Easter Break 2013

It has been a long time since my last post, so this one is probably gonna be a little long! Last week I had a week off and I finally got to see areas of Australia outside of Sydney. We left on a Saturday for Cairns, which is in the northern part of Australia, and returned the next Saturday from Byron Bay. So on that note here is a day to day journal of everything I experienced.

Day 1- Our flight left Sydney at 6AM which meant it was a 3AM wake up call for me and a very early taxi ride. I went on this trip with two friends I have met since being here and we had a great time. Our plane arrived on Cairns at 8AM but it was a 3 hour plane ride so we actually fell back an hour. We stayed at a hostel only a couple feet from the water which was very nice. Since we got there so early we had time to explore and we walked down the boardwalk that ran along the coast. We explored the city which is very small compared to Sydney and once the sun was out we got our bathing suits and headed out to the lagoon. Around where we stayed there are no nice beaches so the city has built a HUGE swimming pool that overlooks the harbor and stayed there for the rest of the afternoon. We ended the night at a local restaurant where they give hostel stayers a discount which was nice!

 Fresh Coconut Water Straight from a Coconut at the Local Market

Day 2- On our second day we had a Rainforest Tour Planned and were awake bright and early. We started the day off at a wildlife sanctuary where we got to see local Australian animals and even hold a koala! That was probably a big highlight of the trip and is always something people have on their bucket list when they come to Australia. I also got to feed kangaroos right from my hand which was also an amazing experience. After the sanctuary we headed to a rainforest river cruise where we got a guided boat tour of the Daintree River located in the oldest rainforest in the world. On the cruise we saw a wild crocodile and a baby croc as well! Once the tour was completed we were able to take a guided hike of the rainforest and see Cape Tribulation both were beautiful! It was an amazing experience to see so much in one day.

Day 3- Today was the day we went snorkeling in the Great Barrier Reef. It is said to be one of the greatest wonders of the world and it sure lived up to the hype with the colorful fish and amazing coral. I will admit I was a little nervous because all I could see in my head were tons of sharks! We were able to go to two different reef locations and had an amazing lunch with fish, shrimp, sausage, and lots of sides. One rule however I did learn while snorkeling is that you should not bring your wallet to the top deck because that's an easy way to lose your credit card when it falls off the side of the boat....because that is exactly what happened. This ends with you calling your mom at 3AM to have a replacement sent right away. Even with losing my card snorkeling was still an amazing experience!

Day 4- We had an early morning and were ready by 6:30AM to go White Water Rafting along the Tully River. Rafting was so much fun and the rapids could get pretty intense at time. The views were amazing and we saw tons of waterfalls and got to go swimming along a lot of the river! Our rafting guide was great and overall it was a fun way to see another side of Cairns.

Day 5 through Day 7- We left Sydney and headed to Byron Bay, the most eastern part of Australia, for two nights. Byron Bay is known for their great beaches but it rained the whole time we were there so we focused on the shopping. I found some great souvenirs, and on the second day there we woke up early to head to the lighthouse to see the sunrise. The views were amazing and that was the highlight of Byron Bay. Overall the trip was amazing and I got back to Sydney safely and I am currently now getting back into school mode