So I know it’s been forever since I last blogged, but I decided that I’d better get back on it before I head off in to the middle of nowhere just in case of Hostel / Wolf Creek type scenario’s!
So the last time I blogged was way back in November, and I’ve done so much since then it would be impossible to include everything in one post. I promise to try and be better at blogging from now on! But in the mean time I’ll try and catch up on some of the things I have done…
So early December Kathryn and I went up to Cairns… I don’t think I can find words to do it justice; it has to be one of the most stunning places on earth. We went snorkeling on the Great Barrier Reef; unfortunately we both had colds at the time so diving was out of the question. But to be honest the snorkeling was actually perfect because it meant Kathryn and I could swim off away from everyone else and just bob around in the quiet watching the reef go about its daily business. Strange as this may sound I felt very privileged to be sort of looking through the window as it were at this underwater world. It really was magical, the colours, the array of creatures from jelly fish to parrot fish (Kathryn’s favourite; she was swimming around stalking them for ages!) to the reef itself, it was an incredible experience. We were told that we may well see reef sharks but we didn’t, much to Kathryn’s disappointment, myself I’m not sure whether that’s a good thing or not! We packed so much in our short trip to Cairns; we also went up the Daintree rainforest, and Cape Tribulation which is a very well known spot. We kept an eye out for Crocodiles but sadly we didn’t see any, just several floating logs that looked incredibly lifelike when we were swimming in a freshwater hole in the rainforest! It was called Blue Hole… and they weren’t lying the water really was bright blue! I thought it was a beautiful temperature, so refreshing after the humidity of Cairns, but the two Aussie girls, Kathryn, and Lizzie who was so kind to let us stay with her and play tour guide, thought it was freezing. Think my kayaking back home has given me a good resistance to cold water!!! Cairns really is a beautiful spot, I’m hoping to go back there and spent a bit more time exploring and taking it all in.
Whilst I was still back in London Lynelle had told me about the sunrise views from Mount Tambourine, so she promised me a sunrise trip so we fitted it in my last couple of days in Brissy. The adventure had to commence at 0200 hours due to it being Summer and the sun getting up early! It was still dark after we arrived and found a good spot so we indulged in some Chai and Krispy Kremes whilst we waited. I don’t think I’ve ever made a conscious effort to go and watch the sun rise before, and it was absolutely stunning. The sky changed from blues and purples to reds and oranges and pinks, it was absolutely beautiful and well worth the lack of sleep! We had an awesome few days whilst Kathryn and Lynelle had a bit of time off of work, we had a bowling adventure followed by Pancake Manor; an old church converted in to a 24/7 pancake restaurant I kid you not! The seats are pews! The following day we had a Noosa trip (still my favourite place on earth!) where we lost track of time and swam for hours and hours. This was followed by Sizzlers; my favourite place to eat out here. All my favourite things in one day it was a pretty perfect day and a great way to bid Queensland farewell for a little while!
Over Christmas I went over to Western Australia, it was such a long journey to get down to Margaret River, but two planes, a bus and two coaches later my brother had a cold beer waiting for me and it was good to see the family again. I was just a little proud of myself too for having navigated my way to the other side of the country! Margaret River was pretty, but very windy! It was a shock to the system to be cold again after the Brisbane temperatures! Went with the family on a ‘Bush tucker tour’ which was being filmed for a Korean TV show, so somewhere out there there’s a Korean TV programme that we star in! My brother ate a witchety grub’s bum and seemed to think it wasn’t too bad…I stuck to the bush turkey and the assortments of berries and plants, some of which were actually really yummy! Margaret River is a big wine region so we went to lots of wineries, and I learnt how to pretend to know what I’m talking about with wine albeit I still don’t actually have a clue!
We headed back up to my brothers in Fremantle for Christmas… it was very strange putting the Christmas decorations up with the air con going full blast! Even stranger spending Christmas morning on the beach… but awesome. We had a full traditional Christmas dinner complete with Christmas pudding, most Aussie’s stick with salads which is a lot more sensible in the heat, but, my brother insisted we were traditional! We did lots of cool stuff over in W.A , wave rock was cool it’s basically a giant rock in the shape of a wave which has taken thousands of years to form that way, and made for some great cheesy photographs.
The Pinnacles are a sight to see, hundreds of vertical rocks scattered all around a big patch of desert; the aboriginals say it’s the fingers of teenagers, who were told not to go near the desert, trying to claw their way out of the sand. Scientists don’t really have a clue why they are there so I’m sticking with the aboriginal explanation! It’s a bit of a surreal and creepy kind of place so it seems fitting!
For our Christmas present my brother and sister-in-law took us on a dolphin watching trip which was spectacular, there was so many dolphins and they were not at all shy about coming close to the boat! It was fantastic to see a whole school of dolphins jumping and playing so close to us, ands what’s more the water was so clear we could even see them swimming under the water! After the dolphin trip we spent the rest of the day on Penguin Island, where we fed the wild King Skinks (big lizards) and saw lots of Penguins…yes they have Penguins in Australia! We also went on another boat trip to another close by Island to see Sea Lions!
There’s so much to include its hard putting it all in to one blog entry! We went to a wildlife park where I got to feed KANGAROO’S! I was so excited, they were super friendly and quite happy to be stroked, and they would even hold your hand whilst they were feeding out of your other hand! I would have been happy to stay there for days on end but unfortunately the keeper chucked me out, I was the last person to leave at the end of the day! We also got to get up close and personal with Koala’s and a Hairy Nosed Wombat. I love Australian wildlife!!!
One of my favourite days over in W.A was our trip to Rottnest Island which was absolutely stunning. I don’t think I’ve ever seen such white sand or such blue water. We cycled around the Island, 24km if I remember rightly? It was hard work, such hard work as there were so many hills and I’m sure each one got increasingly steeper!! But every time you made it to the top of a hill you would have these fantastic views spread out in front of you and it would spur you on to keep going. Other than a few facilities on one side of the island and the cycle track the island is mostly undeveloped, which means there is nothing to spoil the natural beauty, and I so hope they always keep it that way as it really was one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever been. The island is also home to ‘Quokka’s’ a small marsupial creature and they are so friendly and inquisitive they will come on over to say hello and see what you are up to! The island is also home to two kinds of snake… and I saw one!!! I was so excited that I did everything you should not do if you want to avoid being bitten, so instead of standing still and being quiet I jumped up and down and made a lot of noise…oops. Especially considering it turned out to be a ‘dugite’ which although a timid species they have one of the most poisonous venom's of all snakes!!! Lucky he decided not to bite the silly over excited English tourist. I think that he had a sense of humour as the spot he chose to sit at was right behind a ‘Warning, Venomous Snakes’ sign.
The last week I was in W.A they were having a heat wave with the temperatures hitting up to 43c and even 45c on one afternoon! The sun was so strong that it was genuinely uncomfortable to be in direct sunlight for very long at all. My folks and I spent the week in a villa with a pool, and we didn’t stray far from the pool at all, in fact only really as far as the BBQ!
After saying my farewells to the family I flew over to Sydney, having a fantastic flight as I flew overnight and had the entire emergency exit row to myself, so heaps of leg room PLUS room to lay down across all three seats. All flights should be that way! I was then adopted by the Veale family for a week, and had an absolutely lovely time with them. On the morning I arrived Jen took me to SUMMER BAY! They were filming at the time, so we were extra’s in the back of the shot! So look out for me!
Jen’s family took me out to show me Sydney city, which was a fantastic day. We caught a ferry in to the city, and as the ferry turns the corner in to Sydney harbour the Opera House and the Harbour Bridge suddenly appear in front of you…and it’s BREATHTAKING. It’s so strange to see something so iconic with your own eyes. I was pretty lost for words! We went for a walk up to the Opera House, and I didn’t know you can walk right up to the top and touch the sails. We had a quick look inside, we would have taken the tour but we had so much to do that will have to be on the list for next time! We took a mini train ride around their Botanical Gardens, where they had HUNDREDS of bats hanging from the trees, very random! From the Botanical Gardens you get the picture postcard perfect view of the Opera House in front of the Harbour Bridge, again breathtaking to see. Again I’m condensing such a packed day as this blog is getting pretty long, it’s kind of cool writing this all down actually and realising how much I’ve actually done! After the Opera House I was treated to lunch overlooking the harbour and then taken for a guided walk around the city by my adopted Sydney family. I swear Aussies are SO lovely. We then went up their version of centrepoint which is very different to ours! It’s almost like a big long pole with a bit stuck on the top, where you get fantastic 360o views of the city. It was a great way to see all the things we couldn’t fit in to one day, like their Hyde Park! Which is a lot smaller than our one!
The next day Rich took Jen and I on a walk up to the Home and Away lighthouse, check out the beginning of Home and Away and you will spot it. It was quite a walk, especially as were tight on time so we had to practically run up this giant hill/mini mountain. There were some fantastic views to be had though, and I was lucky enough that Rich shared some secret spots with me, where the views were incredible. It’s hard to describe check out my pictures but there is like this spit of land which has beaches on either side but is then surrounded by ocean…great views. I now call Rich monkey boy though as we did heaps of climbing up, down, over, in and round rocks and caves, I feared death on numerous occasions but thankfully Rich knew what he was doing and kept us alive, and I was proud of my war wounds so I didn’t mind! (I’ve actually ended up with a wicked scar on my shin, awesome souvenir!) We had dinner that night to celebrate Jen’s birthday at a wonderful restaurant right next to the summer bay surf club!!! I’m a geek I know…
We had a good night out in Sydney for Jen’s birthday celebrations the following day, where many pancakes were eaten, lots of new friends were made, much tequila was consumed and lots of Salsa was attempted!!! Rich took me for a tipsy late night full moon walk (whilst Jen and co were boring and got a taxi home!) and there was something very peaceful about the northern beaches of Sydney lit up by the moon and totally deserted as all the sane people were tucked up in beds at 4am. Rich took me to a look out where someone, definitely an Aussie, has carved two seats in the rock face complete with drinks holders! I had a slight disaster in that my favourite necklace decided to fall off and down a mini cliff, somehow, I’ve no idea how, Rich managed to find it! I’m indebted to him forever for that!
My last night in Sydney I met up with Rod from the stadium who happened to be in town, we had drinks at the Opera bar which is right next to the opera house and offers fantastic night time views of the harbour all lit up. Which blew my mind; I really did not want to leave! Sydney is a stunning city at night, on par with London I think, and that’s saying something!!! It was really really nice to catch up with a familiar face and accent too.
I was spoilt rotten by Jen’s family all week and I really cannot thank them enough for it, and if they’re not careful they will never get rid of their adopted English person!!!
Well this blog has gotten ridiculously long again…So I better stop now, and get to bed, as I planned to be asleep several hours ago! But I’ve covered nearly everything over the last few months, and I’ll blog again soon with all my updated Brisbane, Gold Coast and Sydney adventures!
Much love to all of you back home in the U.K I hope you haven’t frozen to death just yet. You can take some satisfaction from the fact that we are in Autumn now and you are in Spring! If any of my tame Australians are reading this… I hope you know how much I appreciate all of you guys, I have been so lucky to meet so very many wonderful people out here and I love you all dearly!
G’night! xXx
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