• 2001 Feb - Milton 's four- bedroom Hilton
• 2001 July - There's smoke in them thar hills
• 2001 Aug - Those who want.those who have
• 2001 Aug - Chilly Down Under
• 2001 Nov - Back pack it all in!
• 2001 Nov - The holiday of a lifetime in Oz's Outback

There's smoke in them thar hills

LAST September, I flew from Adelaide, my adopted home town, to Queensland after being invited there by two separate families who had each emigrated from my home town of Gloucester, writes Milton Westcarr.

The first couple (Mark and his wife Sam), had arrived just three weeks earlier and were already renting a new, luxurious three- bedroom house deep in the Carrindale Hills, outside of Brisbane.

The second emigrants (Jerry, Jenny and their two children) had made the move nine years earlier and now lived at Noosa in the Sunshine Coast.

I planned to spend three days with each family, starting with Mark and Sam who gave me a guided tour of Brisbane and the surrounding area. This included a one- hour night cruise on the Brisbane River on the City Cat ferry, which gave us amazing views of the illuminated high-rise buildings, in the city centre. We saw many of the famous "Queenslander houses" which are built on stilts; and some have garages beneath them.

We travelled to Mount Cooltha Park, which gave us a 360- degree view across the city, to the many mountain ranges in the distance. We noticed plumes of white smoke billowing sky-high, out on the horizon. I then recalled seeing scores of bush fires in the mountains as I flew into Brisbane the day before. This was the dry season and the temperature reached 32C that day. As we travelled home to the Carrindale Hills, we joked about the house burning down!

The nearer we got, the more the smoke intensified and became like fog. There was a huge orange glow in the hills and at the top of the road we saw what was causing the glow. It came from the large forest which surrounded the Carrindale Hills housing development.

Trees spontaneously burst into flame as the wild fire spread throughout the forest, threatening to engulf everything in its path. Embers rose into the sky like a massive fire work display on bon- fire night; some of them were carried by the fierce up-draughts being created, only to land amongst gardens and driveways. The boundary fence of the estate caught light and was burned to the ground -even though it was across the road 100 metres away: We were worried for our safety, but ran for our cameras as this was a scene to remember!

It was both frightening and exciting as we watched acres of 5Oft mature trees completely decimated by the firestorm. Fire wardens fought desperately to quench the bush fires nearest to the houses, before moving to the next hot spot. Eventually the fire brigade came to assist the wardens, but the large forest was allowed to burn itself out due to the huge scale and size of the area involved. The next day there was a beautiful smell of eucalyptus smoke, which filled the air - it would be worth plenty of dollars if bottled!

We decided to drive to Australia Zoo, one and-a-half-hours away. We saw many crocodiles, anaconda snakes and a multitude of rare plants and animals. The place is definitely worth a visit. I had a bizarre expe- rience at the zoo. As we walked round, I said hello to a family who were watching the crocodile display.

When we arrived home, I phoned Jerry for travel arrangements to see him in Noosa and mentioned the zoo trip. He then said that his family was also visiting the zoo that day. We found out that I had already met his family from Gloucester, at the zoo without even realising it!

The next day Jerry picked me up from Brisbane and took me to his large five-bedroom house in Noosa, on the Sunshine Coast, where I met his family again, as we all prepared for his 4Oth birthday.

Jerry gave me a tour of Noosa, which was quite an eye opener, with its millionaire beach villas and immaculately clean beaches and streets. I walked around the town in my bare feet because it was so relaxed and laid back.

There were high quality shops and restaurants in the town centre and the swim we had was exquisite . Jerry had invited many friends and family from around the world and Australia, and it turned out to be fascinating meeting so many people from all walks of life.

I was the video camera man recording the events for posterity or Jeremy Beadle, if you like! We all had such a wild time that I managed to miss my direct flight from Brisbane to Adelaide and ended up staying an extra day! Sam and Mark kindly put me up again while they started their new jobs as nurses in the local hospitals.

Missing my night flight was a bonus, because the new flight home went via Sydney, where I was able to speak to my sister, Jaki, who lives there.

As I flew over the Great Dividing Ranges in the early morning, I noticed more bush fires and the contrasting landscape, which varied considerably between the dry forests of Queensland and the patchwork of green fields of South Australia.

This was certainly a holiday to remember.