Town of 1770

Town of 1770 is the only place in the world with a number for its name. Captain Cook named it when he landed there to stop for supplies in 1770. The best thing you can do there is Scooterooing. The Scooter Roo company are based in Agnes Water and have lots of scooter bikes done out like chopper motorbikes, but are just twist and go. We did a massive ride-out, about 60 bikes and spotted kangaroos, stopping for potato wedges in 1770. It was great fun and I really enjoyed being on a bike again, although with a top speed of 55 miles per hour it was a little tame.

Fraser Island

The Fraser Island trip was brilliant. Fraser Island is the largest sand island in the world. The highest sand dunes on the island reach up to 240m above sea level, and it is the only place in the world where tall rainforests are found growing on sand dunes at elevations of over 200 metres. The island has over 320 species of birds and the dingo population is the purest strain remaining in Eastern Australia.
We went for 3 days and 2 nights camping. There were three 4 wheel drive vehicles and we had a guide driving the lead car and then everyone took it turns to drive the 2 vehicles following. There were 23 of us in total so it was a tight squeeze in the cars. After sorting out our camping gear, we caught the ferry to Fraser Island. The island is very beautiful, the roads are sand tracks which can be very soft and difficult to drive on. On each side of the road there are tall rainforest trees. We took a walk in the forest and drank water from a creek which was so pure because the water is filtered by the sand. We then drove to Lake Wabby which is at the bottom of a massive sand blow (A very steep sandhill). We sunbathed and swam in the lake. We then drove along the beach for a good hour to reach the Maheno ship wreck, which is rusting away on the shore. After that we headed to camp for a BBQ and campfire, and of course, lots of goon!
On our second day I had the pleasure of driving the jeep for about an hour, along some of the sand track roads, it was great fun, a bit like driving in snow, it was a blast! We went to the west coast of the island where we could swim in the sea, as on the east coast, where we are caming, the sea is full of sharks and rip tides, so very dangerous. In the afternoon we drove back to the east coast and went to the Champagne pools, so called because the pools are cut off from the sea by rocks, and the waves come crashing over, wiping you out, good fun! We then walked up to Indian Head, a great lookout from which we could spot dolphins, turtles and mantarays, so cool!
We got up early the next morning to watch the sunrise, so beautiful. We packed up our camping gear and headed off to the beach to do a creek walk. The water is crystal clear, about knee height. We then headed to Lake Birrabeen for lunch, swimming and sunbathing. The sand is white silcone, really bright and the water is so clear. Early afternoon, we headed back to catch the ferry to the mainland. A really great trip and a fun group of people. We all met up back at the hostel in the evening for drinking games and then nightclubbing, a great time!

Noosa to Rainbow Beach

I met up with Gabriela again in Noosa and we went to Australia Zoo. Australia zoo was started by the Irwin family in 1970 so they were celebrating 40 years. The zoo is now on a 70 acre site with over 1,000 animals. There were wombats, kangaroos, koalas, birds, dingos, elephants, tigers, turtles, snakes, tasmanian devils and of course, lots of crocs! We fed the elephants, patted the koalas, and watched the Wildlife Warriors show in the Crocoseum. A great day out.
Next stop Rainbow Beach. The first day we spent at the beach and counted the 74 colours of sand that can be found there. It's a very beautiful beach and the first one we have come across which can be driven on in 4x4's. We went sea kayaking to see dolphins and after about an hour of looking, we spotted some quite close to our kayak, fantastic!

Flaxton

After Brisbane, Gabriela and I split up for a while as I met my friend Jenny in Mooloolabah to stay with her for a few days. She lives in Flaxton, near Montville, on the Sunshine Coast, which is about 30 minutes inland in the hinterlands. (the hills).
Kondalilla falls are just down the road from her house so we took a walk there, how great having a national park at the end of your road. We visited a lookout where you could see the Glasshouse Mountains in the distance, and then we drove to Montville which is small touristy town with lots of art and crafts shops and wandered around.
The next day we went to Eumondi market, a mix of australian and lots of countries food, clothes and crafts. In the afternoon we drove to Caloundra on the coast, which is really nice and took a walk by the beach.
It was really nice to stay at Jen's for a few days, it was peaceful and relaxing after the noisy hostels and shared dorms I have been used to. On the last night we lit the log fire, and had a glass of wine, which was really nice and cosy.
The next day I took the bus from Mooloolabah to Noosa.

Brisbane

Next stop Brisbane. It has a similar feel to it as Sydney except on a smaller scale. It has some strange architecture though, old cathedrals against a backdrop of glass skyscraper office buildings. We walked along the promenade next to the river to Chinatown, the promenade has lots of posh bars, cafes and restaurants which being poor backpackers we just glanced in the windows wistfully...
We visited Lone Pine Koala sanctuary the following day just a 45 minute bus ride out of Brisbane. They had lots of koalas as you would expect but also kangaroos, crocodiles, and wombats. We were able to feed the kangaroos as they roamed around their enclosure, they took the pellets right out of your hand. I had my photo taken cuddling a koala which was great, they have such soft fur, and are so cute. I'm bringing one home as a pet!

Coffs Harbour to Byron Bay

I left Sydney on the Oz Experience Bus, which will take me all the way to Cairns and I can hop on/hop off for however long I want on the way. I met Gabriela from Holland on the bus and we are travelling up the coast in the same time frame so have decided to travel together which is good. First stop Coffs Harbour, a really nice small town with a lovely beach. We walked along Coffs Creek walk, the jetty, Mutton Bird Island, and then round the Botanical Gardens, not on such a big scale as Sydney but still really nice.
We had a surf lesson at Spot X surf camp. I found it really difficult to stand up and don't think it will be a hobby I will be pursuing.

After two days, we then moved on to Byron Bay. Byron Bay is a great beach town with beautiful white sandy beaches, my days are spent sunbathing at the beach and walking along the coastal paths. There is a path to the lighthouse, which is at the most easterly point of Australia. We spotted whales from there, which are currently migrating south back to Antartica, we were so lucky.

After a really restful 12 days in Byron Bay we were ready to move on to Brisbane.

Sydney, Australia

Arriving in Sydney after leaving Bangkok was a shock, the cold weather for one but also that the culture is so similar to England. Suddenly everything is expensive and I am walking around shocked at the price of things, thinking I'm not paying that!
I ventured on my own walking tour of Sydney armed with a map. It's a great place, lots to see and do, and easy to find your way around on foot. The Opera House is stunning, so spectacular. The Harbour bridge is pretty impressive too. The Rocks area is the oldest part of Sydney with steep cobbled streets, nice to wander about. Darling Harbour had a boat show on and I wandered around deciding which yacht to buy.
The National Maritime Museum was interesting and afterwards I strolled round the Royal Botanic Gardens which are beautiful.
I took a bus tour out of Sydney to the Blue Mountains, so called because of the blue hue of the trees. It was so cold, but the viewpoints were spectacular, reminding me of the Grand Canyon a little. I walked down into the valley which had waterfalls and forest, very beautiful. I took the Scenic railway back to the top, which is the steepest incline railway in the world. It was a great ride, sooo steep!
I took the train from Kings Cross to Bondi Beach. I walked along the coast from Bondi Beach to Coogee Beach passing through a lot of beautiful beaches on the way. The sun came out, the beaches were lovely, so clean, it was a great walk, and I even spotted a school of dolphins swimming near the surfers. Sydney is great but a few days in the big city is enough for me, looking forward to travelling up the coast to warmer climes.