SC conquers Australia

Phew, what a couple of weeks it's been! Still recovering from having my SC girls leave and turned in a massive assignment - exhausting. It's crazy that the semester is wrapping up here, time certainly flies when you're having fun! Speaking of having fun, I cannot explain how wonderful it was having Lauren and Bianca here for the other week - It had been 3+ months since I'd seen either of them so we definitely made their trip worth while...

They arrived Sunday, October 4 and nearly tackled them to the ground at the airport! Here's the three of us in my home sweet home

We just got groceries, bbqed, and relaxed Sunday - 

preparing them for their surprise on Monday...

CAMEL RIDING!!!

I wanted to plan fun Australia-only things for us to do for the week

 and this was first on the list. 

Riding on the beach in Noosa

This guy below has photoshoot practice because he's a movie star!

I can't remember the movie now but when I do, I'll let y'all know

He even smiled for the camera :)

We had SO much fun riding - certainly a once in a lifetime experience. 

Noosa is a part of Sunshine Coast but is also filled with it's own suburbs. There's Noosa Heads (most famous), Noosaville, North Shore Noosa... After the Camel Riding was over, we headed to Noosa Heads where the main beach is. We laid out for a while and later decided to visit the Noosa National Park. I had the novel idea to climb Noosa Hill to see if there was a good lookout. Turned out that Noosa Hill was no hill. We ended up climbing a mountain with no lookout! A little disappointing but we had a great time, nonetheless.

Watching the sunset from the rocks in Noosa

::Remember the pyramid-like mountain::

We were worn out by dinner time... We ate and went to bed early, knowing that we had a big day coming. Tuesday, we woke up fairly early and headed to Mooloolaba Beach with the roomies, Ben and Tate. I love Mooloolaba and had a great time showing them around. We headed home around 3 to get ready for our next adventure - climbing Mount Coolum!

We had no idea what we were

getting ourselves into...

This is never a good sign...

DANGER: Serious injury or death could result from walking on or around the edge cliff

Just what you want to see in the start of the ascent...

If it looks steep going up, just think about down!

Ahhh but like always, so worth it :)

Noosa is just to the right ->

Ocean side:

The awesome pyramid-like mountain is just to the 

right of this one, it was awesome seeing it from a different angle

Land side:

After descending, we stopped by Uni on the way home

in hopes of the girls seeing their first Kangas.

Fortunately, they were EVERYWHERE!

Lovely USC :)

But, hold on, the day isn't over yet! Every Tuesday is "Cheap Tuesday" = cheap food, drinks, entry, everything - Bianca was done for the day but Lauren and I managed to push through!

Meeting up with Sini for

a fun night out

We did not stay out too late because we knew we had, yet another, 

jam-packed amazing day ahead of us...

The Steve Irwin, Australia Zoo!!!

We had the most amazing time! I hadn't made it there yet so it was a new experience for us all. And it was 100% Aussie -

We did everything from 

lazing around with Kangaroos...

To holding Koalas!!!

Hilarious :>

Warning sign covering every Crocodile exhibit

Someone wasn't paying attention to the sign!

I don't think I'd get that close...

Thursday = Uni Night

Friday was absolute-relax day. We all slept in, played Monopoly with the roommates and the girls began their packing... However we did have one surprise, somehow I had managed to not try Vegemite since I moved to Australia, so Friday was the day for all of us!

To put it lightly - YUCK!

Funny enough, we weren't posing in the picture - real reactions

Macaela came home from work out 4 and took us to an adorable French-styled town called Montville. It is on top of a mountain, over looking valleys. I'm sure the view is a beautiful but it was very overcast when we were there. Still a good time though :)

Saturday came all too soon and it was time to for the girls to leave... Cat was SO sweet and made us a delectable breakfast before their long trek home. Ben and Tate joined us for the ride and the 5 of us spent sometime in Brissy before taking the girls to the airport.

Varisty saying bye to the girls :(

Last authentic Aussie treat - Meat Pies!!!

As you can tell, we had an unbelievable time together - I had been looking forward to it since I got here and it was even more than I had expected. I love those girls so much and I'm so thankful they were willing to travel across the world to visit me. How does one get so blessed?! Like I said before, I had a massive report due this week - I have two left and I am D-O-N-E! But just because school's going to end, doesn't mean the fun will stop... Mom, Dad, and Jessica (Winthrop roomie/most amazing girl in the world!) will be here the 27 of October - YAY! We have some amazing things planned while they're here and Jessi and I are heading to Sydney at the end of her trip - I haven't been yet so I'm pumped about that as well. So much behind me, so much going on now, and SO much to look forward to! 

Thank y'all for going through it all with me - Love you so much!!!!!

Road Trip #2

Hello all!!! 

Needless to say - Lauren, Bianca, and I are having the most AMAZING time together and I can't wait to tell y'all about it BUT I have to finish my intra-semester break travels first...

Back in business:

Below is a map of all of Australia with a zoomed cut-out of Queensland (the state who's east coast we traveled). I live in near Caloundra, we went south first to Brisbane to pick up with cars, drove straight to Cairns (22hr drive from Brisbane, 1,682km) we made it there in a day and a half :) We went from Cairns, north to Port Douglas and Cape Tribulation and back. We drove south from there, starting in Airlie Beach for our sailing trip, then Agnes Water/1770 to camp on the beach, then to Hervey Bay/Fraser Island, then Noosa Heads and home!

I was trying to find a way to further detail where we stopped but, unfortunately, Mac's don't have a drawing program... I figured these were good enough though

The last picture of the previous blog is in Noosa and we headed home that day. It was supposed 

to be a relaxing night and morning but it was quite stressful for me, seeing as I had to sort out some school things between three different Uni's and LIFE Scholarship people. 

Fortunately, the second have of my adventure was very relaxing. It was strictly a girls trip - Sini, Maggie and I headed south to Byron Bay and Gold Coast. 

Took my first Greyhound

First day in Byron, Sini and I got

massages - definitely deserved :)

Gorgeous Byron Bay

The perfect sign!

Headed up to Surfer's Paradise, Gold Coast:

MOTEL!!!! What a luxury after weeks

of hostels and campsites - I was so excited :D

Irish Pub in Surfers - 

enjoying some live music

Looking down the beach from Surfers

Explanation: Similarly to the Sunshine Coast, Gold Coast is made up of several suburbs (Broadbeach, Burleigh Heads, Mermaid Beach, Miami, Palm Beach, Surfers Paradise...)

Viewing Surfers in the distance from Broadbeach

Looking down Gold Coast

Sooo beautiful - from Mermaid Beach to Surfers

On the train home - 

more amazing sunsets

Our time in Byron Bay and Gold Coast was great - Maggie worked with a few people in Europe that live there so we got to spend some time with them as well - very cool :) I'm sure I'll see them again one day. We finally made it back to Uni on Monday, Sept 28 totaling my trip to a whopping 17 days!!!! Wow!

Phew! I hope you enjoyed the most action-packed two weeks of my life - I sure did :) I'm pretty sure I packed as much as I could into the blog but there's still so much to tell... I'm sure each of you will hear even more about it in due time. I love you all so much - get ready for more great updates with my South Carolina girls!!!

Revolutionary Road Trip!!!

As you all know I just returned from my two and a half week adventure across East Coast Australia - AMAZING!!!!!!!!!

This is a long one but it's non-stop, so put your seatbelts on! Itinerary for the trip:

Friday, 11 of Sept. 6:55am: Magnus, Erik, and I took a train an hour south to Brisbane to pick up the two station wagons. Let's just say, it was obvious the trip was going to be an adventure! We got to Sippy Downs to pick up our crew of nine and headed out around midday. This was the start of our twenty-one and a half hour drive to Cairns.

Success! Found the car pick-up

Saturday, 12 of Sept. 1:00am: Got to our campsite in Rockhampton for a good six hour sleep. On the road again at 8:00am. Phew, what a day! I think we were all going a little crazy by the time we arrived at our hostel, Asylum, at 12:30am in Cairns. 

Phew - only 617km to Cairns ;)

Fortunately, the drive was amazing

Sunday, 13 of Sept.: First official day in Cairns!!!!!! Sini, her two friends from Finland, Satu and Hanna, and I headed to the morning markets while the others were sleeping. We got heaps of free fruit - perfect breakfast :) The others met us by the Lagoon near the beach around lunch time. We got lots of time to enjoy Cairns and have a relaxed day. Asylum, our hostel, was awesome - free dinner and entertainment every night! Let's just say, it was a great first night :)

Perfect breakfast

Monday, 14 of Sept.: Whitewater Rafting!!!!!!!!! I had never been - such an amazing experience! 

Asylum hooked us up with 

another great night

Tuesday, 15 of Sept.: We went Jungle Swinging and Bungee Jumping, drove the most beautiful drive of my life to Port Douglas, explored the rain forrest in Cape Tribulation

2 Hot Travel Agents -

Jungle Swinging

Phew, I have gotten my driving experience!!!

Literally inexplicable. 

One of the few places in the world

where the rain forrest touches the ocean

The group :)

Marrdja Botanical Walk

Most famous open walk in Cape Tribulation

Mongrove Trees

Aussie creatures are SCARY!!!

Incredible lodge in the town of

Cape Tribulation - 

We had to stop for appetizers

SWEET SIGN!!!

What for the Emus...

Wednesday, 16 of Sept.: Drive to Airlie Beach

So Many CARROTS!!!!

Things were getting crazy...

Finally in Airlie Beach

Thursday, 17 of Sept.: Three-day sail boat excursion through the Whitsunday Islands on Condor!

Approaching Condor

Friday, 18 of Sept.: Snorkeling and White Haven Beach 

Time to go snorkeling

I love love love LOVED IT!

Can't WAIT to go scuba diving :)

Sini and I being silly

Walk walk walk walk walk

And this is what we found....

I've never loved life more!

Sailing away

Yes. This is real.

Saturday, 19 of Sept.: Return to Airlie Beach

The crew and me!

Sunday, 20 of Sept.: Spontaneously drove to Agnes Waters/1770 where Captain Cook first discovered Australia 

No hostel or campsite =

camping on the beach

Monday, 21 of Sept.: Waking for the amazing sunrise. Next to New Zealand, we were the first ones to see it in the entire world! We then drove to Hervey Bay in preparation for our day tour in Fraser Island

Start of sunrise 4:55am

Our very illegal campsite on top of

the dunes... Top left

Amazing breakfast at the hostel...

that we didn't sleep at :/

Welcome to 1770

Tuesday, 22 of Sept.: Day tour of Fraser Island - largest sand island in the world

I never dogs could be so dangerous!

Maheno Shipwreck -Fraser Island

One very cool thing about Fraser is that the beach is an actual highway - signs, speed limits, everything! Crazy!

Wednesday, 23 of Sept.: Awesome brekky made by the guys at the campsite in Hervey Bay. Then heading off to Noosa

Worst dust storm in 70 years

http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,26113952-11949,00.html

Craziely enough... I've still got MUCH more to blog!!!! I will post a map of Australia as well so you can follow along with our travels more closely - hope you enjoyed the first half of the most amazing holiday of my life! Lauren and Bianca are here now - lots more pictures are soon to come!!!!!! Love y'all so much