When I arrived in Sydney I had a horrible time with airport security. I made the mistake of mentioning "Couchsurfing" instead of giving an actual address for my destination. They questioned me on and on about my plans in Australia and every single security guard I talked to had something to say about my choice of accommodation.
"So you're just going to stay with a stranger?"
"What if he doesn't make it to pick you up at the train station?"
"What if he's weird?"
"Where's your surfboard?"
Leave those questions to my mom! I told them I'd be fine and finally they let me through. I was staying out in the country outside of Sydney (I guess that's why they thought it was strange). But the guy I stayed with was super nice and he had a dog so I was happy! He was an architect and had one of those storage bin houses on his land so I stayed in there. The first night I went out for dinner with all of his family and had too much wine so the next day was pretty lazy. That night we went out to an Afghan restaurant that he helped design so we got a free meal, score!
The next day I caught the train towards Newcastle. I'd met Lincoln during my travels in Sri Lanka and had asked if I could stop by on my way to Byron Bay for the yoga festival I won tickets to. He met me at the train station (with his beautiful dog Benny) and we drove to Redhead. I couldn't believe that it was a real place where people lived, right on this gorgeous beach that you could walk down for ages. It was like something from a movie! He went for a surf and I wandered down the beach for a while and then we went for pizza. He didn't wear any shoes - which is going to seem very unnecessary to mention but for us Canadians who live in the prairies it is pretty cool to be able to go everywhere with no shoes on and not be judged. That became one of my favourite things about living by the beach - going barefoot everywhere.
The next day we went stand up paddle boarding in Lake Macquarie (the largest salt water lake in the Southern Hemisphere) which was super pretty and reminded me a bit of home even though it was a saltwater lake.
While staying there I met Lincoln's family and they were some of the most welcoming and nicest people I have ever met... After traveling on my own for so long it was extremely nice being included in a family. His mom Lynne showed me different coastal walks/lookout points and even took me to a wildlife park so I could see my first kangaroos! His dad Tony and I talked about the family business which surprisingly had a lot in common with what I encountered while working for my dad back home.
After a few days in Redhead we went camping up by Crescenthead where the beaches were also amazing. I tried surfing again which wasn't very successful but it was very entertaining! (Probably even more so for Lincoln).
"So you're just going to stay with a stranger?"
"What if he doesn't make it to pick you up at the train station?"
"What if he's weird?"
"Where's your surfboard?"
Leave those questions to my mom! I told them I'd be fine and finally they let me through. I was staying out in the country outside of Sydney (I guess that's why they thought it was strange). But the guy I stayed with was super nice and he had a dog so I was happy! He was an architect and had one of those storage bin houses on his land so I stayed in there. The first night I went out for dinner with all of his family and had too much wine so the next day was pretty lazy. That night we went out to an Afghan restaurant that he helped design so we got a free meal, score!
The next day I caught the train towards Newcastle. I'd met Lincoln during my travels in Sri Lanka and had asked if I could stop by on my way to Byron Bay for the yoga festival I won tickets to. He met me at the train station (with his beautiful dog Benny) and we drove to Redhead. I couldn't believe that it was a real place where people lived, right on this gorgeous beach that you could walk down for ages. It was like something from a movie! He went for a surf and I wandered down the beach for a while and then we went for pizza. He didn't wear any shoes - which is going to seem very unnecessary to mention but for us Canadians who live in the prairies it is pretty cool to be able to go everywhere with no shoes on and not be judged. That became one of my favourite things about living by the beach - going barefoot everywhere.
The next day we went stand up paddle boarding in Lake Macquarie (the largest salt water lake in the Southern Hemisphere) which was super pretty and reminded me a bit of home even though it was a saltwater lake.
While staying there I met Lincoln's family and they were some of the most welcoming and nicest people I have ever met... After traveling on my own for so long it was extremely nice being included in a family. His mom Lynne showed me different coastal walks/lookout points and even took me to a wildlife park so I could see my first kangaroos! His dad Tony and I talked about the family business which surprisingly had a lot in common with what I encountered while working for my dad back home.
After a few days in Redhead we went camping up by Crescenthead where the beaches were also amazing. I tried surfing again which wasn't very successful but it was very entertaining! (Probably even more so for Lincoln).
After a few days I caught a train up to Byron where I spent one night at a hostel until heading to Mullumbimby for the spirit festival. I was joined there by Nicky - a 19 year old from Adelaide who was working up at the Gold Coast. She also won her passes and we had been talking over Instagram about the festival so we camped together. It was way more fun than spending the whole time alone at the festival and we also made a trip to Crystal Castle (where there are all these massive crystals and Buddhas around). We hitchhiked there with a super nice lady and on the way back we hopped in a hippie van with an old couple who were heading to a party in Byron. The back of the van had a mattress and at least 20 teddy bears, plus it was decorated with rainbow streamers and unicorns. After Crystal Castle we went to one more yoga class and then took the bus to Byron. That night we camped out right on the beach (even though all the signs say not to) because we didn't want to pay to stay in a campground. So by this point I'd probably spent about a weeks worth of days staring up at the stars and falling asleep to the sound of the ocean. It was so surreal. Nicky left that morning (after an amazing breakfast at this vegan place she wanted to check out) and I spent the day on the beach with my backpack, tent, and some groceries. I didn't want to camp alone that night and I didn't want to pay $50 for a hostel because I was catching a bus at 5:30am. My plan was to drink a couple coffees after dinner and post up at a bus stop somewhere with a book. My luck had been pretty good so far on my trip so I figured something would work out! By about 7 o clock I was getting a bit cold and realizing I should probably go find a hostel. Then this middle aged man walked by and asked if I had a place to stay. He said he had seen me earlier on the beach with all my bags and thought about asking if I needed somewhere to stay but didn't want to seem creepy so he left it. This seemed like fate that he bumped into me again! He was on his way to rent a movie and then go home to make dinner so he invited me back. We had a salmon and veggie bowl and some craft beer for dinner and I got to hear all about a novel he was working on. It was super unique and maybe one day it'll actually be a bestseller! The whole talk over dinner was so nice, and he was super easy to talk to. His place was also ridiculously nice because he rents it out on Airbnb so I had an amazing ensuite bathroom with a rainfall shower and a king sized bed. It was way more comfortable than a park bench!! By about 10 o clock I decided to go to bed since I had to be up early. He seemed a bit sad that I wasn't staying up to watch a movie and I think he enjoyed my company (but who could really blame him!). And once again I lucked out on my travels by meeting a super kind person that was willing to help me out!
The next day I started making my way back to Sydney to meet my friends Rachel and Rachel (hereby known as the Rachels). They began their Australia trip with Amy a couple days before I did but we had different plans. They started in Melbourne and I was heading to the yoga festival so we decided meeting in Sydney might be the easiest. I was so excited when I got to the hostel in Sydney and saw them! It had been at least 6 months since we'd been together so we had lots to catch up on. We stayed at the infamous Chilli Blue for about 5 nights... Let's just say we weren't very impressed by it. Between the guy eating Cheetos in his bunk all day and all night, the super annoying hockey player who gave Canadians a bad rep, and all the other strange people we encountered there made for an interesting time. After a couple nights we switched into a private three person room and our moods immediately improved, gearing us up for the next few days! While there we wandered down to the opera house, did the bridge walk, shopped at the markets, and also went to Bondi and Manly beach. I freaked them out at the beach by attracting all the seagulls with my peanut butter sandwich. We also got to spend Anzac Day together down there. It would be sort of equivalent to Remembrance Day in Canada, honouring members of the New Zealand and Australian army from World War One. The only difference is that they celebrate it by drinking a lot and legally gambling in public. We tried to learn the fancy version of heads or tails at the pub and chatted with some of the local Aussies about sharks and other dangerous animals (what topic could be better?!).
When the Rachels left I switched hostels to meet Amy. She had split up from them to go up to Cairns because she only had one month in Australia. Once again it was really nice to see a familiar face after being away for so long! We did some more sightseeing, relaxing on beaches and then shopping. It was my birthday on Saturday so we started the day by checking out a wildlife park outside of Sydney. We pet a koala, fed some kangaroos and wallabies, and then saw other Aussie animals which was pretty exciting. That night we went out to a club in Sydney and had a pretty good time! I felt like I was in Vegas because we got all done up and the bar was nicer than any I'd been in before. She almost got in a fight with this massive guy at the first bar though so that was our cue to leave! We checked out a club with a huge pool party and as we took the elevator down to leave we saw that there was a different party on each floor. After that we stopped for some late night pizza before returning home. Amy kept me entertained by using sports references while trying to pick up guys from the club. Striiiiiiike one!
The next morning we caught a train to go see the Blue Mountains. Neither of us had done any planning or research so in our rushed state we got on the wrong train and we were heading north instead of east. Luckily we switched at the next stop and then spent the 2 hour train ride sitting on the floor because the train was full. It was pretty cold when we arrived and we waited 45 minutes for a public bus that never came. Finally we decided to walk... Which would've been the smartest plan anyways because it was only like 20 minutes away from the train station. It was such a stunning view and we walked around to see the famous rocks called the Three Sisters. After that we got back on the train (our same seats were waiting for us on the floor) and headed back to Sydney.
The next morning we caught a train to go see the Blue Mountains. Neither of us had done any planning or research so in our rushed state we got on the wrong train and we were heading north instead of east. Luckily we switched at the next stop and then spent the 2 hour train ride sitting on the floor because the train was full. It was pretty cold when we arrived and we waited 45 minutes for a public bus that never came. Finally we decided to walk... Which would've been the smartest plan anyways because it was only like 20 minutes away from the train station. It was such a stunning view and we walked around to see the famous rocks called the Three Sisters. After that we got back on the train (our same seats were waiting for us on the floor) and headed back to Sydney.
Amy and I said our goodbyes the next morning. She had one or two more days until her flight but I decided to fly to Melbourne for a few days and check it out. I headed straight to St Kilda where I stayed for two nights. That night I went to the Palais Theatre and saw Matt Corby perform! It was my birthday present to myself (even though you could probably say this whole trip had been a gift to myself) and it was an amazing concert. He played some new stuff that I hadn't heard yet but also lots of his older stuff too. And Vera Blue (another amazing Aussie artist) opened for him. The next day I had booked a tour of the Great Ocean Road and the Twelve Apostles. It wasn't the greatest day, a storm was going through so it was rainy and the winds were over 100km/hour. But even though I was cold it was really cool to see the ocean at full tilt with these huge waves crashing in. The wind was so strong that people were almost blowing away... Obviously not the safest when you're on a cliff but the view was worth a quick peek.
The next day I left my hostel and took the train outside of the city to see my cousin Amber. I think we decided it had been almost 10 years since we had last seen each other and it was my first time seeing their place and meeting her two kids Coen and Piper. I played basketball and Pokemon cards with Coen the first night so I think I got in his good books pretty fast. Amber showed me around the area, we went to a beautiful rainforest nearby where we bought some bird seeds and fed tons of cockatoos and rosellas. I also went to see their deer farm that reminded me a lot of home. We celebrated Star Wars Day (May the 4th) and Cinco de Mayo so it was a pretty eventful couple days! It was too quick of a trip but I was really glad I got to see them and meet the little ones!
The next day I left my hostel and took the train outside of the city to see my cousin Amber. I think we decided it had been almost 10 years since we had last seen each other and it was my first time seeing their place and meeting her two kids Coen and Piper. I played basketball and Pokemon cards with Coen the first night so I think I got in his good books pretty fast. Amber showed me around the area, we went to a beautiful rainforest nearby where we bought some bird seeds and fed tons of cockatoos and rosellas. I also went to see their deer farm that reminded me a lot of home. We celebrated Star Wars Day (May the 4th) and Cinco de Mayo so it was a pretty eventful couple days! It was too quick of a trip but I was really glad I got to see them and meet the little ones!
From there I flew back to Sydney and then took the train to Newcastle where I spent a couple days again before heading up to Coffs Harbour. The Rachels said they had a really good time there and recommended a hostel with tons of free stuff to rent. I took out a paddleboard a few mornings and then spent afternoons on the beach. I also road tripped around with an American and British guy one day to see some more beaches, and we finished the day with a good hostel meal of quesadillas... Which luckily they cooked because I have a track record of burning things. The next morning I decided to skydive! It's something I wanted to do for years but I always said if I was going to spend the money I'd want to do it in Australia (or somewhere more exciting than Winnipeg). It was a super clear day and we flew up to the 15,000ft mark and then got ready to jump. I felt so calm and collected the whole time until I put my legs out of the plane and looked down. I'll admit I said some bad words while somersaulting down but once we righted ourselves it was amazing. The free falling was probably the coolest, and the view was unreal because we were looking down at the ocean and the coast line. We landed right on the beach and I spent the rest of the day all fired up with all this adrenaline.
After a few more days I went back down to Redhead. I was supposed to start nannying for a lady in Lake Macquarie but she cancelled a couple days before so I wasn't sure what to do. Lincoln's mom told me that his cousin Alaine would be interested in help if I wanted to stay in Redhead so I did that! Alaine and her husband had three cute and energetic boys that were 6, 4, and almost 2 years old, plus a fourth on the way. (The fourth has since been born and I'm sad I wasn't around to meet her! But I'm looking forward to meeting her someday when I go back!). So that week I moved my stuff to an extra room in their house and got sorted! It was a really good job and I still had lots of free time to wander the beach, do yoga, or go to the shops. It was fun to feel like a part of a family, joining in on meals, reading to the boys before bed and helping tuck them in, and taking them to soccer practice or bike rides. The youngest, Jordan, sometimes called me Kara but sometimes called me Lily which was absolutely adorable. One day when I went to pick them up from daycare he yelled "hi Lily!!" and ran over with a big smile... I almost started crying because it was just too cute.
Often during the day I'd bring the kids and meet Lincoln's sister Taren down at the beach with her two kids. We'd grab a coffee and all the kids would pay together. It still felt surreal being so close to the beach and that this was normal everyday life for people.
Often during the day I'd bring the kids and meet Lincoln's sister Taren down at the beach with her two kids. We'd grab a coffee and all the kids would pay together. It still felt surreal being so close to the beach and that this was normal everyday life for people.
After a couple weeks helping out I met the Rachels up in Cairns. (Read my previous blog post for all of those details). Then I flew to Gold Coast and spent about 5 days there. I stayed a block away from Nobby's Beach at a couchsurfers place with 4 super cool people. During the day they were all working so I hung out on the beach and then at night we'd meet for dinner and a movie so it was really chill. I switched to another couchsurfers for my last two nights, an older man who was about to move to Singapore. He had tons of cool stories and liked showing me around so I did lots of sightseeing. The first night he took me to this cool lookout where we could see the skyline of the Gold Coast. It was so dark up there so the stars were amazing. After that we went to Max Brenner's for probably the best chocolate fondue I've ever had. Over the next few days he was a great tour guide, showing me to cute cafes by the beach or by the rainforest. We went and did a treetop walk as well as a couple other hikes that were super pretty. He also took me to an eco village where there were lots of kangaroos and to see Burleigh Heads, Coolangatta and some other beautiful areas along the coast. It was nice because I got to spend a few days relaxing on the beach and a couple days sightseeing so I got an idea of what the Gold Coast offered.
I flew back to Newcastle and continued helping out with the boys. One weekend I went to Sydney with Alaine's younger brother Taylor, his girlfriend Madi and one of her friends. We had a great dinner at a Mexican place with Taylor's other sister and her family and then we went to a pub to meet Madi's friend for her birthday. It was nice to get out and do something different because I had been sick the weekend before, and Taylor and Madi were lots of fun to hang out with.
For my very last weekend in Australia I was joined one last time by Rachel. It was so nice to see her again and we had so many laughs about things that happened on our trip. It was also nice having someone to cry and get sentimental with about our Aussie adventure coming to an end. She got to meet the kids and came with us to soccer practice her first night. On the drive there Hayden and Logan were telling her stories and then Logan said "yeah, we're really creepy aren't we Kara?!" And I laughed and said "what do you mean?? You're not creepy!" And then they reminded me of the time they were trying to sneak out of bed to get toys, so I had to correct them and explain that they were sneaky not creepy. That evening there was the most beautiful sunset ever and Rachel and I had a hilarious time playing soccer on the side with Logan and talking to soccer dads. She came back and had dinner with the family and then I drove her into Newy where we had a fancy dessert before dropping her off at her couchsurfers. The next day was Canada day! Rachel's couchsurfing host said it was cool if we all had a few drinks there before going to a pub, so me and Lincoln and his friend Adam got dropped off there. Then Taylor and Madi joined us so we pretty much all showed up to party at a guys house who we barely knew. Luckily Stuart was ok with it and a couple of his friends joined too! We played some drinking games and then we made our way to a few different pubs. We decided to FaceTime Amy from the pub and enjoyed some kebabs in the outdoor area. When we got inside there was a pool table and I surprised myself and everyone else by sinking a shot. Everyone had been making fun of me for holding the cue wrong and I got mad because I knew what I was doing, and by complete luck I sunk it (otherwise I really would've made a fool of myself) and I sauntered back over like the hottest thing in the pub. After a few more Canadian Clubs we called it a night and went home. Overall it was a pretty successful Canada day even though we were on the other side of the world!
Rachel came to stay with me for her last night so we spent the afternoon wandering the beach. Alaine had arranged dinner plans with everyone so I could see them one last time to say goodbye. While Rachel and I were getting ready I had music playing on my iPad. Hayden and Logan asked me to put the song "shut up and dance" on. Partway through I realized maybe it wasn't the most appropriate song to be playing so I tried to backtrack by giving the lecture that it's not nice to tell someone to shut up and that they shouldn't say it. The damage was already done as they both walked around the house yelling "SHUT UP AND DANCE WITH ME". I went back to my room where Rachel was getting ready and we began questioning my influence on the kids... I was worried I was giving Alaine and Adrian lots of reasons to be happy I was leaving!
We went to dinner at a pub that had a kids play area in it. It was a super nice dinner and send off to see everyone one more time before leaving. Rachel and I both had one last meal of fish and chips while the kids all ran around like crazy! It was really sad to say bye and not really know when or if I'd see them all again, but I feel so blessed to have met such nice people while I was there. And I'm already looking forward to dropping by for a visit next time I'm back in Australia.
For Rachel's last day we had an amazing breakfast down at the beach cafe and then wandered the beach one last time. We talked about the highlights and lowlights of the trip (Rachel's favourite travel game) and about what's next for both of us. Slowly we made our way back to the house and then I dropped her off at the train station. It was a really quick goodbye there but I think that was better so we didn't get too emotional. I am so happy I got to spend some of my trip there with her (as well as Amy and the other Rachel) and all of it adds to the amazing memories I'll have of Australia!
For my very last weekend in Australia I was joined one last time by Rachel. It was so nice to see her again and we had so many laughs about things that happened on our trip. It was also nice having someone to cry and get sentimental with about our Aussie adventure coming to an end. She got to meet the kids and came with us to soccer practice her first night. On the drive there Hayden and Logan were telling her stories and then Logan said "yeah, we're really creepy aren't we Kara?!" And I laughed and said "what do you mean?? You're not creepy!" And then they reminded me of the time they were trying to sneak out of bed to get toys, so I had to correct them and explain that they were sneaky not creepy. That evening there was the most beautiful sunset ever and Rachel and I had a hilarious time playing soccer on the side with Logan and talking to soccer dads. She came back and had dinner with the family and then I drove her into Newy where we had a fancy dessert before dropping her off at her couchsurfers. The next day was Canada day! Rachel's couchsurfing host said it was cool if we all had a few drinks there before going to a pub, so me and Lincoln and his friend Adam got dropped off there. Then Taylor and Madi joined us so we pretty much all showed up to party at a guys house who we barely knew. Luckily Stuart was ok with it and a couple of his friends joined too! We played some drinking games and then we made our way to a few different pubs. We decided to FaceTime Amy from the pub and enjoyed some kebabs in the outdoor area. When we got inside there was a pool table and I surprised myself and everyone else by sinking a shot. Everyone had been making fun of me for holding the cue wrong and I got mad because I knew what I was doing, and by complete luck I sunk it (otherwise I really would've made a fool of myself) and I sauntered back over like the hottest thing in the pub. After a few more Canadian Clubs we called it a night and went home. Overall it was a pretty successful Canada day even though we were on the other side of the world!
Rachel came to stay with me for her last night so we spent the afternoon wandering the beach. Alaine had arranged dinner plans with everyone so I could see them one last time to say goodbye. While Rachel and I were getting ready I had music playing on my iPad. Hayden and Logan asked me to put the song "shut up and dance" on. Partway through I realized maybe it wasn't the most appropriate song to be playing so I tried to backtrack by giving the lecture that it's not nice to tell someone to shut up and that they shouldn't say it. The damage was already done as they both walked around the house yelling "SHUT UP AND DANCE WITH ME". I went back to my room where Rachel was getting ready and we began questioning my influence on the kids... I was worried I was giving Alaine and Adrian lots of reasons to be happy I was leaving!
We went to dinner at a pub that had a kids play area in it. It was a super nice dinner and send off to see everyone one more time before leaving. Rachel and I both had one last meal of fish and chips while the kids all ran around like crazy! It was really sad to say bye and not really know when or if I'd see them all again, but I feel so blessed to have met such nice people while I was there. And I'm already looking forward to dropping by for a visit next time I'm back in Australia.
For Rachel's last day we had an amazing breakfast down at the beach cafe and then wandered the beach one last time. We talked about the highlights and lowlights of the trip (Rachel's favourite travel game) and about what's next for both of us. Slowly we made our way back to the house and then I dropped her off at the train station. It was a really quick goodbye there but I think that was better so we didn't get too emotional. I am so happy I got to spend some of my trip there with her (as well as Amy and the other Rachel) and all of it adds to the amazing memories I'll have of Australia!
The next day was my last day so when I dropped Logan and Jordan off at daycare I said my last goodbye! I don't think they understood and they probably weren't as sad as I was but it still felt weird. I had said my goodbye to Hayden the night before because he was going to spend the night at his grandparents. When I returned home I had a nice big bubble bath with candles since I'd soon be in Sri Lanka with only cold outdoor showers. After that Alaine and I went down to the cafe for one last coffee. When it was time for us to leave she told me to go down to the ocean and feel the water and the sand between my toes one last time. How depressing!! It was obviously a nice thing to do before I left but I really didn't want to leave such a beautiful place... Taking one last walk down there made it seem so real. After that we walked back to the house, grabbed my bags and Lincoln drove me to the train station. One quick stop to get my last pie for a while (this became one of my other favourite things about Australia) and we went to a super nice lookout to eat. He brought Benny so I got to say goodbye to him too before catching my train to the Sydney airport. It felt weird to be leaving already... Even though I was in Australia for three months - the longest stop of my trip so far - it went by way too fast.
Thank you to all the amazing people I met along the way... For showing me around, taking me in, and making me feel like family!! I'll never forget my time in Australia and hopefully I'll see you all again! ❤️😊
Thank you to all the amazing people I met along the way... For showing me around, taking me in, and making me feel like family!! I'll never forget my time in Australia and hopefully I'll see you all again! ❤️😊