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So this is our last blog post on our east coast trip, don't worry I'll keep you all updated on our next venture but it won't be half as exciting. We can't believe it's all coming to an end, it has been the most incredible 6 weeks and over 11 since we left home! This is our last night in a hostel (thank goodness) and then a long 17 hour bus ride down to Sydney tomorrow night! We are very lucky to be staying with my gorgeous friend Emma and so grateful to not be spending another night in a hostel! But first i'll update you all on our last 10 days or so of our trip.
The morning of my birthday we went for a lovely breakfast and Max surprised me with a gorgeous necklace from Tiffany which I mentioned I liked months ago and I was so impressed that not only did he remember but he managed to keep it from me the whole time we've been away (deffintly earned some boyfriend points)! Then we spent the rest of the day on a bus/boat travelling to Magnetic Island, which was totally worth it when we arrived and saw how beautiful it was there. It was a LONG day and when we arrived we decided to rent a car to get around the Island, I was SO excited when I saw the topless barbie cars and decided as it was my birthday we HAD to have one, so off we went in our pink barbie car! It was quite lucky we did get one as the island was pretty spread out and had only one bus which didn't run to frequently. When we arrived at our hostel we were pretty shocked to find it was like a resort and was one of the nicest placed we stayed on our trip, we'd heard how nice it was from people we'd met and were told how nice the sea view chalets were… and lucky for us we had our very own waterfront room! We have some pictures but it really doesn't do it justice, it was gorgeous! After driving around the Island we went out for a meal which was really lovely as it wasn't a $10 backpacker dinner and it was such a treat! There wasn't many restaurants on the Island and it was so expensive so we chose a little place which had a really random menu but it was still lovely and I was even allowed a desert! We decided after that to call it a night as there isn't much else to do on the Island and we were both knackered from the previous night and then travelling all day but I still had such a special birthday and was totally spoilt by Max, so I won't be forgetting this birthday thats for sure!
The next morning we woke up fairly early and met with Niamh and Gavin to explore the Island! We rented some stinger suits and flippers and packed our snorkels then set off in our Barbie cars! First we went to an off road beach where we had to walk through a swamp to get to which was totally gross and really freaked me out, I was convinced there was something lurking around! It was lovely when we got there though and we were all so eager to get in the water but it was a bit disappointing as the visibility wasn't good so we didn't see much. We did see a sting ray though which was pretty cool and made it worth while. After that we went onto anther snorkelling spot but Niamh and I deiced to let the boys test the water first and see if it was worth while as putting on a wet stinger suit is a nightmare and fortunately we didn't as they saw nothing and said it wasn't worth going in! Then it was onto the best spot of the day, LUNCH. I wish, lunch was a bit naff we got some sandwiches from a bakery which was bloody expensive and not particularly nice but it did the job and off we went again. Then we headed to Picnic bay which is a 'short' walk up to a gorgeous view point, it wasn't a short walk at all and we saw a snake about half way up which totally traumatised me and I couldn't wait to get back to the hostel. That was our only full day on the Island so that night we had dinner at the hostel and a few drinks before heading to bed ready to travel up to Cairns the following day.
We arrived in Cairns around 6pm the following day after leaving the hostel at 10am, only to be dropped off outside Nando's and we knew straight away we'd like it here! We headed to our hostel which was about 5k out of town and decided to just chill there that night, we were pretty disappointed with the location as it was kind of in the middle of nowhere and the shuttle bus wasn't particularly good and always packed. Fortunately we had only booked in here for 3 nights and had lots planned so it wasn't too bad. Our first day we woke up pretty early had some breakfast and waited patiently for the shuttle bus only to find out it only runs every two hours and had an hour to wait so walked into town to find this Nando's! It was only a 5k walk but it was so hot and seemed like it was never ending so we were so pleased when we arrived and had an early lunch before looking around the town! Cairns is a pretty small city and is most famous for its great barrier reef trips but it was lovely and we'd go back again! It doesn't have a beach so they've got a man made lagoon which is really cool, especially as it's so hot there 27 degrees upwards and it's still winter here! We spent the afternoon wandering around and then booked ourselves into a different hostel for our last day days and booked flights down to Brisbane as we decided it was time to settle down and start earning some much needed money! Then it was another early night as we had to be up at 6am the following day for our great barrier reef trip!
This was something we'd both been so looking forward to and is a must do when you come here! We were up so early only to get to the reef terminal and wait for about an hour but we meet up with Kim who was also on our boat and sorted out an underwater camera for the day so we could get some pics! The boat we were on was really good, they didn't stop feeding us and there were so many activities we didn't stop all day! We had signed up for a scuba dive and were the first off the boat into the water, I was still really nervous but was much better doing my skills than last time and before I knew it my jacket was deflated and we were going down. Neither of us enjoyed this dive as much as Thailand and we didn't see half as much as we thought we would but it's still incredible that we had the opportunity to dive at the Great Barrier Reef and we'll never forget that day! Max took the camera and got some good pics which we'll post online when we get the opportunity. Once we'd dived they had a glass bottom boat which took you around the reef and had a guide to give us some information about the reef, it's history and what to expect in the future. It's likely that by 2050 over half of the reef will no longer be there! It was good to actually learn about reef and understand how fragile and rare it really is so we appreciated it more when we got back into the water. Of course within about 30 seconds of being back on the boat Max wanted to get into the water again so off we went, Max was really keen to free dive so I took charge of the camera and off he went (I got some amazing pictures of him) and I was very jealous I wish I could do that! He was going down to the same depth as the divers I was really impressed - the little show off! Then I headed back to the boat when I could no longer feel my hands and left Max to explore by himself for the afternoon whilst i found Kim and we headed to the top deck for a sunbath (or sun burn in our case)! We saw a turtle from the boat so between us shouting as Max we caught his attention and sent him off to search for the turtle which he found and didn't leave for ages! He got some amazing pictures though, I wish I saw it whilst I was in the water! We had such a lovely day and would totally recommend the trip to anyone heading up to Cairns, although we were quite unlucky our friends who went out the following day saw loads of fish and had perfect visibility (maybe we'll have to do it again)! That night we were meeting up with some friends for some belated birthday drinks as we were finally all together in Cairns and we had such a good night! Niamh and Gavin were staying at a BYO hostel so we all headed there for some pre drinks, we got totally lost trying to find it and walked right through the ghetto of Cairns but we made it and then went into town and blagged our way into a club which was trying to charge $15 entry for $5 - wooo! Cairns is such a chilled out place and the nightlife is really good we really liked it there and were so sad when we left!
The following morning we had to be up pretty early as Max had his bungy jump, the crazy boy. I got this for him as a birthday present so he'd been looking forward to it for ages but I think the nerves kicked in that morning as he was very quiet the whole way there! We decided to pay for the picture package and I got a really good video of him jumping which is so funny to watch. I had an awful day, sick with nerves for him, hungover, sitting in the heat with my neck aching looking up at the platform 164ft up for hours waiting for him to jump, but it was totally worth it was his turn and I saw him on the platform. He was absolutely buzzing after when I finally got to saw him and we got to watch the professional video where you see him being dunked under the water its great! After this we had to head back to our hostel and get our stuff as we were checking into a new hostel for our last two nights in Cairns. When we arrived we were given vouchers for an Irish bar down the road for a $7 dinner and drink so we knew where we'd be going for dinner, I had a gorgeous Guinness and beef pie and Max had his new fave dinner chicken parmie, was one of the best meals we had for $7! That night Arsenal were playing so Max went to the pub with Kim and a few other and I used this opportunity to call my lovely best friend Holly for a proper catch up which was so lovely, even if it did make me miss her even more!! Our last day in Cairns was lovely, we had a nice lie in before meeting Kim, Niamh and Gavin for a BBQ and some drinks by the lagoon. We brought more food than we could possibly eat and Max and I treated ourselves to some kopperburgs (no more goon or vodski for us)! The boys took over and did all the cooking (and clearing up after) so we were totally pampered and had a few drinks before the police came and told us off as you're not allowed to drink in public places in Cairns - Naughty us! As it was our last night together before we went down to Cairns and everyone else went onto New Zealand we went back for some more drinks at our hostel and then to the Woolshead for a few cheap drinks and an emotional goodbye!
We woke up the following day sad to be leaving Cairns and got our first flight in 6 weeks down to Brisbane to be reunited with our favourite three Irish Boys!! It was so good to be reunited and once we got ourselves settled Trevor directed us straight to the nearest bottle shop, Max got a bottle of Captain Morgan which he had been after for weeks so that didn't last long! It was great to catch up on the last 6 weeks or so and made us miss Thailand so much more than we already do! The past few days we had concentrated on looking for jobs and arranging some flat viewing in Sydney for when we arrive and we now both have a few interviews lined up for monday and tuesday and some apartments to view so hopefully we'll be settled by the end of the week ready to earn some money! Other than that we went to wet n wild and movie world again as we'd brought yearly tickets when we were in surfers and it was only an hour from Brisbane on the train and went to the cinema to see teenage ninja mutant turtles again which was just as good the second time! But it has been great to stay in one place for a few days and catch up with boys, I am sitting in bed atm wide awake as i've slept all day after a heavy night last night! Max and I started playing drinking games on our own about 8pm before the boys joined us about half 9 and exchanged games we'd picked up on our travels! Then it was onto down under bar where we went last time we were in Brisbane totally sober! But it was a good night and we made it to bed about 4am and have literally slept all day on and off! We haven't had a lazy day like this for a while though so it was really good and went for a few drinks at the hostel next door where Max and the boys were pleased to find they were having a gentleman's night and their were topless waitresses!
I am so glad tonight is our last night in a hostel, I am wide awake at 1am as it's SO loud and after 11 weeks we are so ready to have some of our own space now! I've just been to the toilet to find someone snoring in the next cubicle! Hopefully in our next blog we can update you on our new place and jobs so keep your fingers crossed!!!
Love as always
Katie and Max
xxxxx
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