The next day we flew from Brisbane to Cairns.  This was my view out the window of the plane.  Rough life I know!

Upon arrival in Cairns we went into the town to pick up a rental car.  While we were waiting for the details to be figured out we heard constant high-pitched screeching.  We couldn’t figure out what it was until we looked into the trees and saw these beauties roosting for the night.  BATS!

We spent the night in Cairns, regrouping, cooking dinner and relaxing in the 3 pools our villa hotel had to offer.  The next morning we were up and headed to Kuranda World Heritage Site.  This is an interesting town, sitting on top of a mountain in between Cairns and Port Douglas. A train ride takes you up to the top of the mountain and then there is a gondola ride down.  The train ride up was beautiful-winding through the lush rainforest, curving next to the mountain and waterfalls.

We spent a few hours on top of the mountain exploring the little town.

The gondola was a 45 minute ride, which stopped every 15 minutes at various platforms through the rainforest. Anyone who knows me, knows this is NOT my cup of tea.  Train rides? Sure.  Gondolas rides? Not so much.  I am just not a fan of being super high up and in an enclosed capsule slowly moving its way through space, with the possibility of it breaking down at any given point.  I don’t even really love ski lifts.  I’m mostly okay if the lift keeps moving, but as soon as it stops mid-air perched high above the land, my heart does a little panicked mummer.

Yet, like I’ve said in previous posts, I cannot NOT do things just because I am a little uncomfortable.  That only makes the fear stronger and more relevant in my life.  So, with some deep breathing, moral support from the group, and a couple of closed eyes moments, I made it through the ride.

After leaving Byron Bay,  we stopped at Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary where I was lucky enough to spend some quality time with a sweet gal named Pearl.  I loved this little snuggle bug and wished I could have spent more time with her.  She reminded me of a cat.  Furry, cuddling and apparently sleeping 19-21 hours per day. Basically she has the life-other than tourists waking her from her beauty sleep a couple of times a day.

We continued up the Gold Coast to Surfer’s Paradise.  This place is rooted in surfer history in similar fashion to California’s surfer culture.   I thought Byron Bay would be more like Surfer’s Paradise and vice versa. Surfer’s Paradise seemed like it would be this hippy, not very developed kind of place but instead it was a city filled with high-rise vacation homes and apartments.  I love when your expectations (for better or worse) are nothing like you first anticipated.

After leaving Surfer’s Paradise we finally arrived in Brisbane.  This city is quite familiar to me. Not because I had ever been there but because I have many friends who studied abroad here during college.  The first time I had heard of it was in college when a best friend of mine told me she was moving there for 6 months school.  I would Skype with her and hear all about the details of the city.  It was so great to be there years later after hearing all her stories.  I really loved the place.  Naturally, it has a very college feel to it.  It sits right on a river and there are free ferry rides that run back and forth all day and night.  We walked along the banks of the river, visiting the carousel, strolling through a man-made beach, and mingling with college students.  All in all, it’s a great town.

The next morning we met up with Jackie and Jamie.  They had rented a car and were driving up the eastern coast of OZ.  We were lucky enough to join them!

As we traveled up the coast,  I was struck by the beauty of Australia. I knew it would a sight to behold but I was surprised by the familiarity of the land.  It seemed like a combination of my two homes!  Pennsylvania with the rolling hills, farms and grazing wildlife. California with the beaches and seaside towns.  It is best of both worlds.

The first day we travel about 4-5 hours to our first stop: Port Macquerie.  We relaxed in this seaside town; swimming in our pool, eating fish and chips by the water, and overall enjoying the sights.

The next day we continued traveling up the coast to Dorrigo National Park.  It offered views of the land from an amazing skywalk and nature walk down to a cascading waterfall.

Our next stop was Bryron Bay and my what a sight to behold.  So many of my friends who lived, studied, visited Australia said to me “Byron Bay is one of my favorite places.”   I can see why.  Another seaside town but with a totally eclectic and hippy feel it was nothing like I had envisioned.  Upon arrival we walked on the beach and a found this pick up musical group.  We spent the next few days walking through the town, hiking up to the Cape Bryon light house
and even sitting at a bar with a bunch of locals watching the Superbowl.