All Aussie Adventure

It's not often that I decide to drive extensive distances across parts of Australia to visit friends, but when I do, I make a damn weekend of it. Darlene, one of my best friends from school recently enlisted in the Army and was set to march out from Kapooka in April, so naturally, I wanted to go along and support her on her new career path. With the help of my wonderful mum, flights, accommodation and a hire car were booked and we played the waiting game until it was time to set off on our journey.

After an earlyish flight from Brisbane to Sydney, we picked up our hire car. After looping around the damn Sydney airport carpark we eventually found the road leading to Canberra and we were off! After a few hours and far too many dead wombats, we arrived in Canberra (the first and only stop on our route to Wagga Wagga). My first impression of Canberra was that it felt very contrived - almost like being on the set of a movie, because the buildings didn't seem to exceed a certain height and everyone seemed to be acting robotic and trance-like. I was tired and hungry though, so maybe I was the weird one? Anyway, I digress...

Spotted this in Canberra, and it has inspired my new life goal: open a budget hotel and include a "bonk 'n' plonk" package

I actually fell off the wall after taking this picture

After some tourist shenanigans in our nation's capital, it was on to Wagga Wagga. Upon arrival, we were greeted by Norman Bates himself, and discovered our budget accommodation had such luxuries as the ambrosial smell of stale Winnie Blues, and a bathroom that looked like an Exit Mould "before shot". We somehow survived the night and headed out to Kapooka for Darlene's march out.

33 Platoon, Delta Company

So proud of you, PTE Cooke

Watching Australia's latest soldiers marching out was so inspiring, and reminded me of everything I'm working so hard to achieve. After the march out, we had the opportunity to have lunch with Darlene and her family and got to hear about the trials and tribulations of basic training. I've known Darlene for ten years now, and have never seen her so confident and self assured. Basic training was never going to be a cake walk, but she came out on top and should be so proud of herself!

Sadly, it came time to leave and Mum and I made our trek back to Sydney. Thankfully the trip back east had considerably less roadkill, but came with the burden of driving through Friday evening Sydney traffic. However, I managed it with 0 mental breakdowns and we got to our hotel (which was considerably luxurious compared to the previous night's digs).

Saturday consisted of returning our rental car and navigating the public transport of Sydney. We went out to Bondi and took in the sea air, headed back to the city and ended up wandering up to The Rocks, where we toured the Susannah Place Museum - four townhouses that were built in the 1840s and have been preserved to represent the various eras in which they were inhabited (they were occupied until 1990 which is incredible considering how antiquated the houses themselves are). We wrapped up our day eating pizza and playing pinball at Frankie's Pizza, and buying records at Mojo Record Bar (both of which were places on my Sydney bucket list based on their Instagram accounts).

If you go to Bondi and don't take a picture, did you really go?

Aerosmith pinball at Frankie's (my new happy place)

Mojo Record Bar (if you couldn't already tell)

We happened upon Birdcage Alley on our stroll back to the hotel

Sunday consisted of wandering around the CBD finding somewhere to have breakfast, and stumbling back up to The Rocks to get some pictures that we weren't able to take the day before because a damn bridal party were in our way (ruuuuuude). We then headed to the airport and back home to Brisbane. All in all, it was a grouse all Aussie adventure. Thank you Darlene for giving Mum and me a reason to venture to NSW, and thank you Mum for making it happen.

Mum is the cutest li'l model

More inappropriate posing at landmarks (this is part of the Susannah Place Museum)