Going Solo: The East Coast

Coming away travelling and spending pretty much every day for the last six months with my best friend was the best experience I could have asked for. But we'd said from the very beginning that if we wanted different things, we'd go our separate ways. We promised we'd respect each other's decisions to go it alone if the time came that we wanted different things from our trip. So far for six months it turned out we did want the same things and we were perfectly happy to stick together and to do everything as a pair. And it was truly amazing. We got on so well, only had a couple of drunken misunderstandings, had the best time in Southeast Asia, Sydney and the Fruitshack, but eventually it had to all come to an end. Saying goodbye to Stef after being by her side for half a year was heartbreaking. It felt like we were breaking up, that I'd lost a limb. She was my support network, my little piece of home. I got on the bus that took me back to Sydney from the Fruitshack and sobbed my heart out at the thought of leaving her behind. She was staying at the Shack for a while, then moving onto Melbourne to get a job, and my plan was to travel a little bit of Australia's east coast. The time had come to do it alone.. The plan was to meet Rich in Brisbane, who would be flying over from New Zealand to see me for a week before heading back to the UK. I had four weeks to travel up from Sydney to Brisbane and stop a few places along the way. Being back in Sydney was weird after six weeks of working on a farm. It felt bizarre to be back in the hustle and bustle and the bright lights of the New South Wales city compared to the sleepy little town of Leeton. The countryside town was very small and it was almost like being in a time warp, so heading back to the massive, modern city was strange. It felt like I'd been gone a lot longer than just six weeks. Being back was almost like going home. I met up and stayed with old flatmates and met some new people too. It was a short, fleeting visit but I'd spent two and a half months there before; there was no need for me to stay any longer. I'd seen and done everything I wanted to do so I was more than happy to get going on my adventure and get to my first destination: Newcastle. I arrived into Newcastle feeling nervous about starting my trip off on my own. I'd always wanted to travel alone, and as amazing as it was travelling with Stef, I knew it was something I just had to do. I still felt nervous about meeting people and going it alone, but I knew that once I got used to it, it would be fine. I was looking forward to entering the dorm room on my own for the first time and getting to know new people and not having to rely on Stef to help me out. To my disappointment however, the lovely receptionist seemed to warm to me, told me I was really nice and that she was giving me my very own room. I couldn't believe it! The first night, for which I'd prepared myself to meet others, would be spent alone. I'd come on this trip to meet people, to experience this travelling alone phenomenon that everyone raves about. 'You'll meet so many people,' they all said. After all that time with my nerves building up, I was being put on my own. I'd have to build up the courage to speak to people another day. After the initial feelings of disappointment wore off however, I realised a room to myself and a proper duvet were exactly what I needed. These things after living on a farm felt like an absolutely luxury. They seem insignificant and simple to other people but to me they were absolute bliss. I snuggled in bed, enjoyed my own company with my book and had an early night, feeling warm and content. After the freezing nights spent in a corrugated iron shack, a warm duvet and a decent night's sleep went down a treat. It's amazing the things you start to appreciate when you're travelling. A snuggly duvet and your own room become normal things when you're at home and things you may take for granted. It's nice to have a new appreciation for the simplest things in life. Another lesson learned from living and working on a farm. My first day in Newcastle was spent mostly walking around the city and along the coast. I didn't track how far I'd walked but I was definitely walking on what felt like the road to nowhere for six solid hours. The coastal walk was beautiful and as much as I wanted to get on and meet people, the me-time felt amazing. It felt good to walk around, be back beside the seaside, take in some fresh ocean air, listen to my music and feel at peace with the world. The views were incredible and I once again had that feeling of disbelief that I was actually in Australia. The countryside reminded me of a typical English landscape and I had to question if I really was in Australia or not. But then I remembered there was a beautiful beach to the left of me and I felt completely sure I wasn't in England and that this wasn't all a dream. The weather was a little overcast but it didn't bother me, I was happy enough just to be out and about. It is winter over in Australia now and any winter that feels like a warm English summer day is ok with me, even if the Aussies think it's freezing. When I finally made it back home, Mama Shar, the lovely lady who runs the hostel, had treated us to a little BBQ. I'd bought a bottle of wine at the shop, asked some guys if I could join them and settled down to a lovely evening of good company and conversation. What was I so nervous about? It was easy! Just go and sit with people and start talking to them. Simple. The first hurdle had been overcome. I'd done it once and I was ready to carry on meeting more people and having a good time. Two French girls had also moved into my room, so the time for being alone had come to an end. After a little day at the beach, wandering around and chilling out I'd made plans to travel to the next stop, Port Macquarie, with one of my roommates. We'd heard there was a koala hospital there and Sabrina and I really wanted to go but her friend, Audrey, didn't fancy it much. I agreed to go to Port Macquarie with Sabrina and then she would meet Audrey in Byron Bay in a few days time. I had a travel buddy already! I was feeling excited and happy; this was all so easy and relaxed. I was starting to see why people said you meet so many people so quickly and easily. Newcastle was a lovely quaint little place, where it was just nice to indulge in a little me-time and to start off my trip in a chilled out town. I only stayed a couple of nights and was more than ready to check out Port Macquarie with Sabrina. The koala hospital was very cute and it was sad to learn of the injuries and illnesses that these poor little animals had endured. Some of them had been run over, some caught in bush fires, some had infections, and others just had nowhere to live anymore as their natural habitat was being destroyed by humans. I was fascinated by them as they're so adorable, and as they're native to Australia, it's not an animal we tend to see every day. I really hoped to hold one, but the lady had advised us we were not allowed. I was disappointed but I understood that these creatures were poorly and injured, so it would not do them good to be humanised too much. We did see one little koala being released into a tree for the very first time. It had been a baby when it was injured and had been held in home care for a long time. The koala climbed the tree as if it had done it a million times before. It was amazing to witness nature and instinct at its best. Sabrina and I then walked down to the beach and bore witness to the most amazing sunset I think I've ever seen. Anyone that knows me, knows I love a good sunset, but this was just amazing. It was like an explosion of oranges and yellows and I could not stop taking photos of it. With the beautiful sky and marina as my backdrop I once again felt a deep appreciation for where I was and what I was doing. There's nothing like an incredible sunset to make you feel alive. The next stop on my list was Coffs Harbour. I'd heard briefly about it before and a couple of people had told me not to bother going there. I seriously considered listening to them as my bus was due to leave Port Macquarie at one in the morning and arrive into Coffs Harbour at three. The bus journey alone was enough to put me off even though it was only two hours in duration. But then I remembered that someone had told Stef and I not to bother with Koh Phi Phi in Thailand and it turned out to be one of our favourite places. Remembering that I wanted to make my own mind up about places, I decided to grit my teeth and face the bus journey, even if it was at a ridiculous time in the morning. I was sitting in the living room of the hostel when I got chatting to a lovely British couple, Lauren and Jamie. They said they were also going to Coffs Harbour the next day but they were driving there in their car. Would I like a lift? Fate had stepped in and prevented me getting a bus at a stupid hour and helped me to meet two really lovely people, who I got on very well with. It was perfect. It was a good journey up the coast; giving me the opportunity to experience a little taste of a road trip, which was awesome. We had a good laugh, and even though we were staying in different hostels, we went out for a drink to the pub that evening. Yet again I'd met people so easily and I was finding I was not spending any time alone, which was so great. I had been worried for nothing. It really was so easy to meet people. I think, in a way, it's actually easier to meet people when you're on your own than it is when you're travelling with someone. When Stef and I couldn't be bothered to go out drinking, we knew we'd have each other, and so we perhaps wouldn't go out and meet people as much as we could have. We relied on each other for company. When you're on your own you force yourself to go out and be sociable, else the alternative is to sit in your room alone. No wonder so many travellers just get drunk; it's the easiest way to meet people! As it turned out I had a brilliant time in Coffs Harbour. I'm so glad I went there and checked it out for myself. I'd originally booked just two nights, but ended up staying for five. A place is all determined by the people you meet there and the memories you make, the fun you have. Of course two people can have two completely different experiences in the same place and it could be one person's favourite place on earth, and someone else's worst. I just so happened to meet amazing people, Virginie, Chiara, Fabienne and Sophie being amongst some of them. We all spent a lot of time together and they were really lovely girls. The hostel we were staying at offered free activities so whilst in Coffs Harbour I had my first ever surf lesson, paddle boarded up a beautiful creek, jumped the jetty, went on a 4x4 drive to the rainforest and generally just had an awesome time. I lost my camera and obtained a seriously large bruise just from jumping into the sea but it didn't affect my time there at all. My team lost epically at the pub quiz, we had some nice wine and a BBQ and even just sat in the living room and watched Home Alone. The atmosphere in the hostel and the friendly people and staff made Coffs Harbour really worth going to for me. I wasn't alone once again the whole time I was there and I kept extending my stay as I didn't want to leave. We had a walk up to the viewpoint and witnessed another amazing sunset. The marina was also very pretty. Ok so there's not a huge amount to do here but for me if was amazing, just because of the fun I had, the people I met and the memories I made. Reluctantly we had to leave Coffs Harbour sooner or later and as the others went off to a place called Yamba I set off for Byron Bay. To be continued..