Down Under: A Month in Queensland, Australia (Photo Album)

It’s been five years since I went to Australia. I was there for a month (though I was meant to be there for six more). It’s incredible how time flies, and since I’ve never shared anything about my travels Down Under before, I thought posting a photo album of my trip would make up for it

An ocean-side beach framed by leafy greenery, seen while travelling Down Under in Queensland. — View of Alexandria Beach from Noosa National Park.

When I left for Australia, armed with a working holiday visa, my intention was to find work within a month, work for about five months, then travel the rest of the country for a month or two. With this in mind, a lot of my time Down Under was spent job hunting and training.

For this reason, even though I spent a whole month in Oz, it doesn’t seem like I did a lot. But no worries, I still got around! Browse my photo albums below for proof (winky face).

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Brisbane

I first landed in Brisbane and spent most of my time there, overall. I had pre-arranged to stay with a CouchSurfer named Ron, who ended up being a lot of fun, a great tour guide, and really helpful in a crunch.

Exotic tree and colourful flowers at the City Botanic Gardens.

Colourful flowering trees at the City Botanic Gardens.

Browse the Brisbane gallery — click any image above to view a full-sized version in a pop-up carousel.

Australia Zoo

After spending a few days job hunting, I wanted to make sure I got to make the most of my time Down Under, so I visited the Australia Zoo, legacy of Crocodile Hunter Steve Irwin.

Alligator? Crocodile? Who can tell without seeing the snout?

Koalas sitting in funny positions — cute!

Baby tasmanian devil staring right at me.

Hard to remember whether this is a crocodile or an alligator submerged in the pool...

Koala looking straight at me seems to say hello.

Browse the Australia Zoo gallery — click any image above to view a full-sized version in a pop-up carousel.

Alexandria Beach

Ron took me to Alexandria Beach, where he was headed to do some surfing. I took some pictures but, finding out there was a park with trails nearby, I preferred to get my heart pumping.

Scenery from Alexandria Beach, Australia.

View of Alexandria Beach from behind some trees.

Panoramic view of Alexandria Beach in Queensland, Australia.

Tiny blue translucent crab seen on Alexandria Beach.

Waves crashing on rocks on the far side of Alexandria Beach.

Browse the Alexandria Beach gallery — click any image above to view a full-sized version in a pop-up carousel.

Noosa National Park

Leaving Ron to do his thing, I took off by myself and spent an afternoon enjoying the wildlife and the scenery.

Looking down at the ocean from the top of a cliff, waves crashing on the rocks below.

View of the ocean from Noosa National Park, a rocky point jutting out towards the sea.

Palm trees with stilt roots seen at Noosa National Park.

Could these trees be walking palms? The tall stilt roots give me that impression.

View of the ocean while looking down from a hilltop in Noosa National Park.

Scenic view of the ocean from Noosa Park, small mountains just visible in the background.

View of the coastline at Noosa National Park.

A rocky shoreline at Noosa National Park, seen while travelling Down Under in Queensland.

Colourful bird seen up close at Noosa National Park.

Medium-sized lizard spotted climbing a tree at Noosa National Park.

Browse the Noosa National Park gallery — click any image above to view a full-sized version in a pop-up carousel.

Byron Bay

Thinking of finding work elsewhere, I made my way to Byron Bay, but it didn’t have the atmosphere I was looking for so I moved on.

Stormy ocean scenery from the beach at Byron Bay, Australia.

Scenery from the beach at Australia's Byron Bay.

Browse the Byron Bay gallery — click any image above to view a full-sized version in a pop-up carousel.

Bundaberg

I might have been happy here, working as a fruit picker on a farm, but I wasn’t able to find a job so I returned to Brisbane.

Branch full of pretty pale pink flowers, only one in bloom.

Scenery from a beach near Bundaberg in Queensland, Australia.

View of the ocean from a beach near Bundaberg.

Beach and ocean scenery not far from Bundaberg, Australia.

Sailboats on a river passing through Bundaberg in Queensland.

Browse the Bundaberg gallery — click any image above to view a full-sized version in a pop-up carousel.

Conclusion

Leaving Australia was completely unexpected. I had just passed Australia’s one-day Responsible Service of Alcohol course in Brisbane. It hadn’t taken me long at all to find a job, and I was set to head into the north of Queensland, where I would work tending bar. But things had changed back home. For the first time in my life, I had to consider someone other than myself in making a decision — Marc.

These parakeets likely had an easy time of getting to this travel destination, Nimbin, Australia. — On a Nimbin road trip with CouchSurfer Ron

He and I had only been together for about two months when I left for Australia. My one-way flight Down Under had been booked for a week when we started dating, but by the time I boarded the plane, we were already inseparable.

While I was away, Marc went through some trying times. He told me over Skype that it would help him get through it all if I was there with him. I took a gamble and bet on a future with Marc. So, the same day I should have ridden the bus into the Outback, I instead caught a plane to return home.

Five years later, it looks like I made the right choice!