Salty, sandy, sunswept and smiling after our first full day of surfing, we
are also entirely exhausted… But most definitely the good kind of
exhausted – from days crammed full of new places, old jokes, continued
adventures and hilarious escapades! As our days together in this
travelling family are dwindling, our shared laughs, games and memories are
accumulating.
Here are just a few of those snapshot moments so far in Australia:
Caitlin – *Watching Rossco (our guide on Fraser Island) jump off the side
of a sand dune at the Rainbow Gorge. It was totally unexpected and then we
all got to try. We all got to spend time “jumping off the edge of the
world!”*
**
Lauren – *I had a really hard time deciding! Trapeze in Byron was amazing.
It was really scary at first, but swinging/trying tricks was such a rush.
Trapeze was something I hadn’t anticipated doing but I had such a good
time. I’m pretty sure I annoyed most of the group because I couldn’t stop
talking about it! I won’t forget how exciting and exhilarating it was when
I mastered my trick!*
Cody – *The atmosphere at Surfaris is my favorite part so far. They’ve got
hammocks, a pool, an awesome band, free internet and they cook for us! Not
to mention meeting James, Mitch and Mal and including them in our games and
stuff. I don’t ever want to leave!*
Kristen – *I really enjoyed the couple of days we were in Byron Bay because
the weather was beautiful and the beach was pristine! The sun was shining
and the water temperature couldn’t have been better. I loved floating in
the water, I never wanted to get out. The water had pretty variations of
blue and the waves were strong but not overwhelming. Everything was as good
as it could be in Byron. *
**
Leah – *It’s hard to decide which moment to choose! I think surfing for the
first time was a pretty exhilarating moment. Actually standing up on the
board after being tossed around in the waves all day was such an adrenaline
rush. *
**
Ilana – *There are so many moments that I always randomly think about from
Australia. I loved working with the kids at North Keppel and I LOVED Fraser
Island with its magical colorful sand at Rainbow Gorge. But I think my
snapshot moment was walking to the lighthouse in Byron. It was a long hike
from our resort, and blazing hot, but it was worth it. The landscape was
beautiful, and on our way down we spotted about 20 dolphins in a pod. It
was a rewarding token to our hike up the hill. *
**
Olivia – *A great moment in Australia was rhe first evening of surf camp -
playing scrabble and listening to the band play, then waking up in the
morning to go surfing. *
**
Kaitlyn – *One of my favourite moments was in Byron Bay doing the sunrise
mission up Mt. Warning. Only a few keeners were down to wake up at 2:30am
and endure the big climb with our head torches. Chicnuts, figs and muesli
bars fueled us up and we made it in time to watch the beautiful sunrise.
Then we ran down the mountain in time to fill our hungry bellies… and to
pee. Amazing!*
**
Christine – *A small, but great moment for me was discovering the gelateria
in Byron Bay. Having done my first semester of the school year in Italy,
I’m spoiled in regards to good gelato, but this was SO GOOD! I got a banana
cinnamon scoop and a double chocolate scoop. It was absolutely amazing, and
made ten times better by the fact that I was eating it in togs by the
beach. *
**
Grace – *During the trip to Fraser Island, we made our way to Lake
MacKenzie. We swam for a few hours in the beautiful lake and exfoliated our
skin, hair, teeth and jewelry! The small, smooth, round grains of sand
provide the perfect method for smoothing and softening our bodies. We could
all feel a huge difference!*
Daniel – *The most memorable time in Australia was the zoo! I had never
seen live kangaroos and also be able to pet them. It was so incredible!*
Laura – *Rainbow Gorge on Fraser Island was the most beautiful place I have
been in a while. Truly incredible. Wiping out on a massive wave at surf
camp was the scariest moment of life so far, but go big or go home!*
**
Holly – *Pulling up to the Grand Hotel in the small country town of
Biggenden, Queensland…. detoured due to a flooded highway, we headed
inland on backroads and ended up spending the night at a quirky hotel/pub
in a rural mining town – a classic and unexpected taste of country
Australia!*
**
Only one week left in our collective journey – onwards from surf camp to
the Blue Mountains and then to the famous city of Sydney!!
**
**

