My Australian Review

 So, for the first two months of this year, I was travelling up and down the east coast of Australia and it was one of the best things I have ever done. Before I left, so many people I spoke to told me this would be the case and they were right. My send off was lovely, most involving drinks, and a lovely goodbye party, held by Mike and Kathy from Moulton shop, with a delicious curry cooked by Tanja. The last day was emotional, VERY EMOTIONAL, because I am the worst at goodbyes, and have such a great group of friends and family, that I knew I would miss (as the Aussies would say) 'heaps'. Anyway, after I had been bulked up on Shepherds Pie cooked by my amazing friend, I went, to the airport in a Jaguar, courtesy of my Dad, and set off on the longest flight ever! We arrived, and from that moment on, I had the time of my life. There was not a single second that I regret, not a single moment that I wish did not happen. That is not to say that none of my trip was tough, but it was all for the experience, and I am so grateful for it all. Things I saw, just amazing. The Great Barrier Reef, with all the colourful fish, beautiful coral, and crystal clear ocean. The Daintree Rainforest, oldest in the world, my first experience of a Rainforest, the noise, everywhere you look ,a different species, seeing a snake eat a frog, seeing a crocodile in the wild, truly incredible. I learnt a lot, here, about the culture of the Aboriginals, which interested me a great deal. My skydive over the Great Barrier Reef and the Whitsunday islands was, probably, no definitely, the best thing I have ever done. The wildlife, amazing, colourful, beautiful, I never thought I would ever be amazed at birds, and trees...but there I was, stopping to look, gasping in amazement, at birds and trees! I saw everything that you would expect to see on a visit to Australia... Dolphins, Turtles, Parrots, Cockatoos, Kookaburras, Snakes, Lizards, Possums, Kangaroos, Koalas, you name it, I probably saw it. The beaches were something else, not one bad beach, not one even close to a bad beach. The views were simply amazing, too. When in Adelaide, at the famous wineries with friends, that was when I really did think to myself, "now, this is the life!" Having tasted many lovely wines, and been told which field nearby that the grapes were grown, chosen my favourite and sat to enjoy, I looked out and just admired. It really was the most beautiful place.
 Although, the main part of my trip that I will take with me will, of course, be the above, the list of things I gained from this experience, that will be life long gains, goes on so much further. Being left in a foreign country, in a city, with a clash of cultures, being told I have the wrong train ticket which was meant to be my form of transport for the next two months, with a huge time difference making any slight issue a lot bigger, for a few days was the toughest part. To many of you, this will sound odd, but at the end of the day it was the first time I had been in this position, my first experience of anything other than the norm, and I am going to be honest, I was scared. This was the first time where I thought to myself that this trip really is going to do me the world of good, in so many more ways than one, teaching me valuable lessons. It built my confidence, to ask for help, to organise myself, to deal with obstacles that come my way, with strength. It built my opinions on certain matters, types of people and situations. It has made me stronger, to deal with things in life. It has made me want to travel more, explore more of this beautiful World that we live in. And most of all, it has made me appreciate what I have, the incredible network of friends and my beautiful family that I missed so dearly and am so lucky to have. It really made me appreciate England, a beautiful country, and what it has to offer that I have yet to explore. Truly, it made me appreciate life, and all the wonderful things in it.

 When I returned home, I was greeted with smiles, two friends at the airport arrivals gate, a shop window greeting me in a very Aussie style, and so many lovely faces to see, so interested in hearing about my experience. Truly, the best experience, and if anybody ever doubts going, then do not, and just go, go travelling, it is one of the best things you will ever do, and the memories will last you a lifetime.