25 is just around the corner...

I find it pretty coincidental that I'm spending my 25th birthday in Australia just like my mom did thirty years ago. It will be the first time I've had a birthday without my great group of friends back at home. And we usually have a combined birthday party since there are so many of us May-babies, but not this year. Well I guess that's not true, I will never have my own birthday celebration thanks to Wes being born on the same day. But I honestly can't complain though because there's nobody else I'd rather share my day with. We're planning an entire weekend full of birthday celebrations, starting with dinner, drinks & dancing, then going up the harbour bridge lookout and ending with a soccer game (Australia vs. South Africa) at the Olympic Stadium. We got really lucky with our school schedule this week, only having to attend for two days. The professors we have for our Thursday classes will be gone on fieldwork so we actually get a five day weekend. We couldn't have asked for more! Twenty-five is a big one!

We've been working pretty hard on group assignments and presentations these last three weeks, so it'll be great to have a longer break over the weekend. There's only two weeks left of class before exams start; it's getting close to crunch time! We have just a few assignments left in the first semester of our Masters and the pressure is on.

University of Sydney main campus courtyard

We recently got our first clinical placement dates, which will be from July 14-25. This only gives us a two-and-a-half week break once we're done exams and have to start our placement, but we're just glad that we didn't get placed in the November block. That would've shortened our Christmas break, and since we're planning on visiting home it would've been pretty disheartening. We're looking forward to getting a short break from the hot summer heat, since the seasons are opposite Down Under. It will be a good contrast to go snowboarding a few times and be able to put up a Christmas tree over the holidays, versus having a BBQ on the beach in thirty-five degree weather. Even though it's supposedly autumn here, the sun is still shining bright and providing us with minimum twenty degree days. We've still been able to enjoy the beach often, despite what the locals think.

Of course the Aussies are dressed in Uggs and jumpers (according to them, but we'd say boots and jackets) but we think it's ridiculous. They have absolutely no idea how mild their seasons are compared to Canada, and not even the West Coast. Us Vancouverites have it so easy compared to the East Coasters, but we're still feeling that it's late spring/summer/early fall weather. Late in the evening when I'm making my way home from Rec. Volleyball (Wednesdays), I don't even need to put pants or a sweatshirt on to make myself comfortable. People at the train station look at me like I'm crazy as I walk around in shorts and a t-shirt. So all in all, Aussies are wimps. And also lazy, as they've even further proven since my previous blog post about it. But I can't bash them so hard anymore because some of them have started to read my posts... and I can't give us Canadians a bad reputation!

Roooaaadddtttrrriiippp

Oh where to start... last week went by ridiculously fast. Eight of us departed at five thirty in the morning on Friday to head up the eastern coast of the Australian mainland. It was one of those mornings where you feel too excited to feel tired from lack of sleep. We began the drive in high spirits and lively chatter, which expectantly ended up dying down after the adrenaline had worn off around ten o'clock. A much needed pit stop at a breathtaking beach woke us up and was the perfect opportunity for the first photos of the trip.

After a quick lunch and cold refreshments we were back on the road to complete the second half of our long drive. When we originally planned this trip, we were going to go to Byron Bay first and then the Gold Coast. However, the Byron Bay Blues Festival fell on the exact weekend we were planning on being there and every single accommodation was fully booked, so we switched our plans but still got stuck in Byron traffic on our way up. This must have cost us at least an hour, but thanks to our awesome crew we made the best of it with multiple car games to pass the time. Arriving in Surfer's Paradise that evening couldn't have felt any better. Hitting the beach the next morning was even more rewarding though; a pay off for our long journey from Sydney.

The main beach in Surfer's is no Bondi, but it's sand is just as soft and it's span is even longer. Reminds me of Cancun actually, big city with a big crowd. We decided to buy some boogie boards to ride the surf and not surprisingly, we were rinsing out loads of sand from our swimsuits at the end of the day. Reminiscing over a few drinks that night, we decided that the nightlife in Surfer's is almost comparable to Sydney. A recovery at Pancakes on the Rocks was much needed the next morning, and gave us a taste of home. But we stormed the beach shortly after and then hit the town later that night. And every night thereafter actually. However, we tried to keep up our fitness by going on a hike in Lemington National Park. I know that I am extremely biased having come from one of the most beautiful provinces in Canada, but Lemington was not near comparable to B.C. Don't get me wrong though, it had expansive views and plentiful wildlife but the scenery just doesn't live up to my standard. Judge for yourself though...

We saw more wallabies than we could count, but the most exciting part was definitely when we saw a wallaby with a joey in it's pouch. We also spotted wild turkeys and multiple bird species on our afternoon hike, most of which moved too fast for photos. The better wildlife was found at the Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary the day before, where we got pictures with kangaroos and koalas!

Softer than you'd think

But even softer! And cuter! Her name's Peppermint.

There were also snakes, crocodiles, rams, free flying birds and the super cool tree kangaroos. After the wildlife sanctuary we stopped at the Currumbin Rock Pools for some cliff jumping and relaxing under mini waterfalls. If I had a waterproof camera I'd have photos to share with you. Hopefully Lisa (the waterproof camera owner) will post some pics on Facebook. Four fun-filled days on the Gold Coast were followed by three days in Beautiful Byron Bay, less than two hours south. It only took a few hours for us to all agree that Byron was more our style, with it's laid-back village vibe. We relaxed on the beach, tanned, surfed and wandered down a few sandy stretches.

Clarkes Beach

We also made a day trip over to Nimbin, which is hippy central Down Under. It's a sleepy little town with lots of unique shops selling eclectic artifacts. The museum was definitely the most interesting thing to tour through, hosting a wide array of wildly creative pieces of art and numerous poetic blurbs on its walls. There were also a few colourfully decorated hippy vans bursting through the walls (literally) to give some insight into the true vagabond travel style. On our last day we hiked up to the Byron Bay lighthouse for sunset, which also put us at the most easterly point of the Australian mainland... the closest we'll be to home in the next two years.

Cheesy I know, but we had to get proof! There are also some rock formations in the water below which we just had to climb on. It was surprisingly liberating to be balancing on the eastern edge of the continent. Shout out to our awesome travel crew who made the trip an unforgettable journey! There will definitely be more to come!