I just turned 25 and in what has been evaluated as either deeply life changing or grossly irresponsible I've resigned from my job in event planning and will work and travel in Australia and New Zealand. I leave New York City on July 5th for Sydney with a slight detour in Fiji on the way and a long detour in New Zealand on the way back. Joining me is my 21 year old brother Joe whose preparation tactics include sleeping past noon and ripping through the fridge like a hurricane.
We are not sure where we are going to settle and what we are going to do when we get there, so my mother is now up to eleven heart palpitations a day (a family record). My brother leaves on June 19, and assures me that he will set everything up before I get there.
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25: Walk on Water - Franz Josef, New Zealand
New Zealand is one of the few places in the world you can take a day hike on a glacier. George Dunn was suitably awed.
24: Kaikoura, New Zealand
If it can be found in the ocean, chances are it can be seen in Kaikoura. George came here to relax.
23: Finishing up on the North Island, New Zealand
You do not have to be in peak physical condition to tramp the Tongariro Crossing, but George Dunn was frequently reminded that he is, in fact, pretty far from it.
22: Rotorua, New Zealand
George Dunn found Rotorua to be absolutely gorgeous, but at the same time stinks. Literally.
21: Auckland, New Zealand
George Dunn reckons coming to New Zealand and not bungy jumping is like going to the greatest steak house in the world and ordering the pasta.
20: Back to Sydney, Down to Melbourne
The run down the east coast has seen George's bank account dry up. Fortunately, there's plenty of free things to do in Melbourne.
19: Fraser Island
George came to the conclusion that visiting Fraser Island on a self-drive tour is like living out the first episode of the show Survivor.
18: Whitsunday 'Sailing'
Backpackers convene like moths to a flame to the many Whitsunday sailing deals offered in Airlie Beach, and very often get burned.
17: Magnetic Island: The Battle for Cabin 27
Magnetic Island is like visiting a small community that lies within a zoo, as George found when he came up against some territorial possums.
16: Mission Beach and the Tully Gorge Bushman
George learned more from the Tully Gorge Bushman in an hour of chatting than from anything he had read about Australia, it's wildlife, people and legends.
15: The Sugar Drive to Cairns
George found that there is really very little to do in Cairns but rest, drink, and risk your life on any of the latest adventure crazes sweeping through.
14: Noosa and the development of a backpacker town
It seems to George that all a location needs is a beautiful beach, and the backpackers will find it, tell others about it and then money pours in.
13: Gold and Sunshine Coast Sandwich, BrisVegas Filling
Before leaving New York, George had promised his brother that they would go skydiving, and the time had come to deliver on that promise.
12: On The Move
Travelling up the east cost of Australia, George stops in Byron Bay and then Nimbin, where he is offered more pot in one afternoon than in his entire life.
11: Winding Down
With his brother about to leave town, and his own time in Sydney coming to an end, George makes an effort to experience Sydney - a bridge climb, a trip to the Blue Mountains, a booze cruise, and a 7 hour course on the evils of gambling.
10: To Venture Out of Sydney
George Dunn had spent about two months in Sydney and had never ventured beyond its borders. A connection with a local enabled him to get off the well-worn backpacker trail.
9: Short Days, Long Nights and the United Nations of Quarryman's
It's a bit ironic to travel around the world to a country and not encounter anyone from that country, but that's exactly the situation George finds himself in at the end of his second month.
8: A Month Down - A Cheap Guide To Sydney
George has been in Sydney for over a month now and has somehow, inexplicably and unintentionally, managed to avoid just about every tourist attraction that requires a fee.
7: Students and the Drifter
George walked into a pub for a couple of beers and walked out with a new job. He also felt a little too close to home at a college party.
6: Saturday Night's All Right For Fighting
For anyone thinking of travelling to Australia and working in a pub, George Dunn gives a blow by blow (literally) account of a night's work.
5: The Apartment, The Job
The apartment has become a revolving door of tenants, and George found a job in one of the roughest pubs in Sydney.
4: RSA and Me
As George quickly discovered, serving beer in NSW is not just a case of turning up at the pub and asking for a job.
3: American Alien
George's first days in Sydney are no holiday. He gets lost, almost killed crossing the street, and he has to share a bed with his brother.
2: Expect Nothing, Accept Everything
George Dunn lost a day of his life on the way to Fiji, but the price was worth paying after just a few days in Nadi.
1: Leaving Home
George Dunn's smooth departure was in direct contrast to his younger brother's.
