here that Scott changed heads before catching Charlene the mechanic, breaking into her mums house, launching the romance of the eighties. Who needs Gold Fields and Colonial History when you can visit Ramsey Street itself. Weather was overcast so decided against heading into the mountains and so stayed at water level exploring the scenery around the great lakes, Wellington and Victoria. Now at Lakes Entrance which surprisingly has the entrance to the lakes at its centre. Fantsitic view over the coast from my motel room.

Headed into the Gold Fields with a trip to Ballatt in the interior of Victoria. Exactly 150 years ago this was the place to be, when in February 1851, Gold was discovered in them hills and a mad dash to grab a piece of it saw thousands flock to the area. It’s a much calmer city now, with a very eclectic Gold Museum filled with interesting snippets. There is a man made lake in the North of Town, where the rowing events took place for the 1956 Olympics, something they are keen to remind you of. According to the Lonely Planet the lake is just a dust bowl now after many years of drought. Well update. After all the rains of recent weeks it is now overflowing, much to the delight of the swans cruising on it. Took a detour to Hanging Rock on the way up. A massive slab of rock giving tremendous views over the countryside. Climbed to the top and had a small picnic.

Made the crossing of the Bass Strait to arrive in the capital of Victoria, Melbourne. Often eclipsed by Sydney, Melbourne has a lot going for it, a very cosmopolitan city with a distinctly continental feel. It has its own part in history, despite being not being created until 1835, when John Batman purchased the land from the Aboriginal occupiers for a bit of flour and a few clothes. Boy did they get the wrong end of that deal. The Old Melbourne Jail was where they hanged criminals, the most notorious of whom was Ned Kelly, who met his end in the jail at the age of just 27. The original gallows are still there. A rather macabre practice in the jail was to take death masks of all the executed bodies so you can see exactly what the condemned looked like as they departed this world. Took a trip 88 floors up the eureka tower for a 300m view above the city. Fantastic looking down on the clouds below.

Port Arthur, on the Tasman Peninsular, is a place full of history, situated in a tranquil spot overlooking a beautiful bay. Not that it would have been tranquil when the colony was at its height in the mid nineteenth century. The Port was a secondary prison, a place where those found guilty of some offence after Transportation, were sent to further isolate them from society, and over 12,000 passed through between 1830 and 1852. Modern visitors, on entry, are each given a playing card representing a real person who ended up here. I was the seven of Diamonds which equated to Joseph Carpenter, a 15 year old Gardner's Apprentice from Somerset, who was transported in 1836 for stealing a few coins. Unfortunately I fell into bad company and ended up in Port Arthur after trying robbery in Hobart. I haven't found any ancestors who were transported yet, but knowing our family history there may be on of two lurking. To get to the settlement you have to cross a 100m strip of land, with sea each side and which once featured the Dog line. It was where 16 savage dogs were kept chained up, guarding the only exit by land. There is just a bronze one now as a reminder. Port Arthur was the site of another tragedy just 15 years ago. It holds the unfortunate record of being the place where the World's worst killing frenzy took place, when, in 1996, 33 people were shot dead by a madman armed with automatic guns. There is a memorial garden now, where several staff lost their lives.

Now in Hobart airport waiting for my flight back to through mainland, i love airports where you have to cross the tarmac to get your plane. You really feel as if you are going somewhere.

Arrived at the capital of North Tasmania, Launcestone, which has a lovely position on the banks of the Tamar River. Stopped at Devonport on.the way over and visited the former home of Joe Lyons, former prime minister of the commonwealth. His wife, Enid lived there until 1982 and did all the decorating herself. Although not the paper mache model of Joe, that was done by local schoolchildren. The Tamar valley has some wonderful views and some history. George Town was the third settlement of Australia, after Sydney and Hobart.

Left the west coast and ventured north, arriving at the town of Burnie situated on the coast. They reckon Tasmania was once hooked up to the rest of Australia, but these days it's a bloody long way to swim. Called in at Cradle Mountain Park on the way over. Stunning scenery and a beautiful day to enjoy it. Being Saturday it was rather packed and more like a walk round ikea than a wilderness adventure. But beautiful all the same. Burnie is very well equipped. I am staying at the Burnie inn, where else. It even has a highlands pipe band. Mind you they are situated on the end of the prom behind loads of protective wire. Maybe pipe players are a persecuted minority on north Tassie.

Left Hobart and headed west into the wild interior.  Destination was Straun on the west coast, once one of the most isolated parts of the world, and still a long way from everything. It used to take two weeks from Hobart, battling against the roaring forties, to get here, now there is a road. The harbor is massive, far bigger than Sydney, but home to just a single township. There uses to be a penal settlement on an island in the bay but now there are just tourist encamped here. Took a late night trip out to the harbour mouth, the optimistic named Hells Gates, to see some very cute Fairy Penguins return from sea. The other couple who booked the trip, wimped out as the water was a bit rough so i had the boat, and the Penguins, all to myself.

Ventured south to explore some of the bays and inlets south of Hobart. It's surprising how much there is south of Hobart, given its position at the bottom of the continent. In fact there are some gorgeous bays and abundant valleys filled with bountiful apple orchards. It has a laid back feeling with small communities dotted about the valleys. Didn't get down as far as Hastings, which is at the end of the road, but took a trip into the forests to visit the ariel walkway which takes you 20 meters above the trees for a look down on river below. Heading north tomorrow.

Spent today exploring the delights of Mount Wellington, the huge slap of rock which stands guard over the city. It was named after the Duke and first spotted by Captain Bligh, before the mutiny I guess, when things were still looking promising for a career in the navy. Charles Darwin climbed up in the 1830's and pronounced the view splendid although he thought the guide was a bit of an idiot. He was right about the view it is marvellous, overlooking the whole south of the Island and acting as a massive windbreak protecting the capital from the storms whipped up in the Southern Sea. Did some walking on the slopes and only afterwards saw the note about all three of Tasmania's venomous snakes being active. Hotel is right on the river although there are a large colony of Cockatoo's in a tree a couple of doors down.

Hobart is about as far south as you can go in Australia is Hobart, capital of.  Tasmania, and a very long way from London.  it  has that distant feeling of a city at the end of the world with spectacular views of sheltered bays and secluded coves, as you come into land.
The settlement near Hobart was the second in Australia and must have been like going to another planet for the poor wretches sentenced to end their days here. It's a bit more civilised now with posh restaurants where the prisons used to be.