Sadly my Australian journey has come to an end. It has taken me approximately 17555km of travelling to get back to Sydney. Most of it was on the road and I only cheated twice by flying from Perth to Cairns and then from the Gold Coast back down to Sydney – pretty good going hey? I have collected so many of my own stories and have had so many unique experiences yet I was still pretty excited to finally get to Sydney to see the city for myself. But first let me tell you about a few adventures along the way.

After Airlie beach I slotted right back on the typical tourist route with my next destination being Fraser Island – the largest sand island in the world. But to get there I first had to master the art of cracking a whip at the Kroombit cattle station before lassoing and catching goats. These sneaky little creatures obviously have had more practice in dodging the rope than I have had at throwing one so it took a little time before success. Filled with adrenaline I then climbed up sunset hill to get a good look at the outback. Stretching for miles and miles I could quite well understand how people could get lost here and think how amazing the story of the Rabbit Proof Fence was where three aboriginal children walked over 1500 miles through the outback to get back home.

Leaving the outback behind I headed back to the coast to explore the World Heritage Fraser Island. I explored Fraser Island the budget way by going the 4×4 route with a bunch of strangers – having a mixture of nationalities on board meant there were a few sticky moments generally caused by communication problems but all in all we had a good time. And we were a great team when it came to pushing our 4×4 out of the soft sand. Fraser island was a beautiful place where the beaches extended for miles and miles. The sea did look rather tempting from time to time but what with rips and sharks circling around it was best to stay away (actually warned to do so) and rather swim in one of the many freshwater lakes. The 75 mile beach was great to drive on, you just had to watch out for the dingoes and make sure there were no aeroplanes landing as we were effectively driving on their runway.

On my last day we had a long drive up to Indian Head which is a famous place to go and look down at the clear waters below to see sharks, turtles and if you lucky whales. Unfortunately the weather was not kind to us that day but it was still an exceptional view.

After spending three days on this island I was still not tired of beaches so when leaving Fraser Island I made my to Mooloolaba and Byron Bay to spend some more time relaxing on the beach and swimming in the sea. Both were beautiful places and it was nice to be out in the sunshine every day.

It was now onto my final city in Australia, the Harbour City, Sydney. What a great way to end my Australian part of my journey in such a vibrant and exciting place. The Sydney Opera House certainly stands out at the edge of the harbour and it is just one of those city sights that you just could not stop taking photos of – during the day, at night, at sunset… I think you get the picture. I did as much on my list as possible in the 5 days that I was there which included a ferry trip across to Manly and a bus trip out to Bondi Beach The water was much colder here than further up the coast. I found this out after making a dash for it between the waves – I think it took me about 2 hours to warm up again. Along with all the must see sights I was lucky to spend time with some friends who took me to the some cool eating places and bars.

I was sad to leave Australia but I am sure one day I will return – after all I left out the south west and Tasmania. Tactical? Maybe.

Accommodation:
Backpackers Inn on the Beach at Byron Bay – 29 Shirley St, Byron Bay, Australia
Mooloolaba Beach Backpackers – 75 Brisbane Rd, Mooloolaba, Australia
Frasers On Rainbow Beach – 18 Spectrum Ave, Rainbow Beach, Australia