Sydney to Brisbane

The first leg of my trip I'm doing alone. Karianne flies into Brisbane and I figured it would be more fun to venture up the coast and see some places along the way. I've met some nice people in the hostels I've stayed in so far. The good thing about traveling alone, is that you have to get out of your comfort zone and meet new people in order to have a good time. First stop was Coffs Harbour, where I stayed for a night. I spent the day on the beach and the evening watching a movie in the hostel with some other people there.

Next stop with Byron Bay. I went to Byron Bay briefly when I was here in 2012 and I had a fantastic time. Byron is a small little beach town, it's also home to the Cape Byron lighthouse, which is the easternmost point in mainland Australia. Byron has a very laid back, chill, hippie/surfer atmosphere and I think it's required that you have dreads in order to be a resident there. I stayed in Byron several nights. While in Byron I walked to the lighthouse, enjoyed more sun baking on the beach, and took another surf lesson. I'm still horrible at surfing, but I enjoyed trying it again. At night I went out to check out the nightlife with my bunk mates. I met some really nice people in Byron that I will potentially see them many more times up the coast because we all have relatively the same itinerary.

Next was Surfers Paradise. On the bus I crossed over from New South Wales into Queensland. I am now in a different state for the rest of my travels. I spent the first day in Surfers on the beach and wandering around the city. It reminds me of Miami, with high rise buildings and condos along the beach. The city also seems stuck in the 70s, it seems to be a bit run down, has neon lights everywhere, and the architecture looks like it is from the 70s. I went out to a club with the hostel that night, and danced the night away with people I just met. It was a Monday, so it was dead in there but still it was nice to have a night out. The next day I went to the beach and laid around in the warm sun all day. I also went to the top of Skypoint, which is an outlook over Surfers, 77 stories high. For someone with a fear of heights it was a big deal for me, but there were some gorgeous views from up there.

Next stop Brisbane. I spent the first day there wandering the city, seeing the botanical gardens, Parliament House, shopping centres, and South Bank. South Bank is an artsy area, with bars, restaurants, cafes, a ferris wheel, and a man-made beach. The second day there I took a ride on the free ferry and saw the city from the river, and took a tour of a brewery here in Queensland, XXXX. That evening I met up with a UK couple I met surfing in Byron Bay for a drink and ended up going to the top of Mt. Coot-tha lookout to see the city by night. It was gorgeous up there. Afterwards we went back to their friends house and had a sausage sizzle (aka BBQ) and a few drinks. Karianne gets to Australia tomorrow and we will spend out last day together in Brisbane before starting up the coast. 

Bye for now <3