Welcome to my blog for my Australia Honors trip! I am travelling to Australia for the month of May and will be updating this blog each day after my adventures.
Day 1 (I arrive May 2)
Hello from Sydney! I finally made it to some wifi to tell you all about my experience. I arrived in the late afternoon and went on a walkabout around the city. First 3 nights I stayed in an apartment a few blocks from Manly beach, one of the most famous beaches in the world. Jet lag got the best of me and I was in bed by 8!
Day 2 (May 3)
Today I went on a walk to another local beach called Shelly Beach. The beach had great snorkeling, even though the water is quite chilly. Dinner was at the Opera Kitchen. Touristy but fun. Staying out at Manly was kind of a hike to do anything in the city since the only way to get there is via the Manly Ferry (picture 1 below).
Day 3 (May 4)
Today I did the Manly to Spit Bridge walk (picture 2 below)! This is a 10 km walk along the shoreline and in a national park. It was a lovely walk but man was I tired afterward! I got to see some neat indigenous flowers and trees, and there was a section for ancient Aboriginal rock carvings (picture 3 below). These two days I had around 25,000 steps.
Day 4 (May 5)
Today I started the morning really early to head to the airport and fly to Darwin, at the top end of Australia in the Northern Territory. After the 5 hour flight I went on a harbor cruise, had fish and chips, and a drink near the harbor. It was blazing hot (95 and humid) but as soon as the sun went down it was perfect weather.
Day 1 (I arrive May 2)
Hello from Sydney! I finally made it to some wifi to tell you all about my experience. I arrived in the late afternoon and went on a walkabout around the city. First 3 nights I stayed in an apartment a few blocks from Manly beach, one of the most famous beaches in the world. Jet lag got the best of me and I was in bed by 8!
Day 2 (May 3)
Today I went on a walk to another local beach called Shelly Beach. The beach had great snorkeling, even though the water is quite chilly. Dinner was at the Opera Kitchen. Touristy but fun. Staying out at Manly was kind of a hike to do anything in the city since the only way to get there is via the Manly Ferry (picture 1 below).
Day 3 (May 4)
Today I did the Manly to Spit Bridge walk (picture 2 below)! This is a 10 km walk along the shoreline and in a national park. It was a lovely walk but man was I tired afterward! I got to see some neat indigenous flowers and trees, and there was a section for ancient Aboriginal rock carvings (picture 3 below). These two days I had around 25,000 steps.
Day 4 (May 5)
Today I started the morning really early to head to the airport and fly to Darwin, at the top end of Australia in the Northern Territory. After the 5 hour flight I went on a harbor cruise, had fish and chips, and a drink near the harbor. It was blazing hot (95 and humid) but as soon as the sun went down it was perfect weather.
May 6
Each Australian state has a botanical garden, so today I visited the Northern Territory’s version in Darwin. I saw some lizards and birds, but mostly lots of plants. In the afternoon I drove to a crocodile-free swimming hole and went for a swim. So refreshing!
Each Australian state has a botanical garden, so today I visited the Northern Territory’s version in Darwin. I saw some lizards and birds, but mostly lots of plants. In the afternoon I drove to a crocodile-free swimming hole and went for a swim. So refreshing!
May 7
Today was the start of my Kakadu adventure! Kakadu is Australia’s largest national park, and it is adjacent to traditional aboriginal land where tourists and other people cannot visit. On the way to Kakadu I saw many kangaroos and wallabies by the roadside. They prefer the cooler weather, so they come out at night up here.
May 8
Today was all about Aboriginal rock art and story telling. There is a part of Kakadu called Ubirr that has the most accessible rock art displays. In the evening I went for a climb to an overlook to get a 360 degree view of sunset.
Today was the start of my Kakadu adventure! Kakadu is Australia’s largest national park, and it is adjacent to traditional aboriginal land where tourists and other people cannot visit. On the way to Kakadu I saw many kangaroos and wallabies by the roadside. They prefer the cooler weather, so they come out at night up here.
May 8
Today was all about Aboriginal rock art and story telling. There is a part of Kakadu called Ubirr that has the most accessible rock art displays. In the evening I went for a climb to an overlook to get a 360 degree view of sunset.
May 9
The weather started to take a toll on me today as it keeps getting hotter. I tried to stay hydrated but that didn’t seem to do the trick. I did a small hike in the morning, plus took a boat ride before lunch. The boat ride was narrated by a local aboriginal man who told stories of his land. After lunch I stayed back at the cabin to rest and cool down.
May 10
Today was my favorite day so far!! This morning I got up early for a sunrise boat ride on the Yellow Water Billabong. A billabong is similar to an estuary. There were hundreds of birds waking up for the day, crocodiles, water buffalo, and feral pigs. It was amazing to see everything wake up and find its breakfast (as long as I wasn’t croc breakfast).
The weather started to take a toll on me today as it keeps getting hotter. I tried to stay hydrated but that didn’t seem to do the trick. I did a small hike in the morning, plus took a boat ride before lunch. The boat ride was narrated by a local aboriginal man who told stories of his land. After lunch I stayed back at the cabin to rest and cool down.
May 10
Today was my favorite day so far!! This morning I got up early for a sunrise boat ride on the Yellow Water Billabong. A billabong is similar to an estuary. There were hundreds of birds waking up for the day, crocodiles, water buffalo, and feral pigs. It was amazing to see everything wake up and find its breakfast (as long as I wasn’t croc breakfast).
May 11
I’m off to another city today! I have a flight from Darwin to Alice Springs, in the middle of the country. The weather is much cooler here. I visited Standley Chasm which is named after the first school teacher in Alice Springs! I also climbed to a lookout which peered over the McDonnell Range (small mountain chain). In the evening I visited the kangaroo sanctuary! I held a baby orphan and saw about 50 others a local man had rescued. He had a tv special on BBC a while back, but this was my favorite experience so far!! |
May 12
Today I drove to Uluru, the big red rock in the middle of Australia. To Aboriginal people, this is similar to Mecca or the Western Wall in Jerusalem. They believe that the center of creation was this rock, so of course it has cultural significance. I got to the rock in the late afternoon, then for my evening activity I went to an art installation for sunset. May 13 (Happy Mum's Day!!) I woke up this morning to a sunrise at the rock, then I did the base hike in the morning which is about a 11 kilometer hike around the rock. Different portions of the rock are sacred so no pictures were allowed in those areas. This hike took me about 4 hours. In the afternoon I took a painting class from an aboriginal woman, and in the evening I took a camel ride! Today was a HUGE day! |
May 14
Today I visited another National Park near the rock, called Kings Canyon. This was a very beautiful place, so I did the 6 kilometer strenuous canyon rim hike, and boy was it worth it! I saw wild camels and horses on my way back to Yulara, the town where I was staying near Uluru. May 15 Today I flew back to Sydney, where I will spend the rest of my trip! After two flights I landed in Sydney in the later afternoon, then I had dinner in a place called the Australian Heritage Hotel in a neighborhood called The Rocks. This is Sydney’s oldest neighborhood, and is where the criminals first settled when they were sent away from England! |
May 16
I used today as a catch-up day to work on my blog, get reacquainted with Sydney and explore my new neighborhood. I’m staying in an Airbnb in a nice neighborhood with coffee shops, schools, a river, and a train station. I started to feel exhausted from the travel, so I slept in a little today (usually I was up by 6 each day) but today I woke up at 8! It was nice to have a day to relax and explore my neighborhood without going downtown and experiencing all the hustle and bustle. I also used this to plan ahead for my next few days here. May 17 Today I had breakfast from a local bakery and went to explore Woolloomooloo (neighborhood where I’m staying). The Royal Botanic gardens are a short walk away and the wharf is just down the road. This wharf is where Sydney keeps its Navy ships. I always find it fascinating to see other countries military and how it looks compared to the US. May 18 This morning I took a short train ride over to a brunch restaurant in another neighborhood. This place is called the Grounds of Alexandria and boy was it good! They have markets, a petting zoo, homemade lemonade vendors, flower shops, and artisans. The food was delicious and set me up for a great day! After the brunch I hung around the neighborhood, did some shopping, then went to an AFL game in the evening. |
May 19
Today I went to Featherdale Nature Park, which is a zoo for animals native to Australia (I realized that would be like a zoo with deer and squirrels at home, but Australian wildlife is so much more interesting!) I saw koalas, kangaroos, wombats, wallabies, and lots of birds. Overall it was a great experience! Plus I got a Groupon for it, so it was half price for me!
Today I went to Featherdale Nature Park, which is a zoo for animals native to Australia (I realized that would be like a zoo with deer and squirrels at home, but Australian wildlife is so much more interesting!) I saw koalas, kangaroos, wombats, wallabies, and lots of birds. Overall it was a great experience! Plus I got a Groupon for it, so it was half price for me!
May 20
This morning I went on a tour of the Sydney fish market, the second largest in the world behind Tokyo. Each morning thousands of pounds of fish and seafood are brought in for inspection and sale. Over a couple hundred species are sold every day! The tour ended with eating some very fresh fish and sitting seaside with some new friends.
This morning I went on a tour of the Sydney fish market, the second largest in the world behind Tokyo. Each morning thousands of pounds of fish and seafood are brought in for inspection and sale. Over a couple hundred species are sold every day! The tour ended with eating some very fresh fish and sitting seaside with some new friends.
May 21
Today I toured the Queen Victoria Building (QVB) and had high tea, I felt like a very fancy British lady (especially just a few days after the royal wedding!) The building was constructed in the 1700s by an architect whose last name was also McRae, so that was a fun fact! The building houses some of Sydney’s most famous and expensive shops, including a miniature soldier maker, and pocket watch shop, and a wooden pen store. May 22 Today was a relaxation day after a few long days of activities. I walked to the Royal Botanic gardens and hung out there for a few hours, had lunch around my apartment, and came back to do laundry and catch up on the blog. Relaxation days are nice every once in a while! |
May 23
This part of my journey begins the time when I am staying with my brother! Up until now I was in Airbnb, but now I get to spend some quality time with him. He is a med student here in Sydney. This evening we made macarons and did a 5K walk near his apartment. It went along a river that has saltwater and pufferfish in it!
May 24
Today I went out exploring Darling Harbor. I went to the Powerhouse museum, which is Sydney’s science and industry museum. It was neat to see the old cars and trains. My favorite part was about space! They had an old engine from the space shuttle and a room that acted like zero gravity. After the powerhouse museum I rode the ferry back to circular quay to explore the city.
This part of my journey begins the time when I am staying with my brother! Up until now I was in Airbnb, but now I get to spend some quality time with him. He is a med student here in Sydney. This evening we made macarons and did a 5K walk near his apartment. It went along a river that has saltwater and pufferfish in it!
May 24
Today I went out exploring Darling Harbor. I went to the Powerhouse museum, which is Sydney’s science and industry museum. It was neat to see the old cars and trains. My favorite part was about space! They had an old engine from the space shuttle and a room that acted like zero gravity. After the powerhouse museum I rode the ferry back to circular quay to explore the city.
May 25
Today I took another walk on the Bondi to Coogee beach walk and I stopped at a place called Gordon's Bay. In this little cove there were some snorkelers who found a shark, stingrays, and of course a lot of fish. I sat here and soaked up some nice warm sun, which I was glad for because the past few days have been cloudy!
May 26
Today I planned my next few days, did a local walk around the neighborhood, and went to Darling Harbor for fireworks and a boat cruise for Sydney Vivid, the light show. Vivid is a light show that is all over the city, in the harbor, universities, botanic gardens, etc. The boat ride was a lot of fun!
May 27
I visited Sydney University today. It was neat to see how Australian kids live their lives and go to school. It is very similar to ours. The campus is massive, and instead of a football field they have a cricket pitch. They have old buildings which are original to the campus and brand new buildings which are modern and high-tech. The main building on their campus looks like a castle and a Harry Potter building!
May 28
These past few days I figured out a good schedule in order to not be completely exhausted. I would wake up around 8, then I would do an activity before lunch, eat lunch out, and then do an activity after lunch. I would then go back to the apartment for the evening. This morning I went to the Sydney Eye, which is the tallest tower in the city. There were some forest fires so the view was not exceptional, but it was still neat to see the city from above. That afternoon I went to the National Maritime Museum. This was neat to see Australia's boating history!
Today I took another walk on the Bondi to Coogee beach walk and I stopped at a place called Gordon's Bay. In this little cove there were some snorkelers who found a shark, stingrays, and of course a lot of fish. I sat here and soaked up some nice warm sun, which I was glad for because the past few days have been cloudy!
May 26
Today I planned my next few days, did a local walk around the neighborhood, and went to Darling Harbor for fireworks and a boat cruise for Sydney Vivid, the light show. Vivid is a light show that is all over the city, in the harbor, universities, botanic gardens, etc. The boat ride was a lot of fun!
May 27
I visited Sydney University today. It was neat to see how Australian kids live their lives and go to school. It is very similar to ours. The campus is massive, and instead of a football field they have a cricket pitch. They have old buildings which are original to the campus and brand new buildings which are modern and high-tech. The main building on their campus looks like a castle and a Harry Potter building!
May 28
These past few days I figured out a good schedule in order to not be completely exhausted. I would wake up around 8, then I would do an activity before lunch, eat lunch out, and then do an activity after lunch. I would then go back to the apartment for the evening. This morning I went to the Sydney Eye, which is the tallest tower in the city. There were some forest fires so the view was not exceptional, but it was still neat to see the city from above. That afternoon I went to the National Maritime Museum. This was neat to see Australia's boating history!
May 29
Today is my last full day in Australia! It was the warmest weather in a few weeks, so I used today as a beach day. I went to a beach near where I was staying that ended up being in a little cove. There were no waves, the sand was white, and lots of shells! Even though today was supposed to be a chill day, I still had 17,000 steps by the end of the day. Tonight I went back to the harbor and saw Vivid one last time. Tomorrow I fly!
Today is my last full day in Australia! It was the warmest weather in a few weeks, so I used today as a beach day. I went to a beach near where I was staying that ended up being in a little cove. There were no waves, the sand was white, and lots of shells! Even though today was supposed to be a chill day, I still had 17,000 steps by the end of the day. Tonight I went back to the harbor and saw Vivid one last time. Tomorrow I fly!