Riding On My VISPA

PINK VISPA + RIDING = ISLAND EXPLORING

I love adventures and when I saw they were renting VISPA's at some local shop in the Magnetic Islands I was SOLD! Obviously I had to be careful (not that they go very fast anyway) but you never know.

VISPA's outside of the hostel.

I don't know if it was love at first sight, or the fact that this meant I didn't have to walk anymore.Magnetic Islands was made up of many hills that were not the easiest to walk up, especially in the heat! It made out lives very easy for the three days that we were there! However, obviously when you are travelling you worry about everything that could potentially go wrong... well at least I do!
I would be lying if I said that I was comfortable leaving the VISPA's outside of our hostels locked up "properly".

Magnetic Island

Here is a picture of me down by the water. The sky's as you can see were clear blue and beautiful. The water was warm, and crystal blue.
Here we stayed at the YHA Magnetic Island Hostel. If you are with a cabin living experience, cooking outside, and leaving your food in the outdoor kitchen, then this is the hostel for you. TIP: BRING EAR PLUGS, MONKEYS DO WAKE YOU UP AS THEY RUN THROUGH THE ROOF! 
Yes, believe it or not I was woken many time with the sound of monkeys running through the roof chasing each other. It was a little scary.

Magnetic Island has become established  as a holiday destination with many hotels and several resorts in operation to cater to all levels of service.
The name of the island came about because of the "apparent" magnetic effect it had on the ship's compass of Captain Cook as he past the island as sailing up to the east coast of Australia in 1770. Since then, people have sailed, visited, and traveled the island to discover what it was that appeared to Captain Cook as magnetic.
It is a beautiful island and worth checking out if you are ever in Australia. I would definitely recommend renting a VISPA as well!

Exploring the land down under;

thetravelspot-wanderlust

The Great Barrier Reef

The Great Barrier Reef... At Last!

When we decided to take on this journey we said that we would leave the Great Barrier Reef for last. If you are unsure of what this amazing place click on the following link which will bring you to an amazing video on the National Geographic's Website: Great Barrier Reef. This was because we wanted to save the tropical side of Australia for last!

Underwater Bubbles

I had the opportunity to dive in and explore the bottom of the sea at another level. I had a great time snorkelling and swimming with the most colourful fish and coral around me.

Jen at the bottom of the ocean.

Sea Cucumber found at the bottom of the ocean.

Snorkelling action shot

Coral and fish

Yellow tail fish!

Unfortunately the day we decided to go the sun was not shinning as bright as it could. The told us that we would have gotten better pictures had the sun been out all day. However, through this pictures you can still get a feel for what the reef is like. 

I mentioned in my last blog that if you do not have an underwater camera you should purchase one before you to the Great Barrier Reef. HOWEVER! Jen and I did not, but we were still able to rent a camera for around $40.00 for the whole day! 

Exploring the land down under;

thetravelspot-wanderlust

Whitsunday Islands Sailing Adventure

"Sailing Through The Whitsunday Islands...."

The Whitsunday Islands

I am not particularly the sailing type of girl, but when I realized where I was heading to I was the first one on the boat. Jen and I decided to take a sailing trip for five nights! That's right. Five whole days of no showers, no comfortable sleeps, eating sausages and hamburgers for dinner. But in return it was all worth it because we got to see some of the most incredible crystal blue beaches, the best sunrises, and the best sun sets.

Almost everyone on board would get up at 5:00am just so we could capture the sunrise. There is nothing like watching the sun rise from a distance as if it was rising from the water. Believe me it was the best thing to wake up to! Some friends who were sleeping on the boat would even decide to stay and sleep outside so they could wake up to it! Not only was it beautiful in the morning, at night the stars would be so clear and visible.

5:00am shot from the boat

Jen & I took advantage of the beautiful sunset to re-create the love scene from Titanic

Something interesting I found out during this adventure was that the movie Fool's Gold was filmed off of an island in the Whitsunday Islands. During a dining experience at a local restaurant called Capers, we were able to see the where Matthew Mcconaughey, Kate Hudson, and Donald Sutherland dined. 

Donald Sutherland

Kate Hudson

Matthew Mcconaughey

Considering Matthew Mcconaughey is one of my favourite actors I was thrilled when I found out he had been to the same restaurant as I had!

If you ever have the opportunity to visit the Whitsunday Islands make this experience even better by going on a sail boat adventure! It is affordable and beautiful! 

Exploring the land down under;

thetravelspot-wanderlust

Animals Down Under

What will you find?

I have been so busy these last couple of weeks I haven't had a chance to blog! I hope everyone has had a small break from all the crazy assignments (A.K.A media) we received this year! But hey, almost 1 week left of school, YAY to us!

So today I decided to steer off a little bit from the travel spots that I visited while I was in Australia, and I have decided to blog about all the animals/bugs I saw and took pictures of. They too deserve a little bit of attention!

Let's start with this little angry guy, a Dingo. For those of you who don't know a Dingo is a free ranging-dog found mainly in Australia. Dingo's are a cultural icon for Australians.

A very angry Dingo.

Next we have this huge jelly fish. Although they are not recognized to be an Australian cultural icon, I decided to include this on my blog because it was the biggest jelly fish I had ever seen. For those of you who have been stung by one of these before, I am sure you can image the pain this big guy above would give you.

Some of the jelly fish were beautiful turquoise colours

One of the highlights of my trips was snorkelling at the Great Barrier Reef. I will never forget swimming next to some of the most incredible looking fish I have ever seen. Including this big blue and yellow fish. 

Found nemo!

He kept swimming up to the boat, and was so friendly to swim next to!

Of course I was tempted to find memo! It took many shots, and many tries, but I was able to capture a whole family of clown fish swimming through the coral. It was beautiful!

Bellow is a picture of Jennifer's hands and a huge black beetle we found during our excursion in Cairns. I would never touch anything like this! However, it did a great job at posing for the picture on the palm of her hand. 

Black Beetle

Last but not least we have this extremely friendly turtle that kept swimming up to us (also in Cairns) to be fed. Unfortunately I was unable to take pictures of any sea turtles I came across because the film in my camera die. If you are able to invest in an underwater digital camera, I would recommend you do so before your trip!

Named him Charlie

If you would like more information about some other cultural icons of Australia, check out Australian Geographic's 100 Aussie Icons 

Exploring the land down under;

thetravelspot-wanderlust

Sufers Paradise, Queensland

Surfers Paradise, A Paradise Indeed!

Main entrance to the beach!

Paradise was one of the spots Jen and I were looking forward to the most! As you travel, you meet people who are travelling as well, and you tend to exchange stories. Everyone said great things about surfers paradise: the weather, the people, the nightlife, the beach, the surfing. We could not wait! I had spoken to my cousin who was attending medical school in Queensland, and I was static when he told me he was a 30 minute walk from where we wanted to be! This all came as good news because we were able to stay over for free, which saved us extra cash for checking our restaurants in Cavil Avenue.

Cavill Avenue #goldcoast

Cavil Avenue is in the heart of Surfers Paradise shopping and entertaining district. In here we were able to visit great shops, restaurants, and bars. For some reason I found the pizza to be extra delicious in Surfers, so if you are ever in town, try it out! 

Something to compare Surfers Paradise to would be Clifton Hill in Niagara Falls, but with an ocean and palm trees! There are things such as the Ripley's Believe It Or Not! Museum, so be sure to check it out. 

Cavill Avenue #surfersparadise

This outdoor shopping plaza was packed of tourists, and locals! It was a great mix of people and it gave us a great taste of the "surfer life", so much that we decided to enrol in surfing lessons!


Here are a couple of pictures of Jen and I taking surfing lessons! If you ever do try surfing, expect to be sore for two weeks after! I would consider myself an active person, but after weeks of travelling, eating, and drinking, you will get sore! #lessorlearned

Pre-Surfing Instructions 

#pro surfers

Exploring the land down under;

thetravelspot-wanderlust

Arrested! Old Melbourne Gaol

Old Melbourne Gaol:

After being in Sydney for a couple of weeks, we finally decided to start our journey down to Melbourne. Upon our arrival, we took a tour of the Old Melbourne Gaol where we were exposed to the lives of men and women who died paying for their crimes.

Walking through the narrow hall.

As I walked in through the doors that led to the cells of many of these offenders, I began to feel a little spooky. I would only recommend this tour to people who are not afraid of ghosts! Not that I saw one, but going in some of the cells was scary.

Inside a cell.

The Old Melbourne Gaol held dangerous criminals, petty offenders, the homeless, and the mentally ill. One of the most notorious criminal was Australia's citizen Ned Kelly. In the image bellow you can see the death mask Ned Kelly wore during his execution.

Ned Kelly's Death Mask

All the inmates would watch as the hangings took place. 

The Old Melbourne Gaol was the scene of 133 hangings and we were able to stand on the same spot where they took place. Although this gaol was closed in 1929, the thought that criminals had walked through the halls, slept, ate, and died where I was standing were impossible to ignore. 

Mugshots

Arrested!

At the end of the tour I was able to get my own mug shots. This specific section of the tour consisted of police officers treating us "just" like they would treat criminals coming in. They were loud, rude, strict, and although it was only role playing, one can only image what it really was like. 

Jen and I trying real handcuffs on for the first time.

I would never have imagined handcuffs to be as heavy as they are! Jen and I decided to try them on just to see what it was like, and we took them off immediately after this photograph was taken because it hurt to keep them on. TIP: NEVER GET ARRESTED

If you are ever in Melbourne be sure to check out the Old Melbourne Gaol. It definitely is an interesting experience! 

Remember: There are YHA Hostels in Melbourne too! (To me it was one of the cleaner ones to stay in) You can also receive a discount for this tour when you present your YHA Membership Card. If you are not sure what this is, check out my earlier posts!

Exploring the land down under;

thetravelspot-wanderlust

Welcome To The Opera House

Phantom of the Opera! 

A must to do in Sydney is taking the amazing tour at the Sydney Opera House!

The Sydney Opera House is a multi-venue performing arts centre located in Sydney, Australia. This amazing venue has become an iconic symbol of Australia which is recognized globally, and therefore I had to go!

Tickets for the tour were inexpensive, around $20 Australian dollars (as a student). This included a guided tour of the venue, stepping inside a couple of inspired theatres, information on how more than 1600 performances come to life each year, and information of how Danish architect Jorn Utzon's groundbreaking design and vision for a world class performing arts venue came into existence.

A Brief History:

The planning of the Sydney Opera House began in 1940 when the Sydney Town Hall was considered not large enough for theatrical performances. A design competition was held in 1955 which received 233 entries by different architects across the world. Jorn Utzon's design was announced as the winner in 1957, and Utzon visited Sydney to help supervise the project. Significant changes were made to Jorn Utzon's original design as some of the stages and seating areas were considered to have insufficient space for the performances and audience. Delays took place which slowed process of production as costs for building became expensive. At last, the Sydney Opera House was completed in 1973 and opened formally by Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia.

Here are some pictures of my experience at the Sydney Opera House:

It was a gloomy day, but the experience was unbelivable. 

Tickets we purchased at the Sydney Opera House but these can also be purchased online for a 10% off discount!

They provide you with a headset on the guided tour of the venue.

Posters of current and past performances and events. 

Inside look of a performance.

For those of you interested in learning more about the behind the scenes at the Sydney Opera House check out their website at http://play.sydneyoperahouse.com.

Exploring the land down under;

thetravelspot-wanderlust