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:
M
yself 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!
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