Rockhampton cattle farm stay - 22nd June

Myself and the others left Noosa in the morning to catch the train from Cooroy to Rockhampton to continue with my Loka tour. we had a long 9 hour brian journey ahead of us but managed to pass the time with card games as well as trying to squeeze in some sleep it didn't feel as long a trip as I had expected. Once we arrived we picked up our bus which took us to the remote farm along dirt track roads in the dark and then once there we unpacked our stuff, mag our swags and tucked into homemade beef stew around the campfire. The BEST stew ever that instantly reminded me of home. 

The weather was too wet to sleep outside so we had to spend the evening sleeping in the barn but we made it fun and drank the night away as per. 

In the morning we made traditional damper bread made from flour, beer and butter and then cooked in a pot on the fire to go with bacon, baked beans and eggs, yum! After brekkie we took a walk down to the paddock to feed the horses in the surroundings of Mt Wheeler, a sacred aboriginal ground.

Loka crew

Our scheduled train from Rockhampton to Airlie Beach was overnight so we spent the rest of the day at a resort in Emu Park where we could shower and sleep in preparation for our long overnight train ride. 

Before we left Emu Park we all headed up Bluff Point to watch the amazing sunset go down. One of the best i've seen yet. Australia YOU BEAUTY!

Fraser Island - Day 2

On day two of our trip we stared the day at 7.30am and this time it was my time to drive. I drove us along the sands, rocks and rivers to Eli Creek, another freshwater stream that carries you from the top to the bottom by the sea. 

We moved on from Eli Creek to the shipwreck and then on to champagne Pools where we chilled on the beach and played in the pools before moving on to India head. We watched stingrays and sharks below as well as catching humpback whales in the distance surfacing for air. 

We headed back for the evening which where we enjoyed spag' bol', beer pong and lots of goon, naturally.

The final day of our trip was short but also just as fun and in the morning after breakfast we made our way to Lake Wabby, another freshwater lake formed by the moving sand dunes. We even ran into a dingo on the way.

Champagne Pools

Lake Wabby

My time at Fraser was one i'll remember for a long time and a highlight of my trip so far. I met lots of great people and we al bonded really well making the trip even more special.

My next journey takes me up to Rockhampton for an overnight cattle farm stay then on to Airlie Beach where I pick my boat up for my Whitsundays tour. 

It feels so good to be on the road again, YAY!

Fraser Island - Day 1

So to cut a long story short i was initially meant to be starting a new job in Brisbane however I decided not to take it and start moving further up the east coast again. although I had loved my time in Brisbane and meant lots of great people at Base Hostel where I was living, it felt like the right time to move on.

I arrived in Noosa on the 18th of June where I was staying at Nomads hostel with the group of others who would be joining me on my trip to the island.

Day 1 - 19/06/15:

Our day started at 7am for an early morning check out where we picked to bus up at 7.30am to take us a two hour drive to Rainbow Beach where we met with our guid Link. We had our safety briefing where they told us all we needed to know about the 4x4's and how to drive them safely, after being put into out groups we were on the road to Fraser. 

Lake McKenzie

After lunch we drove along the sands to Lake Mckenzie, a freshwater lake with beautiful white sands. We Played volleyball in the lake and it was a chance for us to start bonding and getting to know each other.

After our time at the lake we made our way inland along the off road tracks to Central Station, the sight for the original town when the first inhabitants lived on the island. Our guid Link took us for a short walk through the trees and streams before heading back to base camp for dinner and drinking games. Our first taste of the island was fun and in the evening some of us went down onto the beach to look at the stars and catch the Milky  Way.

Exploring Brisbane

So i've now been living and working in Brisbane for just over a month now and I can't believe how quickly it's gone by. 

Because I spend Monday - Friday at work my only time for taking a trip out and getting the chance to explore Brisbane is mostly at the weekends so here's a brief round up of some of the things i've been getting up to over the past weeks in pictures. 

Evening sunset over Southbank

Queensland Art Gallery Of Modern Art. 

Yayoi Kusama infinity room

Michael Sailstorfer  instalatin. Hundreds of truck tyre inner tubes arranged to represent clouds.

Street art awesomeness in Fortitude Valley

Type on James Street, Fortitude Valley.

Australia take on New Zealand - Anzac Test Match Rugby, Sunday 3rd May

After our not very successful first attempt at going to watch the Anzac Test Match between Australia and New Zealand the previous weekend having been cancelled due to the most horrendous rain storm(YES RAIN IN AUSTRALIA, The roads were basically rivers!!)we made our way to the Suncorp stadium for round two.

The pre match kick started at 2pm between the Aus' and NZ girls teams with the Aussies leading the way to win the match. 

For me this was my first ever rugby match and despite only paying $50 for our seats we had a really great spot right by the goal with a perfect view. The mens teams came onto the pitch with NZ performing their traditional Haka, something that i had wanted to say i'd seen, with the match starting at 4pm.

Australia took the lead but quickly started to fall behind with NZ taking home the title and winning 26 - 12, the first Anzac test match win since the 1950's. My first experience of rugby was great fun and even though AUS' lost it was a fun way to tick it off the bucket list and a great way to spend the evening with my friends from the Hostel, Hannah and Jess. 

Australia Zoo

I had wanted to go to Australia zoo ever since I arrived in On and Monday 20th April myself and my friend Jade caught the early 7:45am Greyhound coach and headed to the zoo.

After an hour and a half bus ride we arrived and headed straight for the crocs and alligators(naturally)and there was definitely plenty of them. I had never of guessed how big they actually are. Scary!

CRICKEY!

The weather wasn't great but we still managed to get round the whole zoo and see all the animals, Kangaroos, Koalas, Tigers, Reptiles, Birds, Camels amongst a few. Mid-day we went along to the 'Wildlife Warriors' show in the Crocseum, the main arena for all the animal shows and demonstrations. They started off with a reptile talk followed by birds and then onto the crocodiles.

The keepers gave a talk and demonstration as to how they catch their food and educated us that most people only come into contact with crocs if their too close to croc infested water or their just being idiotic and asking for something bad to happen. 

My favourite part was feeding time and the time when you were able to see just how powerful these animals really are and certainly not to be messed with!

Towards the end of the day we made our way round to the far side of the zoo where we went to the Tiger talk. Again, the keepers were super hands on and were actually in the enclosure with the tigers. They talked us though the enrichment tasks they do how this helps them to maintain the animals are ok and healthy. 

Rather them than me for sure. 

Despite the weather being pants it was a great day and a good insight into how hands on the keepers are with all the animals no matter how big or small.

Surfers Paradise - 08/04/15 - 10/04/15

By this time on my trip up the East Coast there was now just myself and Linda travelling together and after leaving Byron we made our way further along the coast to Surfers Paradise.

It was only a two night stop which was enough because although the beach was pretty amazing it was more of a holiday destination than that of a cultural stop. 

The first day we both chilled by the pool which was something of a luxury for hostel accommodation and then ventured out in the evening for food only because the kitchen was pretty rubbish to say the least and it was easier to eat out. 

Short stop at Burleigh Head National Park for the view overlooking the Gold Coast

Surfers Paradise - Too bad I can't surf:(

The following day we ventured along to the Skypoint Tower which was opposite our hostel. 

The sky was blue and the sea was blue, we couldn't have picked a better day and the views were unreal and it only cost $22 to take the lift up to the observation deck which works out at only £11! In the evening we went along to the evening market along the beach front where I went and got myself a henna tattoo. Small bucket list moment. 

View from Skypoint Tower