Magnetic Island

Firstly, I need to apologise for the lack of blog posts in the past month or so. I have actually been home since 15th June and kept on meaning to update this but it's been one of those "I'll do it tomorrow" jobs.

Magnetic Island is an island just off from Townsville, only accessible via ferry. It's predominately made up of National Park yet there's a lot of resorts on the island too. Before heading over I stayed a night in Townsville. For anyone considering visiting; DON'T BOTHER! There's literally nothing to do, the hostel I stayed at was full of people who didn't speak and the owners were miserable as hell. I went for a walk down the front and it was full of joggers, proof that there's nothing else to do as they spend all their time doing exercise!
The ferry over to Maggie took about half an hour and on my first day I went to Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary and got to hold a Koala! The pictures are terrible but oh well. I also got to hold a baby crocodile, feed a Cockatoo and feed some Parakeets. The latter were actually pretty vicious and I ended up with scratches all over my arms. After quite a busy day I tried to get an early night. Not that I got much sleep as my room mates decided to have a big argument that started at midnight and seemed to last forever. I stayed at the Base hostel (again) which had horrible rooms which were effectively cabins. There were cobwebs everywhere, the beds were horrible and old and there was a severe problem with ants. The actual location was lovely and the bar area was great it was just let down by the rooms. However the second day a big group of us went for a walk in the National park in the North of the Island and on our way back we stopped off and fed some wild rock wallabies. It was a beautiful day and the rock wallabies were adorable; they were really curious and one of them even had a joey! That night was Ladies Night at the bar and some of the guys really got into it - I now have a rip in one of my dresses after I let one of them borrow it!
I didn't really spend long on Maggie, I'd love to go back and explore it properly! There's so much I didn't get to see or do; you can hire scooters or open top Barbie cars and explore the Island which would have been really fun.
Maggie was my penultimate stop and next was on to Cairns!
xxx

Airlie Beach and The Whitsundays

We got into airlie Beach at 7am but couldn't actually check into the hostel until 2pm. The only logical thing to do was obviously get a Maccies breakfast. As I was eating my hash brown a kookaburra swooped down and tried to snatch it out of my hand so that woke us all up. They are the cheekiest birds I've ever come across! After showering the rest of the day was spent trying to sort out the Whitsunday trips and our general lives. We had a BBQ on the beach that night too which also included some delicious barbequed king prawns. The BBQ was right on the beach and this one ended in fewer injuries than the last one which is always good!
The next morning I had to be at the marina for an 8am departure. Our boat was called Broomstick and there were 11 of us on the trip, plus the Skipper and 2 of his helpers. We were very lucky with the weather as it was sunny for the majority. There were some grey clouds on the first evening and second morning and it was quite windy sometimes but other than that it was great - I even got a bit of a tan/sunburn!!! We did some sailing and went snorkelling on the lower reef. The water wasn't perfectly clear as there had been rain the past few days but it was still amazing. Some of the coral and colourful fish were just like you see in brochures. We had to wear very unflattering stinger suits though just to be on the safe side. We also spent some time on a small sand island that is underwater during high astronomical tides.  We then sailed into a sheltered area and put the anchor down for the night. It was a clear night so the stars looked absolutely beautiful as there was literally no light pollution, we literally spent about an hour wrapped up in our blankets staring up at them. We also got to see the southern cross.
The next day was spent on Whitehaven Beach, then second most photographed place in Australia. It was absolutely stunning and the water was crystal clear. Some of us donned the stinger suits and had a swim with some sting rays. Theres a really nice walk through some rainforest to get to the beach too. After lunch we got to do a spot more snorkelling and I saw so much more this time. Some of the natural colours there really are fascinating, I saw a fluorescent purple fish and a few with zebra stripes. The afternoon was spent with the sails up heading back to Airlie Beach.
The Whitsundays are absolutely incredible and if you get the chance to do it, definitely go for it!
Xxx

Agnes Water

I only spent one night in Agnes Water and from what i saw that felt like enough. Agnes Water is twinned with a town 5km up the road called 1770 which apparently is basically a marina. Having said this I actually had a really good time whilst there. There was a group of 4 of us and the first night the guys cooked us 2 girls dinner which was the cutest thing. The night was spent playing drinking games just for a change. We stayed at a hostel called Cool Bananas which was run by some of the craziest Australians, the owner was OCD when it came to cleanliness. This did lead to one of the cleanest kitchens we'd seen but he'd scream at you if things weren't washed up as soon as they'd finished being used. He also had a little sidekick, nicknamed Gollum as they shared a striking resemblance, who'd patrol everywhere on a skateboard carrying out his bosses work. Having said this he was pretty friendly and said goodbye to everyone individually when we left.
On our second day, after taking advantage of free WiFi me and one of the guys went for a leisurely stroll on the beach. The beach was sheltered and was surrounded by big rocks. After about 20 minutes we realised that the tide was coming in and thought we'd walk over the rocks as there must be a path further along the beach. There wasn't. Or at least there might have been but the tide had come too far in to get around a rock that jutted out. Our only option was up what can only be described as a cliff edge. Adam is much taller than me and has longer legs and he went up the way with lots of big rocks but I had to find another way as my legs were too short to get from rock to rock. So, my way involved going through undergrowth and pulling myself up on some very unstable branches. I slipped on one rock that went tumbling down but luckily my other foot was on a steady rock. After almost stepping on a toad I emerged from the top a sweaty mess yet with a feeling of accomplishment. After lunch the four of us went on a trip to Scooteroo, which gives you a chance to ride a modified Harley Davidson scooter kitted up in helmets,leather jackets and fake tattoos. It took me a while to get the hang of the scooter but after going through a muddy puddle too fast it all clicked into place. You have to ride single file with a leader at the front, a van at the back and several other bikers driving along the line to check everyone's okay. I started off right near the back but after the first stop I politely asked if I could move and ended up leading the pack. It was so much fun and has made me want to start proper motorbike lessons when I get home. On the drive we saw loads of wold kangaroos and watched the sunset over a harbour. Apparently, from the back I looked like a mean biker with my brown curly hair blowing out from underneath my flaming helmet. I think people half expected me to have a big bushy biker beard when they saw my face.
After getting back we watched The Inbetweeners movie before catching the overnight bus to Airline Beach.
Xxx

Fraser Island

Fraser Island has definitely been a highlight of the trip up to now. Its the largest sand island in the world and requires a 4WD to get around as sand is pretty difficult to drive on.
It was an early start from Rainbow Beach which is the nearest town to the island, we were picked up at 7:45am and it was a 10 minute ferry ride to the island. We had a nice drive down the beach and stopped off for coffee and muffins on the way to Lake Mackenzie. This was our first stop where we met up with the other people on our three day tour. Lake Mackenzie was beautiful; surrounded by white sand that's so fine it doubled as an exfoliator. The water was pretty chilly but it was a nice way to meet others on the trip. We had to walk a bit to reach a deserted beach that involved walking on an under water bridge in waist deep water.  After lunch we did a few walks through some beautiful rainforests, past some beautiful creeks and between some of the tallest trees I've seen. We ended the day watching the sunset over the beach. We were staying in a resort that reminded me a bit of Centreparcs and the trip was fully catered which certainly was a luxury! The evening was spent eating too much pizza and pasta finishing it off with cocktail jugs.
Our second day on the island started with a nice big cooked breakfast. We ended up having to walk 3km to Eli Creek as the rocks were too large for the bus to get over and the sea was very rough at high tide. It was fun clambering over rocks but on our travels we spotted an empty rental car that had obviously got stuck in the sand. Overnight the tide caught it and smashed it into the rocks so it was absolutely pummelled. Luckily no body was in it! It was a nice walk down the beach and Eli Creek was stunning with beautifully clear water. On route to lunch we stopped at the Pinnacles Coloured Sands which weren't too thrilling actually but the mythology behind them was quite interesting. There was a pretty hefty fine if you tried to bottle some of the sand to take home with you too. With our full stomachs we climbed Indian Head and got some spectacular views. It was a difficult climb actually as a lot of the rocks were unsteady but it was all part of the fun. For some unknown reason I absolutely love climbing up and over rocks. We then went for a nice relax in The Champagne Pools which is a natural rock pool and they say that when the waves come over the rocks it sounds like the fizz from champagne. On our way back to the resort we stopped off for a generic photo of the Maheno wreck but the second everyone was on the bus the heavens opened so a few of us got a photo then ran back on the bus. Dinner was a buffet of Chinese and Indian food washed down with beer and card games.
Our last day was spent walking and swimming. Our first stop was to Lake Birrabeen. We had two stand up paddle boards so a good hour was spent with 6 of us jumping between these 2 boards and pushing each other off. After a delicious buffet lunch at a different resort we headed off on a 2.5km walk to Lake Wabby. It was a gorgeous walk through a rain forest and over sand blows. Some people carried the paddle boards out here too. It started to rain but we were already in the water so it didn't really make much difference. On our walk back to the bus it started lashing it down again so that wasn't pleasant. We did spot two dingoes on our drive back though!
I had so much fun on Fraser Island and would definitely recommend any one doing it. The resort we stayed in was nice and the tour guides were great too (especially as they kept buying jugs of beer!). We definitely timed it right too as the weather has seriously gone downhill. Hopefully it gets it all out of the way soon as I desperately need to tan!
The night we got back, a group of about 16 of us had a BBQ on the beach with lots of goon which turned out to be a cracking night!
Xxx

Noosa

Unfortunately when I was in Noosa the weather for the majority of the duration wasn't great. The first night was spent playing drinking games in the hostel room. I also gained a goon injury by losing my balance and falling down some stone steps. The next day started off a bit overcast but a group of us thought we'd go for a walk down to the beach. I was incredibly sensible and went out wearing a T-shirt and leggings. Alas, the heavens opened and we all got absolutely drenched. The beach still looked pretty in the rain though. My last day was gloriously sunny so a few of us went for a walk in the national park which was absolutely stunning. The colour of the water literally looked like photo shopped pictures you'd get for postcards.
One area of the park is called Hells Gates which was high above sea level with unstable cliff edges. We spotted a turtle swimming about the rocks which was awesome. I really want to snorkel with turtles while I'm out here.
One of the paths leads you onto a beach that takes about 10 minutes to walk up. Just as we reached the path leading into the forest we noticed that the few people near us on the beach were naked. It became apparent that we'd accidentally stumbled across a nudist beach. This was made even more awkward by the fact the nudists were both old men. One of which was obviously a regular visitor as he had a wonderful overall tan; not many peoples bum cheeks are the same colour as their arms!

Brisbane

Unfortunately I had to leave Byron Bay as I had a trip to Australia Zoo on the Saturday. A word of advice to everyone; DO NOT BOOK DAY TRIPS THROUGH STA UK! They said that there would be other travellers and its a fairly big trip. This is not true, after having to walk 20 minutes to a pick up point at a fancy hotel it turned out I was the youngest person on the bus by about 5 decades. I was also the only one actually going to the zoo. Moral of the story - STA are liars. Anyway, regardless of looking like a billy no mates and having the ask the awkward "Excuse me can you please take a picture of me and the kangaroo", I had a pretty good day. The zoo is actually smaller than I imagined and there is a huuuge focus on crocodiles which is understandable as its Steve Irwin's zoo. There is a new Africa exhibition that has opened and the keepers brought some Cheetahs out for everyone to see. There was a really impressive South East Asia area which was home to some Elephants which could be hand fed by visitors and an excellent tiger show. The keepers had made some toys for the tigers and would throw them out into the water so the tigers would lunge after them and make a massive splash.
Brisbane has a south bank and a wheel just like London except this south bank also has a man made lagoon. We timed it right and managed to catch a really cool market with some fantastic jewellery and I bought some hippy pants which are the comfiest things ever!  One of the girls from Byron caught up with me which was lovely. We had a bit of an explore around the botanic gardens and then caught a free ferry down the river at sunset. The city looks gorgeous at dusk. The last day was spent trying to educate ourselves in the Museum of Brisbane. We also walked up to Fortitude Valley which was pretty disappointing as it was basically just cafés and shops.
Overall, Brisbane's quite nice. It'd be a cool place to live if you worked but I definitely think I prefer Sydney!
Xxx

Byron Bay

I was so sad to leave Sydney for Byron Bay, especially as it was a 13 hour bus journey! I spent longer than expected there too. Its a stereotypical hippy town and what's great is that it isn't too touristy. Everyone's so chilled out and theres such a nice feel to the place. I don't usually write about the hostels, but I stayed somewhere called The Arts Factory, about a 10 minute walk from the centre. It was such a cool hostel and did the BEST breakfasts. There were lizards relaxing by the pool and hammocks hanging up next to a swamp. If you had a sleeping bag you had the option of staying in a teepee too! Byron itself is tiny but there's plenty to do as there's shops everywhere, fantastic beaches and some lovely walks. There was a gorgeous walk up to the lighthouse at Cape Byron but I never got round to that. There are loads of cheap eateries and some pretty cool places for nights out.
I had a go at surfing which is definitely a must do! We only had a few hours but I managed to stand up on the board a few times. Hopefully I'll be able to get some practice up the east coast!
The day after I went on a day trip to Nimbin which was pretty cool. Nimbin is tiny; literally a street and is famous for marijuana. It grows naturally in the area and there's a museum pretty much dedicated to the weed culture. It was a really interesting museum and is full of random artefacts and paintings. The second I stepped off the bus there was a man trying to sell "cookies" and the residents are constantly trying to get weed legalised.
The music is so good in Byron too, we went to a place called The Junction a few times which had live music and reggae playing. The bar next to the hostel was awesome, it was called The Buddha Bar and had some amazing decoration including a smiling, golden, flying Buddha above the dance floor. There was a talent show there one night and everyone was literally blown away by this amazing beat boxer.
I made some really cool friends at the hostel too so hopefully we'll meet up along the East Coast. I already know that I want to come back in the future, possibly with a working visa.
Xxx

SYDNEY!

Ive been in Sydney for 6 days and I absolutely love it! Its so chilled out and there's such a wide range of stuff to do. Its pretty easy to navigate you're way round too which is a bonus for someone with a sense if direction like mine.
I got here quite late in the evening on 7th and had a bit of a wander but not much else. The next day was a trip to the blue mountains, which are about an hour outside sydney. They're called the Blue Mountains cos of a blue like haze that hovers over the mountains (which are 10 times older than the Grand Canyon - fun fact #1!). We went to somewhere called Scenic World and the railway there had the steepest incline in the world - fun fact #2! There was a nice walk through a forest and we got some spectacular views of the Three Sisters. That night I had a night out with some people from the trip.
The following day the hostel organised a free BBQ and a walk between Bondi Beach and Bronte Beach which was a lovely day. The weather was fantastic and it was a great way to meet people. This was also where I discovered Goon, which is a really cheap wine sort of thing and it is pretty lethal. We went out again that night too. We went to The Ivy as that night was free entry and it was one of the prettiest bars I've been to. Afterwards we went to an Irish Bar called Scruffy Murphys which I would definitely reccomend. There was a live band playing decent songs and it was cool to mix with the locals too. The next morning I woke up and thought I was dying; the goon is definitely to blame! We all freshened up and forced ourselves out for a walk around Circular Quay to see the Harbour Bridge and Opera House. Afterwards we walked through the botanic Gardens which are stunning and then sunbathed next to the most amazing view of the Bridge and Opera House. That night also involved goon and going out but I didn't last too long. My room mate entered a jelly wrestling competition which was pretty funny.
I also got to meet up with a friend I'd made in New Zealand and we unintentionally got to see The Rocks and some less touristy places after we'd got lost. I also went to Paddy Markets which were awesome; think Camden but a bit smaller. That night we went to go and watch some fireworks over the harbour and they were actually really good fireworks. Afterwards we went to a cute little roof top bar.
I've spent my last day relaxing at Darling Harbour which is absolutely stunning on a day like today. It was 23° and the sun was shining. I could definitely get used to it here.
And now for fun fact #3 - at every McDonalds you can get a cone of ice cream for 30 cents!
Tonight I'm off on a night bus to Byron Bay so that's saved on accommodation but other than that I've not got anything planned. As great as the Kiwi Experience was I definitely think I prefer the independence over here.

A chilled out few days and a dramatic bus journey

I've spent the last few days staying with some friends in Opunake which is in the Taranaki region. Its been a lovely relaxed few days and a nice end to my New Zealand trip. After getting picked up at the bus stop I got taken to a little museum all about the introduction of the Europeans to this area of New Zealand. It was really interesting actually and included a little water boat ride which sailed through scenes made up of plastic people. Think Madame Tussauds but Maori.
I can't begin to explain how nice it was to actually be in a home with a room to myself with access to proper showers and towels. After a delicious tea of lamb chops and roast veg we settled down to watch Life of Pi on a big projector screen. That night was probably the best nights sleep I've had in a month! The house was incredible too, as I kept on telling them, it was wonderfully laid out, brightly coloured and the kitchen just about had everything you could dream of. The next day we drove to New Plymouth as the weather was terrible and did a bit of shopping.
Today I've got an 8 hour bus journey back to Auckland and its been pretty eventful. Firstly, the driver wouldn't let me put my backpack with all the others as they were 'busy' but the bus was only half full. After I'd taken my seat at the back as this was the only place with enough room for everything I was carrying, a lady goes "you're in for a rough ride; he's a maniac". He'd apparently already hit part of a building. All in all he was a very risky, speedy driver and his gear changes were sloppy. Some ladies on the bus got that worked up with his driving they called the police, which I thought was pretty unnecessary. They could just have asked him to calm it down a bit but they wanted a different driver. An hour after phoning, the police eventually pulled the bus over and it was clear they thought this was a waste of time too. The police officer asked if anyone was unhappy with the bus driver and about half the bus raised their hands. She then asked if anyone was that unhappy they wanted to get off the bus, none of the ladies who'd complained actually left. The police had a word with the driver as there was nothing else they could really do. If anything, phoning the police was counter productive as the driver had to go faster to make up for lost time.
Anyway, its my last night in NZ and I'm pretty sad to leave as I've had such a great time. On the other hand I'm looking forward to a new adventure in Australia! I cant believe I'm half way through this trip down under already
Xxx

Christchurch and Kaikoura

From Queenstown it was a 9 hour journey to Christchurch which wasn't ideal and when we got there it was freezing cold so no one was in a particularly good mood. Christchurch seems to be dominated by roadworks and other building developments which is understandable. In February 2011 the very centre of Christchurch got the full brunt of an earthquake. It hit around lunch time so understandably a lot of damage was done. As ignorant as this sounds I was expecting more to have been done in 2 and a half years. Apparently it will take 10 to 15 years to complete all the work. Like I said we arrived late afternoon and went for a walk and into the Red Zone, most of the shops and cafes have been set up in shipping containers which make it look quite cute. The problem was everywhere was deserted and/or closed. So overall I wasn't impresses with Christchurch but I wasnt there long enough to make a proper judgement. I met someone who had been couch surfing there and he'd had a great time, there were bars in old school buses!
My throat had been a bit scratchy for a day or two and when I woke up to leave for Kaikoura I had developed a full blown cold so I haven't really been up to much. Kaikoura itself is a really cute little town and some of the stops we did along the way would have been nice to stay for a few days. There is an abundance of wildlife in Kaikoura and we stopped at a seal colony and got within a metre of some so that was pretty cool. There are loads of other activities to do like Whale Watching, Dolphin Swimming and Swimming with seals. I really wanted to do Dolphin Swimming but deemed it daft with my current state of health. However, the people that did do it said it was incredible as they were wild dolphins so hopefully I'll get to do something similar in Australia. You could also go Cray fishing which sounded awesome as for $80 you got to catch your own crayfish (or a few of youre lucky) and loads of other seafood and then cook it all. Given the price of a whole Cray fish can be as high as $90 this was a bargain.
We went out to a pub quiz that night and I sampled some of the local mussels that were quite nice but didn't stay out too long as I started to feel worse.
The next day I literally felt like I was dying so slept the majority of the journey back up to Wellington which totalled another 9 hours including a ferry crossing.
I'm spending my last few days in the Taranaki area visiting some old friends we used to know in Saudi Arabia so that should be a nice few days of nostalgia. I also need to get some nights accommodation booked for Sydney as I'll be there in 4 days.
In totally unrelated news, I finally confirmed university choices so in September I will be an Adult Nursing student at Kings College London. Its pretty exciting and I've already started planning all the stuff I'm going to need to buy. Aaaand if any of my friends are reading this I'm expecting you all to come visit as it'd be a relatively cheap holiday!
Xxx

Milford Sound

On pur last day in Queenstown Laura, Hollie and myself took a day trip to Milford Sound with Juicy Tours. It was a looong trip, working out at 13 hours arriving back to the hostel at 9pm.
There were several stops along the way for photo opportunities and toilet breaks. The drive to Milford had some gorgeous scenery and Milford itself was beautiful too. The cruise took an hour and a half, on the way we stopped at a seal colony but they weren't particularly interesting as they were too busy catching the rays. The boat also went right up close to a waterfall where me and Laura thought itd be hilarious to stay out on deck and get sprayed. It wasn't as funny as we thought it would be!
Its difficult to explain what it was like so I shall show you through the medium of photographs.....