Byron Bay Beauty

"In the late afternoon, I stopped at a roadhouse for gas and coffee. I studied my book of maps . . . Then, having nothing better to do, I leafed through the index and amused myself, in a very low-key way, by looking for ridiculous names, of which Australia has a respectable plenitude. I am thus able to report that the following are all real places: Wee Waa, Poowons, Borrumbuttock, Suggan Buggan, Boomahnoomoonah, Waaia, Mullumbimby Ewylamartup, Jiggalong, and the supremely satisfying Tittybong."- Bill Bryson ("In a Sunburned Country") -- seemed appropriate with such a lovely view...

Camping in Lamington

So, this picture is amazing for several reasons- not only are we amazing (just kidding), but we were totally sitting on top of a huge cliff/waterfall all by ourselves. What an amazing trip!! Once again we managed to get ourselves a bit lost in the dark woods, but that's part of the adventure! Be sure to check out the beautiful mountains and waterfalls in this unforgetable park! http://lamington.nrsm.uq.edu.au/

Sydney Part 2

To this day, my now roommate and I like to talk about our "night-time hike" in the Blue Mountains, just outside Sydney. Despite the dark and the rain, my roommate, my boyfriend, an old-friend and I decided to hike the Blue Mountains in search of really the sound of waterfalls with only the light of a celluar phone- not my brightest moment. Nonetheless, we lived to tell about it and had a great time... I hear it's gorgeous during the day- check it out! :)

http://www.bluemts.com.au/

P.S. The picture was of us girls after our adventure when we were wonderfully wet and starving... I'm the awkward one in the middle

Sydney Part 1

One of the highlights of my trip was visiting Sydney, NSW. We stayed in a pretty great backpacker called Base Backpackers, which I would highly recommend. It can be loud at times, but its clean- for the most part and in a pretty good location. Some "must-dos" are seeing the Opera House (obviously) and Sydney Harbor Bridge (you can actually climb it for a fee), visiting the Rocks- my personal fav, the watch tower- go to the top and take great pictures of the city, Bondi Beach, and visiting their various markets.

Whitsundays

One must see place in Oz is the Whitsunday Islands. Located on the Great Barrier Reef, the Whitsundays are a remote and beatiful way to experience northern Queensland. In order to get out to the islands you must fly into the small Whitsunday airport. No larger that a few terminals, the bagage claim department was a truck that they dumped all the bags outside. Still, we met a nice couple from the area who were willing to drive us, complete strangers into town, saving us $20 in cab fare. The locals here were nicer than anywhere else in Australia. Once we arrived in Airlie Beach, we met up with our cruise group for a tour of the islands. There are many different boats, ours ways the Atlantic Clipper. On the tour we did some snorkelling, scuba diving, and we visited the world-famous Whitehaven Beach. The sand at Whitehaven is almost pure scilica. The beauty in the Whitsundays is overwhelming. Every vista is filled with crystal blue water and unblemished tropical forests. Because of its out-of-the way location, the Whitsundays are hidden gems in Australian tourism. Absolutely check them out. The rates are good and the experience is unbelievable.

Put another shrimp on the Barbie!

It was almost disappointing to learn that Aussies never say, "put another shrimp on the barbie!" First of all, shrimp are called prawns down under, and shrimp barbeques weren't very common. Still, there wasnt much of anything that the Aussies weren't willing to grill. In fact, every Wednesday, the whole school came out for a lunch BBQ. I'm not a voracious meat eater, but I have to say they certainly know how to work the barbie down under. It goes beyond your typical hamburgers and hotdogs to meats in shapes I couldn't identify. Still, everything that I tried was surprisingly delicious. If your in Australia, I'd encourage you to try some authentic Austalian BBQ.

Crikey!

One of the world's most famous Aussies is the late Steve Irwin aka, the Crocodile Hunter. Known for his conservation efforts, Irwin set a standard at his zoo for others to follow. The Australia Zoo was the home of the Crocodile Hunter. With flocks of amazing, exotic animals, and educational shows and tours the Australia Zoo is a fun-filled day. Learn about Australia's deadliest snakes, or reenact a Hitchcock classic at the Lorikeet feeding. Cuddle with a kangaroo or pet an emu. The Australia Zoo allows you to get an up close an personal look at Australia's amazing animals.

Bris-Vegas!

Ah Brisbane! Brisbane is the capital city of Queensland, and the closest metropolis to the Gold Coast. A visit to Brisbane is a must for every tourist to the Gold Coast. As the only capital city without an oceanfront beach, Brisbane created Streets Beach right off the river that runs through it. It contains the Queen St. Mall which is an absolutely gorgeous outdoor shopping center. Town Hall and the botanical gardens are other popular attractions. Most importantly, however, Brisbane is home to the Brisbane Broncos and the Queensland Reds of Rugby fame. Catching a rugby game is a must for every tourist. As violent as American football may seem, it pales in comparison to the ferocity of Australian rugby, and that is truly a sight to see.

"Dodgy"

While in Australia, I started to pick up on some of the local slang. My favorite word that was commonly used was "dodgy". It basically means "sketchy" or "shady". And perhaps the epitome of this word was The Bedroom nightclub. Now I don't know how "dodgy" nightclubs are here in the States, but the club that was affiliated with our school, was perhaps the "dodgiest" place I've ever visited. Check it out, I think you'll agree. Downtown Surfer's Paradise at night is home to a host of bars and clubs like The Bedroom, and is probably a place to avoid.

Learning to Surf 2

After learning how to surf, the next step was planning a surf trip. This may be the most amazing thing you can do while on the Gold Coast. All that is needed is boards, if you're serious about it, it's worth buying a used one, friends, food, and a wicked van. Wicked Vans can be rented for dirt cheap, and they'll let American students drive them. They are the perfect means of transportation for a surf trip. Load the boards on the top, the food in the back, and your friends in the seats and off you go. The seats also fold out into a bed which is great for about two people, three starts to get a little crowded. For our trip we visited Brisbane, Bribie Island, Currumbin, Coolangotta, and Byron Bay. We surfed all day, camped out at night, and then drove to the next place where the waves were breaking. It was a great experience, and one that I highly recommend.

Learning to Surf 1

After watching the pros, learning how to surf was a priority. When learning to surf, there are basically two ways to go about it. Many in our group opted for an all inclusive three day trip down to Byron Bay with MojoSurf. Trips like these run about $250 or so depending on the length of stay and quality of instruction. Still, you will get personalized time with professionals whose job it is to get people up on the surf. The other option, and the one which I opted for is to go out with a group of people who have surfed before, pick up some pointers, and "give it a go". This will cost about $25 for a board rental, and about $10 for a rash guard or "rashie". Although, it was tough, by the end of the day I experienced some success, which led me to plan a longer surf trip down the coast.

QuickSilver/ Roxy Pro

One of the great things about the Gold Coast is the surf. Some of the best waves in the world flow in around the Gold Coast. Thus, while I was over I had the opportunity to watch the world's best surfers tear it up at Snapper Rocks near Coolangotta. The Quicksilver Pro featured surfing legends like Kelly Slater and young guns like Julian Wilson. And the Roxy pro gave the world's best female surfers a chance to showcase their stuff. This three-day tournament was thrilling. Check out the results of this year's tournament for the Gold Coast's premier surfing event.

Kokoda Challlenge

While in Australia I had the opportunity to create a P.R. campaign for the Kokoda Challenge- talk about a sweet organization and opportunity. Check it out: http://www.kokodachallenge.com/

Ay-Currumbin!

Probably one of my favorite memories of Australia while on the Gold Coast was going to Currubin- a wildlife sanctuary about 20-25 minutes away, depending on your mode of transportation... I went a couple times and loved it each time. Basically, if you ever go to the Gold Coast don't miss this awesome opportunity that is great for all ages!! To learn more, follow this link: http://www.cws.org.au/

Burleigh Heads

One of my favorite spots in Australia that I visited several times a week was Burleigh Heads (beach)... in Surfer's Paradise. It was within walking distance and great for sun bathing, surfing, and just hanging out with friends or a good book. Even better was the fact that my favorite cafe was just across the way where they served the best chicken sandwich and fish I've ever had- plus they were within my budget. If you were willing to walk a bit there were several great shops around the area- boutiques, thrift stores, and touristy joints.. not to mention some fun specialty shops and countless surfer hot spots.

Bondies at last...

Exhausted, we finally arrived at Bond... only to realize that we had to somehow carry our luggage on foot another mile. At this point I didn't know what day it was, let alone the time or season.. My name was a little sketchy and they wanted me to go hiking... yeah right. I just sat down and cried. Eventually they took pity and a van came to transport Kellen and I to our apartment(s) in the sky.

My room was amazing!! I was nervous after seeing my new friend break down after going to her small dorm room. Apparently she already encountered the wildlife of of Australia in her room... I was worried.

To begin, Kellen and I were finally neighbors. What were the chances of that?!! And, I had a GORGEOUS view. The ocean right outside my window.. Yes, I had made the right decision to go to Australia. :)

Here is a link of Bond's campus- it looks even better in real life if you can imagine: http://www.bond.edu.au/index.html

Australia Day

Australia Day- think Forth of July, yet cooler... :) Australia day is celebrated on January 26 every year by Australians. Basically it is a day to celebrate what it means to be Australians and to remember their ancestors struggle. To learn more about this holiday, follow this link: http://www.australiaday.org.au/experience/

Cairns

Our program introduction began in Cairns, Australia- Australearn. We stayed at a resort hostel called Gilligan’s Backpackers in downtown Cairns. The introduction included sessions to help us adapt to Australian culture. We also got to scuba/snorkel on the Great Barrier Reef and go to a rainforest preservation where we held koalas, pet kangaroos, and learned about the Australian Aboriginal culture. The Great Barrier Reef was amazing! It was so pretty and so surreal. Our group took a boat out that took about 2 hours to get to the reef. When we got there we could snorkel and learn to scuba for a “nominal” fee. Unfortunately, I was unable to dive, but I followed the group with my snorkle equipment- yeah for years of swimming and learning to hold my breath. Later, lunch was provided and then we went to the next dive sight. I just snorkeled there because money doesn’t grow on trees! I didn’t matter though because since I didn’t have scuba gear strapped to my back, I kept diving down and holding my breath to get a better look at things. The colors we so amazing, that I forgot I was holding my breath, and when I finally realized it, I was about 15 feet under! Oops. So a couple of
girls and myself went out into town to explore and find a place to have dinner. We stumbled upon this night market that was really interesting. In the front there was kind of like a food court and in the back, there were rows of little shops that sells various things (kind of like the markets in China or the Bahamas.) There was also an area where you could get Chinese massages for really cheap. I was with 2 other girls and after we bargained with them, we all got a 40 minute massage for apx. $13 that included a foot massage, back, shoulders, and head. It was amazing, but at one point it started to hurt. I tried to ignore it, but finally I couldn’t take it anymore. I lifted my head out of the little hole on the table to try to tell him that it hurt~ well, apparently that was lost in translation, because he said something that sounded like, “Hie, Hie!!!”, and shoved my head back into the little hole in the massage table. It is fun experiencing all of the language barriers and cultural differences. Yesterday we went to this place called Rainforestation.
It was muggy and rainy, but so gorgeous. W were taught how to throw a boomerang. Then he showed us how to play this ceremonial instrument called a didgeridoo, where you have to breath in through your mouth and blow out through your nose to play it. After that we got to take pictures of kangaroos and feed them. I think they were drugged or something, because they kept drifting off and were totally out of it. I got a picture with a koala too!! They are soo cute, but not very cuddly.

The journey began on January 3, 2008. I had no idea what to expect and I wasn't even sure I wanted to go. I remembered far too well how difficult the aspect of travel could be after studying in Amsterdam the year before- dropping bags, noisy crowds, language differences. Yet this time I wasn't alone and I was prepared- right?!