Beautiful videos of the Whitsundays and Whitehaven Beach’s white swirls and blue skies were not the deciding factor in our decision to move to Australia, but they definitely helped make the decision a lot more attractive. The first few months of our time down under were tough, and there were times we thought we would have to throw in the towel and move back home, without ever seeing the sights that were decisive in our decision to move. Finally, on our most recent week off from mining, we were able to enjoy all of what Airlie Beach and the Whitsundays have to offer.

Leaving behind another 14 days of tough work schedules felt like a weight off our shoulders and we didn’t even have to catch a flight to our final destination, which was a massive blessing! For once, there were no rushed check-ins or long hours at Mackay airport, all we had to do was head over to the rental car desk and we were ready to go.

We stayed at Whitsunday Terraces and booked a 1-bed studio. Out of all 3 of our trips so far this accommodation was the most expensive and the most basic, but the view was absolutely to die for and the staff were so lovely. As soon as you open the door you are greeted by a large balcony that overlooks one of Airlie Beach’s stunning Marinas, looking out to sea and some of the Whitsunday Islands. You do not get a view like that, however, without driving up the 30% incline hill first. When we turned the corner onto the street we both were visibly taken aback at just how steep this hill was out of nowhere. Let’s just say I am very thankful Australians drive automatics because I was not going to be able to do a hill start in our big rental car on that big hill for an entire week. It would have made the trip a lot more stressful. Over the week, we only walked up the mountain twice and instead would drive down and park rather than killing ourselves trying to reach the apartment. I really cannot exaggerate the hill enough.

The apartment was lovely but the kitchen didn’t have an oven or a hob, which was fine this week as we didn’t have much time or desire to cook, but normally we (I) cook at least one or two meals over the week. The apartment also didn’t have wifi and we had very spontaneously bought a Nintendo Switch on our way to Airlie Beach, so we were in desperate need to download some games. I don’t even want to look at how many times we bought more data this week. The hotel did have two pools and a bar and restaurant, which we didn’t take much advantage of, however, it was full most nights so we probably should have given it a go.

Exploring the vibrant town of Airlie Beach was a delight in itself. After two weeks of camp food we were excited for some flavour and variety. We were recommended to try out Dickies Dogs Diner and I am so happy we were! The diner serves international cuisine-themed hot dogs and the decor is 10/10. It is run by a husband and wife duo, and their son has actually moved to Perth, Scotland! The buns were baked fresh in-store and the food was delicious and such a big serving! Liam got the Coney Island Dog and I got the Mexican-themed Dog, we didn’t even realise both came with Chilli Con Carne but both were delicious. We even went back the next day for our hungover lunch!

After Dickies Dogs we knew we had to book our excursions for the week, as it is currently low season we weren’t worried about not getting onto the trips we wanted as much as we were concerned about weather and the conditions. Before we went in Liam turned to me and said “Let’s be careful here, let’s not spend $1000”. Spoiler alert: We spent more than $1000 and I have never tapped my Apple Pay so happily.

We booked the Whitsundays Day tour with Thunder Cat and the Heart Reef Flight with Ocean Rafting through Tina Cook at Whitsundays Bookings (info@whitsundaybookings.com.au). We hadn’t researched at all where to get our excursions but happened to wander into Tina’s shop first. I genuinely cannot recommend her enough! She went through tide times, weather reports, wind reports, and specific timings as well as directly phoning the tour companies to ensure we could have the best times to see the reef with low-tide and best weather, even if those times were seemingly unavailable online. And she had a lovely dog, Nala, to cuddle to celebrate your bookings!

We explained to her what we wanted from our day at the Whitsundays and she talked us through all of the options available, pushing us for the one that worked the best for us and not the most expensive. Tina has lived in Airlie Beach for 30 years and told us she had flown the Heart Reef flight 10 times. She is 100% what you need when you are looking to book tours in a tourist town. A lot of the other shops in Airlie seemed to be staffed by British lads on Working Holiday Visas, nothing against this, but you want someone who knows the place like the back of their hands in all seasons.

Before coming to Airlie Beach we asked for recommendations from our work colleagues as because it is so close to our camp a lot of them have frequented Airlie Beach many times. One recommendation that came up was Cedar Creek Falls, we had made a plan to come and find these waterfalls later in the week but after the excitement of booking our excursions we decided to go for a drive with the windows down, music blasting and no destination, and we accidentally found the Cedar Creek Falls. As it was so spontaneous we hadn’t brought our swimming gear but it would have been lovely for a wee dip.

Airlie is known for its nightlife and we had the best night. The rounds were much cheaper than we have experienced elsewhere in Australia which surprised me and there was some variety of places to go depending on your vibe. We headed first to Magnums which had a live band playing but was a bit dead for a Friday night, so we headed along to Paddy Shenanigans.

Now, I am quite notoriously a bit of a spiritual woo-woo girly. I am a big fan of signs from the universe, and honestly, if I had asked for a sign from the universe that day that everything was falling perfectly into place and we were exactly where we were meant to be then the singer in Paddy Shenanigans would have been that sign. First and foremost, he was an amazing singer with an unreal voice, the place was hanging on his every word and secondly, the first 3 songs he played when we walked in the door are probably the three most important songs to me in the whole wide world. It was fate and I won’t hear anything else about it because how did this man play The Gambler by Kenny Rodgers, followed by Zach Bryan, my absolute favourite, followed by Riptide by Vance Joy which is a song that just feels like a big family group hug. It felt so nice, and I really could not believe it. I wish I could thank that singer personally because any sign from home when you are 10,000 miles away is just such a special feeling.

We then decided to head upstairs to BOOM nightclub. Instead of UK cheese-floor circa 2016 the vibes were more UK cheese-floor circa 2021, Australia club music might be getting slightly better as time goes on OR our standards for good club music have been dropping rapidly. They did play a great mix of Down Under by Men at Work which is the song Liam and I blasted out of my Nissan Pixo on Chilli Road when we got our visas accepted. The universe was really universe-ing that night.

Also a huge shoutout to the two German girls in the bathroom who thought I was German when I spoke to them. You gave my ego a fat boost and I will be riding on the glory of this compliment for the rest of time.

After a questionable kebab, we headed back up Mount Everest to our apartment. Drunk, full, happy.

The next day I decided I absolutely could not come to Airlie for the week without heading to the Saturday Markets. This was the wrong idea; I was hungover, tired, and I went so late that all the stalls were closing and seemed very inconvenienced by my trying to have a look. I did purchase some cute earrings though! I had to make it worth my time somehow.

Our first excursion was the Thunder Cat Whitsundays Day Trip and we lucked out with our Skippers Zacko and Gus. They had the tunes blasting from the second we left the harbour. It was about an hour’s journey to our first snorkel session. It was bumpy but manageable. When we got to the first snorkel point at Manta Ray Bay we were given Pool Noodles and snorkel goggles.

Manta Ray Bay felt like we were jumping into a fish bowl, I cannot even describe how clear the water was and how incredible the fish looked. We were able to swim in the area for about an hour. There were Clownfish, angel fish, some iridescent blue fish and a huge black one about 4 feet long that came right by us and Liam didn’t even notice!

We then hopped back on the boat as they headed round to another part of Hook Island to snorkel for the second time. Anyone who knows me, knows I am such a water/ocean/sea girl, and take no heed jumping headfirst into the North Sea in January. It still feels so strange to me when I go into the ocean in Australia that the water is warm. I jumped off the boat expecting that cold shock to wake me up and make me feel alive like a cold plunge in the North Sea, but the water is a balmy 26 degrees around here. It is like a great big beautiful crystal blue bath, that you share with millions of pretty fish and coral. This snorkel was predominantly to look at the coral however there were lots of fish here too. I had never seen coral up close before and it was astonishing. Every single size and shape you could imagine, ones that looked like clouds and brains and flowers just bobbing and living right below the surface. We only spent about 25 minutes snorkelling in this area as we were pretty exhausted being in the ocean that long, we decided to chill on the boat and look at the incredible view while the rest of the guests swam.

At this point, we were so close to the famous Whitehaven Beach and could barely contain our excitement waiting for everyone to finish their lunch. We docked at the edge of the beach at Tongue Bay and were told it was about a 20-minute hike up to the viewpoints.

The hike was quite muddy and there wasn’t much to look at as it was dense forest, but when it opened up at the top to the swirls of the bay below, the forest-covered hills and the white beach below were astonishing. There are three viewpoints to walk along, so even if it is busy at the first viewpoint you will 100% be able to get photos without anyone around at one of the three.

I had watched maybe 1000 tiktoks on the Whitsundays before we went and I still could not fathom the view or the beauty of it. The island is still very much wild, with only a tiny part of it built with a winding path and steps to the viewpoints then down to the beach itself.

We headed down to the beach and bounced down as quickly as we possibly could in our flip-flops (thongs) without falling flat on our faces. The beach was so white, and the water was so clear. Stepping through flour is the only way I could describe it. We went all the way to the end of the beach and just got straight into the water, leaving our towels and belongings in our bags, abandoned on the powdery sand. Lemon sharks, manta rays and beautiful fish were swimming around our feet and ankles as we waded into the turquoise ocean.

People were sunbathing along the beach but we just didn’t see the point. You can sunbathe anywhere, but you might only ever have a few hours on Whitehaven Beach. We walked all along the front of the beach and had a lot of it completely to ourselves. It was magical, and we spent a large part of our time simply chatting about how lucky we felt, and how hard we had worked to get to this point. During our hardest days in Australia I would say to Liam that one day we would laugh about this, I recalled back to that moment standing on the most beautiful beach in the world with my favourite person. We were, in fact, laughing about those days now, as those days had led us to this exact moment, and the wait had made it 100x sweeter.

When we were back on the boat we sat sweetly beside each other going through our photos and just taking in the landscape back to Airlie Beach, the boys were blasting thunder-themed songs and the boats were dancing around each other as they raced each other back to the harbour. Usually, the journey back home after an amazing day is bittersweet but they kept the vibes up and the experiences kept coming all the way back to the dock.

Looking back on this day, all I feel is deep gratitude for all that helped us get there to experience the most magical day, for our hard work, for our family making sure we didn’t have to give up and come home when things were difficult, for our job that means we can travel every two weeks, and for the team on the day who just ensured it was truly a day worthy of a big bucket-list tick.

Another unforgettable experience was our Heart Reef flight with Ocean Rafting. I first fell in love with Heart Reef after I reposted it to my Tumblr blog in 2012, so today had been a long time coming.

The flight began over the Whitsunday Islands where we headed out to see Whitehaven Beach and its white swirls from the sky. It felt surreal knowing we were standing there the day before. The plane looped so both sides of the plane could get a good look. We then headed out to the Great Barrier Reef. This involved 10 minutes of flying over the open ocean with very little to look at or distract me from the oncoming feeling of ‘green’ in my tummy and throat. I managed to hold it together until the Heart Reef, thankfully.

Flying over the reef was incredible, and the ‘barrier’ part of the Great Barrier Reef was so evident as it does just appear out of nowhere like a fence in the ocean. The coral was incredible and looked like floral blossoms all over the blue crystal waters, when we did find the Heart Reef we again both got to have a view of it. I spontaneously shed a few tears upon seeing it, I felt like 14-year-old Eva felt so strongly about this exact moment and now I am a fully grown adult with adult money and an amazing partner and I am on the other side of the world currently flying over the actual real-life Heart Reef. It felt so beautiful and looked stunning.

On our last day in paradise, we decided to cram in as many culinary delights as we possibly could. We headed first for brunch down at Sidewalk Cafe, which was delicious. I had a chocolate milkshake and Liam had a coffee, and the wait for food was about 30 minutes. It was quite busy, even for a Tuesday morning in low season, but so worth it!

I went for the Miso Glazed Chicken Waffles, which came with chilli scrambled eggs. It was so tasty and I almost wish I hadn’t drank a full milkshake beforehand (no regrets though), as I was so full afterwards. Liam got the Bacon and Egg roll with extra Hashbrowns, and that looked tasty as well. They prioritise local and fresh ingredients and you could tell. We will be going back, maybe without the car as the cocktail menu looked fab!

In the evening, we dressed up nice and headed to find a restaurant. We had no plans or ideas but there are about 8 restaurants in a row with lots of different vibes and something for everyone. We couldn’t decide what we wanted but were intrigued by the neon signs that said “Pint of Stella and 1/2kg of Chicken Wings for $25” with a big arrow pointing upstairs. Turns out it is a Mexican restaurant called Mika’s and has an open-air balcony looking over the shoreline. The staff were so friendly and despite the advert hinting otherwise, the food and cocktails were great.

Afterwards, we headed to Airlie Beach Hotel. They have a bar and restaurant just beside Mika’s. As avid sports fans, we wished we had come here earlier. Every wall had multiple screens with different sports on it. On the Tuesday evening we were there they had horse and dog racing, premier league darts, basketball, baseball, and moto GP. I have probably forgotten a few too. The bar was open air so smoking was allowed at every table. The bartender was so nice and gave me recommendations on what to get and they had top-shelf spirits on sale for just $8. We would love to go back there for a big sporting event to watch it on the big screens, I can imagine the atmosphere would be incredible! We had an early morning heading back to camp the next day so had one drink and climbed Mount Everest one last time to bed.

This week had been everything we had dreamed of and more, so heading back to camp felt bittersweet. I am just very happy we are finally able to make the most of our Australian adventure together.

Our next week off will be to the Gold Coast and Byron Bay, let me know any recommendations you have!

As much as I adore my partner and never grow tired of his company, I desperately miss my female friendships and how they fill my cup up. I really thrive whenever I am with my girlfriends so seeing Molly and Lauren again felt amazing and I loved our time together as they brought with them such a great taste of home! It felt good having a wee girly gossip with people who knew exactly what I was talking about! A chat with good friends is really all you ever need sometimes, even when you are on the other side of the world.

We decided on Left Side for a Sunday bottomless brunch, I hadn’t had a bottomless in Australia yet so was very excited to see how it would be.

By sheer luck, I accidentally sat beside Lauren and Molly on the tram ride there! Which meant we could get a headstart on our catch-up and I didn’t have to struggle with Google Maps with no phone signal.

Left Side’s bottomless brunch, priced at $49/£25, was incredibly popular. There was a large queue at the door and we were first or second in the line which meant more drinking time!

My partner and I have noticed a large difference in drinking culture between the UK and Australia. Australians seem to enjoy a more consistent (and constant) approach to drinking, with a lot of people enjoying a steady flow of mid-strength beer daily. On one hand, both Brits and Aussies like to have a drink but on the other hand, we Brits like a binge at the weekend, good music and special occasions, even if the special occasion is just a Friday. In Australia, drinking is a constant, and where we live in regional Queensland, it is a steady presence and almost a currency in daily life. At my work guests even leave their last can instead of a tip.

Considering this, I think the approach to bottomless brunch differs slightly.

In my experiences with bottomless brunches in England (sadly not in Scotland), they typically kick-start a day or night of drinking and it is a race against the clock to make the money worth it and to prepare yourself for a day of drunken revelry. Whereas Left Side’s vibes seemed a lot more subdued although the tunes were blasting, there was no waiting ages for drinks to slow you down, or a big group of hens getting on it beside you. It was not what I was used to with a bottomless!

The drinks were served in jugs on the table, which would be dangerous in the UK. I know for certain that my friends and I wouldn’t have managed if we were left to pour our own drinks from a constantly refilled jug. There was a choice of cocktails and two jugs between us so we picked Sex on the Beach and Pornstar Martini.

I had about a jug and a half to myself of the cocktails and I believe I could have passed a breathalyser test, there wasn’t even a slight buzz. I am very unconvinced of how much alcohol was actually in the jugs.

The food, however, was delicious, I had the feta and avocado sourdough, a dish I always crave when I am at work with limited mining camp food options. Lauren and Molly both got pizzas which also looked tasty!

Overall, Left Side was a pleasant experience, made even better by the company. However, I can’t help but question the “bottomless” aspect of the brunch. My partner was expecting a day-drunk girlfriend to stagger through the door, but instead, I was sober and wanted to go for a walk.

While Left Side might be a good option for a leisurely meal with some dance music, those looking for a more lively experience might be disappointed. It may be worth exploring other brunch spots in Melbourne for a more fulfilling bottomless experience.

We recently enjoyed an unforgettable week in Airlie Beach, soaking up every moment of its tropical charm. Here’s a breakdown of our adventures to inspire your own trip to the stunning shores of North Queensland.

Check out our detailed day-by-day adventure in Airlie Beach for an in-depth look at how we spent our unforgettable week here!

Must-Do Excursions:

Thunder Cat Whitsundays Day Tour

Embark on an unforgettable journey, featuring two snorkelling stops, a scenic walk to Hill Inlet viewpoint, and two blissful hours at Whitehaven Beach. Indulge in delicious onboard food amidst perfect views and good vibes.

Ocean Rafting Heart Reef Flight

Experience the Whitsundays and its coral reef from a breathtaking birds-eye view. Fulfil a bucket-list wish seeing the Heart Reef from above. A once-in-a-lifetime aerial adventure awaits!

Eating Out:

Dickies Dogs Diner

Treat yourself to internationally-themed hot dogs and freshly made doughnuts.

Sidewalk Cafe

Delight in delicious brunch offerings, cocktails and milkshakes.

Mika’s Mexican Restaurant

Savour the best garlic bread, fajitas and cocktails in town.

Northerlies Beach Bar and Grill

Enjoy dinner and drinks with stunning views, accessible via a convenient free bus service from town.

Drinks:

Magnums

Chill out with live music, cheap drinks, and relaxed vibes.

Paddy Shenanigans

Groove to fabulous live tunes and soak in the amazing atmosphere.

BOOM Nightclub

Transport yourself to UK club vibes circa 2017 for a night to remember

Airlie Beach Hotel

Enjoy the open-air sports bar, complete with numerous TVs showing your favourite sports events

Local Drives and Must-See Sights:

Cedar Creek Falls

Pack your swimsuits for a refreshing dip and capture memories amidst the local roosters.

Dingo Beach and Cape Gloucester

While it wasn’t our cup of tea, others rave about these picturesque spots!

Other Activities:

• Boardwalk Stroll
• Airlie Beach Saturday Markets
• Airlie Beach Lagoon
• Boutique Shopping along the Main Street

From thrilling excursions to mouthwatering dining experiences and scenic drives, Airlie Beach offers a diverse range of activities for every traveler. Dive into the beauty of North Queensland and create memories that will last a lifetime.

Tiktok videos of the Whitsundays were one of the deciding reasons we booked flights to the other side of the world, and there have been difficult days during our time here when we didn’t think we would ever make it, being forced to head home early without ticking off these massive bucket-list items like Whitehaven Beach and the Heart Reef. Yet here we are!

This past week exploring Airlie Beach and the Whitsundays has been an absolute dream, and I will have some more detailed, separate posts for all of our excursions.

For now, here is the breakdown of our week in paradise!

Day 1 — Escape from camp!

For the first time since we started working swings, we didn’t have to catch a flight to our final destination and it felt like such a blessing! Flying can take it out of us especially when Liam has been on late shifts the night before. It was so easy to jump on the free bus from camp that dropped us off directly at the airport and head straight to the rental desk. No security, check-in or stress required.

The customer service rep at Europcar was lovely and let me pick from 4 different cars, we ended up with a Nissan X-Trail which is a huge car for a girl who learned to drive in a Nissan Pixo and drives a golf buggy daily at work.

Car rental is so cheap in Australia, and it really is something that everyone should take advantage of. I once hired a 2024 Toyota Rav4 for $50/£25 for a day just to go to my work medical as it was cheaper than an Uber. And for our next week off in Gold Coast, I have managed to get a 2024 plate SUV for just $138/£69 for 7 days! Insane value and makes travelling so much easier.

This week was $500/£250 for 7 days, regional Australia is always a bit more expensive. The car was brand new and had under 1000km on the clock, it was a dream to drive the 2 hours north to Airlie Beach even if Liam kept slating my music choices (Paolo Nutini is not “shit” nor “the worst thing I have ever heard”, he is a legend and Coming Up Easy is a great song to start off a road trip).

We stayed at Whitsunday Terraces and booked a 1-bed studio. Out of all 3 of our trips so far this accommodation was the most expensive and the most basic, but the view was absolutely to die for and almost made up for the price. As soon as you open the door you are greeted by a large balcony that overlooks one of Airlie Beach’s stunning Marinas, looking out to sea and some of the Whitsunday Islands. However, you do not get a view like that without driving up a very steep 30% incline. Let’s just say I am very thankful Australians drive automatics because I was not going to be able to do a hill start in that big car on that big hill for an entire week. It would have made the week a lot more stressful. Over the week, we actually walked up the mountain only twice and instead would drive down and park rather than killing ourselves as well as exposing our terrible cardiovascular health, trying to reach the apartment.

The apartment was lovely but the kitchen didn’t have an oven or a hob, which was fine this week as we didn’t have much time or desire to cook, but normally we (I) cook at least one or two meals over the week. The apartment also didn’t have wifi and we had very spontaneously bought a Nintendo Switch on our way to Airlie Beach, so we were in desperate need to download some games. I don’t even want to look at how many times we bought more data this week. The hotel did have two pools and a bar and restaurant, which we didn’t take much advantage of, however, it was full most nights so we probably should have given it a go!

What I will say is everyone we met this week was so lovely! The lady at reception was very kind and gave us a brochure and highlighted places she had recently been and recommended, and shoutout to the lovely housekeeper who came and serviced our room, she was an absolute angel! If they had wifi I would 100% stay here again for a week, but we probably would only stay again if we were staying in Airlie for just a couple of days next time.

Day 2 — $1000 on Apple Pay and Dickies Dogs

First official day in Airlie and of course we were hungry, after two weeks of camp food I was excited for some flavour and variety. We were recommended to try out Dickies Dogs Diner and I am so happy we went! It is somewhere we probably wouldn’t have gone without the recommendation, as it is right at the end of the town and we would have had no idea it existed. The diner serves international cuisine-themed hot dogs and the decor is 10/10. It is run by a husband and wife duo, and their son has actually moved to Perth, Scotland! The buns were baked fresh in-store and the food was delicious and such a big serving! Liam got the Coney Island Dog and I got the Mexican-themed Dog, we didn’t even realise both came with Chilli Con Carne but both were delicious. We even went back the next day for our hungover lunch!

After Dickies Dogs we knew we had to book our excursions for the week, as it is currently low season we weren’t worried about not getting onto the trips we wanted as much as we were concerned about weather and the conditions. Now we were full, Liam turned to me and said “Let’s be careful here, let’s not spend $1000”. Spoiler alert: We spent more than $1000 and I have never tapped my Apple Pay so happily.

We booked the Whitsundays Day tour with Thunder Cat and the Heart Reef Flight with Ocean Rafting. Both of which I will write full reviews for and link below!

We booked our excursions for the week through Tina Cook at Whitsundays Bookings (info@whitsundaybookings.com.au). We hadn’t researched at all where to get our excursions but happened to wander into Tina’s shop first. I genuinely cannot recommend her enough! She went through tide times, weather reports, wind reports, and specific timings as well as directly phoning the tour companies to ensure we could have the best times to see the reef with low-tide and best weather, even if those times were seemingly unavailable online. And she had a lovely dog, Nala, to cuddle to celebrate your bookings!

We explained to her what we wanted from our day at the Whitsundays and she talked us through all of the options available, pushing us for the one that worked the best for us and not the most expensive. Tina has lived in Airlie Beach for 30 years and told us she had flown the Heart Reef flight 10 times. She is 100% what you need when you are looking to book tours in a tourist town. A lot of the other shops in Airlie seemed to be staffed by British lads on Working Holiday Visas, nothing against this, but you want someone who knows the place like the back of their hands in all seasons.

We left Tina’s bouncing, $1100 lighter but so excited for the week ahead. We wandered all around the boardwalk taking in the sights and talking through all of the details of the upcoming week. We then hopped in the car and decided to just have a spontaneous drive around Airlie Beach, putting some tunes on and having a singsong.

Before coming to Airlie Beach we asked for recommendations from our work colleagues as because it is so close to our camp a lot of them have frequented Airlie Beach lots of times. One recommendation that came up was Cedar Creek Falls, we had made a plan to come and find these waterfalls later in the week but we accidentally stumbled across them whilst on our drive!

The waterfalls were beautiful and a very short drive from Airlie, we clearly had gone the long way on our mini road trip! As it was so spontaneous we hadn’t brought our swimming gear but it would have been lovely for a wee dip. We grabbed some photos, took in the scenery, and then headed to the Bottle-o as because our excursions weren’t until Sunday, we could go out out tonight!

Airlie is known for its nightlife and we had the best little time. The rounds were much cheaper than we have experienced elsewhere in Australia which surprised me and there was some variety of places to go depending on your vibe. We headed first to Magnums which had a live band playing but was a bit dead for a Friday night, so we headed along to Paddy Shenanigans.

Now, I am quite notoriously a bit of a spiritual woo-woo girly. I am a big fan of signs from the universe, and honestly, if I had asked for a sign from the universe that day that everything was falling perfectly into place and we were exactly where we were meant to be then the singer in Paddy Shenanigans would have been that sign. First and foremost, he was an amazing singer with an unreal voice, the place was hanging on his every word and secondly, the first 3 songs he played when we walked in the door are probably the three most important songs to me in the whole wide world. It was fate and I won’t hear anything else about it because how did this man play The Gambler by Kenny Rodgers, followed by Zach Bryan, my absolute favourite, followed by Riptide by Vance Joy which is a song that means a lot to me and my family. It felt so nice, and I really could not believe it. I wish I could thank that singer personally because any sign from home when you are 10,000 miles away is just such a special feeling.

We then decided to head upstairs to BOOM nightclub. Instead of UK cheese-floor circa 2016 the vibes were more UK cheese-floor circa 2021, Australia club music might be getting slightly better as time goes on OR our standards for good club music have been dropping rapidly. They did play a great mix of Down Under by Men at Work which is the song Liam and I blasted out of the Pixo on Chilli Road when we got our visas accepted. The universe was really universe-ing that night.

Also a huge shoutout to the two German girls in the bathroom who thought I was German when I spoke to them. You gave my ego a fat boost and I will be riding on the glory of this compliment for the rest of time.

After a questionable kebab, we headed back up Mount Everest to our apartment. Drunk, full, happy.

Day 3 — Airlie Beach Saturday Market (hungover)

No surprise but we were ever so slightly a teeny weeny bit hungover. But the next day was Whitehaven beach day so I needed a swimsuit. (I would like to thank Australia Post for this predicament … how can I order a swimsuit with 1–3 days delivery on the 8th of May and it arrived TODAY (the 17th of May?)

If I had to explain to someone what the worst day of my life would contain, it would probably have at least some elements of being disgustingly hungover in a very small town trying to find a swimsuit that I would be happy to be photographed in and doesn’t cost me $23,913.99. A strong highlight would also probably contain a sales assistant in Baku insisting on making small talk with me through the changing room curtain. Meanwhile, I am trying not to have a breakdown over the ugly ass bikini she sent me in with, and she is basically bullying me to step out onto the shop floor so she could “fit me properly”. Absolutely not. I wanted to shrivel up and eat a Maccas.

Anyway, I found a cute swimsuit in the last shop I went into (typical). While Liam, rightfully, chilled in our apartment, I decided I absolutely could not go to Airlie Beach without visiting the Saturday market. This was the wrong idea; I was hungover, tired, and I went so late that all the stalls were closing and seemed very inconvenienced by me trying to have a look. I did purchase some cute earrings though! I had to make it worth my time somehow.

On the way back I grabbed a Dickie’s Dogs takeaway for us both and we chilled in the apartment for the rest of the day. Venturing outside only to go to a dodgy little corner shop to get some water and suncream for our adventuring tomorrow. Apparently, Woolies closes at 6pm on Saturdays. Who would have thought?

Day 4 — Swirly beaches and pool noodles

Finally, the day was here! As we waited for everyone to check-in, a lady from the company sang “Happy Birthday” to a couple of people, accompanied by all of the guests and her ukulele. Liam promised he would keep his mouth shut so I didn’t have 60 strangers singing Happy Birthday to me but we were giggling so much she confronted me.

ThuderCat Ukulele lady — “You’re hiding something”

Liam- “It’s her birthday”

So 60 strangers sang Happy Birthday to me before we headed onto our boat for the day.

Our Skippers were Zacko and Gus and they had the tunes blasting from the second we left the harbour. It was about an hour’s journey to our first snorkel session. It was bumpy but manageable. When we got to the first snorkel point at Manta Ray Bay we were given Pool Noodles and snorkel goggles.

Manta Ray Bay felt like we were jumping into a fish bowl, I cannot even describe how clear the water was and how incredible the fish looked. We were able to swim in the area for about an hour. There were Clownfish, angel fish, some iridescent blue fish and a huge black one about 4 feet long that came right by us and Liam didn’t even notice!

We then hopped back on the boat as they headed round to another part of Hook Island to snorkel for the second time. Anyone who knows me, knows I am such a water/ocean/sea girl, and take no heed jumping headfirst into the North Sea in January. It still feels so strange to me when I go into the ocean in Australia that the water is warm. I jumped off the boat expecting that cold shock to wake me up and make me feel alive like a cold plunge in the North Sea, but the water is a balmy 26 degrees around here. It is like a great big beautiful crystal blue bath, that you share with millions of pretty fish and coral. This snorkel was predominantly to look at the coral however there were lots of fish here too. I had never seen coral up close before and it was astonishing. Every single size and shape you could imagine, ones that looked like clouds and brains and flowers just bobbing and living right below the surface. We only spent about 25 minutes snorkelling in this area as we were pretty exhausted being in the ocean that long, we decided to chill on the boat and look at the incredible view while the rest of the guests swam.

After this, the boat took us to Tongue Bay for lunch. The food was fab, really tasty and very fresh, we had a cold buffet selection with cold meats, Asian noodles and quiche. At this point, we were so close to the famous Whitehaven Beach and could barely contain our excitement waiting for everyone to finish their lunch. We docked at the edge of the beach at Tongue Beach and were told it was about 20 2minute hike up to the viewpoints.

The hike was quite muddy and there wasn’t much to look at as it was dense forest, but when it opened up at the top to the swirls of the bay below, the forest-covered hills and the white beach below were astonishing. There are three viewpoints to walk along, so even if it is busy at the first viewpoint you will 100% be able to get photos without anyone around at one of the three.

I had watched maybe 1000 tiktoks on the Whitsundays before we went and I still could not fathom the view or the beauty of it. The island is still very much wild, with only a tiny part of it built with a winding path and steps to the viewpoints then down to the beach itself.

We headed down to the beach and bounced down as quickly as we possibly could in our flip-flops (thongs) without falling flat on our faces. The beach was so white, and the water was so clear. Stepping through flour is the only way I could describe it. We went all the way to the end of the beach and just got straight into the water, leaving our towels and everything in our bags. Lemon sharks, manta rays and beautiful fish were swimming around our feet and ankles as we waded into the turquoise ocean.

People were sunbathing along the beach but we just didn’t see the point. You can sunbathe anywhere, but you might only ever have a few hours on Whitehaven Beach. We walked all along the front of the beach and had a lot of it completely to ourselves. It was magical, and we spent a large part of our time simply chatting about how lucky we felt, and how hard we had worked to get to this point. During our hardest days in Australia I would say to Liam that one day we would laugh about this, I recalled back to that moment standing on the most beautiful beach in the world with my favourite person. We were, in fact, laughing about those days now, as those days had led us to this exact moment, and the wait had made it 100x sweeter.

As we headed back to the boat we were one of the last back on. Sitting sweetly beside each other going through our photos and just taking in the landscape back to Airlie Beach, the boys were blasting thunder-themed songs and the boats were dancing around each other as they raced each other back to the harbour. Usually, the journey back home after an amazing day is bittersweet but they kept the vibes up and the experiences kept coming all the way back to the dock.

Looking back on this day, all I feel is deep gratitude for all that helped us get there to experience the most magical day, for our hard work, for our family making sure we didn’t have to give up and come home when things were difficult, for our job that means we can travel every two weeks, and for the team on the day who just ensured it was truly a day worthy of a big bucket-list tick.

Day 5 — Heart Reef Flight

After the Whitsundays Day Tour, it felt hard to top but we once again woke ready to jump out of bed as today we were heading to the mini airport just outside of Airlie Beach to take a flight over the reef to see the Heart Reef. I first fell in love with Heart Reef after I reposted it to my Tumblr blog in 2012, so today had been a long time coming.

The flight was in a tiny 7-seater plane and Liam and I were right up the front. Before we got on the flight she told us there were sick bags in the pocket in front of us and that we had to wear a lifejacket for the entirety of the flight. Not exactly the start I was looking for but grateful for the heads-up. The only time I have ever had motion sickness was on the road to Kelso with my mum driving like a NASCAR driver over the hills, so I felt confident I would be fine. Liam, on the other hand, can’t even look at the Waltzers without feeling queasy. His claim to fame is that he is the fastest person to have “completed” Universal Studios in Florida, probably due to the fact he didn’t go on a single ride.

The flight began over the Whitsunday Islands where we headed out to see Whitehaven Beach and its white swirls from the sky. It felt surreal knowing we were standing there the day before. The plane looped so both sides of the plane could get a good look. We then headed out to the Great Barrier Reef. This involved 10 minutes of flying over the open ocean with very little to look at or distract me from the oncoming feeling of ‘green’ in my tummy and throat. I managed to hold it together until the Heart Reef, thankfully.

Flying over the reef was incredible, and the ‘barrier’ part of the Great Barrier Reef was so evident as it does just appear out of nowhere like a fence in the ocean. The coral was incredible and looked like floral blossoms all over the blue crystal waters, when we did find the Heart Reef we again both got to have a view of it. I spontaneously shed a few tears upon seeing it, I felt like 14-year-old Eva felt so strongly about this exact moment and now I am a fully grown adult with adult money and an amazing partner and I am on the other side of the world currently flying over the actual real-life Heart Reef. It felt so beautiful and looked stunning.

It was over too quickly and we left to return for the 10 minutes over the open sea, with very little to distract me I started feeling very unwell. I was using every technique the pilot had given us; deep breathing, looking at the horizon and drinking lots of water but nothing seemed to be working. I can’t believe out of the 7 people on the flight it was me who felt so unwell. Liam was chilling and taking pics across the small aisle from me. I wanted to ground to swallow me up, or at least to feel solid ground beneath me.

We came in for a very smooth landing and I was hoping the feeling I had would subside when I left the aircraft. Unfortunately, I was still feeling very ill, which was not helped by the minibus driver acting like an absolute speed demon around every corner and hill and pothole in Airlie Beach before dropping us off. I had just had the best experience ever but all I wanted was to sit in the car with the aircon blasting.

Liam was so kind but also took no shame in laughing at little old plane-sick Eva who couldn’t even hack an hour in a private jet (I wish). We were hoping to go out that evening for food but an early night was going to be the only cure.

Day 6 — Last Day in Paradise — Good Food and Small-Town PTSD

We seem to forget that restaurants and eating out are things we like to do until our last day and then we cram them in. We headed first for brunch down at Sidewalk Cafe, which was delicious. I had a chocolate milkshake and Liam had a coffee, and the wait for food was about 30 minutes. It was quite busy, even for a Tuesday morning in low season, but so worth it!

I went for the Miso Glazed Chicken Waffles, which came with chilli scrambled eggs. It was so tasty and I almost wish I hadn’t drank a full milkshake beforehand (no regrets though), as I was so full afterwards. Liam got the Bacon and Egg roll with extra Hashbrowns, and that looked tasty as well. They prioritise local and fresh ingredients and you could tell. We will be going back, maybe without the car as the cocktail menu looked fab!

We then went for a walk around the lagoon to walk off our full tummies. When we had visited Airlie Beach previously, it was a 2-hour stop for lunch whilst on our campervan journey from Cairns to Brisbane, and honestly, we weren’t instantly impressed, but I did spend the vast majority of my time in the lagoon, hence why we hadn’t felt the need to head there during our week off.

A few people had recommended we visit Dingo Beach and the lady at reception had mentioned Cape Gloucester, so off we headed on a wee 40-minute drive from Airlie. I like driving in Australia but it is quite boring. Unless you like cattle there isn’t much to see as the roads are inland so you don’t even get the coastal views and they are usually arrow straight so you don’t even get the excitement of turning the steering wheel for long periods of it.

I honestly don’t know what we were expecting at Dingo Beach, however a lifetime ago in Australia, Liam and I had a bad experience in a very small coastal town with one beach, mountains in the background and one pub. It was a really difficult time in our lives and not one we wished to repeat. Dingo Beach was an unfortunate carbon copy of where we once stayed in a previous life. Don’t get me wrong it was beautiful. Would I have had a drink in the little beer garden if I wasn’t so traumatised by the memories Dingo Beach was reminding us of? Yes, probably, but after we set off along the beach to try make the most of it, we turned back as we were both feeling so uneasy.

I think it is hard to explain the feelings we had here but I honestly didn’t think it was worth it for us to visit there. We jumped back in the trusty Nissan and headed to Cape Gloucester. When we got there we were greeted by threatening signs of no public access to the beach and we had to be ‘day patrons’ to even park in the area. After not feeling 100% at Dingo Beach, we were not in the mood to figure out what that meant, nor were we wanting to stop for a drink, just hoping to have a look and take in the beautiful East Coast of Australia. Anyway, we put some Zach Bryan on the car speaker and enjoyed the luxury drive back to Airlie.

In the evening, we dressed up nice and headed to find a restaurant. We had no plans or ideas but there are about 8 restaurants in a row with lots of different vibes and something for everyone. We couldn’t decide what we wanted but were intrigued by the neon signs that said “Pint of Stella and 1/2kg of Chicken Wings for $25” with a big arrow pointing upstairs. Turns out it is a Mexican restaurant called Mika’s and has an open-air balcony looking over the shoreline. The staff were so friendly and despite the advert hinting otherwise, the food looked great.

In my last post, I let you know that Liam and I had up until this point failed to find any semblance of good Garlic Bread in Australia, and I am so incredibly happy to say that Mika’s might be the best Garlic Bread I have ever eaten in my entire life. Homemade fluffy bread in thick wedge slices with beautifully melted cheese and garlic on top. The portion was so large I had to stop myself from eating too much so I didn’t get full for my main course. We also ordered the Breaded Halloumi Sticks which were also delicious.

For mains, Liam got chicken fajitas and I got the chilli beef burrito bowl. Someone needs to look at the science of that sizzling Fajita plate and why it instantly instils such a strong reaction of jealousy to anyone who didn’t order the fajitas. The wraps were handmade, the guac looked incredible and the chicken looked spiced to perfection. I am saying ‘looked’ as there was no chance Liam was wasting a single bite on letting me have a taste. The burrito bowl was unfortunately underwhelming but there were so many other things on the menu and we will be back.

For drinks, Liam ordered the pint of Stella which went down terribly, and I got the tropical frozen daiquiri which was so tasty, and if we weren’t heading home the next morning I would have had five.

Afterwards, we headed to Airlie Beach Hotel. They have a bar and restaurant just beside Mika’s. As avid sports fans, we wished we had come here earlier. Every wall had multiple screens with different sports on it. On the Tuesday evening we were there they had horse and dog racing, premier league darts, basketball, baseball, and moto GP. I have probably forgotten a few too. The bar was open air so smoking was allowed at every table. The bartender was so nice and gave me recommendations on what to get and they had top-shelf spirits on sale for just $8 including Absolut. We would love to go back there for a big sporting event to watch it on the big screens, I can imagine the atmosphere would be incredible! We had an early morning heading back to camp the next day so had one drink and one last time climbed Mount Everest to bed.

Day 7 — Back to Camp/Work/Prison/Rehab

This week had been everything we had dreamed of and more, so heading home was bittersweet but I did feel a lot more relaxed than we had after our recent city breaks, and not having to fly before the coach journey back to camp was a massive bonus! Makes you wish everything in Australia was within reasonable driving distance. We headed to the shopping centre to pick up some bits and pieces before dropping the car back to Europcar. The attendant came and met us in the car park and I phoned ahead asking for another hour, and she said that she would put it through on the system as the correct time so I wouldn’t get charged. If we are renting in Mackay Airport again, I will 100% be using Europcar.

Thank you for reading this to the end! Next week we are heading back to our old home, the Gold Coast and going for a couple of days to Byron Bay. Any recs please send them our way!

My partner and I are extremely blessed to work FIFO/DIDO in Queensland. This means we are lucky enough that we can work as well as travel throughout Australia without the time pressure.

We are slow travellers, preferring to relax and enjoy the atmosphere and charm of a city whilst meeting old and new friends, rather than ticking every single tourist attraction off of our list in a short space of time.

We always feel as though we can come back to a city and see anything that we might have missed.

That being said our first time in Melbourne was incredible, and we are already counting down the days until we can return.

This is what we got up to, what we loved, our must-dos and what we will miss out next time.

Day 1 — A long travel Day

We travel from North Queensland and live around 2 hours from our nearest regional airport. It is a lot of time and effort to travel on our weeks off but it is so worth it for us.

Travel days really take their toll on us, especially after 14 days of 10-hour shifts, and having very little sleep before the early wake-up call. Travelling to Melbourne took us 12 hours door to door, and Liam had been on late shifts, meaning he missed his alarm, hadn’t packed and had only about 4 hours sleep.

One thing about me is that I like a plan, however when I am on holiday I have a strong belief that transport will always work out perfectly for us, and I have never organised (nor even researched) transport from an airport to a city. I always assume there will be a way, and when we landed in Melbourne it was the SkyBus.

The SkyBus stop was directly outside the terminal doors and cost $40AUD return per person. Spending $80AUD before we had even had the chance to stretch our legs in Melbourne was a punch to the gut, but it turned out perfectly. We had a short 10-minute wait, then around a 25-minute drive into the city during rush hour, and the coach station was a convenient 10-minute walk away from our hotel.

We stayed in a serviced apartment at Lumina Suites on Spencer Street.

The apartment was lovely with a stunning skyline view of the CBD. The floor-to-ceiling windows were incredible and there was a fully stocked kitchen for cooking (which has surprisingly been rare so far on our travels).

HOWEVER, unless you are a fan of sleeping on concrete slabs covered with cheap linen I would probably avoid. As much as it was okay for this stay, I won’t recommend it for any friends or family coming to Melbourne.

The location was great, cleanliness was good, and amenities were fab, but the comfort and quality of the furnishings, particularly in the bedroom, were shockingly bad. So bad that after our 12 hour travel day on 4 hour sleep, we burst out giggling at the thought of finally relaxing and having to do it on a mattress masquerading as a pile of bricks with a white sheet on top.

I even undid the bed to see if there was some cardboard protection or something over the mattress (it was the only explanation I could come up with) but alas no, just a rock-solid mattress and an upcoming week of terrible sleep and sore backs.

If you did the classic falling onto a big hotel bed trust fall, you would probably break your neck.

We also added to our ritual of just exhaustedly ordering dominos on our first night as we always know what we want and it is so cheap in Australia, but this added to a disappointing start in Melbourne because the food was terrible, they forgot quite a lot of stuff and it was 1.5 hours late. Thanks for the 13$ refund though!

TLDR; loved the apartment but you’d be comfier sleeping on the floor, and don’t order the Dominoes.

Day 2 — Liam Day: Melbourne Zoo, Ice Bar, and a night out in the CBD

This week in Melbourne was to celebrate Liam’s 25th birthday. So this day was affectionately called Liam Day. He had no idea what was planned for the most part, and we had a great time doing things that he loves to do.

Since we are now Queensland natives and are no longer acclimatised to Melbourne’s autumnul weather, we headed into the CBD first to do a bit of shopping. The shopping in Melbourne is 10/10, and I would love to go back with more of a focus on retail therapy! But at this point we definitely didn’t want to be carrying any amount of shopping bags around the Zoo.

I don’t know if it was just us but our phone signal sucked in Melbourne. It was the first time we have had that happen with Telstra. Sometimes the ‘dot’ on our Google Maps wouldn’t even be on the right street in the city. And as I don’t research any kind of transportation before I go anywhere, access to Google Maps is a requirement.

I would say I am quite good with maps and figuring out my bearings, and even I couldn’t quite get my head around the tram and underground system in Melbourne so I would say a little bit of direction research with actual wifi before heading out would be my top tip! Will I take my own advice next time? Probably not, but don’t say I didn’t warn you!

On the door prices for Melbourne Zoo were $46AUD for a full-price adult, as much as we liked the Zoo, I would say this price was quite steep for how many enclosures were empty.

Liam and I both love going to zoos and had heard good things about Melbourne. We really can spend a full day in any kind of weather wandering around a zoo, but we were in and out of Melbourne Zoo in under 2 hours.

There was very little to see and lots of the enclosures were so small that we walked away feeling sad and guilty for even paying to be there. I grew up near an incredible zoo which has done a lot of work to ensure that its animals have enriching enclosoures, as much as possible. When we had visited Australia Zoo the animals, especially the large mammals (Elephants and Giraffes) had acres to themselves as well as acres hidden from view of the public. Melbourne felt like a prison in comparison, especially for the elephants.

After the zoo, we had a lot of spare time as I was expecting us to be there a lot longer. We slowly wandered back into the city, taking in the sights and the atmosphere and had a chill afternoon before heading out for Liams next birthday experience!

Liam’s lovely Mum had gifted him tickets to the Melbourne Ice Bar. We left 30 minutes before our allotted time, thinking we would be there very early, but ended up in traffic for 40 minutes! We were stressing in the back of this poor man’s Uber, but we were in gridlocked traffic and there was nothing he could have done. We made it a little bit late and still had the best time. We giggled and laughed the whole time and Liam even got a bonus shot as I had written on the booking form that it was his birthday. We had an absolute ball playing all the games and taking a lot of pictures on their photo booths. Unfortunately, we were not allowed to take our own pictures, and they charged 12$ each for the ones we took on their photo booths. We were given 2 weeks to buy any we might have wanted, but why pay 12$ when Liam sneakily nabbed an amazing picture of the screen on our way out? (See below)

What I will say though is if you have been to one of the larger ice bars in Europe, Prague for example, Melbourne’s is a lot smaller, and as I mentioned you aren’t allowed to take your own photos. If you are looking for something a bit different to do for an hour in Melbourne and laugh the entire time it is so worth it, but if you have already been to one of the bigger Ice Bar experiences in Europe or Asia, just go in with lower expectations! You will still have a ball though!

The cost of the ticket included a lovely poncho to keep you warm, one shot that you can take with your friends on a ski, one cocktail each, a couple of different ice games like noughts and crosses, connect 4 (which I smashed Liam at multiple times — sorry not sorry I won’t even let him win on his birthday) and ice (air) hockey made out of actual ice. There were some amazing ice sculptures and 3 different photo spots. You get 45 minutes to enjoy. We only managed 35 minutes as we were late but after 35 minutes we were pretty cold and had finished our drinks. It might be quite expensive for what you get but we had a genuinely great time and it was a perfect experience as a one-off birthday drink!

We then grabbed a drink at the sports bar beer garden in Federation Square and headed to Father’s Office Downtown on a friend’s recommendation. Father’s Office had a happy hour until 10pm and Pornstar Martinis were only $15! We have heard their other location has a dancefloor, whereas this one felt very restraunt-y for a bar. I was, however, having the absolute time of my life with the cocktails and I am assuming Liam enjoyed the beer too!

We headed a few doors down to the State Garden Hotel on the banging recommendation of a drunk girl in Father’s Office bathroom (god bless the Girl’s Bathroom). There were two floors and upstairs was some of the best music we have heard on nights out since coming to Australia — the bar is low for this accolade. Australian nightlife and good music don’t seem to mix. We danced for hours and just had an amazing night. Don’t ask me how much the drinks were in the State Garden Hotel, the prior Martinis had taken over and for all I know the drinkss were $50 each and I was getting double rounds in.

Day 3 — Collingwood Magpies vs Port Adelaide at the MCG

This was the day we had been most excited about. Since the very day we decided to travel to Australia, an Aussie Rules match had been top of the list. We are both avid sports fans, namely football (soccer), and our love of sports is how Liam and I connected in the first place, going to different sports events has since been a firm feature of our relationship.

For those who don’t know, the Melbourne Cricket Ground is a 101,000-seater oval stadium. Words cannot describe the atmosphere, although was not the best day to have a pornstar-induced sorehead! It was loud, friendly, and intense.

We were, unknowingly, in the ‘away’ end although everyone was mixed in together, and had incredible views directly behind the goal in the Shane Warner stand. We sat beside the friendliest guy from New Zealand who had one hell of a whistle (n.b. my sore head), we laughed, chatted and cheered together for almost 3 full hours. Before we headed out we watched a 15 minute youtube video “A Guide to Aussie Rules”. The rules are very complicated and there are about 10 referees and 32 guys running around on one pitch. We were really hoping the person beside us could help us out but the Kiwi guy had less of a clue than we had! Luckily the guy in front heard us asking each other (probably) the dumbest of questions, and was happy to answer, or happy to not have us being complete wally’s in his ear behind him.

We are both football fans in the UK, where fans tend to be vilified (especially in Scotland) and opposing team’s fans are very much kept separate. I was taught that Tynecastle was a fortress and it needs to be as intimidating as possible for opposing fans. The MCG on the other hand played a montage for the away team and even played their team song with lyrics on the big screens!

After a rough initial 15 minutes for Collingwood, the famous Pies produced an undeniable win with 123 to Port Adelaide’s 81. At the end of the match we joined in singing the Collingwood Magpies Song three times, with help from the lyrics on the big screen.

Maccas (McDonalds for the non-Aussies) also sponsored an event called kick2kick which allowed spectators to have a kick about on the hallowed turf. We couldn’t believe our luck, and had no idea it was even a thing. We got to walk on the pitch and get some photos together in the sun.

We had an amazing day, one we will remember for a very long time, and I really cannot wait to experience more Aussie sports atmosphere soon.

After the match we wandered back to Lumina Suites and ordered some (delicious) burritos and had an early night. Rock ‘n Roll.

Day 4 — ‘Bottomless’ Brunch and the trials of being a Scottish football fan abroad

On Sunday I got the chance to catch up with the beautiful Lauren and Molly, my friends from back home. We decided to grab a bottomless brunch at Left Side in the Southside area, directly on the Yarra River. The brunch was only 49$ and the food was delicious. I ordered sourdough toast with avocado and feta, and Lauren and Molly got some pizza. I will say, I have a lot of doubts about how much alcohol was actually in the jugs of cocktails they were giving the table. We got a jug of Sex on the Beach and Pornstar Martini (my drink of the moment clearly), and I think might have had a jug and a half just by myself. I was completely sober and think I could have probably passed a breathalyser if I needed to. If you do go to Left Side for the bottomless, either know that you aren’t going to walk out legless and it is a cheap bottomless or that it is quite an expensive breakfast with juice.

Full Review of Left Side Brunch

I really really loved seeing the girls again, it had been far too long. It feels nice having some familiar faces when you are so far from home. I need to get back to Melbourne for a proper night out!

After brunch we had a mini shopping trip around the CBD, then I headed back to the apartment. Liam and I had hoped to hit up the Fitzroy area in the afternoon but decided to save our legs as we had big plans for a Sunday at Midnight (the joys of watching football 10 timezones away). Heart of Midlothian (my team♥️) were playing The Rangers in the Scottish Cup Semi-Final. Rangers were on a losing streak and Hearts have had one of the best seasons we have ever had. I had high hopes (lol).

What you will know if you are a fan of a sports league that isn’t exactly internationally attractive, like the The Scottish Premiership, is that it becomes a mission in itself to find anywhere that will have the match on.

We found out the Crafty Squire would play the match for any Hearts fans in Melbourne. I don’t know how we would have found this out without randomly sitting beside two lads from my (quite small) hometown on our staff bus leaving the mine site we work on. They had also watched a Hearts game in Melbourne at the Crafty Squire a few months before and gave us the recommendation. The world is a very small place, and it is also a testament to the universe always making sure I never miss a Hearts game.

And to sum up our time at the Crafty Squire, the beer was quite expensive and Hearts played shit.

I suppose there is always next year (I have said this every year since 2013).

Day 5 — Our RnR day

When you work in FIFO, you need a day where you can collapse in a heap and do nothing except head to Coles for snacks and a trip to the hotel lobby for your Uber Eats.

Day 6 — Queen Victoria Markets, Botanic Gardens and Dinner in the CBD

On our final day in Melbourne we decided to tick a few of our must-dos off the list. First up, we headed to the Queen Victoria Markets. I do think a Tuesday was probably the wrong day to go, there were a lot of empty spaces and a majority of the stalls there were selling snide designer t-shirts. I was expecting a much more handmade jewellery and artisanal vibe, but that might be what the markets are like on the weekends! The fresh food looked amazing and so cheap! They also have night markets on at the moment on a Wednesday night which I am gutted we couldn’t have gone to due to our work dates.

We then walked through the city, with a pitstop for some Dumplings, over to the Melbourne Botanical Gardens. They were stunning and seemed to go on forever. The cacti garden in particular was beautiful and reminded me of a mini Yves Saint-Laurent garden in Marrakesh. I think we could have probably spent another 2 hours in the gardens and not seen everything. We also walked around a part of the Tan track, it is a running track I am desperate to do next time we are in the city. The fastest laps were incredible to see and I cannot wait to compare my times (it will take me 4x as long).

In the evening we headed out for dinner for our final evening. We had heard that the laneways or Carlton were good places to find great restaurants. We stumbled uon Max on Hardware on Hardware Lane. Hardware Lane reminded me of European terrace eating, there were people everywhere, spilling out onto the streets, laughing, drinking, and chatting. I felt right at home.

As we usually do we ordered some garlic bread for our starter, we have yet to find good garlic bread in Australia and after this one, the search is still ongoing. I ordered the Goats Cheese and Chorizo Spaghetti which was delicious, Liam got the Chicken Parma which he said was quite average. The pizzas also looked incredible though. I think next time we head out in Melbourne for dinner we might go up to the Carlton area as we have heard it is chocked full of great Italian restaurants. I am a massive fan of any Asian cuisine, but Liam is unfortunately not as adventurous as me when it comes to eating, so next time that might have to be a dinner date with the girls.

On our way home for the final time in Melbourne, we celebrated a great week together with a Piccolina Gelateria. This ice cream was next level! The flavour was so on point and was so incredibly creamy. We regretted not getting more! Highly recommend!

Day 7 — Back to the grind

We had an early 4am wake up call to head for our Bonza (rip) flight back to our home away from home for another 14 days of hard work. Again it took 12 hours door to door, but that time would have been halved if we had our own transport mineside as we spent a lot of time waiting around our local town for our bus back to the camp.

Melbourne was such a vibrant city, and I was craving somewhere that had a bit of life and culture, like Melbourne. The comedy festival was on but we didn’t manage to squeeze in any shows, but that would have been a great addition to our trip. The sports were great, and everything we could have hoped for a bucket-list moment like the Aussie Rules match at the MCG. The bars and nightlife felt much more unique and diverse than we have experienced elsewhere in Aus. I cannot wait to go back to soak in the city and its atmosphere a little bit more.

On our next slow travel week we are heading to the beautiful Airlie Beach and Whitsundays! Fingers crossed the weather holds out.

Some great resources I used to plan our trip:

1. Time Out Melbourne
2. Urban List Melbourne

My partner and I have matching FIFO utility swings at the same mining camp in Australia. We both work in different departments and that sometimes means opposite shifts. This makes the swing feel twice as long to me, but there are ways to combat the separation from your partner.

We spent 4 months in Australia before we landed our job in the mining industry, and in those 4 months, we spent every minute together, rarely apart except for a few hours when one of us had a different shift at the hotel we both worked at. We ate every meal together, every decision, and every thought shared. To some people, this might be their worst nightmare but we didn’t move to the other side of the world without loving being in each other’s company.

We have separate rooms, but very close together, and luckily we both have double beds, which is a total win in terms of normal mining camp set-ups. This also means we can stay together when our schedule aligns!

The first week of our first swing, Liam began work a few hours before me, around 2:30 am, meaning if either of us wanted to get a decent amount of sleep we needed to sleep separately. We could luckily still spend a few hours together in the afternoon. It seems slightly ridiculous looking back on it now but we found it really difficult. Before Australia, we hadn’t even lived together but now the thought of sleeping separately felt impossible, to say the least. I burst into tears when I left his room the first night, (and the second, third and fourth). Thankfully, in our second week, our schedules aligned much more and we were able to stay together, but this isn’t always the case.

When we arrived for our second swing it felt like the air had been knocked out of our lungs, we were on opposite shift patterns, and would be for the entire swing. My partner started his work at 1:30 pm and I didn’t even finish my shift until 2:30 pm. It became very evident very quickly that we would have to really make an effort and prioritise spending as much time as we could together. It is a huge part of FIFO life being apart from family and friends, and it is a huge sacrifice you make to justify the benefits. Liam and I were never so delusional that just because we are on-site together doesn’t mean we are an exception to everyone else sacrificing their time with their loved ones, but what I am saying is there are ways to prioritise each other to make the swing a little bit more bearable.

1. Eat together — as much as possible

My lunch break is usually around when my partner would be waking up. He wakes up earlier so we can eat together, and I stay up a bit later so we can have our dinner together.

2. Chill in proximity

Luckily as we work in utilities, my partner is often working the bar when we are on opposite shifts. As soon as the bar opens I find a quiet corner and write. Much better than lying in bed watching Netflix, and when it is quiet at the bar we can always have a quick chat, or even a smile across the room makes it all worth it!

3. Morning reading

We both message each other when we can about our day so we both have a rundown of each other’s day when we wake up. I love seeing how my partner’s night went when I wake up at 3:30 am.

4. Keep in mind your long-term goals

On hard days this is really difficult, but on the easier days it is always great thinking and seeing the money rack up for all of our travel plans and our future.

5. It is okay to be sad about it

I find that on the second week of the swings when we are on opposite shifts is hard. After I eat our lunch together and we have a quick cuddle, I often end up a bit teary-eyed. Those brief moments together are what I miss most and it makes you realise just what you are missing. I squeeze my partner a little bit tighter and let myself be sad for a few brief moments. Won’t be long till I can fully take advantage of a full week of long lie-ins snuggling together.

5. Every day is closer to a full week of quality time doing the most amazing things.

Throughout our time here we have gotten better at being separated, even if we still don’t particularly like it. There are fewer tears now (not none, but that’s never going to happen because I love a good cry!)

Prioritise every minute you can and always savour the moments you see each other in passing, it is the little things that count and it will get easier. I promise!

Mining is an incredible industry to work in, and the door is well and truly open for women to set themselves up with incredible salaries and a new way of working. It is a great way for young women in Australia to set themselves up for financial freedom but it is important not to let your guard completely down.

I, personally, have never felt unsafe on our site (so far), but that doesn’t mean I haven’t heard the stories of what has happened to other women, nor have not taken precautions. Camps are isolated places with up to 5000, predominantly male, miners with very little to occupy their time outside of work, and often when you are moving around the camp it can be before the sun has even come up.

There is no reason to let this stop you taking the leap into FIFO/DIDO work. Most women will (thankfully) never have to deal with any kind of harassment or incidents on camps but there are a few simple steps you can take to give yourself an extra blanket of safety.

1. Always lock your door when you are in your room

This seems very simple, but even just nipping into your room to change before the gym or grab something from your fridge, make sure you click your door lock closed.

2. Consider buying an extra door lock

As someone who works in Utilities there are a lot of master keys out there so I would highly recommend an extra door lock (here are some examples on Amazon). One of these would be more than enough. You won’t want to get more than that as it is important that you can still get out in case of emergency.

3. Close your curtains and use your blackout blinds

This includes the bathroom window! I often kept my bathroom blind open on swing as it seems quite hard to get to and I liked the natural light. I have since heard stories of people being filmed in the shower through them and I have kept it closed ever since!

4. Keep outside your room clear

Don’t keep anything outside your room that could indicate a female is staying there. Keep your boots in your room and don’t leave thongs (flip-flops) or clothes drying if you can help it.

5. Know the security number and have it saved in your phone

Quite a simple one, but worth it just in case. If something does happen camp security are often also the EMTs or paramedics. They are your first port of call, these camps are incredibly isolated and your nearest police station could be 200km away or more.

6. Do your laundry during the day

The laundries tend to be isolated and the number of times I have been working in a laundry and an older miner with just his boxers on or a towel on has walked in. It is an uncomfortable experience and could be dangerous with the wrong person at the wrong time.

7. Stay tough

It’s a man’s world. We all know what it is like to navigate the world but this is an industry that has been relatively closed off to women for decades, this is changing but it does mean young women in mining need to take a few extra steps especially as shift changes are usually in complete darkness.

What are your experiences on mining camps? Let me know how you stay safe!