Another very early start this morning as we prepared ourselves for a day trip around the magnificent Blue Mountains of New South Wales. We headed to McDonalds for breakfast, conveniently it was also where we were being picked up for the trip. Both Hannah and I were really tired and weren’t really up for another busy day so as different tour companies came and went picking up tourists we were kinda hoping that they would forget us. Eventually a busted up ancient mini bus drove by as we laughed at the crappy tour that must be, the tour guide jumped out of the bus and called out our names. We were driving around the streets for what seemed hours picked people up then it was another hour or so until we finally reached the Blue Mountains. ... read more

21/12/2009 - Our last Greyhound bus ride was early afternoon after a fantastic and expensive time in Surfer’s Paradise we were moving onto Byron Bay. Neither Hannah or myself had ever been to Byron so this was something we were really looking forward to. It was a short bus ride to Byron and we were dropped off at a small bus shelter in the middle of town. Our hostel had a shuttle which was waiting for us so we jumped in and were taken to Cape Byron YHA, our last hostel of the trip. We checked in and went up to our room, it wasn’t great. Most of the hostels we had stayed at were outstanding, this one was anything but. Room was small and lifeless with no air-conditioning only a useless creaky fan. We dumped ... read more

Hannah and I woke up at the crack of dawn this morning and got ready for a massive day out on Moreton Island. We took the local bus to a rundown hostel down the road where we waited to be picked up by the tour company. Eventually a beaten up 4WD stopped and our tour guide with his long dreads came out and met us, it was going to be an interesting day. We introduced ourselves to everyone in the 4WD as we drove towards the marina which was a good hour away. We had been told that this tour includes lunch which led us to believe something will have been prepared or waiting for us when the time came. However on the way to the marina our tour guide stopped at Subway and picked up ... read more

07/12/2009 - We checked out of Colonial Village YHA for a second time then caught the shuttle bus to the Greyhound terminal. Just as we were leaving the owner ran up to us and thanked us for staying, then offered us some free candy, this hostel and its staff truly were outstanding. It was a good few hours before we reached the Caloundra turnoff where we were dropped off. The taxi we had booked earlier came as soon as the bus left, perfect timing, we took it to my Grandma’s house in Pelican Waters. It was good to see her again, it had been a few years since I was last here. For the rest of the afternoon we caught up and settled in for a relatively relaxing week here. 08/12/2009 - Another relaxing day really, ... read more

It was another very early morning as we woke up and packed our gear ready to take the morning Greyhound bus into Hervey Bay. Once we were packed we took the free shuttle bus from our hostel and boarded the Greyhound was we were there. It took us a few hours before we reached Harvey Bay where our YHA hostel shuttle was waiting for us. Since there were a few buses coming in we had to wait for them to arrive so we headed to the supermarket to pick a few things up before eventually we were on our way. We arrived at the hostel and were greeted with cold drinks and small cakes, it was a first for any hostel I have ever stayed with and it made a big impression on us. After checking ... read more