Day 12 and 13

We left Brisbane early to head for Byron Bay, where we stayed for two nights. On our way to Byron, we stopped by Surfer’s Paradise (yes, that is the city’s name!) to do some shopping, have lunch and enjoy the beach. It was amazing to see the different in the swell of the waves, compared to the northern side of the country. The town was really nice, but I can definitely tell that we’re getting into “surfer country” or the Gold Cost, which is the proper term, because there are a lot of hippies walking around. It is just weird to see people walk into stores with no shoes and shirt on, and that’s perfectly acceptable. Definitely a different culture!

When we got into Byron Bay, we were able to have the afternoon to do whatever we wanted, so we explored the town. Byron is a smaller town, but definitely part of the Gold Coast culture. There are tons of surf shops and surfing hires all around town. I was considering going sky diving, since Byron Bay is one of the most beautiful places to sky dive because you can go right over the ocean and land on the beach, but it was going to cost 455 dollars for the dive and the DVD, so I definitely opted out of that. I really want to go sometime when I get back to the states though!

Later that night, we were able to get a 5 dollar dinner, which was the cheapest I have gotten! It was Mexican night, so I got the nachos, but the nachos are very different from what we have in the US. They are usually chips, salsa, cheese and sour cream, but the salsa that they have here is similar to what we would put on pizza, so it is definitely weird. After dinner we all went to the Cheeky Monkey bar, which is a famous bar in Australia. I’m not really sure what the big deal about it was, but at least I can say that I have been there!

The next morning, I got up bright and early to go surfing, which was the second most exciting thing that I have done so far, next to horseback riding. We all piled into two vans, and were taken to a beach that was about 15 minutes away, where the swell was perfect for beginners. Once we got there, we all got on our wetsuits and boards, and then headed down to the beach!

We had a lesson on the beach before we went out into the water, and we learned how to paddle and then stand up on the board. I have to say that it was much easier to do this on land than in the water. When we first got into the water, the instructors didn’t realize that the current was as strong as it was, so we almost all immediately went into the rocks, which was kind of scary to all of a sudden see a rock coming for your face! Luckily, I only got scraped on my leg by a rock, which burned instantly from the salt water. Not a very pleasant start to surfing.  The instructors took us back up to shore and decided to take us into the water in smaller groups, so we all weren’t running into each other. Most of the time I was battling the waves and trying to get on my surfboard, but I did catch a few waves and got onto my knees four times and on one foot for about two seconds. Surfing was definitely worth doing and I’m so glad that I did it! I had SO much fun! Looks like I need to travel to the west coast when I get back to the states!

Words of the day:

Shocker: Hang loose

Noddy: Naked

Tattoo is pronounced “taa-doo”

Day 11

We got on the road pretty early in the morning to head for Brisbane. We had about a 4-hour drive, which was really nice compared to the longer drives that we have had. About 2 hours into the drive, we stopped at a lookout, which was a HUGE hike. The lookout was on the top of a mountain, and there was a paved roadway that we could walk on to get to the top, but that walkway was the STEEPEST thing that I have ever walked on. It was a very tiring walk, but in the end it was worth it. At the top, I was able to see three mountains surrounded by thousands of trees, wooded areas and the ocean in the distance. The area was covered by water long ago, but when the sea level rose, the land was cleared, so there were all sorts of trees that were replanted, which was interesting to see because they were all in rows. The three mountains were part of an Aboriginal story, where there was a father, mother and a son, and they believed that when the sea level went up, the son was formed. I do have to say that the walk down was much more enjoyable!


When we got to Brisbane, we were able to have the rest of the afternoon to ourselves, so we decided to walk around and do some shopping. It was kind of disappointing that it was Sunday because many things closed at around 4 or 5 in the afternoon, so it was hard to find things to do other than shopping. We went to the other side of the river that runs through the city, where there was a ferris wheel, but it was 15 dollars to ride, so we opted out of that. The museum also looked very interesting, and I wish we could have gone in there, but since it was Sunday, it was closed. Overall, I wish we could have had more time to enjoy Brisbane, or had been there on a weekday, since it is such a large city and there is a lot to do and see.


Words of the day:
Knocker: someone who criticizes
Maccas: McDonalds

Day 9 and 10

For the past two days, we traveled on Fraser Island. The entire island is sand, so we had to get around by a 4x4 truck, which was really fun. It was like off-roading up north in the sand dunes, but better because we were on an island! I was sitting in the back of the truck, so every time I hit a bump I went flying into the air, but it was so much fun! Our first stop was Lake McKendzie, which was one of the most beautiful lakes that I have ever seen. The water was so clear and went from a light blue, to turquoise, to a dark blue. The pictures I took looked like they should have been on a postcard!

Next, we walked through a rainforest. There was a creek that ran through the rain forest, which was a really pretty sight. There was all sorts of wildlife and different sorts of vegetation that made for great picture opportunities. While we were at the end of our walk, there was a young girl that was walking in the rainforest all by herself. She was French, so we couldn’t really communicate with her very well, but since she was by herself, we walked with her. When we eventually got to the end of the trail, we found the travel group that she was with, but it was very scary finding a random girl in the rainforest.

After the rainforest walk, we went on a sand dune hike, where we found a lake that was set in the middle of the dunes. The name of the lake was Lake Wabby, which was really beautiful because it was in the middle of the sand dunes. The lake contained catfish and turtles, which we were able to see in the water. The water in Australia has been so clear, which has been an amazing sight!

The next morning, we went on another 4x4 ride to the northern side of the island. We made our first stop at a shipwreck, the Maheno wreck, which has been on the shore of Fraser island since around the 1960’s. The government of Fraser island has tried to remove the ship several times, but has not been able to remove the ship, so they have left it there to rot. The ship was used during WWII, and then was turned into a luxury cruise line. While on a cruise, one of the ship’s main cable lines broke which caused the ship to sink.

Next, we traveled to Indian Head, which is the northern most point on the west side of the island. We climbed up some rocks, which I have to say, was very difficult in flip-flops, but when we got to the top, it was another beautiful sight. We were able to see humpback whales in the distance, which was awesome. Humpback whales are migrating north this time of year, to get to warmer waters, so they are seen pretty frequently in this area. I wasn’t able to see them very closely, but I could see them pop out of the water and blow air up, so hopefully they were just like the whales in Finding Nemo! I was also able to see a sing ray down below in the water, which was pretty cool too.

Next, we stopped at the biggest freshwater creek that runs from the island into the ocean, called Eli Creek. There was a boardwalk that took you along the river and then at the end of the boardwalk you were able to go in the water and walk back in the water. The water was so clear and warm and you were able to drink the water past a certain point in the river. I didn’t drink the water, but other people did and they said it tasted pretty good. I didn’t really trust drinking the water, but everyone lived! ;)

Later that night, all of us went out to dinner and stayed out to listen to some live music at the restaurant. Oddly enough, the driver of my 4x4 vehicle was the guy that was playing that night, so that was really cool listening and watching him play. He sang a bunch of American songs and gave us all shout outs throughout the show, which was pretty cool. As we were leaving, he played a song for us and then said, “Goodnight Michigan, Australia loves you!” It is pretty cool that you meet people and hang out with them for a short amount of time, but no matter where you are, you feel so welcome.

Words of the day:

Rightyo: Alright

Lollies: candy

Mozzie: Mosquito

Oz: Australia 

Day 7 and 8

Today we went to the Myella Cattle Station, which is in the outback. We arrived just before sunset, but since the outback actually gets sunsets, unlike the coastline, we hurried to go watch it. We all piled into the back of a pickup truck, which kind of felt like we were in a scary movie, and drove to where we could get a great view of the sunset. The sunset was absolutely gorgeous! I think I definitely feel like I’m Australia now since I’m finally away from the tropical coastline.


In the morning, we went horseback riding, which I have to say was the best thing that I have done so far in Australia! They taught us how to saddle up the horse, get on and off a horse correctly, and of course, how to control the horse while riding. My horse’s name was Thunder and he was a great horse to ride! He is very good with beginning riders and I didn’t have any trouble with him at all. We began with some basic training and just getting use to riding the horse, and then we ventured off into the outback. We got the opportunity to heard the cows in, which was a lot of fun watching the cows run away from us. Overall, this was definitely my favorite activity that I have done so far in Australia! Who else can say that they have gone horseback riding in the outback?

Day 6

Today we had a free day in Airlie Beach, which was great because we finally got to sleep in! I am glad that we got a free day because although it may not seem like it, traveling every single day is very exhausting. It was great to not have to repack my bag the night before and not have to lug it up to the front of the hostel to load it on the bus. We spent most of the day shopping and looking around Airlie Beach, and then eventually went to the beach to relax. We found that even though the town is called Airlie Beach, there isn’t a very large beach area that is open to the public. However, there was a lagoon in that had an outdoor pool and playground area, which we have seen in most of the other cities that we have been in as well.


Throughout the trip, I have found that everything is SO expensive. Food is the thing that is really killing me, because a “cheap” meal usually runs around $15 - $20, unless we get a deal at the backpacker restaurant that is associated with the hostel. It will be really nice once we get to Sydney because we have money that we have paid in our tuition, that we will get each day for food, and then when we get to our host families’ house, we won’t have to pay for food either. I also have some type of infection in my ear from scuba diving, but luckily I don’t think it’s swimmer’s ear. I went to the chemist and the pharmacist thinks that I broke some blood vessels in my ear canal, which is now inflamed from the alcohol eardrops that I put in. The pain is mostly gone, but I am still having a hard time hearing out of my ear, but am hoping that it will clear up in a day or two, which it should. I think the free day was a good day to relax, but I also think it made me a little bit homesick because I actually had time to stop and think about things, instead of being busy all day. It’s crazy to think that I have 5 ½ more weeks in Australia, but I’m sure it will fly by.


Words of the day:
Chemist - Pharmacy

Day 4 and 5

Today we set off for our two day sailing trip around the Whitsunday Islands. The sailboat that we were on was called the Boomerang, and was much bigger than I expected. The ship was able to sleep 28, so we had a little more room than we do on our bus. When we first got on the boat, the weather was beautiful. It was sunny and warm, and had a lot of wind for sailing. However, about an hour into our trip, it started raining. At first, the rain was very off and on, but then it started pouring down rain. It was kind of fun at first to be sailing in the rain, but then it started getting cold, and was not so much fun after I was soaking wet. Soon after I got out of the rain, we stopped at Whitehaven Beach island to hike and look at some of the wildlife. Since I did not want to get any more of my clothes soaking wet, a couple of girls and I decided to put on stinger suits. We may have looked incredibly silly, but it was probably one of the best ideas, since we didn’t have to worry about staying dry. During our hike, we were able to stop at several lookouts, which were beautiful. The water was so crystal clear and the views looked like things you would find on postcards. We were able to go down into the ocean and little lagoons, where we found sting rays. They swam right next to us, which was a little scary at first, but good thing we had those stinger suits on! While we were in the ocean, it started pouring so hard, so we decided to head back to the boat.

Since it was raining and cold, most of us decided to change into dry clothes and hang out in the bottom of the boat. Eventually, all of us ended up sitting in the bottom of the boat, and played cards, which was kind of entertaining. After a few hours, we finally got to the cove where we were anchoring for the night, which was nice. I don’t usually get seasick, but after being in the bottom of the boat for a while, I started to feel sick, so it was great to be stopped for a while. Thankfully, the rain came to a stop, so it was nice to be on the deck of the boat.

In the morning, we all got into groups to go scuba diving, which I was very excited and nervous for. I figured that I had to do it since we were by the Great Barrier Reef, so why not? We were taken to another boat, which is where we got all of our gear on and set off. The gear was about 50 pounds, so it was very difficult to swim with it at first. There were two instructors, so there were three people to an instructor, which was nice because it was very personable. They took us to a shallow part of the water, where we learned how to clear our masks of water while we were underwater and how to clear our breathing device and mouth of water if the breathing device was ever ripped out of our mouth. To clear your mask, you have to tilt your head all the way back, push lightly on the top of the mask so that it tilts up on the bottom and then blow out of your nose to get the water out. To clear out your breathing device, you have to hold it so that the part that goes in your mouth is facing the sky, before you put it back in your mouth. When you put it in your mouth, you will get salt water in your mouth, so in order to get it out you have to yell “two” and it will get out of the mask. I will admit, these skills were very hard to learn at first, on top of getting use to breathing under water, which is a very unique thing to do. During training, my mask kept filling up with large amounts of water, which was making me panic. I kept clearing it, but because the mask didn’t fit correctly on my face, it just kept filling up with water. I almost gave up and went back to the boat, but the instructor gave me her mask, which was a huge help. After I had calmed down, we were able to descend into the water. Right when we got down to the bottom, we saw this giant fish, named Elvis. He was probably 3 feet long, and 2 feet nigh, but was very friendly. He laid on his side, and we were able to pet him. He was very slimy, just like any other fish. We continued on into the reef, which was an amazing sight. We saw many colorful fish and coral, and we even saw a clownfish! It was smaller than I had thought it would be, but at least I got to see a real live Nemo!

After scuba diving, we sailed back to the harbor, which was a much more enjoyable experience. The weather was great on our way back, and was very sunny. I wish that our whole trip would have been that nice, but it definitely made the trip an interesting experience. When we got back to land, we celebrated 4^th of July, which wasn’t as big of a celebration as Canada day, but many of the bars and restaurants played fireworks on the TV!

Words of the day:

Goon – Wine

Day 4

Today we left the island a little later, around 10, and headed to the Magnetic Island National park. The most exciting thing about this forest is that koalas live in the wild! Part of the park is a mountain, which is where we hiked to find koalas and to see the coast. During our hike, we found three koalas sitting in trees, which was really cool to see. During our hike, we learned that this entire mountain was used as a base during World War II, and we actually saw some old buildings and shelters that were once used. Once we got to the top, it was really cool to see the water because it was a turquoise blue color, and was really clear. There were also a lot of sailboats in the water, which was also very cool to see. After our hike, we set off for Airlie Beach, where we would be staying. During our drive, we drove through some area that was hit by a cyclone a few months ago, and there was still a lot of evidence of destruction throughout the area. There were houses that were completely destroyed and they still were not cleaned up. Roger told us that the cyclone did a lot of damage to a few cities around the area and there was a lot of flooding for a while after the cyclone.


Words of the day:
Bottleshop – Liquor store
Flat white - Latte