Australia: Gold Coast to Townsville

Jan 12 Gold Coast 

Flew to Brisbane, got on a train and then a bus to Surfers Paradise in Gold Coast to meet Sarah, a Canadian CISV friend. I arrived to the hostel at 9, ate some food and went to bed. Travel day, for sure. 

The Melbourne airport is funny

Jan 13 Gold Coast

We made breakfast and lunch at the hostel, checked out, and walked over to Aquasplash. We were hoping to get in for the noon play session but had to wait an hour. It's a giant inflatable playground in the water. We laughed SO much over the two hours and it was an awesome workout. Such a great afternoon. Oh, and I bought a children's fish swim cap to protect my colourful hair (saltwater pulls the colour out really fast). HA! It was a perfect way to spend the day.

We got ourselves Go cards and got ready to move along to Brisbane. The state of Queensland has ONE transit system; it's AMAZING. We could use this one card to get around wherever there was public transit. Otherwise, Greyhound bus was the option. So we grabbed a bus, two trains and a bus (took 4 hours, with very little wait time at stops) to get to my friend's house in Brisbane. We showered, ate a late dinner and passed out early. 

Jan 14 Brisbane

Queensland is HOT. We decided to sleep in, then made some more concrete plans. My friend, Aisha, works at a vegan juice and smoothie shop nearby so we stopped in on our way into Brisbane city centre. Delicious! 

Took about an hour to get downtown, and it was about 5 when we actually got there, so we wandered. And wow, what a cool place. Botanical gardens, pedestrian walking streets, South Bank with swimming pools, a beach, and lots of food options. According to Sarah, it is VERY much like London, England's South Bank. I liked the feel of Brisbane. We left around 10 to go back to Aisha's to sleep.

Jan 15 Noosa Heads

We used magical public transportation to get from Brisbane to Noosa Heads, which also took about 4 hours (bus, train, train, bus). Our hostel was right at the bus stop , which was glorious, and we walked 10 minutes into town to have a tasty meal, buy groceries, and figure out how to get around after Noosa. 

The hostel had a free glass of white wine at 6 and we played cards with some new friends, then made an excellent vegan stirfry and watched My Drunk Kitchen on YouTube because Sarah had never seen it ha! 

Jan 16 Noosa Heads

Had to check out at 10, ate brunch, then hiked around the Noosa Heads National Park. Gorgeous. And I burned the backs of my legs. Sigh. Definitely recommend! 

We got to the beach at the end of the Coastal Walk and went for a quick dip. Grabbed food, hopped on a bus into town to get some breakfast/bus food, then caught the Greyhound at 530pm, from Noosa Heads to Hervey Bay. 

The hostel picked us up in Hervey Bay, and I've got to say that Flashpackers hostels seem to have excellent kitchens. This one even had a walk-in fridge! We arrived 930pm and went to bed shortly after. 

Jan 17 Hervey Bay and Fraser Island

We enjoyed the free breakfast, checked out, and got ourselves sorted for two nights of camping on Fraser Island. 

The ferry is about 30 minutes outside of town, and the only way to get there is via taxi, so we convinced our hostel manager to take us and pick us up. Our ferry left at 4, so we figured that arriving at 330 would provide lots of time. At 327, we learned that the last ferry of the day was leaving at 330, and it couldn't go to the closer destination due to tides. We ran onto the ferry and prepared ourselves to hike 18km rather than 5.... And then we learned  that Fraser Island is the biggest sand island in the world. Both Sarah and I hate sand. HA! Let the adventure begin. 

We were working against the clock so wasted no time. The hiking trail was nice to walk on, but we were absolutely wary of snakes, dingoes, and spiders. So often we heard sounds and tried to figure out if they were birds or lizards. I imagine most were birds, but who really knows? Australia is full of totally new creatures. 

Sundown is about 7. We made it 10km, to Lake Mackenzie. Here's a map, but walking on sand takes SO MUCH MORE TIME: 

Technically, no one is allowed to camp at Lake Mackenzie.... But We found a spot on the side of the sand road and made camp, because goodness knows we were NOT going to continue in the dark, in the wild, with no cell service. We ate our dinner in the tent, read for a bit, and went to sleep. Absolutely heard some creatures all around throughout the night, and sand is not quite as comfy to sleep on as one might hope. Ah, well. We made it through. 

Jan 18 Fraser Island

Woke up with the sun and animals at 5am! Quick breakfast, pack up the tent, and away we were. It was an excellent decision to start moving early in the morning, because we had to walk along the road, which is much softer and harder to move along than the hiking trails. 

Various tour Jeeps and busses passed us, and we were beginning to understand why a tour may be smart: the island is MASSIVE and we saw only a very small portion on our hike. The scenery was gorgeous, and it was nice to take our time. Made it to the Central Station around 10am and tried to figure out where to pitch our tent. 

We spent about 4 hours eating, sort of bathing (couldn't find the showers so used a foot washing tap and travel mugs), and letting our sleeping stuff air out. There were white cockatoos EVERYWHERE: very loud, very talkative, and super interested in dropping things on us. Sigh. It was super chill and deserted until about lunchtime, when suddenly many tour buses dropped by for lunch. Around 2, some Park Rangers notified us that we were not actually on a camping ground; seems we had to go about 400m down the road. Sigh. 

Found the actual camping site and it made a whole lot more sense: Dingo fence, hot showers, other campers (all with their fancy stoves and tents and vehicles), and picnic tables all around. We set up, napped, played cards, and ate. 

Getting into bed, we heard the neighbours talking about a huge snake. Turns out, there was a 2m Carpet Python chilling behind a log, behind our tent. The Aussies decided to pick it up, touch it, take photos. Sarah and I stayed firmly in our tent. NO, THANK YOU! Waking up to pee in the night was infinitely scarier, knowing there was a huge, adolescent snake somewhere nearby. Apparently, it wasn't venomous, but a bite would still hurt. Nope nope nope.

Jan 19 Fraser Island to Agnes Water

It was very cold at night, surprisingly, and I definitely did not pack any warm clothes... we didn't sleep very well, but as soon as it warmed up a bit, we were able to. That meant that we slept in until about 715. At breakfast, the neighbours showed us pictures of the Carpet Python. It was, in fact, a massive snake. Nope nope nope. We didn't have a stove and fires are not allowed in national parks, so we ate a lot slightly less than fully cooked meals ha 

We packed up our stuff and started walking towards the ferry. We left the campsite at about 10, and had to walk along the very soft and sandy road. It took us 3 hours to go 3km; thank goodness we had a lot of water and some snacks, and we could ask directions on occasion when we weren't 100% sure of our direction. We had 2km left and found what we thought was a sweet path. Luckily, we figured out that it was incorrect after only 20 minutes of walking in the wrong direction. We got back onto the road and managed to catch a ride in the back of a ute (an Aussie utility vehicle) from someone who had been at our campsite and saw us walk out several hours earlier haha

We made it to the ferry two hours early because of this lift (sweet!) so we put our feet in the water, set up our tent to hang out, and I proceeded to be eaten alive by sandflies. Friggin awful and ridiculous! Geeze. 

Getting back to the Flashpackers hostel, we had a quick swim, repacked our bags and then made it to the Greyhound bus to Agnes Water, arriving at 940pm. Really glad someone was there to pick us up from YHA. It was helpful. And we passed out almost immediately. 

Jan 20 Agnes Water

Free breakfast: awesome way to start the day! We packed up our stuff and put it in the luggage storage, wandered around the tiny, wee town to get coffee and groceries, and then returned to the super rad kitchen to make yummy sandwiches for lunch. 

A quick jaunt to the beach, then we hung out in the air conditioned area and started on a jigsaw puzzle of the world. Time for a Roo Run. That's right: kangaroo sanctuary. HOLY GEEZE, I'M IN LOVE. Kangaroos are basically rabbits, but a lot bigger: they are soft, quite skittish with loud noises, they only eat grass, they have one huge claw at the front of their hind legs, like being scratched behind the ears and under the chin, and they use their tails to hop - both legs come off the ground! Also, they have FOUR WOMBS and can suspend pregnancy if conditions aren't good (dangerous or drought or other babies) and there are two teets within the pouch: one for a newer/younger joey and one for an older. A joey stays in the pouch for up to a year, and the legs stick out of it but there might be two joeys in the pouch! THEY'RE SO COOL! 

Getting back to the hostel, we prepped a stirfry by marinating veggies and tofu. Excellent decision! Then we went for a sunset drink at 1770 and saw a bunch of dolphins!! Unfortunately, I wasn't able to get any decent photos of them. But, it was incredible and glorious. Excellent stirfry dinner, and we were on an overnight bus to Mackay. 

The good news: we were able to sleep on the bus for a few hours. Unfortunately, we were not able to be on the same bus all the way to Mackay because it was full, so Sarah got out at 1am and I carried on. 

Jan 21 Mackay 

I arrived in Mackay, a MUCH bigger town than I anticipated, at 5am and was hoping to be able to hang out at my hostel for a few hours until Sarah arrived. Instead, I found a park and chilled on a bench. I was close to falling asleep but was then attacked by mosquitoes. Sigh. Sarah found me in the very well lit park when her bus arrived just after 7am. 

I grabbed a bite from a nearby bakery and then we went to our hostel. Lucky for us, there was a room available so we showered and immediately slept for about 4 hours. Upon waking, we did laundry and grabbed a bite to eat. It was such a cute, little place. 

Both of us needed some downtime, so we spent the day watching movies/Netflix, doing laundry, and eating various snacks that we found at the nearby grocery store. It was exactly what we needed. The kitchen at Gecko's Rest absolutely left something to be desired; luckily for us, we had a fridge in our room and didn't need much from it. 

Jan 22 Mackay 

We slept in, and were allowed to stay in our room until 1pm rather than checking out at 10. Sweet. Leaving our bags at Gecko's, we went for a river stroll and popped in at the mall for some air conditioning, for Sarah to buy a couple of things, and for a quick bite of lunch. On our walk back to the hostel we stopped in at a Catholic church. There was a quick bus from Mackay to Airlie Beach, and then we were at our final stop, and there for four nights. 

Jan 23 Airlie Beach 

Barrier Reef tour. WHOA. We got to the marina, about a 10 minute walk, grabbed a quick breakfast and got on our boat! It took about an hour to get to the first stop, for the coral. I really tried getting some decent underwater photos but I couldn't. There were both hard and soft coral, and a bunch of fish, and it was so fantastic to be snorkeling again. 

Second stop: FISH. I have never swam with fish like this. They were everywhere around us! Some were huge, some little; some looked like blue/green coral, and some were bright blue. OHMYGOSH. Friggin unreal! 

Third stop: a brief walk to see Whitehaven beach, in the Whitsundays, and then we got to hang out on a 98.9% silica beach for lunch. SO SOFT. WHOA. I can't even describe it. Absolutely gorgeous, and an overcast day. We had a lovely lunch on the boat, got to hang out on the beach/boat and play a bit, see some stingrays, and make some friends. There were three of us in the front row of the boat on the way back: we were given raincoats (super helpful) and it was quite choppy and fun. But awesome! I cannot recommend getting a tour enough. It was 100% worth it and I really want to go again!!! 

Since we were at the marina, Sarah thought we should see the Clipper boats. Sarah is taking part in Clipper Round the World, an 11-month sailing trip for 12, 70-ft sailing yachts that start and end in Liverpool. Sarah is going from Australia to China! And actually now there are 11 boats because one got beached in South Africa. We got a tour of the boat Sarah will be crew on, and it was REALLY cool. Only a few photos, but WHOA. Wild. 

We had dinner and drinks with our new friend Tim and our neighbours, and had a relatively early night. And we realized that we had all burned our faces. Whoops! Oh. Our room had a sketchy bunkbed that neither of us liked, so Sarah moved her mattress onto the floor. It was much better for both of us. 

Jan 24 Airlie Beach 

No alarm and sleep-in! YES! Our room had a fridge and a bunch of dishes. Score! Sarah ran some errands while Tim and I enjoyed breakfast and got groceries for lunch. Magnums hostel has a free wifi and bbq area in the middle of all of the rooms/cabins, which was also right by our room. Excellent bbq for lunch: veggie burger for Sarah, steak for Tim and I, corn on the cob, red and green peppers (called capsicum here), and potatoes. Totally rad. 

Sarah had to jet off for the afternoon to do some sailing stuff, so Tim and I went for an afternoon swim in the public pool. My children's swim cap is slightly ridiculous and we made sure to use A LOT of sunscreen based on the Reef day.  Oh! We also checked out the Sex Shop, because I always love exploring them, which smelled of cigarettes and housed a wide variety of all kinds of stuff. It wasn't sex-positive, and I would not feel comfortable asking questions, but it was definitely more inclusive and varied than I would've thought.

Gotta say: Australia is totally amazing for public water fountains, washrooms, playgrounds and swimming areas. Our hostel has a huge bar at the front, so we grabbed a drink while waiting for Sarah so that we could make dinner. Cue another excellent stirfry, made in the second kitchen of the hostel, and some wine! 

Jan 25 Airlie Beach 

Another early morning. This time: Clipper sailing trip! I checked the swimming pool for my swimcap but left it at the pool the day before. Womp womp. And there was a Supporter Sail that she was able to take two people on, so away we went! Everyone who wanted to got to helm at some point (that means drive) and having never been on a sailboat, it was slightly surreal and really, really amazing. I actually helmed this massive thing into port, but no one managed to get any photos. Oh, well! IT. WAS. FUCKING. INCREDIBLE. 

Sarah raced back to the hostel to each lunch, get organized, and then had to go do some more sailing stuff. So Tim and I had fish n chips, and went for another extended swim. It was awesome. Our neighbours invited us to hang out with them for Australia Day, and they were already imbibing a bit ha. What a cool and unexpected day. Wow. Also, I love tours and hostels and stuff for meeting people, because Sarah and I were definitely wondering what I would do for several days while she was prepping to sail, and then we met Tim and got along so well, so it all worked out! 

Jan 26 Airlie Beach: Australia Day/Invasion Day (depending on who you talk to) 

Sarah had to be on the boat by 730am, and she was about to start sleeping on the boat so she checked out. Skyped with my folks until the Wifi was too busy, then Tim showed up with breakfast and I switched to a dorm room. Australia Day is a bit like Canada day in that everyone starts drinking and there are parties all around, and some people think it's great while others are really wanting to either change the date or change the name. 

We started drinking around 1, at Magnums. We realized that we'd be parting ways in about 18 hours and it was kinda weird. It's amazing how sometimes, when traveling, it can be really easy to connect with certain people. When the live music became too loud, we moved to another bar down the street.  We made some friends, there was a billiard tournament, and Tim threw a water balloon at the group that actually hit only me, and soaked me entirely. It's a good thing it was raining already, and to his credit, he wrung out my dress .... and, "It was probably a $60 water balloon, but worth it" hahahah one of the boys we made friends with chased him away after it hit me and it was excellent.

After a day of sailing, Sarah managed to find us and took us to a bbq with her team. It was delicious, and by 10pm we were actually exhausted so called it a night. GOOD LUCK, SARAH! I'm so glad we got to spend 2 weeks together. I was woken up by sex sounds in my dorm room around 2am ... ah, hostel life. 

Jan 27 Airlie Beach to Townsville 

Met up with Tim for breakfast around 730am, had a good chat, and went for a swim. Then I got on the bus to Townsville. Made it to Townsville around 230pm and was picked up my friend, Katie, whom I hadn't seen since our Majorca travels in 2013! AWESOME. She is, officially, an excellent tour guide. 

She and her mum took me through town, up to the Castle Hill for some views, and then to a seaside restaurant for a late lunch. Townsville is a garrison town, meaning it has military, airforce, and navy. Intense! 

We had a swim in the pool with some white sangria and I was asleep by 10 in a glorious, queen size bed in a room all to myself. Bliss. Oh, and Katie has a gorgeous dog so it was most excellent.


Jan 28 Townsville
Woke up at 630 so watched Grace & Frankie until Katie woke up. Then we went chasin' waterfalls! Jourama Falls was about 70 minutes outside of Townsville, and Katie had never been despite loving waterfalls! We stopped for lunch in a small, Italian town called Ingham; it was a HIGHLY disappointing lunch. Do not recommend.

Arriving at the base of the falls, we had a bit of a hike up to get a good view, which allowed us to get nice and sweaty, then went swimming in the falls and it was lovely. Saw some little eels and crayfish, so opted NOT to hang out in that particular pool. Went to the next one instead... with many rocks in between haha

We had a snack before getting in the car to head back. Along the way, we saw the Frosty Mango, so obviously I had to get a picture of this handsome devil!

When we got home, Katie and I walked over to her parents to get some food for the next day and saw ELEVEN WILD WALLABIES. OMGOMGOMG. They're just like kangaroos only smaller, with cuter faces! And they just hang out by Ross River. No big deal. Unfortunately, my phone could not capture them reasonably. Oh, there are also curlews on the front lawn; they're birds that nest on the ground and the male will protect the female with a little dance/show that's meant to scare but doesn't really. Poor guy. Maybe it scares off some of the nearby creatures. Update: first baby hatched as of Jan 31!

Jan 29 Magnetic Island
430am wakeup to catch a ferry at 530. It was pretty, and there were only 5 of us on the boat. Magnetic Island is mostly a national park, with 4 hospitable and inhabited bays; score another one for public transit! $7.20 for the whole day, hop on/hop off the one bus that goes around.

The Fort Walks began at 615am. By 630, we had seen our first koala! This was the whole point of getting to Magnetic Island, affectionately known by locals as Maggie, so I was a little concerned. Fool! We walked another 5 minutes, saw a second koala. These are wild, living in this national park. AMAZING. They're so cute and fluffy! I want to cuddle them.

We made our way up to the Fort; the views of the island were magnificent, and I could understand why the army would've set up shop there in 1942. It's not on the main land, but close enough, and it's high ground. There is, of course, a fort on the mainland as well. Check out this gorgeousness:

On our way back down the Walk, we saw TWO active koalas. It was absolutely incredible and Katie, having been on the island about 40 times, had never seen them so active. We named them George and WIlma, and really aren't sure if George is Mama or Mate. But, it didn't matter! George was actually the first koala we saw. Then he came down the tree, walked across the path, and got onto the same tree as Wilma... until she decided to mosey on away a little bit.

So, by 9am we had seen koalas and I was elated. Day made. Couldn't get any better. And yet ....
We caught the bus, had some delicious homemade beetroot hummus with crackers and carrots, examined some really funky trees, and checked out the fish on the jetty. A quick drink at the pub before the bus, and off to another bay for a swim, lunch, and margaritas!

Free funky sombrero with a jug! Yes, please! 

On the right are stringy roots that come down from the branches above, to become SOLID like on the left. 

Back on the bus to a different bay to see some rock wallabies. They are smaller than wallabies, and have been fed by tourists for so long that they're docile and eat right from your hand! We gave them special wallaby food of mostly seeds.

Wandering over to the fourth and final inhabited bay, this one was the only good one for swimming. Apparently jellyfish can't get in due to current and the shape of the bay. We scaled some rocks for a decent photoshoot!

Solid. Grabbed a bottle of wine from the bottle shop and got back on the ferry. We were picked up and fed a delicious stirfry. It was a truly perfect day, and I could not have asked for a better way to end this trip. What a magical and incredible 2.5 weeks. Simply incredible, and I definitely did not manage to do them justice here. Wow.