I'm back blogging, let's hope it's worth the wait!!

Well where to start............. maybe by apologising for an almighty delay in keeping you all updated on what's been going on in my life and all things tri.

Well since my last race report, I've been a busy boy! I've been to Australia not once, but twice, turned 30 and asked my girlfriend to move in with me and she said yes! My season finished on a high back in August 2014, with arguably my best triathlon performance of the season, top 15 at Allerthorpe. Anyway if you want to read all about that then check out my blog archive.

After Allerthorpe, I travelled back home to Somerset to meet up with my mum before we headed out to Australia via Dubai to meet up with both of my sisters (who were on 2-year work visas) for the holiday of all holidays, 4-weeks of travelling round Australia. 

Before touching down in Melbourne we (mum and I) had an overnight stop-over in Dubai. This was part of the planned trip as one of my best mates Nathen lives there, so it was a great opportunity to catch up with him and to show mum what Dubai's got to offer! After a wind whistle tour of Dubai we then boarded the plane for the final leg onto Melbourne. 

Mum and I in front of the Burj al Arab.

On arrival into Melbourne we were greeted at the airport by one of my sisters. She then drove us to our accommodation, where we unpacked and chilled for a few hours before heading out to watch an Aussie rules match at The MCG. This is also where my other sister met up with us. This was an amazing experience but I couldn't help but think how good it would be when the crowd was tripled to 100,000 for an Ashes Test match. The few days we spent in Melbourne we packed loads in; we checked out the cultural hub of Federation Square, the Royal Botanic Gardens. We also travelled slightly further afield to Experience St Kilda, where we watched the penguins come to sleep at dusk and then ate an Auzzie delicacy of a Chicken parmigiana (palma). 

After a few days in Melbourne we then started the next stage of our journey travelling along The Great Ocean road to Adelaide. This road boasts to be the most scenic coastal drives you can possible do spanning over 150 miles. There is so much to see along this road so we broke the journey up into 3 days. The main highlights of this drive were; Apollo Bay, Port Campbell, The Twelve Apostles , shipwrecks, golden beaches, rain forests and national parks. 

From Adelaide we then flew on to Alice Springs, the red centre of Australia. This is also known as the gateway to Uluru (Ayres Rock). We had a night to chill in Alice and enjoy the warmer climate before getting picked up nice and early the next day to start a 3-day organised tour (Emu Tours) of Uluru and Kata Tjuta, Kings Canyon and West MacDonnell Ranges. This experience was by far one of the best experiences of my life, its just mind blowing! What amazed me is that where ever you look it’s just red soil and dead pan flat, aside from Uluru towering above the landscape. 

Uluru (Ayres rock) 

After such an amazing tour we then had one final night back in Alice, before flying north onto Darwin. In Darwin we hired a 4WD, which is a must for that area as most of the roads are just mud tracks and some of the tourist spots were only accessible by a this type of vehicle. Darwin boasts two national parks; Litchfield and Kakadu. These national parks were amazing, as after a good trek through what can only be described as rainforest you were rewarded with secluded waterfalls and natural pools, which could have easily been used in the movie The Beach they were just so beautiful and untouched. We also headed to Katherine a vast region covering almost 500,000 sq. km. this had a special meaning to us as one of my sisters is called Katherine. 

From Darwin we then flew on again, this time to Cairns. Cairns is the doorstep into the World Heritage wonders of the Great Barrier Reef and the Daintree Rainforest. After a night in Cairns we took the scenic route towards Port Douglas before embarking on a scuba and snorkelling trip out to the Great Barrier Reef. We boarded a specialist boat for a for our snorkel and scuba trip. I signed up to do one scuba (before lunch) and one snorkelling session (after lunch). Scuba was all new to me so I was only allowed to do the discovery dive which gave me a little taster and allowed me to under guidance get a mini tour of the corral and the wildlife that co-habit the reef. Yet again this was an amazing experience definitely one ticked off the bucket list. The next day we then moved on again, this time to the Daintree rainforest, the world’s oldest tropical rainforest. We travelled further into the rainforest and on to Cape Tribulation, where the rainforest meets the Great Barrier Reef. It's the only place in the world where two World Heritage sites meet. Again we did another trip out to the Great Barrier Reef, but this time for snorkelling. This was a much more back to basics, chilled out, hippy kind of trip unlike the organised one from Port Douglas. 

Now onto the final part of this epic adventure; The Blue Mountains and Sydney. After arriving into Sydney airport we then took a train to the Blue Mountains, where we met up with some family for a few days. We spent a few days doing all the tourist attractions of the Blue Mountains, a vast world heritage area. Its name The Blue Mountains is to do with the eucalyptus trees that give off a blue ora! We also visited the Wentworth falls and the Three Sisters. After a few nice days of walking and sightseeing in the Blue Mountains and get hospitality and a chance to catch up with the family we moved on to Sydney (probably the best city I have ever been to!!!). 

So where to start........................... It’s such an amazing place I really don't know where to start. Fortunately both my sisters have lived in Sydney so they were both able to give us a tour of the city and knew where to go. It goes without saying that we walked across the Harbour Bridge from Milsons Point back to the city. Walked around The Rocks, which is all along the peninsula of the city with the bridge with the opera house in the back ground. After exploring most of Sydney on foot we also took to the skies and took a helicopter ride giving us a birds-eye-view of the whole city. This was organised as a surprise birthday present for my Mum. It goes without saying that she loved it just as much as we all did. We also walked the coastal path from Coogee beach back towards Sydney ending up at probably Australia’s most famous beach, Bondi. The trip culminated with our last supper up the Westfield Tower, the tallest building in Sydney at just over 300m tall. At the top there is a revolving restaurant giving you 360 degree views of Sydney.  

Loving the Opera House! 

As always a massive thanks to my sponsors Meridian Foods and Coconoil, although i didn't get to take any with me. Also I'm sure my coach Ian Mayhew (Gears & Tears) enjoyed me being away as i wasn't hassling him about training, ha.