Coogee Beach

Friday 30th December 2011

After a slow start in the morning, we headed to Wicked to book our Great Ocean Road trip, woo hoo! So, we pick the campervan up on Tuesday morning and off we go.  A lad in the hostel is also joining us which is great as reduces the cost even more, bonus!

We then headed over to Coogee beach for the afternoon and more sunbathing :-) Coogee was really pretty - yet another lovely view for Ruthy!

I met up with Claire and Rachel (from Cairns) in the evening.  We went to Darling Harbour and had a wander round and indulged in a glass of real wine!

The harbour looked so pretty at night and it was great to catch up with the girls.  That will be the last time I see them now, which feels very strange and made me think that as of next week I will be saying bye to all my Australia friends :( I haven't managed to see Sofia again, but I know I will be heading over to Sweden for my next holiday!!

Whilst I was out, the girls back at the hostel had been out and bought picnic things for tomorrow - New Years Eve!!!

I have changed my plans slightly with regards to tomorrow nights events.  My original plans were to go to Bondi beach where Calvin Harris and Snoop Dog would be playing - sounds amazing I know but I just felt that I couldn't miss the fireworks on the Harbour, who knows if I would ever be able to see them again....?!

So, I managed to sell my ticket (which is a bonus and will help towards my Great Ocean Road trip) and I am heading to Bradfield Park with Jo, Amy, Danielle and Chelle where we plan to set up camp from about 10am and sit and wait for the fireworks - I am very very excited and pleased I changed my plans!

I cannot believe it is New Years Eve tomorrow and that I will be seeing 2012 in sitting at Sydney Harbour - amazing!!

Cruising round Sydney Harbour - day and night

Thursday 29th December 2011

It is Danielle's birthday today and we are all going on a dinner cruise around the Harbour - slighly posh for backpackers!

Before heading onto the cruise I popped into Wicked Travel Agent to try and sort out the Great Ocean Road trip with Jo and Amy.  And it looks like it is going to happen and cost less than thought.  The plan is to pick up a campervan from Sydney, then drive it to Melbourne.  We will then spend three days doing the Great Ocean Road.  I then need to get on the Greyhound back to Sydney so I can get my flight to New Zealand on the 7th January, eeeek! Very excited about next week and then heading to New Zealand!

The crusie was so lovely, however we had a minor issue getting there as the taxi man managed to take us to the wrong side of Darling Harbour! So we had to run round the whole of the Harbour in less than 10 mins to catch the ferry, a little stressful but bit of exercise at least ;-)

There was an all you can eat buffet, and it was soooooo good! You could spot the backpacker table a mile off, we definately got our monies worth - none of us needed to eat a thing for the rest of the day!!

It was a really lovely day! Sun shining and I don't think I will ever get bored of looking at Sydney Harbour!  The girls are great fun and I feel very lucky (once again!) to have met them!

I met up with an old high school friend in the evening.  Not seen him for over 12 years so was really nice to catch up.  I met him at the Opera Bar which had such amazing views of the Opera House and Bridge at night.  We also went to a couple of bars in The Rocks, which is an area that has some of Sydney's oldest buildings, one of which was Sydney's oldest pub! Would have been rude not to go in there!!  We were joined by a couple of random Scottish lads who were great fun and continued to offer to buy us free drinks!!!

Was a very good night and lovely to go to normal bars instead of being surrounded by backpackers, plus even better when I don't have to spend lots of money, hehe!!

Manly Beach

Wednesday 28th December 2011

Pretty quiet day today. The weather was really lush so we got up relatively early and headed to Manly Beach.  We had to get a ferry to Manly which was a great way to see the whole Harbour and what else Sydney has to offer.

We just spent the whole day sunbathing and chilling out.  We planned to have a night in with Chelle and Danielle (two other girls who are staying at Base Hostel) and we made Mushroom Risotto!!!

This might sound a little sad, but only cost us $5 each and it was such a good meal :-) and such a treat from trying to make noodles as exciting as possible....!!

I am still loving really loving Sydney and feeling very chilled out right now!

Chilled day by Darling Harbour

Tuesday 27th December 2011

Woke up to pretty dull weather this morning.  We had planned to visit Manly Beach but it was actually too cold to sit on a beach…….!!! So we just went exploring the city and chilled out around Darling Harbour for a bit.

We were all pretty knackered after last night’s girlie fun, so was really nice to just have a chill out day and enjoy our surroundings.

To keep the cheap and not spending theme going, we took a little pack lunch and the sun shone for us so we could sit out and enjoy!

Rest of the day was trying to sort out how feasible the Great Ocean Road trip will be! I have got to find out if I can move my flight to New Zealand.  Fingers crossed as would love to do that trip with the girls.

Hopefully the sun will shine for us tomorrow so we can hit Manly and catch some more rays J

Boxing Day - Oz Bootcamp

I had the best night sleep I have had the whole time I have been in Australia so woke up feeling pretty refreshed today!

Jo and I are desperate to do some exercise so before breakfast we head out to Hyde Park and we do some of my bootcamp exercises – loving it! The plan is to now do this every morning whilst in Sydney, get me in shape for New Zealand.

The rest of the day is just spent chilling out, Mcd’s free WiFi over a coffee and then back to do some backpacker cooking – brown rice and veg!!

We had a girl’s night out tonight! Met up with another girl from Fraser Island trip and Steph came to play too.  We cracked open the goon as we have to go out, disco dance and not spend a penny whilst doing it……

Tomorrow I need to sort my trips out.  I really want to the climb over Harbour Bridge and possibly do the Blue Mountains.  I also need to head to the beaches so hopefully the sun will continue to shine.   Jo, Amy and I have been talking about renting a campervan next week and doing the Great Ocean Road together before I fly to New Zealand which would be so amazing!

I am loving that I have a whole week to enjoy Sydney, it’s such a fab city!

Christmas Day - and I am in Sydney!!

I wake up fairly early and again it feels strange it is Christmas morning….. But thanks to my lovely family and friends I have a selection of little presents and cards to open.  Mum had bought me a blow up snowman which was definitely going to be spending the day with us and coming to the beach!

We were picked up at 12noon by the shuttle bus and off we go to Bondi beach!  We go grab our free BBQ dinner and stock up on cheap drinks and just lie in the sun.  A few DJ’s start playing and by 3pm we are up and dancing our socks off!

After having our fill we go grab some sangria (Christmas treat!) and then head to the beach to sunbathe.  The weather has been so amazing today, really hot and perfect to help top the tan up!!

It soon gets to 8pm so we head back and meet up with a few others and go sit in Hyde Park and enjoy our surroundings!  There are possums all over Hyde Park, funny little creatures, still getting used to the Oz wildlife!!

When back I skype Mum, Dad and Auntie Joan and then Stephen, Jeni, Ben and Charlie!! It was sooooooo lovely to see them all and wish them Merry Christmas! Slightly jealous that I wasn’t indulging in Mum’s Christmas dinner!!

I have had such a fab Christmas and so happy I have spent it with Jo and Amy.  The day has been none stop laughing and with some serious dancing taking place!!

I cannot believe I have spent Christmas Day on Bondi, be hard to top this!

Merry Christmas J

Christmas Eve

After a chilled day yesterday Jo, Amy and I were up early and met for breakfast.  This felt like such a treat being able to just relax and have a bowl of cereal without it costing me $5!

We then headed out to the Botanic Gardens to meet up with Sarah (Bryon friend) and Hannah for a picnic in the glorious sunshine.  The weather was absolutely boiling today and apparently the hottest it has been in Sydney for some time.

We then went on a FREE walking tour around the city.  The guide was a young lad who had set up the tours with his girlfriend so they could show their city off to new visitors and backpackers!!  It was about 3 hours and he took us all round the major points of the city and providing us with plenty of history.

The most exciting part was when I got my first glimpse of the Opera House and Harbour Bridge!!! Amazing views and once again made me appreciate my little adventure so much more – I am just loving it J

Sydney is a really great city, it is so clean with plenty of beautiful spots – Hyde Park, Botanic Gardens, Harbour and some very impressive buildings.  It is similar to London but a lot calmer to walk around.

After the tour had finished we raced round the shops to find a santa hat to wear tomorrow – at home they would be on every street corner, but here, it was a challenge!

I then went out and met Steph (Jenna’s friend) and went to a party at her friends flat.  It was really lovely to see Steph, a familiar face and someone from back home who is also having all the same feelings as me, so was nice to catch up and swap stories.

After few drinks in the flat headed out into Sydney for a bit and then home! Still so strange it is Christmas Day tomorrow, but very excited I am off to Bondi beach to celebrate it!!

SYDNEY BABY!!

Friday 23^rd December 2011

After an epic journey with about an hours sleep in total the whole way! (Glad that was my last one!) I get to Sydney about 8am, feeling very tired but also ridiculously excited I have arrived here!!! As we drove in I saw the Harbour Bridge, and I just couldn’t believe I was here J

I joined up with the Essex girls (Jo and Amy) as we are all in the same hostel and we go get checked in.  And in typical Ruth style, I have managed to book myself in the “upgrade room” hehe! Booked this back in August and I had no idea.  It is girls only and called The Sanctuary.  I get clean towels every day and complimentary toiletries, love it! The girls were laughing at me and suggested I go in their room, but it was so peaceful and spacious I decided to stay where I was as I am here 10 nights so really want to start getting some sleep in! Plus I get nice clean white fluffy towels every day!!

We have a quick wander around, but the three of us are like zombies so we just spend rest of the day chilling in the dorm and having a mini beauty session ready for Christmas! Jo also fills me in on New Zealand and they went before they came to Oz, so I am now armed and getting excited about my next adventure!!

It is lovely being with Jo and Amy and we have joined forces on the shopping front so I have stocked up on cheap food so I can cook something every night now that I am based somewhere for  longer than two days.

I also skype Mum, Dad and Auntie Joan for the first time since I have been out here.  It is Little Dot’s birthday so I was really pleased I got to wish her a happy birthday!! It was really lovely to see them and I will miss them on Christmas day and little dots cooking!

So, Christmas Eve tomorrow and I still don’t feel festive! Tomorrows plan is to meet a few of the other girls in the Botanical Gardens for a picnic and then we are going on a FREE walking tour (3.5hrs) around Sydney.  I thought this would enable us to get our bearings as I really don’t want to miss anything!!!

I also want to book on a couple of trips - Blue Mountains and climb the Harbour Bridge!

We have booked to go to Bondi Beach on Christmas Day.  There is a BBQ and little music festival, so should be good fun.  We are going to purchase some Christmas bits from the dollar shop, and we plan to do a secret santa so we all have something little to open in the morning.  Getting me more in the festive spirit....!

But, Christmas Day in Sydney and on Bondi Beach – festive enough for me!!

Byron Bay

Wednesday 21^st and Thursday 22^nd December 2011

The hostel at Bryon is yet again another beauty!  It is called Aquarius.  Sarah has also joined me in this hostel which is nice as always good to know someone when entering these crazy places!!

Our dorm is so strange.  It is all wooden with an upstairs to it… The plus point is there are no bunk beds which, to be honest is quite refreshing as gets annoying, especially if sharing with someone you don’t know.  This place is a Motel rather than a hostel and has a number of girls who are living there so their stuff is just everywhere, such a random place!

Anyway, after a late night disco dancing I wake up to pouring rain so just have a chilled morning, lie in which is nice as I am still lacking in sleep and yet to actually sleep for more than five hours…

Once it stops raining, we then head out to meet Sarah’s friend who tells us there is a nice coastal walk to the lighthouse.

Took us a good couple of hours with some really lovely views!  I was very happy to be doing some exercise to be honest, def missing my regime, hehe J

The weather stayed dry for us the whole way and once we got to the top the view was yet another amazing one.   We also we saw five dolphins swimming and jumping in the sea – very exciting as this was my first dolphin spot all trip!!

As we head back the heavens open and we get absolutely soaked.  But to be fair it is still really warm, nothing like rain in Manchester!

Once back, had a free meal at the hostel, get ready, drank some goon (money is tight, desperate times for me now!!) and head out to the infamous Cheeky Monkies for some more disco dancing!! A carnage place, but good fun all the same!

Thursday morning we have to check out by 10am.  The sun is shining so Sarah and I head out, pop to use some free WiFi then just head to the beach.

Bryon Bay is a really fun and pretty place.  It is also very hippy and relaxed and it just reminded me of Glastonbury but in a town form and with a beach!! Could just see Heather and I walking around here in our wellies J

Had a lovely day just sitting in the sun, enjoyed exploring the area and watching the hippies!!  We then head back to the hostel, get another free dinner (the most important part!) and get ready to get on the Greyhound overnight bus to SYDNEY!!! Just a 14hr journey but it is taking me to Sydney and I am sooooooo excited to finally get there!!

Surfers Paradise

Monday 19^th and Tuesday 20^th December 2011

Left Noosa (and Sofia) on Monday morning and made my way to Surfers Paradise.  These next few days were planned to be on my own but during the break at Brisbane on the coach journey down I met up with one of the girls from the Fraser Island camping trip, Sarah, and she decided to join me and come to Surfers!

We check in yet another nasty hostel mid-afternoon and then spend the rest of the day just wandering around, walk to the beach etc.

First impressions of this place were not particularly great, and I was a bit sorry for leaving lovely, chic Noosa and Flashpackers!!  We had a mooch, grabbed some food and sat and chilled in a bar on the beach front.  The beach actually looked better as the sun set!

We then just headed back to our horrible room and watched a film.  The weather had been a bit off again today so I was really hoping for a lovely sunny day tomorrow so all we had to do was sunbathe and chill out!!

Checked out by 10am on Tuesday morning and the sun is shining.  So we just head to the beach and lie in the sun for most of the day.  Surfers had some pretty good shops so we had a little wander before catching the Greyhound at 5pm to Bryon Bay.

Bryon Bay is only a couple of hours away and as I am now moving into New South Wales the time jumps forward an hour so bus ride even quicker than expected – always a bonus!

There is a group of the Fraser Island peeps all at Bryon so as soon as checked in, quick freshen up and head out to meet everyone for some well-deserved disco dancing!!

From what I can see of Bryon so far I am liking very much J

CRIKEY - Australia Zoo!!!

Sunday 18th December 2011

I was very excited about this trip, not only because it is such a famous Zoo but I was desperate to cuddle a Koala!

After our FREE breakfast at Flashpackers (I love this place!) we set off at 8:30am and it was quite cloudy so perfect weather for walking around a Zoo as not sunbathing weather!  It took about an hour to get there but we went through some lovely towns and got to see all the mansions that sit on the riverside in Noosa - I can dream...!

The Zoo is 100-acres, so there is a lot of Zoo and animals for us to cover! We saw numerous Crocodiles, Kangaroos and Koalas.  We watched an animal show in the Crocoseum, stroked a snake, talked to a parrot and most importantly I got to have a cuddle with a Koala!

The Zoo is pretty amazing and I was so happy that I got the chance to visit it.  Sofia and I had such a fun day and spent a small fortune as we got consumed for the love of the Zoo, Steve and the animals - all worth it tho!

After a long day walking around it is only natural that we feel we need to treat ourselves! So when we get back to Noosa we spot a deal of nachos and margaritas in a lovely bar, to good to refuse.  Plus we manage to convince ourselves it is worth it as we are parting ways in the morning :(  I really like Noosa and it is a shame I have to leave as would like to just chill out here for a week, or maybe even live here.....!! ;-)

The evening was spent abusing the free WiFi and chilling out in our lovely hostel.

Tomorrow morning I am heading to Surfers Paradise for one night and then to Bryon Bay before I reach Sydney on the 23rd! It still doesn't feel like Christmas, I am in my own little Oz world here and I kinda like it!!

FLASHPACKERS in Noosa - yeah baby!!!

Saturday 17^th December 2011

Up early again for a (free) pancake breakfast! Yes, I am eating so yes the pounds will be pilling on which concerns me a little…… Wish I hadn’t ditched my running trainers in Dubai now L

Anyway…….. we are on the bus and reach Noosa at 11:30am and checked in to our lovely FLASHPACKER Hostel by 12noon.  And honestly, I think this actually might be the most excited I have been all trip, hehe! This place is so lovely – free wifi, free breakfast, lovely settings, clean kitchen, only 4 to a room and…… TWO PILLOWS, amazing!! It really is a nice place, wish they were all like this J

Anyway, after checking in Sofia and I decide to book to go visit Australia Zoo which is Steve Irwins place. We are going tomorrow for the day and I am really looking forward to it, especially the cuddling and feeding Koalas J

We then head down (in the free shuttle bus provided) to the main beach.  Check out the lush shops en route, which I have to remind myself that I am a backpacker and this is not a shopping trip! And we just go sit and chill on another lovely beach.  Noosa is a really lovely place, lots of money and nice big houses and restaurants.  Shame I am a backpacker here as could quite easily have a nice weeks holiday lounging around!

Today I have really been thinking how lucky I am to be doing this trip – every day I get to visit a new and beautiful beach, see some amazing views and meet new people on the way.  There is a lot of thinking going on full stop, but today I felt especially lucky to be doing this!

So, after some skin frying, we hit the super market for 50cent noodles and tinned vegetables for our dinner, cheap as chips! And Sofia and I are very proud of ourselves for making such a “backpackers” lunch – however, now at Flashpackers, people were looking at us funny for making such a cheap dinner whilst they are cooking curries and spaghetti bol…

This evening is a chilled one as up at 7am again tomorrow to go to the Zoo (yipeee!) – so washing Fraser Island out of our clothes and backpacks and hitting the free Wi-Fi all night, exciting times I know!

Fraser Island

Wednesday 14^th December 2011 – Friday 16^th December

Up for a pancake breakfast at 7am and assigned to our vehicle – we are packed with enough food and booze to get us through the next three days, along with all our camping equipment.

Sofia and I are put in a group with three German lads and two Canadian girls (again, I am the oldest by 9 years, eeeek!!!!!!!) .  We are in the car with the tag driver which means none of us are driving but to be honest it was more fun having an experienced driver as he was much faster , knew the route like the back of his hand but also meant we had our very own tour guide! There were then another three cars full following us.  So 24 of us hit Fraser Island.

The next three days were basically just spent touring the island, visiting some beautiful fresh water lakes, a ship wreck and beaches along with attempting to survive living on a beach! And when I say survive, I really mean survive!!! No toilet and when you have to pop off to find a toilet you are confronted my dingos, Sofia proved to not be a very good look out for me!!

It was a really fun trip and was spent with a great group of people.  I have now met three more lovely girls (two from Essex and one from Edinburgh) who I am going to catch up with again in Byron and Sydney.

Once back, showered and fed and watered had a few drinks at the hostel and then had to get packed again so ready for the bus picking Sofia and I up in the morning to head to Noosa and check in at FLASHPACKERS, yay!!

Rainbow Beach

Tuesday 13^th December 2011

Rainbow Beach

After a very long bus journey (I have to say I am very grateful for my ear phones from Stephen, they are an absolute dream and my best present ever.  Block out ALL sound, amazing!) we got to Rainbow Beach about 10am.

Once checked in Sofia and I headed down to Rainbow Beach for a chill out and sunbath. It get's it's name due to the different minerals in the sand that create it to have various colours, creates a very beautiful beach!

Saw my first Oz lifeguards today which was quite exciting - it feels very “Australian” here! First sighting of the lifeguards but also crazy names such as Bruce High Way and Tin Can Bay, hehe!  We thought we would try save some money by cooking.  However this didn’t quite turn out as cheap as we thought, but we had a nice salad all the same and the rest of the backpackers in the kitchen were all very impressed with our dinner! I really need to start getting on the packet $1 noodles….

We had to attend a briefing before we headed out to Fraser Island.  After the guide had put the fear of god into us – aggressive dingos, people dying in the sea, falling off cliffs etc –  we were put into groups for the trip.  We basically go out in 4x4’s and drive across the beach and through the dirt tracks of Fraser Island to check out what it has to offer! Everyone can have a go at driving but I haven’t brought my license out with me so I missed out there!! Anyway, then it was an early night and make the most out of a real bed.  Although, this hostel is pretty nasty L I am looking forward to checking into Flashpackers in Noosa after this trip, will be a nice treat!

Thanks McD's for the free wifi..!

Monday 12^th December 2011

Today was spent doing some washing after the sailing trip and then heading to McDonalds to use their free WiFi for as long as possible.  Turns out you can sit there with an empty coffee cup of coffee for quite some time.

The weather was bit hit and miss today so a good day for catching up with the online world!

We met up with Claire and Rachel for a coffee and a goodbye as I won’t be seeing them now until Sydney.

Our bus to Rainbow Beach was supposed to arrive at 7pm.  It didn’t show until 9pm and we had the joy of a 14hr journey ahead of us!! Good time to catch up on some sleep I guess.

When we arrive got a day at Rainbow Beach and civilisation before we head off camping on Fraser Island for the next three days.

Whitsunday Islands

Saturday 10^th and Sunday 11^th December  2011

We set sail at 9am on Saturday on a lovely Catamaran, we are heading for the Whitsunday Islands.  Sofia and I had booked a little late so our boat wasn’t exactly the “party boat” but it was a lovely boat and the sun was shining so suited me just fine!

To be completely honest, the start of this trip wasn’t anything amazing.  I think I got spoilt sailing in the Caribbean with Debbie in April so the start of this trip was just OK.  We got off to snorkel which again, compared to the Great Barrier Reef was a bit disappointing.

We then had some pretty bad weather so the evening was spent inside the cabin, when it did finally stop raining we headed on deck for a bit (with two very American boys, just not got the same sense of humour!) and were lucky enough to see a lunar eclipse, so that was pretty cool.

Up and sailing by 6:30am we hit White Haven Beach.  As soon as I saw this idyllic beach it did make this sailing trip very worthwhile.

The sand consists of 98% pure silica which gives it a bright white colour.  It is also supposed to remove hard skin off your feet, great for exfoliating yourself in and also cleans your bling up and whitens your teeth, what more could you possible want from sand..!!

The water was so clear and there were plenty of stingrays and tiger sharks swimming literally around your feet! A little scary but also pretty amazing.

After a million photos and sunbathing we then headed off to another snorkelling point.  Sofia and I, thinking that we are now expert snorkelers, headed off to check out some more coral but we both got cramp and had a very funny experience trying to save each other, which resulted in the guides on the boat having to come rescue us!! Made us chuckle for the rest of the day.

We hit land about 4pm and met up with everyone later for a couple of free beers, always good!

This was a lovely trip, not my best but White Haven definitely made up for it.  The boat, crew and food were all pretty good!  I now know I need to stock up on free food so help save my pennies.

Tomorrow we are getting the bus to Rainbow Beach where we are then going on a camping trip to Fraser Island.  Sofia has never camped before, so should be interesting…!

Airlie Beach

Friday 9th December 2011

Had a nice chilled start to the day - have been named a 'Flashpacker' from a couple of Oz lads last night, as apparently I am not quite as slumming it as everyone else, haha!! But I am slumming it by my standards! I am trying........!!

However, this was proved correct when Sofia and I went for a cappucino and rasin toast in a rather nice cafe for breakfast.....!! We are a bad influence on each other! Guess I am supposed to be living off pot noodles and goon for the rest of my trip, just not sure I have it in me!

But, it is very expensive here, so I do need to really watch my money as it soon disappears.

Anyway, after a lovely 5* breakfast, the rest of the day was spend chilling by yet another lagoon.  Really pretty surroundings and the UK girls (Clare and Rachel) met us.  After a hard day sunbathing we had my first Oz BBQ which was great, and we were very good only spending $5 each on food..... hmmmm!!

Back to do some laundry, again an interesting experience, and then bed as up at 7am to catch our boat for the Whitsundays trip, yippeee!!

Chilling, Planning and my first long coach trip!

Wednesday 7th and Thursday 8th December 2011

Wednesday mainly consisted of catching up on some sleep and Sofia and I getting our arses into gear and planning our route down south.....

Gilligans Hostel has its own travel agent so we spent a good couple of hours booking our Whitsunday sailing trip and Fraser Island.  The boat we had wanted to go on was fully booked so we had to go on a slightly more expensive one, which to be fair suited me as a much nicer boat! This trip is a two day one night stay where we sail round some pretty amazing islands. We also booked Fraser Island, which consists of a two night camping trip on a beach, should be interesting.

We had hoped we could get on the overnight bus on Thurs but as this was full we had to book on the day bus which means Thursday will be spent travelling down to Airlie Beach.

I then planned the rest of my journey so I land in Sydney on the 23rd - so the plan of action is:
Airlie Beach
Whitsunday Islands
Fraser Island
Noosa
Surfers Paradise
Bryon Bay
Sydney

I am staying with Sofia until Noosa then we part ways and aim to meet up in Sydney again.

The rest of this afternoon was spent at the Lagoon in Cairns, you can't swim in the sea so they have, what basically is, a large outdoor swimming pool! So we just sat and subathed, first time I have done this! The Christmas decs are up everywhere (looking bit hot and bothered in pic!) and it is so weird to see a Christmas tree up in the sunshine!

We then met up with a the UK girls and went out for a few drinks with the crew from our Great Barrier Reef Trip.  Experienced my first Goon drink, which is what backpackers drink, its awful!!

Thursday had a pretty rough start as hungover from horrible Goon and had to be on the bus at 7am to take us to Airlie beach - just a 14hr journey!!

So, not much to report this day as just slept on the bus! Checked into Nomads Hostel in Airlie which turns out to be a pretty nice hostel (well as hostels go!).  We popped out for a walk and couple of beers then bed early.

Tomorrow should be nice as we are having a chilled day in Airlie beach and the UK girls arrive in the morning.

Cape Tribulation

Tuesday 6th December 2011

Another 7am start today! We were picked up from the hostel and driven north.  First stop was at Daintree Village where we grabbed some breakfast and then were taken out on a Crocadile Cruise in search of some crocks... Not one showed it's face, very dissappointing! Although after hearing many horror stories and how they eat dogs like McDonald's burgers, maybe not so dissappointing, haha!

After that we piled back on the bus and drove up to the Rainforest - we drove on the coastal route so the scenerary was pretty amazing and helped with the long drive.  We could get out a couple of times to take some pics and were told to keep our eye out for a Cassowary (google it!!) they just roam around and are very scary looking birds!

Once at the rainforest we were guided through and given the history on everything, which was very interesting and the views were really spectacular! I was scared of putting my arms out as spiders and alsorts dangling from everywhere, haha!  It was soooooo humid, but not complaining, loving the weather!

Before we stopped for lunch we headed to the beach (didn't go in because of jelly fish and croc warning!) but the beach was gorgeous, so just sat and chilled for a bit! After lunch we then headed south - stopped off for some rainforest Ice Cream, Daintree Wild Zoo where we finally got to see a croc and a number of Wallaby's and a Kangaroo, yay!!! And then the last stop, the best bit as so hot, we stopped at Mossman Gorge.  A fresh water pool and went for a swim :-)

Once back, quick change and we all headed out to the craziness that is Gilligans bar!

I can't believe I have only been here two days! What I have done so far has been pretty amazing and I still have sooooo much more to see and do, loving it :-)

Having a chilled day tomorrow, check Cairns out, sunbath and plan rest of my route to Sydney!

s

Great Barrier Reef

Monday 5th December 2011

My first trip of my little adventure - off to see the Great Barrier Reef! (I haven't got a pic right now as I am waiting for the ones off the girls as they had waterproof cameras, will update when I get it)

We set off at 7am (I am still lacking sleep.....!) and went off with Tusa Dive company who took us out for the day.  The weather was amazing and my pale skin needed lots of suncream!

My new friend, Sofia and I met up with three other girls on the boat, all from UK and ended up spending rest of the day with them.

We listened to a dive intro talk and were told we could try it out for free if we wanted, so thought now would be the ideal opportunity for me to have a go.  For those that know me really well would know that putting me in a snorkle and scuba suit and jumping off the back of the boat was already quite challenging for me, so you can imagine what I was like attempting to dive........!!! Needless to say it didn't go to plan and I came back up pretty much straight away, haha!! Still, I had a go :-( my instructor was a scouse, maybe that had something to do with it!!

The snorklling was AMAZING though, the water was perfect and saw loads of fab little fishes and even a reef shark!

Once back we all went for dinner and the two new girls and making plans to head to the Whitsunday's with them on Thursday!! Exciting!

Tomorrow, off to Cape Tribulation to explore the worlds oldest rainforest....

It's a long way to Oz.....

Saturday 3rd and Sunday 4th December 2011

Well all day Saturday and Sunday was spent either sat in an airport or in the sky! I know this pic isn't great but considering I was in the air for the most of two days thought this was a nice shot.  I fell asleep as soon as I got on my Cairns flight but briefly woke as we flew over the gold cost :-)

I was travelling for over 28 hrs from Dubai, but I made it safe and sound and in one piece!!

Got on my bus to Gilligans (my first hostel) and I could of cried when I was en route and also when I checked in.  Mainly due to nerves and being way over tired...! But once in my room and greeted by three very hot, Swedish girls (guys would be very jealous, haha!) who were very friendly, everything seemed to be OK.

Went for dinner and booked the next two days tours with one of the girls - Great Barrier Reef and Cape Tribulation (oldest rainforest in the world!) So, I am now very excited for this little adventure of mine :)

Oh, and it is BOILING here, totally forgot it was Decemeber, yeah baby!!

Rugby 7's

Friday 2nd December 2001

Had another great day in Dubai! Laura took me on a little drive round in a very fancy car, got to see the worlds tallest building amongst all the other bonkers buildings they have out there!!! It was also National Day in Dubai, celebrating their 40 year anniversary.  I feel very lucky to be in Dubai for such great occasions!

We then hit the Rugby 7's and had fun time watching the rugby, singing and drinking plenty of beer and watched an awesome band! Then hit the Irish Village for bit of disco dancing as my last night in Dubai.  Such a great place, and as said before, it is bonkers! The scale of everything is just crazy, but can see how it is such an easy place to live....

Before I left Laura insisted I ditch some items to reduce the weight of my backpack!! So all that's done and now next stop Australia....

Good Morning Dubai

This is my view this morning!! I am very lucky to be starting my trip off in such fab surroundings!!! Met up with friends who are doing a great job of looking after me and have planned two great days of fun!

My flight on the way over was smooth, cried a fair bit but my new sunglasses helped with the tears! I made a friend (little old lady) en route who was lovely company and calmed me down.  Helped the time pass too as we shared 3 G&T's....!!!

So far, couldn't of asked for a better start to my adventure!!!!!