• Jamie Nicholson
  • Jamie Nicholson

Returning Juanes to Colombia

This trip is a road trip to Sydney from Brisbane to take our Colombian friend to the airport to fly back to Colombia after his month stay here. Read more
  • Trip start
    May 16, 2024
  • Kingscliff Accommodation

    May 16, 2024 in Australia ⋅ ⛅ 18 °C

    A nice AirBnB. Actually associated with the motel next door even though it's a separate house. Big and beautiful!

    One day I'll listen to my mum when she would say "all you need is somewhere to rest your head at night"... Until then I'll keep finding cute places like this to spend a few hours in and waste money lol.Read more

  • Crystal Castle

    May 17, 2024 in Australia ⋅ ⛅ 18 °C

    Weather was starting to turn bad, so we headed up to Crystal Castle instead. Alex and I have been here a bunch of times, but it was nice to show a newbie around the gardens... Until it started pouring with rain, thankfully they give out free umbrellas.Read more

  • Ballina

    May 17, 2024 in Australia ⋅ ⛅ 20 °C

    I don't think we had ever been to the Breakwall of Ballina before in all our stops. So it was nice to have a look around that area for a short stop. They also have made the big prawn into a stand-alone feature in front of a huge Bunnings now lol.Read more

  • Yamba

    May 18, 2024 in Australia ⋅ ☀️ 18 °C

    Nothing like a morning walk in the sun at Yamba. So many memories of doing this myself, which carried over to Alex, so I hope Juanes appreciated the beauty of this area with us.

    Went out to the Blue Lagoon for a look. First time I've been there since mum passed, and of course, it made me think of the stories of her there as a young girl, which got me in the feels. It's a pretty place for a cry lol.Read more

  • Red Cliff and Broomshead

    May 18, 2024 in Australia ⋅ 🌬 18 °C

    We had a fun adventure out to Lake Arragan to try out the inflatable raft again. But the weather was starting to turn bad with a lot of strong wind. Which made it a very interesting experience. Went up to the Broomshead bluff, no tears here though because I think the wind would have been at least 100km/h up there, Juanes was being lifted up by the wind when he leaned into it. Guess Mum wasn't in the mood for guests today.Read more

  • Coffs, Urunga and Nambucca

    May 19, 2024 in Australia ⋅ 🌬 17 °C

    Can't take a newbie down the coast without doing an obligatory photo stop at The Big Banana. Last time we went to the Butterfly House we saw a lot of interesting and big butterflies, but this time we disappointingly saw very few.

    The boardwalk at Urunga is always a gorgeous stop. The colours there are so pretty on a nice day.

    Then, it was down to Nambucca for lunch and a walk along the painted path.
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  • Trial Bay Gaol and Smoky Cape Lighthouse

    May 19, 2024 in Australia ⋅ 🌬 18 °C

    The afternoon stop was at Trial Bay Gaol. A little bit disappointing that they charged full price when the viewing tower and the big cell block were under construction, and we couldn't view them.

    But we got to see kangaroos up close at both the Gaol and the Lighthouse. Might have even got to see a rogue whale at the lighthouse, but it was a bit too far out to be sure. It seemed too big to be a dolphin to me.
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  • Port Maquarie

    May 20, 2024 in Australia ⋅ ☀️ 14 °C

    Arriving in the evening we grabbed some Turkish, which was delicious as expected. Then we went to sleep and woke up to some stunning views of into the ocean.

    A bit after breakfast, Juanes and Alex jumped in the water for a short time while I went to refuel the car.

    Juanes also had a ride of a camel along the beach. A perfect day for it too. One of the people told us the dolphins were jumping the waves, but we didn't get to see that today.

    Finally ending up at the Koala Conservation Hospital which did such an amazing job during the bushfires. To help support the hospital, we got Juanes an adoption of one of the koalas named Murwillumbah Bobby, after where he is from.
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  • Kiama

    May 21, 2024 in Australia ⋅ 🌙 16 °C

    Arriving at our stop for the night in Kiama to visit the blow holes. Unfortunately, the water was calm, so the bursts were not as intense as they could be.

  • Bowral

    May 22, 2024 in Australia ⋅ ☀️ 14 °C

    A brief drive-through my ancestral town of Bowral. First visiting the "birthplace" of Mary Poppins.

    Then, an emotional stop out to pay my respects to my grandparents and great grandparents. Later this year, we have a family trip planned to spread my mother's ashes there and put up a new memorial plaque.Read more

  • Scenic World

    May 23, 2024 in Australia ⋅ ☀️ 13 °C

    No trip is complete to Katoomba without a stop at Scenic World. Feels like each time I go there, it gets better. Two cable cars and the steep railway as well as the walks in the lower section.