So now for Australia. Our first stop down under was Sydney and we arrived on Friday, the 26th of March and stayed for 4 nights. Though we were sad to leave New Zealand, we were pleased with the much warmer temperatures in Sydney. Sydney is a beautiful city and is quite large with a population of about 4 million (interestingly, that is the entire population for all of New Zealand). Our biggest dilemma once we arrived was finding a reasonably priced accommodation to stay for 4 nights. We couldn’t get anything to work out for 4 consecutive nights and were confused as to why the hotels and hostels were all booked up on the Saturday night of the weekend we were there. Turns out Lady Gaga was in concert and that’s why there were so many places booked up. Ugh…Lady ‘who cares about you‘…if you ask me! We utilized the airport information desk kiosk to find us a semi-reasonably priced place and went on our way to the hotel.
That evening we visited the Sydney Aquarium, which boasts being one of the best aquariums in the world. It actually was a very nice facility in the popular tourist area called Darling Harbor. We saw a duck-billed platypus, crocodiles, coral from the Great Barrier Reef, Dugongs (similar to a manatee), sharks, sting rays, and a ton of other unique fish. Darling Harbour has many restaurants, shops, an IMAX, and numerous museums all right on the water. A very happening place on a Friday night. After the aquarium we stopped for dinner at one of the restaurants overlooking the harbour. Crocodile!
Sharks!
Duck-billed Platypus
Darling Harbour
On Saturday, we got up and headed to Sydney Harbour, where the famous Sydney Opera House is located as well as the Sydney Harbour Bridge. The Opera House really is a very unique structure. The architecture is quite amazing. Nearby there are parks and gardens that add to the beauty of the area. We stopped for oysters at a harbourside restaurant then headed to another popular neighborhood, called The Rocks, where they were having an open outdoor market with local vendors displaying various art, crafts, clothing, jewelry, etc. After that, we took a ferry over to a local popular beach, called Manly Beach. Australia is known for its beautiful beaches and surfing and that’s exactly what we saw at Manly Beach. We laid out on the beach for a while and then we picnicked there for a late afternoon lunch. I was thrilled to be at a beach in March and that it was hot enough to sweat outside! We headed back on the ferry later in the afternoon and then stopped back in The Rocks neighborhood before heading back to eat near our hotel. A lazy day on the beach was quite a treat! 
View of the Opera House from the water
Sydney Harbour Bridge
The Opera House at night
Manly Beach
Sunday morning we got up early for a day trip tour outside of Sydney to what are called the Blue Mountains, which are about 70 miles west of Sydney. On the way as part of the tour we stopped at Featherdale Wildlife Park. The park is set up where you can walk around among many of the animals though birds and potentially dangerous animals were in their own separate cages/pins. It’s home to numerous native Australian critters such as kangaroos, koala bears, wallabies, dingos (wild dogs), crocodiles, cassowary’s, sugar gliders, and tazmanian devils. We had the chance to feed the kangaroos and cuddle with a koala. We really enjoyed getting to explore the park and all the animals. 
Cassawary
Koala Cuddles
Kangaroo Feeding
Tazmanian Devil
Dingo
From there we drove on to the Blue Mountains National Park. We first stopped at a scenic lookout point where there our beautiful views of cliffs, valleys, waterfalls, and walking trails. From here there is a nice view a rock formation called ’The Three Sisters’. Legend has it that 3 sisters from an aboriginal tribe (called the Katoomba’s) fell in love with 3 brothers from the another aboriginal tribe, called the Nepean tribe. Apparently they were forbidden to marry since they were from different tribes. The brothers were not happy with this law and decided to take force to get their ladies, which caused a tribal battle. Since there was great danger for the 3 sisters, a witch doctor turned the sister’s into stone to protect them during the battle. Unfortunately, the witch doctor was killed in battle himself and didn’t have a chance to reverse the spell on the sisters to make them human again. So the sister forever remained made of stone. Here are a few pics of the Three Sisters and the Blue Mountains.
After taking in the views, we had lunch at a revolving restaurant that overlooks the mountains and valleys. We also had a chance to ride the scenic railway, which is said to be the world’s steepest railway. It lowers 1,361 feet to the bottom of a valley at a maximum incline of 52 degrees. Pretty neat ride. We walked along some of the trails in the valley. The Blue Mountains are so named because of the constant blue haze that is caused by light striking on eucalyptus oil that evaporates from the leaves of the forest. After all our exploring we headed back to the tour bus and then back to Sydney.
On Monday, we took it easy exploring some more of Sydney and then packed up our stuff to leave for Carnes (pronounced Cans) on the northeast coast on Tuesday. Our flight was in the early afternoon and we arrived around 3:30/4pm. Then we caught a shuttle to take us further north to a small beach and fishing village called Port Douglas. We had planned to stay in Port Douglas for 4 nights and we were able to find an inexpensive hotel/apartment. Port Douglas is where the Great Barrier Reef meets the rain forest so we knew there would be a good variety of things to do. We arrived a little after 5pm and got settled at our place. We had a full kitchen so we headed to the grocery store so we could do our own cooking while we were there. Port Douglas is as I mentioned a small village and much more rural and less crowded than Cairnes. It’s very quaint with a nice main strip we could walk to from our apartment, complete with stylish restaurants and shops, etc, and Four Mile Beach nearby. Port Douglas is also known as being the closest departure point to get to the Great Barrier Reef, which was our main reason for visiting this village. What we hadn’t counted on was the rain. I suppose that is what happens when you arrive during the rainy season! It rained crocodiles all of Wednesday and Thursday and it was heavy rains both days. We mostly relaxed, did laundry, caught up on emails, cooked, etc. on these rainy days. One evening it stopped raining long enough for us to grill some shrimp on the Barbie!
Scott throwing shrimp kebabs on the barbie!
We had booked a snorkeling Barrier Reef adventure for Friday, knowing that the weather wasn’t going to get too much better. We really didn’t care though. Nothing was going to stop us from seeing the Great Barrier Reef! We were concerned with the bad weather potentially causing major waves causing the boat to be choppy. A certain someone I know seems to get seasick from time to time :)! So Friday morning came and we were picked up and taken to the marina to load onto the boat. It was a cloudy, cloudy day but it wasn’t raining and it was at least warm outside. The crew prepped us about the trip and what to expect, water conditions, snorkeling, visibility, etc. They reported that the waters were the best they'd been in the past 2 weeks (much calmer) and the visibility should be outstanding. They also informed us that we'd be going to 3 different snorkeling sites and that the waters would continue to improve as the day went on. Our crew consisted of the skipper, snorkel guide, and a marine biologist. The marine biologist was named Chris and he was thrilled about the days snorkeling conditions. He said that due to the cloudy overcast it causes more infrared light to pass into the water causing the coral to have a unique glowing property and so would also be a great day for taking pictures. As a marine biologist he has taken up photography as a hobby and gets amazing pics of the coral and marine life at all the different reefs he visits.
Once we got going from the marina, it took about 1 ½ hours to get to the first snorkeling site. We were given sun suits to wear over our bathing suits. These suits are basically full body spandex (boy do I love me some tight spandex) and the purpose of them are to protect everyone from the sun without having to put on sunscreen because the chemicals in sunscreen kills the coral. At each site, we snorkeled for about an hour. Chris was taking pictures of everyone in the water and also taking amazing shots of the fish and coral. It was pretty amazing seeing such stunning coral.
The third and final snorkeling spot for the day was at a reef named ’Opal Reef’. Chris informed us that National Geographic had recently been to Opal Reef to shoot footage and take pictures and that Nat Geo would be doing a feature on The Great Barrier Reef in an upcoming edition of the magazine. He actually got to go out with the Nat Geo crew to show the photographers the location of the reef and where to see interesting marine life. All I have to say is that pretty dang cool we got to see such an amazing reef that will be featured in National Geographic! At the end of the day on our way back to the marina, Chris played a slideshow of all the wonderful pictures he had taken from the day. We were also able to purchase a CD to have a copy of the pictures. The pictures below are shots Chris took. Scott and I won’t even try to take any credit for these!
Nemo
Despite the imperfect weather conditions, we managed to have successful snorkeling adventure at the Great Barrier Reef. We advise going to the reef if you ever get to Australia. It is definitely not to be missed. On Saturday we left Port Douglas and went back to Cairns for the night. We flew to Brisbane the following morning. We arrived at our hostel in the afternoon and then explored some of the city. Brisbane is located in the middle part of the east coast and we planned to stay for 3 nights until April 7th (departure day). The attraction for us coming to Brisbane was to go to Moreton Island. This island is about 78 square miles and is the world’s second largest sand mass (after Fraser Island, also in Australia) and also boasts the largest sand hill, Mount Tempest. Scott and I decided to book a one night camping trip with a local tour group that takes tourist out to the island. Not a bad way to camp when you don’t have all the equipment. All we had to do was show up (and pay $$$, of course) and the tents were set up for us and our meals (lunch, dinner, breakfast, and lunch) were all prepared for us.
We left our hostel early on Monday morning and met our tour group at a bus station near where we stayed. Our group consisted of 10 people (2 guys, 8 girls). There were 3 Canadians, 2 Americans (in addition to Scott and I), 1 Austrian, 2 Germans. This turned out to be a great way to get to know people from other places. We also camped with another group that was from the same company, only the other group was to go camping for 2 night instead of 1. Our guide was named Brendan, but he actually went by Eugene because the guide from the other group was named Brendan. Anyway, Eugene looked like the bus driver from the Simpsons (Otto Mann) and he was also a snake handler and played the slide guitar. Quite a character.
Eugene fishing
Goodtime guitar player
Once we met our group, Eugene drove us to the ferry to take over to the island. The thing about Moreton Island that is unique is that it really is all sand with woods/trees/ bushes in the middle of the island. There no paved roads, only sand roads so this requires everyone drive 4 wheel drive vehicles on the island. Another thing that was nice is that there was only 1 resort hotel and one very small town with a convenient store. The rest of the lodging was at campsites. Once we got to the ferry, Eugene drove the old Land Rover onto the ferry to be transported over. The ferry took about 2 hours to get to the island. Upon arriving we passed an old shipwreck (see pic). We found Eugene and hopped in the truck and once the boat docked we drove off the boat and headed north on the island. 
We drove around for a while and made a couple of stops before getting to our campsite around 11:30. Eugene was quite knowledgeable about the island and would point out the different flora and fauna, animals, and other info about the island. At the campsite, Eugene and Brendan assigned us our tents and started on lunch for us. The campsite was set up in the woods, a short walk from the beach and also near a lagoon (the Blue Lagoon). While Eugene and Brendan got lunch together we went to the beach and the lagoon for a swim. It was pretty darn hot outside so the quick swim was quite refreshing.
The Blue Lagoon
Our campsite
Our tentAfter our lunch of sandwiches, Eugene took us to North Point where there is an absolutely breathtaking beach. Scott and I would rate the beach as one of our top 3 we’ve been to. It was pretty secluded, very peaceful, and the water was a good temperature for swimming. The North Point is also a great place for surfing. Turns out that Eugene and Brendan are surfers, so they got their surfboards out and headed up the coast to an area with some great waves. The rest of us laid out, swam in the water, or walked along the beach. Talk about relaxing! This had to be one of the most easy-going tours we’d been on yet. We were there for a couple of hours before heading back to the campsite. Scott and I came to realize that our guides did this job because they get to take tourists to the beach, while they go and surf! Not a bad gig for them.
North Point Beaches
We went back to the campsite and got washed up for dinner then Scott and I went and watched the sunset on the beach. Dinner was served around 7pm and we had burgers and hot dogs. Then we all sat around the campfire for awhile chatting and telling stories. The highlight of the evening was that as we sat on this small secluded island off the coast of Australia, you could look up at the sky and see the Milky Way. We were even able to see the Southern Cross. Millions of stars filled the sky and we sat for what seemed like hours with our heads tilted back looking straight up.
We got up the next morning and had breakfast around 8am. Then we all loaded into the truck and Eugene drove us to the sand dunes so we could all go sand boarding. Brendan and his group met us there too. It wasn’t quite the same as when we went in Peru, but we still had a fantastic time especially watching others who hadn‘t ever done it before.
At the desert!
Couples Sandboarding!
Away we go!
It was very hot out on the sand dunes so when we made it back to camp for lunch we all high-tailed it to the lagoon for a swim. After lunch everyone packed up their belongings and loaded up the truck. On the way back to the dock to catch the ferry we stopped to do some snorkeling and lay out on the beach. We hung out with the Canadians we’d met on the ferry ride back and Eugene played his slide guitar for us. We made it back to the hostel in Brisbane that evening around 6pm. We definitely felt we’d made the right decision to visit the island on the last couple of days of our trip. If we’d had the time we would have gone camping 2 nights instead of just one. We really enjoyed the trip!
For our last night of the trip we decided we needed to have ’real’ Australian food. We were recommended a fine dining restaurant not too far from the hostel. We decided that since it was our very last night of not only our time in Australia but for our entire travel adventure, we’d go ahead and splurge. We were both excited about the meal and it was fantastic. We tried crocodile, kangaroo, and elk along with various cheeses, nuts and berries, and delicious dessert. Along with each course they provided a sampling of wine that compliments the dish. All in all it was a great meal and the perfect way to end our trip. The kangaroo tasted like steak, but we were warned that it does have to be prepared by someone who knows what they’re doing or it would taste bad. They clearly knew what they were doing. The crocodile was good too. As we sat through dinner we really couldn’t believe it was the end of our trip. We were both sad that our travels were actually coming to an end. It seems as though it all just flew by. How can it already be April? I guess time does fly when you‘re having fun.
Traveling provides the opportunity to teach you many things and can shine a new perspective on your life though you may not realize it right away. We’ve learned many things about ourselves, such as what’s really important in life and what things we take for granted. We've also learned what material things you think you can’t live without but as it turns out, you can. Less IS more. And of course we’ve learned about other places, the people, and the culture and we’ve grown as people because of it. This list could go on and on. It’s been quite fascinating and we‘re glad we’ve had this opportunity to travel and see so much. Scott and I also learned many new things about each other. Some good, some not so good :) but hey, at least we know now! Scott and I have grown together through this unique experience and we look forward to our next adventures in life, wherever they may be.
Thank you for checking in and following our travels. We’ve enjoyed sharing our journey with you and we hope it was entertaining and maybe even provided you with something to read when you were bored at work! If anything though we do hope it was informative reading about new cities and countries and seeing pictures from all over. Please feel free to email or call us if you are thinking about going to any of the places we went. We can provide some good travel guide books, recommendations, tips, etc. Just let us know! We do plan to continue to update the blog periodically. We want to inform you on where we end up settling, our jobs, wedding stuff, etc and like I said before, we do still live in the mind frame of “Where are we? What day is today?!”
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