Travel: OZ Blog Ep: 16 - Week 10 Rock to water Tour Part 2

Sup people! If you have read part 1, stop now, check that out before you read this blog! For those of you who have, You’re awesome and continue!

Right, so where were we. The outback. The next point of interest we stopped at was a road in literally the middle of nowhere. Think it was the main central road through Australia. We must have stopped for what must have been 30 minutes and saw maybe about 3 vehicles drive past, mad right! Wouldnt wanna break down here. We took a few photos on each other on the road, to then continue towards Kings Canyon.

So here we are, Kings Canyon, the royal cavern of the outback. Only a short walk from the car park to the start. We went the steps route first, to then go around to a gradual slope down. I would probably recommend this way as there’s a lot of steps. You know the steps are gonna suck when there are 4 stopping points with benches and a defibrillator at the top. I’m not gonna lie I paced it all wrong and was shattered by the time I got to the top haha. So my word of advice is to pace it, don’t rush and take your time. You do get a nice view from the top.

Once we got back to the next camp spot, yours truly got asked to be head chef for steak night. Surprisingly I did a good job, seasoned the meat prior to the herbs we had in the supplies. I didn’t expect to get so much thanks for cooking, whether that was because it was actually tasty or that it doesn’t taste awful and they prefer not to cook. We spent the rest of the night having a drink and playing some games around the fire. I managed to take some star trails that night. It probably the first time I’ve properly tried to shoot the milky way. The sky was so clear, with no light pollution around. You can basically see where the Milky Way is by your eye. Here is one below.

Next stop was Coober Peddy. Famous for mining opals. 70% of the population live underground as well! It was pretty mad to see. We stopped off at a shop and then made our way to our mine we were sleeping in that night. Its pretty strange. We went on a tour of the mine museum literally next to where we were staying. Imagine an Ikea show room but in a cave that’s what it looked like. The tour guide was pretty crazy. Making us closing the doors and turning the lights off, to be in pitch black. And then talks about the small air holes in the ceiling and goes ‘Should there be this many people in here’ due to oxygen. It then follows down into an actual mine showing the process. It was pretty interesting. Number one perk of living underground is you don’t have to pay for a roof. Another one from the guide that was. We also checked out a art centre which has a kangaroo rehabilitation centre behind. We were going to check up on the joey Dan found on the road side next to its dead mother from the week before. This little roo is only 6 weeks old. we went to the back where there were larger roos. Fun fact kangaroos love wasabi peas.

Went to a pizzeria straight after for dinner. A long table full of all sorts of pizza even kangaroo. Which obviously was a little twisted after just seeing some, I tried it, not a fan. A lot of the group wouldn’t try it which is understandable.

We went back to where we were staying for the night. Imagine a long tunnel with loads of bunk beds all along the walls with curtains diving the sections. That basically what we were sleeping in. It was pretty cool. And of course we got really drunk, played card games, made forts out of all the mattresses. It was a very odd by fun night.

The day after we left to go on route to Fliner ranges. We picked up loads of wild fruits, which look like little watermelons. To play a game where you open the window and see if you can hit a traffic sign. This is probably why there are so many growing along the route. Seed dispersion ;) Check out the video below to see a clip of it. On route to the next campsite, we stopped off at a park to cook lunch on a public barbecue. I was nominated to cook again. For lunch was kangaroo mince wraps and salad. Not gonna lie I wasn’t a fan of the mince. I’ve never cooked kangaroo in my life. After we got to our campsite, with a great social area, an actual cabin to sleep in. One of the best things about doing trips like this aside from seeing the amazing spots is the socialising and meeting new people. Shout out to the van crew!

In the morning we got up nice and early for a walk around Flinders Ranges. It was pretty cold to what we were used to in the north. We said our goodbyes in Adeliade to then start the next part of our trip.

Next Stop Great Ocean Road.

Travel: OZ Blog Ep: 15 - Week 10 Alice Springs/ Rock to Water Tour Part 1

From Leaving Cairns airport and the great views as we flew over the outback. We had arrived in Alice Springs. We didn’t really know much about it tbh, we hadn’t done out research we literally flew there as that was where our ‘Rock to Water’ tour started. Now it's not a location I’d go to just to go there if you get what I mean. There isn’t much to see there, However, we were staying at a great hostel. Jump Inn Alice.

We were staying in Alice springs for two nights, we probably could have done with just one. The hostel was newly renovated, Super clean rooms, the comfiest hostel bed that we slept on in a while. and a great bar area and incredible food. We luckily overheard that they were doing a taster evening but needed photos. That’s where I came in. I shot there entire menu and we got to eat any of the food we wanted and given a 150 dollar tab behind the bar, which we used for the second day’s food and drink. Winner winner.

Fast forward to the morning of the Groovy Grape ‘Rock to water’ tour. The long bus picked us up, with a trailer on the back for all the camping gear and our bags. Greeted by Dan the guide and given a glass pen to write out our name and draw out flag of our country on our window, as an icebreaker, group exercise. Quickly the whole bus was talking as we set off on the tour. Dan telling us about aboriginal stories with some of the rocks we were passing. Something along the lines of an evil wizard chasing some of the sisters.

We pulled over on the side of the road, and all when to get some firewood. Dozens of burnt trees from the burning regeneration. One of the funnier moments Mark, Jack and I hanging off one branch to snap it to have me falling on my ass, taking the branch on my should giving it a small cut. Walking back over to Dan saying I should clean it out, as the tree is poisonous. Even the trees wanna kill you in Australia.

Our next stop after was a little shop to buy some alcohol. I wish I brought some beforehand. 30 dollars for 2 litres of goon as apposed to 10 dollars for 5 litres usually. And you could literally buy sand and shit in a bag.

Shortly after we finally arrived at Uluru. The big famous red rock which some people know as Ayer’s Rock. We had a walk around there fully without our guide to just take it in ourselves. It was pretty amazing. We then went to the learning centre to learn a little about it and watched a video.

We later went to the camping grounds, We started the communal cooking, grabbed a swag each and rolled them out. If you don’t know what a swag is, because I didn’t. It’s basically a thick sleeping bag with a thin mattress on the bottom. and that’s it, we slept under the stars in just that. it was awesome, I’ve never seen the stars so clear with my eyes. So being in a desert, you’d think it was hot, however, at night it dropped to -5, pretty cold considering we were used to like 36 degrees in Queensland for a while. I stupidly got out to go to the toilet at like 4 am, Walked over to a bush, and literally jumped out of my skin thinking it was a dingo, as there aren’t any fences. Luckily it was just a rabbit or hare of some sort. That wasn’t the stupid part, the stupid part was getting back into my now cold swag and trying to get back to sleep. Safely to say I wrapped up warmer the next night.

Right, so Day 2! We walked around Uluru again but taken to certain spots and learn about it in more depth from Dan. We had the option to climb it, but the more we learnt more about it, we found it it’s heavily disrespectful to the aboriginal people. Watering holes polluted due to visitors urinating on top and many more factors. So out of our whole tour group of 15 ish only two went climbing. See the photos below. After Uluru, we went back near our camp to a point of higher ground to watch the sunset to finish off an incredible day.

Day 3 we woke up early to watch sunrise Kata Tjuta. A famous rock formation that a lot of people say looks like Homer Simpson laying down. This is quite a very busy tourist spot, considering it was so early and a bit out the way, it was packed. The sunrise was so gradual and off in the distance you can also see Uluru.

The night stop was our first proper hike of the trip. Valley of the Winds. Luckily we didn’t do this during the summer as its nicknamed Valley of the Flies. The views were pretty cool, It reminded me of a TV show I used to watch as a kid ‘The Land Before Time’. I was just waiting for a dinosaur to pop out. On the hike, you see a lot of rock formations that resemble things. Like the famous Cheser Cat or The Elephant. See photos below to check them out. We finished off day 3 by heading to the famous spot where everyone takes a photo in front of Uluru in the distance. Check out Part 4 of my travel video to catch shots of the outback!.

More of the outback in the next blog!

Travel: OZ Blog Ep: 14 - Week 9 Cairns

We finally got to the top of our East Coast trip. Cairns. We were going to be spending 8 days here before we moved to our next spot. We stayed in Gilligans for the full 8 days. it was the ideal place to stay tbh. Great pool, close to everything in town, nightclub downstairs which everyone in town finishes there night in. Clean and comfy beds and rooms, can’t complain at all. They had things going on most nights as well. One I can remember the most is a talent contest and going up with Jack and Reike to perform ‘Little Talks’ by Of Monsters and Men. We came second to a guy who did the best Man in the Mirror by Micheal Jackson Accapella I’ve heard.

We promtly got into the party spirit, during our stay in cairns we did two pub crawls with Ultimate Party Bus Cairns. We got them for free with the offer we book 4 days get a free pub crawl at Gilligans through Monni Travels. The pub rawls were great! start off in a bar where you get free pizza and a free drinks, play some games with everyone. Blowing up a condom with a foot pump but you pump it up with your bum on someones lap. Intresting right haha. You hop on a double decker party bus between each stop, Beweare of the low trees if your upstairs as its open top, an dyou hit the odd branch haha. Then you move to the Salt House bar by the marina for a beer pong tornement. I came Second! then onto the Irish bar P.J O’Briens for Kareoke, Jack forcing me to go up and doing a great attemot at A Team by Ed Sheeran. I was not drunk enough. Then onto Woolshed where you can dance on tables, and the crawl organised a dance off which was funny to watch. We found ourselves in Woolshed many nights while in Cairns. We even watch the royal wedding of Prince Harry and Megan Markel on the TV’s in Woolshed one night while partying. .Then finally finsihing in Gilligans where you continue the night after already having a skin full.

So other than drinking and partying we actually did do some other stuff. One of the most memorable being going to The Great Barrier Reef. Got there nice and early, You take your shoes of when on the boat, took my trainers off, and might as well have broken my little toe kicking a bit of metal, to then turn around and have this photo (on the right) hold in the pain and smile. The boat ride was pretty choppy, which didnt help the hangover. an hour later and having to look at the horizon we were nearby thank god.

So with this trip, you Snorkel and get a free dive off the reef. I will warn you to know the medical form they give you asks if you have ever had asthma, which I did when I was 5. And due to this and Queensland law, I wasn’t able to dive even though I have dive a few times before. If I had a Padi I would have been able to do it as proof. But sadly I was only able to snorkel while the lads got a dive. I wasn’t too annoyed tho as you still saw so much from the surface. I was more annoyed that I took my GoPro out my bag to find the battery was dead. And due to this, there is a lack of photos. I saw all sorts in the water, lots fish, Barracuda, Stingray and possibly the scariest moment ever a shark. Let me put the moment in context. The sea is rough and even with a snorkel its a struggle to not take water in. I’m minding my own business swimming away from the boat with Jack shortly behind. All of a sudden I hear Jack shout (Scream) I turn around to see this shark going towards me and jack. So not having any experience with marine life, I thought if I go next to jack it wouldn’t attack us. It swims closer and closer, Jack and I shitting it a little and then bam, it darts off. Thankfully. When back on the boat we told the Marine Biologist and he says they haven’t seen a shark in a while and that there was a possibility it could have nipped us, joys haha. After an even rougher ride back to the shore, all limbs intact we were ready to get some food and rest. Of course, we ended up going out in Gilligans.

Another Spot we checked out while in Cairns was Josephine falls. Its basically a natural rock slide on a river. But be warned it’s super slippery with the algae and people have died there, and the water is baltic! Like going into the sea in the UK. See the photos below of that spot.

With our time on the east coast coming to an end it was time to tie up some loose ends. Having to Sell the beloved guitar that I travelled from Bondi to Cairns with. I was well chuffed that I got what I bought it for back in Bondi. 50 Bucks. Sold it to a guy and it was for his son, I wonder if it still has my band sticker on it from what Andy put it on when the guitar was his back in Bondi.

Our next port of call was to get rid of our beloved Subaru Forrester. Sadly there was an issue with the car and having the Rego in New South Wales and we were trying to sell it in Queensland was annoying. No one bit at the ad so Jack scraps it sadly.

This was the place out boys Justin, Hayden and Mclovin were flying back to Canada. Sad times. Shout out to tall the people from the countless nights out and the good times.

Next stop the airport to fly to Alice Springs.

Travel: OZ Blog Ep: 13 - Week 8 Magnetic Island

Magnetic Island was probably one of the highlights of my 4 months. So after another lovely drive in our car, we got to Townsville. We parked up, took what we needed for a 3-day trip and left the rest in the car in the ferry car park. We got the ferry over to Magnetic island followed by a bus to our hostel Base. Now I say hostel, but its more like a beach resort. Lovely little cabin huts on the beach with a pool and large bar area. It’s deffo a must. We called up a 4x4 company to book a car for the day after to explore the island. Now Magnetic Island is famous for its ‘Barbie Cars’, however, we were warned that some of the roads on the island were only passable by 4x4. For the rest of the day, we just chilled and had a night in the bar.

I woke up super early to catch the sunrise on the beach. And it was well worth it. Probably some of my favourite shots of the trip. Super quiet, great views, not a lot more you can ask for really. Shout out to Reike for the company! I went back to sleep for a few hours ready for the day of exploring.

4x4 ready, and a carload of pals. It was set to be a great day. The first spot we were going to check out was the Fort walk. Easy incline up to the fort was amazing views. I would definitely check that out. On the way up we managed to spot a mother and a baby Koala in a tree. See the photos below. Climbing some of the larger rocks to get some cool photos. One of my friends managed to get stuck, so I had to climb over and take her weight on my hands and walk her down slowly. Then to get back up we had to climb a dead tree. Now that’s all good when your half the size of me, I let her go first, then I followed and SNAP! branch went, I grabbed the rock face and cut open my knee slightly, Its a cool scar story I guess.

After the forts, we decided to hit up horseshoe bay. Known for amazing fish and chips apparently. And we can confirm, it was pretty good. Chilling on the grass near the beach for a bit, before deciding our route to get to Radical Bay.

Now the main reason for the 4x4 was to get to Radical Bay. The road down Down was so bad you could barely call it a road. I mean being British we moan about potholes all the time but these were caverns. We did our best to drive down. Mark being the boss man driver manoeuvring like a pro, while I was outside moving the biggest rocks making a path for him to drive over. Then what mat as well been the grand canyon of potholes on a decline and we decided to give up, Mark having to reverse uphill back over the rocks I laid out. So after a 15-minute walk down from where we parked we finally got to Radical Bay. Famous for the random Piano thats on the beachfront hidden under a tree. Was pretty cool, sadly it was wrecked as you would guess so no playing A Thousand Miles by Vanessa Carlton that day.

To finish off the amazing day, we head to West Point beach to catch the sunset. The sunset did not disappoint. Have a look below at the photos if you wanna see the views. After a short drive back to the hostel, it was time to freshen up before hitting up the hostel bar for Bar wars. Basically loads of teams doing things to gain points to win free drinks. For example, myself having to in front of a bar full of people my best T-rex impression. Of course, I won at making a fool of myself. Other things like myself, Mark, Mclovin, Justin and Hayden stripping down to boxers to put all our clothes on Jack. Magnetic Island is a must! Sadly we only spent a few days there, and given the chance, we would have stayed longer, but oh well.

Next stop Cairns.

Travel: OZ Blog Ep: 12 - Week 7 Whitsundays

Whitsundays was always one of the must do’s when visiting Austalia just for the views of Whitehaven Beach. This was one of the reasons for stopping here on the east coast. The other being promised a mad party boat. Rewind a little. After what was an 8 hours drive we arrived at Airlie beach. We were staying at the Nomads Base x hostel. I would recommend it. Right in town, has a pool. The rooms are nice and clean. Can’t complain. Most people staying in Airlie Beach are either going to on been on the Whitsundays. We had a great room of people who were all coming on our boat. Shout out to Carly, Courtney, Justin, Hayden and Mclovin! (Ryan).

Let’s get to the good bit. Early morning we all went down to where the Clipper was docked. Our trip was booked through Monni Travels with True Blue Sailing, check them out! Everyone with there boxes of goon to hand, all ready to have a good time. The first day was pretty mellow and chilled. That’s where I got most of my photos taken. Everyone on top deck chatting, chilling and looking at the islands. We approached the island which had Whitehaven beach. Small groups went over in a dingy, to then do a jungle walk to the famous lookout point. To then follow it down to the beach to the amazing white sand. Wondering around the massive beach you can see lemon sharks and rays in the shallow water next to you. It was pretty cool. Another spot on the beach which is another famous Instagram shot it the big white branch, seen below. There were a lot of group antics, playing games like Odds On to make people do stupid things. Sorry Mclovin for getting you to eat factor 50 suncream and sand.

Once we all got back to the boat we headed to a snorkel spot. We had to wear wet suits due to jellyfish but luckily I didn’t see any. I, however, see some angry looking fish who didn’t like me swimming into there cave looking spot.

The first night was pretty tamed compared to the carnage we heard. Usual drinking games, except in got introduced to the game Thunderstruck. Everyone is familiar with the ACDC banger. Basically you down your drink under they sing thunder and the next person starts. And so on until one person gets the unfortunate 40 odd second gap to down for. And guess what, it landed on yours truly. I can safely say goon isn’t the drink to down, but I didn’t die so alls good. Remember to drink responsibly. Finishing the night by laying on the top deck looking at the stars and chilling out.

The second night was way more party. Crossdressing, party games, a thunderstorm, a dance-off. It was definitely one of the funnier nights of my Aus trip. Thankfully there aren’t any photos of this night on this blog. The morning after was a little hazy but what better way hitting the reset button than to flip and slide off a boat into the water. It sorted my head out a treat. This can all be seen in the video below. Shout out to the Clipper boat crew and the people who we partied with.

Once back to shore we got ready for our welcome back party as if we didn’t party enough on the boat.

Next stop Townsville too Magnetic Island!

Travel: OZ Blog Ep: 11 - Week 7 Agnes Water 1770

We arrive in a little town called Agnes Waters 1770. We decided to stop off here to break up the drive to Airlie Beach / Also its the last place we got told you can surf up the east coast. We stayed in Backpackers @ 1770. A nice chilled hostel with really good communal dinners. Was nice to get a few hours of chilling in the evening. Jack and Mark went for a surf lesson with Cool bannas hostel while I caught up on some editing and chilled out a bit. The weather wasnt the best as you can see from the photos. Our original plan was to stop off somewhere else like Rockhampton aftrer, however when talking to people we were suggested to not stop at all. So we decided to stay an extra day in 1770. We moved hostel to Cool Bananas as its turns out the owner is Jack’s cousins wife cousin. Crazy right!

The next morning we decided to go to the post office and box up our items we dont really use to send back to the UK. Smart shirts, unwanted clothing, Sleeping bag liner. However when we went to psot them it would cost 70 dollars, which was fine. However it may take 3 months to get there, so not worth the bother.

In the day we went to explore a little ridge walk by a beach nearby. and then got some well needed rest before the 8 hour drive to Airlie beach the next day.

Next Stop Airlie Beach

Travel: OZ Blog Ep: 10 Sky Dive

Today was the big day! The day I decide to jump out of a plane. As some of you may know height aren’t exactly one of my strong points. I used to be be petrified as a kid of them. But what better way to get over your fear than to fall to your possible death ay?

On route to Rainbow Beach after leaving Nomads in Noosa. Feeling a little under the weather from a mixture of the famous Fraser Island Flu and one almighty hangover. For anyone worrying about what is Fraser island flu. It’s just a cold/flu bug a lot of people get either on or after Fraser Island. Don’t worry it’s not deadly, or at least I still live to tell the tale.

Mark, Jack and I arrive at the Skydive Australia shop. Already super nervous, my appetite was gone, From looking at all the video’s of the skydives with the company before we see large planes with multiple tandems in. This is not what we were getting. At there Rainbow Beach branch, they have a smaller plane which fits two tandems in only. Mark being the brave one decided to go first with a stranger up in the plane. Top Lad! Meanwhile myself and Jack waited. Mark comes back all pumped saying it’s amazing, and the realisation that I’m about to jump out of a plane in a few mins is sinking in.

We all hop in the 4X4 to the runway, mark tagged along to take photos of us. All strapped up we walk over to the tiny plane. We decided that I was jumping first as if I saw Jack go first I probably wouldn’t do it. We take off, and slowly fly our way up to 15,000 feet. The plane shook a little, look out the window to see how high we are to ask are we nearly there. The Skydive guy I’m attached to laughs and says we are only at 3,000 feet. (Insert Charlie shitting himself face).

We get to 15,000 feet and I’m asked to slide up the shutter door. OMG my heart dropped. Listening to other travellers, I looked up and stared at the wing as I’m sitting on the edge of a plane thousands of feet in the air. The skydiving instructor asked why I wasn’t looking down and decided to make me look down. Wouldnt recommend if you was a scared as I was. I put my head back in the plane, look at Jack and say ‘I hope i see you again bud’ then bam. The free fall.

Honestly, I can’t describe how it feels to give it justice. It’s a freeing feeling, you don’t really know whats going on. All I could see is blue as I’m in the sky above the sea. Remember as kids you would open your window on a motorway and stick your head out and get a rush of air and you can’t really breathe. It’s like that x100. Shouting my head off, and a few swear words later the parachute gets pulled. Now I wouldn’t say the free fall was that scary once you’ve jumped as you can’t really tell where you are. Once the chute was pulled the was a sudden realisation of ‘Oh F**k, we’re high up still’. Once I got over that it was actually really peaceful gliding about. I got pasted the handles and got to turn the parachute which was fun and made us go horizontal at one point looking down. looking up to see Jack above me in the distance. Fraser Island looked amazing from above.

As we got lower we started to see the flags on the beach to were we were going to land. And before i knew it, legs up and we landed on our asses. The feeling after with all the adrenaline was amazing, making me instantly want to do it again. I think it definitely has helped me with heights, I’m not that bad anymore and I would do another jump.

Have a look at the photos and video below to see it for yourself.

Thanks for reading! Next stop 1770

Travel: OZ Blog Ep: 9 - Week 6 Fraser Island

What’s up everyone!

Now if you have travelled or want to travel the East Coast of Australia, I’m sure you have heard about Fraser Island. Known in History as to where Captian Cook went to shore and killed lots of natives. So let’s get into this!

So the boys and I booked our trip through Monni Travels with Nomads hostel in Noosa trip. Reasons we chose this tour as it gave us transfers from Noosa, we were staying in a big teepee over small tents in pairs like most other tours. We got to drive all the time, had a bar, pool, and was highly recommended by Monni and other backpackers.

So on the route from the hostel in a coach we had a quick pit stop. Funnily enough, it was next to Australias largest cactus. Think it was around 70 odd feet but don’t quote me on that. It was a biggun. Back on route to pick up the 4x4’s. Shout out to car 4 peeps! Each car had a walkie talkie, to you can get instructions from our tour leader, Charge. Amazing tour group leader, laid back, informative and if just up for letting you have the best experience.

From there we got on the ferry over to the island and drove to the Nomads sight.

The hostel area itself as I said before has a bar, with a table area around the back which is where you eat your meals. a swimming pool in front of the bar. Then you either say when booking if you want teepee or dorm rooms. situated neck to each other, with a shower block to the side. Tbh the showers were pretty good. The major downside of nomads is due to the bar and the bottle shop technically you aren't supposed to bring your own alcohol. But just be prepared for it to be confiscated, but they were okay about it in tents and the rooms a year ago. Bottle shop had mad prices but if you wanna drink and you didn’t bring your own, you’re gonna pay it. Was something like 80 Bucks for a creat of Great Northern.

It was my turn to drive as we went to Lake Mckenzie. It’s a lot of fun driving on sand. having to try and keep in the tracks of the car in front. and then driving over rocks and hills through the jungle to get to the lake. Now I don’t know what you think of when I hear a lake. But Lake Mckenzie was next level. White silica sand, blue freshwater that you can even see-through when you open your eyes underwater, as there is no salt. We chilled at the lake for a while, playing ball games with the group and just general swimming and messing around.

When it came to the evening we thought a good way to get everyone together would be to throw a party in the teepees. The beers flowing, music coming out of the speaker, everyone shamelessly singing Avril Lavigne bangers from the ’90s. Check out the singing in the video below.

The weather conditions were quite bad on this day. The tide was in covering the beach most of the time as the waves came in. So being told to go against what we were told at the start which was to have distance between the cars. speeding along in the hope we don’t get stuck or stranded we all sped down the beach. It was inevitable something was gonna happen. Poor Lynn was driving. the lead car broke, followed by the next and the next slowly a delay between each and then bam our car hit car 3. I mean it wasn’t the end of the world. I think we have to bay like 100 dollars or something as it was only a slightly dented bumper. Was worth it so shut car 3 up on the radio.

One of the most historic points of Fraser island we checked out was Indian heads. a cliff in which sadly loads of Abirigoals lost their lives. Charge our tour guide was amazing with relaying the history that had happened there. If you are into history I would look it up for a good read. The weather was poor while we were up there but apparently, when its sunny and clear and the water is calm you can see sharks in the waters below, scary right?

On route to Eli creek, we stopped off at a cafe food stop. I want to say it had victoria in the name but don’t hold me to that. Served good food there, Afew got a seafood basket. I kept it simple with chips. The bonus of this stop was you could buy Goon (Boxed Wine) for only 20 bucks which were way cheaper than the bottle shop on the grounds. Just don’t make it obvious you’re taking it in. Eli Creek is awesome. Freshwater which flows along. There is a decked walk along the creek to the start. We got set the challenge to try and float the whole way unaided. I would say a tip. Nomads doesn’t off inflatables so I would take one if you have one spare on the trip for Eli Creek. we spent some time chilling by the creek, playing ball games, and having a cheeky cup of goon. Obvs the drivers couldn’t.

Another spot we checked out was the shipwreck. A fair-sized ship which is all rusted and along the shore of the beach. A picture spot for most. Just make sure there isn’t someone who has decided to park there 4x4 next to the ship.

Our final stop was a walk to the sand dunes and Lake Wabbi. Warning there are fish in the lake if you don’t like getting a harmless nip now and again. It is known to have those little fish that eat the dead skin off your feet like in the spas. The dune along the start of the lake is quite steep so be careful. A friend and I decided to run down it and basically belly-flopped in the lake. Again it’s a nice spot to chill, catch some sun and have a catch amoungst the group.

Heading back off the island you drive the 4x4’s back across the ferry. There was a massive Queue so we ended up all getting out our cars, playing football. Even a few dingos came to check out what was going on. Once back at the 4x4 station. we got back into our coach to Noosa which most of us ended up sleeping. Once back at Nomad’s we had a welcome back party. with pub quiz in which we one drinks vouchers. ended up partying till the early hours till we had to say goodbye and get some sleep before our next stop. Sky Diving at Rainbow Beach over Fraser Island.

Philippines 2019 Part 3 - Moal Boal & Siargoa

Thanks to everyone that has checked out the previous 2 parts to this blog series of my trip to Philippines back in March 2019. If you haven’t read them yet I would say stop what you’re doing and read them before this one.

Anyways back to the blog. So from Boarcay we flew to Cebu. Landed pretty late to find out the bus we needed to get had a line of 50 odd people. And I’m not even joking. Vans were late or in short supply. Mark and I managed to slip on to this bus. And they packed this bus, a person to every seat then people sitting on bags through the walkway like a tin of sardines. It was probably the most un-enjoyable part of my trip. Being on a hot stuff bus, crowded by people with two people being sick in a bag next to me. Gross right! Anyways after that ordeal we finally got to Moal Boal! Check in at Chief Mau Moal Boal Hostel. Amazing hostel for a chill vibe. Large outdoor areas with hammocks and beanbags And Hostel Dogs! Which decided to follow us into town that led to us not getting into a restaurant to begin with.  

We took it quite chilled while being in Moal Boal. We needed it after Boracay. But we did get up to some fun things. We hired a trike to take us to Kasawan falls for the day. I would definitely recommend, but don’t stay at the bottom where its heavily crowded. Follow the steps and path above to see the whole falls. You don’t really need to do the tour unless you want to do the big jumps, the rest you can do without one tbh. One thing I really noticed about Moal Boal was everyone wants you to have a good time. Even in a restaurant, the waiter was asking us what we were doing and recommended some stuff. The other main thing I would suggest doing is renting a snorkel (If you don’t have one), which was only about 250 peso deposit and swimming of the shore in Moal Boal to see the Sardine Run. Now however I explain it, it will not do it justice so just watch the video below to see for yourself. Hundreds of fish moving as one around you as you swim down, it was honestly amazing! Other than that I spent a lot of time chilling and editing.

The next stop was Siargoa. Now to get there we needed to catch our flight in the middle of the night from Cebu, learning for experience and not wanting to risk being sat next to someone feeling ill again. We booked a private transfer, obviously way more expensive to the bus but I’d pay that any day to be comfortable.

Landed in Siargoa. I could already tell this was going to be a great island. It was pretty vast, and untouched outside of the small towns. Hired a moped and explored the island. Stumbled onto quite a few spots; the rock pool at the top of the island, the look out over all the trees with a restaurant and a cave tour on the side of a road. The cave led us to a rock jumping spot. We were staying at the Avocado Tree Hostel just on the edge of town. Really nice hostel and wasn’t too far from all the bars.

The thing I really liked about the night of Siargoa was every night it was a different place. And they had a live instrumental band that was sick! Cloud nine pier was also a cool spot for sunset. I only had a few days here and I wish I had an extra few, but sadly my time in the Philippines was coming to an end. Leaving Mark in Siargoa I caught my flight back to Manila where I went back to Z hostel and caught up with some friends, before flying back home.

Thank you for reading these 3 blog posts. Don’t forget to check the pictures and the final travel video below. Feel free to drop a comment if you have any questions or message me over at my Instagram @charliebluck

Travel: OZ Blog Ep: 8 - Week 6 Noosa

What’s up everyone!

The next stop on our trip was Noosa. A nice coastal town with nice beaches. We spent a few days here before our Fraser Island trip. We stayed at Nomad’s, as they are who we booked out Fraser trip with. awesome hostel, clean rooms, has a pool area, the bar food was really good and the bar was always lively and the place to be in Noosa. Other than our usual chilling in the day and drinking and partying at night, we managed to get out after hearing about some cool places on the coastal walk. Strangely we found some old junior school friends at our hostel, small world ay. I would highly recommend doing the coastal walk. lovely views, not challenging walk at all. And it’s just a nice way to spend sunset. One of the spots which I would highly recommend is the Fairy Pools. It’s not the easiest to find if you stick to the path but if you’re lucky you can see a few people going there. Its a couple of big rocks raised up from the sea level that fills up with water for the bigger waves, creating a natural swimming pool. It’s a pretty cool spot to chill and jump into as its quite deep when filled. We walked all the way up to a spot called hell’s gate, which we heard about from watching a video of cliff jumpers jumping from that spot, looking at it in person. I wouldn’t dare.

Only being here for a few days we didn’t explore the area too much. But we did see Marvel Avengers: End Game part one at the time in the cinema, which was a must for us Marvel nerds.

If you haven’t already checked out part one of my Aus travel videos, you can see a few clips from the Noosa coastal walk at the end. And also the pictures below which I took while in Noosa.

Next Stop Fraser Island!

Travel: OZ Blog Ep: 7 - Week 6 Australia Zoo

Hey Everyone! Now I don’t know about you but I spent a lot of my childhood watching The Crocodile Hunter, loved watching Steve Irwin with all the animals. And I was gutted to find out about his death on the news. I had to go to his zoo that I used to watch all them years ago. It was cool to see lots of animals I hadn’t seen before. Escpaiclly my new favourite Australian animal the Echidna. Basically like a hedgehog with a moles face which waddles about, pretty cool right! I would highly recommend visiting if you enjoy learning and looking at animals. Here are a few shots I took below.

Also Check out my Australia Travel Video Part 1, which you can see some of the animals in.

Next Stop Noosa

Travel: OZ Blog Ep: 6 - Week 5 Surfers Paradise

Sup everyone! And welcome to my Surfers Paradise blog post!

While I was in surfers paradise I was staying at Jack’s cousins family home in Narang. Shout out to Perry and Pip for being amazing and letting us stay and cooking us dinner! Within the Springbrook national park, there are so many spots which are worth checking out. the first one we saw was the Natural Bridge. It’s basically a cool looking cave with a hole in the roof with a waterfall coming through. Just a heads up the cave is full of bats, which don’t like random tourist using a flash. Watched so many passers-by getting spooked.

Whilst on a drive Jack asked if we wanted to check out Hindes Dam. We said yeah, didn’t really know what to expect. I don’t think i’ve ever been on a dam before. All I can say it was windy as hell on top, and I wouldn’t stand on the barrier as its a long way down.

Another one of the Spring Brook National Park spots we checked out was Purling Brook Falls. Purling Brook Falls was probably one of the best things I saw in my whole 4 months in Australia. the hour trek down to the bottom of the falls felt like I was in Jurassic Parks. have a look below at the waterfall with the amazing orange rock face.

And a trip to Surfers Paradise wouldn’t be complete without going to the beach and sky point tower to see the whole coastline. I would highly recommend the view as seen below. And if you go down to the left (if you are facing the ocean) there is a place called The Spit which is a pretty cool spot of sunset. Other than that we spent most our time with Jack’s family, and the odd night in the bars and clubs.

Next stop Australia Zoo

Philippines 2019 Part 2 - Coron & Boracay

So after a few days, a few boat tours and many red horse beers we decided to move to our next stop, Coron. Getting the ferry from El Nido port to Coron. Touching the port on Coron we were met by a swarm of trike drivers trying to get you to use them. Fact! Don’t pay more than 150 max. They massively up the price. So again we were out of luck booking the hostel we wanted. Getting a trike to the top of the hill to Hop to try and check-in, unfortunately, they were booked up, and they don’t have a sexy house. We managed to get a hostel just out of town slightly called Fat Monkey. Lovely hostel if you want peace and quiet, has a great hammock area, but you need to be with good people to have any form of a good time. Luckily for us, we managed to make a great group on the first day. Shout out the Fat Monkey crew.

We got up to many things while in Coron, we went to the hot springs, Hired a boat with some friends to a few more island destinations like Baracuda Lake. If you get offered a spring roll looking thing with rice and banana inside, buy loads. They are one of the tastiest things I’ve eaten on my travels. We went on a trip in the night to kayak a lake to see fireflies and plankton, which honestly is probably one of the most magical things I’ve ever witnessed. Do take note of how the moon is though, we did it on a full moon and the visibility is worse for the plankton and you have to go under trees to be able to see them.

In regards to nightlife. Hop Hostel holds events on the rooftop, which are pretty good. And in town, there is a bar called No Name Bar, which is the best out of limited options. When trying to leave Coron it became difficult with our original plan. Originally we were going to get a ferry somewhere to then eventually get to Boracay. However, due to the ferry schedule was different from what it was originally online. Weighing up the cost and losing days we decided to fly from Francisco B. Reyes Airport, formerly Busuanga Airport.

Now there’s only really one reason why you got to Boracay. To party. Putting the cameras down for a few days was nice. We stayed at Mad Monkeys hostel, known for the party vibe. And it was just that. From the moment we go there we partied in the hostel, Woke up to go onto a boat party with Mad Monkeys all day to then go to the hostel bar and then to a Club to continue till the early hours of the morning. A few days are enough otherwise your liver may hate you. Amazing staff and family vibe to Mad Monkeys. Just don’t get caught with a drink in your left hand otherwise you will hear ‘HUGO!’ and have to neck your drink through a funnel. And if you are patriotic about your country and wanting to be the best. Help your country be on the top of the leader board for Boracay Bombs shots. Obviously if partying isn’t your thing you wouldn’t need to go to Boracay. After the partied filled few days we flew to Cebu to go to our next destination Moal Boal.

Check out the pictures below of Coron and Part 2 of my Philippines Travel Video.

Philippines 2019 Part 1 - Manila & El Nido

Back in March this year I was working away photographing in Kuala Lumpur Malaysia for a few weeks. While over at that end of the world I thought it is a great idea to take some time out, explore some new places and catch up with my best mate, who was on the way back to the UK after a year in Australia.

Thus my amazing 3/4 weeks in the Philippines happened. With a minor pit stop in Changi Airport in Singapore for 6 hours between KL and Manila, my trip had started. Now I know what you must all be thinking, 6 hours in an airport, why did I stay inside and I must have been bored. Well tbh, it was great, Changi has so many outdoor spaces to chill in (Lilies from the lily pad garden at the start of the gallery), a pool, it literally has everything in there. So after a few non-stop hectic weeks in Malaysia, I just took a few hours to chill.

Far forward to landing in Manila, hopped in my Grab (Uber type taxi company) to get to my first hostel in Philippines, Z Hostel. I would highly recommend this hostel for your stay in Manila, rooftop bar and talkative staff. So its 6 pm, Mark and I thought we best go check out what manila has to offer for food and bars. We tried the Pilipino dish of Adobo for the first time and went to a club called Royals after recommendations, which ended with us going on a pub-crawl, waking up hangover to find out in our drunk state we booked flights to Porto Princesa to get to El Nido.

From Puerto Princesa, we got a transfer van to El Nido. Mark and I thinking that’s fine it’s what everyone does. Not realising it’s 6 hours, not the best trip for a hangover. Winding roads and put holes galore, It made me think I never want to moan about a pothole in the UK again. So Mark and I have done a good amount of travelling between us, thinking about hostels we usually book on the day for a good hostel and it’s all been fine. Were we right ... nope. Turns out if you want a good hostel in the Philippines you have to book in advance. So finding out that the hostel we looked at was basically booked all week we went to a one in town. Imagine 3 double beds in a small room, no floor space and a tiny toilet no lock, and a bucket to shower when the water shuts off. Lovely. So in the morning we went to the hostel we wanted and heard about (Outpost Beach Hostel) speaking with reception, having a joke with the staff we managed to get a cancellation in a dorm, and then booked into a building behind the hostel. Nicknamed the sexy house. I mean me and mark had to share a small double, but we had a whole house when the other room wasn’t booked up. The best part about this hostel was sunset, you’re on the beach and you’re guaranteed a killer sunset. This was the place I found my love for red horse beer, it’s a local beer check it out.

Sitting in the bar the next morning Mark and I decided to walk along the coast with a new friend we literally just met. Which then led to us finding the zip line. The worst part was the walk up, finding out I’m really not that fit anymore. Have a look at the video clip of mark and myself on the zip line, pay a little extra and you can zip line back over the water again which saves you walking and it’s fun. Word of advice, lean back when you come in otherwise you will head-butt the zip line break, thank god for helmets.

The next few days we booked ourselves onto the typical tourist tours, Tour A and Tour C. Honestly you see some amazing island, the only downside being that there are another 20 boats of 20 odd people each there with you. Non-the less it was an amazing experience. Kayaking the big lagoon was probably my favourite part. Check out my photos below and my Philippines Travel Video Part 1.

Travel: OZ Blog Ep: 5 - Week 5/6 Brisbane

Hey Everyone! I know I’m terrible at getting around to blogging all the spots I went to. And I’ve even finished all the videos for Australia finally!

So Brisbane. Still, on the route of making our way up the east coast, Mark and I were lucky enough to stay at my family friends apartment for a week in Fortitude Valley. Was really nice to have some space, chill in a lounge in an evening watching TV and catching up on a bit of life admin.

Our first proper day we met our hometown friend Jack, who was going to be joining us on our trip after Brisbane. We hopped into Jack’s Subaru Forrester and went to check out Mt Coot-tha look out over the city. After a brief wander around that area, we went to check out South Bank for some food and a see touristy things like the Brisbane sign.

The nightlife was pretty awesome in Brisbane. So much to choose from in Fortitude Valley and it gets pretty busy. a few of the places we checked out were Rick’s. It caught my attention as there was a band playing in the front room and after everyone disappeared. it wasn’t till I went to the toilet I found a whole outdoor area packed with people dancing. It was good from what I can remember haha. Another place I checked out was The Brightside. now if your a post-emo kid like myself you will love it. A converted church looking building, live music and after alternative rock Dj’s playing everything from My Chemical Romance to Paramore. Reminding me of District and Face Down nights with have in the UK. So if that’s your thing definitely check it out.

Another thing I would recommend going to is the Wet n Wild waterpark. It’s a good day out with friends. and some of the slides are unreal. it was a bonus that Billabong had a shop there and it had a massive sale on too.

Next stop Surfers Paradise

The City Is Ours // High 5ive Summer Fest 2019 // Stockholm, Sweden

While I was on the road with Captives at High 5ive Summer Fest, I was approached by the lovely lads in The City Is Ours to shoot them on the main stage on the first night. The boys put on a killer set and there was even an appearance by Matt Flood of Captives doing guest vocals in the TCIO track ‘ Don’t Wait For Me’. I would definitely give the boys new album ‘Low’ a spin if you have checked it out already, full of absolute bangers. Catch them on the album release tour across the UK 26th October -2nd November. You won’t regret it. Check out the video and the photographs I took below!

Captives // High 5ive Summer Fest 2019/ / Stockholm, Sweden

The good friends of mine in Captives asked me if I would go out on the road with them and cover them playing High 5ive Summer Fest 2019 this August, This involved 2 ferries, 5 countries, 32 hours travelling, countless McDonalds, lots of Mario Kart and a very warm van full of guys, and that was just on the way there. Love spending time with these boys and its always a good eventful time.

We got to the Stockholm a day earlier than they were playing so we could at least enjoy the festival without having to work and do things. We ended up pulling into Stockholm at around midnight bunking up ready to be fresh for day one of the festival, did we rest… nope. Myself Matt and Chris decided to do to a rave that we drove past. When in Stockholm I guess. Three drinks were £36. Enough said.

After our lovely 4 hours sleep we got up and were ready to have some fun at High Five. Of course McDonalds breakfast followed by a trip to Lidl to have a cashier laugh at me trying to pronounce the Swedish version of liquor store. We learnt a game called Kuub. I would highly recommend it to anyone. The food was good, the music was great. Shout out to The City is Ours, their set was sick. I ended up shooting for them and will cover that in another blog post.

Sunday morning, feeling fresh and ready for the boys to smash High Five. All of us taking a slightly more tamed approach to the day today. Lots of Kuub, prepping for the set. I’m sure you saw from my insta story, if you don’t have me its @charliebluck Plug Plug Plug. I caught Noija set. These boys have some right bangers and I would definitely check them out. After a few tech complications the boys in Captives were away. Always love their energy and crowd interaction. Matt even started a mosh pit mid song during the final song. To be then greeted with a pint at the end, you can see this in the video I made for them below. The Boys smashed it, the festival was great, I met some really cool people. I’d definitely come back. Followed by another 2 days travel to get back but was all fun and worth it.

If you haven’t already go check out Captives, they have some big things coming and there ‘Ghost Like You’ EP is one of my favourite releases of 2019. Also check out High Five Summer Fest, Now for what you’ve actually come here for, see the images and video below.

Thank you! - Charlie Bluck

Radar Festival 2019

When I first got asked to shoot Radar in early 2019 I really didn’t know what to expect. Being a new festival and in the venue that I only ever knew it for being a nightclub and not really used ever for gigs. I was intrigued to see what the team could pull out the bag. I was so impressed by what was achieved. The amazing line up, to see everyone behind the scenes working amazingly, and the unreal crowd. Big shout out to Joe, Catherine and Ash.

So many great bands were on the line up this year. Monuments, Animals as Leaders, No Consequence, Heart of a Coward, Polar, Valis Ablaze, Rolo Tomassi, Kaguu, Sithu Aye, Loathe and the best way to end the festival, Stiff Bizkit. These were just some of my favourite acts from the weekend. The secret act was Black Futures, definitely saw some shocked faces when the curtains opened. Everyone that I spoke to had an amazing time. Please find my highlights of my shots of Radar below.

If you are interested in Radar Festival 2020. Its on Friday 30th June and Saturday 1st July 2020. I know I can’t wait to shoot it with the line up that’s already released. Dirty Loops headlining. Grab your tickets from https://radarfestival.seetickets.com/event/radar-festival/casino-nightclub/1419414?fbclid=IwAR0eb3GkzyyjY1UMovCkvhNO0sODo1TVCvQqHhg9tIDRToUKWv30Gzpg9pw

Travel: OZ Blog Ep:4 Week 4 - Nimbin and Waterfalls

So in this blog, I’m going to talk about a few of the places I checked out while staying in Byron Bay. Mark and I booked a Nimbin tour with the Happy Coach, and I mean why not. So we got picked up by a funky hippy bus blasting stoner jams the whole way, and best of all it had a cat with a hat.

The first stop was Killen falls. Now, this is where the story happens. So the group all walk down to a decked area at the top of the falls. Mark leans over and bam, his lovely real Ray Bans drop over the edge but we couldn’t see them hit the floor so they must be on the ridge. However, the group was getting moved on so we had to come back another time.

The second stop was an abandoned railway bridge. At this point, my fear of heights was still prominent. Probably only getting a third the way over before turning back stepping over railway sleepers with ‘Charlie sized holes’ between them as I put it.

The next stop was the town of Nimbin. Known for smoking marijuana. Walking around seeing some real characters. What can I say really, people go there for one reason…. the community pool, which is we had a barbecue before continuing. On the way back be stopped and our tour guide Princess (Something…. Sorry) pointed out to a large rock. Calling it the three brothers, similar to the three sisters in the Blue Mountains, believed to have aboriginal stories behind it. However, its been over a year so anything I would say would be a loose guess to what I got told. After we continued back.

Fast forward to the day after. We rented a car with a few of the guys in our hostel room. And decided to go waterfall hunting, making Killen Falls our first stop with the mission to find Mark’s sunglasses. We scrambled down this steep wet clay path through the forest. Turns out it rained heavily overnight. We decided going barefoot was a good shout, as our trainers weren’t getting any grip at all. On the way, something bit me on my toe. Now I didn’t know what it was, it was small, black, and in my reaction to being bitten grabbed whatever it was and threw it. A few weeks later described it to a Friends relative and he said it sounds like a bullet ant. Probably explains the feeling of having my toe shot off. And stupidly we were already so far down and close to the waterfall. So I rinsed it in a puddle.

So we reached the bottom of Killen Falls. This is this would get worse. Mark fly’s his drone to the ridge to see. The water spray hits the drone and he has to bring it back. At the time it damaged the drone to only fly straight and not turn. (It would then be sent off to find out it’s now fine and then was crashed at a later date R.I.P Marks drone). Then we did what we actually planned to do, have fun! Skimming a tennis ball to each other in the water, swimming under the falls, dodging the turtles in the water, didn’t want to get bitten anymore that day. The climb up was funny, to say the least. Holding onto tree roots as we slipped over constantly, but we made it back to the car!

Next stop was to try and find Whian Whian Falls, which means many trees fall if I remember correctly. It was recommended by my friend Talib and was really out the way unless you knew it was there. Walking along a edge of a fence through some trees on a random roadside we found it! Checking how deep the water was before doing the jump we heard about. Always check the water level on the day of jumping as levels can vary. Starting with the lower jump then moving to the higher one to then get more adventurous with dives and flips.

After a few hours, we headed back as the sun was coming down. We watched the sunset over the fields before getting back into Byron Bay for another night out in the town.

Next Stop Brisbane

- Charlie Bluck

Travel: OZ Blog Ep:3 Week 4 - Byron Bay

Byron Bay is up there with one of my favourite places up the east coast. Lovely town, great atmosphere and is situated in an awesome place. I got up to a lot of things while being there for 10 days. The first thing being the famous Byron Bay lighthouse walk. I got up nice and early and took a casual stroll up there with Mark. Walking past and through various beaches and lookout points. Managed to see my first pod of dolphins!. See the pictures below to get an idea of what the views were like. One day we caught up with our surf camp friends and decided to check out some tea tree lakes. Now at the time, I had no idea what a tea tree lake was, and tbh if I walked passed one you would think its just muddy water. After speaking to the travel agent at our hostel (Aquarius) he was nice enough to print a map and mark the way to a not so commonly known tea tree lake on the other side from the Byron lighthouse. Honestly was a nice little soak, all I know is I felt really refreshed after. We then took a stroll back along the beach.

Another day I met up with one of my work buddies from the UK who was travelling and living in Byron for a few months at that time. He took us down to Wategoes Beach for some surfing, and believe me it was a shock. From surfing the nice waves of Arrawarra to the hectic waves that day in Wategoes was a challenge, and I failed haha. Getting wiped out constantly by waves trying to paddle out was fun. Meanwhile, Talib and Mark got out and manage to meet Matt Damon and give him a few surfing tips. I decided to ride a few of the nicer white waves.

Some of the best points of Byron is the nightlife. A wide selection of places to go out, the table dancing bar Cheeky Monkeys was a fun night. We ended up at Beach Hotel another night for some big event with a drummer and DJ, Woody’s surf shack club for all your house music needs. It became apparent that I was gonna struggle finding rock bars everywhere. However, the buskers at night were amazing. Streets filled with people dancing to the many buskers lining the main street. I remember watching on down then wide alley between two shops for a while on the night. Not to mention a bakery open till the early hours for your post-drinking needs!

I will cover Nimbin and a few waterfall spots in the next blog.

Places to check out:

• Aquarius hostel: Free dinner every night, has a bar which always seems packed with good vibes. Close to the beach and has a great hammock chill-out area on the roof.

• Cheeky Monkeys: Known for there theme nights and table dancing dance floor, we had a few fun nights out there.

• Tea Tree lakes and beaches nearby

• Pie shop, open till the early hours. The best food on the way back from a night out.

• Late-night buskers

- Charlie bluck