When I last left off, we had just enjoyed Katie and Wylie's wedding. Our next experience was one of the greatest on the trip, snorkeling at the Great Barrier Reef. This was my first experience snorkeling, and it gave me very high expectations for all future snorkeling expeditions!
A giant sea turtle attempting to escape us tourists.
A grumpy sting ray.
Myself, Steve, Ashley and Jeff-- we paid a ridiculous amount of money for this photo.
Our next stop was Brisbane. Many people who have travelled to Australia tell me that Brisbane was their favourite city in the country. For me... It was not. This was because the hostel we stayed in was a complete hole. There was garbage under the beds, the shower door fell off its hinges while Steve was showering, and we had to walk through a questionable red-light district when we were going in and coming out. My memories of Brisbane are unpleasant, except for our trip to the Steve Irwin Australia Zoo.
Actually, my memories of the Australia Zoo are not all rainbows and sunshine. I don't think I was ever colder than the day we were at this zoo! It was freezing out!
The welcome sign.
A crocodile in a show at the "Crocoseum."
Ashley's beautiful shot of a tiger.
From Brisbane we bused it to Surfers Paradise-- perhaps best described as the Las Vegas of Australia. The city is full of glass skyscrapers and hotels all lined up on the beach.
Here we enjoyed some time on the beach.
We also had a fantastic time at Warner Brothers Movie Land. Steve and I managed to score front seats on the Superman Rollercoaster (SO AWESOME), and I'm pretty sure I came close to getting a concussion on the Lethal Weapon Rollercoaster from having my head bang back forth on the "protective" headrest.
Our next stop was Byron Bay-- not exactly the most lively little town.
Byron Bay is, however, the site of the most easterly point of the Australia Mainland. We were there. Jealous?
Fortunately Byron Bay was home to some excellent snorkeling.
Our last big stop in the trip was a surf camp on the east coast of Australia. We spent a day in the camp taking a beginners lesson in surfing. The instructor worked with us until each of us had managed to stand. It took some of us longer than others... Heh... Mainly me.
I can't take credit for this photo, the professional photographer took this one.
Ashley and I dragging our boards to the beach.
Steve was up on his feet in no time!
Sunset. Also taken by a professional photographer!
And finally... We were back in Sydney again. Ashley and Jeff left to jet-set off to Thailand, and Steve and I stayed for an extra four days. We took a day trip out to the Blue Mountains, and we did some last minute shopping, but otherwise, we spent a good couple days lounging in the hostel watching movies. After nearly two months of being on the go every day, we were happy to have a break.
The Blue Mountains were disappointing as far as mountains go. They were really more of a weathered plateau than actual mountains.
I can't believe it's already been four years! Have I sold you on Australia yet? It was a great place to have my first big travel experience. I highly recommend it.
Australia: Two Thumbs Up.
