Sydney Explorer

Life in Sydney is great, don't get me wrong. The weather is great (this is a big thing for anyone from England). Even in winter the sun always shines and you can walk around in a t-shirt most days. You've got countless beaches on your doorstep and loads of places to explore outside of the city. But nothing compares to home and there are some things that I really miss about London.

Last week marked my 6 month anniversary in Australia. 6 months. How did that happen? Time seems to have flown by, but living in London also feels like a lifetime ago, and I really do miss it. After 5 long, long months of hostel living, myself and 2 friends FINALLY moved into a flat in the wonderful Newtown. Never again will I take my own personal space for granted. And never again do I want to live in a room with 9 other people. Never.

It's now been over 1 month since Glastonbury 2017 closed it's gates; and I think I'm just about ready to talk about it. This year would have been my 10 year anniversary at Worthy Farm but moving to Australia kind of got in the way this year. For me, Glastonbury has always been a special, magical place and I find it hard to describe exactly how amazing it is to people who have never been. But I'm going to try.

Ljubljana, the capital of Slovenia is one of the nicest cities I've visited and was the 3rd stop on my inter-rail tour last summer. I instantly fell in love with the city and it's people and was so glad to be spending nearly a week in the country. Ljubljana is super small for a capital city, but that adds to it's charm. The city centre is compact, with a small river running through the middle and a hill top castle overlooking the city.

Time to dish the dirt on the actual farming. There are only a few types of farms around Innisfail; papaya, rambutan and (by far the most common) banana. I was lucky and ended up on a banana farm with my 2 friends, so that automatically made life slightly easier. However, rumour has it that banana farming is one of the toughest things you can do. The first 3-4 weeks were by far the hardest and the thought of quitting crossed my mind more than once. 

First things first, apologies for the complete radio silence over the past 5 months – shocking, I know! I’d like to make my excuses and claim I’ve been stuck on a banana farm in the middle of nowhere, with no form of communication with the outside world. But that would be a lie. Apart from the banana farm part, that is all true. From February to May I was living and working in far north Queensland to complete my second year visa regional work. It was an experience, that's for sure. 

A hidden gem among the tropical paradises of the world, New Caledonia, an archipelago in Pacific Ocean, should definitely be on your perfect vacation dream list. The country is incredibly rich when it comes to culture and history but also very diverse in its flora and fauna. Of course, beautiful beaches and lagoons are a perfect spot for a great relaxing day or fun water sports. But, if you need a few more reasons to plan your next trip with specifically New Caledonia in mind, keep on reading.