Main beach backpackers Review

We think that our time in Byron bay wasn't enjoyable was mainly down to the fact that we didn't like the hostel we stayed in. We stayed in Main Beach Backpackers if you haven't already guessed. We personally wouldn't recommend this hostel to anyone that was planning on going.  The only reason why we stayed in this hostel was because when we booked up our travels we got discounted accommodation vouchers. So we thought why not save a little cha ching and go with the ones that Indie travel recommend.
Our room. Ok we stayed in a 6 bed dorm. We got quite lucky with the roommate situation, the first night we had one girl in the room with us and then she left so we had the 6 bed dorm to ourselves for 2 nights, then another girl joined and then she left after 1 night and then we were on our own again for the remainder of our time there. It was quite handy because we didn't have to leave the room to get changed etc. But the room wasn't luxury and we didn't expect it to be on a travellers budget, but this was just wrong. The rooms smelt of pure DAMP and MOULD, you opened the door you could smell it, the went sleep guess what you could smell it and what made it even better it made our clothes STINK! We didn't realise how bad the smell was until we unpacked our clothes at surfers paradise. The bunk beds were broken. And on our first night our roommate found a spider in the room -_-
Even though the kitchen was mopped each day it still smelt and we didn't want to touch or use anything. Nothing looked like it had been washed up but thats down to the people using them. 
The toilets are pretty much what you expect of public toilets but even then i think public toilets are a little bit much nicer. Some of the girls toilets didn't have locks. The shower only seemed to have one setting, cold! It was rare to get hot  water or even warm, it was just by chance.
One of the main things we noticed was that the people there were not very welcoming to us, no one really spoke to us or even made a effort too, we wasn't sure if it was because we are a couple or because the other people there were long timers and have made there own click. So there wasn't a very nice atmosphere in the hostel. There was only one person who was nice to us and tried to generate a conversation whenever she saw us and that was the receptionist. 
There was no nights out planned or ways to get to know other travellers, no events like they said there would be. One night was meant to be all you can eat BBQ for $5 and it didn't happen and i don't even remember seeing a BBQ, just stuff like that.
The one thing we loved was that the beach was a stone throw away from it, less then 30 seconds to get there!
We didn't let this get us down though because you can't complain for $16 dollars a night!

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Things to do in Byron bay

1. Walk to the light house

2. Do a nature trail 

3. Walk to most easterly part of Australia

4. Lay by the beach 

5. Go shopping in the cute shops

6. Hire a surfboard or paddle board and learn how to surf

7. Kayaking tours

8. Whale watching

9. Sky dive onto the beach

10. Eat out at the local restaurants 

11. Sleep all day and party all night

12. Hire a bike and go exploring 

13. Yoga and pilates on the beach

14. Go outside of byron bay and see the surrounding areas

If You would like to know more about Byron bay or what else there is  to do the CLICK HERE

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Our time in Byron Bay

Byron bay is famous for being the hippie, chilled back town where most people call themselves free spirits. We were told so many good things about Byron bay that when we go we will want to stay, even the guy that picked us up said his trip was only meant to last 3 days and 6 months later he’s still here loving life, our roommates only said good things about it so we were pretty excited and set our standards high that we knew we were going to have a good time. But here it comes………… we didn’t like it. Before you go gaspingggggggg hear us out, we have pros and cons. 

What we loved:

The beach. It was beautiful, it stretched out for miles and as much as we tried to walk all of it, our legs just couldn’t take it. 

On Bobby's birthday we walked to the lighthouse which most people said only takes 30 minutes or so, 2 hours and a sweaty top later we finally made it to the top of the cliff (felt like a mountain) We did the nature walk and it was breath taking, the views were just stunning. It honestly takes your breath away but i think any beach view with clear blue waters is going to do that. We had made it to the most eastern part of Australia on our walk and whilst we was up there staring at the world we see some whales. If you wanted to be romantic you could go up there at sunrise or sunset.

The cute restaurants and cafes. Each way you turn, you have no end of choice for food. Italian, Thai, Vietnamese, Chinese, takeaway, organic food, the list is endless and can cater to every ones budgets. If your a traveller $5 dollar dominoes pizza or if you fancy something not out of a box and is AMAZING try Gourmet fish & chips. The best fish and chips we have EVER had, statement made! Its located behind main beach backpackers hostel.

You can learn how to surf, i mean you can do that at any beach but the price was great here! Plus with who we booked with we got free surf board hire and free paddle boards. But unfortunately a man was attacked by a shark a day before we arrived so we wasn’t feeling up to going to far out as it happened close to shore :/

What we didn’t so much love:

Theres not much to do other than lay by the beach, the nature walks to the light house and back, eat, go out drinking in the evening and that's pretty much it. Theres not much that drew us in about Byron, the town was like a big square with everything you need in it. 

Our hostel wasn’t the greatest but that will be another blog post.

For us it was quite boring but that's only our opinion, a lot of people there loved it but it just wasn’t for us. We could of done it in 2 or 3 days but we were there a week so we decided to get a tan, get drunk and make the most of time we had there.

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Were on the move!

Bon-voyage Sydney!

Peace out!

We outta here!

If you haven’t already guessed we are on the move. We have finally left Sydney and starting out travels up the east coast. We are done and dusted with the suitcases and have sent them home, bought backpacks, Bobby’s broke as soon as he put his on (he he) and mine weighs more than Mexico. I'm not even kidding i don’t know how people carry these every where they go, mine was on 30 minutes max and i was already calling myself Quasimodo. I can’t complain though i only have 1 backpack and the ‘important bag’ (passports, camera’s, knickers, tooth brush that kinda stuff) and Bobby has 2 backpacks… we can’t travel light! 

Our trip will last 5-6 weeks to travel up to cairns. We can do it quicker with 1 or 2 nights in each destination but we want to take our time and enjoy each place, i mean we do have a year here so whats the rush?! Here's what we have planned:

Byron bay

Surfers paradise

Brisbane

Noosa

Hervey bay

Frasier island

Airlie beach

Whitsundays

Cairns

First stop is Byron Bay, we have been told by nearly everyone we have spoken to that it is beautiful so we can’t wait to get there and call ourselves free spirits mannnnn! 

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Sydney harbour bridge climb

One word... AMAZING!!! We knew coming to Sydney that the bridge climb was one of the things that we definitely wanted to do. It is a must! If your coming to Sydney and this isn't on your bucket list, then grab that list, screw it up, chuck it out and write a new one with this at the very top!
We was so excited to do this, like beyond excitement, imagine excitement then times that by 200 that was our excitement level. I think you get the gist.  Bobby being the best boyfriend ever surprised me with this two days before we was doing it. Little cutie! As Sydney is throwing us some seriously bad weather, the only day it was sunny was the day we did this so he had picked the perfect day.

Once you get there you have to fill out some paper work and whilst your there, you stand in a circle (i felt 10 again) to get to know the group of 14 your doing the climb with and also your climb instructor.  From there you get given jumpsuit that is basically a onesie to wear, then get given a belt with a harness on, a jumper in case it gets chilly, a hat, a handkerchief if you get all emotional from the sights, safety string for your glasses and finally a headset to hear your guide. After you get everything you need you finally get started on the walk. 
The walk up is breath taking, one side is the opera house, circular quay, the rocks, Taronga zoo, etc. The other side is Luna park, darling harbour, cockatoo island and behind is the city. They tell you the facts about Sydney and also tell you about the heritage about the bridge, how it was made, how long it took, how many people died making it, how much it cost etc. Its all interesting but your main focus is the views. On the way up you stop a few times for pictures and take in the view. You don't get to walk completely across it to the other side, you only walk to the top then back down again.

  

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The stuff you wanna to know:
The price:  Adult $198-$358 Children $148- $228  Dawn, day, twilight or night depends on the price of climb you get. We did the day so it cost $248 per person. Its quite expensive but its a once in a life time thing to do so the choice is yours.
Photo's: Ah the money makers, there's always one where ever you go. For safety reasons you aren't allowed to take your own cameras up there, they will take their camera and take the pictures for you. You can buy picture packages or single when you book online, or after your climb. Bobby the smart nugget booked us a 10 picture package for $49.99 i believe so whilst we were up there we got to have all of the pictures they took of us.
The complete package- what you get for your money: Well of course you get the climb, a certificate of achievement, a bridge climb hat, free entry to the pylon lookout and a group photograph.  ______________________________________________
Our review
Overall we loved the climb. It is one of those things you will never forgot so you can't put a price on memories... but they had a good crack at it.  The only thing i would say they could improve on was the price. For a couple its $500 dollars but if your a family of 4 that's nearly $1000 dollars and of course you want pictures of it so that's an extra cost. You wouldn't want a group photo as your keep sake, you would want a personal photo to take back home.
If your interested in doing the climb or want to have a look at the website CLICK HERE

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10 things to do in Sydney that won't cost you alot!

Australia is quite expensive at times but we have found some things that we have done or are on the list of things to do that won't cost you a lot to do but will still be memorable!
1. Be a beach bum at Bondi  Depending on where you are in Sydney tickets can be cheap, For us we get on at kings cross and its $5 for a return and 2 stops later your in Bondi beach. Take a scarf instead of a towel to save you the weight, take a picnic with you or buy some lunch on the pavilion, grab some suncream and head over the beach. Depending on where you eat you can grab a bargain, I personally have fallen in love with The bucket list and will go there again!
2. Harbour Bridge & Opera House Doing the Harbour bridge walk will set you back quite a bit as prices start from $198 BUT if you find the right places you can get right up close to it for cheap as chips. If you head over the Luna Park you can get a view. Any angle you go you are going to get a great view of the opera house, they have cafes on the right hand side facing the harbour bridge. To me that's a a great afternoon watching the world go by sitting in the opera house looking at the bridge and seeing the sun set.   

View from Luna park.

3. Luna Park Luna Park is free entry and park rides start from $16.
4. Get lost in the Royal Botanical Gardens The Botanical gardens are huge and i have talked about them in a few of my posts so i won't rabbit on so if you Click Here and Here you can read all about it.
5. Take a sip at the Opera Bar All you have to do is order yourself a cocktail or what ever tickles you pickle and you can enjoy your night listening to live music and taking in the views.
6. Do the Bondi to Bronte coastal walk Put on you walking shoes and take In some of the best views Bondi has to offer. You can go even further if you feel up to it and go to Coogee beach.
7. Dip in the Pool We haven't done this one yet as its closed for the season but after walking past it few times we want it go in it! Its $6 entry and you can swim all day. Have a look at the ABC pool Link Or you can go in the Olympic pool right next to the harbour bride.

8. Hitch a ride Instead of walking the same streets you've seen before why don't you get a water taxi or take a boat trip to anywhere that takes your fancy. An Eco Hooper cost $9 so why not! 9. Have a BBQ in the park Go get some burgers and sausages and head down to Alfred park and use the public BBQ's
10. Be a tourist If you are only here for a short time and want to see all of the sites the best way to do it is; The Hop on Hop off Its $40 per ticket but you get to see everything in your own time. It can last 24 hours or 48 hours. Its a little fun so why not!
Of course if you don't wanna do any of these things but want to read about them or see pictures you know i will always keep you updated!  Follow Us On Bloglovin'

Planning our next destination?

Next stop..... All aboard to..... Mr Cornwall and Miss Turtle your flight to..... This is your last call for.....
We have been in Sydney for 2 months now and we can officially say we are a tad bored! Our feet want to move on, we want the next stamp in our passport, were birds that want to migrate for the season and finally I'm a peacock you gotta let me fly!
Our plan was to stay in Sydney for a month at least and then move on to either Melbourne or Perth, do the cities in the winter and then the beaches in the summer. BUT, we have been told by travel buddies that we should do the Gold coast in September/October time as prices will be good and it should be decent weather, by decent i mean i no longer want to be pale and bobby can stop calling me Casper! 
We was told that if we go before November we will miss the rainy season and we should get discounted prices and cheap deals because there isn't a lot of people that come over for holidays this time of year so we will get the beaches all to ourselves. I can finally be an island girl!  When summer gets in full swing they bump up prices because they know tourists want to see the islands, beaches, excursions etc sneaky. So BE WARNED!If you coming to Australia December- February PLAN AHEAD!
So the question is do we do the Cities now whilst its winter? Or do we grab our bikini and swim shorts and head for beaches? Live the life with a coconut permanently in our hands?  

Pictures from Google
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