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

Hostel Living At YHA Hostels

YHA Hostels 

Going for an adventure of your life does not always require you to stay at 5 star resorts or luxurious hotels, sometimes hostels are the way to go! Now a days, hostels are the way to travel safe and cheap! Many of my favourite experiences while travelling through Australia took place during my stay at the YHA Australia Hostels. The staff at the YHA Australia Hostels were very friendly, the rooms and bathrooms were clean, the bars had a great atmosphere, the food that was served was tasty and everyone always got along!

If anyone is planning on taking a trip to the land down under anytime soon I would highly recommend staying at the YHA hostels. Now you can even sign up for a membership online before travelling to receive great discounts and deals!

Some of these amazing deals include:

-Receive at least 10% off acommodation at all YHA hostels around Australia

-Enjoy member rates at over 4,000 YHA/HI hostels around the world (even if Australia is the first spot of destination, but you are planning on going somewhere next, the membership will work there too!)

-Cheap travel with worldwide discounts on flights, gear, transport, travel insurance and more!

This is what the membership looks like:

All you have to do is log on to their website and click on membership and discounts to receive these amazing deals. TRUST, when bag packing through any country, especially if you are on a low budget, you will start to appreciate these deals! Although it might seem like a lot of money to purchase it at first, if you don't do it and pay as you go, it will add up to more than what you would have spent, I calculated it myself! 

Membership costs are as follows:

1 year	2 years	3 years
18 - 25 years	$32	$55	$80
26 years and over	$42	$80	$115

It will save you money! and why would you not do it? This money could go towards doing other exciting things that will come along and TRUST me, they do! Do not spend all your money in one place!!!

YHA Australia Hostels is the way to go! 

Exploring the land down under;

thetravelspot-wanderlust