Life in the outback!

After almost a year I have finally left Melbourne, and moved to Alice Springs, right in the middle of Australia! It was sad to say goodbye to Melbourne and all my friends there, but I decided it was time to go somewhere different, and Alice Springs certainly is different!
It's actually in the middle of nowhere! The nearest big towns are Adelaide which is 1500km south, and Darwin which is 1500km north. It's a bit like living in Colwyn Bay back home in Wales, and the nearest town being Rome in Italy!! Crazy! 
And the weather is SO different to Melbourne! Since I've been here there have been 9 days in a row where the temperature has got to over 38 degrees!

Anyway, the main purpose of this blog is to write about an amazing tour I did when I first got to Alice Springs! My friend Shweta works for a company called Wayoutback and booked me a 3 day 2 night desert safari where I got to see Uluru (Ayers Rock), Kata Tjuta (The Olgas) and Kings Canyon. It was so good!

If you look at a map it looks like Uluru is right next to Alice Springs, but in reality it is a 5 hour drive away! Really highlights how huuuuge Australia is! So on day one I got picked up by Annabelle our tour guide in a really cool 4 wheel drive bus at 6am to begin the journey to Uluru! 

The bus - so cool :)

We got to our campsite in Yulara at midday after stopping at a camel farm on the way! We also made a quick stop to collect fire wood for our camp fire that evening, which involved driving along a bumpy dirt track which was cool!

Camel farm!

After lunch we drove over to Uluru to get our first view of the rock! It was pretty impressive, the landscape is really flat then suddenly there it is! We spent the afternoon walking around the rock with Annabelle telling us some stories about the history of Uluru for the start of the walk. It was really interesting to hear all the different stories about the aboriginals. It was cool to see some of the caves with children's aboriginal paintings in them too. 

Start of the walk!

Cave paintings.

The aboriginals leased the land to the government for 99 years, with the expectation that their culture and heritage would be protected, so something that really surprised me was the fact that visitors are allowed to climb Uluru. I found that to be quite disrespectful as the aboriginals discourage the climb as it is a very sacred place to them, and it is also dangerous to climb.
Another thing that I found really interesting was the size of Uluru. I knew it was around 350m high, but what I didn't know was that it has been predicted that the rock continues for around 6000m underground! So it's pretty big!

Uluru!

After our guided walk we continued to walk around the rock for another couple of hours in about 37 degree heat! It was not easy, and I was actually quite glad to get back to the air conditioning on the bus when we finished!
Our next stop was a lookout point to watch the sunset! It was amazing, the rock actually seems to change colour throughout the day and at sunset it was really red! After a glass of sparkling wine, some nibbles and lots of photos, we headed back to our campsite!

Uluru sunset :)

After a yummy tea of kangaroo bolognese cooked on the campfire, it was time to set up our swags for the night!! This was something I was really looking forward to! For those of you who don't know what a swag is, it's basically a big sleeping bag with a mattress inside so you can sleep out in the open under the stars! I think that first night was one of the highlights of the trip for me as I just lay there and watched the stars for ages. The sky is so clear in the centre of Australia so there were sooo many stars! I even saw two shooting stars! It was amazing :)

The next day we were up at 4am to watch the sunrise! We had a quick breakfast, packed up the campsite and set off to a lookout point inbetween Uluru and Kata Tjuta. The view was amazing! It was so cool watching the sunrise as I've never actually sat and watched one before!

Sunrise

After sunrise it was time to go to Kata Tjuta to do "The valley of the winds" walk which was 7.4km and took about 3 hours! Luckily because we got there so early, it wasn't too hot for the first couple of hours, though I struggled a bit towards the end as there wasn't much shade! It was a really good walk though. I preferred it to Uluru as I found the scenery a bit more interesting! There was more climbing in this walk too rather than the day before which had been completely flat.

Kata Tjuta!

By the time we had completed the full circuit it was getting really hot, but luckily the place where we had our picnic lunch had a swimming pool, so we had a quick dip to cool down before starting the long drive to Kings Canyon!

It took about 4 hours to get to our Kings Creek campsite, which included another fire wood stop, and a quick stop at a viewing point to see "foolaru" - another big rock in the desert that a lot of visitors make the mistake of thinking it is Uluru! 

"Fooluru!"

The campsite was pretty different to the night before!! It was definitely "wayoutback" as it was really far away from anything, and we just had 1 outdoor toilet, and 1 outdoor shower, both full of ants! Which wasn't fun as the ants here in Australia bite! It was a fun experience though, felt very Australian! And Annabelle even made us traditional Damper bread on the camp fire! It was yum!

After another good sleep in my swag, and plenty of star gazing too, we got up at 5am to pack up to go to Kings Canyon. It didn't take us long to get there so it was another morning walk which meant slightly cooler temperatures. The Kings Canyon walk was definitely my favourite of the three. It was 6km and took about 3 hours. The scenery was stunning, I've never been anywhere like it! Everything was so red and rocky! The start of the walk was pretty difficult as we had to climb quite a steep hill (many visitors call this "heart attack hill"!), but after that it was pretty easy. 

"Heart attack hill!"

Took lots of photos of the canyon and then walked around to the "Garden of Eden" which is a small waterhole which you can swim in. But unfortunately because there had been no rain, the water was a bit yuck so we didn't swim! It was nice to have a sit down and eat some biscuits though! After we had regained a bit of energy we continued the walk round the canyon and got back to the bus.

Garden of Eden

Kings Canyon!

Lunch was a traditional Aussie BBQ which was the perfect end to our trip! After filling up with sausages and burgers we started the long journey back to Alice Springs! On the way back as we were driving along we spotted a group of camels all under a tree getting some shade! Was pretty cool!

Camels!

It was such a fun tour, and so different to anywhere else I've been to in Australia!

Since being back in Alice Springs I've managed to get myself a job! I'm working in a backpackers hostel on reception which is quite good, I get to meet lots of people :)
Also went on a road trip to the West Macdonnell ranges with Shweta which was fun! 

There are still a few things in Alice Springs that I am yet to do, so once I've got exciting things to write about I'll update this again! Bye for now! :)

First AFL game!

Haven't written on here for aaaages. Think this is the first time in a while that I've actually done something worth blogging about! I went to an AFL game! For those of you who don't know, AFL is the Australian Football League, which is HUGE in Melbourne.


First of all I had to pick a footy team. Apparently if you live in Melbourne, you have to pick a team! I had no idea which team to go for. Luckily one of our regular customers at the cupcake shop brought in a questionnaire which determined which team was the right one for me! I can't remember that many of the questions - they were pretty random, but because I like cats, I ended up with the Geelong Cats!


So yesterday evening I went to my first game! Geelong Vs Collingwood, or Cats Vs Pies!

I was looking forward to the game as apparently Collingwood fans are notoriously 'bogan' (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bogan) so I was told it would be an interesting atmosphere.

The game was at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, which is huuuuge, and we were sat right at the top. Had a pretty cool view though!

The area we were sat in was mixed so was full of both Cats and Pies supporters. Considering what I'd heard about Collingwood supporters, the crowd seemed surpisingly tame, though there were a couple of Pies fans sat a few rows in front of us who were pretty loud, so that was funny. Probably the thing that amused me most about the whole experience was before the game even started, both teams run on to the pitch to their team songs... which are SO cringeworthy!!! This is the song for Geelong:

Anyway, the game itself was a bit of a disaster with Collingwood completely thrashing Geelong by over 30 points! It didn't take long to pick up the basics of how the game works, but parts still confuse me a bit! I could still tell Geelong were playing pretty badly though! I want to go again and see Geelong actually win! Overall though I really enjoyed it, the atmosphere was way more chilled out and there were way less angry fans than there would be at a British football match. So now I feel slightly more Australian for having been to an AFL game! 

Back to the UK!

Wow, haven't updated my blog for ages! Started writing a little something at Melbourne airport last week so I'll copy and paste that to begin with!


"So here I am once again waiting to begin a 25 hour flight, though this time in the opposite direction! Definitely doesn’t seem like close to a year since I was at the airport sat at the gate staring out the window at a HUGE Qantas plane.

So much has happened in the last few months. Well, not loads, but I made the big decision to use my second year visa straight away. So although it feels very strange to be going back to the UK, it’s nice to think that in 3 weeks time I’ll be back in my flat in Melbourne. Though I really can’t wait to see people back home!

I made the decision because I have loved all my time in Australia, especially Melbourne, and I feel so at home and settled here, and definitely not ready to leave. Even leaving for 3 weeks makes me feel like I’m going to miss out on something exciting in Melbourne, there’s always something cool going on like a random festival or even just a fun night out with my friends!

Luckily I’ve managed to secure my job at the cupcake shop and will be working there until the end of October, as you can work for the same company for another 6 months in your 2^nd year visa. So the plan is to save up as much as possible, then begin my travels once again and probably go over to Western Australia. That’s about as far as my plans go. I’m just going to see what happens!

There’s no free internet at Melbourne airport so I probably won’t actually post this til I get home!"

So that's what I wrote at the airport. I've been back in North Wales for about a week and a half now, but in just over a week I'll be heading back to Australia! Not really got much to say about my last few months in Melbourne. It's mainly just involved working and going out with friends! Doesn't really feel like I'm on holiday over there now, just feels like home! Actually felt like coming back to the UK was a holiday as it's three weeks off work!

I've managed to fit quite a lot in so far while I've been at home. In the first week I managed to go to the hairdressers, the doctors and the dentist. Went over to Yorkshire to see my Dad and his side of the family. It was nice to see them though I was still a bit jetlagged so was really tired after the drive! It was so weird though, on the way there I actually drove through some snow - something I wasn't expecting to see in April! I've also seen a lot of the family here in North Wales, and caught up with a few friends! 

Although it's nice to come back here and see people, it really has confirmed that I made the right decision to stay in Australia for another year. The thought of actually staying here and having to find a job etc is not something I want to do anytime soon, if ever!

Got a few more things planned while I'm home, going shopping to Chester with my mum tomorrow. Meeting up with a few friends and going on a night out with my sister at the weekend! So still got a few things to look forward to. Then it's back to Melbourne to start my 2nd year in Australia!! So hopefully lots more adventures for me! I'll try and keep my blog updated as much as I can!

Back to Melbourne!

Arrived back in Melbourne in the morning on 4th Jan and moved into my new flat! So me and Ellie spent most of the day out buying bedding and did a big food shop etc! We also had a wonder down to Southbank where we had cocktails in the Crown Casino!

The next day we picked up our hire car for our road trip! We drove to the Mornington Peninsula where we stopped for a walk and a picnic, then drove over to Philip Island! We checked into the hostel which was really nice, probably one of the cleanest I've stayed in while I've been in Australia!
I knew there was a place called Rhyll on Philip Island so we decided we had to go there just to get a picture with the sign! (For those who don't know, back home in Wales I live really close to a place called Rhyl!)

Then we went back to the hostel for some food before heading out to the penguin parade! It was just as good second time! The penguins were so cute!

The next day we went to the chocolate factory on Philip Island which was really fun! There were random games where you could win chocolate, and you could make your own chocolate in whatever shape you wanted. After that we set off back to Melbourne! The drive was fun, we listened to Aussie radio which is actually better than at home, plays a bit more of a mixture of genres, though a lot of the same songs do get repeated!

When we got back to Melbourne we spent the next few days just chilling out. Ellie booked a skydive which kept getting put off because of the weather, but she eventually got to do it on the day before she left which was lucky! Think she enjoyed it!

We also had a bit of a mad night out on the Saturday night! Got quite drunk so spent Sunday relaxing and took advantage of the pool in my building! Went to chinatown in the evening for food to try and cure the hangovers!

Monday I was back at work, which is also the day Ellie did her skydive, so she had something to do while I was working! Then as it was a Monday evening, the only cool thing to do in Melbourne is obviously Neighbours Night!As usual it was a fun night, though less drunken than normal as I had to be up at 6am the following morning, and Ellie didn't want to be hungover for her long journey home! We met Chris Pappas and Sky Mangel, and as my good friend Dr Karl wasn't there, we got to hear Paul Robinson sing with The Waiting Room instead!

So the next day Ellie flew back to the UK, was such a fun couple of weeks! Haven't done a huge amount since then, went to watch some of the qualifying matches for the Australian Open which was surprising quite good! Everyone in Melbourne seems to get pretty into it so thought I should watch a couple of the games!

It was also Australia Day last week! It's the national day of Australia celebrating the arrival of the first fleet into Sydney Cove in 1788. It was a really fun day, went to a house party with some of my flat mates. It was robot and monster themed (very random!) but we didn't bother dressing up! 

Me and my flatmate Rosa on Australia Day!

So yeah, apart from that I've just been working! Need to try and save my money now! Can't believe I only have about 10 weeks left in Australia.... :(

Christmas and New Year in Sydney!

On 22nd December I got the overnight train to Sydney for Christmas and New Year as I was lucky enough to have 2 weeks off work and Ellie my friend from home was coming to visit!
The journey wasn't too bad considering it was 11 hours long.. it was actually more comfy than a plane as there was much more leg room. Still hardly got any sleep though, so when I arrived in Sydney on the morning of the 23rd I was pretty tired so spent most of the day just relaxing then met up with 2 girls I did farm work with in the evening. Was so good to see them!
Managed to fill up most days in Sydney so I'll write about each day separately!

Christmas Eve!
Met up with Shweta who I did OzIntro with in the morning to buy fancy dress for the Christmas Eve Party Cruise that evening! I made no effort at all and just wore a red dress and a Santa hat, but Shweta dressed up as a Christmas tree!
It was such a fun night. Had to wait aaaages to get on the boat but it was worth it. There was free food and an open bar (only a small selection of drinks though - but still good!). The boat went all round the harbour, under the bridge and past the Opera House so it was pretty amazing!
I was good though and didn't get too drunk as I had to be up early the next day to meet Ellie at the airport, and I didn't want to be hungover on Christmas day!

Christmas Day!
Woke up the next morning to glorious sunshine! Went to the airport and met Ellie, then we went to the hotel we would be staying in for the next two nights thanks to Ellie's mum! Yey! As we couldn't check in straight away we decided to head to Bondi Beach where most people where heading for Christmas Day. I'd already arranged with Mitika to get some BBQ food so we arrived to a BBQ on the beach in the sun! Perfect Aussie Christmas - though it didn't feel like Christmas at all! So we just spent the rest of the day lazing on the beach.
Once back at the hotel we checked in, only to find that the air con wasn't working in the room! So we managed to get ourselves an upgrade to a better room with working air con thanks to the friendly guy at reception who always seemed really happy! Had a quick skype chat with family back home to say Merry Christmas, then had an early night as Ellie was still really tired from her long flight.

Boxing Day.
Decided to have a chill out day and make the most of the hotel! So we swam in the rooftop pool, went in the jacuzzi, read our books and made a yummy tea as our room had its own kitchen! It was nice to just relax and not be in a hostel!

27th December.
Checked out of the hotel that morning even though we didn't really want to, and checked in to Sydney Central YHA where I stayed when I first got to Sydney back in April. We headed straight back out again to the shops as Ellie wanted to buy a hat and some shoes. It was a successful trip as she found both and they were in the sale too! Then in the afternoon we went on a tour of the Opera House which was actually really good. It was really cool to see all the different performance spaces and we even got to listen to a rehearsal of a concert that was going to take place that evening - it was amazing! Then we had a late lunch as you can get a cheap lunch at the Opera House with a tour ticket, so we took advantage of that and had food and wine outside the Opera House with a view of the Harbour Bridge - very civilised!
That evening we noticed that the free cinema in the hostel was showing the final Harry Potter film - so guess what we did that evening! Such a good film!

28th December - Wine Tasting day!!
Had to be up really early for our Hunter Valley Wine Tour. It was a really fun day and got to try LOADS of wine! 29 different wines to be exact!
First we stopped at the Ku-Ring Gai Chase National Park where we went for a short walk and learned about some Australian plants and animals. We saw some little crabs, cockatoos and of course kangaroos! We went to 3 winerys in total, one of which also had cheese tasting which was good! We stopped in a little village for lunch where there was optional wine tasting which we took advantage of! So throughout the day we tried a huge selection of red, white, sparkling and port! Me and Ellie both bought a mini bottle of Moscato to have on New Years Eve! Ellie also bought quite a few other bottles including a 2L bottle of port for $15! Bargain!
Needless to say I spent the 2 hour journey back to Sydney sleeping!

29th December
Had a bit of lie in that morning as we were tired for the wine tour! Then we headed over to the Westfield shopping centre as we'd heard that Cory Monteith (aka Finn from Glee) was going to be making an appearance! When we got there the crowd was huge! We waited for quite a while and eventually he appeared! Think we were probably some of the oldest people there, it was mainly screaming teenagers! So we just took a few photos from a distance and left!

In the afternoon we decided to do the Bondi to Coogee coastal walk as it was a really sunny day! The walk took about two hours and takes your past some really pretty beaches including Tamarama, Bronte and Clovelly, then finished at the lovely Coogee Beach! We sat in the sun at the beach for a while and treated ourselves to an ice lolly for $1 each! We stayed in Coogee til tea time and went to a Burrito place I'd been to when I did OzIntro - it was yum!

That evening we met up with Mitika, Shweta and her friend Kat and went to Scubar where there was a silent disco! I'd never been to one before, it was really fun! Everyone is given a pair of headphones on entry and there are 2 channels so you can choose what song you listen to! It's really funny when you take the headphones off and everyone is dancing to nothing! Was a fun night though :)

30th December
Got the ferry over to Manly at about midday and spent the afternoon lying in the sun and reading - it was nice to just chill out on the beach! Went to Chinatown in the evening for dinner which was good, found a cheap food court and ate lots of food!

New Years Eve!
Got up and ready pretty early as we wanted to get a good spot to see the fireworks! We took the advice of someone Ellie met on her plane journey and went to McMahon's point, which is the other side of the bridge to the Opera House, and has a really good view!

Luckily it was really nice weather so we spent most of the day lying in the sun and reading! It's crazy that we got there 12 hours early just to watch some fireworks! It was so worth it though - they were amazing! Definitely the best fireworks I've ever seen. It was funny looking round at everyone - when the countdown finished and it was new year, no one wished each other happy new year, everyone was just looking at the sky mesmerized by the fireworks!

New Years Day
Had a lie in that morning as it had been a late night! In the afternoon we decided to go to the Harry Potter exhibition at the Powerhouse Museum. It was really good! Before you went in to the actual exhibition you had to be sorted into houses, so we got to try the sorting hat on! I was put into Gryffindor, and Ellie into Ravenclaw! The exhibition included loads of props and costumes from all the films. It was really interesting. I really liked seeing the Marauder's map - must have been a really cool thing to design and draw, it was so detailed!

Had to buy these!!

That evening we just chilled in the hostel and watched Bridesmaids as they were showing it in the free cinema - was a funny film!

2nd January
Had a lazy beach day at Coogee which was good! Then in the evening we met up with Ellie's friend Kylie for food and a few drinks, we later also met up with Shweta and her friend Kat for a drink at another bar!

3rd January
Last day in Sydney! We decided to get the train over to the Blue Mountains! It was a really nice sunny day so clear skies to see the amazing scenery. We walked from Katoomba station to a picnic area where we had some lunch, then walked to Scenic World where we bought passes to go on the world's steepest railway, and a couple of other cable car type things! We also had a walk round on the scenic walkway. 

We got the train back to Sydney Central, went back to the hostel to pick up our bags, then got the overnight train to Melbourne!