Easter Break:
For Spring break (Easter break, since it is fall here right now), I took a trip down the Eastern coast of Australia. I visited Cairns, Brisbane, the Sunshine Coast, and Sydney. It was amazing! I only spent a few days in each of these places, but they were all super beautiful and warm.
In Cairns, I took a scenic flight over the Great Barrier Reef in a small plane; it was beautiful! The next day I went scuba diving and snorkeling. It was so neat to be able to see the giant coral formations that had formed, and I saw so many different animals too. There were several fish, stingrays, a turtle, huge clams, sea cucumbers, and I even saw a reef shark!
Most of the Brisbane trip was spent exploring the city since I had already been there once before. I did go on a tour of a koala sanctuary, though! They had so many koalas everywhere, and it was adorable to see them moving around (and mostly sleeping)! Also, Brisbane has lots of little lizards everywhere. They’re very cute, though, and they move so fast!
The Sunshine Coast was also super sunny and beautiful with really nice beaches. The tide was out when I went, so most of the time was spent exploring lots of tide pools. But swimming in the ocean also felt nice! It was certainly a popular tourist destination.
Finally, Sydney was amazing! I loved being able to see the opera house! It was so cool to actually be able to see it in person and walk around it! I went to another koala sanctuary here and saw some other fascinating animals. I learned what an echidna is. They’re adorable too! Next was Bondi Beach, with an outdoor pool right by the ocean. It was amazing to swim there! (Definitely cold and salty though).
This was definitely a nice break from school work, and it was absolutely amazing to see so many different animals and places that Australia has to offer!
– Caley