So... anyone who knows me has known my dream has always been to travel/explore/live in Australia; as far away from my mom and dad as possible!(only joking mom and dad; I miss you really). In October, I plucked up the courage to hand my notice in at my first ever teacher post Shenley Academy (great school) in Birmingham. Words cannot explain how much this absolutely killed me, it was honestly the toughest decision, I had the best team in PE whilst working there (dream team) who were so supportive and were great to be around; and this really had me questioning whether I was going to take the leap and begin my adventure... the staff were a decent bunch, even the students were alright, the fun, the teamwork and the laughs (even though they were usually at me) had me hesitant... but I wouldn't be writing this blog if I was still there. Miss you Team PE
I was going to AUSTRALIA, booked my visa and flights in November/December ready for my biggest adventure yet Easter 2018.

I was all set to go, had the best last week at work, lots of laughs, loads of marking and even received some cards/flowers/chocs off the kids. I was buzzzzinggg, and ready to sign off from Shenley in the best way possible... drinks at the comedy club with my dream team.

Now, I'm not going to bore you with the whole story, as after all this is supposed to be a travel blog, but thinking if your going to be reading this, its probably wise to give you a bit of an insight into the drama that actually follows me...
I lost my purse that night, the one which had my ID in, that being my passport. Yes 5 days before jetting off on an adventure of a life time, I LOST MY PASSPORT. Not ideal, the masses of stress I caused not only to myself but my friends/family was ridiculous. And if anyone is wandering, no you cant pay masses of money to replace a passport in one day (not for a lost one anyway) takes 7 days to process which I didn't have, also wasn't idea being 'Good Friday' it was definitely not a good Friday at all.

Next day I actually got my purse back, which thankfully had my passport safe and sound inside. I WAS GOING TO AUSTRALIA KIDS.

The Airport..
Well I arrived there with plenty of time to spare and met my friend and her family at Birmingham International Airport. Passport still intact and chained to my wrist. 30KG for my luggage and I still managed to go over some how; must be all the shoes.
I said bye/adios/bon voyage to my family and I honestly cried like a baby. I was so excited to go yet so nervous and scared, I mean, I'd booked a one way ticket, who knows whats going to happen next. Some cuddles and wise words from the parents and brothers and I was off.

Touch down in Sydney Town...
Arrived in Sydney after the longest flight ever, I was now in the future.
Grabbed an Opal card (bit like an Oyster card) from the train station at the airport (cheapest way to get to the city - you could grab an uber but the prices are ridic). $17 from the airport the central beats paying $40 dollars for a cab.
Checked into our first hostel, BOUNCE, right next to central station (ideal if your case is as heavy as mine). Unreal hostel, good events going on, staff are great, rooms are nice, clean and a rooftop area to view the amazing Sydney skyline and chill out area.

Day 1: First day in Sydney, we explored the Darling Harbor, and Oh my it is unreal. We ate lunch at the Waterfront grill.. decent Nachos there and the prices are reasonable too. Plus you get the unreal views of the harbor.
First night met a friend from Solihull, who I actually met last year in Bali, was introduced to her friends and went to some decent bars, pontoon on the harbor was actually okay.

Day 2: An exciting hike from Bondi to Coogee with unreal views and beautiful beaches. Takes up to 2 hours but if you walk fast you can do it in an hour and a half. Personally, I want to redo this and explore the beaches more, and admire the scenes from beach to beach. But if your in Sydney make sure you do this walk.

Day 3: Sunday Funday - cheap travel in Sydney on a Sunday (good to know) so if your thinking of going far out, maybe the blue mountains, palm beach or Manly beach which can take from 1-3 hours depending where you choose, Sundays are the best day, saves a lot of money $2.60 all day for all journeys so barely spent a penny today. We caught the bus from central station to circular quay, (would of been the train which is quicker however that particular line was down) and then a ferry to Manly Beach. Beach is actually quite stunning with a lovely town to explore if you get board of sunbathing. Lots of surfers and a real chilled atmosphere. If you get bored to... you can do what we did and do a coastal walk round to Shelly Beach, this is actually where we hiked up to an amazing view point to watch the sunset (My profile picture) think it was called 'Cabage Tree Bay' but when you get to Shelly Beach you cant really miss it. Great little hike, not so much in flip flops, I had to do this bare foot which wasnt the most pleasant, so be prepared to bring trainers. In all honesty, its not too bad in flip flops/sandals, just a little slippy, especially when you risk your life to climb up to a good spot to get a cheeky sunset photo like we did.

Hope you enjoy the read so far, I am literally only into my third day so far, So I will try to keep you updated with the rest of my time in and around Sydney, and the rest of my Australian adventure.