Darwin and the gang - What happened next.

We decided to appeal our fine and so headed down to the council where each of us wrote a letter saying we had no choice but to sleep in our vehicles. We weren't confident in being heard but we strongly believed in our case. Well, if they couldn't smell the booze on our breaths.

Once we left the council of doom we hunted for a caravan park to call home and plumped for Freespirit around 10km from the city. Freespirit boosted not one but TWO swimming pools, a bouncing pillow (!!!), a table for us to get addicted at cards, a kitchen and erm it was next door to a BP! None of these, admittedly brilliant bonuses could help our new residence look any less than a 8mx8m square of dirt. The set up was simple. Will parked his Jackaroo to the left and kipped in there, Millan was on the right for Maria and I to sleep in and there was a tent in the middle for Daniel & Mark. We attached a canopy between the 2 cars and this was home.

In the morning, after our hearty breakfast of cornflakes topped with yoghurt and a slice of toast we'd use the showers provided and rotate our proffesional job seeking clothes. We'd then pack into the jackaroo and head to the city library with every intention of job hunting but ultimately find facebook and hibs.net far too distracting.

Every Thursday we'd buy the wonderful NT News for it's job section. Between us we must have applied for over 100 jobs from there but it all appeared worth it when Mark received the call for a job interview. He'd be making sandwiches, he had no way of getting to the location, which was of our map, but it was exciting none the less. We all piled into the Jackaroo to try and find the sandwich shop which allowed us the great pleasure of passing Moo Street. Unfortunately for Mark he wasn't successful, in fact he was so unsuccessful that he interviewed again for the same job a few weeks later and still couldn't get it.

Daniel on the other hand was in high spirits after a phone call about a sales job went brilliantly and he was very confident of getting it. He did indeed get the job as did both Mark & Maria! All three would be placed in shopping centres in and around Darwin trying to hard sell Austar (cable tv) to happy shoppers.

They all had to get up at 6am to be at a 7am group meeting and wouldn't get back until around 7pm. If they didn't make a sale, they didn't earn any money. Fortunately they all made sales on their first day and the rest of the week went quite well.

I had secured an interview with a out of the way pub which went pretty well and resulted in a follow up interview which also went well and I was told I'd be given a call back. I wasn't given a call back. Grr.

Things were going well after an interview about a Saturday job with Sportingbet in an intersteing suburb called Fannie Bay. There was a possibility of more shifts and the money was good in what appeared a fun, laid back office.

We had had enough of the campsite, the heat whilst sleeping was beginning to get unbearable especially as it attracted the extremely annoying mozzies which would attack any bit of skin left uncovered, which due to the heat was rather little. I quickly learned the cruel lesson of covering up when I awoke one sunny morning having been bitten on my big vainy triumphant bastard*.

We moved into the cheapest backpackers in town, Frogshollow. It was fairly central, had a kitchen, pool and everything you'd want really. It was cheap beacuse it was 16 bed dorms, it was extra cheap because my mattress reeked of pish.

Maria & Daniel managed to score a double room after a mix up with reception so I sandwhiched my arse between them and slept through the nightmares of the musty stench I was avoiding downstairs.

All dreams are cut short when your pals are off to work at 7am though and sending them off with good will while I go back to sleep had become routine for a few days until the day we couldn't find Mark.

The guys had gone out the night before and lost Mark at somepoint through the evening. He wasn't in his bed, he wasn't in answering his phone & he wasn't standing in our room with his Austar shirt on. The guys had to go to work and I promised to find out what happened to him.

4 hours later Mark woke me up by banging on the door. He looked rough, and for good reason. He'd completed the road trip. He'd spent the night in the cells after an altercation with Darwin's finest (who carry guns btw).

I was given the job with Sportingbet and was loving it there despite the immediate lack of shifts. Having now worn in the emergency credit card it became easier to put emergency steak sandwiches and beers on to it. I was having one of those very steak sandwiches and beers with Will as we prepared to head to Fannie Bay for an evening's race meeting when I received a call from The Deck Bar asking if I'd be available to work that night as a glassy. I couldn't turn it down and said I'd be there, Will understood and we celebrated my 2nd job with another beer or two.

In the end I was half an hour late for my shift and half cut. It was probably a good thing though as glassing in a pub that accommodates 400 people is not easy. I only did 5 hours but it was one of those jobs where you're rushed off your feet but time still drags, a nightmare. The guys came and met me at the end when could knock off and I was given free drinks for the rest of the night, not too shabby.

Despite the jobs we were still skint and struggling to afford Frogs Hollow. While I was at work with Sportingbet the guys found us new accommodation. We were now sharing a double and single bed at Air Raid Motel where we pretended there were only 3 of us. The place was depressing and forced us all very much on top of each other. We'd now spent around a month straight in close proximity of each other and we were all tired. The guys were getting annoyed at their lack of sales with Austar when they were putting in the gruelling hours. I was getting annoyed with the lack of shifts on offer from Sportingbet despite the promise of work. I'd decided not to follow up the glassing at The Deck so Sportingbet shifts were essential.

Air Raid Motel got around 4 nights out of us until we had to given in and return to a hostel. Maria, Will & I stayed at Elkies backpackers on Mitchell Street over the road from Mark & Daniel who moved into Banyon View Lodge.

Daniel found himself another job with a removals company and he along with Mark & Maria parted company with Austar. The removals gig was okay but a better opportunity came along and Mark was able to take advantage too. The guys landed a job out in Arnhem land labouring. Arnhem land is aboriginal owned land where signs tell you that "Alcohol & Pornography is strictly prohibited". Not much fun then really! There's also no phone signal or internet. There are plenty of plusses however in that it's free accommodation & meals along with a bumper pay with nothing to spend it on whilst regaining much lost fitness.

I think it was around mid October that the guys set off and we wouldn't see or hear from them for a good few weeks.

I had another tricky decision to make, I'd found a job working at a bar in Mataranka, where we visited the thermal pool and stevie's hole. The lady sounded keen on me but I was enjoying myself at Sportingbet and still hoped to receive more shifts. I decided to pass on the Mataranka job but I definetly wonder how my year would have transpired had I taken it, certainly very differently that's for sure.

Maria had become very friendly with a guy from my work who was now putting her up and the two had arranged to go on a long road trip taking in about half of Australia. Maria's leaving night was the day Hibs drew 1-1 with Rangers at Ibrox and Stokes scored that goal. I don't recall very much of that evening and rose the next day thinking Rangers had won 2-0.

While in Elkies I had begun getting more shifts and decided to look for a flat. The day after putting my ad on global gossip I received a call from a David asking if I wanted to have a look at his spare room that was right behind Elkies. The flat was great with a huge balcony with mini pool and my room was frickin massive. I bit his hand off and moved in a couple of days later. Over the next 3 weeks I received no less than 11 calls and texts offering me rooms. Mad.

After not much more than a week in Arnhem Land, Mark returned having decided to go home. He was struggling with the work and the heat while his mate back home had offered him a painting job. We had drinks at mine with Will and the next day Mark was gone. We were down to 2 in Darwin.

Daniel made a couple of weekend returns from Arnhem Land flashing the impressive cash around, buying drinks, being merry and having a great time. It was always good to see him and catch up when he returned. He was working his arse off out there but it was clearly some experience as he became friendly with the indigenous locals and fished in croc infested waters.

His final return came early December but it was short lived as the next day both Daniel & Maria would be flying to the East Coast at 5am. We still managed to make the most of it and get rather merry. Daniel and his Arnhem buddy Will crashed at mine which gave me the task of waking Dan up after around an hours sleep. Maria was downstairs getting frustrated as Daniel snoozed on my spare bed. There was only one option. A glass of water over the pus later and Daniel gradually came round.

And then he was gone, with Maria.

Will had been waiting a good while for his Jackaroo to be fixed and was planning a road trip down the centre to Mildura for some farming work. I still wasn't sure what I was going to do, it was tempting to head with Will but work was busy and I was raking it in. In the end I passed and Will set of south on his own leaving me as the Road Trip's last man standing in Darwin.

• Well done Rory.