OCEANIA leg: itinerary

everything i did in Oceania from January 14th-April 14th 2025

final rankings

best for food: Melbourne

best for culture: Melbourne & Brisbane (art, museums, nightlife), Bermagui (local Ozzie culture)

best for nature: Sydney, Bermagui, Cairns (The Great Barrier Reef)

best for relaxing: Bermagui, Sydney, Cairns

best for nightlife: Melbourne & Cairns (clubs), Sydney (cocktail bars), Bermagui (kick-backs, bonfires, etc)

best for budget: Bermagui

and check out my overview of my time in Latin America here!

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chronology of my time in Oceania

after a quick layover in Los Angeles, i hopped on a 16 hour flight to get to Sydney. once i accepted that i had an entire day on the plane, i stopped feeling restless. i watched movies, i read a book, i wrote, i ate, i slept and then suddenly, two days after i left LA (because of the time difference) i was in FUCKING AUSTRALIA. i landed at 9am in Sydney and was expecting the jetlag to send me straight to bed when i got to my hostel, but i ended up having a jam-packed day with some girls i met in my hostel. anyways, here’s my itinerary for Oceania, with links to each specific place i visited.

1. one day in Sydney, New South Wales: January 14th-15th

   1. stayed at Nomads Hostel since i missed the daily bus down to Bermagui, my real first destination of my Oceania leg

   2. what i did

      1. visited Manly Beach, and Fairlight Beach Rockpool

      2. took the ferry around Sydney Harbor

      3. sang karaoke at MM Karaoke Bar

2. Bermagui, New South Wales: January 15th-February 9th

   1. did a volunteer exchange through Workaway, where i did housekeeping in exchange for a free room in a caravan!

   2. what i did

      1. surfed! went to the beach almost everyday, baked and cooked a lot, sang at an open mic, made friends with locals and travelers in this 2000 person town

      2. made a bunch of rings, since my host is a jewelry-maker! this was so much fun

      3. really just chilled out and relaxed

      4. started being pescatarian lol

3. Sydney, New South Wales: February 9th-March 19th

   1. worked at Bondi Beach Backpackers, a crazy hostel in the beautiful beach suburb of Sydney. i found the job literally just by doing a Google Search and showing up to ask if they were hiring and they were. if you want a laugh, look at the reviews on Hostelworld.

   2. what we did

      1. the lovely Anabel Marré met me in Sydney and we both got jobs at BBB

      2. beached every single day, surfed, frolicked, got up to no good

      3. drank Goon (shitty, boxed white wine) literally every single night on the patio of our hostel

      4. took day trips to the Blue Mountains, to Royal National Park, visited neighborhoods around city, celebrated Mardi Gras/Pride Month, etc

4. weekend trip to Melbourne, Victoria: February 14th-15th

   1. staying with Ozzie friends i made in Lima, and going to Laneway Festival with them! i land in Melbourne at 8am and leave the next day at 6am lol. deadass there for 22 hours…but Charli XCX and Djo are headlining so i’m excited asf. a bit of a spontaneous purchase and it’s a 50-50 chance i miss my flight back, but oh well. you literally only live once. update: i made it back to Sydney safe but not sound (i was deathly ill for 5 days after).

5. Melbourne, Victoria pt 2: March 19th-April 2nd

   1. worked as a housekeeper with Anabel at The Mansion, a DRY hostel :(

   2. what we did

      1. got a coffee literally every single day. Australia is a HUGE coffee country and Melbourne is the self-pronounced “coffee capitol” of the country. i also got super into matcha here, since coffee makes my stomach hurt

      2. ate out also literally every single day. the food in Melbourne is highly regarded as the best in the country as well. my Beli rankings went crazy in Melbourne

      3. went to loads of museums, since Melbourne is ALSO the culture capitol of the country. Melbourne LOVES to remind everyone how fucking cool of a city it is

      4. explored the laneways and alleyways that are full of hidden gems, like restaurants, cafés, thrift stores, etc

      5. spent a lot of time in Fitzroy, the artsy and boho neighborhood in the north of the city

      6. watched a “footy” game (Australian football) and frothed at the mouth at all the tall, hot, built athletes

      7. went clubbing on Chapel Street, a famous street in Melbourne’s St Kilda suburb, known for its nightlife and venues that close as late as 8am.

6. Cairns, Queensland: April 2nd-6th

   1. we stayed at Summer House Cairns, not working just vacationing for the first time in the 11 weeks i’d been in Oz

   2. what we did

      1. jumped out of a plane at 15,000 feet and skydived over the reef! insane experience, and my top bucket list item finally crossed off

      2. snorkeled The Great Barrier Reef and saw tons of different marine life, coral, and fish

      3. pulled an all-nighter before our 6am flight and went barhopping and clubbing

7. Brisbane, Queensland: April 6th-9th

   1. we stayed at Bunk Hostel, again still vacationing and finally not working as housekeepers anymore

   2. what we did

      1. visited the Lone Pine Sanctuary, where we got to pet kangaroos and koalas, and see other native Australian animals, like a huge crocodile, dingos, and wallabies

      2. got drinks along Brisbane River at Felon Brewing Co

      3. walked to Kangaroo Point to grab drinks and watch the beautiful sunset over the city skyline

      4. did day trips to Byron Bay, a quaint surf town, and Sunshine Coast, a beach city very similar to Miami

8. Sydney, New South Wales: April 9th-12th

   1. we stayed at the most bizarre hostel ever, 790 on George, which was full of literal elderly people. no shade, but it was quite odd since the hostel was in a very young and hip neighborhood.

   2. what we did

      1. we spent our last 3 days back in Sydney, catching up with old friends from Bondi and beyond.

      2. i bawled my eyes out when i left for the airport. and then cried for like two days straight. Australia, you will be deeply missed

that was my time in Oceania!!! i was only going to stay here for 10 weeks but after my first day in Sydney i decided to stay the full 12 weeks i had allotted on my visa…my mother liked to joke i would never come back home, but i didn’t want to overstay my visa and get deported and never be allowed back. but i will 100% return to Australia one day.