Hello!
This weekend Kylie, Amy, and I went with our friend Steven to his hometown of Coffs Harbor which is about 4.5 hours north of Newcastle. The major attraction at Coffs Harbor is the Big Banana! The Big Banana was the first of many "big things" in Australia. Others include the big prawn, pineapple, and avocado just to name a few. But the Big Banana is the best one! There is a banana plantation right behind it and you can even walk right through the banana! We enjoyed some delicious frozen chocolate covered bananas while we were there. I was so excited about seeing the Big Banana because I saw it featured on the Disney Channel years ago. Check out it the clip I'm talking about in the first 40 seconds of this video:
We also went bowling, hit some golf balls at the driving range, and checked out the local beach while we were there. We also went to a pub that featured an Abba cover band which was hilarious. The last morning we woke up early to see whales but were unsuccessful. It was a fun weekend!
Until next time,
Kimmy
Steven, Kylie, myself, Amy, and Matt (one of Steven's high school friends) at the bowling alley!
Not too much going on right now besides schoolwork. Newcastle is really warming up which makes staying inside to study difficult. If I could be at the beach all day everyday I would! Final Exams are coming up. Instead of having one week of exams like I would have at U of A, they spread it out into 3 weeks. Since I only have one exam during those 3 weeks, Kylie and I are trying to figure out some travel plans. Hopefully, if everything goes as planned, we will be in Coff's Harbor next weekend and then the Gold Coast during exams. A quick trip down to Melbourne is also a possibility! We will be in Sydney for the last couple nights we are in Australia. Hard to believe we have only just over a month left! So stay tuned and hopefully I will have some more blog-worthy stories and photos to share!
Hey guys...
Sorry I've been off the blog...I'm really swamped with papers and assignments and at the same time I'm attempting to find summer internships and revising my resume. Can't forget to Study while Studying Abroad...
Until next time,
Kimmy
Hi!
Today we rented a car and drove up to Newcastle. Mom and Dad wanted to see where I live so I showed them around. They got to see my favorite beaches, one of my favorite hangout spots- Darby street, and my dorm. Then they got back in the car and headed back to Sydney so they could catch their plane home tomorrow morning! I had so much fun with them over the past two weeks and am so happy they came to visit! Stay tuned for some photos of our trip! They should be up very soon but for now I really need some sleep!!
Until next time,
Kimmy
Hello!
Today we started the morning off with a tour of the Sydney Opera House. It was a really great tour that taught us about the history, the architecture, and other facts about this famous building. It took us into all three performing spaces- the drama theater, the opera hall, and the concert hall. It was really cool! After that we took a stroll in the Royal Botanical Gardens. We hopped on the double decker Sydney sightseeing bus and made our way to Bondi Beach for lunch. The beach was packed with people since it was a nice, warm, sunny day! We continued our bus tour and learned lots of fun facts about the city. I somehow convinced Mom and Dad to take me to the musical Legally Blonde which was playing at the Sydney Lyric Theater at the Star Hotel at Darling Harbor. It was so much fun!! I was really wanting to see a show so it was perfect! Such a fun and upbeat performance!
Until next time,
Kimmy
Hi!
Today we had another early morning as we headed out to the Blue Mountains. We searched for some wild kangaroos but were unsuccessful. We went to several different lookout points to view the beautiful mountains. We saw the famous "three sisters" rock formation. The Blue Mountains are filled with eucalyptus trees which give it the blue haze that gives them their name. We hada nice lunch at a hotel in the mountains. We also went to Featherdale Wildlife Park where we got to pat a koala and feed kangaroos! We saw other animals including owls, peacocks, wallabies, wombats, tasmanian devils, and a huge crocodile. Then we headed back to the city. On the way we passed an Outback Steakhouse. (What?! I thought those only existed in the states?!) We had dinner and dessert at Sydney Harbor with a stunning view of the harbor bridge.
Until next time,
Kimmy
Hi!
Today we flew from Cairns to Sydney. It was supposed to take only a little less than 3 hours but we were delayed for about an hour. A long time to sit on a plane that isn't moving! Frustrating but nothing we could do about it. We checked into our hotel and then went to Pie Face to get some meat pies (an Aussie must!!) From there we went up to the Sydney Tower Eye to check out some panoramic views of the city 250 meters above the ground! Then we went to Darling Harbor. We walked around for a bit and then stopped at a restaurant for appetizers and drinks! Off to the blue mountains tomorrow!
Until next time,
Kimmy
