The Other Side of the World

We arrived quite late in Surfer's with no accommodation booked so we decided to risk camping on the beach. So we found what we thought was an inconspicuous spot and all crammed into a two man tent (conveniently "borrowed" from coffee palace). We woke up to a beautiful sunny day, skyscrapers towering over us and the fresh tracks of the sand-filtering vehicle, making an obvious circle around our secluded tent! After a saltwater shower, we headed off to finally check in to our hostel.

First impressions of Surfer's, it was more like Benidorm than anywhere else in Oz I'd been. It was purely a holiday city with no shortage of entertainment. We spent a total of 5 days there, the first of which we spent at Wet n' Wild, the local water park and had a fantastic day indulging in the simple and nostalgic pleasures of waterslides. The next evening we did an organised pub crawl which consisted of 200 backpackers being dragged to 5 different clubs and bars and given a free drink in each and played party games etc. We then did a thing called zorbing where you are placed in a large rubber ball and run down a hill like a hamster in a treadmill. I was placed in a ball with Johnny followed by a couple of gallons of water, the result of which was a complete mess...but alot of fun. Leaving the zorbing centre, our path was blocked by a family of Kangaroos and we got a really good view of the creatures in their natural habitat. After Surfer's we headed of to Brisbane, thereby entering the new state of Queensland.

Having said my farewells to Ralf and David, I got on the greyhound coach for another painful 12 hour journey to Byron Bay. I didn't know what to expect about this place, though other backpackers had listed it very highly in their 'travel books'. All I could predict was that I would have four hectic days of surfing, drinking and skydiving; I wasn't wrong.

Byron Bay is a small but spread-out backpacker town in the sub tropical rain forests of New South Wales. Full of friendly people, activities and beautiful beaches, I can say in hindsight that it is my favorite spot on the east coast (so far). The atmosphere is laid back and almost Caribbean-esque (aided by the hippie locals), and the ring of magical forest surrounding the place, adds to the mystique and creates a feeling of exclusivity and security.

The first two days I attended a surf school, headed by a middle aged man with a thick accent who reminded me a bit of the late Steve Irwin. I had done a bit of surfing before, but after the two days I felt a lot more comfortable and have since caught the surfing bug. Then came the day of the skydive: the moment I had been looking forward to for years was finally thrown upon me! I cannot explain in words the experience but I can offer a link to the video:

http://goskydive.com.au/video-player.php?id=3001

I then met up with Wayne and Rhys (Wales) and Johnny (Sheffield); some friends who I had first met in Melbourne months ago who, it turned out, were doing roughly the same trip as me. I've been traveling with them ever since. Finally we had to leave Byron (prematurely in my opinion) and head to the party capital of the gold coast and ex-grand Prix host: the aptly named Surfers Paradise.

I spent two weeks in Sydney, where I lived in a small flat in the world famous suburb of Bondi. I spent most of the time in the dodgy backpacker area/ red light district known as kings cross. Joined by David and Ralf, for the first couple of days we joined forces with some french girls that I had met in Melbourne. After that my time in Sydney consisted mainly of surfing, sleeping and eating at a rather good local cafe. David and Ralf had an almost full-time role as my squatters. We did the typical tourist routine: sydney harbour... and then took a boat to Manly which was a beautiful part of the city. Something that struck me about sydney was, contrary to alot of australians' opinion, that it was alot more like London than Melbourne. It was bigger and bolder and more aged than the modern, perfectly blue-printed grid-like metropolis of the latter.

David left for london on the 17th and forthwith, I set off up the coast again to Byron Bay...

Tonight, after three and a half happy months in Melbourne, I leave for Sydney and thereafter embark on my travels. It feels sad to leave surroundings that have become so familiar, and relationships that have become so close. But at the same time I feel a compelling urge to see more of this vast country of which I still have seen very little of.

To sum up the last few months: I had worked at the beachcomber until a few weeks ago. I had saved up enough money and felt it time to prepare my travels. I successfully managed to persuade the owner of a local nightclub to let me create, promote and DJ my own event. I have been doing so every tuesday 9-5am, $40 per hour for the last three months. last night was my last night, and appropriately too, my 19th birthday. My habitation has been scattered across melbourne in this time; Ive lived in hostels, stayed with my ex-nanny Jane, and lived in a studio flat with my Swedish friends, one of whom I was involved with for some time. Erica left for Thailand two weeks ago which was admittedly hard for both of us as we had become quite attached. Finally, my friend David dropped in from London the other week, to my joy, and we both leave for sydney this evening.

I had been very keen to by a car or van from the constant circulaton of backpacker vehicles posted up on hostel walls, however due to a number of factors (one ironically being my inability to drive) I yielded and got a quote from a backpacker travel agency. We worked on a plan and the result was very pleasing: for $1500 I travel up the entire east coast to Cairns at my convenience by coach, stopping off for surfing, skydiving, camping, canoeing, sailing, scuba-diving and 10 nights at some of the best hostels in Oz...all inclusive! I will miss Melbourne very much and will take this opportunity to thank Jane, Sara and Ant for all their support and generosity throughout my time there.

Though feeling quite nostalgic at this point, I have never felt more ready to explore and unlock what I am sure will be, the experiences of a lifetime.