"A good traveler has no fixed plans and is not intent on arriving".

Since I was a little girl, I was always watching Sydney's New Year's Eve fireworks on Polish television…The New Year arrives to this part of Australia, exactly twelve hours ahead comparing to Poland. This image of Sydney's Opera House, and this amazing fire works' show was strongly implicated in my mind. I could just dream to travel to Australia and feel the real emotions of being there that day...

There was this one day in June 2009 when I decided to make my dream to come true…I just bought a ticket, pack my backpack and read chapter from the Lonely Planet regarding dangerous spiders…so I was completely ready to travel among this beautiful country for the next three months… not !!!! :)
Honestly, that was my first solo trip outside Europe…it was scary, but when I returned, I was already a newborn person…happy, confident and unstoppable when it comes to achieving my goals.

"A good traveler has no fixed plans and is not intent on arriving"-Lao Tzu. I had definitely no plans what to do in Australia, apart from watching the fireworks on the 31st December in Sydney, checking out kangaroos and koalas. That's it…no plans, just lots of time and open mind for some adventures.
When I landed in Sydney's International Airport, I was so excited that it took me around two hours to finally get to my hostel. Yes, I booked a hostel, first time in my life I decided to share a room with completely strangers…now I know that was the best place to start my journey, as during my first evening I met some Germans that became my travel buddies for the next two months.
I made it for the fireworks, I did not only just see kangaroos, but I managed to see hundreds of the wild ones and come close to them. I spend a day in Kangaroos rescue hospital, visited Frazer and Whitsunday Islands. The best what I get from my three months' travel, was to meet people from all over the world, listen to their inspirational stories and  make friends for life.

Travel tips:
For those who has never heard, or been in a hostel, it is the best place to meet new people and get valuable information about your travel destination. Always check the hostel ratings and guests' reviews to book a nice place to stay. You can easily book all activities, tickets for the bus/plane in one of the tour agencies, as they are specialised in helping backpackers (the most famous is Peterpans).

While in Australia, you should definitely visit:

Opera House, Bondi Beach, Sydney Harbour and Manley in Sydney
Blue Mountains ( around an hour from Sydney up North)
Koala Hospital in Port Macquarie in New South Wales
Byron Bay (recommended to stay in Arts Factory Backpackers, and go out to Cheeky Monkey's on Monday night)
Surfer's Paradise in Queensland
Frazer Island ( you drive a highway on the beach- super cool, and you can see Dingoes)
Whitsunday Island on the Great Barrier Reef (best for diving, you can see the whitest sand in the world!)
Australian Zoo of Steve Irwin  in Queensland, around two hours north from Brisbane, with the famous crocodiles shows.
For those crazy about Australian Open ( I am :)), you should visits the courts in Melbourne…generally it is a great city with a great vibe!

Australia can be expensive comparing to Europe, but the experience from traveling there you can get, and the memories are worth any money!

Mahalo for reading :)