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Published: April 7th 2006
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We have finally made it back to Melbourne... We had a wonderful three weeks of roughing it in our tent and are glad to be back here. It's sort of a home away from our home.
Anyways, where do I begin? We flew into the gold coast airport which is in a small town called Coolongatta in Southern Queensland. We walked from the airport to our first caravan park that we stayed in and just stayed one night. It was a beautiful place, the beach was just that, golden and the sky so big. We decided to move further north the next day but only made it as far as Surfer's Paradise which we found to be a horrible place. It is very touristy up there with heaps of high rises and casinos and shopping centres and all that stuff that most arrogant people with tons of money enjoy, not us though. We decided to move south past where we had flown in and work our way down the north coast of New South Wales. It was very beautiful there as well. Everyone is so kind and laid back. There is no rush or hurry to do anything or any stressing
from anyone really. It was a lot more toned down too. None of that American-Vegas glam that we had seen just a few km's north in Queensland. So we started to work our way down the coast towards Sydney. Stayed in some amazing places, swam at some amazing beaches, athough a few days there were tons of blue bottle jelly fish in amongst the waters which made us kind of hesitant whether or not to jump right in. They will sting you, but apparently it isn't too bad. It is supposed to just hurt for a little while. I just feel lucky that we did not have to deal with that. There were a few times that we went swimming and didn't even realize until after that they were out that day. Whether or not they are present has something to do with which way the current is moving and when the tide comes in or goes out, I don't know exactly. We even manged to get caught up in the aftermath storms of the cyclone that hit Northern Queensland. We were lucky to not have been there. The storm we had where we were was bad enough with just
our tent. The wind was so strong and the rains so heavy that it looked like our tent poles were about to snap any minute and all of our belongings be blown out to sea. We decided it probably wasn't a good time to tent anymore and rented an on-site camper in the campground for a couple of nights. It was nice to get out of the tent and into something more homey feeling. And the added bonus of having the simpsons on the tele was nice too!! What else can you do when it's storming outside? We managed to make friends with the park manager and he offered us a ride to our next destination. We accepted and there stumbled upon another kind bloke who offered us a bed in his camper for the next two nights. It was still storming so we accepted and ended up having a wonderful time with Dick. He was about 60 years old, reminded me so much of my grandpa it was crazy and took great care of us. He even cooked us dinner and supplied us with beer and Jim Beam. It was a wonderful treat. From there we headed to Byron
Bay which is where our surf trip began. I have never surfed ever in my whole life and decided to take lessons one day for three and a half hours. I was so nervous I had butterflies all morning, I am not really the uhh athletic type. But I did it and I had a great time and actually caught waves and was standing up!!! I think I got a little ahead of myself though. After my lesson I went on to tell Brett how we had to buy boards and go out to Tofino and surf all summer because it was going to be my next greatest hobby. But then two days later I rented a board for a day and had a hell of a time. I found out it is ten times harder to get up when you don't have your teacher around anymore. I decided I didn't want to buy a board yet and that I needed more practice then I thought. It is soo hard, I honestly can't belive how hard it is on your own. And what amazes me the most is watching the little kids that grow up in those surf towns on
the coast. I would be sitting on the beach saying "wow, look at that guy he is so amazing" and then he would come in to shore and would be standing only about 3 feet tall and was probably no more than five years old. They start at such a young age and really have nothing else to do in such a small town like that but surf so they really succeed in the sport. Brett rented a board too. He's a lot better than me, I just tell myself that's because he has more experience so I don't give up or get discouraged. He's a great teacher too and managed to help me out when I was all alone. The last day we went surfing I landed really weird on my right ankle in quite shallow water and did something to it. I have a little limp now when I walk, but I am sure with some more ice and a little rest it will disappear quickly... Byron was a really truly amazing place. The ocean so blue and the sand just as golden as the sands we had seen before. Only there were rocky cliffs every few metres
and a huge lighthouse perched atop the main cliff in town. To watch sunsets there was breathtaking. There were so many people there though. All sorts, french and german tourists to locals to the dirtiest hippies I have ever seen to us canadians and typical surfer bogan dudes and the typical flashy girls that hang around them. There was alot to do there, but too much going on all the time for us. So we moved on again. This time we stumbled across Lennox Head, our favorite place yet. It was a small surf town right on the ocean and was blessed with a tea tree lake on the edge of town. This is where the campground was and where we stayed, right on the lake. Every morning we would wake up and run to the lake to paddle amongst bright red waters and to take in the wonderful aroma the tea trees left lingering in the air and in the water. I have never ever in my life seen something as beautful as this. It was amazing. From our campsite the surf was only two blocks where again we found oursleves in crystal clear water and walking amongst the
finest white sands. So fine it actually squeaks beneath your feet as you walk down the beach. We decided to end our journey here and skip Sydney altogether. It was much too expensive of a stopover, rather a place we would have to visit when we had more time. We made our way back up to the Gold Coast airport on our last day and caught a flight back to Melbourne late last night. I now only have six days left here in Melbourne in which I will probably use to say goodbye to the friends I've made and spend any money I've got left. After that I stop in Shaghai, China for a day. A little time to explore the markets around the hotel and grab a few authentic snacks. Then I am off to Vancouver where I catch a connecting flight to Saskatoon to spend Easter with my family. It's been almost a year since I've seen them and been back home to the prairies, I definitely am excited. I just hope there still isn't snow when I arrive. I would hate to lose this tan I have worked so hard for so quickly...
You probably won't hear
from me again while in Oz, so this is another goodbye. Thanks for being so dedicated and interested in what I have had to say throughout my travels, I hope you enjoyed it somewhat...
Love Shalyn.
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