This morning Juliet and I woke up at 6am as today was the day of our SKY DIVE!!! When I woke up I wasn’t sure what to feel, we got dressed in the dark so as not to wake our roommates and then set off in the Australia Sky Dive minibus! On arriving at the sky dive base, we had to fill in some emergency forms.. A lot of emergency forms stating who to call if an accident does occur, asking if we want accident insurance, signing that they’re not liable, all of the fun stuff that definitely didn’t make us feel more nervous…
After weighing ourselves and watching a sky dive video showing us standard procedures, we met our tandem dive buddies and harnessed up!
I was lucky enough to get probably the coolest tandem diver – a real cool kiwi guy who obviously loves the rush of sky diving. He had also done over 2000 dives so far in his life and he wasn’t even that old, so I knew I was in safe hands.
With our harnesses on we boarded the bus and drove to the dive airport, all this time being filmed!
It all happened very quickly after that and was a bit of a blur but after a quite awkward interview for the film, some photos and more filming, followed by a quick chat with my tandem diver, we were soon on the plane! All except Juliet, she was still filming which meant she boarded the plane last, was sitting by the sliding exit door and so obviously would be the first to dive. (Slash fall out of the plane). It took us 20 minutes to reach our full height and the view from the plane was spectacular!! We were unbelievably high and when I thought it would soon be time to jump I looked at the height monitor at we were at five thousand feet, sounds so high yes, but not when we were jumping from FOURTEEN THOUSAND FEET. We weren’t even nearly there and we had a long way to ascend.
Finally the time came and while all the sky dive masters made sure our harnesses were sorted and then connected us to them in four different places, it was time to set off. The sliding plane door was slid open and Julie was hanging out of the plane, I saw her head tip back and she let out a small wimper then a scream and within seconds she was whooshed out of the plane!
Next up was a girl who had paid for another photography diver to sky dive along side her while filming and taking photos! This photography diver actually climber out of the plane and hung from the side of the door until the girl and her tandem were ready to fall and then they all fell together.
Next was me, within milliseconds of the girl before me jumping, we were already moving towards the door. I was trying to remember all the instructions from the safety video about tucking legs underneath the plane and tipping my head back but when I got to the door it was all swept from my memory! I remember getting an icy blast from the cold altitude chilled air and then suddenly becoming overcome with fear and screaming I can’t do this I don’t want to do this but my tandem diver simply said “too late”, tipped my head back and (honestly this all took max three seconds) then we were falling from a plane, at 14000ft. (4200m)
Sky diving was honestly the most incredible experience I have ever had in my life. We free fell for 9000ft and it felt like forever, it was amazing. Within a couple of seconds I felt a tap on my shoulder which was the signal to open my arms up like a bird and then… I WAS FLYING. I can’t even write down or stress how incredible the feeling was, I was literally falling through the sky and the clouds. It even took me a while to actually remember to look at the unbelievable view as I was so engrossed in falling! The whole way down I was screaming ohmygod, ohmygod and also a lot of swear words but you couldn’t even hear me a tiny bit! The noise of the air around us was so loud, the air was giving me a face lift, I was falling so fast but I felt like I was flying. It was A M A Z I N G.
At 5000ft the parachute was pulled and it happened to be just as we reached a really thin layer of cloud and so I floated through them, literally screaming about how good that experience had been. We floated gently downwards, spinning and looking out over the ocean. He also let me fly the parachute but I actually couldn’t even change it’s direction it was so heavy so soon the pilot job was swapped back. The landing was also so simple as I just kept my legs up as we span down to shore and before I even knew it we were on the ground, obviously I tripped (but that’s a given for me).
I envy the people whose job it is to sky dive. After we arrived back at base, they literally met their new divers and did the same thing again, I was SO jealous that they were off to jump out of the plane again! A girl and I even thought about pretending to be one of the new divers and saying yes when their names were called to get geared up! It was the most crazy, exhilarating, amazing experience I have ever had and the best thing I’ve ever done. I’ll honestly never forget my sky dive and it’s definitely not going to be my last!!!!

PHOTO TIME
Juliet and I before we took off!

The ascent.

The sliding door that we leave from!

Just as I fall out of the plane…

MY SKY DIVE!!!

JULIET’S SKY DIVE!

Let’s just say, the rest of my gap year has very big shoes to fill…

After the most amazing lie in this morning (for most people… Obviously as usual I woke up at 7am) we enjoyed a late breakfast and headed down to the beach, after all we’re at mission beach so we needed to see the beach! It was (as usual) beautiful, with a long stretch of empty sand and blue sea.

After a long morning of lazing in the sun, listening to the sound of the waves combined with our music and being the only sunbathers on the beach, we came back to the hostel for lunch. We decided we were so exhausted by the mornings activities (or not activities) that we spent the afternoon watching a film and planning our awesome dinner. At 6pm we headed to the supermarket to shop and then came back and made the most delicious meal. Barbecued sausages with creamy, cheesy mash potato, onion gravy, peas and a glass of wine! (What classy travellers we are) All for the budget price of 6dollars each!

We then decided it would be a good idea to get into the pool – we all practically sunk as we had eaten basically a small child for dinner – clutching our newly massive bellies and forcing ourselves to get up out of our seats, we finally all jumped in! The pool was freezing but we quickly warmed up by playing some volley ball before having hot showers and spending the rest of the evening playing cards.

SKY DIVE TOMORRRRROW!!! (Stay tuned)

Today was moving on day and ofcourse (typical) at 9.40am we realised we needed to be packed and checked out at 10. Luckily we’re used to how disorganised and forgetful we are and so we’ve all become pro packers and can get all our stuff together very quickly. After the public bus, ferry and then a four hour (due to traffic) greyhound bus, we arrived at Mission Beach and were so happy to see our hostel shuttle waiting for us (a nice change after a few days on the public bus). Our hostel is very cute, it’s called Scotty’s Beach House and it’s small, quaint with free wifi, clean rooms, a massive pool and a tv room. It even has it’s own little shop. After a massive decision on whether we should make the most of the ten dollar pizza deal in the restaurant down the road, we decided that we are being way too luxurious with our meals, so decided on a home cooked one.
We went down to the beach first, to explore, and ended up in a children’s playground, climbing up the jungle gym and watching the sun set.

We then popped into the local shop to buy our ingredients for $12 (three dollars each, a lot better than the pizza deal) and headed back to the hostel to whip up a delicious meal of pasta with ham and tomato sauce, and cheesy toast on the side! We even went all out and set the table nicely so that the meal was that much better.

The day then got made better when we discovered that Friends with Benefits would be playing in the tv room at 7.30 and so we had a movie marathon evening of that and Brigit Jones.
This evenings bed time was utterly hilarious as we haven’t met our two other room mates but when we came to bed (at 10.30pm… Not late) they were asleep with the lights off. Like the friendly roommates we are, we didn’t turn on the lights but set about creeping round the room in the dark, whispering and occasionally shining a torch so we could actually see what we were doing (we have to make our beds after all). Soon the French guy on the bottom bunk started rolling around and groaning and moaning so loudly before thrashing his hands around and putting the sheet over his head. Obviously we all cracked up and couldn’t hold in the laughter, it was so funny! We were all trying to snigger and laugh silently and it ends up sounding like a hiss. I can still picture the moment now, absolutely hilarious! Whether the noises were sleep noises or an effort to try and make us be quieter we can’t quite decide, but perhaps we’ll find out in the morning…

Today I bizarrely woke up at 6am and went outside the room and happened to whiteness the most AMAZING sun rise ever. It was so beautiful with the different colours spreading and filtering accross the sky!

After going back to sleep for a couple more hours, or even more than that, it was 10 when we all woke up, we got the second public bus (as we missed the first) and headed into town.
On arriving at Horseshoe Bay we went into the general store to try and buy some food in order to make us a light, cheap lunch, however it was all SO expensive. It was actually cheaper for us to get the beach pack fish and chips… So that’s what we did – so yummy!
After a couple of hours sunbathing and swimming in the sea pool, we decided to be adventurous and went tubing! This is where you sit in rubber rings attached to a speed boat by a rope and then it pulls you along out at sea.

Juliet didn’t want to do it, but this meant that we had our own private photographer! Tubing was so much fun, the boat went so fast and as we were in separate tubes we all bumped into each other as we whizzed along the waves, our tubes jumping over them. At one point, Katie and I were both miles out to sea on either side with Emily in the middle and as the boat turned, we both whizzed into the middle, hitting Emily and forcing her tube to slide upwards and she fell off!!!

She was such a great sport and we could see her laughing hysterically while bobbing around in the water! (I would have not been as calm about flipping off as her!) Once she was back on the tube, we carried on our adventure through the waves, laughing the whole way!
After our tubing fun, Juliet and Emily then went Jetskiing around the harbour. It was hilarious as the man must have given them a safety talk for about two hours! But finally they were whizzing away from the bay, taking selfies as they went!
With a quick stop at the super market on the way home, we bought our ingredients and then Juliet and Emily made us delicious spaghetti bolognaise for dinner! Also a weird Australian looking ferret joined us, I know it’s a possum and I think these are Australia’s versions of squirrels… So basically they’re everywhere.

Emily also bought a cheesecake and when we went back to get it, the kitchen was locked! We basically all cried however reception was kind and saw our dismay over lost cheesecake and opened up the doors for us! (Unfortunately the cheesecake was very disgusting… But it was hilarious nevertheless) After a calm evening in the hostel bar listening to old school music and then star gazing on the beach, we finally called it a night and passed out in bed from the exhaustion of today!

Today we boarded the Greyhound bus after a delicious breakfast of scrambled eggs on toast and travelled for five hours to Townsville.
On arrival we all took our time going to the bathroom and buying food, so much so that we actually missed the ferry and so had a 2 hour wait for the next one. Great start.
Finally once we arrived at Magnetic Island we were so happy, we’d flicked through the Maggie travel guide and discovered that tonight there was a famous market in town and tomorrow there is lots all around the market for us to explore! We felt like we were on a mini holiday break!
Once we’d finally arrived off the public bus at our hostel (with a very rude bus driver, who we actually ended up apologising to about having to put our bags in the boot) checking in, and doing a load of washing, we boarded the public bus again and off we went to the market.
Before I explain about the market I just need to comment on how fab our hostel is! It’s huge and clean, right on the beach with a massive pool and we’re just over the river staying in little huts! So cool.

When we arrived at the market (after a very long bus journey with another grumpy bus driver) we actually burst out laughing at the sight. Unfortunately, apparently Easter weekend took a lot out of the market sellers so only three were actually there today. The worlds worst / smallest market!

Let’s just say it didn’t take us long to get round the market and even though the jewellery on sale was beautiful, obviously there wasn’t much of it! So our high hopes we’re swiftly ruined. We then had dinner and when we arrived back at our beautifully clean hostel, there were possums in the kitchen area eating rubbish and our room is filled with ants.

After a lot of jumping and screaming I think we’ve managed to kill them all (thank god)!

However we have just realised that the whole room shakes whenever someone walks past on the boardwalk. We’re unbelievably tired and are ready for an early night, how much sleep we’ll get after all this is another question!!

day 1
Today we set off on an adventure, we walked from the hostel to the pier in order to board The Hammer our sailing boat, home for a night and vessel to explore the Whitsundays. However today it should definitely be renamed WETsundays as it literally poured buckets all day.
As we left Airlie beach, we had a briefing in the downstairs cabin where everyone’s tiny bunks are, before sitting up on deck and meeting the captain of The Hammer. When it started to pour we were just arriving at the Whitsundays and obviously didn’t want to sit inside the cabin, so got some very sexy yellow rain jackets, put our hoods up and prepared to get very wet at sea!

Soon we arrived at our first snorkeling site and thankfully the rain had momentarily stopped. We all suited up in stinger suits to avoid pain if we got stung, picked our snorkels (and noodles to float on) and got into the sea.
There was an unbelievable amount of fish in the sea it was crazy! As we swam around it felt as if we were swimming through schools of fish and they were beautiful, an array of bright colours and designs. There were also massive massive fish hanging around the engine, and when I say massive I mean huge – 70-80cm long black fish which change sex! So crazy. When we got back on board, lunch was waiting for us and a very needed afternoon snooze on deck. The rain started up again a bit later on and while most people went snorkelling for the second time, we set about exploring the boat (which turns out to be a racing boat) and it’s different features. This also entailed taking millions of photos in different sailing positions around the boat!

After that as the boat is a racing boat we whizzed through the sea with both sails up, and with a snack of hot nachos, prepared for us by the crew, we arrived at our docking destination for the night. We were absolutely exhausted and so after lots of games of cards on deck with the captain (who won every game unfortunately…), star gazing, and a scrummy dinner of roast chicken (unbelievable how they cook it all in the tiny cabin kitchen!) we went to bed in our little boat beds.

day 2
After a surprisingly good sleep on the tiny little boat beds, we were woken up by the sound of the engine and the light streaming through the cabin window… At 6.30am! (Not that the time mattered after our very early night) Our first stop was Whitehaven beach, the most famous beach in the Whitsundays. We all boarded the boats dingy and sailed over to the beach. When we arrived we were SO disappointed, it was tiny and covered in grey coral and seaweed. THANKFULLY we were all mistaken and this wasn’t actually the beach.. Whoops. We took a fifteen minute hike up to the Whitsundays view point and looked over the amazing sand islands and mountains. (And I bumped into a friend from home!) After this we walked to the ACTUAL Whitehaven beach and it was amazing! Unbelievable white sand and clear waters and the sky was brilliantly blue! (We were so happy)

After a few hours here we went back to the boat for a lunch of homemade quiche! (Seriously it was incredible what they cooked on the boat!). After this, the crew of The Hammer hoisted it’s bright blue and yellow striped spinnaker (it’s the only boat in the Whitsundays to have one) and we sailed so fast around the islands.

After a quick swim in the sea and a very long sunbathe we arrived back at Airlie Beach. It’s said that at the Whitsundays you take only photos and leave only footprints, we definitely left footprints all over the beach but we also left a lot more red than when we went! It’s so amazing to have experience the beautiful islands of Australia, in all weather conditions and with my best travelling friends.

After a big night out last night, with a lot of partying we were not happy about our 7am alarm this morning. But we got up like the troopers we are, and are packed and ready to go and explore the WHITSUNDAYS! It rained obsessively last night so fingers crossed that means we’ll be blessed with a clear sky over these next two days (I’ve literally got all ten fingers and toes crossed). For those of you who don’t know, the Whitsundays are 74 island wonders located in the heart if the Great Barrier Reef. They’re meant to be the most beautiful thing that Australia has to offer, so I hope I see them in all their glory!!
More blogs will follow when I’m back in two days time.

Yesterday after a very windy day at the beach, wave jumping in the sea and a free glass of white wine with our lunch, we boarded the overnight bus to travel to Airlie beach… FOR TEN HOURS.
It was an awful journey, with the bus stopping twice at service stations and the lights coming on, a very loud interruption by the radio in the middle of the night, cramped seats, no space and temperatures switching between sweaty hot and shivering cold. HOWEVER at 7am we finally made it to Arilie beach, a cool town with a busy hostel street and lots of shops. We have a room just for the four of us with an en suit and a mini kitchen and a massive pool in the hostel, not that this matters because tomorrow morning we are off to THE WHITSUNDAYS! We will be sailing around in a sail boat for two days, sleeping on the boat and then we have one night in a hostel there as well. We’re all so excited and thankfully the sun is slowly making it’s way out of the clouds! ☀️☀️☀️

I also want to say a massive well done to my beautiful sister who has FINALLY finished her dissertation! Love you Charlie xxxx

The exhaustion of doing absolutely nothing yesterday made me fall asleep before I had a chance to blog! But here it is…
We woke up and went for a mega breakfast and the backpackers coffee shop, Julie and I went all out and ate to our hearts content as we’d had a lie in and it was nearly lunch time so we were calling it ‘brunch’.
At 12.30 we boarded the greyhound bus in order to travel the 6 hours up to Agnes Water. At Hervey Bay about two hours north the two English girls, that we grew really close to at Fraser Island, got on the bus – REUNITED AFTER ONE DAY!

After probably the most hilarious bus journey of my life (it’s always funny with those two) with antics mostly to do with the very grumpy bus driver or hiding Julie’s beloved flip flop while she was sleeping, we arrived at Agnes Water at 6.10pm, earlier than schedule.
We’re staying at “Cool Bananas” a hostel which is actually really nice and very clean. There were so many people staying there off the greyhound bus that only our bags fitted into the shuttle and we had to walk there! But soon we arrived and immediately made friends with our roommates, then spent the evening chatting and watching sky fall before practically falling into bed as we were so tired.
It’s seriously exhausting doing nothing all day!

After three incredible days on one of the worlds largest sand islands, with 75 miles of beach and thousands of natural lakes, I’m back on real land and am ready to share my pictures and stories of the beautiful Fraser Island.

Day One
At 7.45am our bus pulled up at the bus station and we were ready to start our journey to Fraser Island. We’d been chatting to two english girls at the station who we got on so well with and who we’re doing the same tour as us, so we were already excited about what lay ahead. Unfortunately we were in foul moods because the weather was horrendous, grey clouds filled the sky and it wasn’t even warm. If the weather carried on like this is would definitely ruin the trip and so I kept my fingers crossed the whole bus journey that the sun would eventually break through! After being treated to morning tea at one of the resorts, our first stop on Fraser Island was Lake Mckenzie and it was here that we met up with our tour group. After swimming in the clear fresh waters of the lake and cleaning our jewellery with the sand (it actually made it so shiny and got rid of all the scratches!) we had our first lunch by the lake.

Our next stop after some scenic walks through the jungle was to Basin Lake, a perched lake filled with fresh water and animals so sensitive to chemical change that people are banned from swimming in it – but we can still marvel at it’s beauty!

The clouds half cleared, the sun came out and we had an afternoon cookie break before doing some more walks and then off road driving down the 75 mile beaches. The whole of Fraser Island is sand and so the roads are bumpy and jolty and being on the bus while driving through the forests is like being on a roller coaster! However right next to the sea the sand is flat and the trucks all race down the open beaches. After an evening at the Dingo Bar with our new friends and a night in Kingfisher Bay resort, we were ready for day 2.

Day two
Our first stop of day two was a 40 minute drive up to the Champagne pools, natural rock pools formed right on the beach edge. There were three of them, all waist deep with beautifully clear water. Next we drove to Indian head to see the pinnacles coloured sand before hoping on board a small 8 person plane to enjoy a scenic flight over the island. It was incredible! It’s breathtaking looking down onto the sand island from above and seeing all the lakes and beaches, we also flew low over the sea to look for sea life.

The flight ended right next to the Maheno shipwreck, an actual ship that has been washed up on the shores of Fraser Island!

Then we enjoyed the beautiful beach before lunch.

The afternoon of day 2 was taken up by a walk to the top of the Indian Head cliffs in order to enjoy the view all the way down the beach.

On the way back to the resort we were in charge of the music and soon the whole bus was singing at the top of their lungs the whole way home. That evening we made the most of the resorts facilities by going in the hot tub and then had an even bigger night at the Dingo Bar, meaning we were not so ready for day three.

Day three
This morning we all overslept, meaning we had about fifteen minutes to pack, get ready, have breakfast, check out and get to the bus. Luckily or bus driver was running late so we had a relaxed breakfast and set off on the ridiculously bumpy sand roads of Fraser Island, nursing hang overs. We spent the most part of the morning at Lake Birrabeen, relaxing in the clear waters.

After a massive buffet lunch, we walked a 45 minute hike through the sands and the rainforest before arriving at the Sandblows. These are the most incredible golden sand dunes which lead down to a crystal clear lake with tiny fish that nibble at your toes!

It was the perfect destination to end our three day tour of Fraser Island. We all fell asleep in the deep sand of the dunes right on the waters edge underneath the sun and it was one of the most beautiful places I have ever been. I’m so sad to have to leave an incredible island, it was a great experience with breathtaking stops along the way and we met some amazing people.
Bring on the next adventure!