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Rockin' all over the world
Ok so i am finally getting 'round to writing about Australia - we have done so much in the past 2 months I don't even know where to start...
...after a pretty long flight from Singapore we arrived into Sydney on the 24th of Feb, and spent the next few days staying in the dirtiest hostel in Kings Cross where every night I watched the prostitutes crawling the kerb right outside my window. Not the best start but Sydney was beautiful - we booked our transport and activities for the next 2 months and had a great night out in Manly with the girls we met in Thailand. My first experience of Aussie guys wasnt great - one threw his pint all over me because he elbowed my drink and i spilt a drop on his elbow - still i did meet a guy from Home and Away after that so the night was saved! After getting a lift back to our mates road from a random girl, we spent over an hour trying to find her house and woke up several neighbours at 3am in the attempt - oops! Lesson learned - charge your phone before you go out!
After a few days we flew up to Cairns, which is suprisingly tiny, in the mood for an adrenaline rush - we headed to the AJ Hackett bungy centre - no we werent brave enough to throw ourselves off of a platform but we did do a minjin swing which is kind of a swinging horizontal bungy thing - it was awesome.
Next we headed up north we stopped at Port Douglas, and had a swim in the freezing water at Mossman Gorge, we cruised up the daintree river spotting crocs and arrived in Cape Tribulation which is the only place on Earth where the rainforest meets the reef. We walked through loads of the daintree rainforest and hung out on the beach a bit but were slightly put off by the 'Recent Crocodile Sighting' warnings and so stuck to our bamboo shack which wasnt too safe in itself - the spiders were the size of my hand!
We arrived back to Cairns and headed out to the Great Barrier Reef - after a spot of snorkelling and nemo spotting we decided to do a scuba dive. Great decision - we spent about 30 mins under water, despite the initial fear factor it was absolutely incredible - as soon as we went down there was this beautiful turtle hanging out - we fed him plankton off of the ocean floor and he nibbled our fingers - he was awesome! we then swam around and saw and touched these amazing things - put our hands inside a giant clam and saw beautiful fish - just before we finished a 6ft Reef Shark swam right past us!
The next day we started our Oz Experience tour, this was our means of transport for most of our time in Australia. We met some great people on the first day and headed to Mission Beach - on the way we stopped at the Atherton Tablelands, spent some more time in the rainforest and swam at Milla Milla Falls, we got right in and sat under the falls - they were so powerful! Arriving into Mission - 3 of the girls in our group decided to do a skydive - so the rest of us headed down to the beach to watch them land and see their fall videos. Had a heavy night at Scotties - playin killer pool for pitchers of beer. Next mornin' we headed to Magnetic Island on the ferry - beautiful place - did a spot of kayaking - played drinkin games til early hours and crashed on the beach. Spent the next couple of days chillin out - rented a moke (little golf buggy like jeep thing) - after jemmas initial paddy about the missing 3rd gear - we spent the day exploring the island - fed the rock wallabies, had a picnic in horseshoe bay and went to an animal sanctuary where we had our first cuddle with a koala and hand fed the kangaroos. Finished the evening winning the 'alternative' bar quiz - clinched in the final by me performing the splits! quite how that happened - we are still unsure! After an early morning trek to the peak of Maggie we then headed to Airlie Beach - gateway to the whitsundays - we headed out on our 3 day sailing trip on a tiny boat called Prima - we shared with 2 couples, 2 others, our skipper and a deckhand. The weather was mixed - with some scary ass rain storms where we all had to cling to the deck in the customary yellow macs 'cos if we went downstairs for a second we'd have painted the walls! But it was mostly sunny, burntime was 5 minutes! We did some impressive snorkelling - saw the best coral to date and swam with Elvis - a fish as big as us with an amazing quiff - and we found another turtle and swam around with him for an hour. We stopped off at whitsunday island and trekked over to Whitehaven beach - this place is paradise! it is the biggest - pure white sandy beach with these crystal waters. It goes as far as the eye can see and for about 15 minutes me & Jem were the only people on it - it was like a dream. We sunbathed, drew huge pictures and wrote messages in the sand (art attack stylie) and threw sand at each other - we're such kids! The food on the boat was superb and although the cabins were tiny they served their purpose - the key was to close your eyes as soon as you go below deck and go straight to sleep to avoid sea sickness - however after drinking a bottle of vodka with the deckhand - the technique was not so effective!
After getting back to dry land - we didnt stop swaying for at least 24 hours - i couldnt even lie down - i then saw the most horrific video of a woman having her leg ripped off by a great white and was sick - decided to stay out of the water for the next few days at least!
Spent a further day recovering and celebrated Gran's birthday with Fish N Chips on the beach & 3 bottles of Passion Pop (the Aussie version of Lambrini) in the Launderette - she would be proud!
We met some great people back in airlie - one of whom was a guy who claimed to be an actor and used to be in family affairs - not THE most impressive claim and after further research not the truest either!
We the met back up with friends from our first Oz bus - Freya & Corinne - and hopped back on the bus - this time with Mash our driver - the 5 of us headed to Kroombit - a cattle ranch in the outback. We had an awesome journey - making balloon people, sampling the australian cuisine - aka timtams and stopin for a pint in a local pub. We spent the night at the ranch - cracking whips, bucking broncos (drunk) and grazing knees in stupid stupid drinking games!
We were up early to muster the goats in for the rodeo on horseback - my first horseriding experience in fact & it was awesome, we were chasin em all round the field shouting 'ya' and we got them into the paddock in real good time, we then practised lasooing on a post and then did a proper goat rodeo - jem was hot - i was not! We shot some clay pigeons (1 out of 5 - not bad), had an amazing steak fresh from the slaughterhouse for lunch then got on the road again...
...our next stop was hervey bay, gateway to fraser island - but for us - better than fraser - we arrived into an awesome hostel (Palace) where we had an entire house to the 4 of us - 5 out of the 6 dorm rooms were empty so we stocked up on goon (wine in a bag - you gotta slap it)! and ordered pizza - had drinks with Mash (the driver not the potato)- played never ever - not a great idea! kept drinking & danced in the living room most of the night - when sufficiently drunk so as not to need to purchase expensive drinks in bars - we headed down town - only to find that we had left it too late and all the bars were shut! undefeated we made ourselves honourary members of the Aussie girl guides (dnt ask), danced on the roof of the OZ bus & went skinny dipping in the hostel pool! (sorry mum) - me & freya then continued to demonstrate half-nude ballet skills in the living room until we passed out at god knows what hour!
The next days' combination of early wake up and bumpy boat trip - werent the best start, topped off by being strapped into a giant 4wd bus that sped along the beach and over sand dunes for the rest of the day! We did however make some beautiful stops en route - Lake Mackenzie was stunning, white sands, turquoise waters and the best bit - no saltiness - in fact the water there is high in PH qualites and is therefore good for the skin and hair and did wonders to heal the open blisters on my heels caused during the previous nights drunken wanderings. In addition there were a bevy of beauties - who frolicked on the beach hasselhoff style, while us 4 watched in awe - occasionally flicking hair to complete the baywatch picture! At the end of our dingo spotting day, we finished the evening with an all you can eat mexican dinner - the highlight of which was watching several Europeans pour custard all over their nachos and then eat them with pained looks on their faces, too embarrased to say anything!
After a second day in Fraser, exploring more beaches and creeks we headed back to the mainland as night fell, huddled up on the deck of the boat, lookin' for sharks - luckily no sightings. The next day back in Hervey Bay was St Paddys! Me & Jem went on a marathon walk in the morning to the nearest post office to post mums mother's day pressie (aren't we good) & then headed back to the hostel to dress ourselves in green ready for the days celebrations - Freya unable to find anything appropriate - went off the scale & cut a green bin liner into a dress of sorts, & we headed down to the bay for lunch time. The Irish pub of course was our first stop, we had a liquid lunch with a side of wedges and my previous embarrasment regarding Freyas outfit soon turned to envy when she was getting bought drinks left, right & centre for her patriotism! Sensing the irish pub was in fact more like a retirement home we headed to the backpacker bar at Koalas, it was empty when we arrived, but soon filled up through happy hour. We sang, played games, drank shots, pints, & pitchers - the last of which nearly got us arrested! Apparently walking home with a pitcher of beer in your hand is considered theft and the Australian police department have zero sense of humour!
Lesson of the day - don't mix your drinks, monster hangover - all the way to our next stop. Had a quick break in Rainbow Beach en route for a didgeridoo, boomerang & spear throwing lesson, felt very aboriginal & arrived in the beautiful seaside town of Noosa. Had difficulty finding somewhere to stay but they managed to squeeze us in at Koalas but had to split us up - Freya & Corinne were on their own & me & jem shared a dorm with a lovely bunch of guys - the split meant maximum friend making possibilities & this less obvious backpacker stop seemed to attract the most awesome people. We spent 4 days - lazing around on the beach, swimming in the awesome but harsh waves, playing guitar & singing after too much goon & drinking & dancing the night away. Also found the wonder of Bundy rum & coke on tap! Well done Australia! Sad to leave Noosa, we said our goodbyes & jumped back on the bus to Brisbane. Arriving into the city pretty late - we made the most of the $5 Steak deal & headed to bed, we spent the next few days chilling, shopping & getting over a cold. Headed out to check out some local bands one night, only to find the soul source of entertainment in the citie's so called live music district was a drag act trying to play a guitar!
From Brisy we headed to Surfer's Paradise - we had only one night to expereience the party hub of the Gold Coast & boy did we. After a brief trip to the beach for a swim & sunbathe - we got all dolled up in our new custom made Byron Baywatch tees (yes we're that tacky) & headed to the Hard Rock to line our stomachs. We then hit the Liquor store & 2 litres of vodka, hours of indoor ball games & photo shoots later the 4 of us headed out. After several bad stops, mainly involving jemma being refused admission because she couldn't stand up straight - we got picked up by street touts with offers of free drinks to go to Melbas - so considering our budget we abliged - enjoyed our free drinks, met a special someone - ahh Francois, & headed to the main strip. We danced until pretty late, well early & then following a somewhat traumatic toilet overflow incident decided to call it a night, however en route to the hostel, we stumbled across a group of buskers whom we sat & sang with in a shop doorway for about an hour. Noticing Freya was missing (clearly less appreciative of our new found friends) we headed back, found her safely in bed, so the 3 of us, convinced of sudden sobriety, headed back to the club we had just left - totally worth it as Jemma somehow spotted a $50 note on the floor which means our awesome night out was, even after expenses, quite a little earner! The night finished having to prise Corinne from the dancing stage & Jem from the chocolate machine, I on the other hand was quite happy to be finally going to bed at 5.30am!
After an unsuccessful check out (i left half my clothes in the hostel & Corinne had her beloved didgeridoo stolen from the luggage room ), we got ready to board the bus to Byron Bay, we made a short but valuable stop at the apparent location of Harold's original demise in Neighbour's (you know where he falls off a cliff & Madge finds his glasses in a rock pool) & then an even better second stop in Nimbin! The hippie centre of Australia, Nimbin is deservedly famed for being the only practically legal location to smoke, sell & bake Marijuana. The whole town is painted with rainbows & alcohol has very little place, therefore smoking bars are the norm. The town's museum is full of probably the friendliest people in oz, & they serve the most potent but equally foul tasting cookies! Back on the bus, paranoid & eager not to be subjected to one of the rare roadside checks we headed on to Byron.
Arriving in the pouring rain, we managed to sneak 4 of us into the last bed in town - a double room at a beachside hostel. The next day we moved up town to Holiday Village & spent the next few days, sunbathing, bodyboarding & watching mens volleyball tournaments on the beach. On the first night we had our first sober experience of the town's backpacker bar, 'Cheeky Monkeys', it was concerning! The tables double as dance stages & quite frankly it's tack city, however as we later found out when you're as intoxicated as all the other tragic girls gyrating in everyones faces, its actually quite fun! On our second night out, Cheeky Monkeys was closed so several bottles of Passion Pop, bags of Goon & games of ring of fire later - we headed down to the beachfront hotel, however it would appear Ring of Fire is Corinne's weakness & the night ended peeling her off of the pavement and wheeling her home in a shopping trolley! Fairly drunk ourselves - we inevitably spent the whole time making "she's trollied!" jokes - inexcusible!
No lesson learnt, the next night basically started with the same ritual (homemade nachos, i.e. doritos with melted cheese on & round 2 of Ring of Fire, i.e. humiliating ourselves in front of other backpackers!). Unable to get ourselves on the next bus, this would be mine & Jem's last night with Freya & Corinne for a while so naturally we said goodbye in style. I don't really remember much about this one, so I think its best to leave it there!
After an emotioal farewell - waving hankies on the roadside, we spent our extra couple of days checking out the Byron Bay lighthouse & Australia's most easterly point & watching movies, then moved on to surf camp. Despite best efforts & 7 hours in the water - my improvement was limited, Jem was much better & we both loved it. I got smacked in the face more times than I caught waves & I still have scars from the board rash, the waves are unrelenting & it feels like you've had a beating but man it is so much fun & the guys at Mojo Surf were narley dude, topped off by songs by the campfire & a couple of bottles of wine! After a farewell streak from the guys - we headed inland to Barrington, an isolated farm in the mountains & home of night white water rafting. After a brief training sesh in daylight, we made a good effort at the all you can eat pizza buffet & then got kitted out with wetsuits, individual inflatable kayaks & helmet complete with headtorch. We headed down to the river in the pitch black & after being assured only 1 in 100 people fall out, we set off, and as expected at the first rapid, i hit a rock , flipped out & floated off into the darkness. It was all Jemmas fault!
The trip despite being completely terrifying was great fun & apart from my initial hiccup & jem getting stuck on every rock in the river, it was great fun & the waiting hot tub was the perfect ending! After drying off - we spent the night celebrating the hostel's birthday party with too much punch and a monster cake fight! A fantastic way to spend our last night on the Oz bus! By this time we were getting really excited about our return to Sydney & as we pulled up at city hall - we literally ran to the hotel in the knowledge that Dad was waiting for us!
During our second 'holiday' during our travels, we stayed for 2 weeks in the rather posh Sheraton in Darling Harbour in Sydney, we enjoyed our time just chilling out at the bars around Circular Quay, outside the Opera House & shopping in the city. We ate at some lovely restaurants & visited Manley & Bondi for sunbathing, swimming & frisbee. After meeting back up with Freya & Corinne, we headed out on what will now inevitably be known as the cat face night, the 4 of us plus Dan persuaded Dad to stay out for 'a few' and roped him into playing ring of fire in our favourite bar, Pier 26, and several rounds later, Dad headed back through the city & hotel lobby with a cute little black nose & whiskers drawn onto his face! Brilliant - the remaining 5 of us did not peak so early & with similarly illustrated faces we moved on in the hope of a late one, only to find that all the bars were shut & after catching last orders at one & being very dissapointed we were delighted to hear of a 24 hour pub across the bridge!! Several hours, threats to be removed & tragic flirting by Freya later we headed back to the hotel, cracked open the bubbly & collapsed at various locations between our 2 rooms - enough said!
Other highlights of the 2 weeks included the Sydney Aquarium, climbing the harbour bridge, which was scary but awesome, and a trip into the Blue Mountains, where we had a second attempt at throwing boomerangs, saw some magnificent views of the 3 sisters & rode down to the valley in a gondola & back up on the steepest railway in the world! We also had our first go at deep sea fishing, we all caught at least one, most of which were the size of a hand, Dan of course caught a monster. Me & Jem rocked out at the Rolling Stones gig at the Telstra stadium - awesome! We enjoyed a great view eating dinner from the revolving restaurant in the skytower one evening & of course spent many days planning & preparing for the wedding. Dad & Sarah got married on a beautiful sunny day in the botanical gardens overlooking the Harbour Bridge & Opera House, after the ceremony we strolled around the gardens drinking far too much champagne & taking photos & then had the amazing reception meal in the Hyatt on the Rocks. After 2 weeks of luxury, they flew back to England & we flew down to Melbourne,
After exploring the city centre & having some great nights out, including Jems 23rd birthday which we spent at the zoo (awesome!) & the Hard Rock Cafe, we headed out of town to St Kilda for THE ultimate aussie night out - yes Neighbours Night!!!
After queueing outside with masses of other tragic brits we bundled inside took a seat, got a drink or 3 & awaited the arrival of the *stars*! Steph Scully, Toadie & Dr Karl Kennedy - who grabbed Jemma as he entered & hugged her in front of the hundreds of other screaming fans - I think this may have been her best moment to date! We got thoroughly intoxicated, had a hug & a photo with everyone & then rocked out to the Docs band, *The Waiting Room* - fantastic. Gripped with Neighbours fever, the next day we headed to Ramsay Street - oh yes (well its actually called Pinoak court - sorry to destroy the dream)! But its the real thing, we also stopped at Erinsborough High & watched classic episodes on our special Neighbours tour bus, we even hung outside the studios in the hope of a glimpse of Paul Robinson but no such luck!
After a truly cultural couple of days we decided to rent a car and head down the Great Ocean Road to check out some of Australias best scenery. After a bumpy start, i.e. Jemma having trouble with *sensitive* brakes, I took the driving seat & we headed off to Torquay, surf central & stage for the current Bells Beach Ripcurl Pro, we caught the semi-finals & watched top guys Bruce Irons & Taylor Knox battle out & champion Kelly Slater surf his way to the final. After a spot of shopping, we got back on the road, and spent the day following the stunning coastal track to Lorne, stopping to see wild koalas & Kangaroos living on a golf course and various lighthouses & waterfalls along the cape. Arriving late and in the rain we decided it too chilly to sleep in the car & checked into the yha & set off early the next morning on the long drive through Apollo Bay to Port Campbell. This section of the road was absolutey beautiful, winding along the beach front at the foot of the cliffs, we stopped at every opportunity to take photos & after a comedic confrontation with a middle aged frenchman ('ey you look like sheet you girls') we checked out various tracks around the Mossman Gorge. Finally reaching the 12 Apostles as the rain & wind set in, we took a short look & decided it best to head back in the morning. Good decision, the next day the sun was well & truly shining & we spent a couple of hours admiring the scenery & desperately trying to find someone to take a half decent photo of us. (Our logic was to ask someone with a good camera as they should have some clue as to how to take a photo - not true!) The drive back to Melbourne today was a very long one - despite taking the shortcut inland through Geelong, apart from a couple of stops for food & cds, it was a straight 6 hour slog back to the city. After another few good nights out in St Kilda & some illegal driving maneuveurs trying to return the car to the rental centre, we headed back to the city centre, lost all of our valuables on a city tour (Jemma!) but luckily some lovely person handed them in at the film museum for us, just hours before we caught the 12 hour overnight bus back to Sydney.
We spent our last day in Oz heading out to Palm Beach (aka Summer Bay to Home & Away fans) & had an icecream at the surf club!!! A perfect end to a great couple of months, here's to New Zealand............
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