A Solo Travellers Mind

A super exciting month ahead is what spurred me on while at work, and it’s like a higher power knew as so many of my shifts were actually really chill and breezy. It wasn’t all work and no play during my working weeks, though, with dinner dates at Spanish restaurants and daytime activities filled with mini golf and pool dips.

One fun filled week took place away from Newcastle, visiting the famous Laura in Queensland. A week of wild camping and seeing the sights.
Day one involved buying supplies, so we weren’t two unprepared britz abroad.
First stop on day one was Big crystal creek, a Laura specialty, before setting up camp at a local site next to a very small school, a very cute and secluded place with just us and one other couple. Meeting their puppy rosie, before a dinner of chicken burgers, a few rum and cokes, and some games of dildo and chit chat. An evening of mosquito bites occured where we learnt this would be a theme of our trip.
The next day, a breaky of pancakes was first up followed by a free hot shower before a day trip to little Crystal Creek, exploring above the waterfall before Laura started being eaten by leeches. Spotting some fresh water lobsters and heading back to the big crystal to ride our inflatables. An evening of painting, including the one line face drawing (where you draw the other person without looking and in one line, i advise you do this). A trip of colourful clouds and giggles occurred, with some skinny dipping in the camp site stream. A dinner of pasta and a late night snack of jam sandwiches where we took refuge in the car from the mosquitos who continued to relentlessly bite. And I spotted a cane toad on my walk to the loo before bed.
The following morning was breaky of chicken and avo burgers, a morning dip in the camp site stream, a trip to Hichenbrooke lookout followed by a drive up to Tully Gorge national Park. First stopping for a swim at Alligator creek before our bbq picnic of cheese and ham salad sandwiches. The nights camp site was in Tully Gorge, getting to witness its beauty as sunset. A dinner of pasta was cooked before an early night. The next morning, we went to explore more of Tully Gorge sightseeing Champagne Falls and Cardstone Weir before a 4 hour hike up Mount Tyson. A 2 hr drive home as Laura had work the following day was slow and a little tedious but after a quick clean and organise ready for our final night camping on Monday we were set to relax and enjoy having our own beds for the night.
My day in Townsville while lozza worked started with a trip to the Sunday markets, purchasing a new ring to add to my collection. A few chores of Laura’s were completed, before a day at the beach, painting the scenery and having a dip in the sea pools (no swimming in the actual sea here or you’ll get strung by deadly jellyfish or eaten by crocs or sharks). A few chapters of the book were read before an evening of face masks and nail painting (which failed and I took it off immediately lol).
Monday morning started at 4:30am with me taking a hike up to Castle Hill to watch the sunrise, bumping into a friend from Newy up the hill, where we were both unexpectedly in the same place at the same time without knowing we were both there, small world! We then set off to our final camp destination, Rollingstone, where we set up shop and spent our evening painting, drinking, watching the sky change into night and looking at the stars, before eating our chicken burger special (a perfect go to camping meal fyi). Our final morning in the wild started early, heading to the beach to watch sunrise, before breaky of bacon and cheese wraps and a dip in the sea. Followed by an afternoon nap in the sun before our final destination of the trip, a creek along the river for another dip and explore. Home time meant campsite food cooked at home and a movie night with our puddings before we were up early doors the next day to drop me at the airport. On return to the car we discovered someone had crashed into our hire car and thus after dropping me off to catch my flight, Laura had some admin to do in order to attempt to save us from the $4000 excess fee… (which she successfully did and it only cost us $500 lol).

On return to newy it was another busy week of work (seeing super gross wounds and balancing the Christmas rush in the hospitals), catching up with friends, skating sessions, DIY haircuts, and sunrise swims before I jetted off again. This time to Tazmania.

Our first day involved an EARLY flight, collecting the camper we would call home for the next 8 days and then buying our goods to survive.
We left Hobart quickly (with plans to return on our last day) to head west, heading to Mount Feld National Park, stopping at Russell falls, Horseshoe falls and Lady Barron Falls, hiking through the trees for a few hours. Before heading to Gordon Dam and Lake Gordan, and finding our camping spot of the night. Taking a quick dip in the lake before watching sunset as we ate our burgers, beers in hand. Lake Gordan was one of my highligjts of my whole trip, with the scenery being 10/10. Day two involved a river veiw breaky (with michael dropping his phone in the water), swimming in rapids we stumbled across, and a moment of snake spotting. A stop off at surprise Valley (poor surprise, the valley view was blocked by a huge tree). Our drive continued stopping at Franklin River, Nelson falls, Lake Bunberry, Horse tail falls and Iron blow look out (attempting to through rocks into the gigantic hole and hit the water), passing into Queenstown and seeing some absolutely magnificent mountains, before stopping in Strahan to camp by the beach for the night (collecting a free hot shower, and some water and power at a local camp site before doing a runner and camping for freee at the beach). Another sunset was watched by the beach as the day closed. Day three was a beach breaky, a short hike through Hogarth falls spotting some eels before heading north. Passing through Straghan and the old town of Zeehan before a big hike to Montezuma falls, where we ate lunch under the most spectacular waterfall I think either of us have seen. Dinner at Stitt falls, walking up the waterfall to the edge, feeling like I could die at any moment, a stop at Guide falls before driving through rolling fields to an adorable camp, where we were met by the most beautiful sky to close another successful day. Our next day started with breaky at Camp before our drive to Cradle Mountain. A big day ahead continued as we hiked up Marion’s lookout, up towards the mountain peak, along the Face Trail and down to Dove Lake, with the trail being a good challenge. Me stopping for a skinny dip at Crater Lake, and a second stop at Dove Lake where I went in again and convinced Michael to join (him lasting approx 2 minutes), and me staying for about 10 in the approx 5° water (my record I reckon). With a final flat hike along the grass and spotting some wombats! Our evening began with a drive to Devonport to get some maccies after a 25k step day and us starving, before stocking up on food and heading to the campsite in Port Sorell for the night, having a very lukewarm shower before passing out from exhaustion lol. The next day, we drove to Launceston, visiting Cataract Gorge, and taking a dip in the Gorge after a climb along the rocks, with the water being surprisingly warm. Next up was a drive to Wineglass Bay, stopping to make a sandwich by the river before getting pastries from Banjos Bakery and eating the best doughnut I’ve ever eaten! Wineglass Bay is in Freycinet National Park and can be seen from Mount Amos, where we hiked up potentially one of the hardest mountains i’ve climbed in terms of steepness and bouldering, causing a domestic as we climbed due to my fear of falling (which I did end up doing on the way down and thought I would die), it was worth it to see some spectacular views at the top though! Camp at Freycinet Beach, beginning our evening with a sea swim, joined by some string rays! Followed by a free but cold shower and some dinner and a game or two of cards. The next day kicked off with breaky by the lighthouse, joined by a very friendly wallaby, a stop at Shelly Beach lookout, and Devil’s Point lookout. Followed by a big day of driving from Freycinet to Hobart, a drive up to Mt Wellington with some THICK clouds, before camping in the woods and having the warmest shower of the trip. This was our last night on the road before flying home the following day, but not before stopping at the markets and having fish and chips for breaky. Our final hours were spent viewing the city from across the water and going to looking at the Antarctic ship docked in Hobart as it prepped for its next expedition.

This month has been incredibly busy and fun filled, with a large majority of it done on places with no signal and just enjoying the world around me. Its definitely been a highlight of my year!