Like last night I was first up again at the crack of dawn, although I had already packed the night before ready for the morning. As Base was fully booked for tomorrow I booked in a further two nights at a place called Central Perks Backpackers for the next two nights. This meant I had to leave my stuff in one of the big lockers in base, better safe than sorry! I also took the chance this morning to book a couple of nights in my next location, Byron Bay. I will be getting there on the 11th.
Today I had a trip entitled "Port Stephens and Nelson Bay" which took me to a few places near the industrial town of Newcastle. After meeting at a random hotel for pick up which was really confusing as I was the only one there, I was transferred to the coach terminal to pick up my group. My group was primarily made up of older people and families, although there were perhaps a few other backpackers amongst the group.
After our coach driver/tour guide gave us a running commentary as we passed things going out of Sydney, we stopped at Australia Reptile Park to look at a variety of Australian based animals. After a park ranger brought out an alligator to show us, don't worry it was a baby, we got an hour to look round the park. I managed to get a picture with a Koala although apparently there is a state law in New South Wales preventing people from holding them. There was also an open enclosure where we could feed the kangaroos and emus. The kangaroos were pretty friendly but I'm not sure if I trusted the emus! Other animals on show in the park included Crocodiles, Alligators, Dingoes, Tasmanian Devils, Platypus, and also a large reptile and spider centre including snakes.
It was then off to Port Stephens, passing Newcastle and the famous wine making region of Hunter Valley along the way. We had chance to have lunch in Port Stephens, although I was forced to have subway as the other places were so expensive. I can't eat out in restaurants every night like in Thailand, so I am going to have to rely more on take aways and shop food.
After lunch we boarded this boat and left the harbour of Port Stephens for a dolphin watching cruise. Before long we had these wild bottlenose dolphins jumping out the water beside our boat! Our cruise gave us brilliant views of the surrounding Nelson Bay. After the dolphins had gone we were given the chance to go into the boom net which was a large net in the water which you sit in whilst the boat was moving. After about an hour and a half of dolphin watching and observing the beautiful beaches of Nelson Bay, we docked back into the harbour of Port Stephens and after a final quick look round the area we were off to our next destination.
Our third and final destination was the Stockton Bight which were these massive sand dunes on the coast. It looked like a desert, and I found out that camels actually originated in Australia after seeing some in the sand. We then took a 4x4 bus like vehicle over the dunes which was a very rocky ride before being dropped off somewhere in the middle to have a go at sand boarding. Once I worked out how to steer the board I was actually really good it, however I wasn't so good at standing up on them. By the end of the session there was sand everywhere!
It was then back off to Sydney after another jam packed day. En route home I kept thinking how the roads were constructed because they were carved into rock in some places. Apparently if you follow the signs for the A1 in Australia you will do a whole lap of the country.
Getting back at around half 7, I collected my stuff from base and checked into my new hostel which was a little lively. It was filled with people who have basically come to Australia to drink. I did however bump into a Southampton fan who was fully kitted out! After getting myself freshened up and sorted out, I relaxed in my room, having a good chat with this Irish guy who had come from Cairns. A few hours later after a little walk to the station and back, it was off to bed. The people in this hostel seemed to stay up later than in Base which was good for me. By 11 the lights were out and I was swiftly asleep.
No comments:
Post a Comment