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Published: August 22nd 2010
As we finally make it to the other side of the world to take stock on our trip so far and settle into life in NZ here is the final travel installment before taking a well earned breather.
After another pitstop in Singapore for our final taste of Asia, we headed south to Australasia aboard an Airbus A380. Several complimentary wines later we arrived in Sydney and found ourselves in a shared dorm for the same price as a penthouse anywhere in Asia. With the temperature dropping and our first taste of rain we were thankful to have been carrying our jeans and waterproofs for the last 4 months. When the clouds cleared it was time to take in the iconic images of Harbour Bridge and the Opera House before venturing to our first Australian beach of Manly and the famous Bondi Beach with views of the Pacific Ocean and the legendary surf.
Having exhausted the city, we had our first experience of Australian bush in the Blue Mountains with stunning views and the first in a long list of rainforest walks. Catching an overnight train to Melbourne we enjoyed a few days walking the stylish riverfront and the
many graffiti lined side street alleyways, desperately trying to keep Vicky out of the boutique shops and cafes.
Flying north to Cairns it was time to hit the road in the high top campervan. Venturing as far as the roads would take us, we parked in the pre-historic scenery of Cape Tribulation, where the rainforest meets the ocean. With isolated beaches, freshwater mangrove creeks hiding crocs and the endangered Cassowary it felt like we had just arrived on untouched land. A great way to spend your 31st…
Realising we were yet to experience what was underwater, we set off on a day tour to dive the Great Barrier Reef, looking at the stunning coral, large schools of fish and giant clams, these were images that proved this was the number 1 dive spot in the world. To calm down after our momentous day we parked outside a school for the night…class. We then continued south stopping off at Mission Beach, the sugar cane town of Lucinda, Paluma National Park for fresh waterfalls and swimming holes and another rainforest walk, then on to Alva Beach the launching pad for the SS Yongala - one of the best dive sites
in the world. Taking a motorised dingy across the choppy seas to a 99 year old sunken steamship, teaming with marine life, moray eels, eagle rays, sea snakes, gropers, turtles and huge wrasse fish larger than a human - this was something special.
Continuing our journey down east coast Queensland we hit Airlie beach and the WhitSundays, a day of great snorkelling and pristine white silica beaches. After a night parked up in a friendly Aussies garden we headed to the mountains of Eungella to see Platypus at work before heading back down to the beach and Cape Hillsborough National Park. Waking up at dawn we were delighted to see kangaroos hopping across the bay to the backdrop of golden sands, crystal clear seas and rocky islets in the distance.
Realising we had spent too long up north we had some serious driving to catch up on, driving through tree lined landscapes and sleepy towns, we soon hit Hervey Bay and the largest sand island in the world - Fraser Island. A great day watching hump back whales out at sea, driving across pristine sand beaches and trekking through huge vegetation to unique freshwater lakes. Our final instalment
on the drive to Brisbane was Rainbow Beach and Noosa National Park. With more ocean views and huge sand dunes lined with indigenous national trees we managed to spot some iconic koala bears chomping on their dinner, the perfect way to end our Australian tour. Arriving in Brisbane we spent our last few days getting ready for the next instalment - setting up a life in NZ and seeing my sister and the new additions to the family.
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Kirsty
non-member comment
Fantastic
Sounds like you had a great time, awesome pics and you both look gorgeous! Can't wait to see you in Jan, hope all still going well in NZ xxx