Snowy Mountains, Australia

January 27th 2012

Today's journey was a little bit of a disaster because while choosing a route from Cooma to Melbourne I chose an unsealed road which the campervan isn't permitted to go down but I didn't think it would be too bad, I was very wrong! We struggled down the bumpy, rocky, gravely roads for quite a few miles before having to turn back and find an alternative route because we were too afraid of the damage that might be caused to the van which we would have to pay for when we returned it in a few days time. Whilst driving down the road I managed to get some great landscape photographs which made the journey worthwhile even though at the time we felt a bit rubbish as we felt that time and petrol had been wasted.

We decided on another route through Kosciuszko National Park. We got our ticket at the barrier as you have to pay if you want to stop anywhere in the park, to save money we decided not to stop and drive straight through taking pictures from the campervan as we went. We drove through some more beautiful scenery though it was completely different to the scenery that we had driven through this morning. The roads twisted and turned, up and down. Once through the park we started to drive on level ground and went past some lakes, we passed two wild kangaroos before turning in to a rest stop for the evening. It had been a long day of driving with stresses but the photos are some of my favourite of Australia.

Canberra, Australia

January 24th - January 26th 2012

Once we got our campervan going we drove to the Blue Mountains. It was really miserable and drizzly so once we finally got to the viewpoints we couldn't actually see anything but white fog. We drove around and got some shopping from Katoomba before driving down some very windy country lanes which eventually took us to a free campsite in the middle of the forest. It was cold and damp but once we pitched up on a spot and started cooking our dinner it felt really cosy. There were plenty of other campers about so although it was an isolated place we were surrounded by other people so the dark forest didn't seem scary.



Misty roads

The next day we packed up and drove back up the twisting roads to Govetts Leap where we hoped that the fog had cleared so that we could get a good view...it hadn't.  Again we were faced with thick white fog. It was a bit of a shame, I've seen the Blue Mountains before on a previous trip and it was a highlight but Craig hasn't and he missed out. After driving to Echo Point Lookout to the same view of white nothingness we gave up and started to make the journey to our next city, Australia's capital, Canberra.

The views on the journey were beautiful and the weather started to clear as we got to lower ground. We found a basic camp site for the night and watched a beautiful sun set from our camper.

Sunset over treetops

We left our caravan park and drove in to Canberra's city centre. On the way we noticed that the city was full of spirit as today January 26th is Australia Day. We parked up and went to the National Gallery of Australia and spent a good few hours in there admiring art from all different era's and countries. We could have spent longer in the museum but started to feel hunger pangs and so left to make ourselves some lunch. Afterwards we went to the National Portrait Gallery and looked at a huge collection of traditional and modern portrait paintings. Both museums were free so it was a cheap day sightseeing.

Aboriginal Embassy

After the galleries we walked along Lake Burley Griffen to the sound of Men At Work's Land Down Under which was playing to locals who were setting up celebratory picnics and barnecues. We then walked inwards to the Old Parliament House and gardens. We walked past the Aboriginal Tent Embassy, a sight for protest among Aboriginal people and into some pretty rose gardens. We then waked by the new modern Parliament House and then back to the camper where we drove south through some beautiful country landscapes to a free rest stop just outside Cooma which had fantastic views over fields and a river.

Outside Cooma

Sydney, Australia

January 19th - January 24th 2012

After driving to the Top Tourist Park closest to the city we decided to try Lane Cove Tourist Park in North Ryde as it had much better transport links to the city and was surprisingly affordable too. We parked up and walked the 20 minutes to the subway station where we purchased a transport pass for $51 each for a week. It allows access on buses, trains and boats in the Sydney area. We got the train to the city and decided to get off at Milsons Point so that we could walk over the Sydney Harbour Bridge. The views were spectacular and we got our first glimpse of the Sydney Opera House. Once on the other side we explored The Rocks and went to the free Rocks Discovery museum which was well laid out and informative.

Sydney Opera House

We left the Rocks and walked to Circular Quay to the Sydney Opera House for a close up look. The white tiles glistened in the sun and we sat and people watched on the steps whilst nibbling on some biscuits. We then went for a walk through the Royal Botanical Gardens and had a peek in the grounds of Government House just before closing time. We walked back to Circular Quay and had a look at Customs House which has a model of Sydney under its glass floor in the lobby. Upon exiting some strangers asked to have a photo with us for a work challenge that they were doing and we gladly obliged. We had our first ice cream in Australia from Hungry Jacks and caught the train home.

Sydney Harbour Bridge

The following day we caught the train to Circular Quay and walked to the Museum of Contemporary Art which was undergoing extensive renovation so we didn't get to see the usual work on display. Instead we saw an amazing interactive exhibition by Rafael Lozano-Hemmer called Recorders. The exhibition contained pieces which needed complete audience participation to work including a piece where you hold on to a metal bar and it records your pulse rate, a light bulb in front of you then mimics your pulse rate by flashing in time to it, when the next person has a turn, your light moves to another bulb and so on and so forth. the room must of had hundreds of bulbs in it all pulsating at different rates.

View to the bridge

After the art gallery we walked through Argle Cut to Argle Place and the Garrison Church. We then walked up the hill and sat on a little bench eating apples with an amazing view over The Rocks and the Harbour Bridge. We went in to the Sydney Observatory and walked around the free museum which houses a giant telescope and space memorabilia. We had lunch on the green and walked to Circular Quay where we caught a ferry to Manly. From the ferry we caught some lovely views of the harbour and bridge. Once at Manly we went for a walk on the ferry terminal side of Manly in the hot sun before walking through the town and grabbing some chips for dinner to eat overlooking Manly beach. A seagull stole one chip right out of my hand which I wasn't impressed with! After our dinner we caught the ferry back to Sydney and made our way home to North Ryde.

Boats in Manly

The next day the rain scuppered our plans as it was really coming down. We relaxed in the camper for the morning and once the rain had passed we went in to the city. We walked through Paddington to the Saturday Paddington Market which was full of lots of arts and crafts, clothes and food as well as Bonsai trees. We wandered around and then caught the bus to the Queen Victoria Building which we walked through as well as the historic Strand Arcade. We had the sandwiches that we had made for tea and then went on the internet which was only $5 for five hours, a real bargain. We called home using Skype and I had a good two hour chat with mum as we hadn't spoken in what felt like ages. I also managed to write two blogs and once we had caught up on everything from home we caught the train back to the camper, it was pretty late by this time so we went straight to bed.

Paddington Market

The next day we wandered through Chinatown which made us reminisce about the start of our travels nearly five months ago. It feels like a long time since we were in Beijing now, we've seen and done so much since then. We then went to Darling Harbour and watched a street performer who was pretty good before walking on to the boats in the harbour. We strolled to the other side of the harbour where we had our lunch and then walked to the Art Gallery of New South Wales. It's a very impressive building which houses a large collection of paintings and sculpture including Aboriginal art and Torres Strait Islander art. There was a special exhibition on Picasso happening and we watched a video of Picasso drawing on glass which was fascinating. I found the gallery to be very inspiring as it covered so many styles and artists. After the gallery we sat in the park in peace before walking to the tube stop.

Darling Harbour

Cy Twombly in the Art Gallery of New South Wales

The following day we got off the train at Milsons Point and walked down to Luna Park where we walked through the carnival to Lavender Bay. Lavender Bay provided some lovely views out to the harbour bridge so we took some photos before making our way back to the subway to catch a train to Circular Quay. We then caught the bus to Bondi which took us through Paddington. It was a bright sunny day and we walked along the beach front to the far end where the waves crashed in to the rocks. We climbed to a little viewpoint and people watched for a while before catching the bus back in to the city where we explored Kings Cross. We watched from a bench as loads of birds of all varieties gathered around a particular spot, a man then appeared on a bicycle and proceeded to throw bits of mince meat at the birds. We watched and when he went he advised us to go and buy meat for the birds as they love it, very odd but the birds were very happy. We then went to Newtown where we met our friends from our Stray Asia trip through Laos, Owen and Bianca. We went for Thai food and caught up on everything since we had last seen each other on Halloween in Thailand. We went back to Owen and Bianca's apartment where we watched Men Behaving Badly and enjoyed a comfy mattress for the night, the first night away from our camper for over six weeks!

Lavender Bay

The next morning we said our goodbyes and rushed back to our campsite as we were supposed to be out of the place by 10 am. We were a little late but no one seemed to notice. Our camper then refused to start as the battery must have been drained because we hadn't started it in a few days, oops! We got some jumper leads and a friendly guy from the park helped us use them and we got going. We had  a brilliant time in Sydney and only wish that we had a bit more cash to splash on activities like climbing the Harbour Bridge which I did on a trip to Australia with family five years ago, something that I wish Craig could have experienced too.

Newcastle, Australia

January 16th - January 18th 2012

We got to Port Macquarie but found that campsites were either full or very expensive so we drove on and parked up for the night without power. The next day we drove to Newcastle and went straight to the seafront. We made lunch and looked out over the crashing waves and crystal clear waters. We had the dilemma of not knowing where to park for the night and decided to get it sorted straight away so that we didn't have to drive around looking for somewhere late like we did at Port Macquarie, this time we wouldn't be able to have a night without power. We drove over the big bridge to Stockton but found that the price of the campsite was far too unaffordable. The trouble with coming at this time of year is that everywhere is priced high for the holiday season.

View to Nobbys Head

We used the sat nav and drove around to a further two places but both were again too pricey or full. After quite a lot of driving we ended up at Lake Macquarie and got two nights. The site was pretty crowded and full of children running around causing havoc. We walked to the shops but didn't really enjoy our day at Lake Macquarie as we'd had a couple of tiffs. Those days when your driving around in the heat, frustrated and wanting to stick to the budget can be exhausting and when you're in such a confined space can lead to difficult moments. After our nightmarish day we decided to spend a full day chilling out. We did our little chores like the laundry and I managed to finish reading Thomas Harris' Red Dragon and start reading Dan Brown's The Lost Symbol, something I'd been looking forward to doing ever since we bought it in Coffs Harbour. Craig had a dip in the pool while I sat at the edge eating red licorice and we enjoyed the peace of a pool without children!

Nobbys Head

The following day we decided to drive back to Newcastle as we didn't really get to see the sights before. We parked up at the art gallery and had a look at the New Aquisitions Exhibition which was free. The space was quite small and I didn't find it too impressive. We left and wandered around outside in the pretty gardens. We drove to the coast where we had been a couple of days before and made lunch. We then went for a walk to Nobbys Head and enjoyed the heat and scenery. As we walked we watched the surfers and boogey boarders battle with the waves. We watched the giant cargo ships navigate their way into the harbour before turning round and walking to the 1922 Ocean Baths and Newcastle Beach.

Colourful birds in Blackbutt Reserve

After our day in Newcastle we decided to drive to Blackbutt Reserve where we saw a variety of animals and birds including reptiles and koalas. We were now very close to Sydney so we found a lay by to park up in for the night. We were a little worried as there were no camping signs dotted around but the handy map book we were given with the camper said that this spot was OK for overnight parking. We needed all the money we could for our next few days in Australia 's biggest and most famous city.

The Waterfall Way, Australia

January 14th - January 15th 2012

We got up and drove just a few minutes to the Rainforest Centre. We walked out on to the Skywalk which is a pier that overlooks the rainforest. There were absolutely fabulous views over the trees and as we'd got there early we were left to enjoy the quiet and serene atmosphere in peace. After taking some photos of the views and of us enjoying the views we walked back along the pier and down some steps in to the rainforest where we did a circular walk which included a special walk with the birds. The views were so beautiful that I immediately envisaged making paintings of misty blue haze when at home.

Rainforest View

Blue Haze

After our walk we looked around the visitor centre which had art work inspired by the rainforest and environmental issues and we watched a documentary on the wildlife of the rainforest which was fascinating. After the Rainforest Centre we drove down through Dorrigo's wide streets to Dangar Falls. We parked up and walked down the narrow sloping path to the falls where we took some photos and watched as a very brave Asian family took a dip in the freezing cold waters. We walked back to the camper and made lunch before driving back into town where we went for a walk along the main strip and popped into the quaint little sweet shop where I couldn't resist buying Australian red licorice and traditional English pear drops.

Dangar Falls

We continued on the tourist drive and stopped at each point of interest, waterfalls and viewpoints. The rain started to close in on us so we stopped for a cuppa to warm ourselves up. Australia isn't all hot beaches, dusty deserts and crowded cities, in these types of landscapes the weather can turn and become quite chilly if you're not prepared for it. I think it's one side to Australia that people often don't hear about as many foreign visitors skip this type of excursion. We visited the second tallest waterfall in Australia and walked along the track to Checks Lookout where we could see the thin but tall waterfall and the massive gorge that it falls in to. We enjoyed the awe inspiring views before moving on to another fantastic lookout over the gorge where we also saw a bird that looked exactly like the rare lyrebird that we had learnt about in the documentary earlier that day, we couldn't be certain that it was the lyrebird but it had the same distinctive tail feathers.



Ebor Falls



Gorge

We drove in to Armidale as by this time it was getting late and we needed a proper site to power up the van or else our fridge would give up like it did in Cairns. We found a lovely Top Tourist park which was cheap but even cheaper with our Travellers Autobarn 10% discount, happy days! The girl behind the counter was really lovely and we pitched up for the night before the rain started.

The following day we left the campsite and drove into Armidale centre. After refuelling we parked up at the visitor centre where we got talking to a lovely lady who gave us lots of information on interesting walks to do. We picked up a leaflet on an architecture and history walking tour and set off around the town. We found some really beautiful buildings including a wonderful church and park. We walked back to the camper through a little farmers market and we picked up some lemon cake at the local shop. We started the drive back down to the coast and came across a lot of rain which made the scenery very misty and atmospheric. The Waterfall Way was definately worth the detour as we came across a variety of landscapes and escaped the extreme heat of the coast for a couple of days too.



Views on the drive

Coffs Harbour, Australia

January 11th - January 13th 2012

We got up a bit later than we intended but didn't have very far to drive for our next destination so it didn't matter much. We got to Coffs Harbour and found a bargain of a caravan park although it was right next to the main road but cheaper than the other places that we looked at. We drove into Coffs Harbour and went for a walk along a deserted pier, the sun was beating down and there were lovely views out to sea.

Coffs Harbour Pier

After lunch by the sea we drove to the jetty and parked up so we could go for a walk on Muttonbird Island Nature Reserve. It was a steep walk to the top but we were rewarded with views over the harbour. We walked to the other end of the former island which was lovely and peaceful, the island was covered in pretty wild shrubs and flowers and is a nesting spot for birds. We went back to the caravan park and Craig had a dip in the pool. In the evening while we were chilling out we heard some rustling in the bushes outside. We saw a couple of little animals playing in the trees and on the grass, they were really sweet but we weren't entirely sure what they were although we guessed that they may have been possums.

Coffs Harbour

The following day we found internet and organised our travel from Melbourne to Adelaide for in a few weeks when we won't have our campervan. We had spaghetti by the pier where we walked the day before and then drove to the Coffs Harbour Art gallery which was showing an exhibition based on the theme of 'still life'. There were some beautiful pieces, some obvious still life's and some very abstract. After our wander around the gallery we started our journey on the Waterfall Way Tourist Drive which would take us inland to Armidale and past some dramatic scenery. We stopped at Bellingen which is a really pretty little town with lovely architecture. We walked up and down the main street and found a quaint little second hand bookshop with piles of dusty books.

Ye Olde Book Shop

We drove on up the twisty roads which reminded me of the way to Kuranda up in Queensland. The campervan seemed about ready to give up and we were starting to panic that she wouldn't be cut out for this type of journey but she made it to our stop which was a dark lay by with some cobweb filled toilets. It was pretty chilly up in the hills and we were parked up next to some dark woods which was a little creepy. Doing Australia on so much of a budget in a campervan means that you don't always get luxury but luckily both Craig and I aren't afraid of roughing it in these types of locations. Camping in muddy fields for festivals back home has well prepared us for this type of adventure and I think you get to see more of a place when you aren't confined to hotels and the main tourist towns and attractions.

Byron Bay, Australia

January 5^th – January 10^th 2012

Our next stop on our East coast road trip was Byron Bay. We drove down and stopped at a place but it was pretty pricey and felt like backpacker central so we decided to go for the cheaper one across the road. For $17 each we didn’t get much for our money, the place looked run down with broken windows in the laundry block and a shower block which was a little worse for wear. Still Byron is an expensive tourist spot so it was our best option. After our drive we decided to chill out for the afternoon.



View on our walk to the lighthouse

 The following morning we drove into the centre of Byron Bay and parked up for free by a disused railway line. After collecting our snacks we walked into town and to the beachfront. Craig got a free Frisbee which he was very happy with. We could see the white lighthouse in the distance and decided to walk to it. There was a man who had raked shapes into the sand on the beach, there was ying and yang symbols, a sun and lots of swirls, it felt like a sunnier version of Glastonbury. We passed magnificent views of the coastline on our walk to the lighthouse which included passing some dolphins in the distance. The walk was probably more challenging than we thought it would be and I felt out of breathe several times but it was lovely to stop and take in the spectacular views anyway. We made it to the most easterly point of mainland Australia and it was only a few more steps to the lighthouse itself. After a few photos of the views and a look inside the lighthouse which has a tiny museum on the whaling industry we walked back down.  

Lighthouse

Our legs were feeling a bit stiff but we were pleased with our lovely morning in Byron, it’s always very satisfying getting a good walk in early! I treated us to chips on the beach and we people watched and lazed in the sun before spending the afternoon browsing in the shops.


The next day we went back to the beach and spent some more time in the sun watching the guy rake shapes into the sand, this time the sea was washing parts away but he didn’t seem to mind, he’d just rake the shapes again. We listened to some Ricky Gervais podcasts before walking back to the van to make lunch, only to realise that we were all out of gas. Not bad going considering we’ve been using the van for over a month now. We drove around and found a petrol station that did gas refills and only paid $18.95 which was much less than we were expecting. After a stop at Woolworths for supplies we drove south and found a lay by to stay in for the night to save money. We made friends with a load of random roosters and chickens that live in the area and found a huge spider in the lay by toilets.

Beach art

We didn’t get the best night sleep as the roosters decided to start crowing at stupid o’clock in the morning. Once day light came we got up and started driving to Ballina. We parked up at the visitor centre and the lovely lady at the counter gave us a map and pointed us in the direction of a great walk along the coast and to the pier. We walked past a little farmers market and enjoyed the sun, at the end of the wide stone pier we watched as the powerful waves crashed against the rocks. We walked back and went down Norton Street which Lonely Planet recommended for good architecture but we only really saw standard Australian homes and a church. We had cheese and crackers by the waterfront and drove down to Grafton. We found a beautiful 5* site for just $16.50 each with a swimming pool, tennis courts and wonderfully landscaped gardens. After a chat with the lovely lady about our trip we got our laundry done.

We got up and requested another night’s stay as it’s such a lovely site and we needed another night powered for our battery anyway. We drove into Grafton and walked around the main street, the architecture in Grafton is so pretty. We had lunch in the memorial gardens overlooking the river and went for a little stroll. Craig made an appointment to get his hair cut as it hadn’t been cut since home which was over 4 months ago. We went back to the site for a lovely dip in the refreshing pool before returning to town for Craig’s appointment.  

Views in Woopi

We left the site the following day and went to the Grafton Regional Gallery which was housed in what looked like someone’s big house! There were beautiful landscape paintings at the front and a courtyard in the middle. Through the courtyard and into another more modern space was some photography and an installation piece involving pieces of origami which the public could contribute to if they wished. The gallery was lovely, a dream business for me! We drove on to Woolguolgu also known as Woopi and had a picnic by the beach before walking to a lovely viewpoint which had amazing panoramic views of the sea. In certain times of the year you can see whales migrating from Antarctica to the warmer waters of the Great Barrier Reef but typically it wasn’t the right time of year so no whales but lovely views otherwise.

Gold Coast, Australia

January 1^st – January 4^th 2012

We packed up and said goodbye and Happy New Year to the lovely lady at reception before heading south to the Gold Coast. We ended up getting stuck in traffic in Surfers Paradise and after driving around in search of a parking space gave up and tried to find a place to stay for the night. Because of it still being the festive season campsites were either well over booked or very expensive so we used the sat nav to try and find one away from the main town. The sat nav led us to a place called Lake View Campsite which was in a beautiful setting. We found out from the manager that the site is actually a residential campsite for the over 50’s but as he could see that we had nowhere else to go he offered us a powered site for just $25 per night, where we had previously looked it was $60 per night. It had been a difficult day but we finished it off by having a lovely New Year’s Day picnic by the lake.

Lake Side

 

The next day we asked Wayne the manager if we could stay another night and he said we could based on the fact that we were nice and quiet and not the usual rowdy backpackers! We drove into Surfers Paradise and again had trouble finding a parking space, that’ one disadvantage to having a hi-top campervan as you can’t take advantage of multi storey parking. We decided to give up and head back when we found a cinema on the way home. We stopped and had a look around the shops nearby and went to see War Horse for $8.50 each.

We made sure that we woke up early today in order to get a space in Surfers Paradise as the town was so incredibly busy. We found one and went for a walk along the seafront and around the shops too. Surfers is good if you’re interested in drinking lots and sunbathing but otherwise it doesn’t have a lot going on. When I came here five years ago with family we enjoyed it as we had more money to spend on activities like Ripley’s Believe It Or Not as well as money to eat in nice cafes and restaurants. We went back to the van and drove north to The Spit where we had lunch and went for a walk along the lovely stretch of white sand.

Surfers Paradise

The next day we left Wayne and headed down to Coolangatta. We parked up at the top of a hill where we had lunch with lovely views over the ocean and beach. We could also see the high rises of Surfers in the distance. We walked to nearby Rainbow Bay and down to Coolangatta beach where we passed quite a few wild bush turkeys and lizards. We explored the little town and bought some postcards to send home. We walked back up the hill to the van and drove south through Tweed Heads and across the border into New South Wales. We put our clocks forward an hour and after getting lost eventually found a free rest stop to stay for the night.

Brisbane, Australia

December 29th - December 31st 2011

Our first day in Brisbane we decided to drive in and try and find a place to park so that we could explore. Unfortunately we found that parking was very expensive at $4 an hour so we drove back to the campsite and took the bus in instead. We found an information centre and did a historical walking route which took us past lots of interesting buildings and landmarks as well as interesting statues in Anzac Square. We walked past the Treasury Building and through the Botanical Gardens. In the gardens we saw ducks and lizards and relaxed in the colourful grounds before walking back up Queen Street and catching a bus back to our campsite. Our first impressions of the city were of how clean and well laid out it is. While we stopped to have a look at our walking tour map a lovely elderly gentleman approached us to point us in the right direction and give us some useful information about the city too.

Juxtaposition of old and new architecture

The following day we caught the bus to the South Bank to visit the art galleries. We saw European paintings, religious paintings as well as landscapes and still life's in the Queensland Art Gallery. I found a beautiful Degas on display and also loved some photographs of priests in India doing penance, including the man who has his arm permanently raised above his head. There were also wonderful Japanese drawings as well as contemporary paintings by American painters of the Abstract Expressionist movement. We saw an exhibition full of old historic landscape paintings which including some sketchbooks which were wonderful and very inspiring.



Richard Long

After lunch outside by the river we wandered to the library where we managed to take advantage of free 30 minutes of internet before moving on to the Gallery of Modern Art or GOMA as it's known. We went to the top and worked our way down. The gallery houses Aboriginal art as well as contemporary art. Most of the work was Australian however I did notice a 'I Never Stopped Loving You' pink neon sign by British artist Tracey Emin. After the gallery we went for a walk along the bank and got a good look at the Brisbane Wheel.

Tracey Emin

Christmas Eve we decided to relax and spent the day by the campervan not doing very much at all! We had dinner and watched Back To The Future 3 in the little kitchen on site. At 10 we decided to head into the city on the bus to watch the midnight fireworks. The bus was free to get in to town and back which was a bonus. There were loads of rowdy people on the bus, mostly drunk teenagers being annoying! We absorbed the atmosphere on the South Bank which was filled with crowds of people, the smell of donuts and the sparkling Brisbane Wheel. We picked a spot and after the countdown watched the fireworks over the Brisbane River which had a beautiful Brisbane skyline backdrop.


Glass House Mountains, Australia

December 27th - December 28th 2011

We decided to take a trip to Steve Irwin's Australia Zoo in Beerwah. I had been there before with my family when we visited Australia five years ago and it was a highlight of our trip so I really wanted Craig to see it. The entrance fee had gone up by $10 since the newest edition of Lonely Planet came out so it was $59 each to enter. We went in and saw the lizards and alligators then the giant aldabran land tortoises which Craig loved! We watched them get fed and then wandered around until the daily show in the 'Crocoseum' which showcases snakes, birds and crocodiles. The birds fly all around the stadium and the crocs are let loose in the enclosure with Terri, Bindi and Robert Irwin. It was a fantastic show to watch and the Irwins enforce their support of animal welfare issues too.

Kangaroo

The new Africa exhibit was good as the animals had really big enclosures and a highlight was walking through the kangaroo enclosure where you can feed and stroke the kangaroo's. We saw the afternoon elephant feeding and watched the tigers. We spent a long time walking through each of the enclosures and exhibits and really got our moneys worth. Our final stop was the new animal hospital which has been set up to take care of injured animals and try and rehabilitate them.

After Australia Zoo we drove to the nearby Glass House Mountains. We drove around and ended up at a campsite which felt more residential where the locals seemed to stare at us, luckily we were only there for the one night.


Glass House Mountains

Glass House Mountains

The next day we had breakfast and left to go to a viewpoint which looks over the Glass House Mountains. The scenery was stunning. We did a small 800m circular walk through the woods and saw interesting trees with markings all over them, we weren't sure if they were natural markings or somehow man made. After our walk we returned to our camper and started our journey to Brisbane. The sat nav got us hopelessly lost but we eventually made it to Nestle Inn which was quite far out of the city but we could easily catch a bus everyday in to the city.

Noosa, Australia

December 23rd - December 26th 2011

With only a couple of days till Christmas we decided to head down to Noosa. It was the next major stop on our journey and also sounded nice in the Lonely Planet so we thought we'd pay a little more and stay there for a few days to relax over the festive season. We were preparing to pay a lot to stay in a nice campsite over Christmas and were slightly worried about availability too as we hadn't pre-booked anywhere. Luckily we found a Top Tourist Resort which we get discount at and paid $58.55 each for three nights.

On Christmas Eve we had a relaxing morning at the site which features a big pool and TV/Games room. We drove to Coles and got some goodies for Christmas day, a chocolate yule log as well as bits and pieces for a picnic on the beach. We went into central Noosa and looked around for a nice restaurant so that we could go out for dinner on Christmas day.

View from the National Park walk

We woke up on Christmas morning and luckily the weather had finally brightened up as since Fraser Island a few days before it had been uncharacteristically drizzly. We couldn't afford to get each other presents so there was no present opening on Christmas morning however we knew that we would be spending over the budget to treat ourselves to a lovely dinner out, our first dinner out in Australia. We drove to Noosa and walked along the beach watching surfers, sunbathers and people frolicking in the waves, such an unusual Christmas day! We walked along some paths and got to the National Park where we saw a kookaburra and kept our eyes peeled for a koala but unfortunately we didn't see one.

Kookaburra

With emotions running high as we were both missing family and home Craig and I had a little falling out over something trivial which dampened the Christmas spirit but we soon got over it and enjoyed our picnic on the beach. After our picnic we relaxed in the late afternoon sun and listened to some Ricky Gervais podcasts which gave us a laugh. We managed to find a pay phone to call home so I spoke to Mum for a few minutes. I really wanted to be able to have a long chat as I was missing home so much but the pay phone was so expensive and a short call cost about $10. Unfortunately we couldn't find an internet cafe to call on Skype and typically the computer at our campsite was broken. We felt a lot better after hearing loved ones voices, travelling makes you realise that Christmas is all about family and not at all about presents and spending money.

We went to Cafe La Monde for our meal out. I had pizza and a yummy 'Blue Lagoon' fruit juice while Craig had fish and chips, something he was really looking forward to and loved. We strolled on the beach as the sun was setting on our Australian Christmas day together.

Christmas evening

We booked another night at our campsite and spent Boxing day by the swimming pool relaxing in the sun.

Fraser Island, Australia

 

December 22nd 2011

We woke up early for our Fraser Island tour. After parking up the camper for the day we got picked up in a 4x4 by our guide Kris. He took us to the office where we paid up and met the other people on our tour. We drove to River Heads and boarded the boat to take us to Fraser Island. While we were waiting to get to the island some playful dolphins started swimming around our boat, jumping and showing off in the water. It was the first time we had seen dolphins in the wild so it felt very special and meant that the day started off very well.

Seventy Five Mile Beach

We eventually got to Fraser Island and took to the very sandy roads in our 4x4. We were very relieved that we didn't hire our own 4x4 to drive like many people do as it's so easy to get bogged in the deep sand. We drove through the rainforest which is the only rainforest in the world that grows on sand and Kris told us interesting stories about the nature and wildlife on the island. We drove through Eurong Resort and on to 75 mile beach highway where we cruised along the smooth sand with the ocean to our right. Kris highlighted that the water off the coast of Fraser Island is home to tiger sharks and if we were to go for a swim then we definitely wouldn't survive! We got to the Maheno shipwreck and stopped for morning tea where we had cheese and crackers, strawberries and amazing lamington cake which we hadn't had before. It's a lovely light sponge covered in chocolate and dessicated coconut, delicious! We had a look at the wreck, it's rusty hull covered in all sorts of miniscule sea creatures. The crowds eventaully gathered round making it impossible to get a nice photograph without someone walking in front of it so we moved on to see the colourful Pinnacle Rocks which in aboriginal culture is a place for women so no aboriginal men are allowed there.


Maheno Shipwreck

After Pinnacle Rocks we drove to Champayne Pools where we passed a couple of drivers stuck in the sand wheel spinning to get out. The weather was starting to make a turn for the worse so I wasn't keen on having a dip in the pools and instead watched on as the much braver people had a dip in the cold water. The pools were very beautiful, we watched the water swirl and bubble which is what gives it it's name and took in the pretty views out to sea. After Champayne Pools we walked back to the car and made our way to Indian Head. We climbed to the top which was a bit trecherous in the slippery sand and made it to the top. It was so windy that I thought I might be blown over the edge! Luckily we weren't and we managed to get some nice if a bit windswept photographs and looked out for wildlife which can be spotted from the top. On our way back down the rain and wind started to pick up so we huddled under the little awning for a buffet lunch which was lovely. It was nice being in such a small group which consisted of two cars worth of people compared to the impersonal coach loads who were also doing the tour, we paid $10 more but it was worth it as we got to know other people on the tour.

Pinnacle Rock

After lunch we drove to Eli Creek, we walked along the boardwalk and waded back in the water watching the kids boogy board their way down. We passed an absolutely massive spider in a web in the trees and heard reports of a snake in the mens toilets too, our first real encounters of scary Australian wildlife! Our last stop of the day tour was to Lake Mckenzie which boasts beautiful white silica sand and crystal clear waters. Even on our overcast and rainy day it still looked dazzling. We had afternoon tea and Craig had a swim in the water before the sky opened up again and we receded to our 4x4. We drove through the trees and back to the ferry for our crossing to the mainland where we had a great chat with Kris and relaxed in our camper for the night.

Long Island, Australia

December 18th - December 21st 2011

We woke up early as we were due to catch a boat to Long Island, one of the Whitsunday Islands. The boats first stop was tiny Daydream Island which looked like paradise. After an hour on the boat we were the only two to get off at Long Island and were greeted by a man on a golf buggy to take us to the resort. When we booked the day trip through Base backpackers we had the choice of an organised day trip with lunch which would include full access to the resorts pool or we could just buy the return boat trip to the Island. We decided to take our own lunch and booked return boat tickets but as it turned out we had access to all of the resorts amenities anyway. We were very happy that we decided to buy the boat tickets ourselves which cost $60 each as we saved ourselves $29 each which would mostly have gone towards the travel agencies commission.

Long Island walk

Once we had been shown the lovely pool area and beach we decided to start our day with a circuit walk around the island. We climbed some steep steps and were eventually surrounded by nothing but trees. As we walked we noticed how many spider webs there were in the trees and also crossing over the path. Craig and I both have a fear of spiders which was made worse when we accidentally walked into the webs! The path seemed like it was abandoned and was littered with sharp stones and rocks which were painful to walk on and it wasn’t very peaceful as crickets shrieked everywhere that we went. Despite the beautiful sunny day we felt like we were walking in the wilderness and couldn’t wait to get back to the safety of the beach. After an hour we made it back to the white sand of the beach and found some sun loungers to sit in while we ate our picnic lunch. It rained for a couple of minutes but the clouds soon cleared again to reveal beautiful blue skies which along with white sand and turquoise water meant that we truly were in paradise.

Long Island Beach

View from the sun lounger

After a relaxing afternoon under the shade of a palm tree reading books and listening to music we decided to cool off with a swim in the resorts pool. We walked back to the pier and saw a manta ray gliding through the water as well as what locals referred to as a ‘sea cow’. We enjoyed the boat ride back on the open deck and looked out for other sea life and were treated to the sight of a turtle coming up for air. The salty spray misted our faces as we came in to the dock at Airlie Beach. We treated ourselves to pizza before heading back to Flametree where we had spent a lovely evening a couple of nights before.

Tropical flowers

The following day we packed up and headed south to Cedar Creek Falls which was a small detour on our long journey to Rockhampton. The falls were more of a drizzle due to the lack of rainfall in the area but funnily enough as we got out of the van to take a look it started to rain. In heat like this rain is a welcome respite. We drove south for hours stopping at Revive and Survive areas which were set up by the Australian government to reduce accidents on the roads due to tired drivers. Volunteers run it and you can stop off for free tea, coffee, juice and biscuits. We stopped at Yaamba rest stop for free to save some money on camp sites and planned our trip to Capricorn Caves for the following day.

Inside Capricorn Caves

The next day we drove to Capricorn Caves and paid $26 each for a ticket. I’ve always loved caves having explored Cheddar Caves and Wookey Hole in Somerset, England when I was little. The guide met us and our small group and took us around the caves explaining each interesting feature. He took us to Cathedral Cave where weddings are actually performed and played us a piece of music demonstrating how the natural acoustics here are nearly perfect and actually better than in the Sydney Opera House. With the music playing and the lights and candles extinguished to demonstrate ‘cave darkness’ the place took on an eerie yet magical quality. During the last part of the tour we followed a zigzag path carved through the rock which was surprisingly tight and not for those with claustrophobic tendencies. We crossed the swing bridges and were back outside in the daylight. After the Capricorn Caves we drove on to Agnes Water and Town of 1770 where we stayed the night paying $36 for a site and that price was discounted! The closer it gets to Christmas the more expensive everything gets.

Craig and I in Town Of 1770

The next morning we parked up in Town of 1770 and went for a leisurely walk along the boardwalks with views over the ocean, golden sands and boats bobbing gently in the breeze. It was another hot day but noticeably less humid. The further south we went the more we noticed that the sun still shone brightly but the unbearable humidity had begun to disappear. We climbed some steps and found the stone monument dedicated to Captain Cook commemorating the year that he first landed on Australia in 1770. We walked back to the van and drove to Agnes Water where we admired the people having surf lessons but decided to give it a miss ourselves. We drove on through Bundaberg and Childers and some beautiful landscapes and arrived at Hervey Bay. We found a beach front campsite and got a night for $25, much more reasonable than in Agnes Water! We got chatting to the friendly manager and booked a tour of Fraser Island which cost $185 each. It’s very expensive but Fraser Island is a must do and I’ve been looking forward to seeing it.