Roadtrip Australia: Van-Tastic NSW - KIRSTY AND CARLY

Video - "SURF CAMP & SKYDIVING!"

vantasticnsw — Mon, 9 Nov 2009 13:39:00 GMT

In the last week of our Van-Tastic NSW roadtrip adventure, we went on a 4 day surf camp with Surf Camp Australia, and then skydived from 14,000 feet with Skydive the Beach! Not much more needs to be said. It was amazing – check out the video!!!

See our photos and read our journals at http://www.vantastic.worldnomads.com, or tweet with us @vantasticnsw.

Thanks to Paisley for the music – ‘Moonwalker’ from their ‘Bite the Bullet’ album. Check them out at http://www.myspace.com/thepaisleycloset

We also recommend you look up the places & tour operators mentioned in this video:

http://surfcamp.com.au/

http://www.skydivethebeach.com/

Subscribe to our YouTube channel & stay tuned for more Van-Tastic Adventures all over NSW for the next 6 weeks!

MORE SYDNEY (THE END!)

vantasticnsw — Sat, 7 Nov 2009 14:23:00 GMT

It's the end of our trip! Nooooooo!!!

Nah it's cool. We're ok, really. We got to finish with a BANG

...with SKY DIVING and CLIMBING THE SYDNEY HARBOUR BRIDGE!!

Skydiving was insane! The feeling was absolutely incredible!! You have to do it if you haven't already. Or maybe even if you have - do it again. Kirsty thought it would just be something she would do once, but as soon as she jumped out of the plane she wanted more of it.

We went with 'Skydive the Beach Sydney.' They picked us up from outside our hostel and took us to a lovely spot right next the beach in Wollongong. We had a perfect day for it with a beautiful clear blue sky.

So here's what happened: we got harnessed up, went 14000 ft in the air (approx 4.2 kms) in a plane, got attached to some random guys who had total responsibility for our lives, and then we plummeted towards the earth at around 200kms an hour!! W-O-W!!! We free-fell for about a minute and then fell further towards the earth for another few minutes after the parachutes came out. It was pure awesomeness!

I got rather scared just before we jumped out. Apparently my face went totally white and I was screaming even before I was near the door of the plane (Kirsty though she was cool because she apparently was not scared at all the whole time). As I fell out, I sort of got this feeling like 'humans aren't supposed to be doing this' or something like that, but then I got used to the crazy feeling of it. To describe the free-falling, I would say "Oh my frickin gosh" + "Insane". And to describe the parachuting bit I would say "Whooaa" + "It feels like you're flying!"

A couple of days later we climbed the Sydney Harbour Bridge (with BridgeClimb). It was spectacular! We did a night climb so we got to climb up as the sun was setting and got to see all the beautiful lights of the Sydney skyline when we reached the top. We got to wear these cool suits that made us look like we were Ghostbusters and we were harnessed to a cable that prevented us from falling off (which was handy as we did not have parachutes with us this time). We had photos taken of us at the top with the Opera House and the city skyline in the background. It was a really special experience to climb such an amazing icon!

Well, this is the last blog from us so thanks for playing.

Keep an eye out for our main video with awesome highlights of our whole 6 week adventure. It should be up around the end of the month.

Peace.

Carly.

SURF CAMP!

vantasticnsw — Tue, 3 Nov 2009 14:22:00 GMT

Hey guys! Carly here.

Last week we went on an awesome surf camp with Surf Camp Australia. It was sooo good. We loved it and it and it is definitely one of the best things we have done on our trip. Three vans full of surfers were picked up from Sydney on Monday morning, and we headed to Seven Mile Beach, south of Sydney.

Because it was over four days, Kirsty and I really got to see ourselves progress. It was so cool. We surfed twice a day for two hours each time. We ate, surfed, ate, surfed, and slept. Then we did it all again the next day. It was a routine I got very accustomed to. We stayed at in cabins at a caravan park just off the beach. We got great food the whole time, and plenty of it which was great to feed our mega surfing appetites! On the last day we got to experience one of the aspects of the life of a 'real surfer' which was to get up at 6am and surf before breakfast! Yeah!

When we weren't surfing, we hung out with all the backpackers - mostly from Europe and North America - who were on the camp with us. They also had pro surfing DVDs playing a lot of the time which were great for inspiration. One of the favourite down-time activities was playing Giant Jenga. Another game one night involved countries competing to see who could pick up a small cardboard box off of the ground with only their teeth as it gradually became smaller in size and lower to the ground. Good times.

All of the instructors and kitchen staff were cool as. Our instructor Chriso was a champ. He was so friendly and helped us out lots. He taught us how to stand up on the board, how to move across the waves, how to get the timing right for catching the green waves out the back, and how to paddle through the bigger waves with eskimo rolls. Thanks Chriso!

We also were taught stuff back at the caravan park like surf etiquette, different types of surf conditons, types of boards, and lots of other important stuff. We also got to review hundreds of photos of each of us surfing so we could see how our technique could be improved and also see ourselves progress.

It certainly seems to be the perfect environment to learn how to surf!

Thanks Surf Camp Australia!!!

Carly

Video - "COCKATOO ISLAND, BONDI & BRIDGE CLIMB!"

vantasticnsw — Mon, 2 Nov 2009 13:35:00 GMT

We make it to Sydney on our Van-Tastic NSW roadtrip adventure. Check out our amazing accommodation at Wake Up!, visit Cockatoo Island (Sydney’s best kept accommodation secret!), learn to surf on world famous Bondi Beach, and then climb to the top of the Sydney Harbour Bridge.

See our photos and read our journals at http://www.vantastic.worldnomads.com, or tweet with us @vantasticnsw.

We also recommend you look up the places & tour operators mentioned in this video:

http://www.cockatooisland.gov.au/
http://www.wakeup.com.au/
http://www.letsgosurfing.com.au/
http://www.bridgeclimb.com/

Subscribe to our channel & stay tuned for more Van-Tastic Adventures all over NSW for the next 6 weeks!

Video - "KITEBOARDING, GARDENS, FOOD & WINE!"

vantasticnsw — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 19:46:00 GMT

We head to Newcastle and the Hunter Valley on our Van-Tastic NSW roadtrip adventure. Check out our kiteboarding lesson in Newcastle, the Hunter Valley Gardens, and all of the delicious wine and food we sampled.

See our photos and read our journals athttp://www.vantastic.worldnomads.com, or tweet with us @vantasticnsw.

We also recommend you look up the places & tour operators mentioned in this video:

http://www.backpackersnewcastle.com.au/
http://www.boardcrazy.com.au/
http://www.hvg.com.au/
http://www.hvchocolate.com.au/
http://www.huntervalleycheese.com.au/
http://www.mcguiganwines.com.au/
http://www.huntervalleysmellycheeseshop.com.au/

Subscribe to our YouTube channel & stay tuned for more Van-Tastic Adventures all over NSW for the next 6 weeks!

SYDNEY!

vantasticnsw — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 22:56:00 GMT

Hello!

After almost five weeks on the road, we successfully made it to Sydney!

Most of the places we visited up until this point were chilled out coastal towns, so it was a bit of a shock to arrive in Sydney during peak hour to see so many cars and people everywhere. It didn’t take us long to adjust though! It sure is a happening city with so many things to do.

Surfing on Bondi

Let’s Go Surfing took us surfing on Australia’s most iconic beach, Bondi. The lesson was shared with several backpackers of similar age and standard to us. We split up into small groups and our instructor Lachy was very good at teaching us the essentials of wave riding and was very helpful in helping us to improve. It was so much fun and we both managed to stand up. We surfed on Bondi!!! Yeeaaaahhhh!!!!

Cockatoo Island

We also were lucky enough to camp on Cockatoo Island – an island in the middle of Sydney Harbour where convicts used to be held. There is a lot of other interesting history about the place, including being used during World War II to repair ships. We arrived there just before dusk and I got a cool but eerie feeling as I stepped off the ferry, imagining what it would have been like to live there as a convict. We had amazing views of the harbour and the Harbour Bridge.

It was soooo amazing there! There weren’t many other campers at the time and it was like we had the place all to ourselves. We walked around and saw all the remains of the convict cells and other historical remains such as ports and huge machinery for building and repairing ships. When we woke up the next day we did an audio tour of the island where we discovered the history of many of the interesting spots on the island that we had become curious about the night before.

Wake Up! Hostel

For most of our time in Sydney we stayed at Wake Up! Hostel. It is in the ultimate spot for backpackers in Sydney and is decked out! They have a really cool bar-slash-restaurant in the basement. On the first night we were there, there was a great band playing covers to some our favourite songs. We both had a really nice meal from their top quality menu with nothing over 10 bucks too. Thanks to Christian and all the other staff at Wake Up! who made our stay there so good and for holding our bags while we went on surf camp.

NEWCASTLE & THE HUNTER VALLEY!

vantasticnsw — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 22:15:00 GMT

Newcastle

Hey everyone. Kirsty here. After leaving Port Stephens, we headed to Newcastle, where we had a brilliant two nights at Backpackers Newcastle. It’s a hostel with a fantastic laid-back attitude – shown in everything from the great staff to the facilities, which are designed for leisure: swimming pool, hammocks, pool table and outdoor eating area. We even got a free barbeque for dinner one night. Thanks to all of the staff there!

Newcastle is a great place to hang out. They have amazing shops, eateries, pubs and beaches – what more could you ask for? We’d definitely suggest you check out Beaumont Street for great restaurants and Darby Street, which has great little independent shops featuring all sorts of clothes, books and odds and ends. Darby Street also had a fantastic market on the day we arrived.

Kiteboarding

Our main activity in Newcastle was a kiteboarding lesson with Beau from Board Crazy and Dave from Newcastle Kiteboarding School. If you haven’t seen kiteboarders before, they’re the guys down at the beach strapped onto boards that look a bit like a wakeboard or snowboard, being pulled through the water by giant kites. It looked like amazing fun, but we soon learnt that it’s a lot harder than it looks!

Thankfully, Beau and Dave were great teachers, and took us through everything we needed to get started. We began by learning how the kites worked, and progressed to setting them up and learning to fly them on the beach. It’s amazing how much power they have, and a small tug on the wrong string can have you being dragged down the beach if you’re not careful! Luckily we also learnt how to safely depower the kite so that we could stay grounded! After struggling for a while, we started to understand the control system, so we moved to the water, where we used the kites to power us as we bodysurfed. It was fantastic fun. That’s as far as we ended up getting in three hours, but we both have a huge amount of admiration for the guys who were out in the water actually doing it, because it’s really hard! We’re hoping to find somewhere back home where we can keep trying.

Hunter Valley

After Newcastle, we headed up to the Hunter Valley for a day, to experience some wine tasting, as well as all of the culinary delights the valley had on offer! There are dozens of wineries, food stores and attractions on offer, and it was impossible to see them all in a day. However, here are some of the ones we went to, and what we liked about them:

Hunter Valley Gardens – We drove past this and almost didn’t enter, thinking that they’d just be gardens, but they’re pretty cool! There are ten gorgeous gardens with all different themes, including the Chinese Garden, Rose Garden, and our favourite, the Storybook Garden, which had statues and excerpts from fairytales and nursery rhymes.

Hunter Valley Chocolate Company – Go here for an amazing range of chocolate, including the amazing chilli chocolate. Yum!

Hunter Valley Cheese Company – The cheeses here are almost all made on the premises, and they do a daily tour that teaches you all about how it’s done. It was really interesting to learn about the process

McGuigan Wines – A great range of wines, including my favourite, the 2009 Moscato! Thanks to Emma, who was really friendly when we had our wine tasting, explaining all about the different wines.

Hunter Valley Smelly Cheese Shop - This place doesn’t just have cheese. We had fantastic baguettes here for lunch, and they also do a range of gourmet foods, including a huge range of gelato flavours. We recommend the gelato burger – a scoop of gelato inside a warm, toasted sweet bun. It sounds wrong, but it’s absolutely amazing – definitely our food pick of the day!

That’s all we had time for in the Hunter Valley, but it was well worth the journey. If you’re in Sydney, it’s a great option for a daytrip.

Video - "SANDBOARDS, SURFBOARDS & KAYAKS!"

vantasticnsw — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 22:00:00 GMT

We're still in Port Stephens on our roadtrip adventure with Van-Tastic NSW. Check out our amazing accommodation at Melaleuca Surfside Backpackers, and watch as we sandboard down the Stockton sand dunes, have a surf lesson with Anna Bay Surf School and go sea kayaking at sunset with Blue Water Sea Kayak. See our photos and read our journals at http://www.vantastic.worldnomads.com, or tweet with us @vantasticnsw. We also recommend you look up the places & tour operators mentioned in this video: http://www.melaleucabackpackers.com.au/ http://www.annabaysurfschool.com.au/ http://www.kayakingportstephens.com.au/ Subscribe to our channel & stay tuned for more Van-Tastic Adventures all over NSW for the next 6 weeks!

MORE PORT STEPHENS!

vantasticnsw — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 07:43:00 GMT

Hello hello. This is Carly. Kirsty mentioned in the last blog that Port Stephens is an ‘area’, but it was decided on our final night there that a more appropriate word is ‘destination,' We had a fantastic time.

The second half of our stay included sandboarding, a surfing lesson and sunset kayaking. All while we continued staying at the beautiful Melaleuca Surfside Backpackers.

Sandboarding

Pete from Melaleuca took a whole bunch of us out to the Stockton sand dunes to go sandboarding. My idea of sandboarding prior to this had been to go down about 10 metres of sand at not much less than a 45 degree angle. But when I saw the sand dune we were going to go down I was freaking out cos it was so massive and so steep!!!! I couldn’t believe I was meant to be going down that thing!!!

After I had climbed to the top I was even more scared, but we both managed to find the courage to go down. And boy am I glad we did! It was so much fun!! I got one mouthful of sand at the start because I forgot to keep my hands down for balance, but after that it was more and more fun each time we went down.

Surf Lesson

The surf lesson with Anna Bay Surf School was great too. It was at One Mile Beach, across the road from Melaleuca. Warren taught us how to assess the surf conditions, work out which foot we should lead with and how to stand up smoothly. He even helped me to not fear waves anymore!! (well, small ones at least). The lesson involved a large number of stacks – some funnier than others - and a few glimpses of what it’s like to surf standing up! I had so much fun, so I can’t wait to see how cool surfing can feel when I’m actually good!

Kayaking

I also got to do a Champagne Sunset Kayak with Blue Water Sea Kayaking in Nelson Bay. We had great conditions for it. It was so peaceful and we got to see some nice wildlife as we travelled along the coastline. At half way we stopped at a beach for some champagne before cruising back with the current to watch the sunset!

Melaleuca

For our final night in Port Stephens, two of the owners of Melaleuca – Pete and Jeanette - had us for a lovely BBQ with their family and one of the other owners, Michelle. We got to hear about some of their travel adventures and some of the interesting characters that have stayed with them over the years. Pete and Jeanette’s youngest son, Harry, sang and played some awesome chilled out songs for us on his guitar before his gig the next day! It was a fantastic end to our time at Melaleuca. We will miss the beautiful setting, the wonderful people and the animals that also reside at Melaleuca such as the Josie the kangaroo and Froggy the owl. Even possibly the squawky little birds that wouldn’t stop following us!

Thanks to everyone in Port Stephens who made our stay so enjoyable!

Video - "HORSE RIDING, SAILING & FEEDING SHARKS!"

vantasticnsw — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 08:19:00 GMT

We head to Port Stephens as part of our Van-Tastic NSW roadtrip adventure. Join us for a horseback ride with Sahara Trails, whale watching from a sailboat with Imagine Cruises, and a swim with the sharks and stingrays at the Australian Ray and Shark Cenrtre.

See our photos and read our journals at http://www.vantastic.worldnomads.com, or tweet with us @vantasticnsw.

We also recommend you look up the places & tour operators mentioned in this video:

http://www.saharatrails.com/
http://www.imaginecruises.com.au/
http://www.ozsharkandray.com.au/

Subscribe to our channel & stay tuned for more Van-Tastic Adventures all over NSW for the next 6 weeks!

PORT STEPHENS!

vantasticnsw — Sun, 18 Oct 2009 15:11:00 GMT

Port Stephens

After a great time in Port Macquarie, we set off to Port Stephens, which despite our initial beliefs, is not actually a town, but an area. We arrived just after sunset at Melaleuca Surfside Backpackers, which is an amazing place to stay! The hostel is on 6 acres of gorgeous bushland, across the road from the beach, and they have designated sites for kombis and campers that also include full use of the common room and all of their facilities. More about them in our next blog though – we did so much in Port Stephens that it’s going to take two blogs to cover it all!

Horse Riding

Jeanette from Melaleuca arranged all of our activities for us, the first being a horse ride through the bush and along a lagoon with Sahara Trails. Carly’s horse was called Meg, and mine was Kaz, and they were both great to ride. It was a nice peaceful walk in beautiful surroundings, and we also got to trot a few times.

Whale Watching

The next day, we headed out on a whale watching cruise with Imagine Cruises and had a great time! We’re beginning to think we’re whale whisperers, because we came within metres of whales again! It was our third whale watch of the trip, but our first on a bigger sailboat, so we made the most of sitting in the net out the front and doing ‘Titanic’ impersonations. On the way back in, we also had boat surfing competitions, to see who could stay on their feet the longest. Overall, it was a very cool trip, and Didg did the best & funniest safety induction we’ve ever heard.

Trivia Night

After the whale watching cruise, we relaxed back at Melaleuca for a while, before heading to trivia night at Anna Bay Tavern, the local pub. Our team was made up of Teri from Chicago, Elizabeth from the Netherlands, Carly and myself, and despite arriving 7 questions in, we managed to finish in equal second place. There were a few tricky questions, including ‘What state of the USA starts with B?’ which had Teri puzzled for ages, but thankfully her home country knowledge came through and we put down the correct answer.* Our prize was a $10 bottleshop gift voucher, and we then headed back to Melaleuca, where we introduced the French to cheap Australian cask wine. They were actually very impressed!

Ray and Shark Centre

Port Stephens also involved a visit to the Australian Ray and Shark Centre, where we donned wetsuits and got in the tank with rays and sharks, including an enormous stingray that weighs over 300kg! It was strange to be in a tank surrounded by so many ‘dangerous’ creatures, but they were all really placid, and let us feed them as they swam around us. It was a pretty cool experience.

There’s still a lot of our time in Port Stephens to cover, so be sure to come back for our next blog! In the meantime, make sure you check out our latest videos here: http://vantastic.worldnomads.com/index.php/about-vantastic-adventures/stage-1-active-nsw

*And for those of you interested in the US state starting with B, there isn’t one!

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http://www.twitter.com/vantasticnsw

Video - "JETBOAT THRILLS, WHALES & SICK KOALAS"

vantasticnsw — Sun, 18 Oct 2009 15:02:00 GMT

We head to Port Macquarie as part of our Van-Tastic NSW roadtrip adventure. Join us as we take a thrilling jetboat ride with PortJet, get up close with whales, and visit sick koalas at the Port Macquarie Koala Hospital. See our photos and read our journals at http://www.vantastic.worldnomads.com, or tweet with us @vantasticnsw. We also recommend you look up the places & tour operators mentioned in this video: http://www.portjet.com.au/ http://www.koalahospital.org.au/ http://www.ozziepozzie.com/ Subscribe to our channel & stay tuned for more Van-Tastic Adventures all over NSW for the next 6 weeks!

PORT MACQUARIE!

vantasticnsw — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 20:19:00 GMT

Hey there!! Carly here.

Guess what we did in Port Macquarie?

We went on an amazingly thrilling jet boat ride, came metres from whales (again!), and visited the koala hospital. And the wonderful peeps at Ozzie Pozzie backpackers looked after us with a cozy place to stay.

The jet boat ride was in PortJet’s ‘Wild Thing’, the most THRILLING jet boat ride in Aus!!! It goes up to 90 kms an hour!!! We went out on the river where we certainly felt the powerful G-forces. We experienced spins of more than 360 degrees and sudden braking where we had a torrential down-pouring of river water dumped on us. Yeeeeaahhhh. Fun times!

The next day we went out with PortJet again, this time on a whale watching adventure. Within minutes we saw dolphins and not much later our first whale sighting. We were all looking out, marvelling at some whales in the distance on one side of the boat, when two emerged from the water on the other side only a couple of metres away!!!! It was a jaw-dropping moment. They then proceeded to swim under our boat and hang around with us for a while!

On our last day in Port Mac we went to the koala hospital, where sick and injured koalas are treated and rehabilitated before being integrated back into the wild. Geoff took us on a ‘Feed, Walk and Talk’ tour where we saw koalas being fed and learnt about them. Some of the most common reasons for them being admitted include infections, dog attacks and motor accidents. The guys there do a top job.

Ozzie Pozzie Backpackers was a fab place to stay. It was rockin with funny, crazy and nice people from all over. We had a fun time chilling in the hammocks in their courtyard.

Thanks Port Macquarie!

Video - "WHITEWATER RAFTING & SWIMMING WITH DOLPHINS!"

vantasticnsw — Sun, 11 Oct 2009 11:18:00 GMT

Join us in Coffs Harbour during our Vantastic NSW roadtrip adventure. Watch as we go whitewater rafting with Liquid Assets Adventure Tours, survive a hailstorm, swim with the dolphins at Pet Porpoise Pool and live in luxury for a night at the Novotel Pacific Bay Resort!

See our photos and read our journals at http://www.vantastic.worldnomads.com, or tweet with us @vantasticnsw.

We also recommend you look up the places & tour operators mentioned in this video:

http://www.surfrafting.com/

http://www.petporpoisepool.com/

http://www.pacificbayresort.com.au/

Subscribe to our YouTube channel & stay tuned for more Van-Tastic Adventures all over NSW for the next 6 weeks!

COFFS HARBOUR!

vantasticnsw — Sat, 10 Oct 2009 20:12:00 GMT

Whitewater Rafting, Swimming with Dolphins & a Night of Luxury!

Coffs Harbour

After a brilliant few days at Global Carnival, we headed to Coffs Harbour, where we spent our first couple of nights at the Coffs Harbour YHA. The International Buskers & Comedy Festival happened to be on while we were there, and we saw a few different acts, performing both in the mall and at the local pub.

Whitewater Rafting

Our first Coffs Harbour adventure was whitewater rafting with Liquid Assets Adventure Tours. We met at the early hour of 7am and set off for a drive into the mountains with the rest of our group. The drive seemed a lot shorter than its 2 hours, either because we were asleep for half of it or because our guides, Rocky and Steve, spent the whole time telling us the history of the area and pointing our different sights. We saw old cedar trees, a flame tree, and even a lyrebird (just so you know, Rocky, I checked, and we don’t have them in SA)!

The rafting itself was heaps of fun. It took us a little while to sort out our tandem paddling and avoid getting stuck on rocks, but the arguments we (and everyone around us) had were hilarious. The water level in the river was fairly low, but there were still some really fun rapids, which we navigated successfully, for the most part. We also managed to also have a magnificent fall, where we both ended up in the water with our raft upside down. The calmer areas of the river had such amazing scenery that we kept looking around thinking we were in the middle of a movie.

The weather was gorgeous the whole way down the river – it was so warm that we even spotted a brown snake and a couple of red bellied black snakes sunning themselves on the rocks. Then right as we got out of the rafts at the end of the afternoon, the clouds came over and a hailstorm began! I’ve never seen so much hail in my life. The stones were the size of marbles and they fell everywhere, even smashing our sausages to pieces on the barbeque! The whole ground was covered in white, and the river started steaming up. It was a great end to a fantastic day.

Swimming with Dolphins

Our other amazing experience in Coffs Harbour was at the Pet Porpoise Pool, where we got to go swimming with dolphins! We started the day by getting our photos taken getting kisses from seals and dolphins, which everyone who visits the park gets to do. We then saw the fantastic dolphin and seal show. Neither of us could believe how smart the dolphins and seals were. Some of the things they did were amazing, including flips, singing, dancing and balancing balls on their noses.

After lunch we got to go swimming with two of the dolphins: Calamity – the mother, who is also pregnant, and Bella – her daughter. Calamity and Bella were both amazing to spend time with. Their trainer, Adam, taught us so many different facts, and we got to rub their stomachs, tickle their tongues and play with them. Bella caught every basketball we threw to her, as well as spinning one on the end of her rostrum (nose). We were both very impressed! Make sure you watch our Coffs Harbour video to see how clever these dolphins are!

Pet Porpoise Pool is a great place to spend the day. Everything they do is interactive, and there are so many opportunities to see, touch or feed all of their animals, including dolphins, seals, penguins, turtles, fish and reptiles.

Living it up in Luxury

On our last night in Coffs Harbour, we were invited for a luxury stay at the Novotel Pacific Bay Resort. Not only did they put us up for a night, they gave us separate spa suites, which each had a kitchen, dining room, laundry, king size bedroom and ensuite bathroom with a spa! The grounds were amazing – it really lives up to the “resort” part of its name with a golf course, three swimming pools, gym, tennis courts and beach access. We even had a full buffet breakfast in the morning – yum!

In our next blog, we’ll be checking out all that Port Macquarie has to offer. In the meantime, make sure you check out our latest videos here (including the clever dolphins!): http://vantastic.worldnomads.com/index.php/about-vantastic-adventures/stage-1-active-nsw

http://vantastic.worldnomads.com

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Video - "SURFING, CLIFF JUMPING & FEEDING PIRANHAS!"

vantasticnsw — Sat, 10 Oct 2009 19:23:00 GMT

We stop at Yamba during our NSW roadtrip adventures, and wish we didn’t have to leave! Seems as though everyone else feels the same… find out why! While you’re watching, check out our adventures staying at the Yamba YHA, surfing, cliff jumping and feeding the piranhas!

See our photos and read our journals at http://www.vantastic.worldnomads.com, or tweet with us @vantasticnsw.

We also recommend you look up the places & tour operators mentioned in this video:

http://www.yha.com.au/hostels/details.cfm?hostelid=252

Subscribe to our YouTube channel & stay tuned for more Van-Tastic Adventures all over NSW for the next 6 weeks!

GLOBAL CARNIVAL!

vantasticnsw — Sat, 10 Oct 2009 19:20:00 GMT

Hey there. Carly here.

Last weekend Kirsty and I attended Global Carnival – a world music festival held in Bellingen, a country town near Coffs Harbour. We had an amazing time!! There were many world-class acts to see and we got to camp Geoff the van in the adjoining camp-site. The event had a very cool vibe with many interesting things to see, hear, taste and do. As we went over the bridge that took us to the event there were heaps of people swimming in the river and I couldn't help, but think 'This is like Woodstock!' haha (Not quite as many people though).

There were so many great bands. I loved the reggae and Afro-beat of The Strides and Grace Barbe, the crazy dancing and rhythms of One Africa and the fresh sounds and energy of Jumbledat and Watussi. Kirsty also loved dancing to the crazy upbeat gypsy music of Paprika Balkanicus. The surprise highlight for me was the Gold Coast band, Tijuana Cartel. I never thought I'd be a fan of flamenco music, but they mash it together with live percussion, electronic beats, a bit of trumpet and so much energy. They went off!! Everyone was going nuts. And guess what? We were camping right next to them! How cool!! So we got to listen to their little jam sessions when they weren't performing.

Other highlights of the festival included seeing Hugh Masekela, the South African jazz legend, watching circus acts, tasting very yummy foods from all over the world, and participating in workshops in hip hop, salsa and song writing. Wow - all that in just 2 and a half days!

Our next blog will be from Coffs Harbour. In the meantime, make sure you check out our latest videos here: http://vantastic.worldnomads.com/index.php/about-vantastic-adventures/stage-1-active-nsw

http://vantastic.worldnomads.com

http://www.twitter.com/vantasticnsw

Video - "DJEMBE DRUMMING, SEA TURTLES & FISH!"

vantasticnsw — Fri, 2 Oct 2009 11:54:00 GMT

Kirsty and Carly continue their stay in Byron Bay in episode 4 of their Van-Tastic NSW Roadtrip! Check out their adventures staying at Belongil Beachouse, learning to play djembe drums overlooking the ocean, and snorkelling at Julian Rocks with Byron Bay Dive Centre! See our photos and read our journals at http://www.vantastic.worldnomads.com, or tweet with us @vantasticnsw. We also recommend you look up the places & tour operators mentioned in this video: http://www.belongilbeachouse.com/ http://www.byronbaydivecentre.com.au/ http://www.soundsynergy.com.au/ Subscribe to our channel & stay tuned for more Van-Tastic Adventures all over NSW for the next 6 weeks!

YAMBA!

vantasticnsw — Thu, 1 Oct 2009 20:12:00 GMT

Surfing, Cliff Jumping and Hand-feeding Piranhas!

Yamba

We’d heard some rumours along the road that Yamba was the place to be, so after we left Byron, we headed down the coast and booked in at the Yamba YHA.

Both the town and the backpackers would have to be the best kept secret in all of Australia. The first guy we met, Jono, turned up six months ago to stay for two nights, and only left the night we arrived because his visa had run out and he had to leave the country. It’s been the same story for everyone we’ve spoken to – literally every single person has extended their stay here beyond what they’d planned, including us!

So, what’s so good about Yamba? Apart from the town itself (surrounded by oceans and the river so it’s almost like its own little island), you have to check out the following things…

Yamba YHA

This hostel is amazing – it’s only been open a year but it’s the friendliest hostel I’ve ever been to in my travels. As soon as you check in, one of the owners will yell out an introduce you to everyone around, so you feel like you’re part of their big family from the very first night. It feels like we’ve known these people for weeks rather than a couple of days.

Surfing

After meeting everyone at the hostel during happy hour on our first night, we got up and went surfing in the morning. The hostel provides boards, a ride to the beach, and great advice on surfing your first wave. Neither of us are quite coordinated enough to stand just yet, but we can catch waves and kneel on the board, and are still trying!

Shane’s $10 Tour

The highlight of Yamba would have to be Shane’s $10 Tour, which takes you to all the best spots in town from a local’s perspective. Book in for this one as soon as you get to the YHA. You see amazing beaches and all the best views, but the fun doesn’t end there!

You also get to go cliff jumping into natural waterholes! There are a few different heights you can jump from, ranging from the baby jump (around 5m) up to the “medium” jump, which involves a climb up a natural rockface before launching yourself off of a 15m cliff. There are also higher points to take off from further up the cliff, but they’re too dangerous for the tour, so you have to head back later and try them yourself!

At the end of the tour, you stop off near the river, where you get to feed the pelicans by hand, as well as the local piranhas! The piranha feeding frenzy is definitely a sight to see!

Yamba is a great place to hang out due to the friendly people, beautiful location, laid-back vibe, great surf… we could go on! Do yourselves a favour and come by if you’re in the area.

Sadly, despite extending our stay, we now have to leave. We’ve bought ourselves tickets to Global Carnival, a music festival in Bellingen, so we’ll be camping there (and out of touch) for the next few days. After that, we’ll resurface in Coffs Harbour and let you know what we’ve been up to!

In the meantime, make sure you check out our latest videos here.

http://vantastic.worldnomads.com

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Video - "NIMBIN, DAY SPA & WHALES!"

vantasticnsw — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 23:50:00 GMT

Kirsty and Carly visit Nimbin, Mullumbimby and Byron Bay in episode 3 of our Van-Tastic NSW Roadtrip! Check out our adventures drumming with the locals in Nimbin, relaxing at Kiva Day Spa and coming within metres of a whale while kayaking with Go Sea Kayak! See our photos and read our journals at http://www.vantastic.worldnomads.com, or tweet with us @vantasticnsw. We also recommend you look up the places & tour operators mentioned in this video: http://www.byron-bay.com/kiva/ http://www.byronbayseakayak.com.au/ Subscribe to our channel & stay tuned for more Van-Tastic Adventures all over NSW for the next 6 weeks!