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!


We’ve crammed so many incredible experiences into the last two months that it feels like we’ve been out here for so much longer. It feels like a lifetime ago since we were saying goodbye to our families at Gatwick Airport, feeling a combination of sadness and excitement to be leaving. It feels even longer ago that we had our first week in Sydney - meeting everyone in our OzIntro group for the first time and all starting our travelling journeys together. To say we’ve met some great people along the way would be an understatement. We’ve had friends we’ve stayed with for a few weeks, and some we’ve only seen for a few days, but each have made the Australia experience that little bit better in their own way. 

Group One - Fraser Island

Backpacking forces you to be independent and responsible, whilst at the same time encouraging you to go that little bit crazy and do things you would never do back at home. Most people only get to do this once, so when someone asks you out somewhere, or when the opportunity to jump out of a plane arises, you say YES. Even though the thought of doing a bungee jump absolutely terrified me, the idea of going home and being unable to say I did everything that I could have possibly done, was even more off-putting. Besides, apart from losing my shoe halfway down, it really wasn’t so bad! 

Mission Accomplished! 

For the next three months, Jack, Abbie and myself will be working on a banana farm in Atherton Tablelands, just near Cairns. Working three and a half days a week for our accommodation and a weekly allowance of $100, I’ll be in the farm shop, packing and grading the bananas, as well as doing odd jobs for extra money. It’s much harder work for the boys, who are actually out in the banana paddocks digging and doing the physical work. There’s ten backpackers here in total, living in our own block that includes five bedrooms, two bathrooms, a kitchen and dining area as well as a living area with TV. It’s not a palace, and the money isn’t great, but it means that after three months we’ll be able to apply for our second year visas which is our main goal. It’s going to be a simple existence, definitely different to what we’ve been experiencing, but it means we can actually unpack our bags properly and start buying and cooking real food - something I am VERY excited about!

Spring Creek Produce

So far there’s no real plan for after the farm work, so it’s just time to sit back, make friends and try to make the most of our time here. Our travelling adventures will definitely continue on afterwards, but for now… this backpacker is hanging up the backpack.

Happy Travels :)