Australia Jan-March 2019
As most of you are probably aware I went travelling around Australia at the beginning of this year (2019), I booked a one way flight as I was unsure of my plans and didn't want to put a time frame on it. I think the best way for me to do this is to list where I've been and what I thought was good in those areas: I started my travels in Melbourne (Williamstown) 03.01.19 visiting a friend, heres where we went and what we got up to.
Melbourne
Nomads is the place to be and there is a really cute breakfast place down the road on Brick lane called “Krimper cafe” the scrambled eggs on toast is amazing! St Kilda beach is the best/only beach near the centre of Melbourne and not too far tram from Nomads. In St Kilda La Roche restaurant is great and has huge portions! In the evening Ms Elwood does an all you can eat bao and cocktail night (but can’t remember which night it was as I clearly had too many cocktails but we found this info on facebook) it’s nice to go early and do the walk back to St Kilda from Ms Elwood, as the houses/streets are really nice. If you are looking to do something a little bit different in the evening or even in the day there is a Rooftop cinema which is good fun and there are always really great films on (also not too expensive-we went to see Beetlejuice). The Arbory Afloat (barge bar) is also a bit different and has a great view - But more on the expensive side. We spent some time with my family and went to watch the Cricket at the Marvel Stadium, definitely a must even if you aren't into cricket just go for the atmosphere and the Aussies love it!. While in Melbourne Mura Masa was performing at the Forum Melbourne, there are always really great artists performing here so probably worth a look.
Walkerville
While in Walkerville we went camping at the Walkerville Camping reserve which is stunning! From there we ventured down to visit the National park in Wilsons promontory and went to some of the beaches such as Squeaky Beach.
Torquay
The place to stay in Torquay is Bells Beach Backpackers Hostel if you stay here you can get a free wetsuit throw in if you rent a surf board from Torquay Surf Academy. We also went to the Blackman's Brewery one evening which was really nice (can't remember what the pricing was like of drinks but I had a few so must of been alright).
Sydney 21.01.19
Coogee beach and the Coogee Pavilion are something else! Out of all the places in Australia Sydney (Coogee in particular) well and truly stole my heart and my money. The Coogee to Bondi walk is a must (I would say it is better to do the other way around Bondi- Coogee) Do this as a day thing and stop off at some of the beaches along the way.
Now for the usual touristy things - Sydney Opera house and the Harbour bridge! If you want to chill and take in these sights I would recommend going and sitting in the botanical gardens and you get a lovely view of both landmarks. If I were to do it again I would definitely do the walk up the Harbour Bridge as I've heard incredible things and it just looks amazing. If you are looking for something to eat I would say Hunter and Barrel for a good steak (also accommodates veggies) and it’s only on the Darling Harbour which is so lovely at night. Frankie's Pizza is also really good! It’s like a bar and pizza place all in one, (there is a Guy behind the bar that looks just like aquaman). If you are looking to party: Scary canary next-door to Base hostel, they have a silent disco and its free entry if your staying in Base (make sure you get there early!)
Coffs Harbour 24.01.19
I would only stay here for a night but it’s a sweet stop over before Byron Bay. In Coff's Harbour we stayed in Aussitel Backpackers and with this hostel there are opportunities to do watersports and to go to Emerald Beach to visit the Kangaroos, which was cheaper if you go with the hostel. Every Friday there is a Twilight food festival, lots of pop up huts and live music which is really sweet.
Byron Bay 26.01.19
In Byron we stayed at Nomads, the Arts factory is lovely but a bit out of the way. The walk to Cape Byron Lighthouse for sunrise or sunset is a must (apparently sunrise is better but you have to be up around 5am, which is unheard of for a backpacker) we did the sunset which was just as breathtaking. The shopping in Byron is lovely! There are so many cute shops and Miss Brown Vintage is incredible, definitely worth a look.
Noosa 29.01.19
We stayed at Flashpacker's, it’s a bit out of the way but there’s a free shuttle bus that takes you everywhere you need to go. They also do free surfboard use (pretty sure they had paddle boards and other things too) which was super helpful. Noosa Main beach was nice but very crowded- Just off the beach there is Massimo's Ice cream which is a good price and so yummy! and over the road from there is a poké bowel place called 'Coconut head' which is incredible.
Take a walk through the national park from Noosa Main beach to Sunrise beach (make sure you take plenty of water as it’s a longer walk than you think) There are Fairy pools about half way which are so cute (perfect for a photo op), its just off the track so you'll have to be careful you don't miss it. Noosa is great location to surf (and probably the last because you can’t get in the sea in the north of Queensland). For a night out in Noosa there is a bar connected to Nomads which is a good laugh and if you get involved in some of the bar games you can win some free drinks.
Fraser Island
We didn’t get to do Fraser Island but I heard lots of mixed reviews from people we met on our travels. Some people loved it and some didn’t, but apparently it’s a really good way of meeting new people.
Whitsundays/Airlie Beach 03.02.19
Book yourself on the Ride to paradise!!!!! It is a MUST. The weather wasn't great when we went but it was definitely worth it. Make sure you book a few weeks in advance as it does get booked up, especially if the weather isn't great people get moved onto this boat. In Airlie Beach there is a lovely Italian restaurant called La Tabella - the carbonara is to die for.
Magnetic island
Sadly we didn’t get to go to Magnetic Island because of the floods. But when we did our research we saw that you can rent Barbie cars and drive around the island. We were also told to stay in Base which we did have booked but unfortunately didn't manage to get to.
Cairns 09.02.19
Definitely go scuba diving in the Great Barrier Reef! We went with Cairns dive centre and they are such a great company, lots of laughs and felt really comfortable with all of the divers. For the evenings Salt house is the one! They have good food and reasonably priced drinks (They also have salty Monday's). Everyone stays at Gilliagan's in cairns- it’s okay but it is where the main club is so not far to go to crawl back into bed. We stayed in a Airbnb at Cairns One which was great and the pools are beautiful. Uncle Brian’s tour was so much fun, We did cape trib but if you have more time and money then I would definitely say go for the waterfall tour instead. We had actually booked to skydive in Airlie beach but due to the weather being so terrible we had to push it back for further up the coast and ended up doing it in Cairns just before we left. We went with Skydive Australia and they company itself was great really accommodating and super friendly so I would definitely recommend (Also the views were insane and you can see the great barrier reef!).
Perth 14.02.19
I travelled over to Perth to visit some friends who I met in Greece last summer (2018). Being real party animals, of course the girls showed me the best nights out: Connections Night club is amazing and so was OBH on a Sunday. A lovely place for food is Blacksmith's, all of the food looks like something off of instagram. Cottesloe Beach is super sweet and really chilled. What I liked about this beach was that there is a grass area as well as the sand, so those of you who hate sand there is an alternative. After the beach we went to Hilary's Boat Harbour for some ice-cream. Now this isn't the only place for ice-cream in Perth but because my friend wanted to show me Hillary's so we thought we'd get some ice-cream there too. Fremantle Prison The tour we did was 'Convict Prison' but I've heard good things about the tunnel tours, so definitely worth a look. Unfortunately we just missed the Fremantle Markets on the day we were there but I have heard good things and saw where they would be and it looked like it would be great. For my last lunch in Perth we went to Kings Park where we got some food at the Botanical Café which was good a reasonably priced. For my last dinner my girl's decided to take me to Lucky Chan's which was AMAZING! The food, location and drinks were all fantastic and I would definitely recommend.
Melbourne 21.02.19
Before heading home I decided to travel back to Melbourne for a little bit to visit a friend. While I was back I wanted to make sure I saw things that I missed on my last stay like the Brighton Beach huts, which are perfect for a little photoshoot/nice day at the beach! After Brighton beach we decided to head to Chapel street for the bars - Three monkey's was really cool. On my last night we went to Naked for satan (Fitzroy) which has an amazing view of the city.
Rye 26.02.19
On our first trip to Melbourne I really wanted to head down to Rye, So this time around I was sure to make this happen. We decided to do the Moonstaker Tour and Peninsula Hot Springs which were part of a deal (book together and get a discount). The Moonstaker tour was absolutely incredible! We were swimming with dolphins, sea lions and sting rays - can't recommend this tour enough. As well as the Hot springs it was such a great way to end a perfect day of swimming with all of the animals- Its a must! We stayed at Weeroona Bed and Breakfast in the Egyptian cottage, the B&B owners are amazing and so helpful. They really made our time there as relaxing as possible.
After spending 2 months exploring Australia and seeing what it had to offer (which Is a lot!), it was time for me to head home (03.03.19/04.03.19). Having fallen madly in love with Aus... I have decided that I want to go back and this time to work. So as soon as I landed back in the UK I applied for my Working Holiday Visa (417- which was approved the same day) I then booked my flights and I am scheduled to land down under 04.05.19 - Lots of exciting things to come!
Here's some clips of my time away.