Australian East Coast to Outback Trip

“I need to get the hell out of here.”

That’s what I said to travel agent, Amelia, after living in a hostel for five months. I had no idea what I wanted to do or where I wanted to go; I just needed to get out. She pulled out a map and a calendar. In so many words, I told her: “All of your suggestions sound great. Take my money.”

This was the most epic TWO MONTHS of my working holiday experience in Australia. I had the chance to do a lot of bucket list items in a compact time frame.

For your reading pleasure, I’m outlining 1. Where I went 2. What I did and 3. Roughly how much it cost. *All costs in AUD*

East Coast trip: Roughly $3000 AUD

Outback Trip: $1500 AUD

Insurance: $396 AUD

These totals encompass hostels, transportation and activities. They do not include food costs. I include costs of each activity below, but please take all numbers as best guess-timates because the whole trip was “packaged” for me. I stayed in hostels which were roughly $20 per night, with a few exceptions. My transportation was the Whim-It pass through Greyhound which was $450 for 60 days of travel- WORTH EVERY PENNY. I was able to go on any available bus during that time frame and it paid for itself at least twice over.

Later on in the trip, the Greyhound bus from Cairns to Darwin (43ish hours) got a flat tire in the middle of the outback. Thankfully we were within range so we could call for help and get the tire fixed. Breakdowns are not typical and this was the only time it happened. Also, don’t be exploring the outback on your own. There are miles of dry nothing out there with no cell signal.

Sydney: It’s a little overrated. Go to the gardens, the beaches, take pictures of the Opera house, free art museum. Personally, I find the city to be quite stifling. If I had to live in Sydney, I’d live by the beaches. Bondi and Manly are the most popular. I didn’t have to pay for accommodation, but it balanced out since I did have to pay a lot more than planned for food. The person I stayed with did not have a fridge, stove, microwave or any means to cook. It was a dietary challenge. I appreciate the experience of being there for a week but it was an emotionally draining way to start the trip.

Byron Bay: This place is alive with character, noise, people and FREE entertainment. There are some of the best buskers you’ll ever see and they’re legit in terms of permits and talent. They attract crowds of 15+ people listening to them play and they are SO GOOD. I walked into multiple clubs, bars and CONCERTS without paying a dime. I experienced a Talent Show and Drum circle at a hostel in the woods, Arts Factory. I was woefully and completely sober for this experience and will remember it as one of the few times in my life I really wanted to be on something but did not bring any with me. Did jelly wrestling too.

Dolphin Kayaking $70: I kayaked with a group of strangers into the ocean. We saw birds, a sea turtle, fish and dolphins. If you don’t see any dolphins on your trip, the company lets you come back and do the experience again for free. I shared a kayak with a girl named Laura who I ended up bumping into again in Mission Beach. I’d like to note: It’s a “thing” to make friends on an East Coast trip and bump into them along the way especially if you’re going in the same direction. I enjoyed this experience for the much-needed physical exertion and the tea + Tim Tams.

Coolangatta: This is a great alternative to Gold Coast/ Surfers Paradise if you’ve been there already and want something quieter. A car or shuttle is needed to get around. The YHA hostel here will always have a special place in my heart. I was only there for two nights and made friends who I still talk to today. Most notably, if you ever wanted to have sex on a beach, this is the perfect beach. It’s huge and empty at night, with shadows for privacy and just enough peripheral light to find your way.

Brisbane: I would not want to be here for an extended period. It’s a hot, humid city. Hated the hostel; it felt like being trapped in an apartment building hallway. My friend Renee and I had met back in Peru when we were both volunteering. She’s originally from Brisbane and wanted to catch up. She took me on the ferry, museums, walking along the water and to the market. Thank you <3

Noosa: This is a pit-stop kind of place where people stay before and after a trip to Fraser Island. The beach is a decent size. I walked through a national park with some friends (Tomas and Taz) who learned some things the hard way…

Life advice: Don’t wear denim pants or bring a loaf of bread as a snack when going on a hike in hot, humid weather.

Fraser Island $550: Do not do the Palace tour; you’ll be sleeping on the beach with no bathroom. I rode a bus and a ferry (included) which took me to a huge sand island full of natural wonders. I found myself in a parking lot with fifty-ish strangers who had to divide themselves into groups/ cars. Myself and five other people became besties the rest of the trip: Taz, Thomas, Anais, Manu1 and Manu 2.

It’s a road trip around an island. You get in a 4-Wheel drive car with your group and drive around the island to lakes, water holes and lookouts. Then you eat and camp in tents. I drove INTO a storm at one point and we all made it out alive. I got a lot of shit in high school for being an Asian Woman who failed drivers ed the first time- so y’all can shut up now. This trip happened to fall during Christmas so we were lucky enough to experience a feast with dessert and Santa.

Agnes Water: Very quiet and groceries are noticeably more expensive. The internet at the hostel was limited to 500mb per day. There isn’t much to do except chill and read.

Airlie Beach: I found myself here for New Years Eve and a few days after my Whitsundays adventure. There’s a decent hike up to a lookout but the town itself is small. Took me about 20 mins to walk to the tip and back. I’ll be honest, it was a sad NYE for me and I spent it alone (my choice). I met a sweet guy named David and we watched the first round of fireworks together, but more on him later. After WS was better because I had friends to cook with, one of which was Taz from Fraser Island. He’s the type of friend who I can spend extended amounts of time with, just being entertained by each other’s presence. He finished his WS a day before I started mine.

Whitsundays $450: Normally, this trip is supposed to be 2D/2N on a boat with a group of 30 people and you go to islands, snorkel and party. I found out my trip got cancelled the day before because it didn’t make minimum numbers, but worry not, because I got a free upgrade to their luxury resort package! I got everything in terms of activities from the original package, but instead of sleeping on the boat, I slept in a 5-star resort with fancy food. Dear Lord, this place was beautiful with outdoor bathhouse, pool, main house, air conditioning in the rooms and recreational equipment.

I was most looking forward to the CHEESE PLATTER advertised in the brochure and it exceeded my expectations. It was HUGE and had cheese, meat, cakes, chips, dips, fruit and candy. I was also allowed to eat seconds and thirds of the main meals (grilled fish, curry, chocolate mousse, pie with custard). I’m glad I wasn’t stuck on a party boat because we were all females, a few couples and ONE single dude. I became besties with Angela (my legend) and Vy (engineer from USA, also happens to know one of my BJJ buddies).

Magnetic Island: *They have packages which include the ferry ride, some meals and a wlecome drink. Bumped into Taz for a day before he left again and it’s the last time I saw him. Remember David from Airlie Beach? We hit it off before I left but didn’t have enough time so…This guy re-arranged his work schedule so he could hang out with me for a few days on the island…which meant he had to take a 5-hour greyhound, an hour-long ferry and another 30 min bus to get to where I was. And he had to do the same thing in reverse to go back to work. Gosh he’s sweet.

**Sidebar/Life Lesson (for Lanna <3): If someone wants to be with you, they will make it happen. If someone cares about and respects you, they will show you and it won’t even be a question. Don’t you waste a second of your energy or time on someone who won’t even text you back. THEY. AIN’T. WORTH. SHIT.

David had been to Magnetic Island before and took me to some excellent hiking spots + lookout points. What can I say, it’s an island. The nature is lovely, but groceries are crazy expensive and cabin fever comes on quick. A few days is more than enough. I’d like to note, one of the things I did NOT do was pay $40 to take a picture with a koala.

Mission Beach: No easy access to the beach or town. People come here to do activities (skydiving, white-water rafting) and chill at the hostel when those activities are done. Here for a good time, not a long time. A shuttle is necessary to get to the grocery store or anywhere else. Hostel was like a treehouse and had great wifi, so I got work done during this time. Bumped into Laura. We ended up being at the same hostel and doing skydiving/ whitewater rafting together with two English gents.

“Mexican Night”: Went to the hostel bar to order a pizza for $10. Sounds reasonable. I ask the bartender how long it will take for them to make the pizza and if I can change out some toppings, thinking they make it fresh to order. She says ten minutes and…I shit you not…she opens a freezer and tells me to pick which pizza I want. These are STORE BOUGHT frozen pizzas which cost no more than $5 at Wooly’s. I laugh and order the margarita pizza.

To top it off, she says: By the way, it’s Mexican night.

Me: Oh cool! Do you have taco specials or something?

Her: No. * Points to a bowl of Doritos and a JAR of salsa *

Me: That’s it? THIS is Mexican Night? * Dies Laughing *

Her: Oh, I almost forgot… * Plays Mariachi Music on her computer *

Skydiving $300: I’ll start by saying, the photo/video package cost over $119. My principles and my wallet did not want to pay that much just so other people could see what I did. So, you will just have to take my word for it because I bought groceries with that money instead.

The feeling of jumping out of a plane is completely surreal. It’s not like a rollercoaster where my whole body exhales. There’s no time for that. It’s roaring air pushing against my body and all around me is this blue and white plane. I’m attached to a guy named Pierce who has my life and complete trust in his hands. I close my mouth after the first few seconds and just breathe through my nose. The best part is when the parachute releases and I’m floating down, chilling, looking at the ocean and land from above.

Whitewater Rafting $170: This was an all-day experience with a hefty lunch included and I wasn’t expecting to have so much fun. The forest, rainstorm and swimming were exceptional. There’s a part where everyone climbs to the top of a very tall rock in the middle of the water and jumps in. Being on the edge of and jumping from a very high place is one of the few things in life that truly scares the shit out of me. Funnily enough, I was way more anxious about this than the skydiving; it’s different. But I did it! And it feels great to take a leap and conquer something you fear.

Sidebar: Please look up “Misattribution of arousal”. When doing adrenaline rich activities which have some element of possibly dying in it, be aware of WHO is around you and know that misattribution of arousal is ABSOLUTELY a thing. Do with that what you will.

Cairns: One of the most northern parts of the Australian East coast, it has a long boardwalk with shops, restaurants and public recreation areas. The beach isn’t swimmable or accessible even though it’s right there, but you wouldn’t want to anyway because it’s shallow and muddy. There’s opportunity for hospo work here and this was top of my list to settle for my 88 days WHV requirement (USA citizens can do hospitality in Northern Territory instead of farm work). Bumped into Thomas and Manu 1 at a bar 😊

Uncle Brian’s Fun Falls and Forests Day Trip $129: I enjoyed this experience so much; I wrote a Trip Advisor Review and here’s a portion of it:

Blinky was our tour guide and he's the best tour guide I've ever had. Friendly, knowledgeable and ENTHUSIASTIC all day. He encouraged all of us to talk to each other and make friends which helped to break the ice and get everyone comfortable. He took pictures of every single person multiple times until they got a good shot. He's done this hundreds of times but made sure everyone felt special and taken care of. I'd like to add, I love how Uncle Brian’s gives us the pictures for free unlike so many other tour companies which try to nickel and dime you.

There were cute extra touches on this tour to make the rides fun, like games, car karaoke, a "roller coaster", doing the famous U-turn- TWICE hahahahaha, Elmo, synchronized dances to several songs, tea in the morning and hot chocolate in the afternoon. This is the only tour I've been on where they actively make the JOURNEY just as fun as the destination.

Uncle Brian’s 2 Day Cape Tribulation Tour $289: It was decent. Went to watering holes, walked through the forest and got chewed up by mosquitos. The accommodation was cozy, and my group/ room were the most adventurous. I saw the best night sky with them on a beach. We laid on the sand catching shooting stars and having the occasional glimmer of a lightning storm behind us. Spent too much time in Port Douglas- boring af.

We went out and partied in Cairns after the trip and I found myself in kind of a “Love Square” (not a triangle because it was between 4 of us). Two men, two women, all friends, crushing on each other and open to doing things but not actually doing anything except talking…which was totally fun and fine. Still had a blast!

Scuba Diving $210: I did scuba diving two days in a row. One experience was because a friend pulled a favor and got me a good deal, the other was bought at auction during Jelly wrestling. In hindsight, I’m glad I did it back to back because the repetition helped with my comfort, knowledge and proficiency.

Some of you know, I only learned how to swim last year. A big part of this two-month adventure was improving my swimming skills and being more comfortable in the water. For me, the thought of scuba diving is like the opposite of claustrophobia. It’s the fear of feeling “trapped” and powerless but I’m in a giant open space. Does that make sense?

On the first day, it took me three tries to get the “skills” portion right and progress. I’m embarrassed to say, I felt so overwhelmed and anxious that I would have quit but the instructor told me to try just one more time. And I did. I got through. And I’m glad. I spent all my energy reminding myself to breathe and stay calm. All the hours I’ve spent doing yoga were truly beneficial in this endeavor and if I had attempted scuba diving before being mentally prepared- say maybe three years ago- I would have panicked and died.

Second day, I took time to look around and appreciate where I was: Surrounded by water and the sound of my breathing bubbles (which btw are LOUD). I found Nemo and saw colorful, live coral too.

Alice Springs: Dry. So darn dry. I couldn’t drink enough water. I’d get nosebleeds twice a day and wake up every two hours to pee at night. I’d still be thirsty and have a headache. I saw more Aboriginals here than in any part of Australia. This place is dead center of the continent and as far as you could be from any ocean. It’s a “trapped” feeling similar to scuba diving but instead of water, I’m surrounded by dry nothing on all sides.

10 Day Outback Adventure with WayOutback $1500, Darwin to Alice Springs: It’s three trips combined into one. Let’s talk cost/ benefit analysis for a bit. The initial sticker price may seem high in a per day breakdown compared to what you would spend going up the East Coast or on other tours. It is, but it’s worth it. This is the most economical, safe and fun way to explore the outback. The money helps to support the tourism industry in these areas where there aren’t as many financial opportunities and you’re never going to do this again.

Do this trip once and it’s enough. I learned about the history of the Aboriginals, saw sacred sites, hiked up giant rocks, swam in hot springs and waterfalls, witnessed a sunrise and camped under the stars in swag bags. I was sleep deprived because of 3am wake up times but took naps on the long drives from one place to the other.

Life hack: If you need to get from Alice Springs to Darwin or vice versa, consider doing one of their 3-day tours instead of a plane or a bus. It’ll cost you a little extra, but you’ll get the guided adventure as well as food and accommodation.

Darwin: This is where I settled for my 88 days. But more on that later.

I’m Good

Hours on busses, packing and re-packing every few days, carrying my shit, living out of a backpack, sleeping in unfamiliar places, making a hundred new friends, doing new experiences and physically demanding activities, always…moving.

I am exhausted down to my soul. And not just those two months…but the last three years of consistent travel and it really hit me this time around.

I am happy I did it. And I am happy it is over. For now.

I’m good.

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Pictures on Instagram @HappyTravelCone