Final thoughts on Australia

Australia has been home for the last 7 months and as with every country, it's had places that I've loved and some that I've not.  For me, it started in the best way possible in Perth where I spent time with some incredibly important people.  I got to know 2 amazing children, a beautiful dog (Max), spend time with family and make a friend for life in Georgia.  I'll never forget my first (and possibly only) warm Christmas.  Even though I knew it was going to be strange, I didnt quite realise how strange.  Still, you have to experience Christmas away from home at least once in your lifetime.

New Years Eve was special.  Fireworks like I've never seen before.  The Aussies sure do know how to put on a good show.  Simply awesome!  Sydney as a city was great and one in which I could easily live in.

Tasmania is probably the place that surprised me the most.  I hadn't planned to go there until I met Jimmy and the crew but I'm glad I did.  Launceston reminded me of home and for 6 weeks, it was home.  I had so many good nights at Irish and towards the end, I really felt a part of the team.  Ceri and I went on a few roadtrips which were a lot of fun; Freycinet and Cradle Mountain are probably 2 of my favorite places and I'm thankful that I saw them with him. 

Melbourne is easily my favourite city for many reasons; street art, funky cafés, delicious food, friendly folk and getting lost down Laneways.  It's easy to see why so many backpackers like to settle here.  The Neighbours tour was such a laugh and we even got to watch Susan Kennedy to do some filming.  Yet for me, the highlight had to be doing the Great Ocean Road with my papa.  He may not have enjoyed the camping element but I think he enjoyed seeing the 12 Apostles.

Ayres Rock was unforgettable and easily one of the highlights of my whole trip.  The rock is much bigger than I thought and changes colour almost every 10 secs.  Mindblowing.  Kings Canyon was impressive but for me, not as impressive as Uluru.

Byron Bay was a disappointment.  It was a city full of wannabe backpacker hippies.  Surfers Paradise certainly wasn't paradise for me.  Tacky, overpriced and very overrated.  Noosa is a great town and understandably known as the locals version of Byron.  Whitehaven beach is easily the most spectacular beach in the world.  Those blue waters overlapping the sand and cool sand at that will ever be engrained in my memory.  I'm pleased that I got the chance to snorkel in the Great Barrier Reef but due to the cyclone, it wasn't as clear as it could've been. Still, at least I found Nemo and swam with a turtle in the wild...

So that's my round-up of 7 incredible months in Australia.  What an incredible country and one I will never look at in the same light again.  

Until the next time Strayyya, thanks for having me!

Next stop: Queenstown, New Zealand