Time for Aussie
I was at the airport in Auckland waiting for my flight to Sydney. My feelings were mixed, on the one hand I was really looking forward to Australia and on the other hand I was already missing New Zealand..
Will I like Australia as much as New Zealand? I don't think so... There is a difference if you live in a country for several months or if you visit it only for a few weeks. But that is ok. New Zealand was a unique adventure, but Australia will be unique too!
I boarded the plane, took my seat and closed my eyes for a brief moment. How lucky I was to be able to experience such great things in my life at the age of 20! I was grateful that six months ago I had taken all my courage into my hands and set out on the great journey. If I hadn't done that, there was no way I would have been able to embrace my best friend in Sydney! And there it was again: the feeling of pure excitement about Aussie!
Sydney
I was walking down the streets of Sydney and there I saw her! We ran towards each other, hugging and squealing with joy. We couldn't believe that we were going to meet here on the other side of the world and explore Australia together.
Sabine had already been in Sydney for a few months, because she had visited her relatives from Sydney. Thus, she played the tourist guide and showed me the most beautiful spots of Sydney. And yes, she did not promise too much, Sydney is an incredibly beautiful and huge city! Within Sydney you can get around by boat, bus, train and of course on foot.
We ate typical Australian pies, visited the beautiful gardens, went to the Sydney Zoo, enjoyed the beauty of Darling Harbour and of course we visited the Sydney Opera House!
We spent the first nights with Sabine's family, near Manly Beach. And yes, the Australian cliché has already been confirmed: Hundreds of good-looking surfers were there to see. I felt like in a movie! Too bad that I could not surf...
Before leaving Sydney for our East Coast trip, we took a day trip to the Blue Mountains and the Three Sisters. The Blue Mountains are a mountain range in the Australian state of New South Wales and cover an area of 2470km². The national park is beautiful and perfect for hiking.
Hotspots around Blue Mountains
Grand Canyon Walking Track
Govetts Leap
Three Sisters
Botanic Garden
Katoomba Fall
Hop on - Hop off
Our time in Sydney was over! We grabbed our backpacks early in the morning and hit the road. Sabine's flight home was already in a good two weeks, so we decided to just explore the East Coast hotspots. We had the Greyhound Hop on - Hop off Bus Pass. With which we could get on and off anywhere we wanted along the East Coast. The last destination for us was Cairns, 2400km away from Sydney.
After a good eight hours drive we arrived at our first destination : Byron Bay!
Byron Bay is known for its beautiful beaches and its famous surfing and diving spots. And yes, the beaches were beautiful! But the Australian sea can be really dangerous. I learned there how to dive through waves properly.
Since my car accident in New Zealand, I've been a little afraid of the water. Such fear is not really an advantage in Australia... But you can also enjoy the beautiful sea from the beach.
Byron Bay Recommendations
Cape Byron Lighthouse
Lighthouse Trail
Byron Bay Beach
Tallow Beach
Byron Bay Farmers Market
watching surfers :)
After two days in Byron Bay, we went on to Surfers Paradise, where we spent only one night. The hour driving time seemed incredibly short to us.
Surfers Paradise is known for the skyline, the kilometer-long beach and for the crazy nightlife! But the "Surfers Paradise" is not really a paradise for surfers, because there are hardly any waves and therefore the name is a bit misleading. We checked into our beautiful 12-bed hostel.
Oh how nice to share the room with 11 other travelers. I tell you, a "super restful sleep" is pre-programmed. But our good mood flew away when we got the news that our trip to Fraser Island (which should take place two days later) was never booked by our travel agency. After several phone calls and some crocodile tears we got a place with another provider.
Our roommates wanted to cheer us up and invited us to participate in a Beer Pong tournament. We could really use one or the other beer now...
A few tournaments later, we decided to join the other travelers in the nightlife of Surfers Paradise. The whole town was flashing and everything was glittering, even the palm trees! The Australians know how to party! For info, this night we slept great although snoring people🙂
Welcome to Fraser Island
We booked a 2 days – 1 night tour on Fraser Island. Fraser Island is the largest sand island in the world with a length of over 120 km! Crazy, isn't it? We were a large group and were on the road with five to six off-road vehicles. We had two super tour guides who were always in a good mood. With our off-road vehicle we drove along the sandy roads. A short cool down in the sea? That was not allowed. Highly poisonous jellyfish and crocodiles would have made our cooling down surely unpleasant. We spent the night in a tent at a campsite.
We cooked dinner together, told each other stories around the campfire and then went to our "bed". In the middle of the night I wanted to go to the "toilet". With my flashlight I walked through the campground and saw a huge „Lizard“. Fortunately I was too tired to scream!
The next morning everyone was outraged. The campsite Wart has seen that night one of the most poisonous snakes. Great, I can be pretty happy that I only saw the Lizard.
We roared along the sandy road in our off-road vehicle and spotted a huge shipwreck from far away. It was the "SS Maheno" which was flushed to the Australian coast after it had set sail as a luxury liner in 1905 and was converted into a war hospital ship in 1915. Entry to the ship is prohibited. The wreck was insane!
Déjà-vu
We drove our car along the path and then it happened. Our tour guide was at the wheel and we were the first car of our group. We wanted to reach the other side of the road, at low tide this would have been no problem, but we were already too late...With the walkie-talkie our guide warned the other groups and asked them to wait. Nevertheless, we tried to reach the other side.
I saw the waves coming closer and closer and the fear was there again. Water and a jeep. I was scared and wanted to leave the car, but it was too late.
The guide hit the gas and the waves crashed against our car. A few screamed and the others even laughed. With a lot of luck we made it and reached the other side. I was in shock. The waves were strong. If we had landed in the water, we would have had no chance of survival. The guide said: "That was close, it's way too dangerous, the others have to wait!". So even he realized that the crossing was very dangerous....
Too much action! Now we needed a bit of relaxation again. After a delicious lunch we drove to the Lake McKenzie. Lake McKenzie is a beautiful lake in which you can even swim! No dangerous animals were waiting there! Except on the toilet, where I found a hand-sized spider. In Australia you always have to be very careful! New Zealand was different, there were only cute little sheep and a few colorful birds.
Other great things we experienced on Fraser Island:
Eli Creek
Indian Head
Champagne Pools
The Pinnacles
Dingoes in the wild
Off to the open sea
After two exciting days on Fraser Island, we were brought back to Rainbow Beach, where our bus was already waiting. About 11 hours of night drive were ahead of us, but due to the fact that a kangaroo jumped in front of the bus, the trip was delayed by another four hours. Sadly, kangaroos are considered a plague by many in Australia, as there are more than twice as many kangaroos as inhabitants. It is estimated that about 200,000 drivers encounter kangaroos on the roads every year. This regularly results in traffic accidents....
After a good 15 hour bus ride we finally made it! We arrived in Airlie Beach where a huge catamaran ship was ready for us! 20 girls, a catamaran and the open sea.
Three days and two nights were ahead of us on the ship. The waves were high and the sun was incredibly strong. Already on the first day I got seasick. I could hardly eat anything. Was afraid with every high wave that our ship could sink. At that point I decided never to go on a boat trip again. The car accident had simply left its mark....
But luckily the waves were calmer on the second day and we found a beautiful snorkeling spot on the Great Barrier Reef.
The Australian sea is full of dangerous animals, including highly poisonous jellyfish. That was the reason why we were not allowed to go into the sea without a wetsuit.
We jumped into the open wide sea, swam off and admired the Great Barrier Reef. The Great Barrier Reef is a 2,300 km long ecosystem that includes thousands of reefs and hundreds of islands.
We spotted insanely beautiful colorful fish and corals. Some of us even dived with turtles. But after 20 minutes of snorkeling, I was glad to get back to the ship. It was still a little scary for me. The open sea and I apparently won't be good friends anymore....
We spent the evening on our catamaran with delicious food and a glass of Goon. The sunset was incredible! And again I thought to myself: How grateful I am for this adventurous time!
On the last day of our trip we visited the famous Whitsundays Islands! The Whitsundays Islands consist of 74 islands of which 17 are inhabited. The famous Whitehaven Beach, is located on the largest Island and it's one of the most beautiful beaches in the world.
The Whitehaven Beach is a snow-white long beach. The beach is almost one hundred percent quartz, which is also responsible for the white color. The sea shimmers turquoise and the water is incredibly clear.
Whitehaven Beach - a dream beach!
From the viewpoint Tongue Point at Tongue Bay we had a beautiful view of the beach! Highly recommended!
Of course, a small hike in the Whitsunday Islands National Park could not be missed! It is simply paradise on earth and our last day on our trip could not have been more beautiful. We girls had also our fun as you can see 🙂
Cairns - where ocean meets rainforest
Our last destination of the trip was Cairns. Cairns is known as the "Gateway to the Great Barrier Reef" and as a popular starting point for many Australian travelers. Sabine and I spent our last travel days together there. We relaxed mainly at the Cairns Esplanade Lagoon und ließen die letzten Wochen und Tage Revue passieren. Es war schon sehr beeindruckend was wir alles erlebt hatten. Doch irgendwie hatten wir gar nie so richtig Zeit, all das Erlebte zu verarbeiten…
I noticed how I was slowly getting tired of traveling. I was now seven months on the road and never really had a break. Yes, traveling can also be very exhausting... So it was a good decision to just relax the last few days.
Sabine flew back home and I still had a week of Australia ahead of me. Since Sydney was a lot more expensive than Cairns, I decided to add a few days in Cairns. I wanted to see some more of the beautiful area, so I went to the travel agency to book my last trip. Strangely, my credit card was declined. I called my bank and couldn't believe it: my credit card was overdrawn. I always had a good overview, but apparently a few payments were charged a little late and so I had miscalculated.
I burst into tears. I still had seven days to go and I was broke... How would I now pay my hostel for the next few days? How would I pay for the food? I called my brother and asked him for money. Luckily he lent me some money. Now I knew that it was time to come home again.
The next few days were an up and down of emotions. Even though I had little money available, I still decided to make a trip to Port Douglas.
Seven months are over
Now the time had come, I was standing in the middle of Sydney Airport waiting for my return flight. I was looking forward to my family, friends and my horse Charly. But somehow I didn't feel ready for it yet. If the university entrance exams had not been coming up in a few weeks and if my financial situation had been better, I would certainly have postponed my return flight.
And where would I have gone then? I probably wouldn't have stayed in Australia, I would have visited my favorite country New Zealand again. Australia is very impressive, but I fell in love with New Zealand.
I am incredibly grateful for the seven exciting months. Thankful for all the people I met, thankful for all the adventures I experienced and thankful that nothing bad ever happened to me!