SYDNEY!!

Well, what can I say...I love Sydney. I always thought Melbourne would the city for me and Sydney would just be a bit, well, like a big busy city. Don't get me wrong, it is, but how can you not love a city when within 20mins of arriving, you can walk to the Opera House, surrounded by the beautiful Botanic Gardens and all while basking in the sun. That was really how we spent our first day. After a rather uncomfortable 9hr overnight bus journey from Coffs Harbour, we arrived at our downtown hostel at about 7am and unable to check into our room until the afternoon, we hit the sights.
Of course our first stop was the Harbour Bridge and the Opera House and we had a bit of a 'ta dah' moment when we turned a corner and there was the Opera House. It really was quite strange seeing such a famous icon right in front of us.

Ok, another adventure we made some may call 'embarrassing', some may even call 'sad'..... I however was very excited to be able to step foot in Summer Bay, (thats Home and Away for those who have no idea what I'm talking about). Oh yes, I can now say I have stood on the same ground as Alf Stewart and Sally Fletcher, wow. Along with Emma and Susan, there were also another four British girls on the same bus as us on the search for Summer Bay. That made it less embarrassing. After getting off the bus, we weren't quite sure which way to go so in a undeniably tourist move, one of the girls went up to one of the local lifeguards and asked where Summer Bay was. He pointed us in the direction and we were off. They had been filming in the morning but sadly we were too late. Nevertheless, very cool if a Home and Away fan.

So one day, I treated myself to something quite special. I was in Sydney, I had to. I went to a concert in the Opera House. A wasn't really fussed on what to see, I just wanted to see something. So with a combination of availability and time, the outcome was a concert by the resident symphony orchestra. Now if this bores you feel free to jump onto the next section, I think it will be about mountains or something...... So anway, it was amazing. We were treated to a pieces by Dvorak, Block, and Brahms 5th Symphony arranged by Schoenberg. Susan and I were both treated to a visionary delight of both are chosen fields, both in architecture and music. Although we were in the cheap seats, it was quite interesting as we were sat in the choir stalls behind the orchestra, giving a whole new perspective to the concert. I was able to read the percussionists music, see when the timpanist was given a dirty look by the conductor while still able to see the violins of course. It was a really great experience.

For our final day in Sydney, we left the city and headed off into the surrounding hills, The Blue Mountains. Called this, because of a blue haze that lingers over the mountains due to the Eucalyptus trees. It was so beautiful, helped by the amazing sunshine that we luckily had! We were driven around to the best viewing spots and every one of them gave us incredible views of the mountains.

Melbourne

I'm going to just say a little about Melbourne (because I'm actually now in New Zealand and want to get onto that soon!)

Melbourne was pretty cool, a nice city to wander around with a great market right next to our hostel which was kind of cool. But for now, all I'll say about Melbourne is 'Neighbours Night'. That's right, after going to Summer Bay, it was only fair to give Neighbours their turn. I'll warn you none-Neighbours fans, you may not have a clue what I'm talking about! After missing our bus (because we were told the wrong time by the hostel lady, grrrrr) we got a taxi to this very British looking pub which seemed like it was in the middle of nowhere. Hmmm, we thought we had been taken to the wrong place. After a wee look around I saw a little sign which said , Neighbours Night, so we went in. Well what a sight. A pub filled to the brim with Brits, chatting, drinking, and watching Neighbours re-runs on a big screen in the middle of the room. What was I doing?! We bumped into some friends we'd met up the coast and they were equally embarrassed to be there which made me feel better. Then entered Safari Pete. Your typical aussie, in safari gear ready to get the crowd going. After a wee warm up act and finding out where everyone was from (and it really was just Brits), they brought out the Neighbours guests. So our star line up? Steve Parker, Michelle Scully, Dylan Timmons and of course the one and only Dr Carl Kennedy (and his band!). So then we had a quiz while the actors came round each table and we were able to have a wee chat with them and get photos with them, slighty awkward at times but quite cool. Michelle Scully was the best. She was so lovely and we had a very funny girly chat with her! I asked her if she still kept in touch with Connor and she smiled and told us she was still going out with him, since the show!! She was so sweet and got all embarrassed. I want to be her friend. We didn't win the quiz but all was not lost as Dr Carls band came on! They were surprisingly good, although that really wasnt down to Carl's talent. It was a very fun night though!

Coffs Harbour

Coffs Harbour was a bit special to me because it was the end of our time down the East Coast. Although we weren't quite finished yet, with only Sydney and Melbourne left, it was our last little beach town...our last chance to swim in the ocean...our last chance to walk along the beach...my last chance to surf...it brings a tear to my eye just writing this!

Coffs really only has 1 main attraction, well that's not counting 'The Big Banana', a park where you can learn all there is to know about bananas...would we call that an attraction!? Anyway, for us, the main attraction had to be the Pet Porpoise Pool. Imagine Sea World on a much smaller, more intimate scale. We had the chance to get up close with all sorts of water creatures, from feeding little Blue Penguins to getting a big, wet kiss from a seal.

We also got to see the dolphins perform their tricks and give them a pat ast they swam past in the pool. I dont know if you've ever felt a dolphin but they feel rather odd!

Another highlight of our time in Coffs was a wee canoe trip down Coffs Creek. Due to the tide, we had to set off about 8.30am which was brilliant because it was so peaceful and the sun was still low in the sky and it was just gorgeous. We did have slight issues going in a straight line, but we were content just bobbing along any which way.

The Journey Continues...

Well, since my last entry we've travelled 1287km, spent approximately 25hrs on 6 different Greyhounds (the buses that is, not the dogs) and spent, mmm well lets just say a good few hours on the many beaches of the East coast.

Our first stop after Fraser Island was Noosa. A favourite spot for the wealthy folk of Brisbane, it had some rather lovely holiday homes and condos...but sadly once again it was the ever trusty hostel for us. We did't spend too long here so aside from a day on the beach (how could we not) and a really nice walk in the National Park where we spent more time watching the surfers than we did walking (at their skill I should add!), are main attraction was Australia Zoo. Best known for being Steve Irwins zoo, they definately dont let you forget it. His face and well known slogans are plastered everywhere and you can buy anything and everything with his face on it..literally...I found that you can even buy a little bit of plastic for squeezing toothpaste out of its tube..?!

We'd already seen a lot of the animals in the zoo either in the wild or in wildlife sanctuarys but we did get upclose with the kangaroos and give them a wee pat which was cool.

From Noosa we had a short stop in Brisbane, our first taste of city life since coming to Australia. I felt lost being surrounded by skyscrapers and traffic instead of the ocean! We had just one day in the city so we headed for some much needed culture in the lovely riverside area os Southbank where we hit the Gallery of Modern Art, Queensland Museum of Culture and Art Gallery. It was all very civilised. Oh and for those Neighbours fans out there, we walked right past Paul Robinson!!

For a lot of you, you will be aware of my love for surfing, even before trying it for myself, I dreamt of the surf life. So imagine my excitment when the next stop on our journey down the coast was a place called Surfers Paradise! Yes, it really is a real place!! So of course, while there I had another surf lesson...how could I not. Still not quite pro standard yet, but I am getting better! We also spent Easter Sunday here and we were very lucky to spend the day with the parents of my sister's friend and their friends. We went to church in the morning with them and then back to their house for a yummy Easter lunch. It was so lovely to be back in a house and eating proper home cooked food...I don't think I've ever enjoyed vegetables so much! In the afternoon we were invited to some friends house for some drinks and nibbles. They lived in a gorgeous house in quite a fancy area so this was a real treat. Their house backs on to a river so before we tucked into that, we were taken out in their little boat. It was all going well, the 3 of us and the person's whose house we were at, Bob, enjoying a lovely cruise down the river as the sun was shining and it was just great. That is, until the engine hit a rock and Bob stopped to check out everything was ok. It was. The only problem was the engine wouldn't start again. Slight problem. He tried and tried but it just wouldn't start again. After many failed attempts, we went ashore onto the bank, us girls having to pull the boat up onto the muddy bank...still in my Sunday best I should add! So sadly that was the end of our cruise on the river, which meant a 15min walk home in bare feet. Poor Bob was highly embarrassed and felt awful, but we just found it funny and a wee story to remember! The good news after our long walk home, was that the champagne had been opened and waiting for us on the patio. I do love the backpacker life.

The next day, Bob and his wife Glenda invited us to join them for their weekly 14km walk along the beach which was great. I would happily walk for miles if it was along a beautiful beach! They also took us to 'The Spit', a point where a strip of water called the broad water meets the ocean. It was absolutely beautiful with amazing views of Surfers Paradise.


From Surfers, we hit Byron Bay, a lovely little town, largely populated with hippies. A highlight was a walk up to the lighthouse which was gorgeous. You could see for miles in all directions out to the ocean and it was just beautiful.Susan and I walked up in the afternoon but it was so beautiful we decided to stay up and watch the sunset over the town below, wow!

This is also at the lighthouse...pretty self-explanatory.