The culmination of his unconventional trip Down Under will materialise when he reaches the final destination of Sydney.

The 22-year-old is currently enjoying the wonders of the Australian outback as he enters his final week of a momentus journey.

Darren's Blog

Our penultimate week began in a small remote village 8,000 feet above Indonesia on the edge of a volcanic crater. Mount Bromo last erupted in 2004, collapsing half its façade and turning the nearby landscape from lush green to grey. Today much of it is still under several feet of ash giving it an almost lunar like feel. The view from our hotel of the volcano still spewing sulphur into the air truly was the best of the trip. We spent the morning trekking across the outer crater to reach the centre, where we precariously rimmed this natural wonder. Although dangerous with several people having died attempting it in recent years, it was an unforgettable walk and a great insight into the workings of mother earth. Mount Bromo also provided a stunning night sky; shooting stars, the constellations (including the southern cross) and Milky Way were amazing.

It was still dark as we hopped on the bus again early on Monday to descend the mountain and headed to catch a ferry, taking us from Java to Bali. Most of Bali is like the rest of Indonesia, under-developed and remote. But in a small corner a little bit of Australia has formed, much like the Costa del Sol in Spain has for the British. Kuta Beach is a place to party long into the night and for lots of Aussies to surf during the day. It has also become one of the highlights of South East Asia and is attracting backpackers from across the world. Bali unfortunately has also become associated with terrorism, following the attacks in 2002 and 2005 that claimed hundreds of lives. The memorial erected in the centre of Kuta was a reminder that western liberalism is still deeply resented by a few extremists.

And after almost 2 weeks, many donations and reused clothes my bag finally turned up in Bali (well kind of). The bag itself was unusable as customs had literally torn it apart and although some of my clothes had been stolen it was nice to finally be able to wear something different again.

After a few hard days partying in Bali we left Asia behind on Thursday as we travelled to Oz and Darwin. For the Australians onboard it was exciting to be home, as for many it was the first time in years and for the rest of us it was exciting to be somewhere that at least seemed like home. But we all shared the growing awareness that it was the beginning of the end.

Darwin also saw the return of a familiar face as the Ozbuser who had been forced to leave in Iran after an accident returned to the fold. Despite surgery and the expense it was testament to her character that she was determined to make it to Sydney and everyone was delighted to see her.

Our first activity down under involved two national icons – the crocodile and snakes. We visited a jumping croc farm just outside Darwin – these colossal beasts were fantastic in their natural environment, and taking heed of the no swimming signs was probably a good idea! We then travelled south to Kakuda National Park (one of the largest in the country). There we spotted Kangaroos, massive Termite mounds and ancient Aboriginal rock art. As we moved further into the outback the expansive wilderness was welcome after crowded Asia.

Next week we will travel deeper into the red centre as we hopefully reach our final destination – Sydney, although with 4,000km still to go, anything could happen…