"It's an astonishing fact that in the year 1967 Prime Minister Harold Holt went on a stroll on a beach in Victoria, plunged into the surf and disappeared never to be seen again. I think that's amazing. First of all because Australia went and "lost" a Prime Minister (have you ever heard of such a thing?) and secondly because I've never heard about it.

.........

Of course you'll see my point. Australia is a country that loses Prime Ministers and is so huge and sparcely populated that a bunch of enthusiastic laymen can ignite the world's first non-government nuclear bomb in a desert and nearly four years went by before anyone noticed.

Obviously that was a country I need to get to know!"

Bill Bryson, "In a Sunburned Country"

Do I really need to emphasize that I endorse from start to finish?

I have been to Sydney once two years ago as a stop-over on our way to New Zealand and we didn't have enough time to even take a quick glimpse on the Blue Montains. I vowed to remedy that and here we are; ready to go, sitting on our (almost readily packed) luggage and waiting for Friday morning to come. I'm going to sleep 1 1/2 times more and then ....

I'm nervous as hell, but well prepared. 2,527 GB free memory on my digital camera (yes, I'll post the occasional photie), Bryson's guide to Australia's multifarious wonders, sunblock, hat, insect repellent, antidotes for spider bites, snake bites, scorpion bites, jellyfish attacks, shark defense ( Hysterical? Moi?) ....

Let's face it. Australia hosts more lethal creatures than any other country. The ten most poisonous snakes live here. Death on eight legs (also known as redback spider) lives here.

Help me remember: why did I want to go there?