sarahjbowman

[sarahjbowman]

Tallebudgera Creek was lovely. We arrived off the bus and headed for the shoreline. The bay was surprisingly busy for the morning and we sat people watching for a while before meandering to find the SUP rental. Just a short distance down the road we met the super enthusiastic owner of the paddleboard hire mobile shop. We took a pair out for an hour or so, battling against the winds on one side and the tide on the other. Definitely a full body work out (my arms are feeling it now!). Turning was some what of a challenge. Yeah sure, I wanted to go that way anyway... We thought the weather had gone full circle on us but the sun finally came out as we paddled around the creek. After our spin around the water we moved further along the creek towards the entrance to the sea and found a beaut spot to perch at until our next bus home. The sand was bright and the sea a clear turquoise blue. Little quite spot of paradise (minus the squawking seagulls). After sleeping most of the way home we arrived back at the hostel to meet another new roommate. The second of the two German ladies who are travelling together from home. Becca now also tells me that they've requested alarms aren't set earlier than 8am. After scrubbing up and making ourselves presentable at the hostel we walked down to the Riverside Bar & Kitchen. We'd past it on our walk around the city the day before and had our eyes on it. Great views over the water and Story Bridge and such a varied menu of pizzas or burgers. We were really mixing it up ; ) After enjoying a nice chat over dinner we ambled back to the hostel. To kill some time before my shuttle we continued around the corner to Coles but simultaneously discovered a whole host of eateries and shops. Brisbane seems to be made up of lots of nooks and crannies like that, great pockets of activity dotted all over the city. The shuttle bus soon came around and we were saying 'farewell for now'. After 6 weeks together it felt very sad to leave! I'm not sure how Becca will cope without me... ; ) I soon realised I was in the presence of another Aussie 'character'. My shuttle bus driver was an interesting chap, knocking back several borderline jokes and telling me how to break into vehicles. He got me to the airport safe and sound, then I was on my own to brave the long journey solo. I've never flown on my own before, so I was certainly going all out with these long haul flights. The first of the two was at 0045 and took 8 hours to get to Hong Kong. Luckily being an overnight flight, and not a very busy one at that, I had three seats to myself at the back to go to sleep. I think I managed to watch 20 mins of the Lion King (exhilarating watching!) and that's about all I remember until landing. When we arrived it was 0700 (but 0900 in Australia, so my body clock was already a little thrown) and I went straight through security like a zombie. The two hour change over went really quickly and before I knew it I was back on another plane. This one was super empty too, felt like I should do some seat hopping. I caused a right cerfuffel on that flight though. When I arrived in Brisbane I asked about my nut allergy and the form I'd had to send them in advance to let them know, so they said not to worry and just to remind the crew so they don't serve them near me, so I did and it was all fine. I think that's why they sat me on my own too. But then I did the same in Hong Kong (wrongly thinking it'd be as easy!) and I set off some headless chickens. I had 5 members of staff flapping around me, who knows what the other passengers must have thought! Eventually this one lady called Mia saved the day and just sat me on my own again with some face masks. I think I might start wearing them at home! Over the 13 hour flight I managed to watch two films, Lion (can't recommend highly enough) and 22 Jump Street. Other than that, I managed to sleep most of the way. Apart from when they steward came to wake me up to say, 'we're serving the nuts now, so if you want to put on your mask'. Excellent. When I landed it was 0100 Brisbane time, 2300 in Hong Kong and 1500 at home so my body clock was all over the place and I'd gained myself 10 hours. I was soon cheered up though when I saw my Mum waiting at the gate, packet of M&S ginger chocolate biscuits in hand! A few tears later and we were on the road home. I managed to beat the jet lag and stayed up until 2200 before bed, but it's now 0600 and I'm already up. Let's hope I'm not a grumpy mess today. So finally, on my last Aussie trip post I just wanted to say a big thank you to Becca! I wouldn't have done this adventure without you so thank you for an amazing time, for putting up with my hangry moments and for looking after me! Enjoy your time in Perth and Hong Kong and I will see you soon!!! Xxx

[sarahjbowman]

Shortly after arriving at our Nomads hostel we headed out to find South Bank, the home of the open air cinema we had booked to attend. In keeping with Halloween, the American Express pop up screen was showing IT, a terrifying but simultaneously hilarious horror. After doing a big loop of the area to find a 7 Eleven to quench our need for grapes (which they ended up not having and we thought best to replace with Snakes sweets, which contain carrot so are basically one of our five a day anyway...) we arrived at the perfect setting. Sat amongst the bushy areas of the bank and overlooking the city line above the treetops, it was a fantastic view topped off with bats flying overhead. Perfectly fitting for Halloween. We'd treated ourselves to the additional chairs, which ended up being funny shaped blown up bags with extra slip and slide. We spotted a few others deflating theirs and thought 'how hard can it be?!' so gave it a go ourselves, but of course, nothing happened... At risk of then letting them down completely we decided against it and attempted to wedge ourselves in to watch the film. Once the screening finished we roamed the city trying to find a spot for dinner, but everything was shut. Places seem to open late and shut early here, so we resorted to another 7 Eleven. Bon appetite! After a restless night in our Nomads hostel (terrible, never go!) we woke early to find a nice cafe spot for breakfast before meeting Nick. Pleasantly surprised, we found a great little place just down the road. Amazing coffee, maple syrup infused bacon and homemade sourdough. Yum! Nick came to collect us just after and we went to explore Kangaroo Point, Mount Neebo and his local, Oxford Street. Kangaroo Point and Mount Neebo offered some great views across the city and down some beautiful hidden valleys. We drove along Mount Neebo to different lookout points and saw some more spectacular birdies along the way. Along with the Black Boy bush, great name. The days are going quicker and quicker and we were soon back at Nick's place to meet his roommate, Clint. Nick kindly made us dinner, so Becca and I took the rare opportunity to kick back and relax while listening to some hilarious stories of their school days. Their strict school teachers were certainly very different to good old RMS. Lots to compare and laugh about. Before bed we were introduced to the film, The Castle. A charming little Aussie production. Of course, I fell asleep, but I heard after it was very funny. Thursday morning we packed up again to head to Stradbroke Island (or as the Aussies say, Straddie Is, because the full name is just too long to pronounce...) After stopping at the local police station to collect Nicks short lost wallet, and to his parents mansion house to collect the rods and bodyboards, we were on our way to the barge. A lovely 45 min trip to the island with views over Horseshoe Bay and Moreton Island. We met the owner of our Airbnb, which turned out to be a room with minimal shared facilities, rather than a full apartment as we thought. Sneaky David with his false advertising and stone statue that may well be of himself... Friendly enough, but definitely a character. Once checked in, we drove to the South Creek Walk. Nick doesn't really do walking, in fact, I don't think any Aussies are keen. So the drive took about 2 minutes and we were there. The walk was spectacular and I'm happy to say that's not even an exaggeration. What a beauty! The cliff walk wrapped around the island with beautiful views of the crystal clear turquoise waters to the right. En route there was a rocky lookout area, luckily deserted of people, so we headed down to enjoy the view. But boy did we enjoy so much more than that! Out of the corner of my eye I could see a big splash in the distance. Making sure it wasn't the water against some rocks, I watched it a couple more times before I realised it was definitely a whales tale! Pointing it out to Becca and Nick we jumped around in excitement, doing the happy dance! After five weeks of hoping, it turns out we only needed to go to Straddie! Shortly after, we spotted a group of dolphins jumping through the rolling waves crashing beside us. We couldn't believe it! Double whammy! Our eyes darted around the water, sharing time between the two groups of incredible sea life, Nick just laughing at our excitement! As the waves crashed and the sun shone down, the reflection made beautiful mini rainbows just next to us. One of the most mesmerising scenes I think we've experienced on this trip so far. After the animals dispersed we dragged ourselves away to the next lookout point for a picnic lunch. Chatting and sharing the view before we ventured down to Cylinders Beach for a swim. Nick chased around beach crabs while Becca and I attempted to bronze our pasty white selves. I'm not sure we're achieving anything... For the evening we drove down to Amity Point to watch the sunset. David promised us more dolphins but there weren't any in site. It seems when they're 'guaranteed' they like to avoid us, but the unexpected encounter earlier had topped our day off nicely already. The sunset was another corker! Sipping our bevies and amusing ourselves listening to the local bogans. After dropping the car back off at Allure Resort, we persuaded Nick to endure the pain of walking 5 mins up the road to the pub for dinner. A couple of Curlues were having a barnie on the decking, while we had some dinner and chatted into the evening. Tuesday morning started with our classic soaked oats speciality and readied us for a day of lakes and swimming. We started with Brown Lake. Which turns out to have a bit of an ironic name. Becca and I were preparing ourselves for a murky watering hole, but when we arrived we were more than pleasantly surprised. The lake had a clear sandy beach entrance and the water only started to appear brown once we'd paddled in with our bodyboards. A couple of women nearby overheard us questioning why it goes brown and they explained that the Tea Tree leaves fall into the water and change the colour. Luckily we weren't wearing white bikinis as it would apparently dye them. The water was warm and we enjoyed a paddle around on the boards while Nick prepared the fishing rods for the evening. (Hopeful to catch our supper). Shortly after our swim we were greeted by a big ole Goanna climbing down the tree in front of us, then back up the next and down again. Doesn't know if he's coming or going. While Becca sat by the water reading her book, Nick attempted to teach me how to tell the time using the sun as a guide. I'm pretty sure I've got midday down. Eventually we left Brown Lake and drove to Blue Lake for another explore. The road doesn't meet the water so we hopped out and started the 2km walk down to the basin. Chatting, sweating, chatting and sweating some more (Becca and I are confused how most people we've seen in Aus still look glowing in the heat, when we just turn to tomatoes...) we soon arrived at a perfect spot by the water, and just in time to see a Long Neck Turtle. As the two groups that were there before us departed, we had the whole place to ourselves. The women Becca and I were talking to in Brown Lake warned us of the resident leeches, so I stayed clear of the water (and got attacked by flies instead) but Becca and Nick floated in for a refresher. Afterward we sat and watched the water and listened to the surrounding birds. The Kookaburra gangs sang to each other from opposite trees across the lake. Well, I say sang, the Kookaburra sounds more like a laughing monkey. Once we'd finished we reluctantly made the walk back to the car. Nick then thought this would be the perfect time to tell us all about the super poisonous snakes and spiders they have to endure in Aus which certainly quickened our pace. Once back at the Airbnb Nick went down to the beach for a swim, while Becca and I ventured to the shark free pool for a quick dip. For the evening we grabbed the rods and went to Cylinder Beach for a spot of sea fishing. Within five minutes Nick had caught a little Whiting but after that all we had were false leads. The little buggers were too quick and clever for the likes of us. Although we didn't catch anything else we still enjoyed the attempt along with the incredible sunset. The sky glowed and highlighted the full moon, when all of a sudden an eagle flew overhead and looped the area as he kept an eye on the fish in the water. Just within the Allure Resort was a lovely little French owned cafe restaurant, so we resided there for the evening to stock up on some fishy dishes and play UNO! 3-1-1 to Becca. Saturday morning was upon us, happy birthday to me! Being in front of the UK by 11 hours felt its strangest today, as I was celebrating my birthday before my parents would think it was my birthday. I'm just so ahead of my time aye. Becca, Nick and I went back to the little cafe from the night before and enjoyed a bargain $10 breakfast sarnie and coffee. They'd bought me a card and Becca had treated me to a lovely bow toe ring. Very sneaky purchase in Townsville. Thank you! We said goodbye to our host, the smiling assassin, and drove down to Adder Rock to take a little wander up to the view point. Low and behold, more dolphins, they just can't keep away! What a birthday morning treat! Shortly after, we went back to Amity Point to cast our rods over the jetty. The area is a hotspot for shark attacks so we were surprised to see a group of French tourists jumping off the jetty and swimming back and forth to shore. More annoyingly, they were scaring away our fish, so we moved along to the rocky lookout point that ventured out into the water. Becca and I definitely grasped this type of fishing a lot better than the seashore fish from the night before. Minimal effort just dropping the line in the water over the edge. Nailed it. No fish though. As Nick and I were fishing Becca noticed some commotion at the jetty. The boys that had been jumping in were signalling at a nearby boat travelling with two small children attached to the back on a blow up pad. They quickly reeled them in and turned around. We couldn't really see properly from where we were, but quite possibly could have been a sharky. It's been one of the biggest struggles of the trip, the waters look so inviting and the heat just makes you want to jump in, but with all these little critters around, it's quite frustrating not being able to enjoy it properly. We sadly had to make a quick getaway to get our barge back to the mainland at midday. But not without a fight. It's always when you actually need to be somewhere that the traffic comes out. First there was Father Christmas who couldn't get his boat in the drive, then there was the attack of the Kookaburra, shortly followed by convoy with the slowest driver in the world. With 2mins to spare we arrived just in time and good ole Tracy checked us in with a warm welcome. The rush didn't stop there. Now we had to beat the clock to make it back to the city for our bus to the Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary. Nick had already been, so he dropped us off at the station to make our way there. The whole trip I'd been looking forward to this birthday treat, we were going to make it! And we did, just in time. They were so cute! We queued for a little while before meeting our new furry little friends. Ah ma gawd, so fluffy! The Sanctuary was full of interesting animals, including Becca's new favourite, the Princess Parrot. We also saw a Platypus, who turn out not to be as innocent as they seem. The males have poisonous ducts in their back paws which can cause excruciating pain to humans. Avoid those fellas! Short on time, we Ubered our way back to Nicks for some delicious and nutritious tinned stew... Clint and another one of their friends, Ben, were also there and we sat around the lounge chatting for most of the evening as they educated Becca and I about some 'need to know' Australian musicians. Amongst a hilarious video of an Aussie kangaroo whisperer squaring up with a male roo. A few drinks later we made our way to the city. Our Uber driver was such a gem, all the way from South Africa and certainly bringing the entertainment factor to the table. We'd hoped to go to a free comedy night but when we arrived at the bar it was already closing, so we ended up at a nearby jazz bar. I'm not sure what Australians think jazz is, but it definitely wasn't what we heard. Great all the same though, the lead singer had so much sass and the oldies on the dance floor we're loving it, busting out the sweet dad moves. We continued late into the night, hoping from bar to bar until I got hungry and needed pizza. Oh hey Dominos. The next morning we were up early and raring to go. We had important markets to visit. Nick, being a man that doesn't like to walk more than five minutes down the road, decided to stay at home and let us do our thing. So we said our thank you's and see ya's before departing for our next hostel, Brisbane YHA. The last of our hostels for the trip and definitely worth the wait. Finally a place that understands what it means to be a good hostel. Wallah! We were even upgraded to a 4 bed ensuite. Don't mind if we do. Once we'd dropped our bags we made the walk to the first market, which reminded me of the women we were talking to in Brown Lake. One was saying how Poms (which is apparently what they call us Brits) love to walk everywhere. To them, a five minute walk is an outrageous expectation, but for us, we'll walk miles to get to where we need to go. Which is definitely accurate in mine and Becca's case. We walked 19km yesterday around the city, which was definitely worth it as we uncovered lots of great gems along the way. From Milton Market, to South Bank Young Designers, through the Botanic Gardens and along the embankment past Story Bridge, to Bakery Lane, Winn Lane and James Street. Our feet were begging us to stop but we powered through and made the walk back through the high rise city to our hostel. The kitchen is situated at the top of the building with a long balcony view over the city. At night the place is lit with vibrant lights that transform the grey buildings to more memorable patterns of colour. Tired from the night before we headed to bed to rejuvenate for my final day in Aus. So here we are, currently sat on a train to Tallebudgera Creek for a spot of paddle-boarding along the water before dinner out in the city this evening. Then I'll be heading off to the airport to start the long 23 hour journey back home. I can't quite believe how quickly the trip has gone! The start feels like a life time ago already and we've fitted in so many great things. I'm looking forward to the rest of today (once we've had our coffee) and then I'll be home sweet home tomorrow! And another day younger ; )

[sarahjbowman]

Byran Bay is just the gift that keeps on giving. One of our favourite stops so far. I think we both could have happily stayed for a few more days if we weren’t running low on time down the East Coast.

After our delightful 7 hour journey… we made it to the lively little town on Saturday evening.

We quickly… Well, I say quickly, but it took us 30mins with our backpacks to walk down another ‘never ending road’ to find our Byran Bay Resort hostel along Belongil Beach.

Another quirky hostel with it’s entertaining and some what ridiculous rules and charges. For example, at this one you have to put down a deposit for one set of crockery (turns out they don’t have enough for everyone though. They’ve totally nailed that…) but aside from that it’s a pretty great set up. The hostel is spread out over clusters of dorm rooms and studio suits, lined with decking, hammocks and picnic tables for everyone to enjoy. Certainly one of the first with a charm that doesn’t make it feel like a prison cell.

Another bonus, they offer a regular free shuttle bus to town, which after our hot and bothered walk was a dream. We made it just in time to catch the last hour of their local Artisan Market, which we followed up with a wonder around the town.

We were both pleasantly surprised by Byron Bay. It’s nothing like the towns we’ve stopped at and passed through so far. It’s got charm and character and a whole lot of entertainment. Buskers park themselves in various nooks and crannies, on the main streets and down graffiti covered allies, to perform to the public. And not just any old rubbish, they were certainly something worth stopping and listening to. If you get a chance to have a quick Google search, be sure to look up Kyle Lionhart, Phil and Tilley, and Tay Oskee.

Byran also successfully trumped Churs Burger in Sydney with its Main Street Burger Bar. A delectable duo of craft beers and feel good food! In fact, it was so good I even forgot to take a photo!

After we’d done wandering, we found the Junction. A busy stop for a bevy, with inviting outdoor seating, live music and bouncers the size of Shrek. I continue to live vicariously through Becca as she enjoys some new Pale Ales as I sip on my ginger beers. Maybe I’ll get the placebo effect…

The next morning we walked the beach route from our hostel to the town and guess what we saw?! Dolphins!

Not quite the close encounter we’re still hoping for, but amazing none the less. We stopped and gazed on as a handful of fins glided up and down through the water in front of us.

The squeaky sand brought us onto the main street where we stopped off at the public toilets. Not something I would usually think to include in the blog, but these toilets are just great so I have to tell you about them! As you get in, an out of space voice welcomes you with instructions on how to use the cubicle, classical music then proceeds to play as you count down your 10 min usage time. They can’t do wifi but they can do toilets.

Sadly our pre-booked kayak tour was cancelled last minute due to the strong winds, so we rejigged our plans and went to hire some bikes for the afternoon instead. Felt great to be back on two wheels as we rode out of the town, along to Tallows Beach.

Yet again we met another lovely Australian, keen to tell us all about their home town in Brisbane and the great spots to visit when we get there. Embarrassingly though, another Australian that’s also probably seen a lot more of the UK than Becca and I, as he spoke about his travels around Ireland, Scotland and Wales. I must go!

After our cycle back we’d certainly worked up an appetite and felt strongly that we deserved some dinner at Fish Mongers in town. Boy oh boy was it good! A carb loaded dinner of chips, battered fish and calamari in their famous Byron Box dish.

Monday was a bit of a flop in the end. We started the day well with some yoga overlooking sea. However, during a relaxing breathing exercise the thunder and rain came to say hi. Great timing as we were hoping to go handgliding in the afternoon, but after waiting around for the call to confirm whether or not it would go ahead, our hopes were dashed. It was already late afternoon by then so we thought some food would cheer us up. (I’m not sure if you can tell… ;) but our days are definitely orientated around food!)

We found a gem of a cafe in town to take the weight off our feet before heading back to the hostel to relax in the sun with a book.

This morning was another prompt start. Me, Becca and one of our room mates rose early to hit the sunrise from the Lighthouse. Still fully functional, we saw the beams of light through the sky as we walked along the dark beach towards our destination. As we got closer the path got steeper and windier to the opening at the top, where we saw… nothing but grey cloud. Epic sunrise… Nah, although we didn’t really see the sun, the faint colours behind some of the overcast sky were still quite beautiful, and we saw glances of the sun as it peeped occasionally through the clouds.

As we watched the sky transform, an Aussie serenaded us as he walked past - “do you like the sun, do you like the sea, do you wanna come and play with me?” If only our lives were a live musical all the time.

The coastal walk then wrapped back into the town, passed the most easterly point of Australia, and along the Fishermans Lookout. Both beautiful views over the long beaches below.

Our roommate ventured back to the hostel and Becca and I went on to find pancakes, (This blog is certainly becoming more and more about food!) and gosh they were good! Covered in bacon, swimming in maple syrup and topped with fresh fruit! Yum!

Straight after eating our body weight in batter we went to our sea kayaking tour. Another trip claiming to guarantee dolphins. Wildlife count = two turtles.

Although there were only turtles at sea we still had a great time. The tour guides gave loads of interesting facts and the 30 group were in great spirits. As we paddled we past some top surfing spots and watched the locals catching their waves. Before we knew it, the tour came to a sad end and we were doing the same thing as we went back into shore. At the back I was responsible for steering and Becca was told to continue paddling straight - somehow we stayed afloat and rode the waves back into the beach. Probably the best bit of the tour, so much fun!

Once we were back on dry land we dashed off to the hostel to grab our things and check out in time for our next Greyhound bus. We also wanted another opportunity to visit a couple more shops we passed in the morning. Luckily they were outrageously overpriced as I don’t think we can fit anything else in our bags. As much as we want to.

Now we have arrived in Brisbane, ready and raring to explore. We’re staying in Nomads hostel tonight before meeting my friend Nick in the morning to be shown the top sites over the next few days!

[sarahjbowman]

Noosa was beaut! The beaches, the coastal track and the boutiques are all on point. Up bright and early yesterday morning we grabbed our map, left our hipster hippie hostel and navigated our way to the start of the 6km coastal walk to Noosa Head main beach. The track started at the nearby Sunshine Beach, with its squeaky clean sand (literally) and trickled through Noosa National Park, past Devil's Kitchen, along the long golden sands of Alexandria Bay and via Hell's Gate Lookout. Already at 0830 in the morning the sun was scorching bright and we couldn't wait to arrive at the Fairy Pools hidden half way along the track. After emerging from a swarm of mozzies we discovered the lookout bench and knew we were close. The natural formation of rock pools were beneath us and we scrambled down (don't worry Mum, we were safe) to the water. High tide was due at 1pm, so we'd planned our time perfectly to have a quick dip. The pools were perfectly still as the waves crashed at the outer side of the rocks. The view over the edge span across the sea, surfers on our left in the bay along and jet skiers on our right. After attempting (and failing) to get some 'effortless' photos in the water, we resided on the rock tops to watch the world go by. Shortly after, we continued on to the second part of the walk and headed to Dolphin Point Lookout and Tea Tree Bay. We're still hopeful about seeing some whales and dolphins but alas, we weren't in luck, again. In need of refreshments when we arrived at the main beach, we found a nice cafe overlooking the water. Revitalised, we were ready to hit the shops. When are we not actually?! Noosa is quite a beautiful spot. Glamorous shops and inviting restaurants and bars line the main street just in from the beach. Craving another opportunity to see some good sea life we walked round to Noosaville (which was much further than we anticipated) to enquire about SUP hire. We were almost swept off our feet when we got there though and the unexpected winds had arrived. It was late afternoon by the time we got back to the hostel, so we sat in the decking area to read our books before dinner. We were staying just outside of the main town, which made it a nice little get away location, with a short row of cafes, restaurants and bars a few roads along from our accommodation. We found a great Italian restaurant and after lots of indecisiveness on my part (surprise surprise) we had a lovely pizza meal. New revelation, pizza without a tomato base and just loads of cheese - genius! After dinner we bought our own make shift puddings from the shop next door and sat on a near by bench. A chap from the restaurant next door perched next to us and started chatting. Aussies are a friendly bunch and he was telling us some funny tales of his working holiday in the UK back in the 1970's. We were up before the crack of dawn this morning as we ambled down to the beach to meet the sunrise at 5am. It was already light in the sky so we were worried we'd missed it, but as we plonked ourselves down on the sand, there it was! The grey clouds soon turned a beautiful shade of pink as the sun started to peer up above the sea. Neither of us have seen the sun rise like this before, it was a sharp round circle of deep orange. When I've seen sunrises before, the sun has been a very hazy blend of colours, but this was crisp and clear in shape. We sat and watched as it moved quickly from a ball, to a glow, to yellow rays of light that flooded the sky. Before catching our next Greyhound bus we went to Fomo, a little outdoor breakfast cafe around the corner from our hostel. The place was filled with great brunch treats, coffee and much to my amusement, all the local dogs! Obviously their go to hang out. We're now en route to Byron Bay for the next 2 1/2 days. We have yoga, cycling, kayaking, more markets (of course!) and potentially paragliding lined up. There's still time to see dolphins... (Wishful thinking!)

[sarahjbowman]

Yesterday was a pretty fast paced day. We were picked up by Discovery Island Tour in the morning and headed off to Carlo Sand Blow to check out the view. Although we'd seen the sunset there a couple of days ago, the view with the sun up was a whole different story. The sky was clear and the water was glistening bright. From a distance, the edge of the sand dune looks like it falls off straight into the water below, but as you get closer you see the strip of Rainbow Beach wrapping itself around the cliff edge. Since also having gone out kayaking the day before, we could recognise the areas that we had paddled too and appreciated the view in a whole new way. In the distance we could just about make out the two rocks we'd paddled to. One Queensland story recorded by A.W. Howitt tells of a group who went to hunt and fish leaving behind two boys in camp, with instructions not to leave the camp: The boys played about for a time in the camp, and then getting tired of it, went down to the beach where a Thugine came out of the sea, and being always on the watch for unprotected children, caught the two boys and turned them into rocks that now stand between Double Island Point and Inskip Point. After taking in the beautiful scenery, and Becca achieving her first successful panoramic photograph, we boarded our huge 4WD, (which looks like one of the white AT-AT Walkers out of the Star Wars films) along with 14 others to continue on to Fraser Island. As we landed off the 10min barge crossing and onto the 120km island, our tour guide told us the sad story of Eliza Fraser and how the name of the island had changed from Great Sandy Island, to Eliza Fraser Island in memory of how the Scottish woman was shipwrecked and captured by the aboriginal people living there. There are several stories so who knows what's true, but she escaped to tell the tale across the world and that's how the islands name has come to be. Travelling down the 75mi beach we stopped off at the naturally formed Pinnacles and the beautiful coloured sand, then to Maheno shipwreck before finishing off at Eli Creek. A great natural flow of water that produces enough to fill an Olympic size swimming pool every 21 minutes. Similar to the sands on the Whitsunday's the beach is made up of 75% silica, giving it a lovely white glow. A noodle each in hand we ventured to the upper part of the creek to float ourselves down. Turns out it's a bit harder than it looks and we probably should have listened to our tour guide when he said take two noodles each to stay buoyant. So after a bit of flapping on my part and filling my bottoms with sand I decided to walk the rest of the way while Becca hoped in and out of the deeper spots to glide through. Out the other end, our group was greeted by a skinny female dingo. She edged around the outside of the parked vehicles as people quietly watched her go past until someone further down cracked his whip to scare her off. We spent the rest of the afternoon chilling out by the creeks edge until it was time to head back to our Happy Valley site for dinner. Over dinner we chatted with the rest of the group, a Norwegian pair, Josef from Germany, a couple from Finland and two recently married from Dublin. As usual I can't remember many people's names but they were a good friendly bunch with some funny stories to tell and interesting ideas to share. Up bright and early this morning we headed for breakfast (I'm loving the tour food so far, all the nut free options. A vast change from the last overnight guided tour we did. Filling me with more faith) before our walk through Pile Valley and Central Station rainforests. Over food we were accompanied by a beautiful Kookaburra and en route we spotted a White Bellied Sea Eagle perching on top of a rugged old tree. I keep thinking how much Dad would love the ole birdwatching here. Lots of gems around! After about an hour we arrived at our rainforest walk. There are only two places that trees are able to survive in the sand, that's on the island and Cooloola National Park, so it was pretty impressive to see what nature can do in this neck of the world. Our guide also told us about how the aboriginal women use to give birth in the crystal clear creek that we walked along to protect themselves and their new born babies from infection. Sadly when the timber miners came to the island the aboriginals were brutally driven out from their homes and relocated on the mainland, so this old tradition no longer continues but the creek has been preserved and untouched by the timber logging. We were greeted back at the tank with coffee, tea and biscuits. You can imagine mine and Becca's delight. Shortly after we headed off to the long awaited Lake McKenzie! She did not disappoint. Becca, Josef and I were guided down the short track by a slow moving Goanna. As he stopped to bask in a small patch of sun shining through the trees, we continued down to the soft sandy white beach and clear blue water. Bags dumped at the side and we were straight in. The water around the edge of the basin was clear aqua, but as you went further in it looked black underneath where the algae lay below. As the silica sand was present again we used the opportunity for another exfoliating session. Spa day! After a spot of sunbathing we walked along the sandy edge to another spot in the water where we swam across to the next beach area along. The water formed a naturally highlighted path through the water for us to follow. Being acidic water, wildlife is unable to settle here, making it the perfect swimming spot for people. No crocs, no sharks. Tick! Sadly our time there came and went too quickly and after a couple of hours and a spot of lunch, we were back on the tank again making our way to the mainland. This time Becca and I sat up front and enjoyed chatting to our tour guide as we drove through the rainforest and out onto the open beach back to the barge. It's amazing what people will share with you in such a short period of time, but we learnt his life story and shared some laughs about a certain pair in the group. After a couple of hours driving we arrived in our new destination. Noosa, the town of mini roundabouts (just like Basingstoke then!). The kangaroo signs have been replaced with koala signs and the sun has continued to check in. Fingers crossed it lasts as we're venturing out on a coastal walk in the morning to find (hopefully) some natural rocks pools amongst the bays.

[sarahjbowman]

After lots of head bobbing, trying to sleep on the bus, we arrived in Rainbow Beach at 10am Sunday.

We were greeted at Rainbow Beach Accommodation by our incredible host, Debbie. She offered to clean our clothes, bring us tea and drive us to Carlo Sands Lookout for sunset. What a doll.

Carlo Sands Lookout was nothing like we expected. It was so much better! After walking through a windy bush track we walked out into a huge panoramic sand dune. On our left the sea was visible between two slopping dunes and on our right the sand dropped down into the rainforest below, with the estuary on the far side.

We perched ourselves out to the right overlooking the sunset as it lit the sky with a beautiful orange glow. Such a great unexpected gen!

Yesterday was a different story. The weather took a dramatic turn for the worse and we hid in our studio apartment watching bad films and eating good food to shield from the storm.

The rain cleared the clouds and made way for a beautiful sunny day today! We booked onto a Dolphin View Kayak Tour with Epic Ocean Adventures and made our way through the rainforest to Inskip Point in their guided 4WD.

Jake was an amazing host, full of humour and enthusiasm! A good tour guide always brings the group together and he certainly did that. Everyone was chatting en route and sharing some pretty great stories. One guy had even recently recovered from a broken skull and was still following his plan to travel Aus! Amazing.

Several borderline jokes later and we were out on the water in our double kayaks. In the last 6 months Jake had only gone on 5 tours without seeing any dolphins. Well, we made it his 6th. The bad weather had churned up the once crystal clear water and they reckoned the dolphins had gone further afield to avoid it. But not all was lost, we saw one fabulous Donatello turtle and rode some pretty fun waves in our kayaks. In great style we obviously fell in.

Even though we didn’t see any sea life we still had a fab time. The water, the weather and the company were all great and I could have stayed out on the water all day but we had to beat the tide to be able to drive down the beach and back to the town centre.

En route we were shown the beautiful rainbow coloured sand. A variety of pinks, blacks, reds and golds covered the beach. The water coming in and out of the shore also glistened multicolours.

We moved swiftly on to beat the water and turned over the rocky beach back to land.

After hot showers and yet another rice dinner, we are ready and raring to go to Fraser Island tomorrow for our overnight tour. Will report back after!

[sarahjbowman]

What a couple of days it's been! The weather is so interchangeable at the moment, we've experienced on and off torrential rain and beaming sunshine over the last 72hrs. We arrived in Airlie on Wednesday evening. It was only 1900 but it was pitch black already as we headed to our little Airbnb at the end of the main high street. We were greeted by a Scottish couple who had arrived in Airlie the night before. They welcomed us in and we chatted over dinner for the evening. The Airbnb was more like a mini hostel, but much more social which was great. There were four double bedrooms surrounding an open plan kitchen diner which was complimented with a lovely little balcony area, home to the local Cockatoos. As we chatted I was eagerly awaiting a phone call from the Prince's Trust as they wanted to test out Skype before the real deal Interview on Thursday. Luckily we were finally staying in a place with good wifi and the test worked out well. All I needed to do next was not mess up the actual interview. Thursday morning we were surprised to meet Phillipo in the kitchen. He'd been one of the assistant divers on our boat to the Great Barrier Reef in Cairns. Turns out he hated the Skipper as much as I did and jumped ship just after our trip to go travelling down the East Coast. Small world to bump into him again. After breakfast (the classic porridge and banana) we headed into town to explore Airlie. We took the 3km walk along the seafront, past Abell Point Marina, to Cannonvale. Low and behold, it rained. After taking shelter for a little while to eat our crumbly oat bars, we headed back to explore the Port of Airlie and the adjacent high street. After a drop of coffee, a spot of shopping and a bite of some burgers, we went back to the house so I could prep for my evening interview. Time couldn't have gone slower, but eventually 2100 came around and I was on Skype to a lovely panel of staff from the Trust. I was so grateful that they'd taken the time to accommodate me over Skype, but it certainly felt a bit peculiar talking to a small framed screen of faces. Then for the agonising wait. Friday morning soon came around and we were off on a fast and furious experience with Ocean Rafting! Covering 120km at high speeds, our boat set out to explore the Whitsunday Islands. First we passed Daydream Island which has sadly been closed due to the cyclone earlier in the year. Battered and bruised it wasn't looking in great shape. In the few weeks we've been here we've already seen the destruction two of their common enemies leave behind. We reached the starting point for the walk to the Hill Inlet Lookout and made our way up the wibbly wobbly. The amount of people crowding the platform caught my eye before I was able to focus on the incredible view behind the wall of iPads and camera phones. The sand below on Whitehaven Beach is among the whitest anywhere on earth and as one of the top 10 beaches in the world if certainly didn't disappoint. Composed of 98 per cent silica, the sand doesn't retain heat and has a fine, powder-like consistency. This means that even in the hottest part of the day, you can comfortably walk along its seven kilometres (4.5 miles) of sand beside the crystal clear Coral Sea. After an hour or so playing starfish in the sand, we re-grouped with our boat and headed off to two snorkelling spots either end of Hook Island. I don't think we appreciated at the time how much we were able to see in the outer reef during our Cairns trip, but now we're closer to land we certainly can. Although there are still many incredible fish and interesting underwater life activity, the untouched outer reef is definitely something to be treasured. After passing through Gods Washing Machine, we arrived at the second of our snorkelling spots, Butterfly Bay. During the last cyclone the coral had been completely destroyed and much of it was washed to shore. After carefully being repositioned in the water, the reef was attempting to grow back and a new abundance of life had started. Surrounded in the water by huge, toylike fish, they jumped around everyone to catch food. They almost didn't seem real. The boat surfed the waves back to the mainland as the day sadly drew to a close. Becca braved the final seat on the edge as we clinged on for the fun ride back! Finishing with a loop de loop, back flip and big splash! If you're ever in Auz, in Airlie, we would 100% recommend Ocean Rafting. Our two tour guides were incredible and the boat was full of friendly faces. Good day. Becca was After a freshen up we went back to Abell Point to posh up and have a nice drink along the waterfront. Apparently Becca and I don't quite know how to live within our means and ended up at a restaurant bar with a very strict dress code. One look and the waiter said 'yeah you should probably sit out there' pointing at the sofa area. In response we decided to pay for our drinks in coppers and coins. As we sat with our drinks I was persuaded to jump online to see if any messages had come through from the Prince's Trust yet. I had very low expectations and certainly didn't think they would get in contact so soon, but there it was! I read the preview line on my home screen and screeched! I have a job! But more importantly, I have a job with the Prince's Trust! I'm going to freak. A slow Saturday morning soon came around. Becca enjoyed the hammock outside, sitting next to the local Cockatoo, while I didn't want to get out of bed. We'd managed to extend our stay in Airlie by another night (as our Friday night bus to Bundaberg had been cancelled) but had been moved to Nasa's apartment downstairs which had a mega comfortable king bed. Staying the extra night and day meant we were able to visit the Saturday market along the beach front. Another row of stalls full of jewellery, trinkets and wonderful tourist tat. Our favourite though, 100% frozen mango. The perfect balance to the crazy heat. Although, that was soon outlived. After a few laps in the lagoon the rain started again. We took cover back at our Airbnb where we met another two arrivals from Milton Keynes. After a couple of hours chatting we made plans to try and meet up again in Brisbane for a day trip to the Gold Coast. Becca and I then ate some more food (when are we not?!), packed our bags and watched Finding Nemo before heading to our Saturday overnight bus to Rainbow Beach. Which is where I am currently writing this blog. 14hours into our 15.5hour journey. This is longer than our individual flights home and we're still only within the same country. Just goes to show how incredibly vast Australia is. Anyway, we really hope our next Airbnb host offers us a cup of tea and coffee. Zzzzzzz!

[sarahjbowman]

Rain, rain and a bit more rain as we got the Greyhound bus to Townsville on Monday. This week is suppose to be pretty stormy so we set up shop at the Allure Hotel & Apartments to see it out in comfort. Upon arrival we made the wet walk to the hotel to dump our bags and settle in before going to the shops to stock up on some yummy goodies. We went all out and the fridge was pretty full. You may turn your nose up, but we enjoyed home cooked kangaroo steak for dinner and syrup covered pancakes for breakfast. Maybe a little indulgent, but we're on holiday so it's fine right?! I spent yesterday lounging around the apartment doing some interview preparation for a very exciting opportunity with the Prince's Trust tomorrow. Let's just hope the wifi at our Airlie Beach Airbnb has decent wifi, or the panel may catch my face in some awkwardly paused positions over Skype. Becca ventured into the town and along The Strand to see the wonders of Townsville... Well, the wonders of the charity shops where she got herself a couple of bargains. So cheap it would have been rude not to aye. Supposedly the area has an average of 325 days of sun. Unfortunately for us, we must be visiting during the remaining 44. Definitely an in-between place but we certainly enjoyed the opportunity to rest up in our apartment, make good food, watch trash TV and utilise the pool. We're now onboard the Greyhound again heading 4 hours south to Airlie Beach as we hit my half way point of the trip. Hopefully our next stop has a bit more sun. Although, we shouldn't hold our breath as our driver has announced a lot of roads are closed due to flooding and our overnight route to Bundaberg on Friday has been cancelled. As Australia doesn't believe in good wifi, we're having to wait until arrival at our Airlie Beach home before we can reassess our plans, but I'm sure we'll think of something. We may just have to miss our rum stop at Bundaberg on Saturday which is sad. But I'm sure someone can buy us some rum for when we get home instead ; ) We've booked onto a few more tours and activities over the next few days so I'll report back soon!

[sarahjbowman]

We arrived in sunny Cairns Wednesday afternoon and were greeted by a dreamy warm breeze. It was the easiest internal flight I think we’ve both ever had, I can’t even remember anyone checking passports. Australia obviously have loose rules around flying.

I went to the loo and saw another one of the best signs I’ve seen in Auz so far. Generally, they’re clearly big fans of signage as they’re not just on the roads (where they have endless rows of the things down the roadside), but also surrounding towns and now toilets. It’s a picture of how to correctly and incorrectly go to the toilet. The correct image, shows someone sitting on the loo and the incorrect image shows someone squatting on top of it. Just incase you were ever wondering, that’s not the right way to go.

Shortly after hopping on the shuttle bus we arrived a Dreamtime Travellers, our home for the next three nights. What a pleasant surprise it was after our previous two, not so successful hostels. Once we ditched our bags we headed to the waterfront to find the lagoon and ambled along the rows of restaurants and bars to find ourselves a good spot for dinner. We thought we deserved another ‘treat ya self’ moment, so stopped off for a steak and ginger beer. You can’t fault the food here, it’s of such great quality.

Becca also got mistaken for a Dutch person as our Dutch neighbours on the table over from us started a conversation with her. Clearly has the look.

Feeling tired we headed back to the hostel. It has such a great atmosphere. There are lots of chilled out seating areas and the courtyard area in the middle of the two buildings homes an old VW Campervan kitted out with beanbags and cushions. BBQ evenings, pizza nights and movie sessions throughout the week are accommodated by the lovely hosts. Couldn’t have asked for a more hospitable spot.

Thursday morning we decided to take it easy and hopped on the bus to Palm Cove for an afternoon at the beach. It turns out you can get alligators at beaches, who’d have thought it! So it was actually advised not to swim, but we still enjoyed a relaxing sunbath on the sand and a wonder through the cute little shops and boutiques. As I’m only in Auz once, I thought it was only right that I treated myself to a new ring. Would have been rude not to really.

When we got back to the city we headed back to the lagoon for an evening dip. As we left a swarm of bats flew overhead. It looked pretty dramatic against the dark storm clouds that hover over land as the evenings come in.

Another evening market was in our reach so we headed there for a spot of window shopping. They have so many great trinkets and the most elaborate bits of tat available. It’s great.

Back at the hostel we met one of our roommates Matthew, another English chap from Oxford. So we pitched in and decided to hire a car for Friday to head down to the Atherton Tablelands. Becca kindly took the reigns as my head’s still feeling a bit funny, and she took us bravely up the mountain, at a strong 10mph… ; )

We arrived first at Lake Barinne. A beautiful clear blue lake topped with a cafe selling 'the best Devonshire cream teas’. I’m not entirely convinced that’s a claim you can make in Australia but we will have try some soon and check. For research purposes obviously.

After Lake Barinne we continued on to Lake Eacham and then the Millaa Millaa waterfall. Our hair is now as glorious as the woman’s from the herbal essences advert.

Lake Eacham had a nice 3km walk around the edge which helped us build up an appetite for swimming. Again there were signs for crocodiles, but apparently the resident there is a timid fellow so we hopped right in.

As we swam around a little boy tagged along to our trio. Diving in and jumping up like a little salmon he was showing off his skills. As he got chatting to Becca he said that on three beeps he’d go. So Becca exhaled a countdown of beeps expecting him to do a trick, but he just shook his head to say on three car horn beeps he’ll have to go as his mum will be calling him in. Almost as good as when Becca went into the Microsoft shop in Sydney and asked for an Apple charger.

The water at Millaa Millaa was slightly less inviting. I think as people had been swimming in it all day, the bed had been churned up underneath but we wanted to make it to the falls to swim underneath, so we quickly paddled in and swam to the other side. It’s always colder than people tell you it is, but wonderful none the less.

The last couple of days have been very different indeed. I’m not really sure how to describe our two day experience on the Rum Runner boat out to the outer rim of the Great Barrier Reef. It’s been an up and down journey to say the least, both literally and figuratively.

We boarded a manic boat on Saturday morning with eight other guests and five crew crammed into a pretty compact living space downstairs and the diving equipment lined out on top.

My nerves were not put to rest when we were plonked down with one of the crew to go through safety procedures and I couldn’t actually understand anything they were saying.

Soon after we were leaving the harbour and trying on wetsuits, flippers and goggles while trying not to fall off the sides.

After three hours of sailing out we arrived at our first dive and snorkel spot. Becca and I, with another couple, took to snorkelling while the others dived deeper. The reef was bustling with fish of all colours, shapes and sizes. Including our buddies the jellyfish. The tiny little creatures kept popping out of know where, but being skilled underwater ninjas we avoided them like the plague.

After our first stop we had lunch. Here’s where the fun really began. It turns out when they said they would be able to accommodate my nut allergy, they actually meant that they couldn’t. The Captain / chef was by far one of the most unlikable people I’ve ever met and was very inhospitable about the whole situation. A combination of hunger and sleep deprivation kicked in and I had a little cry at him when Becca came in and saved the day.

Soon after the situation changed and I was being called down into the kitchen every five minutes to check ingredients on ever piece of food known to man.

Our second dive was a little better than the first, no jellies for starters. The structure of the reef was pretty impressive too. Tall walls, nooks and crannies to swim through. Sadly not quite as bright and spectacular as we’d hoped though, I think the damage over the years has really taken its toll on the Reef.

For the rest of the afternoon we sunbathed on deck and took in the views. The skyline of Cairns could very faintly be seen in the 25mi distance but other than that we were purely surrounded by the ocean. The 360 view encompassed us as we sat down for dinner.

Three brave divers went out in the dark for the night dive while we sat aboard chatting with the other guests. We didn’t even need to go in to see the creatures beneath as the light of the boat attracted them to us. Close in the distance we saw an Octopus lurking around the edge of the life boat, shortly followed by huge shawls of fishes catching their evening dinner.

The sky was filled with a blanket of stars above, so a few of us laid our blankets out on the deck to gaze up at them all. The most philosophical question of the trip so far, from Will to the French Canadian couple - “do you dream in French or English?!” Obviously something he’s been dying to know all these years. The answer was French.

It was one of those peaceful moments you never want to forget. Taking it all in for as long as we could we sat quietly listening to the gentle waves against the edge of the boat. The density of the starts made them feel really close, I only wished I knew more about them.

After briefly drifting off on deck we slopped into bed leaving Will to brave the chill outside for the night.

Surprisingly it wasn’t that bad sleeping on the boat. Becca and I had visions of running to the loo every 5 minutes to be ill, but instead it was strangely calming, a little like being rocked gently in a cot as a kid.

This morning we were woken by chefs clatters in the kitchen. Ready for the final two dives of the day, we headed to deck to drink our morning coffee while looking over the panoramic views of the sea.

What a day! The sun was swiftly out, gleaming onto the water and illuminating the patches of coral below. On our first snorkel we saw so many incredibly fish, not only making their morning commute amongst the reef, but venturing all around us as well. An hour sadly goes really quickly and we soon had to hop back on the boat ready to move onto the next stop.

This one did not disappoint either. We finally found Dory!

As we snorkelled we followed the divers beneath us, uncovering incredible gems along the way. So many fish we’ll never be able to name but will certainly never forget.

After another hour there, we had lunch before making the three hour trip back to land. Although it had been a very up and down trip I was a little sad to be heading back. Which was soon relieved when Becca reminded me that we’re going to Nando’s tonight. I hear it’s pretty cheeky in Auz.

[sarahjbowman]

After a pit stop at the GP we went to find A Brewer's Tale Cafe for some well deserved brunch treats. I think I had the best eggs benedict I've ever had. Auz do brunch well, very well indeed. Once we'd eaten our body weight in food we headed back to the hostel to get ready before going to meet Helen at the quay for our ferry to Manly Beach. The beach itself was packed with people and the sea was full of surfers. But just around the corner was another much quieter and more inviting Shelly beach so we wandered over there. Settled on the sand we had our lunch and watched the surfers in the distance. As always, it was another jam packed day so we only had a couple of hours at the beach before we got the ferry back in time to head across to Newtown for the Cactus Juice comedy night at the Newtown Hotel. A great little free find in a cool suburb just outside of the centre. The colourful houses are decorated with lace style balconies and rows of flourishing trees outside. The comedy night itself was a face paced evening of different comedians trying out their new sets in four minute intervals. The venue was a thirty seater old cinema room covered in posters and retro cinema decor. Yesterday we headed back to Newtown to explore the shops and cafes as they were shut by the time we'd arrived the evening before. I wasn't feeling very well still so we thought it would be best to buy some new trousers to make things better ; ) We jumped on the underground and ventured down the coast a little to Bondi beach. Unfortunately it was another grey day so not quite hot enough to chill on the sand but we walked along the front and watched the abundance of surfers across the water. For the afternoon we made our way by foot over Sydney Bridge to look out over the city from the bottom of the Pylon Tower. Incredible views of the places we've been over the last few days and a great way to sum up everything we'd seen. This morning was our final in Sydney and boy did we finish in style. We booked ourselves onto Yoga in the Sky at the Sky Lounge and headed there for 0645. After a hectic few days it was nice to take some time out to relax and enjoy the serenity of the yoga while looking out across the botanical gardens and the Sydney Opera House. I'm now writing this post as we're flying into Cairns. I think we might be in for a little bit of a shock as the pilot just announced its 30 degrees outside, a tad different to what we've experienced so far. We're also now in another different time zone as we've gone back another hour. Looking forward to exploring Cairns, the rainforests and the Great Barrier Reef over the next few days!

[sarahjbowman]

Yesterday we drove into Sydney to say farewell to Chubby as we dropped her off at the Travellers Autobarn. After a very sad goodbye we Ubered into the city centre to settle at our new home at Backpackers HQ. In keeping with the huge amount of signage you see across Australia, the hostel was breaking no moulds. Passive aggressive signs, threats of fines and rules staring us in the face wherever we looked. At least we were greeted by a friendly receptionist... hmmm. After 10 days of couscous, pasta and gnocchi with some variations of tomato sauce, we committed ourselves to finding a good ole burger restaurant. Trip Advisor directed us to Chur's bar and boy was it good. So good that I even forgot to take a photo of it first, it was gone in seconds. Within our first afternoon we actually managed to see a lot more than we thought we would, it turns out Sydney isn't all that big. We stumbled across Tumbalong park (and an unexpected rice market), Paddy's Market with cheap and wonderful tat and trinkets, Darling Harbour, King Street Wharf, Barangaroo Reserve providing panoramic view of the city over the water, The Rocks, Sydney Bridge and the slightly underwhelming Opera House. When our legs couldn't carry us anymore we headed to Redoak brewery, a beaut little boutique bar in Surry Hills to try their tasting boards of delicious caramel and honey ales. Bram and Jochem (the chaps we met from the previous campsite) were also in Sydney for the weekend so they joined us for a few bevies before we all moved on to find our next establishment. We didn't have to venture far, when we found a gem of a bar right next door. Spawn Point, Sydney's first ever gaming bar. It felt like we had entered someone's birthday party. Everyone there knew one another and were chatting away, enjoying the numerous games consoles that surrounded the edges of the room. I've never felt so welcome in a bar though, they called us in, arms wide open and sat us down to compete against the other teams. Turns out I'm pretty darn good at Rocket League. It was midnight before we knew it and with 10% battery between us we had to beat the clock to get home. Luckily Becca's internal satnav is locked onto the shops we see throughout the day so we soon made our way back and crashed out at the hostel for the night. Today has been jam packed with much more walking, dining and coffee drinking. We woke up bright and early to make it to the free tour at 0930, which turned out to be at 1030... thanks Becca ; ) Over breakfast we met Helen, a lovely girl from Germany bravely travelling solo across the east coast after just finishing college. We made plans to head to the tour together where we were overloaded with information in the 2hr walk around through the city. I have to admit, I never knew there was such a rich and interesting history here. Our super enthusiastic tour guide definitely did a good job at putting the record straight there. After departing the tour we headed to The Rocks weekend market where we found 200 stalls stretching from George Street to Playfair Street and Jack Mundey Place selling arts and crafts, locally manufactured clothing, handmade jewellery and many gifts and trinkets. After dragging ourselves away, kicking and screaming, we went to explore the Botanic Gardens via the Sydney Opera house. We obviously needed to snap the obligatory tourist photo. The gardens were filled with vivid flowers, but in keeping with the trip so far, the winds were high and the clouds were grey. Not a great set up for all the panos I wanted to take, but beautiful non the less. After exploring the grounds we went off to fine the Australian Heritage Hotel (as recommended by our tour guide) to try out the Coat of Arms and The Australian pizzas. I'll leave it to you to think what they could have been topped with. Super yum. Now catching some shut eye before another super busy day tomorrow. Fitting as much in as we can before leaving for Cairns on Wednesday.

[sarahjbowman]

Driving, driving and a bit more driving. That was basically our Thursday. Sadly I was feeling pretty under the weather again so Becca was a babe and did all the driving and safely got us up to Blue Mountain National Park and our home at Katoomba Falls Tourist Park.

En route we stopped off at the beautiful Bowral for a coffee and revitalisation. Such a lovely little town, perfectly lined with boutiques, interior shops and a gorgeous little garden centre filled with quaint cafes.

We ended up getting to the BMNP quite a bit later than we thought so we spent the afternoon walking to one of the view points of the Three Sisters and mapping our hike for the next day.

So far on our trip we haven’t really met that many campers our own age, lots of Australian families on half term, but last night we got chatting to two Deutsch chaps who were doing a similar route to Becca and I. We spent the rest of the evening sitting outside with our tea, (keeping up the British tradition) coming up with inventions of the things we would find handy on our trip - sunscreen man, nose hat and mosquito catcher. These our going to be our million dollar money makers for sure!

Greeted with cups of tea in the morning we began about our day, getting ready for our long hike across the Prince Henry Cliff Walk. The undulating path took us from just outside the campsite, across the cliffs to the Three Sisters, and beyond into Leura town. After 15km of steep climbs, towering rainforest, waterfalls, creeks, squawking birds and spectacular views of the Blue Mountain National Park, we came out into the floral town of Leura.

They were hosting open gardens around the area as everything was in beautiful spring time blossom.

As we got to the town we found an abundance of independent stores, cafes and bakeries. A right treat after our lone adventure in the National Park. It’s funny how you can be walking through a dense rainforest just adjacent to a little town.

Once back at the campsite we rested our weary legs with a book in the sun, before paling up the camper ready for dropping back in Sydney today.

Now en route to the Travellers Autobarn drop off, we’re very sad to say goodbye to Chubby, but excited for a hot meal and some city normality.

[sarahjbowman]

Botanic Gardens, bushtrails, rainforests, beaches, bays, kookaburras, lizards, porcupines, parrots and kangaroos. Today has been jam packed. We started off a little slow as I was feeling a bit washed out this morning. Not sure what it was but hoping it's passed now. After a rest and a coffee we set sale for the Booderee National Park. Sadly when we arrived the staff told us that there had been a recent forest fire and half of the park was closed off but some areas were still accessible so we still ventured through and headed towards the Botanical Gardens. A lovely 2km walk through forest trees and around the lake discovering a flurry of Kookaburras on our way! Very happy to see those pretty fellas. The park is pretty vast, (of course, very in-keeping with the rest of Australia) so we jumped back in the car and headed down the road to Cave Beach. A surfers dream. Beautiful clear sands and rolling waves filled our view. After a lunch stop in the shade enjoying the view of loan surfer, we ambled back to Chubby and along to our next stop. Murray's Bay was luckily still accessible after the fire, but en route we witnessed the destruction that it had left behind. Blacked out trees and areas of sparse land where nothing was left standing. As we got down to the water we could see how the flames must have come to the edge of the sand, but the beach itself was beautifully untouched. We jumped straight into the water. Well I say jumped, Becca ran in and I pansied around for 20mins with the water up to my knees and struggling to go any further. I eventually took the plunge and flapped around for a while before relaxing in our spot in the sun. On the way home we made one last stop to Green Patch beach and bushtrail hike where we met our new friend Mr Porcupine scurrying around in the bushes. The path came out onto a rocky view point merging into the water. Within the crevices of the rocks were pools of salt left remaining after the water had evaporated. We sat for a while and noticed a kid in an all in one tracksuit wandering along behind us. As he passed he discovered himself a cheeky bottle of beer tucked away in the rocks which he slyly hid in his jacket pocket. Funny little fella. Walking back to Chubby we spotted some kids feeding the pretty parrots we've been spotting all day. Bird lady Becca had them flocking. Before getting back to our campsite we stopped off at Woolworths for the 110th time to refuel and restock on some goodies. We passed the Juicy campervan we've spotted at every stop today. This is how you make friends right? Just keep following them until they talk to you? Yesterday we saw two chaps feeding the resident kangaroos some carrots so we bought ourselves a couple to share with our new friends. Once back at the site we went on a safari to find them and share our treats. Apparently they're a lot fussier than we thought and several turned their noses up at our offering before one little roo took it out of my hands. Turns out they have terrible grip and he kept dropping it, but persistence is key. Later in the evening though we had a very different experience. I was happily preparing food at the back of the camper when I heard a thud thud thud behind me. I turned around and there was a big ole male kangaroo stood a couple of steps back. The site owner said they're all harmless (even the males) but I instantly slammed the door shut and jumped inside. Then I realised Becca would probably be very confused to my whereabouts when she came back from the kitchenette, so tried to go back outside but then he'd perched himself at the door. Make yourself at home mate. He moved to the front just as Becca came back and she jumped in as we were held hostage. Realising how ridiculous it was, we braced ourselves and went outside... just after he hopped away. Getting some shut eye now before our 5hr drive to Blue Mountain National Park tomorrow. Our final stop in the camper before heading to Sydney on Saturday.

[sarahjbowman]

Waking up to the sound of the waves crashing on one side of the site and the tranquil views of the Lake on the other, we enjoyed a quick breakfast before starting our next route to Jervis Bay. Following the Tourist 7 drive we passed through Narooma to look out over the bay and Australia Rock. The roads are long and windy, occasionally lined with little post boxes for the homes hidden away in the trees. Whoever said Australia is flat was lying, I don't envy the cyclists battling against the meandering hills. Breaking up the journey again we stopped for a snack at quaint Caseys Bay and lunch at St George's Basin, Sanctuary Point. There are so many creeks and vast areas of lakeland covering this area of the country, it's difficult to not want to stop at all of them. After a few hours of driving through the beautiful countryside, towering forests and vast farmland, we arrived at Hyams Beach, Jervis Bay. The crystal clear sea and super white sands provided a much needed stop for sunbathing and a dip in the sea. We were hoping to stay at Green Patch Campsite in Booderee National Park but it was sadly completely full. There's always a silver lining though as we found Bream Beach Holiday Park. The most wonderful lady greeted us at reception and even stayed open a little later to book us in. She introduced us to the park, all its facilities and last but not least, it's resident Kangaroos! The first live ones we've seen on the trip so far. Quite a bit better than the sad road kill we've passed by the last few days. We parked Chubby and walked down to the bottom of the site to sit by waterside of St George's Basin. It was such a peaceful evening listening to the birds singing above us in the trees and watching the sunset with a cold beer. Looking forward to exploring more of Jervis Bay tomorrow!

[sarahjbowman]

On Saturday we headed up to Gipsy Point hoping to kayak around the lake but were sadly followed by the high winds and unpredictable rain. So continued our journey to Wallagaraugh River Retreat, Genoa (the place we never found). After leaving the A1 through the national parks and tall trees, we followed a higgledy piggledy dirt track (don't think you can really call it a road) down to the retreat where we discovered a secluded camp along the waters edge. Hoping to see some kangaroos we wandered into the park. Alas, none in sight so we headed back to camp to make dinner. The nights come in pretty quick and the chill soon picks up, so we tucked in and watched Captain Phillips (highly recommend). We were hoping to get up early yesterday and kayak around Wallagaraugh River but the weather was still against us, so we decided to head straight to Wallaga Lake. Finally we were greeted by sun, sea and sand! En route we discovered Quarantine Bay, a beautiful spot for a quick break looking out over the small dockland and panoramic seascape. Once we arrived at Wallaga Lake we headed to the Big4 Campsite and we're greeted by a lovely Australian man in full lederhosen gear. Clearly the place to be! After some great advice and top tips of things to do in the area we parked up Chubby and headed towards the coastal path to spot Camel Rock and Murunna Point. The bushtrail took us along the cliff edge, through dense trees and finally out into open grassland where the sea on our right joined the Wallaga Lake on our left. A short walk down and we wondered onto the sand dune that divided the two. As we continued to follow the path around the edge of the lake to loop our way back to the campsite we discovered challenge one of the day. The Lake had flooded over and the path that use to exist around the edge was covered in boggy waters. Some locals must have attempted to build a 'bridge', as in front of us there was a small collection of feeble sticks and branches to aid our way across. After just about making it to the other side (tactically stepping our way over) we soon came across challenge number two! Time to take off our shoes and wade through the water to the other side. Yesterday was very successful and it feels like the adventure has properly started! We woke up early to views of the Lake and hired some kayaks to head out into the water. An hour in and we noticed the swarms of jellyfish beneath us. Trying not to flick one onto our heads with the oars, we paddled around for a couple of hours enjoying the sound of local birds and the incredible view of Muanna mountain. As it was the most exertion we've had all week, we decided to take it easy for lunch and chilled out back at the campsite. I'm loving the simplicity of living in a campervan and the joy of outdoor living. Although the evenings are long and pretty cold at the moment, it's definitely something that I'd like to continue. This afternoon we headed down the bushtrail to Bermagui town in hunt of the Blue Pool. En route we encountered challenge number three! A cow! Neither mine or Becca's favourite animal. We even considered heading back. Threatening cow on road! But we sucked it up, heads down and shuttled past. Once we made it to the town we stopped for an ice-cream. All potential nut-tastic hazards so I resisted and opted for an alternative ice-coffee. The waitress couldn't understand when I asked for milk. Just as we were about to give up looking for the swim spot we asked a local to point us in the right direction. Everyone's very friendly and we've got chatting to quite a few people interested in our route. 'Good on ya' seems to be a common reaction. So we finally found the Blue Pools in amongst the rocks. The tide was crashing behind the wall, but the pools were beautifully still and calm. The girls in the pool gave us extremely misleading advice and said the water wasn't 'that cold' so we dove in. Feeling like we'd just jumped into an ice bucket, we dried off and made the 7km walk back home. The black clouds were coming in fast and the sunset was drawing closer, so we opted for the beach walk back. All day we've been hoping to see whales or dolphins off the coast, but as we were walking back and discussing how amazing they are, we were surprised by a whole school of dolphins riding the waves across the beach! Such an incredible sight to see and definitely made the long journey back totally worth it! We even made it home without getting lost and before the campervan brewery shut, to draw in the evening with a nice mango pale ale.

[sarahjbowman]

Friday morning we packed up shop in Rosedale and headed down to Paradise Beach to see the start of the 90mi long sands along Gippsland Lakes. It was amazing so see such a wide angle view of the sea on one side and the never ending beach on the other. After a little stroll in the sun and lunch break looking out over the crashing waves, we popped back into the Chubby to work our way up to the Lake Tyres where we stopped for the afternoon and night at Water Wheel Beach (the far end of the 90mi beach!). The roads are long, with very minimal traffic and barely any houses in sight until you pass through the identical outdated towns that pop up every now and then. Within which there are lots of signs saying 'avoid using loud engine breaks'... The Chubby accumulates a nice following of vehicles behind us until we reach the overtaking lanes when it's an instant race start for our new friends as they overtake, go go go! 🏁 So onto today - we've left Lake Tyres and are currently heading further up the East Coast to Gipsy Point, Croajingolong National Park. After two nights at rest stops we're even treating ourselves to a paid campsite at Wallagaraugh River Retreat. Might be about time for a shower... Just hoping the rain clears and we can enjoy some of this Australian sun we've been all reading about.

[sarahjbowman]

Very emotional 'see ya laters' on Sunday morning as Mum dropped me off at Gatwick Airport to meet Becca for our trip down under! We commenced our journey with an 11.5hr flight to Hong Kong. Five minutes in Becca's ripped her jeans and the stewards are serving packets of peanuts to everyone around me. My favourite! Three hours after arriving in Hong Kong and experiencing the delights of the airport waiting area, we began the second part of our journey. A mere 8.5hrs later we arrived in Melbourne on Monday evening. We'd travelled forward time! Slightly disorientated, we headed to our Ibis for the night before getting the shuttle bus to the city centre and our Home at the Mansion hostel. After a day of exploring and cycling on Tuesday to see the Botanical Gardens, South Warf and the docks, we realised how little we had done to arrange the next part of our trip so decided to spend some time organising. Unfortunately though, Melbourne don't seem to have caught up with the wifi trend, so after buying ourselves an Australian sim we made endless phone calls to good old Dayle at Motorhome Republic to finally find us a camper with Travellers AutoBarn. The very limited availability meant cutting our stay in the city a day short, but we were happy to get on the road! We ventured to the pick up point just outside of the city centre to collect our Chubby Camper, then started the 4hr drive towards Gippsland Lakes. Not before stopping at Westfields centre to stock up on some much need coffee and food for the next ten days. Then, after a serious match of rock, paper, scissors (to decide who would drive first) I took the keys and braved the first part of the journey through many towns, junctions, traffic lights and unexpected merging lanes. Stopping at a service station for a quick break and driver change over, Becca took the helm and we continued down the long open road, past many cow fields, deep valleys and beautiful greenery to arrive at Willow Park Rosedale, just in time to catch the incredible sunset. We pitched up, prepped the Chubby and made ourselves some dinner. The evenings come in pretty early here and it was pitch black by 7, so we tucked in with a beer. So, after very little pre-trip preparation we have been thrown into the deep end of long flights, hostels and camper-vans! Looking forward to the next part of the journey. Today, Gippsland Lakes!