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  • Mary Kieran Gap Year

Australia

A 9-day adventure by Mary Kieran Gap Year Read more
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  • Trip start
    December 7, 2024
    Mary Kieran Gap YearAustraliaTraveler
    1

    Day 330: Westworld Whims

    December 5, 2024 in Singapore ⋅ ☁️ 90 °F

    So we like the movie Crazy Rich Asians, but we really visited Singapore for Westworld Season 3. There is a running joke among our drumline friend group that Mary is very Delores in her “burn down capitalism” rhetoric while Kieran is Teddy because he’s just a sweet guy who supports his lady. Spoilers, they are robots and Delores puts Teddy down for the long nap 😂

    Anyway, marked a bunch of filming locations on the map and visited as many as we could today! Few scenes include where Caleb attempts to apply for a normal job (Lasalle College of the Arts), Delores reveals her plan to take down Rehoboam (giant algorithm that decides people’s fates), Delores breaks into the building where Rehoboam is stored (Marina One), and where Maeve and Serac get a drink (Bar Atlas).

    We got drinks in Bar Atlas and it was a beautifully designed 1920 art deco building. The drinks were pricey, but it was a little treat for Westworld sakes.

    After walking around for hours, we returned to the hostel for a nap and ate hotpot for dinner!

    Food:
    Dim sum
    Hot pot

    Spots:
    Lasalle College of the Arts
    Marina One
    Atlas Bar
    Esplanade Park    Read more

  • Mary Kieran Gap YearAustraliaTraveler

    Day 331/332: 18 Hours of Travel, Mate

    December 7, 2024 in Australia ⋅ ☁️ 84 °F

    Goodbye Asia, hello Oceania! Reached our 6th and final continent. It only took 18 hours to get there. Treated ourselves to a non-budget airline (Philippines Airline); you don’t know how nice it was to have free water, snacks, entertainment, and leg room. Also the Singapore airport had the best airport food hands down besides Tokyo.

    First leg was 4 hours to Manila. We watched Edge of Tomorrow and Gran Torino. We pushed through a 5 hour layover in a different terminal than last time; way more food and seating options!

    Second leg was a red eye to Brisbane. We checked in late and Mary attempted to pick window seats on rows that were empty. She got a completely empty row; Kieran got an empty middle seat. Mary immediately took a sleeping pill, went horizontal, and slept through dinner and breakfast. The staff kindly placed a little toasty sandwich and cookies in her seat pocket while she was sleeping.

    Kieran suffered greatly and got no sleep.

    After landing in Brisbane, we rode a 1.5 hour train down to Labrador, our home base for the next two days. Labrador is in the Gold Coast and north of a more touristy area called Surfers Paradise. It was the most affordable accommodation, yet could still access the beach with busses and trams.

    We also chose this spot because it’s close to Kieran’s friend Nick from high school! Nick and his wife Sabrina originally lived in Illinois and made the decision to move to Australia a year ago. Sabrina is from New Zealand originally so she was able to obtain a work permit.

    We met Nick for dinner and ordered fish and chips. Caught up on life, their kids, and his feelings towards living in Australia. He definitely likes the Gold Coast Area, but also misses friends from home. Around 11pm, we try to locate a bar for a beer but the only option is a casino. We go for it and enjoy watching other people lose their money 🙏🏻

    It was awesome to catch up with Nick (despite the jet lag) and we wish all the best to him and Sabrina.

    Food:
    Lumpia
    Chicken mami
    Beef noodle soup
    Fish & chips

    Spot:
    Singapore
    Manila
    Brisbane
    Labrador    Read more

  • Mary Kieran Gap YearAustraliaTraveler

    Day 333: Surfers Paradise

    December 8, 2024 in Australia ⋅ ☁️ 91 °F

    Beach day! Woke up, made sandwiches, and got prepped to blast our skin with UV rays…again. We rode a bus to reach the Surfers Paradise tram, a train that runs from the top of the barrier island to the bottom. Absolutely loved this form of transportation on the island (paragraph incoming).

    If anyone has ever visited Ocean City Maryland, Rehoboth Delaware, and probably any barrier island in Florida/North Carolina, they know how difficult it is to find parking. First, there’s not much room on the island and some hotels will only offer 1-2 spots. If you want to go public transportation, there might be A SINGLE BUS that is crowded and miserable to ride when you are carrying everything with you (coolers, umbrellas).

    Now imagine those spots with an air conditioned tram that runs every 7 minutes and that you never had to bring a car to the area in the first place. Perhaps you rode the train into Ocean City from DC/Baltimore, grabbed the tram, and then walk only 5 minutes to meet up at your friend’s accommodation. It was a dream life and hope the US moves towards trams on these beach barrier islands.

    Other than two other groups, we were the only individuals with an umbrella. As soon as we set it up we figured out why: crazy wind. You could see in the distance little sand walls blowing around the beach.

    The wind created huge waves and we enjoyed jumping around in the water with other crazy Aussies. Sadly, around 4pm a huge thunderstorm came through so we packed up and rode the tram and bus home. Treated to an awesome thunderstorm that night!

    Food:
    Sandwhiches
    Home cooked meal finally

    Spots:
    Surfers Paradise    Read more

  • Mary Kieran Gap YearAustraliaTraveler

    Day 334: Brisbane

    December 9, 2024 in Australia ⋅ ☁️ 86 °F

    Brisbane is the third largest city in the Gold Coast and in Oceania. It was also the headquarters for General Douglas MacArthur and the Allied Command South Pacific in World War II.

    The city itself is cool architecturally and there are many waterways flowing in and out. We walked around the city to include Fortitude Valley, Kangaroo Point, and South Bank.

    We passed many breweries and decided to stop in a smaller one called Sea Legs. They were playing cricket on the TV and we attempted to learn the rules. It just turned into silly conversations on players and the game itself.

    Mary started feeling bad again so we headed back to the hostel and got noodles for dinner. So much for trying to cook more in Australia.

    Hostel: Bunk

    Food:
    Dumplings
    Bao
    Gyoza
    Dandan Noodles
    Biang Biang Noodles

    Spots:
    Fortitude Valley
    Kangaroo Point
    Brisbane    Read more

  • Mary Kieran Gap YearAustraliaTraveler

    Day 335: Hostel Shaningans

    December 10, 2024 in Australia ⋅ 🌧 73 °F

    We assumed that since Australia is in the southern hemisphere, it would be summertime in December. The weather forecast the last two days would say otherwise.

    Complete heavy downpour. We’re talking soaked immediately within 5 minutes downpour all day. We stepped out for a bit to pick up hiking boots for New Zealand, but otherwise could not escape this rainy day.

    Two hostel mates ran inside after being drenched with no umbrella all morning. It was a blessing because we spent majority of the day getting to know them and chatting.

    Chloe and Sarah are nurses from Scotland and are traveling through Southeast Asia for several weeks. They visited Bali, Thailand, and now Australia. They graduated nursing school right at the pandemic and were thrown to the fire; they said everything else is easy now after working during COVID. They also informed us that this is Australia’s rainy season (think April instead of June)

    Around dinner time, we gave up and decided to venture into the pouring rain for beers. We planned to meet up with their friend Tasch who is a fashion photographer and gets invited to runway events. She was absolutely amazing and down to earth, and we loved her. She plans to stay in Australia for a bit to work in the fashion photography business here.

    It was a great girls night and Kieran could keep up with the Scottish and British accents quite well this time.

    Food:
    Hostel ramen
    Pizza
    Beer

    Spots:
    Fortitude Valley
    Felons Brewing    Read more

  • Mary Kieran Gap YearAustraliaTraveler

    Day 336/337: Train to Taree

    December 12, 2024 in Australia ⋅ ☀️ 86 °F

    The train between Brisbane and Sydney is 14-15 hours and we are working to save money for New Zealand and Ski season. Mary recommended we stop along the way and see the more local side of Australia; we selected the cute little town of Taree.

    Taree is situated in Australia’s agricultural district and resides in a flood plain. The downtown screams small town America with a single commerce street where all the businesses and restaurants line up on either side. Our accommodation, the Railroad Lodge Motel, is inside old military barracks and gives us Arizona / New Mexico vibes. Our train was 9 hours so we crashed immediately upon arriving; train was uneventful other than seeing kangaroos in cow fields along the journey!

    The next day we walked around downtown Taree and the little parks along the river walk; there were huge birds in the water and we couldn’t determine if they were pelicans or huge ass geese. Really colorful birds that look like parrots often fly around Taree and squawk. For dinner, we found a gambling horse race hotel that had a Christmas trivia event. They had great nightly deals and we got two steaks for $20 USD!!

    The best part of Taree was their sunsets; we got to experience deep purples and Australian outback style colors. We absolutely loved this small little town and wish we had more time to stop in similar towns along the eastern side.

    Food:
    Steaks

    Spots:
    Taree    Read more

  • Mary Kieran Gap YearAustraliaTraveler

    Day 338/339: Sydney Downtown

    December 14, 2024 in Australia ⋅ ⛅ 79 °F

    5 more hours of public transportation to reach Sydney and a 6am wake up call! We make our way in the dark to the Taree train station and are greeted with a sunrise. It ends up the first journey leg would be on a bus; we moved through the Australian bush, country side, and a few rolling hills. The driver drove so fast and Kieran got motion sickness.

    After arriving in the Surrey Hills neighborhood, Kieran felt awful so we checked in early and napped until dinner.

    The next day, he felt much better so we trammed downtown to Circular Quay where the famous Sydney Opera House is situated. Walked around the bay through the botanical gardens and came upon a little fountain area. Kieran spotted a fish; we look closer and it’s an eel! We didn’t realize freshwater eels were a thing and they apparently live in this little fountain; the city will drain the fountain for cleaning and they come back every year.

    We walk to the Kings Cross Neighborhood and catch the Royal Navy updating some of His Majesties Australian Ships. Stopped by the Kings Cross pub for drinks and food, and then made our way to Newtown neighborhood for some hipster vibes.

    Food:
    Fish & Chips
    Lamb Kebabs

    Spots:
    Circular Quay
    Sydney Opera House
    Botanic Gardens
    Kings Cross
    Newtown    Read more

  • Mary Kieran Gap YearAustraliaTraveler
    1

    Day 340: Australian Outback (kidding)

    December 15, 2024 in Australia ⋅ ⛅ 90 °F

    Today was our last day in Sydney. We made plans to hike in the Blue Mountains but realized it would take 3 hours of public transportation each way and would need to rent a car. So instead, we made a visit to the Sydney Zoo!

    The Australian portion of the zoo was really good. They had an open enclosure for the kangaroos and wallabies whichto roam freely amongst the visitors. Mary even got to pet a baby kangaroo who was waiting to be fed. We also thoroughly enjoyed the indoor section as it featured native snakes, frogs, and insects to the Australian region, including a bat!

    Next was the koala section. We got there right at feeding time, so they were as active as ever. Last notable mentions are the 4 meter long crocodile, 2 great white sharks, and 2 elephants fighting each other over food.

    For dinner, we finally found an authentic Mexican restaurant just a few blocks away and had Micheladas, street tacos, and pazole. It was our first authentic Michelada in 6 months and served exactly like our favorite place in Baltimore. We stopped for a drink at the local pub on the way home before packing our bags and heading to bed.

    Food:
    Tacos
    Pazole

    Spots:
    Sydney Zoo
    Surrey Hills    Read more

    Trip end
    December 15, 2024
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