Advertisement
Photo 1
Newcastle Hello
Well this is my final blog from Australia as I am flying to New Zealand in the morning! The last two places that I have visited are Newcastle and Sydney. I did spend a night in Sydney when I got here, it was supposed to be three days but I missed two days because of the food poisoning episode when I was supposed to leave Thailand so I came back after travelling over 3500km down the East Coast to see the things I missed. I'm staying in the Railway Square YHA, which is right on Central Train station. The whole place is designed just like a train station and you even sleep in railway carraiges which is a nice change!
I just spent one day in Newcastle and I wasn't feeling too well. To get back to Sydney in time for my flight and to see all the things I've wanted to see I needed to pack up and move on every other day which is tiring and I just felt knackered! I set off out for the morning to see Newcastle and I loved it! It is such a nice, scenic place and it is very much
Photo 2
Coastal walk in Newcastle like an old fashioned British sea side town - it reminded me so much of Morecambe in the good old days on the Promenade with my Gran & Grandad & I think that is why I liked it so much, it brought back lots of happy memories of the three of us on all our different outings on the school holidays.
I arrived quite late at night on the Greyhound bus. Usually the drivers are a bit grumpy but I got a really sound one on the way down and I had a laugh with him. The drivers speak to you and tell you the stops on a microphone and there was something wrong with this one and the driver sounded like he was speaking to the bus from outer space & I kept laughing at that everytime he made an announcement. When I got on the bus and he walked down the side of it I got an ariel view of him and he had a combover and a ponytail! Two hair crimes on one head! ha ha. When he dropped me off I was saying bye to him and being as loud as I am I managed
Photo 3
The Bogey Hole in Newcastle - a convict made swimming pool to wake a tramp up who was sleeping in the bus station and he was really mad with me! So I had to apologise to him and the driver was laughing at me. The next day I set off and did a coastal walk along Bathers Way from Newcastle Beach down to the Bogey Hole, which is a swimming area carved out of the stone that the convicts made when the city was a penal colony. It was a good walk and the views were amazing and I took lots of photographs. After that I had fish and chips by the sea, they were really good but I dropped them and all the seagulls ran off with them, I wasn't even bothered about that but they made so much noise that everyone looked and I was really embarrased. I walked back and on the way back I went through the Lumber Yard, which is where all the convicts worked and there were a few plaques around with information on about the convicts and their lives which was interesting. It started raining so I spent that afternoon watching films in the hostel, which was nice and I had time to relax
Photo 4
The skate park in Newcastle a bit before getting up early for the bus back to Sydney! I liked Newcastle because it had a mix of everything, there was the city centre, all the history of the convicts, nice beaches and big ocean baths and at night they also light up a lot of the buildings and they look really nice. It looks different at night to during the day.
I got back to Sydney yesterday dinnertime on the Greyhound again, I couldn't believe it when I got on - the crazy German girl from Brisbane was on the same bus! Still with the same bad hair do! There was an awkward moment when we both realised that we were on the same bus, we said hello to each other then I went and sat at the back of the bus! When we got off she was stood right next to me and she was looking the other way pretending that she didn't realise I was stood there. I found the whole thing funny, that's so typical that the one person I didn't want to see is on the same bus - at least she isn't in the same hostel, well at least I
Photo 5
The Ocean Baths in Newcastle don't think she is!
Sydney looks less intimidating this time round and even though it's massive and I've got a bit lost a couple of times I've been and done the things that I missed the first time round. Yesterday I went down to Darling Harbour, which is stunning, especially at night when it's all lit up. I went to visit the Aquarium which was good. It was 31$ to get in which is about 15 pounds. I saw sharks and mantarays and I saw sea cows, which were really cute, they are related to elephants and they just eat vegetation in the sea. They are supposed to be what sailors used to mistake for mermaids. There were tunnels under the aquariums so you could walk right through the middle of the tanks and the animals were right in front of you. You can see the sharks massive teeth right in front of your face. I saw some seahorses whilst I was there aswell, they are a bit wierd looking! I've think I've seen every type of animal up close in Australia now and I've really enjoyed it.
This morning I went off out and got the bus
Photo 6
A sea cow at the aquarium in Sydney from across the road to Coogee Beach. I walked right up the coast to Bondi Beach and stopped off at Bronte Beach for some sunbathing, reading and a Cornetto. It was a nice walk and some of scenery was really lovley. I took quite a few pictures and I watched people surfing for a while on the way round too. There is a diversion in the coastal walkway at the moment and I somehow ended up wandering about in a cemetery. They are different from England! The graves are all massive and some of them are actually tombs that have a door on for people to go in. When I got to Bondi I got another bus back to Hyde Park and then walked back up to the hostel. The only problem with getting the local buses is that you don't know when your at the stop you want so you have to ask people on the bus to tell you when to get off. People are friendly though & if your stood around looking at a map and looking a bit lost someone usually comes up and helps you so it's not a problem.
I'm back at the
Photo 7
Coogee Beach in Sydney hostel now so I am going to spend the rest of the time getting myself ready for tomorrow! I'm really looking forward to New Zealand. I'm planning to get the Magic Bus and travel around both islands starting and finishing at Catherines in Christchurch. I'm so excited to see her and Adam! I can't wait! She is picking me up from the airport tomorrow then I will either stay with them for a week, do my trip then have another week with them or maybe have two weeks with them and then do my trip. I will see how I feel and what they are doing. I'm so ready to just unpack my bags and chill out for a few days without having to pack up and move on. It will be so nice to see someone from home when I get there and it's the half way mark of the trip too. I've loved travelling in Australia & I am leaving with still so many things I want to see and places I want to visit so hopefully I will be able to come back one day and travel the West Coast and go into the outback. Everyone that
Photo 8
Coastal walk in Sydney I've met here that's been to New Zealand says that New Zealand is better than Australia so I just can't wait to go and see it for myself!
Hope everyone is ok, thanks for reading my blogs and the nice messages I have had about them! More news & photos from New Zealand
xxxxxxxxxxxx
Advertisement
Tot: 0.137s; Tpl: 0.014s; cc: 11; qc: 48; dbt: 0.0797s; 1; m:domysql w:travelblog (10.17.0.13); sld: 1;
; mem: 1.1mb
Mum
non-member comment
Wonderful blog of the last bit of Oz.
Oh Rach, you have done well with this blog. I can't believe how much Newcastle is like Morecambe - you are right, I can even see the Midland Hotel!! The Hostel looks nice and clean and I think a lot of folks would like to go and stay there. I'm sure you will return to Oz - I feel you have been happier here in yourself - even minus Andy - than you were in Thailand. Easier for a girl going solo. And you seen to have a more independant attitude - I like it! Let's see if NZ kicks Australia's ass! Love - your Mum.xx