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Well everyone...sorry for such a long delay in updating our blog!! We have nearly come to the end of our time in Oz and haven't updated it once! When you leave it for a week you think you have a lot to catch up on and then you leave it for 2 etc and it just builds up... we have left it for 6 weeks so there is loads to say!! The photos will mostly show what we have done though...
Sydney
Well...all the way back on 25th March (woops!) we arrived in Sydney. We managed to meet up with our friends from the Inca Trip (Christie and Beth) again so that was really nice. Had a meal in Darling harbour...although we managed to bring the rain with us as usual, and this time is was REALLY heavy (a great introduction to 'sunny' Sydney...) For the next few days in Sydney we had to sort out our Chinese and Indian visas so that was pretty boring...the Chinese visa was really straight forward and only took a day but we had a nightmare getting the Indian one. This was partly due to all the troubles in Tibet and us having to change our route through China and hence our point of entry into India...but it has all sorted itself out now and as you know we are heading to China, Hong Kong and then India! So after we got all our paper work done in Sydney we eventually got to have a look around...we went to the Chinese gardens, Darling harbour, Opera house, Botanic gardens, Manly beach, the Rocks (oldest part of Sydney) and Mrs Macquarie's chair (great view of the bridge and opera house). We really enjoyed Sydney as it is a buzzy and lively city...it is all really new especially Darling harbour and we found that the city has a distinctive asian influence especially in the China town region.
After these few days on foot around Sydney we then picked up our campervan which was going to be our accommodation for the next 5 1/2 weeks around Oz !! We were both excited at the beginning and ready to hit the road...however by the end we were ready to give it up and get bed/pillows that you could actually feel beneath your head! Having said this we still think its the best way to see Oz on a budget.
Melbourne
From Sydney our 1st destination with the campervan was Melbourne (800km away)! We left Sydney on April 1st, had 1 night at a rest stop on the side of the road (quite a few truckers) and then arrived at Melbourne on the 2nd. It was really quite windy when we were driving, so windy in fact that a power line had gone down at the campsite! A great introduction to the world of caravanning... lol. We had a look around Melbourne which was VERY different to Sydney... had a much more chilled out feeling, more hippyish and did not have the new feeling Sydney did. It actually felt alot like London with the river running through the centre. From Melbourne you can drive to the 'Neighbours' set which was a must for Emily. 'Ramsey Street' is actually Pin Oak Court and people live in the houses! We saw Harold's, the Kennedy's, and Toady's house just to name a few (this probably doesn't mean anything to some of you! lol). BUT just as we were getting into the swing of driving the campervan the clutch started to slip really badly... what else can go wrong!! Luckily we were able to get it fixed on a Friday afternoon and get it back by 5pm...result! In the evening we went to see an Aussie Rules Footy match...a must do!! It is a combination of rugby, football and gaelic football on a circular pitch...it was a great atmosphere and we managed to support the winning team (Western Bulldogs).
Great Ocean Road
From Melbourne we headed further South to start our journey along the Great Ocean Road with our new clutch! Its a lovely curvy road with amazing views of the coastline. There are so many places that you can stop off at, however we only did a few. On the 1st day we stopped at a beautiful lighthouse that did cream teas...it was actually as though you were in Cornwall!! From here we stopped a few times to admirer the view and made it to the 12 Apostles for sunset (the 1st of the coastal landforms). The next day we saw the rest of the landforms including London Bridge, Loch Ard Gorge, and the Bay of Islands. From here we made our way back along the road. We had great weather for these few days which really made it for us and the campervan was the perfect way to do it! From here we headed back to Melbourne for the night (Matt wanted to watch the Gran Prix lol) before driving all the way to Sydney in 1 day ready for Emily's birthday!!
Sydney (Emily's Birthday!)
So, Emily had her 22nd Birthday in Sydney...what a way to spend it! lol Thank you very much for all my birthday wishes...I had a great day . The weather was REALLY rubbish but we still went to Manly beach for the day to spend my birthday money. We did some shopping and had a lovely meal out...even managed to squeeze a glass of champagne into the travelling budget (mum, you will be pleased! lol).
East Coast
From Sydney we started our long journey up the East Coast of Australia. We had only been driving for about 1 hour before we decided to stop off at a Reptile Park. This was alot of fun and we got to see all the 'typical' aussie animals... spiders, snakes, aligators, monitor lizards, tasmanian devils, koala bears and kangaroos. The kangaroos were by far the best as they were roaming around freely so you could pat, stroke and feed them. They were VERY cute!
The main stops that we had along the coast were Port Maquierie, Coffs Harbour, Byron Bay, and Surfers Paradise. They are all VERY similar in that they have gorgeous beaches and are ideal for surfing but we had our favourites which were Port and Byron Bay. Our campsite at Port was right next to town and the beach, and it had a real seasidey feel. We even had fish and chips along the seafront. Byron Bay was similar but had a bit more going on with more shops, bars and restaurants etc. Again our campsite was by the sea and town so ideally located. Matt hired a surf board here and I tried to do some snorkelling...but I didn't have much luck as the sea was too rough. Unfortunately Matt seemed to have an allergic reaction to the sea water/sand so his surfing didn't really last that long either... what are we like! Byron Bay has a really pretty lighthouse which we also visited while we were there... great views of the coast from here. Surfers Paradise was hindered slightly by the weather as it rained for all the days we were there making it difficult to enjoy a town that is based around a beach...however is was quite tacky with huge high rises and LOADS of fast food outlets. While we were there a Surf Competition was being held which would have been great to watch. We tried to watch it the 1st day but we just got so wet from the rain we gave up...
From Surfers Paradise we by-passed Brisbane and headed to Rainbow beach, the starting point for our trip to Fraser Island (Matts birthday present from me!).
Fraser Island: 21st - 23rd April
Fraser Island is part of the Sandy National Park in Oz and it is the largest sand island in the world. From Rainbow beach we hired a little 4x4 jeep with all the camping equipment, ready to stay 2 nights and 3 days on the island. We had to get all our supplies before we left, as well as the vehicle and camping permits from the National parks office. The man at the hire place took Matt aside and told him 'not to be shy and give it some' with the 4x4...but I really don't think he knew Matts usual style of driving as I was the one to suffer from the encouragement !!! From here we headed to Inskip Point where you catch the barge across to the island. To get to the barge you have to drive across the beach which has REALLY thick sand... so Matt got into 4x4 mode and went for it!!! We were drifting all over the place! Quite scary...but a sign of the things to come!!
Day 1 - We stuck to the beach road (75 miles long!) on day 1 which is really flat and has a speed restriction of 80km which feels really fast!! You have to watch out for the creeks that enter the sea as these can be quite deep. We found this out a few times as Matt didn't really slow down enough and we dropped down into it, water spraying everywhere and camping equipment crashing in the back! Fun, fun, fun!! The 1st stop was Lake Wabby (beautiful lake with a huge sand dune engulfing it), then Eli Creek (you can walk to the top and float back down) and finally the Maheno Wreck (shipwreck on the coast). We camped near the Maheno wreck on the beach and walked to it for sunset. One of the key things they warn you about on Fraser are the Dingo's that are wild on the island...we saw our 1st one here but it didn't even take any notice of us!
Day 2 - We woke up REALLY early as it was so light, but it was lovely to hear and see the sea. You have to be careful with the times that you drive on the beach due to the tides, so the hire company specifies the times. However, being impatient we set out a little earlier that your meant to so we could see the Red Canyon and Indian Head before heading onto the inland roads. Fortunately we were lucky and we didn't get stuck! From here we went to Lake McKenzie...on the inland roads through the rainforest. The roads were SO SO bumpy, and were full of holes and steps...it was REALLY scarey! Our car was bouncing everywhere and making some really weird noises...I was glad to arrive at the lake! The lake was like paradise, with really clear water. We chilled here for the rest of the day before having to go on the bumpy roads again to camp on the beach.
Day 3 - Early start again...we drove to the edge of the beach to check the tide but it was too far in so we waited for 1/2 hour. When we decided to go we tried to move but we were stuck in the sand!!!! We both dug some sand away and tried to move again while I was pushing! It worked and we were out...phew (not sure how much that was due to my pushing!!). From here we headed inland to Central station to do a short rainforest walk and then to Lake Birrabeen. Again the roads were VERY bumpy but something alittle more eventful happened this time...Matt used his 'the faster you enter a hole the more likely you are going to get out' driving theory to the test! So we headed straight for a huge puddle (goodness knows how deep) at quite a speed before hitting something pretty hard and the engine conking out...at this point it didn't look good. Steam was coming from the bonnet and water was flowing out (at the time this looked like smoke and oil!!!) Nevertheless...after waiting 15mins the car started again thankfully and we were back on the road...just a little more cautiosly. Afterwards we got the barge to Rainbow beach and took the car back with no problems! AMAZING.... I can't believe we didn't get charged for anything!!
Great Barrier Reef
Further North we headed after Fraser to Rockhampton, Mackay, Airlie Beach and finally Cairns. We only stayed 1 night in Rockhampton and Mackay as they were nothing speacial but it was from Airlie Beach that we did our Great Barrier Reef trip.
Airlie Beach was a little town with quite a few shops, restaurants and LOADS of options for tours to the Whitsundays and the Great Barrier Reef. We chose a 1 day boat trip to Knuckle Reef which was exceptional. The cruise out there was beautiful passing some of the Whitsunday Islands before heading to the outer reef. The boat was moored to an onsight pontoon where you have a sundeck, glass bottom boat and all the scuba/snorkel gear. The glass bottom boat was VERY good...you get to see all the types of coral, fish, giant clams all at slightly magnified scale with a marine biologist explaining everything to you. After this we got our snorkelling gear on and headed into the water for ourselves. It wasn't stinger season fortunately so we didn't see any jellyfish...but we did wear a stinger suit just in case! You could really see the coral and fish beneath the water...it was a truly AMAZING experience.
Cairns
From Airlie beach our last stop was Cairns ready for our flight back to Sydney on the 3rd May. The main thing we did here was visit Hartley's Crocodile Farm... great fun. We saw them being fed, jumping out of the water for food, and the death roll...also a few snakes and we felt a baby croc. In Cairns we dropped off our campervan...by this time we were really ready to get out of it! Again we managed to hand it back with nothing to pay...yay!! Using the campervan this far North would NOT be a good idea in summer as we were SO hot at night without air con, and here its Autumn. Having a night in an air conditioned hostel room felt like luxery!!
The flight back to Sydney was fine...amazing that you can have a 3 hour flight and it still be internal! As a treat in Sydney we went to see a Schuburt & Tchaikovsky concert at the Opera House...it sounded GREAT and it was cool to be able to see the inside!
We only have a few more days left in Sydney which will be spent getting ready for China, but we have thoroughly enjoyed our time in Oz. Our best bits were probably the Great Ocean road, Fraser Island and the Great barrier reef...but it really all was fun!
Perhaps our next blog will be up a bit sooner...
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