Coffs Harbour and Beyond

Sorry it's been a while since my last post. After Port Macquarie we moved onto a place called Coffs Harbour that is situated 3 hours north of Port Macquarie. We stayed here for two nights and while we were here we went on a walk up and around a huge hill that looked out to the Tasman Sea where you can spot Dolphins, Hump Back Whales and and Sea Turtles. Unfortunately, on this occasion we didn't spot any but we are still on the look out. While at Coffs Harbour we also went for a walk around the nation park where wild Koala's roam but again no luck of seeing any actual Koala's. 

After Coffs Harbour we got the Greyhound to Byron Bay. We didn't see much in Byron as we had the privilege of staying with some friend we met whilst in Chaing Mai, Thailand. They live in a place Lismore which is a beautiful little town located in the countryside surrounded by a rain forests. For the majority of time we were there it was pouring with rain and due to that we only had a few days of going out and exploring we also had our first Australia style B.B.Q. One of the days we did venture out in the rain was to see some waterfalls however when we arrived the bridge we had to cross was completely over flown with water. We did manage to see some of the rain forest though as you can see.Whilst here we also get the privilege of seeing the stars again due to there being very little light pollution. It was a sight and as many stars I have seen in a long while.  

After Lismore we jumped on the Greyhound to our last stop Brisbane where we stayed with some more friends who have moved out here. Unfortunately for us the rain didn't let off and again it poured and didn't stop for the entire week, we even had some minor floods in the area and there was many weather warnings on the news. We didn't let that stop us much though and did see the city a little but but most of the attractions were closed. 






We are now back on the Gold Coast in a placed called Coolangatta where we will be staying till Monday till be get our flight from the Gold Coast Airport to Christchurch, New Zealand. We are very excited as we have heard New Zealand is very beautiful. Can't wait to get back to regular updates and taking lots more photos for everyone to see. 




Miss All,






Jon 

Port Macquarie

Hey Everybody!

After Sydney we got the Greyhound coach to Port Macquarie which is situated 388 KM or 241 Miles north from Sydney. Port Macquarie is classed as a city but feels more like a small town, it is connected to a rain forest and all the water in the town is salt water because it is so close to the ocean. On some days if you go up to river you can see wild Dolphins.

We had a really good time visiting Port Macquarie, we stayed there for three nights and got see many wonderful things. On the first day we visited the Koala Hospital which was located about 2km walk to where we was staying and it is the only one in the entire world. We went on a free tour and found out that the place was founded and ran by volunteers. We also found out the Koala's sleep up to18 hours a day and eat for the remainder. Many people say they sleep so much because the side effects from eucalyptus leaves they eat but this is nothing but a myth.

In the hospital they are care for up to 33 Koalas at a time and each has a different injury from bite marks from dogs, missing limbs to bacterial infections. For the volunteers to know which Koala is which all are given a chip and a name. Each Koala is named by first the location it was found and then they give the person who reported it the choice of the second name. One Koala was called Private Bernard, this was because he was found and lived across the road from the private hospital. Most of the Koala's are re released into the wild but for Private he had to have both his eyes removed and is a permanent resident at the hospital. We also managed to see Kangaroos along the way. 

They sleep like this 18 hours a day

The next day we done what was known as the light house walk, it is a 9km designated walk that goes along the coast past the beaches, through the rain forest until you reach the light house. The views and beaches along the way were spectacular but by the end of it we was pretty tired. Check out the views....

Hope all are well

Jon

Sydney Photos

Sydney Opera House

Sydney Harbour Bridge

 Hi All1 


Having a great time travelling up the East Coast of Australia. We left Sydney a few days ago and stopped of at Port Macquarie. Sydney was such an amazing city and there was plenty to see and do. Here are a few photos I took while in Sydney.

Sydney Opera House

Water Taxis in Sydney

Sydney Harbour Bridge

Sydney Opera House

Sydney Harbour Bridge

Skyline from Sydney Harbour

Nice boat and Sydney Opera House

Hope all is well and will update more photos soon

Jon

Sydney

Hi All!

Arrived in Sydney this morning at 8:10am via the greyhound bus, the journey took 12 hours and we will be staying here for 4 nights. Tomorrow we are going sight seeing to see the Sydney Opera House, Sydney Harbour Bridge and Royal Botanic Gardens. We are very excited! Will upload photos from Melbourne and Sydney A.S.A.P.

Hope all are well


Jon 

Happy New Year

HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE

We arrived safely in Melbourne on the 30th of December and spent our new year watching the fireworks in Federation Square. I heard London's firework show was nothing short of spectacular. Melbourne's was pretty good too. 

Other than watching the fireworks, We spent the first two days in Melbourne arranging transport and accommodation up the east coast of Australia. (Travelling is more work than I thought) So far we have booked open Greyhound tickets that allow us to travel up the coast to Brisbane and get on and off a any point. Our first stop is Sydney then we go Port Macqauire, Croffs Harbour and then Byron Bay, from there we intend to go to Surfers Paradise (this is the name of the stop) then onto Brisbane where we catch our flight to New Zealand.

Australia this time of year is very hot, so today we decide to spend time in the park having a picnic by the river.

  

Will keep you posted along the way. 

Jon x