I've just been trying to upload some pics onto my blog but for some reason the computer keeps uploading them into the ether. Oh well, I guess you'll just have to make do with my descriptions.

Camping in the Sterling Range mountains was awesome (good Aussie world) and Rob was especially impressed with my dedication to sleeping under canvas as every time he suggested we go to a proper campsite/hostel I kept saying it was boring.

I did a couple of really steep walks and was only a bit grumpy on the first one (Mount Trio) as it had those really annoying different height and length steps built into the path which meant I couldn't get into any sort of pace or control my breath. After about ten minutes like a true adult, I announced to Rob and David, "I don't like walk" in extra-special grumpy-me fashion. Yep, no, "Hey guys please can you slow down a bit and any chance pretty please can you carry my bag for me as I'm finding it pretty tough..." But the lovely boys responded to my grumpiness as if I'd said the above and kindly carried all my stuff to the top. Hurrah!

That afternoon, they climbed Mount Bluff, the highest mountain in the range, and I had a nice time reading my book in the sun. When they came back we cooked dinner in the visitor area (which was quite high up, so maybe they didn't climb that high afterall...) and watched the sun set over the national park.

The next day Rob picked a walk (Toolbrumup Peak which is just higher than 1000km) which didn't include evil steps although it was still pretty steep but it did include lots of bouldering at the top which was fun. Also at the top were really cool stones with ripples on them, created when the rocks were at the bottom of the sea. Going down was pretty tough too and I could hardly walk the next day as my calves were killing so much. (No longer did I laugh at David and Rob for doing stretching beforehand. But stretching? Who does that before sport except when you are at school?)

In the evenings we cooked great food on our little camping stove, had hot chocolate and some possums came to see us. And not just one possum a possum with a (big) baby on his back. I was sooo excited. I didn't manage to get a pic of them but I did get one of a possum later, although they are probably the worse pictures of possums that you've ever seen as I couldn't see in the dark and managed to get his ears in one and his tail in another. In fact, cycling through the park in Adelaide this weekend, I realised that my night vision is completely useless. Obviously I need to eat more carrots but also I have always been pretty rubbish at taking my vitamins. I know, I know that vitamins are really important for you, me, everyone but because I an't see the immediate benefits, they get left out. But now, having also just purchased a guide to Australian mammals and seeing that they are all pretty much nocturnal, my vitamin A and D tabs are going to become my new favourite meds. Plus I'll be buying a fab new torch from the camping shop.

No I haven't got a torch because I was going to use my phone for a torch, and a watch and an alarm clock but I promptly forgot all this when I decided to leave my phone at home because I didn't think it would work over here. But having left Rob now, I thought that telling the time would probably be a good thing and so I have purchased a phone. It looks pretty Lucy-proof, something I forgot about when I was buying my camera. However it passed its first test when I didn't zip up my rucksack and as I turned round it flew out of my bag and crashed down onto the granite. Luckily it was in its case. The same case that I'd just chucked on the sand the day before not thinking that it probably wasn't the best thing to do. Incidentally, Rob said he's never seen so much sand in a tent before. And we were hardly on the beach. But how is it that some people can still on towel on a beach and stay completely sand free? I only have to go within 10 metres of a beach and I am covered from head to toe.

Anyway back in the mountains, David read his book to us which was really lovely and the next night Rob continued reading and I was so happy sitting in the bush all wrapped up with five layers on, that I wanted to stay there forever.

On the final morning in the Sterling Range, Rob and David got up at about six and went for another walk. I declined the invitation due to the fact that they were firstly going up another massive hill and I could hardly walk 5 metres without extreme agony and secondly, they were getting up at 6am. When they came back, we then started the drive back north to Kalgoorlie. We stopped at Hyden and walked around a cool granite outcrop called Wave Rock, which err unsurprisingly looks like a wave. Then we drove to another granite outcrop with a cave which has some aboriginal art work in it. Even though it said no camping, we decided to camp there and I was really scared the ranger would come in the middle of the night with his torchlight and rumble us and I'd be deported. Obviously I had a nightmare about this but it was fine.

The next day we got up about 6am and although initially I was going to stay in bed, the thought of the ranger appearing meant that I jumped out of the tent and joined the boys for a walk up The Humps. I can't really describe how great this was but with the early morning sun and mist and pockets of greenery and trees growing out of the cracks and fissures (do they mean the same thing?) and little water pools on this vast outcrop, the place had a magical quality which I couldn't capture by camera. Although maybe I'm just a rubbish photographer. The outcrop used to be covered in rainforest and some little plants have managed to evolve and live on from their rainforest days. How cool is that?

Then it was home time and I did my fair share of driving including about 40km on an unsealed (dirt) road which was really good and made better because it was morning so there weren't any kangaroos jumping about. And that just about brings you up to where I wrote from Kal. Our total trip was 3,000km. Not sure about the carbon neutrality of that but it was fun. Hopefully some pictures to follow shortly.