Week 10 – Travel Blog Challenge – Best Adventures Whilst Travelling

Meep Meep!! G’day Bruce! One of my most memorable adventures was hiring a hippy van in Australia with my partner in crime (aka my twin sister, Kat, The Mountain Snob, Mrs map twat… she has many names) and driving up a section of the east coast. The sound of Sia’s Chandelier blasting out in the van and the smell of my sanctuary body lotion will always take me back there! We did the usual stuff like visit Australia Zoo and got acquainted with Koalas and Kangaroos etc but here are my top picks from the epic Aussie adventure…

1. Lady Elliot Eco Island – LEI is the southernmost coral cay of the magnificent Great Barrier Reef. To get to the island we took a small sea plane from Harvey Bay which took about 40 minutes. The runway on the island can only be described as a small grassy landing strip. I love flying so for me it was a great experience but for some it was a little hairy! When we arrived were kitted out with snorkel equipment before hopping on a glass bottom boat tour across the reef. We were able to explore the coral and came face to face with a large variety of brilliantly coloured fish and reef sharks. The island is known for it’s spectacular resident marine animal the Manta Ray, however, we were not so lucky to see them on our trip 😦
   

   

   

   

   

   

   
2. Tamborine Mountain Skywalk and Glow Worm caves – This was our first stop after heading out of Brisbane. We pitched up camp in the humid rainforest for a couple of days amid the clicking crickets and mossies. The rainforest is possibly one of my favourite places to be on Earth. I just love everything about them. The sounds, the towering trees and extensive variety of plants and ferns. First stop was the Tamborine Mountain canopy Skywalk – I had forgotten to bring a waterproof mac with me which is kind of a necessity in the rainforest!! However, I had a lucky find in a charity shop for $3. It was a long yellow raincoat that looked hilarious! Horror movie killer fisherman comes to mind! It was worth every dollar as it did rain a little. We then headed over to the glow worm caves. It was fascinating to see the tiny luminescent creatures dotted around the humid cave. A great experience.
   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   
3. Maleny Botanical Garden and Bird World – This was a great little place to make a pit stop. A 14 acre wonderland of sculpted, layered Gardens, dispersed with colourful plantings, waterfalls, lakes and picnic spots, all with stunning views of the Glasshouse Mountains. The gardens were just beautiful with lots of funky looking plants and water features but to top it off there was a large interactive walk through Avery. Avoid if you are afraid of birds! They flap past you at lightening speed and happily sit on your head, face, back and anywhere that has a landing spot! There was also a miniature animal enclosure which was totally weird and unexpected but so cute!
   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   
4. Tin Can Bay Wild Dolphin Feeding – This was actually recommended to me by an old work friend who we met up with in Surfers Paradise (I won’t tell you about that night now, it involves a lot of alcohol and bum wiggling).  The wild dolphins come into the bay early in the morning, around 8am, looking to be fed. You pay a small fee of $5 for entry to the centre and then $5 for a fish to feed the dolphins. You actually get into the sea knee deep so it’s quite an up close and personal experience. With wild dolphins however, you are not allowed to physically touch them or swim with them but they are beautiful to look at. After feeding the dolphins you can sit in the Barnacles Cafe and enjoy a nice cooked brekky. This is where we met Bryan which leads me onto the next adventure…
   

   

   
5. Sailing with Bryan on his new Catamaran – We got chatting to local Aussie Bryan in the cafe at the dolphin centre. If there’s one thing that Bryan loves to do it’s sailing!!! He wanted to share his passion with the tourists that visited the centre and invited us out for a trip out on his new catamaran boat. He had spent his life sailing in Australia and told us tales of growing up and stories of his own children and grandchildren. Two other German tourists joined us on the trip and he took us to Fraser island and back. We were the twin pommies sailing the open seas!!! My lovely yellow waterproof mac (as mentioned above) was quite handy as the boat kicked up a bit of spray at times. My killer fisherman mac was short lived. I had taken it off and left it on the boat deck only for the wind to sweep in and carry it off to sea. Bryan tried to quickly turn the boat around in an effort to save it it. I advised him it was fine as it only cost $3 but he really wanted to get it back!! In the end he had to admit defeat as the waves had carried it off never to be seen again.
   

   

   

   

   

   

   That’s all for this week. Enjoy your weekend!

    

   Read more posts from my 21 week Travel Blogging Challenge:

   Week 1: Favourite Travel Photo and Intro
   Week 2: Little Known Travel Tips
   Week 3: Funny Travel Story
   Week 4: Travel Misadventures
   Week 5: Top 3 Cultural Foods
   Week 6: Unusual Travel Activities/Pictures
   Week 7: Inspiration for Travelling
   Week 8: 5 Favourite Travel Blogs
   Week 9: Gross/Disgusting Travel Stories

    

    

    

   Who else is doing the challenge?

   • Wandering Outside the Box – Winta – The challenge creator!! 21 Weeks of Travel Blog Challenge
   • In The Wild LA – Julie
   • Trouvaille, Mon Cher – Aly
   • Simply Kailin – Emily
   • Ben – Benjamin Lessard