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Hey Everyone!
As our Australian adventure comes to an end we thought we'd give a brief round up of the East Coast of Australia with our thoughts, best bits and worst bits of the past six weeks, as we did with South East Asia.
Naturally Australia was going to be very different from our Asian part of the trip but we were looking forward to returning to the Western culture and felt instantly welcomed by the East Coast. Although Sophie was looking forward to Australia, she had no real expectations but was instantly surprised by Australia's landscape and beauty. We were unfortunate enough to arrive during times of flooding, bush fires and cyclones but we were lucky enough to miss every natural disaster thrown at us! It was surreal seeing some of the devastation caused to some beautiful areas that we'd not long visited but we were part of Australian history, as they received some of the worst floods since the 1970's. Our first impressions were somewhat clouded by our sheer happiness at being able to understand the world around us! It may sound like a small thing, but to hear conversations around us and to step onto public transport and understand all the announcements was very refreshing after three months in Asia. Our six week journey from Cairns to Melbourne went incredibly fast and, although we included lots into our trip, there is still lots more of Australia we left unexplored. The main activity we were sad to miss was in the Town of 1770 where you can do the Scooteroo Tour on mini Choppers but we feel lucky to have been able to do as much as we have. We took the opportunity to see Australia's best and most famous animals, despite having seen so many animals in Asia!
Our Highlights:
·Fraser Island
·Whitsunday Islands
·Great Barrier Reef Tour
·Brisbane
·Sydney
·Polperro Dolphin & Seal Tour
·Dorm Sharing & The Friends We Made
·Spot X
·Oz Experience
·The Wildlife
There wasn't a place we particularly disliked, although there were some we preferred over others. Cairns, Canberra and Magnetic Island stand out as the places we didn't fall in love with while Brisbane and Sydney stand out as the two places we really enjoyed. Every single tour we took part in was memorable and enjoyable. Our only lowlight of the whole trip was the expense, unfortunately for us the Australian Dollar exchange rate is nowhere near as strong as it has been in the past as they were one of the only countries not affected by the recession and we suffered for it! We knew to expect a shock after being in South East Asia for three months but we hadn't quite prepared ourselves for just how expensive we would find things. It must be said that, had we of been working, our wages would also have been a lot higher than England so it's all relative! As a holiday maker you wouldn't necessarily notice the difference in price from back home but as a traveller you feel the cost a bit harder. However, despite its expense, it was DEFINITELY worth every penny!
Our Top 5 Places:
·Fraser Island
·Whitehaven Beach
·Sydney
·Brisbane
·Spot X
Although we aren't sure of our future plans, neither of us would rule out a return to Australia. The weather is fantastic, the attitude is relaxed, the locals are friendly and the wages are good. If we were to return again, we'd definitely take advantage of a working visa. Doing the East Coast in six weeks didn't feel like a rush but did pass very quickly. On reflection, there are some areas we perhaps could have spent slightly less time and some where we could have spent more; flying over the floods allowed us to skip a large amount of travelling as it was quite a vast area we bypassed. We would say six weeks is enough to do the East Coast comfortably but if you wanted to venture into the 'Real Australia' whilst working your way along, then you would need longer. Now we have been to Australia, we have realised exactly how big the country is! It's quite shocking!
We've had an amazing time! Next stop: New Zealand.
Lots of love, Sophie and Kie xx
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