East Coast Adventure, Part 2

June 11th:
    Our rainy days in Noosa were over, and we were ready to head North once again. Our next stop we were all excited for, as we were heading to Fraser Island to drive 4WD over the sandy dunes! We took a Greyhound to Hervey Bay where we met up with the group we would be heading to Fraser Island with. We all went grocery and goon together, preparing ourselves for the wilderness. Bridget, our friend from Byron Bay, came to join us for this adventure, and we all turned in early to prepare ourselves for our early alarms.
 June 12th:
    The whole hostel was excited, despite the 6:00am wake up call, as everyone was busy packing and preparing for our three day journey to the biggest sand island in the world. Our tour guide Tony greeted us, and before we knew it we were on the road! Our group was made up of three tag along 4WD vehicles, ours made up of Bridget, Helen, Hannah, Francesca, Dave, myself, and Tony! A short ferry ride away, we arrived to the sandy and bumpy island. Our first destination was Lake Birrabean, where we played in the water, hoping for the sun to shine through the clouds. After a quick swim, we walked through a beautiful rainforest, and then off to Lake Wabby. This was one of the most unique lakes I have ever been to, as it is a small dark blue lake, the deepest on the island, surrounded by sand dunes as far as you can see. We all swam for a couple hours, and enjoyed our time despite the rain coming down on us.
    We arrived at our extremely wet camp, and home for two nights, ready to warm up with some goon. Our camp was made up with small tents, a small outdoor kitchen, no washrooms or showers, and right beside the ocean. Everybody barbecued together, and soon learned that you had to be on constant dingo watch! Dingoes are very common on Fraser Island, and quite dangerous. Everybody learned to walk around with a ‘dingo stick’, and always walk in groups. The dingoes were very curious, and not very shy, so it was hard to believe that they could be dangerous, even though there had been an attack to a girl only four days prior to our trip. Not only were dingoes dangerous on the island, but the sharks were as well! We swam quite a bit on Fraser Island, only in lakes. The ocean that surrounds Fraser Island was notorious for the amount of sharks that swam in the water. After being in Australia for ten months however, I was not scared of the many things in Australia that would potentially kill me. Our evening was spent getting to know new friends, relaxing on the beach looking at the stars and the milky way, and looking at the phosphorescence lighting up the sea!
June 13th:
    I woke up the next morning listening to the waves crash on the shore, the dingoes howling, and with a sore and sandy back from sleeping on the ground. Dave and I were very resourceful, and filled empty goon bags with air as pillows for the night. Despite being sore, we were excited for our full day of driving around the island. After our camp packed up, we drove through the bumpy inland roads to a small river filled with small turtles. After playing with them and feeding them for a while, we all hopped back in the cars and set out to the famous Champagne Pools, with a great view of Indian Head on the way, as well as Eagle Rays swimming in the ocean. This is the only place on Fraser Island where you get to swim in sea water, as it is a lagoon where the sea water splashes up over the rocks into natural rock pools, where the water bubbles up similar to champagne. When we arrived the weather was overcast, which led to rain falling on us as we were splashing around in the Champagne Pools. It was such an amazing experience to feel the rain water splashing over us, and the waves splashing over the rocks onto us. By the time we were leaving, the sun had come out to dry us off.

    A short drive away, we arrived at the famous Maheno Shipwreck. This ship has been on the coast of Fraser Island since 1935, and is now a site that hundreds of tourists visit each day. It was beautiful as it was covered in rust, yet somehow well preserved in and outside the ship. It was such a beautiful site to see a rainbow appear over the shipwreck right before we drove to our next destination, Eli Creek. The creek was such a fun part of our day, as it essentially is a natural lazy river! We all jumped right into the shallow water, and floated with the swift currents down the creek, to do it all over again! This was perfect and relaxing way to end our busy day all over the island. Our evening was spent in a similar fashion to the night before, bonding over a few too many cups of goon on the beach, under the stars.
June 14th:
    The next morning we woke up even more sore than the day before, but head out extra early to catch the sun rise. Bridget, Francesca, Dave, Hannah, Helen and I had a new friend that joined us to watch the beautiful sunrise, a dingo. The dingo lay looking over the sea just a few meters away from us, watching the beautiful light come through the clouds. Unfortunately this was the last day of our Fraser Island trip, so we packed up and cleaned, setting off from camp for good. We drove to the very famous Lake Mackenzie to enjoy a couple of hours in the sun. It was bittersweet to leave Fraser island, as none of us wanted to end our amazing time there, however we could not have had a better time, and were all in desperate need of a shower. We set off again on the ferry to take us back to Hervey Bay, and said our farewell to tour guide Tony. After a delicious home made dinner, and warm shower, our Fraser Island group got together at our hostel and enjoyed a few last glasses of goon together before bed.
June 15th:
    The next morning was a day of organization. We had hoped to go to a day excursion to an island called Castaway, however they had no available spaces. We weighed our options, and over a delicious breakfast out, we decided to go to Agnes Water for four days of complete relaxation. During our time on Fraser Island, we became very close with a new friend Barney, who came to join us in Agnes Water. Our bus pulled up at our new hostel, and we instantly liked it. It reminded us of our time we spent in the Arts Factory in Byron, as it was on a large piece of land with a tea tree lake, river, farms surrounding it, hostel dogs Scooby and Summer, and campfires every night. 
June 16th:
    Dave, Helen, Francesca, Barney and I woke up bright and early the next morning for a surf lesson! Agnes Water is the furthest place North you can surf before the reef. Although the surf teacher was not the most enthusiastic, we all had a great time out in the water, some of us more successful than others. After a day out in the sun, we head back to the hostel for a delicious dinner, followed by a fantastic campfire before bed.
June 17th:
    Our morning began very slow and lazy with a nice lie out by the pool for a few hours. However in the early afternoon Dave, Helen, Barney, and I were feeling a little bit more active and set out to walk between the two townships of Agnes Water and 1770. On our journey we saw giant pelicans on the beach and being fed fresh fish by fisherman. We timed the 8km walk perfectly, as we reached the beach in 1770 just in time to have an hour of sun before the beautiful sunset. When we arrived in 1770, we celebrated with a picnic of fresh cut fries and sweet potato fries, along with a few beers and cider to drink while watching the sunset. There were such breathtaking views of the sunset, but because we waited so long at the beach, we were going to miss the last shuttle back to our hostel. We decided to act like true backpackers, and to hitchhike! Only a few short minutes after starting our long journey back, a car pulled over with three empty seats. The older couple agreed to squeeze all four of us in there to drive us back into town. They were so friendly and happy to help us out, it was a highlight of the day. Our day once again ended with great food, great friends, around a great campfire.
June 18th:
    It was time for round two of surf lessons! Dave, Hannah, Francesca, Barney and I went with a different surf company, and had such a fantastic time! The weather was beautiful, and almost all of us had a great time, and success on the board. Feeling energized, we head back to the hostel to relax by the pool, and to randomly dye our hair pink! Francesca put a few streaks in her blonde hair, and Helen and I put small streaks in the blonde streaks in our hair. We also met a lovely couple that managed the hostel and dyed each one of their dreadlocks pink to match ours. After a few days of relaxation, it was time to head to our new destination, on the overnight Greyhound to Airlie Beach!

East Coast Australia in 29 Days Part 1

    Wow... what an amazing month. We definitely aren’t in Sydney anymore! This adventure has brought Dave and I 2744 km up the East coast of Australia, from the cold and rainy winter in Sydney, to the tropical and warm days of Cairns in just 29 days. Every day of our trip brought new and exciting experiences, it is almost impossible to pick a favorite. My travel partners in crime: Francesca, Helen, Hannah, and Dave made this journey even more memorable. Now, let’s start at the beginning...
 


Sydney to Noosa, June 2nd - June 10th:

June 2nd:
    Our East coast adventure had been planned for months, and in our last few days in Sydney, seemed to last forever. Hannah, Francesca’s friend from England, arrived in Sydney with enough time to see the cold and rain, and to join us in search of warmer weather! Dave, Francesca, Helen and I all quit our jobs, paid our last overpriced rent cheques, and had drinks with our Sydney friends, all in preparation to leave the city for good. We boarded our classy overnight Greyhound coach, overpacked, and ready for a vacation. As we drove out of the rainy city and crossed the Harbour Bridge, we waved goodbye to the Opera House, all lit up with bright colours from the Vivid festival. Only eleven more hours until I was back at home in Byron Bay!
June 3rd:
    As we woke up on our spacious bus hours later, we saw the sun shining, and the beautiful ocean through the trees. The city was left far behind, and we were back to nature. Driving into Byron Bay, we passed my old house, old work, and old hostel; nothings seems to have changed. We checked into Main Beach hostel, and headed straight for the ocean. Helen could hardly hold in her excitement of being away from Sydney, as she had been in Australia for three months and had not left the city until now. The beach was just as beautiful as I remembered, so we didn’t leave it for the rest of the day. After hours of lying in the sun, it was time to head out for the night. We drank lots and lots of goon, which led us to the all too familiar Cheeky Monkeys.
June 4th:
    The next morning, we all woke up with head aches, and we gained a sombrero from Mexican Monday’s from the bar the night before. We decided once again to hit the beach, and let our hangovers sort themselves out there. We had a long and relaxing day of boogie boarding, jumping in the sea, and lying in the sun. By the time we left the beach, the sun was going down, bringing on one of the most beautiful sunsets I have ever seen, over the mountains and ocean. We all had a relaxing night in, ate cheap Tuesday Dominos pizza, and caught up on episodes of Game of Thrones.
June 5th:
    For a change of scenery, we decided to switch hostels the next morning, and moved into the hippie chic Arts Factory. Our new home didn’t feel like a hostel, but like a vacation home. Dave and I shared a small cabin on the edge of a tea tree lake, surrounded by tropical forests. Once unpacked, we made our way to Nimbin for a road trip. We borrowed our friend Bridget’s car, and made our way through the twisting, bumpy roads of Northern New South Whales. We arrived in the hemp capital of Australia and wandered the streets and went to the Nimbin Museum. After enjoying some hippie culture, we drove back home and got slightly lost in the dark. We hit the beach yet again, and decided to celebrate Helen’s re-birthday. Our festivities included having a couple drinks on the beach, playing in the water, and staying up looking at the stars.
June 6th:
    Myself and my travel buddies felt one with nature after being away from the city for a few days. We decided to take part in a free workshop held at the Arts Factory, a bush walk with Cockatoo Paul (and Mr. Pickles, his cockatoo)! We wandered the five acres of land of our hostel, tasting edible flowers, learning where to find natural antiseptic, how to make natural sunscreen and insect repellent, how to find water in trees and to siphon it out, and how to make rope from water reeds! This led Francesca, Helen, Dave and I to make our own natural rope into bracelets and anklets.
    After learning how to survive in the wild, Dave and I went out for dinner at my old work One One One, with our good friend from Byron, Josephine. We shared a variety of tapas and mains, paired with a delicious organic blend of vino tinto, followed by a delicious selection of desserts matched with home made liqueurs. Our time spent with Josephine memorable, as she was the first person we met in Australia and it was great to see her one last time. We left feeling a few kilos heavier, yet very satisfied, all agreeing it was one of the best meals we had ever had. It was great to my old co-workers, and to be on the other side of the table for once. Our evening was complete as Dave and I headed to the local brewery at the Buddah Bar, to watch a fire dancing show while sipping on a local beer before bed.
June 7th:
    We woke up the following morning, knowing that we were supposed to leave Byron Bay that afternoon to head to Surfers Paradise, but none of us were ready to leave. We all decided we would rather have one more relaxing day on the beach, and to skip the bright lights and skyscrapers of the Gold Coast. Francesca and I took part in another free workshop, and woke up bright and early to do yoga in the sunshine by the lake. We spent our last full day in Byron taking a long walk up to the lighthouse, spotting dolphins on the way, followed by a sunset swim. That evening we had all our good friends that were staying in Byron come over for a few drinks, and to hang out on the patio of our tea tree lake getaway.
June 8th:
    Our last morning in Byron Bay was rainy, just like the day we said bye to Byron the first time. Dave and I spent the day showing Fran, Helen, and Hannah our old hostel, and a small hang out area in the forest we used to spend time called the Secret Garden. Unfortunately, it had lost it’s magical touch since the monsoon all January. Regardless, it was nice to see some familiar places Dave and I will always remember. Shortly after, we hopped onto our Greyhound and fled off to Brisbane. My friend from University, Ashley, came to meet us in Brisbane to go out with us for the night. We spent the evening telling each other our stories of our travels in Australia so far, and enjoying a few drinks out on the town.
June 9th:
    It was a short fourteen hours in Brisbane, before we set off on another Greyhound North to Noosa. The rain continued as we arrived to the Sunshine coast, and we had a full day of relaxation, laundry, and movies.
June 10th:
    We were disappointed to find the rain had continued through the night, but we didn’t let that get us down. We set out to the closest river with some rented kayaks, and attempted to fit two people in each one person kayak. As you can imagine, that did not end well, and Hannah and myself were in the water within minutes. Luckily the water was just as warm as the rain, and we got out with minor scratches. We continued our adventure, and decided one person per kayak was necessary, and set off around the river and to small sand bank islands.
    We were wet due to the rain and the river, and decided to dry off and get some goon. We made our way across Noosa, to visit Dave and my good french friend, Morgan! We lived with Morgan in Byron Bay, and also saw him a few times in Sydney, but for the moment he lived in Noosa. He was a great host and introduced us to his French roommates, and his pet snake! We all took turns holding the python, feeling a little more confident than we would have without the help of liquid courage. The evening was spent enjoying the company of new and old friends, as well as being cooked dinner by three topless French men. None of the ladies seemed to mind much at all. We later set off to a local bar, and said our goodbyes shortly after. Noosa was a rainy experience, but we could not have had a better time!

    So much has happened on our travels up the East coast, it is hard to put it all into words. These were my experiences in the first week of our travels, and there is so much more to recall. More to come on the adventures we had!