Alright. So there were a bit more happening in June than I mentioned in the last post. This post will be about the traveling that I've done over the past few weeks. As the title suggests, I had to skip out on work to go on each of these trips. Read on...
WHAT I MEAN by saying that I had to "skip out on work" is that these trips came up last minute, so there wasn't much time to tell the boss folks that I wasn't going to be in. I'm fortunate to work with and under great people who actually encourage me to go exploring around Australia when I get the chance, so that's exactly what I do (when finances permit). June was a month of "balling on a budget", so there were no big trips. Instead, I went on little trips that weren't too far away from Brisbane.
THE FIRST TIME
WHEN:
WHERE:
WHY:
This trip was a must go for two reasons. 1)The Australia Zoo is the zoo that the legendary Steve Irwin, "The Crocodile Hunter" ran and I had yet to go. For many Americans, I'd say that Steve Irwin is all the exposure we've had to Australia. 2)My good friend Maggie was leaving Brisbane the next day to begin her journey home, so this gave us a chance to spend some time together.
WHAT:
The Australia Zoo is just a two hour and a bit train ride north of Brisbane. I was told to met Maggie and Teresa at a the train station at a certain time, so I woke up early and got there at the specified time. Of course the two ladies were running late, so we just made the train with only seconds to spare. When we arrived at the train station there were signs directing us to where we needed to go to be picked up by the Australia Zoo shuttle. The shuttle was bright yellow with a picture of Steve Irwin on the side, it was a bit hard to miss.
Arriving at the zoo, we paid our student discount price ($47AUD), grabbed our map with the program times, and entered in. The first thing that we were greeted by was a baby crocodile! A zoo keeper was walking around with him and we were allowed to touch it! I don't know what I was expecting, but I was surprised to see that it felt exactly like a pair of croc skin boots or something only with organs and blood flowing behind it. After that we proceeded with the rest our our journey...
Arriving at the zoo, we paid our student discount price ($47AUD), grabbed our map with the program times, and entered in. The first thing that we were greeted by was a baby crocodile! A zoo keeper was walking around with him and we were allowed to touch it! I don't know what I was expecting, but I was surprised to see that it felt exactly like a pair of croc skin boots or something only with organs and blood flowing behind it. After that we proceeded with the rest our our journey...
There were a few shows/activities that day. One of which was an elephant feeding! We lined up to feed the elephants and got a piece of corn, apple or whatever the zoo keepers handed us. When we reached the elephant it grabbed the food so quickly that you barley even realized it. Still, it was cool. Another show was a tiger demonstration where the tiger would do different tricks. There was a pretty big production mid-day in an outdoor arena where birds fly in, zoo keepers walked around with snakes and played around with huge crocodiles. I'm sure the show was even better with Steve...
Throughout the day in between the shows we walked around and explored the zoo at our own leisure. An area was set aside for koalas that you could go up and touch. There was an Africa exhibit that was in the process of being completed, but we were able to see zebras, giraffes and even a rhinoceros. We walked through a bird aviary with beautiful birds flying around. We hopped around a bit with the kangaroos and wallabies in a parklike area set aside for them. Other animals that we got to see included a wombat, a camel, a cassowary, tasmanian devils, dingos, active little otters and many others. It was a great trip.
THE SECOND TIME
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| think about the blog name... |
WHEN:
Tuesday June, 18 - Wednesday June 19, 2013
WHERE:
Byron Bay, NSW
WHY:
Byron Bay is one of the iconic beaches of Australia. It's know for awesome surf, a very laid back atmosphere and a hipster/hippie culture. I grew up helping people pronounce my name by saying, "It's like Byron but Kyron". Since being in Australia I've changed it a bit to, "It's like Byron Bay with a K". I can't tell you how many times that has helped folks out.
WHAT:
This trip wasn't completely unexpected, I knew that my Canadian counterparts wanted to go on a road-trip down to Byron Bay, and I was super excited to go with them. What I didn't know is that they wanted to go mid-week. Therefore I missed work and missed money. I felt some type of way... Byron Bay is about a two hour drive south of Brisbane. I woke up early to walked over to Nick and Nate's apartment one morning. I meet them and Nick's super cool girlfriend Heather there. I should mention that once again, I was on time but Nate was being a girl and took forever to get ready before we went to pick up our rental car (just so I don't forget).
We were only in Byron Bay for two days, so we had to move quickly. We chucked our bags into our hostel and then headed out and about. First things first, I had to get food. I asked one of the guys who worked at the hostel where we should eat (always ask the locals these types of things). He suggested a spot called Beloporto Burgers that was a short walk into town. He said that they were the best chicken burgers he had ever had. I agreed. In fact we ended up eating there like three times within two days!
With food in our bellies, we continued our exploration to the famous Byron Bay Lighthouse. On the way we kept getting "nature-struck" about the beauty of Byron. We took a walking path up to the lighthouse. Along the path, there were nice little beaches and cool rock cliffs that the ocean crashed against creating wonderful white water splashes. I think part of the reason that we kept stoping was because the trek to the lighthouse was tough! There were so many twists, turns and stairs. At one of the bends in the path, there is an area that is the most easterly point of mainland Australia (the closest we could get to home while still in Australia). We also came across a pod of dolphins and a wild wallaby just chilling out. Once we made it to the lighthouse, it was a bit anticlimactic. It was the journey there that was most exciting. We stayed there for a minute or two and then headed back along the path to the car. On the way, we witnessed a gorgeous sunset along the beach.
Nick, Heather and I went to check out the famous Cheeky Monkey's Bar and Grille that night, but not a lot was going on as it was a Tuesday. The combination of cold weather and empty bars called for an early night...
The next day was the final day. We started off with a bit of shopping. Then, I got a phone call from an English buddy of ours saying that he and another friend just happened to be in town, so I left the cool Canadians to hang out with Adam the Brit and Tim the Frenchie for a bit. The others joined later.
You can't go to Byron Bay and not attempt to surf. With that, we grabbed a few surfboards that were free to use from our hostel and carried them down to the beach. I wish I could report that I was out there tearing up the surf. That's unfortunately not the case. I couldn't even stand up. I'd like to blame that on the freezing waters though. I did get some cool photos with the board, and I had a good time hanging out with everyone. That's all that really matters, aye? After that we returned the boards and headed back for Brisbane. A quick and easy trip down to Byron Bay. Done.
THE THIRD TIME
WHEN:
Wednesday June 26, 2013
WHERE:
Noosa Heads, QLD (Sunshine Coast)
WHY:
Around Brisbane there are two beach areas. To the south is the Gold Coast. Think nice beaches, lots of tourists and huge sky rises. It's easy to get there, so I'd been there many times. To the north is the Sunshine Coast. This stretch of beaches has really nice beaches as well. Think way less tourists and high rises though. It's more relaxed and family oriented. Noosa Heads is the main beach of the Sunshine Coast and I had never been. When my German friend Jayson asked if I wanted to go up with him and his friend Anita (Noosa local), I was happy to take them up on the offer.
WHAT:
It was a one day trip that started with a train ride from South Bank to another station in Brisbane where I met up with Jason. From the train station Anita picked us both up and drove to Noosa. The first place we stopped was a national park (view from park pictured above). It was there that we happened upon both a cute koala and a cocobarra.
After leaving the park, we continued our journey to an ocean trail. The following is a funny story:
"While walking on the trail, we passed two pretty young ladies. One of them was oddly dressed for the beach and the other had a camera. It turns out that they were doing a beachside photo shoot. For documentation purposes, I took a picture of them taking modeling photos. Well, I uploaded those photos to Facebook. Not too long after that, a friend of mine from uni informs me that that the girl in the photo is her! Who knew?! How random is it that I was about two hours away from Brisbane and I ran into my uni group member model friend? I gladly took the photo down as I didn't want to get her in trouble with her agency..."
Having Anita show us the way was great. Without her knowledge of the area, I don't think that I would have been able to see as much in such short of time. Noosa Heads was beautiful. Very rocky but beautiful.
After doing a bit of bush walking, we worked up quite an appetite. Anita's brother lives in Noosa still so we met up with him for a picnic lunch at Pelican Beach. This beach was appropriately named. While there I got to meet two pelicans. They were pretty chill. See for yourself.
Finishing up on lunch, we continued on with our bush walking journey. We walked through the woods, along the beach, up steep hills and along seaside cliffs. Anita again leading the way, we veered off the beaten path down a muddy slope to a hidden beach. Although it was a bit cold outside, Jason and I decided that we couldn't come to Noosa without getting in the water. With a wave to Anita we sprinted into the water.
Leaving the ocean the two of them decided to go hiking along the sea. It doesn't seem like it was that big of a deal, but in the words of my mom "It was dangerous as hell". I had to follow because I couldn't let a German and a female (I'm not sexist - chill) out do me, a young African American male. I didn't want to fall too far behind, so I left my shoes behind. On our dangerous adventure, we met this an older guy sitting on the rockside. He claimed to be an expert cave diver. That's where I drew the line. I was not going diving into caves with waves rushing in. It was sure to be the death of me. Jason on the other hand went along diving into caves TWICE! (crazy ass Germans - he is only half African American so it makes sense) I'm happy to report that he made it out alive. We did a bit more exploring and ended the night with an ice cream cone by the beach and a trip back to Brisbane where we parted ways at the train station.
Honestly, this trip embodied what studying abroad is all about. Never in a million years would I walk along slippery and sharp rockside cliffs barefoot, but I did that day. I pushed myself beyond my comfort zone and it was worth it. I got the chance to meet a new friend and get to know someone else better. Not to be mushy, but that was a good day with great people. :)
That concludes my June adventures.
Until next time,
Kyron Whitfield