East Coast of Australia

---

So we’ve been here for 8 months now and the time couldn’t have gone quicker! We came in through Sydney and got a shock! Staying in a hostel for a night that cost us the price of three nights stay in Malaysia!! We were staying in a place called Kings Cross which has the reputation of being a bit rough but we didn’t see any problems. Our plan was to get a campervan so we could get on our road trip as soon as possible. That’s how we ended up paying way too much to rent a 1992 Trivago Toyota that some Bristolian con-carman originally from the U.K tried to sell us for $10,000. If it wasn’t for our trusted Ozzy friends we would have probably made the worst decision on our travels so far (yes even bigger than our stupidness in India)



Whilst we were in Sydney our lovely friends let us stay with them up at their apartment for a week whilst we did a bit of site seeing and got paperwork together for me to get my Nurse registration. I will also add that we told them our plans to travel up the coast and then through the centre of Australia. This is when they introduced us to a film called Wolfe Creek! (About a serial killer who picks up backpackers) this didn’t help when we were in the blue mountains just outside Sydney camping out in what felt like the middle of nowhere. Me and Rob had gone for a long walk through some forest, afterwards we’d forgot to get water from the stream so Rob went back as I made a cup of tea from the van. There was no one else around for miles and long wide trees when I noticed a car, I thought he was lost at first and had made a wrong turn when he went passed the van for the second time. When he passed the third time and slowed down right infront of the van I started praying for Rob to get back! I had myself a few flashbacks from the film! Thankfully Rob did get back, the guy sodded off and hence I’m here writing this blog.



We hit Sydney just at the right time to see the light festival and got to see Sydney harbour and opera house in incredible lights. We also seemed to catch the worst storms and cold weather in Sydney for years. Our next stop was Canberra!



Again we were thankful to be put up by some good friends. I could go into to detail about everything in Australia but we’ve been here 8 months and some things you just have to see for yourself so I won’t bore you too much and just give you some highlights. Canberra is the capital and is very precisely laid out with parliament buildings seeming to be the central focal point. Canberra was where I got to get my first real glimpse of their wildlife! My first kangaroo and wombats! The best place to see them was a beautiful national park called Tidbinbilla where 100s of Kangers would hop about as the sunset. We were incredibly lucky to see the rare platypus and stared for ages at the koalas and their babies. We’d have to pinch ourselves sometimes as things look so similar to home, that’s until you see a big white Galah or a fluffy Kookaburra flying about.



Something else that stood out about Canberra was their war memorial museum which recreated and stored history from the first and second world wars. It was overwhelming to read peoples stories and to try to comprehend how much sacrifice people make.



Canberra was where we got our car and made our plans for our travels! Once we got our lovely ford falcon we decided to hit the road. We were heading north and hoping for sunshine! First stop….



Byron Bay we stayed in a place called broken head on a campsite right on the beach. We saw one of the most incredible sunrises as we watched the crazy surfers head out into the freezing seas. We were about 10k from Byron bay (didn’t stop us walking to the town though) the place where surfers head to hit the waves. It was pretty cold the days we were there something we weren’t expecting even in the Australian winter we somehow presumed it would be in the high 20s! haha! Just picture us in a two man’s tent (definitely a children’s tent) with a 6ft 5 bloke in the cold. We really weren’t as prepared as we thought we were.



We also went walking round Byron bay lighthouse and spent half an hour getting a photo of Rob in the exact place and stance he was in 10 years previously! We were also very lucky to see groups of wales and dolphins as they migrated towards the Antarctic. To see animals in their natural environment is such a special feeling.



We Left Byron bay and after a few rest stop days we ended up in Brisbane. Again we had some really great friends that we originally met in India they put us up for a couple of weeks as we chatted about our times on our separate travels then they showed us around the city. Definite highlight of this city is the man mad beach and swimming area in the city. It’s a lovely city with a nice vibe. We explored Surfers paradise and got some lovely weather to go with it. The day we left our friends took us for a hike in a beautiful place near a place called Noosa. The hike was up a mountain! Mount Cooroora to be precise, our friends had climbed Mount Everest so this was a walk in the park for them but for me it felt like climbing Everest! From there we said out goodbyes and continued our journey up the coast of Queensland.



We ended up at a place called Rainbow beach where we stayed a couple of nights before we began a tour of the amazing Fraser Island. It’s a beautiful drive to get to Rainbow beach, a road that descends through a hallway of tall trees. This is also where Rob is adamant I lost the car keys on the beach! Even though it could have been equally his fault!! Thankfully we had a spare pair.



So Fraser Island … by far one of my favourite places in Australia. Crystal blue waters, stunning white sands and phenomenal lakes. We joined a tour and stayed in shared accommodation. We met another wonderful couple who we instantly clicked with whilst on the island and it’s also where I pulled my normal embarrassing Jodi stunts. (Cringe) After visiting the amazing (freezing) Lake Mackenzie we headed on to Eli Creek where we were given rubber rings and had the opportunity to float down the creek back towards the sandy beach. So with our new found friends we thought we’d give it a go!! I’ve never been so mortified! (That bad!) So there we all our in our rubber rings laughing and giggling as a couple of us were not exactly elegant as we draw closer towards the beach the water gets shallower and bare in mind there’s a bus load of tourists relaxing at the bottom of the creek. This is when I decide to get stuck in my rubber ring!! My butt well and truly jammed in the ring and Rob laughing because he thinks for some reason I’m joking!! Until I stand with a rubber ring attached to my back end!! An overweight woman in a rainbow coloured bikini and a rubber ring attached to my butt! (Really couldn’t make this up) Thankfully our new found friends thought this was a hilarious and continued to hang around with us for the next couple of days! There was so many wonderful moments and things to talk about when it comes to this island but I’d be here all day writing about them.



From here we left and planned to get to Airlie beach the gateway to Whitsundays and the Great Barrier Reef. We happened to stumble upon a place called Tin Can Bay somewhere we found for a rest day and heard of dolphins that have been coming to the bay for years. So we decided we’d go to the harbour and see if we could get a close up glimpse of these magnificent creatures. We were very lucky as they decided to turn up! I even got to give them a fish to eat!



So Airlie beach, really chilled out place. We stayed in a Caravan park just outside of the main town which is more like a seaside holiday strip with lots of bars, cafes and clothes shops. We took a day out to the Whitsunday islands on a speed raft! Snorkelling in the barrier reef and having lunch on paradise sands once again. Was an exhilarating day and I didn’t do any embarrassing things accept look like a whale in the wetsuits they provided! We also caught up with our friends from Fraser Island and had ourselves a good laugh reminiscing and finding out all our separate travel plans.



(Sorry guys this is a looong blog!) So after we’d had our fill of beautiful Islands and beaches we continued our road trip up through a place called Maquay another beautiful region in Queensland with huge amounts of sugar cane fields. We hiked to waterfalls and camped out near the sugar cane railway. A really picturesque place to see and be a part of. From here we went to Townsville, we were beginning to get fatigued from all our travelling so we decided to rest up in a motel for the night and not to continue up to Cairns but to head towards the centre and experience something a little bit different. This is where I’ll stop and give Robert the chance to tell you all about our drive through the centre of Australia…

---