Australia

I think that it is fair to say that my planning for Australia would not exactly constitute a masterclass. However, by sheer luck I landed on my feet on Magnetic Island. It was virtually my only choice of destination after Port Macquarie (which, following accusations of whinging from my wife, I will gloss over), but it turned out to be a little slice of paradise. The accommodation was as good and well-priced as anywhere, there was a restaurant on site which served good reasonably priced food, and a bar with a happy hour. You could walk five minutes down the road to the main beach, or take a half hour hike to one of two secluded bays (see photo gallery). The only downside was that the dawn chorus was earsplitting and started at 6:00am, as I discovered after crawling into bed at 3:00am on my first night there. I also finally realised my dream (maybe that's too strong a term) of seeing a wild Koala. It was about a hundred yards off and consequently looked like a ball of grey fur in a tree, but it was definately a wild Koala. If you find yourself on Magnetic Island go to Bungalow Bay, it's way better than Arcadia.

The $10 minibus ride from the airport was scary, and misleading. Scary because the little chinese lady driving was a maniac, and misleading because it seemed that we drove miles from the centre of Sydney before arriving at the hostel. I was a bit taken aback to find that the hostel was in King's Cross, a district with a reputation similar to it's namesake in London. However, apart from a few strip clubs and adult shops, King's Cross seems quite a respectable area. I'd certainly rather walk alone around there in the small hours than I would most parts of London. Once I'd got the hang of the layout of Sydney I realised that the hostel was in walking distance of all of the sights, indeed the central part of Sydney is all easily walkable.
Sydney is a very pleasant, laid back city and whilst I was there the weather was perfect. There's no one trying to hustle you on the streets, and it's not an expensive place either. In short probably the nicest city I've visited on this trip. I did all the tourist sights, but decided to forgo the opportunity to walk across the top of the bridge for a mere $180.
I seem to have made a bit of a cock-up by choosing to travel by train here, as the services are very infrequent and don't seem to go to the places I want to go to. Never mind, I'll know next time. Eventually I found somewhere that the train stops and I can afford the accommodation, so Port Macquarie here I come.