I've come to a land Down Under!!

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Okay so when I wrote the last blog I said I’d continue it in a few days, clearly that didn’t happen. And just talking to Mum and Aunty Geraldine the last day on Skype they were reminding me how behind I was and also Mum said Aunty Philomena had commented that I hadn’t blogged in a while. So apologies for the lack of recent updates but I have a few reasons (/excuses??!!) To begin with considering I write my blogs a while after the events have taken place I do have a little mini diary that helps me to keep track of what I’ve done but I lost this for a few weeks. I couldn’t find it anywhere then after asking all my flatmates had they seen it, one of them actually came in from outside holding a fairly battered version of my diary asking if this was it; he had found it on the wall between our house and the next door neighbours and from the state of it we have since worked out that it fell from our balcony into the neighbour’s yard where the dogs had a go at it, however it was saved in time as it is readable just with a few teeth marks and chewed up corners!! Another reason this blog has been delayed is that I’ve been pretty busy working, for a change and then of course I have also been very busy socialising on my very few days off that I just couldn’t find time to sit down and update my blog!

So anyways here goes...(oh and be prepared for a long one considering I have a lot of time to catch up on!) well at the moment I’m now living and working in Alice Springs in Central Australia. But before I get to that I’ll start at the beginning when I got to this country almost five months ago now. I arrived into Sydney airport exhausted, and then had to spend eight and a half hours hanging around waiting on my connecting flight up to Townsville that was delayed. Why start in Townsville you may ask... well two reasons really; firstly Townsville is located on the North Coast of Queensland so as it was April that I landed into Australia I decided to start North so I could avoid the cold weather that was starting to set in down around Sydney and Melbourne etc. and secondly Cat a friend of mine whom I’d lived with in Dublin was now living in Townsville and I hadn’t seen her in 18months so it just seemed a logical place to start my travels through Australia. It was great staying and catching up with Cat. I had my own room and was able to unpack my rucksack which is always a dream for a backpacker and we did lots of catching up over plenty of home cooked meals, another amazing luxury for a backpacker. I stayed with Cat for two weeks and just chilled out; Townsville is a quiet town really but I did do some shopping, hadn’t been in a proper shopping mall in a long time so of course I splurged a little!! I also spent a few days down along the waterfront at the beach and at the pools and did some general sunbathing. It was a great relaxing time and of course there was some drinking involved too! I spent Easter in Townsville and it was great, we went to Jason’s (Cat’s boyfriend) grandparent’s house for Easter Sunday lunch which was fantastic then we had an evening barbeque with some of Jason’s cousins, a perfect day however we ate a CRAZY amount of food in one day!

After 2 weeks in Townsville I headed over to Magnetic island just 8km off Townsville which was beautiful, unfortunately for the two days I was there it was pretty overcast which was disappointing as snorkelling or diving wasn’t worth it as visibility would have been poor. However I made the most of my time here and met some new friends whom I was to meet again on my travels. The hostel I was staying in was great, one night they had a “boozy bingo” night which was great fun, I didn’t win yet I did manage to get a free pint during one of the games 😊 Myself and Peter, a guy I’d met from Tyrone went to the Koala sanctuary one morning, it was excellent and it was here that I first got up close and personal with some of Australia’s wildlife.... I held a cockatoo, some lizards, a baby crocodile, a python and a koala and for those of you who know me well this was obviously a very big day for me considering I’m really not the biggest lover of animals!!!

I then headed back over to Townsville for a farewell dinner with Cat and Jason before I headed further North up to Cairns. Here I checked into Gilligan’s hostel. Before I had ever come to Australia I had heard of this place because of its fairly notorious reputation for being a party place so obviously where else would I stay?! And it sure lived up to its reputation, I happened to be sharing a room with three girls from Dublin who happened to know the guys I’d just met on Magnetic island who were also staying in the hostel, this is one of the great things about backpacking around Australia it is very common to meet up with people you have previously met already somewhere on your travels. So fun times were definitely ahead, that night it was great being with the girls as we watched the royal wedding on the big screen in the hostel and were able to comment and bitch accordingly together. Then we met up with the boys and all went out for the first of many nights to come in Cairns!! The following night we all went on the ultimate party bus together. This consisted of a night where about 80 of us were transported form bar to bar got cheap drinks, ate pizza, played some games and generally had a big night out!! Apart from drinking and partying in Cairns I actually did do some other things.... I spent a lot of time chilling and sunbathing by the pool, I went on a snorkelling trip to see the Great Barrier Reef which was amazing. The fish I saw were beautiful, so colourful and the coral itself was pretty spectacular, I actually grazed my leg on the coral when I was floating over it that’s how close to the surface it actually was! Unfortunately I didn’t have an underwater camera to capture it all however I will definitely do it again and will a hire an underwater camera so I can try and show you all the stunning Great Barrier Reef! I also went on an Atherton tableland and waterfall tour with Peter whom I’d met up with again in Cairns, we started off the tour horrifically hungover as we had had a very big night previously... anyways the tour was brilliant. In the morning we took a walk through a rainforest which was pretty cool and we saw some pretty big spiders, then in the early afternoon we got to have a swim in a waterfall which shook off the hangovers before a fabulous lunch. Then after lunch we headed onto the spectacular Milla Milla falls made famous for a couple of different reasons. Firstly this is the waterfall where Peter Andre filmed his famous music video for “Mysterious Girl”, this waterfall is also well known in the timotei and herbal essence advertisements from TV where the girls are showering seductively under the waterfall. Our guide was very entertaining and made us all re-enact the shampoo adds by throwing our hair back while he took photos of us all. We all did this to the huge amusement of a group of Japanese tourists who decided to take photos of us too!! Next we went for a swim in Lake Echam a volcanic crater lake. And that was the end of the tour however our guide was very into us having a good time that he decided to help us out in acquiring some drinks for the bus journey back into Cairns. So it turned into a great sing-along on the drive back which of course then ended up with us all meeting up for more drinks that night, definitely a great day all round!



After Cairns I flew further North to Darwin where I stayed for a week. One day I decided to hire a bike and go exploring the coastline as I had a map of the area and there were lots of things I wanted to go check out. However there was a dilemma I wanted a bike with a basket so I could put my bag and things into it, I always find it annoying carrying things on my back in the heat and I had just become so accustomed to my bike with a basket in China (also it can lead to very bad tan lines wearing a backpack while cycling!!) So I spent a good part of the morning trying to find a bike with a basket, then was eventually led in the direction of a bike repair shop where they may possibly rent a bike with a basket and yes I was in luck (he didn’t really hire out bikes but he did have a bike with a basket so he decided he could lend it to me and he could make some money and that suited me perfect)! Only problem was because it was a Saturday he was closing early and wanted the bike back for 1pm and it was now already 10am but anyways we agreed on a price which was actually cheaper than the regular hire shops and I was off with the best of intentions of returning the bike by 1pm..... There was a really good cycle track to follow which took in lots of the things I wanted to see; I stopped off at the Northern Territory Museum, Fannie Bay Gaol (where the last executions actually only took place back in 1952 and the gallows are still there today) and went to East point reserve where I checked out a few world war II remnants. I hadn’t realised but Darwin was really badly bombed in WWII. The cycle along the coastline was spectacular but really unforgiving in a way also; because it was so hot all you wanted to do was stop along the way for a swim however you can’t because of the danger of crocodiles which was a pretty surreal idea to me! However on my map there was a lake that was designated for swimming so I was aiming to make it there for a dip along the way. Only to discover that when I got there it was closed for swimming this was a huge disappointment. When I arrived at the lake I’d been cycling for a while and had stopped off lots along the way and I had completely forgotten about time, now only to discover it was almost 1pm. Well there was no chance of me making it back in time so I decided I may as well carry on further and leave the bike outside the shop when I got back with an apology note and hope that he got it. So I continued on and around 3pm as I was on my return cycle a truck (or I should probably say “ute” considering I am now in Australia) pulled up beside me with the owner of the bike inside. So I started to fumble out an apology/explanation only to be stopped mid sentence by him being really friendly saying “Ah I figured I’d find you along here somewhere, no worries just I thought I’d come and have a look for you and collect the bike” then not only did he collect the bike but he also gave me a lift back into town. He wasn’t annoyed at all so I’d gotten two extra hours cycling for no hassles at all; it worked out perfect in the end!!

I spent a lot of time chilling out by the pool in my hostel in Darwin as it was fabulous weather and met plenty of people who of course I shared some drinks with on a few occasions. I went to the Mindil beach sunset markets which they have every week, they was awesome stalls of all kinds set up alongside the beach and lots of entertainment such as an amazing didgeridoo show, a whip cracking show and an animal display show and then of course there was the spectacular sunset over the water. I booked a day trip to Litchfield national park which was fantastic. On the way to Litchfield part of the tour included going on a “jumping crocodile cruise” down the Adelaide River. This was certainly a hair-raising experience, we were in a little boat on a river that was completely swarming with crocodiles and the guide didn’t exactly put us at ease in the beginning with a safety talk by saying pretty much that if we fall in that no one will be jumping in to save us it was just pretty much dinner time for the croc’s! So it was pretty impressive and at the same time pretty terrifying to see these giant creatures leap right out of the water in front of you trying to get a piece of meat of a stick. Just check out the photos and video! After this mind-blowing river cruise we stopped along the way to view some fantastic termite mounds. It was unbelievable to think that tiny little creatures could build such extraordinary large structures. Next we stopped off at the spectacular Wangi Falls waterfall, yet we couldn’t swim in this one because of the season and the danger again of crocs. But we had lunch here and after we went to the stunning Florence Falls where we got to swim under the waterfall. Actually let me rephrase that, where you could swim under if you could swim against the force of the water to get under it, I failed in this respect as did many others but it was still beautiful swimming in the pool surrounding the waterfall. Our final stop on this tour was Buley Rock hole where we had a lot of fun in the long series of cascading plunge pools!

One other notable thing I did in Darwin was go to the deckchair cinema, this is exactly like it sounds it is an outdoor cinema where you sit on deckchairs to watch the film. You are free to bring you own drinks and snacks and me and Bec (a girl from my hostel/Litchfield trip) enjoyed it so much we went back on two different occasions. That’s definitely not something that would work in Ireland eh what with the weather but it’s a fabulous way to spend an evening in sunny Darwin!

Before leaving Darwin I booked a seven day tour with Adventure Tours Australia (ATA) leaving Darwin going to Alice Springs taking in Uluru (Ayers Rock) and the surrounding sights. Little did I know that when I booked this trip that I’d end up working with this tour company and that Alice Springs would become my new home for the upcoming months! It was an early start to the first day we were picked up at 5.30am and we were off on our short 1500km journey down to Alice Springs. Before I took the trip I’d realised that I probably should start working again soon to increase the dwindling bank balance, it’d been 2 and ½ months since I last worked when I was in China and funds were starting to get low. My idea was to find work in some roadhouse or something along the way, just talk to everyone when we stopped and hopefully get work, as there is usually lots of casual work in the more remote areas, then after my trip return back to where I’d got the work. However it turned out to be a lot easier than that! My tour guides for the trip were Doc and Jess and at one of our first stops I decided to ask them if they knew anywhere along the way that I could find work and both of them completely agreed on the fact that I should just come to Alice Springs because there was always heaps of work there. So that was decided I was going to try and find work in Alice, then about an hour or so later Doc mentioned that he even had a spare bed going if I needed somewhere to stay so with all of this in mind I decided to just enjoy the next three days and see what happened when I turned up in Alice.

We definitely had a great tour group travelling down; we all got on really well and had a lot of fun together. Our first major stop was the stunning Katherine Gorge where we did a hike and got rewarded by fabulous views at the top, then that night we all got to know each other a lot better over many drinks around the campfire accompanied by some didgeridoo and guitar playing before we went to bed in our tents. Day two; up at 5.15am and back on the bus where we all slept off the previous night’s hangovers before we stopped at the glorious Mataranka thermal pools where we gladly spent an hour or so. The next stop of the day was at Larrimah where we visited the Pink Panther Pub, the highest pub in the Northern Territory and saw some animals here I petted a red kangaroo for the first time here! Then it was on to the very famous Daly Waters pub with a brief visit to Australia’s first ever international airport on the way! Daly waters pub was fantastic it is located right in the centre of the Australian bush with pretty much nothing else around it and it attracts lots of visitors year round. There is paraphernalia all over the walls from people who have visited here previously from bras and undies to passports and football jerseys!! So of course we had a drink or two, some lunch and I signed the Donegal Jersey on the wall which was actually already signed by a girl I’d gone to secondary school with! We then played some street bowling which was hilarious there was literally a rock the shape and size of a bowling ball with finger holes and all and we used this to bowl with! Then it was on to our camp for the night where almost all of us decided to sleep in swags around the campfire. A swag is a roll up bed made of canvas with a mattress inside then you put you sleeping bag inside and curl up for the night and watch the stars before you go to sleep which is exactly what we did after a compulsory drink or two first of course! Then the third and final morning of this leg of the trip was another early morning 6am start and we were off in the direction of the devils marbles. The Devils Marbles are gigantic, rounded granite boulders, some spectacularly poised and they are largely recognised as a symbol of Australia’s outback. This was fantastic we spent a couple of hours climbing rocks and taking pictures however we did lose Lisa one of our German passengers for a short while but we eventually found her it was just a little bit of miscommunication about where the car park was. Anyways we were back on the road and one very ridiculous stop that has to be mentioned before we reached Alice is Wycliffe Well, the UFO centre of Australia!! Apparently this site is renowned for regular UFO activities and was ranked 5th for top reported UFO activity in the world in 2002. A little bit far-fetched for me but it made for a fun stop all the same. Then finally we made it to Alice, my new home as it turned out!!

Of course after spending a whole three days together there had to be a post-tour celebratory night out  and this was the night that I finalised that I’d move into Doc’s house. The next day most of the group were heading on their rock trip, I’d booked mine slightly differently so it meant I’d a day off before my rock trip. This was a little disappointing not to be continuing on with the new friends I’d made however I was very glad the next morning when there were all getting up at 5am for their trip as we’d ended up having a pretty massive night the night before! So I’d a free day in Alice and I decided to get organised, I opened an Australian bank account, applied for a tax number and moved into Doc’s place. Then that evening as Doc and I were out getting dinner we met two Dutch backpackers whom Doc knew who were just leaving their jobs at ATA, so Doc automatically figured there was positions available so he rang the boss and pretty much I was on my way to getting a job sorted already!!

However first I still had my rock trip to do so the next day another early morning; 5.10am pick up and I was off on my three day trip to Uluru on another ATA tour bus with another group of people. On this first morning we stopped at Stuarts Well Camel farm where me and a few of the girls got properly woken up by going for a camel ride, it was hilarious first there was the experience of the camel getting up as you were sitting on it then after a short walk the camel jogs down the paddock then the camel had to drop down to let you get off a truly entertaining experience. Then after a lot of driving by the afternoon we made it to our camp where we had lunch before we hiked around Kata Tjuta (commonly known as The Olgas), then we watched sunset at Uluru before arriving back at camp where we all cooked dinner together then hung out around the campfire before we all rolled out our swags for another night under the stars! Day two up at 5.30am in order to get to see sunrise at Uluru, we walked the 9.8km walk around the base and watched the sun rise as we walked. Then we did a guided walk where we learned lots about aboriginal culture and visited the cultural centre. Then after some lunch we were off on another drive to get to our camp for that night. This camp was interesting however as there were mice everywhere, there was a bit of a plague at the time and remember we were sleeping outside! But turned out the mice stayed away from us they hung out nearer to the bin and kitchen areas thankfully. The third day was probably my favourite day we hiked Kings Canyon which was spectacular. The beginning of the walk was pretty hard though it’s commonly known to the locals as heart attack hill as it’s so steep but once this bit is done you are rewarded with fabulous views and the rest of the hike is a lot easier! After spending a few hours at the canyon our tour was over and we were on our way back to Alice.

Now this blog will go on forever if I start going into the details of my life in Alice so ill just say that I’d one free day in Alice, then the next day I had a job as a hostee with ATA which basically means that I go along on 3 or 4 days trips just like the one I’d completed however it’s a more expensive package and because of that they get me; a host where I cook, clean and make beds for the passengers. This is what I have being doing for the last three months and think I’ll be here for another three in order to keep saving money to fund more travelling. I’ll go into all the details of my life in Alice in the next blog whenever that might be, I’ll try not leave it as long next time but just to let you all know I’m really enjoying my time here in Alice Springs I hadn’t a clue that I’d end up somewhere like this but everything just seemed to happen so easily with accommodation and work that I think it was just meant to be!

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