So Long Sydney!!!

So just over 3 months into my Oz adventure and it's time to say goodbye to Sydney and more importantly work! I've loved the job at Bankwest, it was a perfect role and time frame, but working on average just under 50hrs a week for 9 weeks and only occasionally not having to go in over a weekend has meant that now that my last day is tomorrow.......I cant wait!!

The job has introduced me to alot of people, and not just people who will be good work contacts in the future but people I would love to stay in touch with after I move on and even once Im back home too. The cash i've earned from this job (just under $10k!!!) will mean that my travelling is funded for quite a while (hopefully), so all in all the Bankwest job has been great!


Due to the fact that the project im working on is nearing its conclusion, the Bankwest team were all taken out last Thursday to a great restaurant/Steakhouse in the city called "Chophouse". Its a great venue and well known for its amazing steaks, so I went for the wagyu beef steak and I dont think I've ever/will ever taste another steak like it! Absolutely amazing! It wasnt cheap, but being a work dinner it was on the company, so that steak plus many other bottles of top drawer red wine were consumed. After the meal the hardcore lot (as it was a Thursday after all) moved on to 2 more bars and I rolled in to bed at about 3am!! I also rolled into work the next day with a hangover too, but I wasnt the only 1!!! Unfortunately for me this meant going out on my last Friday night in Sydney with all my old and new Sydney friends (that I'd arranged in the week) was going to be hard work! However, as it was my last night and didnt want to be a whingeing pomme, I sucked it up and went out! It was a great night and didnt end well into Saturday morning, but it was a great send off and wanna thank everyone for coming along if your reading this. You've made my time in Sydney extremely bearable (even enjoyable at times) and when I head back I'll be in touch!

So looking forwards, my first stop on my trip round Oz is Darwin! As Darwin is extremely north, I firstly need to fly from Sydney to Melbourne (I take off at 1.20pm Thursday) and then fly on from there to Darwin (8pm take off) and will land in Darwin at midnight! I then have the weekends accommodation sorted in Darwin itself and then as of Monday plan to head out into Kakadu national park, Australia's biggest, and stay there through the week. I'll be taking lots of pics so dont worry about that, bt will probably put most on facebook as its alot easier than uploading them on here. I then have a flight to Brisbane booked for 1.30am on the next Saturday (the 10th July) and land around 6.30am. The main reason to jump across to Brisbane is to meet my old Personal Trainer from London, Trystan, who is randomly over here in Oz doing the same thing as me, so once we meet up around 10am we will be jumping on a train down the coast to a place called Surfers Paradise for a long weekend, staying in a 5* hotel (we got a cheap deal). So I can see that being good fun! Trystan has a job just outside Sydney so when he heads back on Tuesday I will go back to Brisbane and stay in the city in the week and with an old Fitch colleague at the weekend. Im also gonna try and catch up with my sister's friend Claire who is over here as she lives in Brisbane too.

After all of the above it will be Monday the 19th of July, and where I go after that.........is up to me!!! So i'll keep you all posted on what I get upto, and also what I decide on doing after! I'll probably head north up the East coast, but we'll see.

A final Thankyou for all the help and hospitality i've received in Sydney! Its a great place and im sure i'll be back to catch up with you all soon.

So long Sydney...............Hello Darwin!!

P.S No need to mention the football really, but at least I dont need to keep getting up for the 4.30am games now!!!!

Sorry its been so long!!!

First of all...............a massive apology for the long wait on this update! Ive just been so busy with work and then come the weekends (when i'm not working) we've all been heading out for nights on the town!

Firstly.....the job! I really landed on my feet. I went into Hays recruitment on a Wednesday morning and by 3pm the same day I was offered the job at Bankwest and started on the Friday (30th May)! The role is support on a project where the bank are reviewing alot of critical assets and all of these reviews and the outcomes have to be tracked and completed by the 30th of June, which is when the job will end for me. So its perfect, 2 months hard work and then I'll be able to up sticks and use the $$$ to see Australia. Its alot of spreadsheet work and is right up my street and enjoy it but am doing 50+ hours a week at least! My Boss Bernie is a great guy and recently had a baby boy, Tom, which was interesting having to look after things while he was off for a few days. Also because of the large workload Bernie got 2 more support staff on board, an English guy called Tom and an Irish girl called Marita. Tom's a good lad and also a fellow Liverpool fan and we catch up quite abit out of work and hope to stay in touch both here in oz after the job and back home as Tom is on the same visa as me but his one ends in August so will be heading home soon.

Outside of work we've been having great nights out! Normally for me on a Friday drinks start at work................in the kitchen!!! Its an aussie thing that on a Friday at the end of the day everyone has a beer or 2 after work in the office! I think its great and always a good way to start a Friday night......and cheap too!! Its been a good way to get to know all the work people too, and as the reviews on the project are being carried out by external companies its been a great way to meet lots of new people too! Not really sure what else to say about the nights out as they all seem to have blurred into one.......but they've been good fun!

On the house front, we're all moving out of Nicks flat! Nick has decided to move in with his girlfriend and the other flat mate, Dylan, has decided to head back to his mums place so they have ended the contract and we all have to be out by next Friday, the 11th!! Due to this, me and Lee have been looking for a place and actually found a guest house in a place called Glebe, which isnt far from where we are now and its perfect as it a "pay as you go" place, so we are gonna stay there for one month which will be around the time my Bankwest job ends then I think I'll go travelling for a while after that! Lee will stay in Sydney though as he has just got himself a job based in the middle of the city!

The world cup starts this week and its gonna be hard work catching games as they kick off at silly o'clock in the morning here (the first England game is on at 4.30am)! Also this weekend coming is a long weekend as we get Monday off for the queens birthday, so even though I wont be getting paid (cos im on a contract) its going to be good to have a nice long weekend and watch some real football at last rather than AFL or Rugby!!!

I probably wont update this for a while again but when I go travelling around Oz i'll make sure I do update it more regularly! I promise!!!!!!! And maybe even some pics too!!