Melbourne & Our Road Trip!

Life on the Road 

We flew into Melbourne at around 1am December 3rd and blearily found our way towards our hostel, and more importantly, our beds. After three long months of living the employed Perth dream and saving up all that we could, it was finally time to don the faithful Havaianas and reclaim our rightful role as frugal, noodle eating backpackers. The lifestyle came back to us pretty quickly, and within just a few hours the next day we were back in the shorts and vests and roaming around make-up free without a job related care in the world. 

We spent the next few days in central Melbourne, making full use of the free trams and taking advantage of the huge H&M that we had discovered - the first one we’ve come across in nine months - long story short, money was spent. 
It was then the day we had been waiting for - day one of our mini road trip! We left early to pick up our luminous green and purple Jucy camper-van, and after a quick stop off for the essentials - petrol, food and cider etc, it was time to hit the road. After a few hours we made it onto The Great Ocean Road, and after stopping for a necessary ‘we made it!’ photo, we headed onto our first stop for the night. What I may have failed to mention, is that it had already started pouring at this point, and so suddenly the idea of having to live, sleep and cook in this one vehicle wasn’t so appealing anymore…

The End Of A Perth Era

The Lucky Shag 

Before I even start this post, big apologises to Karen Semmens, who has told me over and over again for the last four months that I needed to update my blog - so here it is! 

So it’s officially the end of an era, as we packed up our belongings once again and closed the door to our apartment in Perth for the final time. After three long months of working, saving money, and working again, it was finally time for us to don the flip-flops and get our unemployed backpacker status back. It wasn’t the easiest of beginnings for us, as we arrived into the city not knowing a single person, not knowing anything about the location, and on the off chance we could all find jobs and an apartment to live in. (Cue the apartment pants and new job boots*)

Port Douglas

Courtesy of the GoPro Hero 3+, the best $390 I've spent in a while! 

Click here :)

The Pros & Cons Of Farm Life

Fun on the Farm

With just two weeks left to go of our three month long farming experience, it’s safe to say there’s been plenty of ups and downs. We’ve had drunken Friday nights that have ended up with all of us on the roof, and 10 hour shifts on a Monday that have nearly killed us all - physically and mentally. It’s been an experience that’s for sure, and I’m sure the minute I step through the Spring Creek Produce gates I’ll be laughing at all of the hideous memories of things we’ve endured during our time here. 

If you’ve done regional work as a backpacker I’m sure you’ll agree with some of the following, and if you’re about to start your farm work… good luck! 

Travel Interviews

Check out my two recent interviews with Totally Sam's World and Londoner Abroad here! 

Travelling the Australian East Coast

Where to go, where to stay and what to do! 

Sydney - Base Backpackers

• Jet boat around Sydney Harbour
• Visit Bondi Beach and do the coastal walk
• Take a guided walking tour of The Blue Mountains 
• Have dinner at the top of Westfield Tower
• Take surfing lessons with MojoSurf
• Watch the Sunday fireworks at Darling Harbour
• Visit the Sea-life Aquarium 
• Have lunch in Hyde Park

Byron Bay - Nomads & The Arts Factory

• Take a day tour to Nimbin and stock up on green cookies
• Do the sunset walk up to the lighthouse
• Go down to the beach at night to watch the street performers 

Farm Life

Drunken Weekend Antics 

It’s crazy to think we’ve been on the farm for a month now - that’s four whole weeks of bananas, dirty fingernails, bananas, huge spiders, bananas, drunken weekends and…oh yeah, BANANAS! It’s safe to say that our time here has definitely been an experience to remember, with such a great group of people making a pretty mundane place bearable and fun to be. With not a lot to do, we do a pretty great job of entertaining ourselves, be it scaring Jack as he comes out of the outside toliet, or jumping through his window at night wearing what can only be described as a murdering cowboys hat. We toast marshmallows on campfires under the stars, drive out to lakes and creeks nearby to explore and have had many a drunken time at the weekend - some of which include squeezing ten people into the shower at once, and then all heading up to the roof to dry off (but that’s enough about last Friday…)

The actual work part itself is pretty boring. Boring, tiring, repetitive, monotonous and dirty, to be more specific. On Mondays and Tuesdays the bananas get picked from the paddock and brought over to the shed, where they’re washed, cut off the bunches, de-clustered, measured, packed, and sent off. My job is to stand at the end of the huge conveyor-belt and pack all of the premium bananas (that’s ‘small’ to me and you) in four rows making the weight up to 14.1 kgs. Then I tie up the plastic liner, place the box on the next conveyer-belt and start all over again. TEN HOURS A DAY I DO THIS! By the time 5pm rolls around my knees ache, my shoulder throbs and I’m covered in a ridiculous amount of banana sap, or bogeys as I prefer to call them. I also have the pleasure of wearing an oversized men’s hoody ($15 from Big W, what a snip) and some pretty jazzy trainers… who said farm work couldn’t be glamorous?! 

Banana Farming: Week One

Spring Creek Produce

It’s official, we’ve survived our first week as banana farmers! My knees ache, my fingernails are filthy, and my favourite hoody has now become my ‘work hoody’, but apart from that, it’s been a pretty easy-going week. There are ten of us backpackers here in total living in our own block on the farm, who have made getting settled into this totally new environment really easy. As expected, the work is physical, repetitive and pretty dull - but when you’re all doing it together and suffering the same aches and pains, it doesn’t seem half as bad! The days alone drag, especially when you’re doing the 8-5 shift in the farm shop - yet at the same time this first week has absolutely flown by - one down, thirteen to go! 

Spare time wise there isn’t a whole lot to do here, which at first was a pretty daunting realisation. However, we do have our own car to use whenever we like, and have spent our last few days off down at the local creeks and lakes - cliff-jumping, kangaroo spotting, firewood collecting etc… It’s a pretty simple existence, almost taking us back in time by making us actually go outside to find things to entertain ourselves with. We shop together, we eat together, and at weekends the beer-pong comes out and we all sit around the campfire listening to music and toasting to another week gone. 

For a more visual explanation of what we do, click here! 

The End of the East Coast

After two long months on the road, with nothing but a suitcase, backpack and a gradually decreasing bank account, our backpacking journey of the East Coast in Australia has come to an end. There’ll be no more weary morning checkouts, or sixteen-bed room shares - no more noodle dinners, chocolate biscuit breakfasts or McDonald lunches. No longer will we have to sleep curled up in the seat of a Greyhound bus for thirteen hours, or drag all of our worldly belongings behind us as we race to the bus station. But don’t let that put you off, because it’s safe to say that these have been the greatest two months of my life (cliché, sorry!) 

After quitting my job, saying goodbye to family and friends and moving myself over to the other side of the planet, I was soon doing things I could have only imagined. I’ve jet boated around Sydney Harbour and seen where Russell Crow lives. I’ve had surfing lessons from the best instructors in Australia, Mojo Surf, and I’ve hiked through the Blue Mountains with a friend of Steve Irwin. I’ve had a top-notch dinner at the top of Westfield Tower and been able to watch so many incredible sunsets in so many different, beautiful places. I’ve visited Steve Irwin’s zoo in Brisbane, canoed around the everglades in Noosa, and gone camping on the amazing Fraser Island. I’ve sailed around the Whitsunday Islands, slept under the Milkyway on a racing boat, visited the third most beautiful beach in the world and gone snorkelling on the Great Barrier Reef itself. Last week I even jumped out of a plane at 14,000ft and did my first bungee jump. So yes, it’s been a pretty great couple of months!

Adrenaline Week

This week, or should I say, these last four days, have definitely been one for the bucket list. After finally making our way up to the top of the East Coast in Cairns, it was at last time to put our Raging Thunder vouchers to use. These included a 14,000 feet skydive at Mission Beach, a day of ‘extreme’ white water rafting down Tully River, and a 50 metre bungee jump at AJ Hackett. Rather than spreading these out, we decided it would be much more fun to cram them all in as close together as we could, leaving no real time to recover from the last activity and prepare for the next! 

All three came to just over $600 in total, and this is how they were…

Agnes Water & The Whitsunday Islands

Southern Cross Backpackers 

We stayed in Agnes Water for three nights, at what has to be the nicest hostel we’ve stayed in so far - only took me six weeks to find one I liked! Situated on sixteen acres of land, Southern Cross Backpackers was more like a tropical holiday resort than a place for weary and slightly dirty backpackers to lay their heads for a few nights. With it’s own lake, chilli patch, horse field and individual wooden cabins, all with ensuite bathrooms, we definitely felt like we had hit the jackpot. Wifi was free, along with breakfast every morning and tea and coffee all day long. There was a pool for relaxing next to, as well as hammocks located all over the grounds (on the off chance you needed to rest after actually doing something strenuous.) Whilst in Agnes we took part in the Scooter Roo Tours - $75 for four hours worth of motorcycling around the town and spotting wild kangaroos (made sure to tell my parents about it AFTER the ride.) Within the first five minutes we were applying our fake tattoos and donning our leather jackets, complete with flamed embroidery - obviously! The route took us all around Agnes Water and Town 1770, named after the year Captain Cook first discovered it, as well as down to the marina to watch the sunset. Admittedly, I was not the best rider, but that didn’t take away from the experience. Being able to see the wild kangaroos in their natural environment was one of the coolest things we’ve done so far, as well as being able to see this pretty incredible end to the day. 

Fraser Island (And a Little Bit of Rainbow Beach)

Driving on Fraser Island

Rainbow Beach…a beautiful, sometimes sunny and ridiculously boring place to be. That pretty much sums up the five days that we spent at Fraser’s On Rainbow, after having to extend our stay before our weekend trip to Fraser Island. After arriving on the Monday and coming to the conclusion that there was next to nothing to do, the realisation that we were stuck there for the next week hit us hard. Luckily, the amazingly speedy wifi soon perked us up, and within the hour we were happily downloading movies and catching up with the latest How I Met Your Mother in no time (Finally got to see the ending!) 
To be fair, we did eventually manage to find some things to keep us entertained. For $30 on Thursday morning we headed over on the ferry to Tin Can Bay, where we were able to see a group of wild dolphins coming in for their breakfast. For another $5 we were actually able to get in the water with them and hand feed them, which was an amazing experience - despite the fact I had a slimy dead fish in my hands and the woman told me off for wearing my flip-flops near the edge (apparently dolphins are well known for their dislike of Havaianas) 
That afternoon we also did the hostel’s daily sunset walk, which took us up to the Caloola sand dunes where we went sand-boarding and, you guessed it, watched the sunset. That was definitely one of those ‘I can’t quite believe this is my life’ moments, as we sat together in silence and took in the beautiful view, with only one woman’s ukulele to be heard. 

One Month In - Surfers, Brisbane & Noosa

Brisbane's Man Made Lagoon 

So we’ve been in Australia for one month now, which is hard to believe as it feels like it should be so much longer. We’ve slept in a total of six different hostels and nine different rooms, experienced both city and town life, and done things I could have only imagined doing. We’ve met friends that’ll continue on with us, and friends that we’ve been sad to say goodbye to. Friends that have lasted a day, or some that have just been part of one evening. Sitting on the bottom bunk today, writing this with a fan directed solely at my head and desperately trying to stream the season finale of How I Met Your Mother, I think it’s safe to say that we’ve well and truly adjusted into the backpacking life. Since starting our Oz adventure on March 6th, we’ve visited Sydney, Byron Bay, Surfers Paradise, Brisbane and now Noosa. We’ve hiked mountains, visited Steve Irwin’s zoo and canoed around the Everglades - it’s pretty surreal to think this is actually my life, after what seems like years of saving up, planning and waiting. 

Backpacking Tips & Tricks

The more people you eat with, the cheaper it'll be.

1 - I’ve mentioned it before, but don’t assume that because you’re backpacking, you must have a backpack. I came out with a 120L capacity backpack and within just a few room changes I was ready to dump it and leave all my worldly possessions behind. A suitcase will become your best friend - easy to move, easy to pack, and most of all - easy to see where the hell all your stuff is! There is nothing more frustrating than trying to find a specific item of clothing and looking like a vet with his arm inside a cow - trust me, wheels are best.

2 - Never be afraid to ask for the odd cheeky discount. When buying my suitcase it was $199, a little over my budget. But after a simple question of ‘do you do backpackers discount…?’ I had managed to work $80 off - bargains! 

3 - Suncream suncream suncream. I can’t stress this enough - anything under SPF 50 and you will burn. To be honest, even with SPF 50 you’ll still have the odd lobster day. The ozone layer is a lot thinner in Australia, making it deceivingly difficult to guess when you need to apply. Simple solution - buy the aerosol kind and top up regularly, no stickiness, no greasy hands and you’ll be covered within 20 seconds. 

Top 10 Highlights So Far

1 - Jet boating around Sydney Harbour 

Byron Bay & A Very Wet Surfers Paradise

Byron Bay

We arrived in Byron Bay last Thursday morning, after a 14 hour Greyhound coach trip that can only be described as ‘less than comfortable.’ To be fair, the wifi and chargers were a great shout, but that didn’t do much towards my numb bum, cramped legs and sore side from having Jack constantly slumping over onto my side of the seat… We pulled in at 7:30am, and were instantly greeted with torrential rain and a group of very wet hostel workers barking at us to follow them if we needed transport. After about five minutes of blearily trying to find our luggage in the rain, feet soaked and freezing cold, we eventually made our way to Nomads, where we were able to shower, change and feel human again. Unable to check in until the afternoon, we took this as the perfect opportunity to bikini up (the sun was shining once again) and head to the beach. 
Byron Bay was completely different to Sydney, and for the first time in two weeks I actually began to feel like I was really in Australia. Instead of homeless people on every corner, there were street performers, and quirky boutiques with people walking around with surfboards under their arms - the atmosphere was so relaxed and laid back that I could see why most backpackers said that this was their favourite stop along the East Coast. 

First Week in Australia - OzIntro

Sydney Harbour

They say time flies when you're having fun, and boy were they right. My first week in Australia with the OzIntro team has been the most random, spontaneous, fun, drunken, and mind-blowing week I think I’ve ever had. Meeting some amazing new friends, the days just flew by and before we knew it, it was time to say goodbye over one last goon session. From jet boating around Sydney Harbour on the Monday, to surfing lessons, Bondi volleyball games and a trek through the Blue Mountains, you really can’t say that you don’t get your moneys worth with this company. With an amazing group of leaders, we’ve not only been shown the beautiful sights of Sydney, but also the cheapest alcohol to buy and the best dance moves to bust out in Side Bar on a Tuesday night - everything a backpacker needs to know and more! 

Packing 101

48 hours to go and counting! 

If you know me, you'll know how much I hate packing. Like, really hate packing. I could be off on a fantastically exotic holiday, or just popping down to Canterbury for the weekend, and I'll still loath the task just the same. There's always that worry you'll forget something drastically important, or end up with too much stuff that your bag suddenly becomes a health hazard when trying to manoeuvre yourself down a crowded train carriage. These are both things that seem to occur for me on a regular basis - and let's not forget the time I packed in such a rush that when I went to pull my headphones out of my bag, my underwear that had become tangled also came flying out into the middle of the plane isle. Faaaantastic. 

For this trip I've purchased a 120L Karabar backpack (£20 from Amazon, what a snip) and just a regular, what I call, school backpack, for hand luggage. Knowing full well what I'm like, I decided to make a packing list in advance, and have been ticking off and adding as I go along - leaving no room for last minute knickers to come flying out mid-journey. It's been a hard task, with some emotional goodbyes said to my favourite boots, hoodies and oversized handbags, which have no place in an Ozzy Backpackers life...

So here it is, every little item I'm taking with me, helpfully split into sub-headings for your own...enjoyment? 

We've Booked!

'Come fly with me...'

So happy to finally say that after what feels like months and months of planning and talking about what we were going to do, Jack and myself FINALLY got around to putting our deposits down with OzIntro, applied for our work visas and booked our flights. It’s been a tricky process, with a ton of e-mails, phone calls and ‘reconvening’ Facetime sessions in-between, but thanks to the ridiculously helpful people at Gap Year Travel, we managed to find a changeable return flight with Emirates for just £900 and a discounted ten-night voucher for Base Backpackers Hostels, which are situated all over Australia. Admittedly, the pain for my bank account is far from over, as we still need to buy our travel insurance and pay off the rest of the package costs with OzIntro, but in all honesty I’m just excited to start thinking about the real issues - like what do I wear on the plane?!

No Longer an Ink Virgin

'Wanderlust - A Great desire or impulse to travel the world and rove about.' 

Snaphappy

The Canon PowerShot SX500 IS

I'm the first to admit that I don't know the first thing when it comes to cameras. If they take a photo, they're usually pretty fine by me. But the one thing I've been told the most, is that a good camera is vital when exploring another country. But where do you even begin? It's all megapixels this, and optical zoom that, and for someone like myself, it might as well all be written in French. For me the specifications were simple: small and light enough to move around with, good quality photos and videos, a Li-lon battery and most importantly - reasonably affordable! 

I didn’t get very far when I looked online, as everything that looked remotely like I wanted was all £250+. Then as if by magic, during one Sunday evening’s viewing of Downton Abbey, I saw the Canon PowerShot SX500 IS advertised from Argos, for a beautifully eye-catching £139. 16MP, 30x optical zoom and with a three-inch LCD screen, this camera is not only up there with the best technology wise, but also small, light and compact enough to make travelling with considerably easier. 

Shopping Around

Just a few of the options available to you

If like me, you’re choosing to go travelling with the help of a company and organisation, such as Bunac or STA Travel etc, it’s vital to look around and conduct thorough research before making any big decisions of who to go with. After aimlessly typing “working in Australia” into Google one day (no doubt I was probably sitting in a lecture bored at that time), I was overwhelmed by the amount of results and the vast number of choices available. For the first-time traveller, such as myself, I was looking for an organisation to fly out with, something that would introduce me to living in Australia and would eventually get me on my way to working and earning out there. Of course this isn’t everyone’s first choice. A lot of people don’t see the sense in paying £400/500 to get ‘settled in’, when they could just book a flight and work it out for themselves for free when they got there. That’s all well and true, but for those of us that like that little extra bit of security and forward planning, these are just a couple of the great options available...

Bit by the Travelling Bug

Well, okay, not literally. For as long as I can remember I’ve wanted to travel. Even going back ten years as to when I started Secondary School, I can still remember that first ‘introduce yourself to the class’ session that every eleven-year-old child dreads. 

“Hi...I’m Chloe. I like to write and I want to travel the world someday.”

To be fair, eleven-year-old me knew what she was on about. Seven years on I chose my degree of Multimedia Journalism at Canterbury Christ Church University and so began my future of writing in a new place. Of course, Canterbury was hardly Timbuktu, and although my halls of residence were certainly questionable at times, I was hardly slumming it backpackers-style in a hostel somewhere. Nevertheless, those three years I spent away from home provided me with both the life and professional experience needed in order to one day make that big move abroad.