Fraser Island

I'm just back from my tour of Fraser Island which was awesome! I had quite high expectations, since everyone I'd spoken to had described it (as well as Whitsundays) as one of the highlights along the East Coast.

I went on the tour organised by Dingo's and I also stayed at their hostel which had a really sociable atmosphere as it was full of backpackers either going or coming back from the island. The night I arrived we had a safety briefing where we were also split into our groups, with one group to a car. It was a tag along tour so rather than everyone be taken round in a tour bus, this meant we'd actually get the opportunity to drive the 4x4 cars along the beach and around the island (provided you were over 21 with a driving licence). My group was a real mix - 2 Essex girls, 1 German, 3 Dutch girls, 1 Swede and me.

Once the cars were packed up with all our food and drink for the next 3 days we drove to the ferry and crossed over to the island, dolphin-watching on the way over! We then took it in turns to drive along the sand and inland on some very bumpy, windy tracks with an upbeat playlist on full blast. Even though I'm a pretty nervous driver I still had a lot of fun and at times it was probably easier than driving around London in a little fiesta. We visited some beautiful lakes where we went swimming and had lunch (always wraps with salad, cheese and a questionable meat) then eventually headed to camp where our tents were already set up and we made a campfire. One group had been in the guide's car that day so had started drinking very early on so the rest of us got out our goon sacks and joined in. For those of you who don't know, goon is a very popular alcoholic drink among backpackers in Australia (as well as Australian chavs and teenagers), mainly due to its cost - $10 (around £5/6) for 4 litres. It is similar to boxed wine, however usually sweeter and generally more disgusting in taste, as it's made from the leftover/bad grapes used as well as all sorts of other odd ingredients rumoured to be in it such as fish eggs - probably better off not knowing.

We had a very large group on our tour, as there were another 4 cars of people also in our group with a different guide. Evidently, no one had really thought through dinner plans until the other half of the group arrived and we had a very entertaining/stressful evening trying to cook chicken stir fry for 24 people while another 32 people were navigating the outdoor cookers and half the group was intoxicated. Somehow, everyone managed to be fed in the end!

The following day we did some more sightseeing around the island, visiting the Champagne Pools (although the waves weren't very strong so they were more like goon pools when we saw them) and an 86-year-old shipwreck. Our dinner preparations were a little more organised that night - the three Dutch girls in my car turned out to be pro campers and quite happily went about preparing our group's dinner of steak, salad and potatoes that ended up being restaurant quality and gained a few envious looks from the other cars. We washed it down with goon and had a camp party, toasting marshmallows round the fire and playing drinking games. 

Final day on Fraser was spent with a visit to Lake Mackenzie, another stunning freshwater lake. We even saw a dingo on the drive there which was very exciting. Later we had lunch - yes, wraps again - and in case we weren't sick of wraps already we had double the amount to eat as somehow the other group's food box ended up in our trailer. I got to do the final drive along the beach to the ferry, fun but also terrifying when you hit soft sand!

Finally made it back to camp and the f rest stop was the laundrette followed by the showers. A couple of my friends from Noosa had arrived at the hostel so it was fun to see them again and I spent the following day with them at the beach before my bus to Airlie Beach. I even had time for a beach barbecue Aussie-style (sausage in a piece of bread cooked on the public BBQs). 

Noosa

I wasn't back on my own again for long as I met a girl called Rachel while checking in to Nomads. I later ran into loads of people I'd met earlier - the same group from my Blue Mountians tour and the Scottish girls I went surfing with in Byron. If you're travelling up the East Coast you're pretty-much guaranteed to keep running into other travellers since everyone does the same route.

The following day Rachel and I went on the Coastal Walk from Noosa Heads to Sunshine Beach through the national park. We took our time, stopping off at the viewpoints along the way and sunbathing at Alexandria Bay, which we soon discovered was a nudist beach! Just as we were arriving at Sunshine Beach we spotted a huge brown snake in front of us that quickly disappeared into the bushes. It wasn't until we asked someone later that we learnt it was probably the second most poisonous snake in Australia! There was a wedding taking place at the beach which was cute to watch then we treated ourselves with Golden Gaytimes (caramel biscuit ice cream I was told to try that was amazing). After an extremely stressful experience cooking in the hostel's tiny busy kitchen the night before, we decided to go out to eat at what was supposed to be the best burger restaurant in Noosa (or even Australia), Betty's Burgers. They did not disappoint!

Had a couple of glasses of goon with some friends back at the hostel but it was a pretty chilled out evening. The next morning I had a final walk around the town and browsing the gorgeous boho-chic shops before boarding my bus to Rainbow Beach, ready for my trip to Fraser Island!

Brisbane

Although I only had a day in Brisbane, I managed to do and see a lot!

Charlie drove me first thing in the morning and we went for another delightful brunch then walked around the city centre which was gorgeous- I could definitely get used to having a man-made beach in the middle of the city.

Later we headed to Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary which was amazing. The sanctuary houses over 130 koalas, in addition to reptiles, snakes, dingos, cockatoos, kangaroos and more! They also offered a decent student discount so we're much better value than some of the other places nearby. Charlie and I stocked up on kangaroo food then spent the afternoon feeding them along with a group of schoolchildren - we were probably just as excited as they were.

Afterwards was the highlight of the day when I got to hold a koala called Jarvis who was just adorable. We even had time for a snake show and a koala talk before we said our goodbyes and Charlie dropped me off at the bus terminal to board my bus to Noosa. Thanks for an incredible few days Chazza!

Gold Coast

I had a break from Greyhound buses and had the luxury of being driven around by Charlie who had rented a car for the next few days. On the drive from Byron Bay to Gold Coast we stopped by the beaches and went for brunch at Coolangatta and had a walk along the sand at Surfers Paradise. At sunset we went up the tallest skyscraper in the Southern Hemisphere, Q1, for some epic views.

On Wednesday we had a road trip to Springbrook National Park with a group of Charlie's lovely uni friends and we walked through the Green Mountains taking selfies, chasing waterfalls and eating fudge (after finally deciding which flavours to buy from the shop, we all agreed hokey pokey was the best).

We had a very early start the following morning for sunrise at Main Beach, views definitely worth getting up for. Afterwards Charlie and I headed for breakfast in Labrador for more fab Aussie avocado and poached eggs. Next stop was to Tamborine with the rest of the group for more walks in the national park, followed by a delightful afternoon of cheese, wine and liqueur tasting in town and another beautiful sunset. That evening was student night at the club Vanity - free drinks for girls and the biggest girls bathroom I've ever seen, complete with a bed, free straighteners and a beauty area.

Next stop: Brisbane

Byron Bay

The next stop on my travels up the East Coast was to the beautiful Byron Bay. After the long bus journey I checked in to Nomads and met some lovely Scottish girls who I spent the day with at the beach after stocking up on porridge oats at Aldi (glamorous backpacker lifestyle). Later in the afternoon I met up with Kat who I'd met in Sydney and a group of friends from her hostel. We hung out on the beach watching the sunset. Made some more friends later at the hostel and we headed out to Beach Hotel, the only place in Byron open on a Sunday night. 

The following morning I had a surf lesson with Mojo Surf which was really good fun, although can't exactly call myself a gnarly surfer just yet. I did manage to stand up a couple of times but you're going to have to take my word for it as I was a little too stingy to fork out $25 for the photographs.

That afternoon I met up with my Exeter buddy Charlie for a Byron beer and I heard all about his Aussie life in Gold Coast. He drove back to his that evening and I went for another night out with friends from the hostel - a group of people from my blue mountains tour had just checked in so we went out for a reggae night at The Brewery.

The following morning Charlie swung by to pick me up and we visited the Byron lighthouse together - the most Eastern point in Australia. We later crossed the state border to Queensland and made our way up to Gold Coast.

Sydney

My next adventure has already begun! While I was working in France my Facebook newsfeed flooded with pictures of my friends travelling (and very occasionally studying) Down Under and it's fair to say I got a little jealous. So, with my placement over and a bit of time and money on my hands I went ahead and booked myself flights to Australia! Big shoutout to my buddy Charlie from Peterpans for organising my trip for me. First stop: Sydney.

2 planes, 7 movies and 20 hours of travelling later, I arrived at Wake Up Hostel on Tuesday night where I was greeted by very friendly staff and was upgraded to a 6-bed girls dorm. Somehow I miraculously managed to beat the jet-lag, probably by refusing to let myself sleep during the flight from Hong Kong to Sydney and going straight to bed after a chat with the lovely girls I was sharing my dorm  with.

Wake Up was a fantastic place to stay - great facilities (they even provided hairdryers), amazing location (across the road from Central Station), and organised activities both during the day and in the evening. The following morning I headed on the coastal walk tour from Coogee to Bondi Beach after a quick trip to the market in Chinatown to pick up some exotic Australian fruit. The walk was beautiful, taking you all along Sydney's stunning beaches and finishing with a lie on the sand at Bondi. Later I caught up with my uni friend Katie J for a long catch up over a glass of wine (or three).

Thursday was my tour to the Blue Mountains organised by Barefoot Downunder. Our tour guide Ben (basically a Chris Hemsworth lookalike) picked the group up bright and early and drove us to the incredible Blue Mountains National Park, stopping off to see a couple of kangaroos on the way! We went for a hike to Wentworth Falls, scrambling down ladders into the depths of the valley before realising we had to climb all the way back up. Afterwards we took a trip to some of the best view points in the area - Elysian Rock, Echo Park and the Three Sisters. In the evening I headed off to Sydney Harbour with a couple of girls from the hostel to see the Opera House by night.

On Friday we headed along to brunch at Haven, an incredibly hipster café as featured on Buzzfeed Australia, followed by the hostel-run city tour, which took us around Hyde Park, The Royal Botanical Gardens and Sydney Opera House. A few of us then took the ferry across to Manly - $15 return with an Opal card - for froyo on the beach before taking the ferry back at around 16:45 which coincided with the most amazing sunset.

Following drinks that evening and dinner at the Chinatown night market, the hostel bar was looking a little dead so our room ended up having an early night. Unfortunately, however, we were up again at 2:45 thanks to a very kind person deciding to set off the fire alarm and causing all seven floors to congregate on the street outside in their pjs for an hour. At least we got free coffee in the morning to make up for it.

For my last day in Sydney, Jen came up from Wollogong for the day and we went for lunch down by the harbour then crossed the bridge over to the Luna Park. A long walk around the city - around 35,000 steps according to my iPhone - and we finished off with dinner at Darling Harbour before she headed back to get the train home. I had time to return to the harbour for the Saturday night 20:30 fireworks display which were actually quite impressive.

Just boarded my Greyhound bus now ready for the 12 hour journey to Byron Bay.