April 2012
34 posts
Blue Mountains Hike
The other weekend, I went on a hike with a few friends through the Blue Mountains.We took the train up to the quiet little town of Leura and began our hike around cliff edges, through lush fern groves, underneath rock overhangs, and through beautiful waterfalls. It was a warm, sunny day and for most of the hike we were sheltered from the sun by the enormous trees. I made everyone take the long...
The Green City
Besides being a very environmentally conscious city - littering is unheard of and all the outlets have on/off switches - Sydney is a green city filled with palm trees, parks and beautiful gardens. You completely forget you’re in the city when you enter the Botanical Gardens, where they have rainforest walks, exotic birds, and quiet lakes. Unlike many public parks, the signs at the Botanical...
Day 8 - King's Canyon
Our final day! This was definitely my favorite day in the Outback. We woke up early again to beat the heat and began our hike as the sun was rising. We hiked up a steep incline to the top of King’s Canyon and were rewarded with breathtaking (literally, I was out of breath from the climb) views. The canyon was massive - steep red walls sloped down into green pastures that rolled on into the...
Day 7 - Uluru
The next morning we woke up bright and early at 4:45 am (ouch) to head off to Uluru for a beautiful sunrise - it was a great way to start the day. Then we went on a quick tour of the sacred aboriginal sites in Uluru. The aboriginal people are required by law to allow tourists to climb Uluru but it’s a sacred site for them and considered disrespectful to walk on it. The day we went the wind...
Day 6 - Into the Outback!
We loaded up into vans at 5 am and headed into the outback. Our first stop was a little farm where we got to ride camels in the outback and pet kangaroos. Ironic, since the dinner we ate that night was camel sausage and kangaroo steak. We drove for several hours through desert wasteland - there was literally nothing out there except miles and miles of red sand interrupted by the occasional red...
Day 5 - Alice Springs
On Wednesday we flew from Cairns to Alice Springs - a small town in the middle of the country. There wasn’t much out there except big red rocks and dry deserted land. A lot of aboriginal communities settled there after they were driven out of the bush. Our bus driver from the airport told us of this yearly river race in Alice Springs - he described it as the only boat race he knows of where...
Day 4 - Waterfalls
We spent more time this day trekking through the rain forests and swimming in the Atherton Table Lands. At the first lake, I was one of the few people who jumped in the water with the tour guide and spent a while jumping off the rocks and exploring the rivers. We saw incredibly beautiful waterfalls and views. The water was freezing, but we got to swim through a massive waterfall. My favorite part...
Day 3 - Finding Nemo!
The day of the Great Barrier Reef! We started out at 7 am and cruised over bright blue water until we got to this little white, pristine island in the middle of the ocean. The ship was incredible - they even provided us with a gourmet lunch that was unbelievable. We got to lay out on the front of the boat and soak up the sun while we sailed. My three friends and I were the first group to go scuba...
Day 2 - Daintree Rainforest
After a 6:30 am wake up, we headed off in a van to the Daintree Rainforest with our aboriginal tour guide, George, who had grown up in the area and had some great stories for us. Having George was great - we learned not just about the rainforest but also the aboriginal history of the area. We drove up the coastline and saw some unreal sights that looked like fake backdrops - beautiful beaches...
Spring Break
I’ve been so busy lately I haven’t been on this in a while! Anyway, it’s about time I talked about spring break. It was the best week ever. I scuba dived the Great Barrier Reef, slept under the stars in the outback, and hiked through canyons and rain forests. I did so many different things I’m going to have to document it day by day. We flew into Cairns - where the Great...
