So my gallivanting in Australia didn’t really go to plan. So as few of you may know I was having a few issues with my visa. This meant that instead of heading straight to Gladstone to finish the last 8 weeks of my placement and then travel from Gladstone down to Sydney, I had to travel around first and then head to Gladstone. My time had shortened dramatically and I only had just over 2 weeks to see as much of Australia as I could before starting back on the project, EEEK!
I flew into Brisbane at the end of November and spent my first few days here. On the first day I was there, I met up with Faye, a volunteer who helped out on the project in Canada, and we decided to go to the Lonely Pine Koala Sanctuary. This place was so cool. It must have been close to 30 degrees that day, heat that I certainly was not used too! We made our way there via bus and when we arrived we were pleasantly surprised as there were so many animals there as well as Koalas. We say bats, platypus, dingo’s, kangaroos and loads of different species of birds. I was so happy to cuddle a koala. They are so cute! And we also got to hand feed kangaroos.
After the koala sanctuary we headed back into Brisbane for a spot of sight-seeing then before we knew it it was time for Faye to go home.
We started making out way back to the train station when the heavens opened. It went from glorious sunshine to torrential rain in a matter of seconds! We carried on making our way to the train station and we were soaked. It was raining that hard we decided to take cover in a stairwell when the weather turned really nasty. The wind was so strong and now it was haling hail stones the size of tennis balls! We couldn’t believe it, what started out being a really funny ‘let’s ruin in the rain’ turned out to be a really scary experience. I can’t remember how long it lasted for. But when the hail started to let up we made our way to the train station to find that all the trains had been suspended due to the weather.
Faye had to wait for hours before she could get home! Went I got back to the hostel the whole place had flooded, windows were cracked from the hail stones and the place was crazy! I found out the next day that it was a cyclone! What a first day!!
Over the next few days I didn’t do too much, just chilled out at the hostel and wandered around the town a little. Mainly trying to decide where to go next! I met a girl in the hostel who said I had to go to Byron Bay and stay at the Arts Factory (an old hippy commune). So I got it all booked up and off I went to Byron bay.
I think Byron has to be my favourite place that I visited. It is so chilled out and crazy at the same time. The hostel was amazing; I was staying in a lakeside dorm, a 10 bed female dorm which was situated right next to the lake.
In the morning I did a spot of guided meditation by the lake then had a massage, not a bad way to start the day eh?
I decided to head into town to have a nosey around, then in the afternoon I met up with a lovely Scottish girl, Heather, who I had met in Brisbane and we went out for food and a few drinks. We decided to go Kayaking the next day, which was awesome.
I was a little hung over from the night before but still really enjoyed it. We saw sea turtles before stopping for a tea break at one of the beaches. When we got back in the water we were lucky enough to catch a glimpse of some dolphins. The paddle back to shore was horrendous. Seem like it took an eternity! So afterwards we had some well-deserved R&R at the beach.
This was my last day in Byron bay so me and a few of the girls from the hostel decided to go out for the night. We headed to a place called cheeky monkeys which served $5 meals and a free drink. It was awesome. The bar was crazy; they were giving away some mental prizes and played some mad games. It sure was an experience!
From Byron Bay I was catching a bus back to Brisbane and heading straight through to Rainbow beach where I was staying over for the 1 night ready for my Fraser Island trip! Everyone who I had spoken to told me I had to go, so I did! Even though it did cost me an arm and a leg! I had opted to go for the 3 day 2 night tour where we had a driver and stayed in a ‘wilderness cabin’. This was the most fun in 3 days I have ever had. I met some awesome people along the way too.
Here we swam in lakes…
went on hikes through the rain forest…
Hiked up Indian head to see an awesome view…
Saw snakes and dingoes….
Ate awesome food and had some of the bumpiest rides of my life in a big pink pimped up coach!…
Saw a ship wreck…
Oh and how could I forget that I FLEW IN A PLANE over the island? Could have been because I was a little hung-over but that flight sorted my head out fast, was incredible to see it from the air…
It was great!
After Fraser Island it was back to Brisbane for a few days to chill out before heading to Gladstone. I met a couple of awesome girls, Clare and Michelle, and I think we just ate and drank our own body weight in food and beer! Good times.
Next stop, Gladstone……. 🙂
My Placement Year - 30 weeks of wildlife, travelling, data analysis and everything in-between 
my favourite part of your blog I think (though Pearl Harbour was awesome!) well done