Travels of Shepp

Even in times where I've been having so much fun, I still get homesick every now and then. It almost seems like a pattern of around every 2 weeks, I'll get homesick. It's not just that I miss home, it's that I'm tired of travelling constantly, I miss the ease of just being at home and not having to worry about where you're going and where you need to be. Don't get me wrong; I may be homesick but that doesn't mean I want to come home yet. It's a very strange feeling because I'm actually having fun and there's still so much I want to do on this trip, but still the feeling of wanting to go home comes up. For me, homesickness doesn't only mean missing home. It's also a social exhaustion, as meeting new people or being with people 24/7 is very intense and I forget to take breaks because I enjoy it. But even still, when I get homesick I just want to recoil, be in my own energy and not socialise or do anything new. That seems ver...

Visiting the Blue Mountains was on my Australia bucket list from when I began to plan my trip nearly 2 years ago. That's why I'm so excited that I got to see them a few days ago! The Blue Mountains are about a 1-2 hour drive away from Sydney, and they have a blue haze because of the way the gases from the eucalyptus trees refracts in the light (or something sciency like that). I booked onto a day trip to see the views and do some hiking. We started off with about on hours drive to a nearby town to get lunch. We stopped to eat our sandwiches at a small clearing in the national park and tried to look for kangaroos. No one saw any wildlife and the guide explained that this was unfortunately because the fires had driven them out since August. The fires do happen every year in Aus but this just goes to show how bad this year's were. After lunch we jumped back in the van and went to a look out spot above Wentworth Falls. This was my first sighting of the Blue Mountains view, and ...

I'm beyond excited to have started my east coast trip. I've got the next month planned, from Sydney to Fraser Island (nd I'm planning on doing to rest of the east coast at a later date). I started off with a flight from Melbourne to Sydney. I was introduced to Sydney with the baptism of fire that was Mardis Gras, battling the crowds in an array of rainbows, feathers and glitter. I also met up with Katie, a friend from uni, and it was really lovely to see a familiar face. What a fun way to start my week in Sydney! This all gave me a good feeling about the city. (P.s. I had realised recently I had gotten a bit sick with a swollen gland, so I am keeping drugged up on what they gave me at the pharmacy and hoping it wouldn't turn into anything worse- oh the joys of travelling!) I really had no plans this day so it was nice just to do some solo exploring and what I do best- getting lost. I wandered out and found the town hall and the Queen Victoria Bui...

What's the best part about travelling? Seeing famous landmarks? Trying new foods? Spending lots of money on fun activities? All that stuff's great, but definitely not the best. The best part is the people you meet along the way, and the connections and friendships you make with them. I knew I would meet people, but I had no idea that I would make such close and incredible friends. I've made some friendships that I would honestly say are so close, and I would rely on these people and go to them with my deepest worries. Even though I've only known people for a couple of months at most, I want to share my happiest moments with them and I can't wait to hear all about their journeys and adventures. And the worst part about travelling? Saying goodbye to them. To tell the truth, there are actually worse elements of travelling, because saying goodbye is quite bittersweet. Yes it sucks that we won't see each other for the foreseeable future, (or maybe even ever again) bu...

Where I've struggled with getting a job and settling in Melbourne, it's hard to see what I've gained from staying here. I can easily feel like I've wasted my time here, as it didn't work out the way I thought it could and I've spent a good 2 months here now- which is a large chunk of my year-long visa. But I don't want to think of it like that. I want to see the positives in what I've got out of staying in Melbourne, which although may be difficult to see now, will certainly come with hindsight. Firstly, I've learnt so much about getting jobs in Australia. I've discovered that it can be much more difficult than I had originally thought it would be, meaning when I next look for a job I can better set my expectations. I've learnt the usefulness of Facebook groups for finding all sorts of work for backpackers. Speaking to other travellers about their experiences has taught me a lot about the different jobs out there and people's ...

When I originally arrived in Melbourne, I had a rough plan to travel up the east coast, but I didn't really know what I was going to do. I met some amazing people on the tour and a lot of them were staying in Melbourne to get jobs, so I decided to do the same. I'd heard there were lots of jobs here so it wouldn't be too difficult. I moved into an apartment with my 3 friends, and we were planning on staying for around 3 months to work. But don't let instagram fool you; it's not been sunsets and beach days all the time. Finding a job proved much more difficult than I thought it would. And now, along with a mixture of lots of other factors, I've been struggling with being here. Whilst I have enjoyed the fun stuff that we've done, and I do really like St Kilda- something isn't quite right. I'm not feeling the excitement about the place anymore, not feeling the inspiration that I felt at the start of the trip. I don't feel totally sett...

We woke up in the oldest hostel in Australia, in Port Fairy. Our first stop was a wildlife reserve. We drove down a narrow, one-way road slowly to try and spot some wildlife. We even put on the Jurassic Park theme tune because we thought it would be funny. As if on cue, two emus stepped out of the bushes and in front of the car! It was so surreal, especially considering how dinosaur-like emus look. As they stepped across the road, we watched in awe and amusement at these incredible creatures in their natural habitat. Not long after, we saw koalas high up in the trees above! We had to stop the car and get out for a better view. We couldn't believe everything we'd seen before we had even parked the car! Once we did actually park, we wandered slowly around the nature reserve, spotting more koalas on the way. We also saw more emus and some kangaroos. I was surprised at how calm they were and how close to them we could get without them minding. I felt so lucky that a few days ago I ...