I can tell you how beautiful Tropical North Queensland is but you really cannot appreciate it unless you see it. This was honestly one of the most gorgeous places I’ve ever been to, a true gem of Australia. I went on this 4 day trip with my roommate Heidi. There were no dramas, we had tons of fun, and everything went off without a hitch. Enjoy our journey in these next few pages (but make sure you do the same at some point in your life…)
After turning in a 3,000 word paper, I came home to get my bags and Heidi and I left for the airport. With all of the stresses of school behind us, we hopped on a late flight and flew to Cairns, the hub of Tropical North Queensland. We took a shuttle from the airport to Port Douglas, about an hour and a half north of Cairns. We checked into Rendezvous, a “resort” made up of over 100 villas. Our villa was two story 2 bedroom, 2 bath, and a living room/kitchen area…perfect for the two of us (and the same price as staying at a backpackers!).
We were exhausted so we decided to sleep in on Thursday morning. After consulting Shannon, the front desk manager, for tours to take in the next couple of days, we started walking into town. A couple (both of them who worked on boats that went out to the reef) told us they were going into town and offered to give us a lift…they saved us from the forty minute walk and gave us great tips about the area. We grabbed a wrap and smoothie at a little café then walked down to the beach. A Canadian girl sold us two beach chairs for 15 dollars each and we were set for the afternoon. There were these little crabs who rolled little balls of sand and the beach was covered with them, it was cool I promise (and I obviously have pictures of it). We didn’t get in the water cause most of it was roped off because of jellyfish. After laying out and reading our books for a while we walked back into town to get some snacks, and wine, for our room. We took a shuttle back to the villa, showered, and went back into town for dinner. It was Carnivale weekend, Port Douglas’ yearly festival, and we had no idea. It was a great time for us to go because there were live bands playing at the restaurant, a big parade the next day, and tons of people were out. But we called it an early night because little did we know the most amazing day was to come…
We were outside to be picked up for our Daintree Rainforest tour at 7:45am. It was a small group of 8 and our tour guide Grant was FANSTASTIC. He was so knowledgeable about the area and excited to teach us about it. We took a ferry across the Daintree River onto Cape Tribulation where we had morning tea ON the beach with baby bananas and lamingtons, a small cake dipped in chocolate and rolled in coconut (don’t worry mom, me and Heidi shared one :)). Then we took a short walk through the rainforest in that area and through the water. The tide was really low and the water came up to a little above our ankles. There were fish and stingrays swimming around us, it was awesome. We got back into the van and drove through Cape Trib for a little while, and then stopped at a river/watering hole for a swim. It reminded me of the river we walk through before Sliding Rock (for all you camp people). We had a great lunch at a long, gorgeous wood picnic table, and then put on our sneakers to get ready for our Rainforest Walk. We walked through the Daintree for a little over an hour, learning about the trees, vegetation, legends, and history of the area. Grant was like a Daintree encyclopedia…he literally knew the answers to every question we had. After our great walk, we stopped at an ice cream place where they give you four small scoops of locally made ice cream in a cup. You don’t get to pick your flavours…you get what you get. The flavours for that day were Apricot, Coconut, Passionfruit, and a seed that tasted kind of like coffee…it was sooo good. Then we got into a boat and took a ride up the Daintree River spotting a few crocs, kingfisher birds, tree frogs, and snakes along the way. After a great day we went back to the villa and took a shower and nap. Then we went into town and had an amazing dinner at a restaurant called Salsa…fresh salad, local swordfish, and their signature chocolate Cointreau soufflé. We hung out at a bar for a little while after and went back home to get some rest to get ready for another early day.
It was another 7:45am pickup for our Great Barrier Reef tour. The company, Haba, picked us up from the villa and drove us to the marina where we checked in and got on the boat. We were greeted by an American named Trevor who came over to Australia to work for a few years before getting a job back in California. He loved having us two American girls on the trip that day. We didn’t get to scuba which sucked, Heidi has bad ears and apparently your sinuses can explode (or something) if they’re not in great condition (so I was out of the question), but snorkeling was still great. We made two stops on the reef. It wasn’t as vibrant as I thought it would be because a lot of it has been bleached out from the sun/global warming (so sad – STOP GLOBAL WARMING) but it was still amazing. We did find two Nemos, along with a bunch of other gorgeous fish and corals. After a great day of snorkeling, we sat on the front of the boat for the whole ride home, taking in the gorgeous surroundings (including Snapper Island, an island whose shape looks like a crocodile). It was definitely a day to remember. We went back to the villa and took a shuttle back to Cairns because we heard it was the place to be on a Saturday night. We checked into Gilligan’s backpackers, a five star backpackers that has a hotel section, and it was great! They messed up our room situation so we actually got upgraded…we even had comfy robes to relax in…it was nice to be spoiled :) We walked around town for a little and grabbed some Subway and went back to the room to hang out before we went out, the first Pirates of the Caribbean was on TV. Then we got ready and went to the club that was attached to the backpackers which was sooo much fun. One of my friends was actually staying there at the same time so we hung out with him and his friends for some of the night. It was a good time.
Heidi talked her way into us getting a late checkout so we were able to sleep in Sunday morning. We walked around Cairns for a few hours on a gorgeous but very hot day. There was a public swimming pool by the ocean which had tons of people, you can’t really swim in the ocean in Cairns, and we walked around the shops and the marina. We had lunch at a Mexican restaurant which we were so excited to find. We walked through their big mall for a little then went back to Gilligan’s where we took a 5 minute cab ride to the airport. It truly was an amazing trip, and it’s definitely a place I need to go back to in the future. I can’t wait to share pictures with everyone.
The following weekend was my friend Kara’s 21st birthday weekend and since her mom couldn’t make it to Sydney (she was supposed to come in that weekend) she got her a hotel room at the Marriott in Sydney Harbour for two nights. On Friday me, Kara, and our friend Ashley did the evening Sydney Harbour Bridge Climb. It was by far one of the coolest things I’ve ever done. It’s a three and a half hour tour, you’re on the bridge for about 2 hours – the rest of the time you spend putting on and taking off the insane amount of gear they make you wear. You are attached to a cable the whole time and it wasn’t scary at all. It was kind of unbelievable that 3 months ago I couldn’t walk and since then I’ve climbed a glacier in New Zealand, snorkeled in the Great Barrier Reef, and climbed the Sydney Harbour Bridge…I hate to toot my own horn but go me! All of the lights on the bridge project a black stripe, what they call a black rainbow, into the sky that you can only see from the top of the arch, it was gorgeous. We got to take in the city for all it was, and think back on the incredible semester we’ve spent here. I would recommend the climb to anyone. That night we went out to Argyle in the Rocks with a bunch of people.
The next day we had breakfast at Pancakes on the Rocks which if you ever come to Sydney you HAVE to go to. I went back to Bondi Junction to shower and stuff, then went back into the city for dinner. We ate at Kobe Jones, an amazing sushi restaurant in Darling Harbour, then went back to the hotel to pregame. We went out to Hugo’s in Kings Cross, one of Sydney’s hottest clubs, and had one of the best nights of the semester. We danced until 4 in the morning and just had a ball. We finished Kara’s birthday celebration at Hurricanes, a very American-style BBQ restaurant on Bondi Beach, on Tuesday. It was a great weekend of festivities.
So you’re probably thinking what about school?!? Well in the past week I have written two 2,000 word papers, two 1,500 word papers, and took 2 exams…I can honestly say that I really did work (although played a lot) while I was in Australia. This semester has been amazing and I can’t believe it has come to an end. Last night we had our Study Australia farewell dinner and partied one more time at the Eastern, the club in Bondi Junction that we’ve gone to almost every Wednesday of the semester. I’ve been packing all day and reflecting on my time here which has exceeded every single one of my expectations. If you’ve been reading this blog throughout my journey here, hopefully I have sparked a desire for you to come to Australia because it truly is one of the most fantastic places in the world. I’ve spent four months here and the fact that I’m already thinking about when I can come back definitely says a lot about this country. From the people and the culture to the amazing sites and gorgeous landscape, I truly appreciate Australia’s beauty and what it represents. There are so many more places here that I haven’t been to, and I can’t wait to experience them one day. Obviously this experience wouldn’t have been so incredible if it wasn’t for the people I’ve met and reunited with along the way. My roommates and friends, both American and Australian, were fantastic, and have made this experience so memorable. And of course, this whole experience would have never been possible without the love and support from my parents. You know how much I love you.
So what’s to come? Tomorrow I go to Fiji for one last hoorah before returning to the states. I’ll be there for 6 days, then head home next Thursday. So get ready for one more blog! Until next time, peace out Australia…it’s been real. Cheers :)
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