It has finally come to my attention that I am not a scheduled blogger at all, but more so a spontaneous blogger. I don’t like to follow scheduled posts, I tend to churn out posts randomly when I find certain inspiration or the will to write one. So here is the long, long overdue post on Day 2 of my spring break in Australia.

Last post, I left off with my friends and I getting our eyebrows down at a beachside market in Gold Coast, thus ending our first night of the trip at Surfer’s Paradise. Although the actual trip was so long ago, I still remember each day very vividly and all the roller coaster ride of events that followed. On our second day, we continued along with our amusement park adventures with Sea World. You may ask why we decided to visit so many amusement parks during our time in Gold Coast but truthfully, that’s really what they’re known for besides Surfer’s Paradise, that is.

 

The day started with a sky full of gloom, but once it got past noon, the sun came out and everything was all happy and dandy again! I think Sea World was one of my favourite parks. While the other parks were thrilling and epic in heart-pumping proportions, nothing compares to the nostalgic feeling you get from animals performing tricks and re-living your childhood dreams of becoming a dolphin trainer. Not to mention, these pelicans are way more bigger in person than expected!

 

 

We managed to catch a dolphin show at Dolphin Cove within the park and boy, was I amazed. If I could become any animal, it would be a dolphin, I think. (Emphasis on the “I think”) They were doing all these cool tricks all over, everything happened so fast yet so exciting that I was really on the edge of my seat. At one point, a pair of dolphins were used as a wakeboard and I thought to myself, “Why would you need to buy a surfboard when you can just get a dolphin?” The speed at which they move underwater is incredibly swift, you really wonder how can they propel themselves that fast in such calm currents.

I think dolphins are one of the most interesting animals ever with their ability to be trained so thoroughly and perform so well alongside humans. It’s really amazing to see how much they can understand you and the effort the trainers put into this.

That’s them saying goodbye to us!

We then explored around the park and went on several different rides before taking this cable car that took us over the entirety of the park to the exit. Here are some photos to prove our existence!

On our way out we saw the cutest little penguins, they are supposedly the tiniest penguin species. On the other hand, we also saw some seals. I have to say, seals are very elegant-looking creatures – I think it’s the way they arch their back when they’re “standing up.”  Might I add that the view from the cable car was amazing! It overlooked all of the park and just when the sun was peeking out.

I definitely recommend taking this cable car upon leaving the park as a overall scenic ride rather than at the beginning of your park excursion. After Sea World, we decided to head on over to Surfer’s Paradise beach but before that, we stopped by some sushi train shop for Gold Coast’s famous sushi reputation.

By the time we got to the beach, the sun was out and the temperature was perfect for a nice tan on the sand. I really wanted to surf there because why wouldn’t you want to surf at Surfer’s Paradise but it was too late for board rentals and the shop guy said he was going home early to watch some game… footy game probably.

I found it quite amusing seeing lifeguards with such strict uniforms, I dig them yellow and red shades though. We also got to witness a wedding on the beach. How typical yet so magical.

Overall, it was a wonderful day spent bustling our glutes around and following a very tight schedule. I’m glad we got to chill and wind-down by the beach and watch the beautiful Gold Coast sunset in crimson colours.

Day 3 is when things get more exciting. We took a train to Brisbane for the day to catch our flight later in the day to Mackay to sail the Whitsundays, but we realized that Mackay airport is another 2 hours away from our hostel for the night so we would need to drive there somehow. The problem is, there were no more busses going from Mackay to the hostel area as we land pretty late so there we were, crouched in the hot sun of Brisbane with our luggages trying to tackle the problem. Our solution was to rent a car but for same-day rentals, all cars were pretty much gone and most needed someone 21 and over. Luckily, our crisis was averted when we found the only car company that still had cars available. We were then able to relax fully for a short half-day in Brisbane.

I kind of wished we had stayed in Brisbane longer because it was just such a nice day and the temperature was hot but manageable. Everything was blooming and bustling and I just felt like I needed to explore the city itself more. Maybe next time. It was such an interesting sight – a man-made beach – with just footsteps away from actual water but nonetheless, the beach was beautiful and crowded with people.

The juxtaposition of the city skyline and the piercing blue water was so mesmerizing that I had to take 100 photos from different angles just to prove it.

Next thing you know, we are flying onwards to the very north of Australia!