It's only getting better!
Nothing negative today folks, just happy to be here.
08.02.2012 - 09.02.2012
26 °C
So after the monsoon that we had yesterday in Port Macquire it was nice to wake up and walk the beaches that we read about and experience all that it had to offer. Stopped at the Koala Hospital on our way out and got to see some koalas doing their thang. Very cool. First time I've seen any since I've been here. They are pretty sneaky in the wild. After that the destination was Newcastle which was a few hours down the coast. Now there was supposed to be 2 "bigs" along the way but the big axe in Kew proved elusive so instead we got to see the big oyster in Taree which is now a Kia dealership. Then I made the decision that the Pacific Highway was a little too highway-y. So took a turnoff and found an area that called itself the 'Great Lakes' psh it was just a few lakes in the mountains from what I could tell. Sure it was beautiful and cool and picturesque but it was no Great Lakes. Then we arrived in Newcastle and it is a proper city. It's less than 100kms to Sydney so things are starting to build up. It's odd coming from all the beach towns that we saw along the coast. It is also the busiest coal port in the world according to our talkative hostel receptionist. After checking in we took in the sights and they were amazing. Newcastle was one of the first penal colonies to be established so it's nice to have a bit of history. It made me realise how young the rest of Australia really is. Brisbane is just beginning to build up and even the oldest cities here are only 200 years old at best. It's weird. Has some awesome historical sites though. The lighthouse, the ocean baths, and the renovated cathedral. Will hopefully spend the morning checking out a few more. Oh and has some great beaches but you all have heard enough about those by now. Just assume that everywhere has them and that we are spending 80% of our time at them and just telling you about the other 20% of our time doing other things. Then the hostel I picked was offering a free bbq tonight so of course we went. Was hosted by a surprisingly upscale restaurant along the wharf and then we opted to stay for trivia night festivities. We lost to an older British couple who had teamed up with two girls from Finland. They were fair winners and we joined up tables and just stated to chat. The older couple were enjoying a holiday now that their youngest son turned 18 and were basically doing the trip they did as broke backpackers in their twenties. Was interesting to hear the saga of the backpacker from their point of view. As the night wore on we were joined at the 'winner's table' as they never let us forget, by other backpackers and just got to enjoy one of the best nights yet. Sure we didn't know that any of us existed this time yesterday but it didn't stop us from chatting away like old mates tonight.
Posted by owensj11 09.02.2012 04:27 Archived in Australia
