Minyon Falls & Sydney goofballs | AUS

The next day we intended to book it to Sydney (10 hour drive) which we did… eventually. We woke up at 6:51 am to a man named Craig knocking on our door asking for us to pay for the spot that we had snuck into late last night. After doing so, we headed out to see what Byron Bay was all about — having returned because we were intrigued by what we saw the night prior. The town was cute and filled with lots of little shops for us to browse in. It felt similar to a tiny beach town in the US.

We were hoping for a warm beach day but it was quite cold and cloudy so we decided to head towards Sydney instead. As we were heading South we took a wrong turn but found a sign pointing to Minyon Falls. Our curiosity peaked, neither of us could say no to the adventure. So, we spent the morning meandering through gorgeous hillsides in pursuit of Minyon Falls. The landscape was spectacular. Rolling green hills with the occasional dense forest patch and the ocean in the very far reaches of our sight — all with the soundtrack of the Beatles. So many different colors of green were throughout the landscape. It truly was spectacular. We had so much fun bumping along the farm roads and winding throughout the hills stopping at the occasional honey stands.
Eventually, we found the gorgeous Minyon falls. It felt so good to stretch our legs and breathe clean fresh air. We had wandered into thick forest by this time and the air felt crisp and cold since we were on the top of the waterfall. They had a nice wooden walkway to the edge that we followed. But, we wanted to actually feel the earth below us so we moved closer. So, Chels and I jumped the fence and did some rock jumping along the river. Feeling the air blow over the edge of the waterfall was a breathtaking experience. We sat on the cliffside for some time, taking in the views and filling with gratefulness.

As we returned to the trail, an Aussie ranger came running down the pathway. We headed back to the car to grab some stuff for the hike down to the bottom. As we turned back to the trail to head down I saw a sign saying to stay 100 feet back from the edge… I guess we know why that ranger was running.

The hike to the bottom and back up was needed. It stretched my legs, pushed my lungs, and filled my heart with the love of nature again. The different forest types that we walked through were quite unique. Chels and I kept wishing that we had a guide to tell us what kinds of forests we were walking through because we desperately wanted to know and it was unlike anything we had seen before. Towards the bottom of the waterfall, it became more tropical feeling. The trees were massive, vines covered everything, and moss was pretty prevalent.
Looking at the top of the waterfall from the bottom was beautiful. The mist lightly sprayed our faces as we sat, enjoying the view. We used the time to enjoy some peace and quiet. Eventually (not wanting to leave but knowing we should go) we climbed back to the top of the waterfall and bid our farewells.
It was now the afternoon and we began take 2 of heading to Sydney. We got in a groove of driving, listening to music, and chatting about life. Pretty soon it was 8 o’clock and we decided to get coffee because we were feeling good. That was the decision that changed it all. 8 o’clock coffee gave us energy until daylight. We got close to Sydney around 1 am and we tried to chase down many different places to park overnight but they were either closed, nonexistent, or, in one case, voted too murder-like to sleep at. Soon, we had made it too far into the city and couldn’t find parking for any hostels and hotels were full. We drove up and down toll roads and drove around Sydney like mad-woman at 2 in the morning. At this point, we were laughing incredibly hard from a mixture of exhaustion and feeling like we were Mary & Joseph with no room in the inn. There was a street with a lot of hostels on it so Chelsey parked and I walked up and down knocking on doors waiting for answers that never came. It was quite comical.
After hours of trying to find a place to sleep, we eventually found a National Park with some random cars parked outside. We snuck in between the cars, hoping to blend in, and decided to sleep in the car. We finally went to sleep, laughing, at 4:30am as the sun was rising, hoping a “Craig” wouldn’t show up again.
SYDNEY

My last day in Sydney was spent exploring the lovely city of Sydney. It began with two good friends bringing me a soy latte which was oh so kind of them. We then headed out to the Ferry station area because I DESPERATELY wanted to go on a ferry ride around the Sydney Opera House. The ferry ride was awesome. It was a little rainy but it was an interesting perspective to get to see the city from.
We then did an accidental walking tour through practically all of Sydney… because I got us off at the wrong stop. Oops. It ended up being quite lovely though because we got to walk through all different parts of the town — richy neighborhoods, beautiful parks, tall cathedrals, all the way to city center. It was an enjoyable walk as I think walking is the best way to get to know a city. The afternoon was spent cooking my last meal with Chels, watching Greatest Showman, and being grateful for the best roomie ever.
**thanks for being patient and waiting for the last installments of my blog!**
