#1: Byron Bay. HIGHLIGHTS: Byron Bay, Gold Coast Campus, Surfers' Paradise. Woke up at 7 this morning to prepare breakfast. I had mac and cheese (microwave), chicken soup (instant) and toast, as well as some juice. I bought a bun and slice out a piece, but it was too thick and it got stuck in the toaster. It didn't pop up. It got burnt and started smoking. And soon enough, the whole kitchen was filled with smoke and smelled like smoke. Oops!
#2: Breakfast at hostel. Left at 8:30 am to a beach at Byron Bay. To be honest. this beach is so much beautiful as compared to Bondi Beach - the most popular beach in Sydney. This beach looks more like a beach with rocks and grass. Sat down at the cafe for some hot latte and a fun chit-chatting session. There were many hot guys around this beach... ☺️☺️☺️
#3: Byron Bay.
#4: Byron Bay.
#5: Byron Bay.
#6: My green dip dye. Byron Bay is located in the Northern Rivers region of New South Wales, just off the Pacific Highway, 800kms north of Sydney, 170kms south of Brisbane and about 90kms south of the Gold Coast. In order to get to Byron Bay, you have to fly in to Ballina Byron Gateway Airport (the Byron Bay Airport) or Gold Coast Airport. It's probably an hour drive from Byron Bay Airport and an hour and a half drive from Gold Coast Airport. There are many things that you can do at Byron Bay. But, due to time constraint, we just went to one of the beach and take a short walk around the main street of Byron Bay. Some areas that shouldn't be missed are Cape Byron Lighthouse, Aboriginal Culture and Heritage, Byron Bay Regional Markets and of course the beaches. For more info: http://www.byron-bay.com/ Took a walk down the streets but didn't got anything. The things are too expensive. I saw an exact same shirt that I had but is selling for $29. I only got it for $10 or $12 in Singapore.
#7: Oil tanks as seats. Continued our journey up to Gold Coast. It's about an hr drive from Lismore to Gold Coast. Gold Coast is located in Queensland instead of New South Wales, so it's 1hr late and this has cause much confusion. Finally, we arrived at Gold Coast campus and it's located just right beside the airport. I think this campus is the nicest among all. The one in Sydney is located within a building. The one in Lismore is too big, way too big. We got so tired walking around the campus... The Gold Coast campus currently only has 2 buildings. It's quite new, built in 2010. New buildings are still under construction. The views at the campus is spectacular. You can catch a very nice view of the surroundings at every part of the campus, it's super cool. Even the lecturers' desks have a spectacular sceneric view.
#8: Gold Coast campus.
#9: Gold Coast campus.
#10: Gold Coast campus.
#11: View from the lift lobby.
#12: View from the lift lobby.
#13: View from the lift lobby.
#14: View from the lecturer's desk.
#15: View from the outside of the campus.
#16: Aboriginal art. The most interesting part of the campus tour is the School of Health Sciences. They have lots of practical rooms with stimulation dummies and many interesting courses like mid-wifery, where students learn to be a mid-wife and the skills and techniques required to help the pregnant deliver the child.
#17: Bio Lab.
#18: 'Fix the Skeleton' activity. After the campus visitation, we headed down to Surfers' Paradise for lunch and some shopping. I just had my free McChicken with Cheese as lunch. Awesome! We walked down the streets and I bought more souvenirs. The prices are quite reasonable. Some were even selling at $1 each. Before we board the bus, I went to Billabong to take a look with my friend and bought a pair of havaianas samdals for my nephew. It was so cute! I saw a pair of havaianas leopard print slippers BUT DON'T HAVE MY SIZE!!
#19: Surfers Paradise. Surfers Paradise is the main hub of Gold Coast and it's a must-to-go if you are at Gold Coast. It has 20,000 permanent residents and it attracts 20,000 overnight visitors every day. Unlike Lismore, Gold Coast is more accessible with its GoldLinQ Light Rail - a light rail system that goes from Broadbeach to the Gold Coast University Hospital with 16 station stops. To get to Gold Coast, you have to fly in to Gold Coast Airport and continue your journey via coach, cab or the light rail. There are many things that you can do at Gold Coast and Surfers Paradise. Attractions include the Surfers' Paradise Beachfront Market (on Fri, Sat and Sun nights), the Dracula's Haunted House and the SkyPoint. For more info: http://www.surfersparadise.com/ A must-not-miss thing to do in Gold Coast is of course to spend a day at the theme park! The two main theme parks of Gold Coast are Warner Bros. Movie World and Dreamworld. Movie World is a theme park based on characters created by the company like Tweety, Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Sylvester, Tasmanian and Road Runner, as well as characters from DC comics such as Superman, Batman and Green Lantern. Whereas, Dreamworld is a theme park based on Dreamworks' movies such as Madagascar, Shrek and Kunfu Panda. For more info: http://www.visitgoldcoast.com/ Drove back to Lismore and stopped by Lismore Shopping Square again. Most of the shops are already closed except for Kmart and Coles. Spent my remaining money on more nuts, chocolates, candies and stuff for my nephew. Just when we reached the taxi stand, a maxi taxi arrived and we were all so delighted! The taxi is just nice for all 11 of us, awesome! Got back to hostel and prepare dinner. We just have some mac and cheese, and juice. Simple meal. Had a quick shower and started packing my stuff. Hmm... Headache... I think I bought too much stuff, way too much... But in the end, I still manage to squeeze in everything. Phew! Gonna try to sleep early tonight as we are leaving Lismore at 6am tomorrow to Gold Coast Airport. That's it for now! EXPENSES OF THE DAY: Transport from Lismore to Gold Coast - AUD60 per pax Latte - AUD3.80 Souvenirs - AUD31.50 Baby Havaianas - AUD25 Kmart - AUD3.10 Coles - AUD21.50