The WhitSundays

Last week, I was able to enjoy a 4 day vacation (away from my vacation) up in the WhitSunday's. My friend Jelena, from work, and I flew up on a Monday. I was surprised when I got off the plane and the weather was actually hotter then it was in Brisbane. I didn't think it was actually possible. I went from very hot weather to even hotter. Regardless, we grabbed our bus and started with our 20 minute drive to Airlie Beach. We stayed at a busy hostel called 'Beaches' right on the main (or only) strip at Airlie Beach. The place was quite happening with loud music, good food, and backpackers everywhere. The first night we laid low as we had to catch a bus at 7:00am. The second day, we went on a sailboat called 'Camira' and sailed around all the Islands in the crystal blue water with the sun shining down on us. It was magical. The first Island we went to was called Daydreamer. We stayed for a few and picked up some more passengers for the day. The voyage continued unto the next Island called Whitehaven. This is apparently voted one of the best beaches in the World. The sand is actually completely white and is so fine that it gets everywhere. What was quite interesting was that the sand doesn't retain any heat so you don't have to jump from towel to towel or run into the water to cool off. At whitehave, I was lucky enough to see sea turtles swimming around and a white tip reef shark cruising only 10 feet away from the beach. So.... observing all the safety rules, the first thing I did was get as close as I could haha. it was quit amazing. Lunch was next on the menu and then continued to sail for the rest of the day. Day 3 consisted of another boat trip but this one was headed 95km into the ocean to a little place called the "GREAT BARRIER REEF." It would be impossible to explain how amazing it actually was to see the reef in person. Everything was just stunning. The boat brought us to a floating platoon where we enjoyed activities like snorkeling, scuba diving, boat tours, and even a water slide. Who would have thought that I, in a million years, would go down a water slide 95kms away from shore. It was some great fun. A few hours later, they took out waterlogged bodies back to the main land and finished off the day was some fun at the public lagoon across the street and then some dinner and drinks for the rest of the night. Day 4 was a quiet day at the lagoon as we had to be out of the room by 10am. We caught our flight in the evening ending our beautiful 4 day trip. All I can say was it was Amazing and I know that the pictures do not do it justice.

luv Jenn

North Straddie Island

My old roommate Carissa and I decided that we definitely had to do a trip somewhere in February... Something cheap, close by, and relatively simple to get to. We decided that North Stadbroke Island would be the ideal place to relax, have some fun, and enjoy the sun. On the 7th, 11 of us girls packed up, drove to the Big Red Cat ferry and hit up Straddie Island. We had a gorgeous house that was about a 2 minute walk to the beach, where we saw wild Koalas in the trees and wild dolphins. We were actually lucky enough to meet a couple that were vacation at amity beach (where we stayed as well). The man would fish and then give us the fish to feed the dolphins which came right up to the shore. It was amazing, something that you never really get to see up close in the wild. Amity beach is also known for its high shark population which was a little scary. Originally we were sceptical about going into the water, but we braved it and all of us came back in one piece. That Saturday, we grabbed the bus and headed over to point lookout which was absolutely stunning. We went for an hour walk on the boardwalk and checked out the sights and then stopped for some ice cream since it was like 30 degrees outside. Carissa ended up getting stung by a blue bottle jellyfish which was a little scary and apparently quite painful. An experience I hope I never have to go through. Keeping my fingers crossed and so far so good. In the end, it was a great weekend. A lot of first experiences. First time seeing a wild koala, first time feeding wild dolphins, first time using an outside shower, and first time on Straddy Island.

Living for first experinces,

luv Jenn

New Home - 15 Royal Ave South Golden Beach NSW

Wow, sorry everyone. It's been a long time since I have posted anything lately. Well a lot of new things have happened. On february 1st I move once again, however, this time it was a move the the east coast just north of Byron Bay. I'm litterally a 3 minute walk to the beach and it is beautiful. I'm not working thing month so everyday I can go to the beach, go for walks, read, and do pretty much whatever I want. Dave has left me his car which is great so I can check out different towns and even go back to Brisbane for a day or two to see everyone again. I moved into a one bedroom basement apartment (it's a little dodgy) and once in a while I'm not alone and am comforted by giant spiders, cockroaches, and or lizards. It keeps my life interesting haha. As long as no snakes show up I should be fine. The spray kills all the other pests. I plan on doing one or two trips this month, probably going to spend all of my money but thankfully I have a job to go back to when I go back to the city. Unfortunately, in my room, my internet service is terrible so everytime I want to go online, I have to sit in the car to get service which is quite annoying. Its great being by the beach but it a little to remote to be by myself. If I am to do this again, I would defintely go somewhere where there are more people... probably like surfer's paradise or coolangatta (same coast just not as far south).

Anyways, Until next time,

luv Jenn