Byron Bay, Surfers Paradise, Brisbane!

Byron Bay

So, last time I updated this I was booking an extra night at the Arts Factory in Byron Bay. That extra night turned into 3 extra nights as Byron Bay is now my favourite place ever! Spent quite a few nights at Cheeky Monkeys having cheap drinks and cheap food! They held various competitions and giveaways each night. Unfortunately I didn’t win anything, but they did hold an auction for some trips, and I got a $65 surf lesson for $35! Which I was pretty pleased with cos I was planning on doing another surf lesson anyway!

That was Thursday night. So the next day I went into town and booked my lesson for Saturday morning, then in the evening me and Shweta went to the beach because we’d heard that it’s a cool place to hang out cos lots of hippies go there! It was pretty good, someone playing guitar and random street performer people! We stayed and watched the sunset, which was so beautiful. Took about a million photos!

The next day I was up at 7am ready for my 5^th surf lesson! Had a great morning surfing, though I didn’t really improve, as the waves were really different to Spot X. Because the waves were breaking really close to shore, once I was actually stood up on the board, I had to jump off as I was hitting the sand! Oh well, still had a fun morning!

Sunday I didn’t do much really. Byron Bay is the best place to do nothing, especially at the Arts Factory, it’s so chilled out. Definitely going to go back there at some point! I think in the summer I’m going to have a few days in Spot X and another week or so in Byron. Packed my bags on Sunday evening ready to get the 7:45am bus on Monday morning to Surfers Paradise.

Surfers Paradise

I arrived in Surfers Paradise at 9:30am on Monday 23rd so it was quite a short journey. First impressions weren’t that great - lots of skyscrapers and not much character. Turns out my first impressions were right. It was ok there, the weather was good and the nightlife was ok. But if you’re not into lying on the beach all day and getting drunk every night, then there’s not a huge amount to do there. I prefer places that have a bit more about them, like Byron Bay!!

There are loads of theme parks in the Gold Coast area, but they were all overpriced and I didn’t really come to Australia to go to theme parks.. and because my funds are running pretty low, I didn’t want to waste money, I’ve been to Alton Towers at home, so I doubt these places are going to be that different!

So I had 3 nights at Surfers Paradise spending most of my time reading and sitting on the beach. Which was nice apart from the fact that the skyscrapers kept blocking the sun so it wasn’t that warm! Did manage to get through a good portion of my book though!

The best thing about Surfers Paradise was definitely the hostel. I stayed at a place called Sleeping Inn which was quite a small hostel and very social. The rooms were like a little apartment, with every 3 dorms having their own kitchen, living area with a TV, and a bathroom. So it was actually quite nice having a sofa to sit on! On Tuesday night they had an “all you can eat” pizza night for $6 - and it really was all you can eat! They kept bringing out pizzas until we were all absolutely stuffed! I had 9 slices! What a pig! Wanted to get my moneys worth though J

Then on Wednesday night we went on the backpackers big night out! We paid $30 for entry to 4 bars (which normally cost about $10 each to get in) and a free drink in each bar! So that was good!

The next day I left Surfers Paradise and got on the bus to Brisbane!

Brisbane

The fun has now ended and the search for work has begun! Turns out its really hard to get a job here as a backpacker. Because I have to put on my CV that I’m on a working holiday visa, companies know that I can only work for them for a maximum of 6 months, so don’t want to hire you. I’ve applied for every job going including shop work (yes, I applied to a shoe shop!...), restaurants, bars, call centres and even door to door sales. I had 2 interviews today, one for a restaurant that opens next week, and one for a door to door sales job. I’m tempted to look for farm work instead, because at least then the work will be counting towards getting my 2^nd year visa!

So yeah, I’ve been in Brisbane for 4 nights now, staying at Base Central. Met up with Ellie (from Spot X) on Thursday afternoon, and we went over to the Southbank, which was just as nice as it was 2 years ago. We had a walk around and took some photos. 

On Friday I job hunted most of the day, then in the evening went out to look round some night markets with Helena, a girl from my dorm. I could have spent so much money there, they had some really pretty jewellery! Maybe if I get a job I’ll treat myself to something!

On Saturday Shweta arrived in Brisbane, which was good. In the evening we went down to the hostel bar as it was ladies night. So between 9 and 10pm they had free champagne and free cocktails for all the girls! And to top it off they played a Blink 182 song!

Anyway, that’s about all I’ve got to report for now. Doubt my updates will be as regular or as interesting once I enter the world of work in Oz!

Hope everyone back home is OK, missing you all lots! xxx

Spot X and Byron Bay!

Didn’t do much in my last few days in Sydney, only notable things are that I did my RSA course which means I can work in a bar if I want to, I went to the Randwick Races - but didn’t win anything, but we did win free ‘buckets’ (a bucket full of alcohol) in the pub quiz at the hostel!

Spot X

So at 6am on Friday 13^th I got the bus to Spot X surf camp! I’m travelling on the Oz Experience bus. There was a choice between that and the Greyhound, but I went with Oz Ex as it caters specifically for backpackers and is more social!

1 night and 1 surf lesson was included as part of the bus price but I booked an extra 2 nights and 2 lessons as I’d enjoyed surfing so much in Sydney.

When we got there I was a bit nervous about the accommodation, outdoor cabins and outdoor toilets, which were full of spiders webs! Didn’t see any deadly ones though! The actual camp was amazing though, it was right by the beach, and there was a campfire at night so there was a really good atmosphere, it was really chilled out! And the food was AMAZING! Now my money is starting to run out and I’m living on pasta and noodles, the Spot X food was a real treat! I even had a roast dinner followed by apple crumble on the Sunday evening!

My favourite thing about surf camp though, was obviously the surfing! Having managed to stand up on the board in Sydney I was pleased that I managed to stand up straight away in my first lesson at Spot X. By my final lesson on Monday morning I was on a slightly shorter board (beginners have the biggest board as its easier to balance) and learning to do turns! So I’m pretty pleased with that. 

Not sure how much more I’ll improve though as the next step is attempting to ride the huge waves, which I know will involve a lot of falling off and being battered, so I’m slightly nervous about that!

It was quite sad to be leaving Spot X, I could have easily stayed there another few weeks but decided to move on to Byron Bay! I may go back to Spot X in the summer.

Byron Bay

I’m now in Byron Bay, and after a lovely sunny first day, it’s now raining! I was hoping I’d got rid of the bad weather when I left Sydney, obviously not.

I got here at about 7pm Monday evening and checked into the Arts Factory hostel, which is really cool. It has a pool and Jacuzzi, a bar, free didgereedoo lessons (which I’m yet to take part in) a bushtucker walk and just has a general chilled out hippy atmosphere! You get a choice of staying in a normal dorm, a teepee or a converted bus! I chose a dorm as it gets really cold at night here.

After getting settled at the hostel, me, Rosie and Ellie (2 girls I met at Spot X) headed to Cheeky Monkeys, the local backpacker bar, where they do $5 meals, which include a free drink!  I had fish and chips, which was pretty good for $5! Had a couple of drinks then had an early night as I’d been up early for my last surf lesson at surf camp.

The next day the weather was gorgeous, clear blue sky, sunny and warm! So we decided to do the scenic walk up to the lighthouse and the most easterly point of Australia! It was a 2 hour round trip but well worth it as the views were amazing! Treated myself to an ice cream by the lighthouse :)

In the evening we had a $2 meal at the hostel as it was cheap Tuesday! Then we headed to Cheeky Monkeys again! I had quite a few glasses of $3 house wine (needless to say it wasn’t the best!) but it was a fun night!

Didn’t do much yesterday as it was raining so just stayed at the hostel and ventured into town to use some free internet at one of the backpacker places I had a voucher for. Then in the evening we went to the hostel bar for a while but had another early night!

Today’s been another rainy day so just went into town for a while and bought myself 2 bracelets, and an iron on patch for my rucksack (I’m collecting them from each place I go to). Me and Rachel (a girl from OzIntro) met up with people she’d met on the Oz Ex bus and went for a drink. Also used some free internet again and downloaded the professional surf photos I bought from surf camp, so they’re now on facebook and there are a couple above ^^

So now I’m just back at the hostel writing this offline, the internet is so expensive everywhere, and the computers don’t seem very reliable at the places where it’s free!

I booked an extra night in Byron as I was originally supposed to be leaving tomorrow morning. I hoping tomorrow might be better weather as I really want to go on a dolphin kayak tour!

OzIntro!

My OzIntro week has now come to an end. It's been such a fun week and I'd recommend OzIntro to anyone backpacking Australia on their own. I met lots of nice people and I've done quite a few things I wouldn't have done on my own.

Monday 2nd May

Met the rest of the OzIntro group that morning as they all checked in to the hostel. At about 12pm we all got picked up in the OzIntro bus for a city orientation. We parked up in the Botanic Gardens and took some group photos in front of the Opera House and Harbour Bridge. We then walked through the gardens and saw some interesting birds and bats in the trees!

Next was Jet Boating on Sydney Harbour! It was so much fun! The boat did 360 degree turns and we all got soaked! 

After a quick change into some dry clothes back at the hostel we went out for a group meal at Five O's. OzIntro gave us a VIP card so we can get a main meal, side and drink for $10 which is pretty good. 

We also got a voucher for 2 free drinks at the Palace bar so that was our next stop! I had my 2 free glasses of wine, then a few more! After the bar we decided to try the legendary 'goon' (cheap boxed wine) I've heard so much about. Needless to say it wasn't good! It ended up being a pretty drunken night!!

Tuesday 3rd May

The next day I woke up with a bit of a sore head! In the morning we headed into the city to sort out our bank accounts and medicare. After a tasty lunch at Darling Harbour we went to Sydney Aquarium which was actually better than I expected! I found Nemo! Also in the shark section there was a map showing Sydney Harbour and how many sharks are swimming around during the year - it's pretty scary!

Went for a quick drink after the Aquarium then headed back to the hostel to get ready for a night out at The Gaff - a backpacker bar & club. I didn't drink too much because I still felt a bit hungover from the night before! It was still a crazy night though, never been to a bar like it! There were many inappropriate competitions to win trips up the coast, like wet tshirt contests... I didn't enter, but one girl in our group did! It was mad.

Wednesday 4th May

Surf day! Probably my favourite day of OzIntro! We got picked up at about 10am and had an hours drive to Cronulla Beach. It was a nice quiet beach with small waves - perfect for beginners! The two instructers were stereotypical Aussie surfer dudes! 

We started off with a lesson out of the water. We were told how to hold the surfboard and how to catch a wave. To start you have to lie on the board but not put too much weight on the front otherwise you will 'nose dive' (kind of like going over the handlebars on a bike!). We were then told about the 3 steps we should take to stand on the board. First was to lie on the board with our toes tucked round the end of the board to hold us in place, second was to push up and stick our bums in the air and put our toes back onto the board, then third was to put our back foot in place first, then slowly stand up! Easy! Well, on the sand it was!

After a few trys out of the water, it was time to brave the waves!

I couldn't believe how tiring it was! After quite a few tumbles, I eventually managed to stand up and ride a wave! Sweet dude! After a few more attempts we stopped for lunch then quickly got back in the sea for more surfing fun! Managed to stand up a few more times before heading back to the hostel.

Definitely the best day!

Thursday 5th May

After a crazy day of surfing we had an easy morning as it was time for a travel talk! We got to the OzIntro office at about 9.30am and Nicola, our group leader told us all about some of the amazing things we can do here in Australia!

After the talk we got on the bus to Bondi Beach! We lazed around there for an hour or so before starting the Bondi to Coogee coastal walk. It wasn't too far a walk but the scenery was beautiful. 

Then when we got to Clovelly beach we had a BBQ waiting for us! Yum! After food and some games of beach volleyball (I only joined in for the last game as volleyball isn't my strong point!) we went back to the hostel. Had a quiet night in and watched a bit of Despicable Me before falling asleep!

Friday 6th May

Another amazing day! Early start though as we got picked up at 6:45am for our trip to the Blue Mountains! Smokey, our guide picked us up and we began the 2 hour drive where he told us a bit of Australian history. I didn't realise how horrible the Aboriginals were treated! Apparently when Australia was first discovered many aboriginals were killed and driven out of their homes. Our first stop was to find some wild kangaroos! We managed to find a family of 3! It was amazing to see kangaroos in the wild as I've only ever seen them in the zoo. Our guide also found it necessary to fish around in the bark of a tree and showed us a Huntsman Spider. Yuck! It was huge and horrible, but fortunately not one of the deadly ones.

Next we stopped in a small town to get some breakfast before setting off again! It was crazy how beautiful the scenery was when we were so close to the busy city. We set off walking to see a waterfall, our guide seemed to know everything about everything and he told us all about some of the plants. One plant he made us smell, and we had to guess what it was - I correctly guessed tea tree (are you proud of me Mum?!) We also saw some crazy plant that inspired the invention of velcro as the plants hooked together in the same way!

We eventually got to the waterfall after walking down LOADS of steps, it was pretty impressive! 

Then we were told we had to climb all the way back up to have lunch! Our already aching muscles from surfing were exercised even more!

After a nice lunch (ham and cheese salad rolls and pasta) we headed over to the famous Three Sisters. They were a bit smaller than I expected but impressive all the same.

We had to walk down lots of steps again but luckily we didn't have to walk back up as we were going on the Katoomba Scenic Railway - the world's steepest railway! And it was VERY steep! It was fun though, and much better than climbing back up all those steps!

We got back to the hostel at about 7.30. Made some tea then went for a quick drink!

Saturday 7th May

Happy Birthday Becca!!

On Saturday we had a free day apart from our travel appointments with Nicola and the Party Bus in the evening!

A few of us went in to Sydney centre to get our fancy dress for the night ahead. Our theme was ravers! So we got some paints, highlighters, glow sticks and hairspray! I got a white vest top which I decorated with the paint and highlighters!

When I got back from Sydney it was time for my travel appointment where I planned my East Coast adventure! So in the next couple of months I'll be heading up the coast on the OzExperience bus. My first stop is Spot X surf camp where I'll be spending 3 nights and spending the whole time surfing! Next is Byron Bay, Surfers Paradise, then Brisbane where I may stop and work for a while to save some more money! Between Brisbane and Cairns are some very exciting trips like Fraser Island and the Whitsundays! I'll also be doing a skydive over Mission Beach and white water rafting! Once I get to Cairns I'm going to go to Cape Tribulation for a night and do Jungle Surfing! Can't wait!

In the evening was a big night out on the Oz Party Bus! It was the craziest thing ever! Loud music, disco lights and one rule - no sitting down! We got picked up quite early and headed into Sydney! 

Our first stop was a bar in Darling Harbour, it was quite a sophisticated place with people dressed up having a quiet drink, then we arrived in our raver clothes! With the Oz Party Bus we got a free drink in each bar! After Darling Harbour we got back on the bus and danced our way to Scary Canary, another backpacker bar! The other bars we went to were Scubar, Sidebar then finally The Gaff! We were all out til about 5am so it was a pretty mad night!

Sunday 8th May

Woke up at about 11.30 with no hangover thank goodness! Lazed around most of the day then went up the Sydney Tower in the evening for our farewell meal. It was a revolving restaurant with an all you can eat buffet, including crocodile, emu and kangaroo! I tried them all and I think kangaroo is my favourite! Also had lots of prawns and calamari! Nicola our leader made a little farewell speech before we headed back to Coogee for a final drink as a group.

We then went back to the hostel to pack as we were checking out of the hostel the next morning.

Monday 9th May (Today!)

I'm now sitting in the OzIntro office waiting for my vouchers for my East Coast travels, then I'm moving to Base hostel in the city centre for 4 nights before heading up to Spot X!

I'll try and do a quick update on here before I head up the coast.

Had such a good week!

Coogee!

I’m now staying in the Coogee Beach House, which is the OzIntro hostel. I checked in here on Thursday after having a look in the S H Ervin Gallery in the city, which was quite good!

Once I got to Coogee I met up with a girl in my OzIntro group and we headed to Bondi Junction to look round the shops, then walked to Bondi Beach and paddled in the sea! It was really pretty as there was a rainbow going over the beach J When we got back to Coogee we went for a yummy burrito – mine had prawns & mango in it! It was tasty!

Bondi!

On Friday I had a lazy day as the weather wasn’t great. I bought some food and went on the internet at that’s about it! Found some prawns in Woolworths that were reduced to I cooked them for tea then watched the Royal Wedding!!

Saturday me, Shweta, Katie and Mitika (people I’m doing OzIntro with) went into the city and went on a tour of the government house and went to a crime museum – not really my cup of tea but it got me out of the rain! In the evening we went for cheap cocktails at a bar called Scubar then went out for food with 2 other OzIntro girls, Rohan and Lauren. It was nice to meet some of the people I’ll be spending this week with!

Yesterday was the first nice day in a while! In the morning I met up with someone my mum had put me in touch with (her piano teachers son!) so I got a few tips about travelling Australia from him and his wife! Then I spent most of the afternoon lying on Coogee Beach with Shweta and Katie! Went for a drink in the evening then had an early night ready for todays activities!

I met some of the OzIntro boys this morning so I’ve met almost everyone in my group now! Today I’ll be going jet boating and we have a city orientation!

I’ll probably update this again once OzIntro is over! Should be a fun week I hope!