As autumn in Canberra quickly turned into winter (unexpectedly cold considering it’s Australia) and Uni came to an end, my mindset automatically switched to travel mode the day that school work ended and the day that Olivia arrived in Canberra. Here is a quick recap of all the amazing things that I’ve been up to for the past few weeks!
Gold Coast (May 16-19)
Only a short hour or so flight from Sydney, Mandy, Olivia and I decided to plan a quick trip to the Gold Coast before Mandy’s flight home on May 23rd. With a name like Gold Coast, who wouldn’t want to bask in the sun on beaches in Surfers Paradise and escape the cold winter air in Canberra. It’s still winter along the Gold Coast, but much less extreme and temperatures were hitting the low 20’s, so that was definitely a nice change from below zero at night. Our main goal in the Gold Coast was to relax on the beach and I have to say we were pretty successful with that. We also rented a car and planned a day trip to Tamborine Mountain (about an hour drive), exploring some exciting waterfalls, hiking through rainforests, and enjoying the many scenic lookouts of the coast. This was also my first time staying in a hostel and I can say that I was pretty pleased with it. I have no horror stories yet, which is a good thing!! I hope to keep it that way!!
Ready for the sun!
Curtis Falls
Cairns (May 19-26)
The morning of the 19th, Olivia and I said goodbye to Mandy and headed on a plane for Cairns. As you may know, Cairns probably one of Australia’s most famous cities, since it is home to the Great Barrier Reef. Again, we had a successful flight and landed in an even hotter, tropical climate…but thoroughly enjoyed the almost 30 degree weather. The hot sun welcomed us into our second hostel, Globetrotters (which I highly recommend to anyone traveling there – great staff, clean rooms, quiet at night). Dave arrived at the hostel later that night and we had two more friends from Canberra Uni meeting us in a couple days, so we were excited for the week to come!
Since we were staying for a week, the first few days of our stay were pretty relaxing and involved tanning by the Lagoon (a wonderful fake public beach/pool) and exploring the city of Cairns. The highlight of our trip was definitely the snorkel trip, which took us to two reefs where we saw beautiful coral, fish of all shapes, sizes, and colours, sting rays, and a sea turtle! We also went on a crocodile tour to see some of Australia’s giant crocs, along with some more cuddly creatures like koalas, kangaroos, and wallabies. Cairns definitely did not disappoint, we worked hard on our tans and saw some things that many people dream to see in their lifetime.
Before snorkeling
Pit stop on our way to the crocs!
Sydney (May 26-30)
After almost two weeks of living out of a small backpack, it was time to visit our Australian home away from home. Nicki and Peter welcomed us with their smiling faces as always and we enjoyed a familiar bed, home cooked meals, and the best coffee in Australia. Of course during our stay in Sydney, I took Olivia to the Opera House, Botanic Gardens, and Paddy’s Market. We also decided to check out the Zoo, and Nicki took us to the Fish Market (second biggest in the world). From my experience so far in Sydney, the weather has never been that great…usually clouding over in the afternoon threatening to rain, but we always have great company and wonderful family who make me wish that my stay would never have to end.
Attempt at Harbour Bridge shot
Melbourne (May 30-June 2)
So that takes me to Melbourne. Where I am currently sitting in the airport, waiting for a flight to take off…….tomorrow morning. I have a long night ahead of me, but have friends coming to join me in a few hours, where we will fly off to the middle of the country early in the morning.
The city of Melbourne surprised me. I’ve heard many people raving about the unique character of the city, but I never expected to find so many things to do and so many places to explore…and actually WANT to explore them. Our stay here was based out of Greenhouse Backpackers, the largest hostel we’ve stayed in, located right in the centre of the city. Again, it was clean and safe, but people were a little less welcoming, but that’s probably just because of the amount of travelers that stay there each night. Marina, Alex, Olivia and I began our stay by walking around the lake-front, Federation Square, and anything else we happened to stumble upon throughout the city…which is an easy thing to do, since everywhere you look, there’s crazy architecture, sculptures, and graffiti. Of course, one day involved waking up at 6am to rent a car and drive the Great Ocean Road. Unfortunately, we had the challenge of fitting the drive in before it got dark at 5pm, but that was solved easily by working our way backwards through the inland section first, seeing the Twelve Apostles and the Gibson Steps before it got dark. It was a long day, but Alex and Marina were amazing drivers and only almost hit a koala once!
City from Federation Square
12 Apostles
Street Graffiti
This was also the part of my journey where I had to say goodbye to Olivia, which was sad but ok since we had such a great time together and will see each other again soon! I also feel sad that Melbourne has so much to offer and we didn’t have that much time to spend in it. I hope that some day I can come back here to the city that I would love to possibly live in sometime in the future.
Well, that’s all for now! Next up is Alice Springs, Uluru, and Bali! I’m really excited but also kind of scared for Bali, since it will be a completely different way of life for two weeks….but I think it will be fun and hopefully I’ll have some exciting stories to share when I get back.
Lots of love, Laura
