Blogs from Australia, Oceania - page 4782

well the travels are quickly coming to a close for myself. I arrived to Brisbane, Australia 2 weeks ago, and will already be leaving the country in 2 days! It was a brief introduction to the country. I definitely hope to come back here when I have the time and money for it. Brisbane was a good start, my roommates were 2 Germans, and a Swiss named Fabio...they were quite a deck of cards. I then spent a few days in North Stradbroke Island, "Straddie", a white sand island right off the coast of Brisbane. And my last five days were spent in the relaxed beach town of Byron Bay. I spent the days boogie boarding in the dolphin rich area, frisbeeing on the beach, relaxing in my friendly guesthouse and meeting some of the great ... read more

On Wednesday I started my big outback adventure - 8 days in the Australian desert with Wayward bus and the guide-driver crazy Glen. In the morning the group met and we started doing wine tasting in Clare Valley - not really outback, just a good way to start breaking the ice. Getting alcohol was a major motive in the trip also afterwards - with an Aussie guide, 5 English, 5 Irish and other beer-drinking people, it was always fun in the bus. In the first day we drove 500 km to the Wilpena Pound in the Flinders Ranges. That night I built my first tent in my life, and surprisingly it still stood up in the morning! Thursday morning started with a hike to Mount Ohlssen Bagge to have great views over Wilpena pound, that is ... read more

Friday the thirteenth. No walking under ladders. Haha. Just kidding. Just realized it is Friday the 13th. Not that I'm superstitious...just an observation I guess. Anyhoo, today I set out and got my bus ticket all sorted out and I'm ready to start heading north and check out the East Coast of Australia on Monday. So excited! By the end of next week it looks like I'll be in Byron Bay. Hmm, time to start reading my Lonely Planet Australia to see what I'll be seeing and doing along the way... Then I set out for a walk towards the Sydney Aquarium. I can't believe that the entrance fee is $26! At least being a YHA member entitled me to get a 25% discount so it was only $19.50 to enter. Being advertised as Australia's number ... read more

Been having disputes with Mother Nature as to why she is so stingy with the sun! Only rain for the last couple of weeks.......that's not on!!!! If I wanted rain I would have stayed in London *hmpf*! So she decided I was right, and granted me the wish of sunshine! Moved on from Fraser and Stephan....found it a bit hard at first, since we had been travelling together for over a week, but figured I had no time to get hung up about it, so I got over it in a jiff! Went to 1770 (yes, that is its' actual name!), where I had a sublime time! 1770/ Agnes Water is a town named after when Captain Cook took his first step on the island. It is a quaint little place, with only one put, one ... read more

Well it’s been a while since I’ve written in here, so what’s been going on I here you ask? We moved in to a nice apartment in South Perth, it’s across the water from the city but it only takes seven minutes on the ferry or 10 minutes by bus from outside our door. South Perth is a nice spot, a leafy suburb with loads of mega expensive apartments and condo type affairs, there’s loads of restaurants, three pubs and loads of wee café’s and trendy coffee shops. I’ve worked in most of these places but that’s another thread entirely…… We’re moving towards winter here and it’s getting pretty wet, it doesn’t rain often, twice a week or so, but when it does rain it comes down in style I tell thee. It’s never really cold, ... read more