I remember when I first landed in Melbourne and was shocked by the amount of people and the heat. Turns out it was an abnormally hot day. But still, I encountered people and heat in varying degrees (no pun) on my journey down under.
The cities were big and spread out and had distinct subsections of culture.
I learned what it was like to live either barefoot or in thongs (flip flops). I learned the capital wasn’t Sydney. I learned that there were many breathtaking sunrises and sunsets to be seen.
Initially, I had concerns about all of the dangerous wildlife. Thankfully, I was never stung, bitten or clawed by any of those animals. I never even saw a snake in the wild. Did I? I don’t think so. I did see a few spiders and jellyfish, but nothing that threatened immediate harm.
At first, I had a hard time finding my rhythm. It’s difficult to pinpoint why. It’s not like I had to make a major adjustment or anything. Regardless, I don’t think I really settled in until I was almost a month into my time in Australia. That’s when I understood what was on offer. Traveling up the east coast was mainly about enjoying the beaches and water.
Indian Head Views
I was adopted into a large friend group of ex-pats in Sydney. They were welcoming and generous and gave me a sense of community. It was a kind of security blanket to fall back on if I ever needed it.
Speaking of people, my two marquee experiences were on tour groups. Actually, the main difference between having an awesome time in Australia vs. New Zealand came down to people. In NZ, I had plenty of fun just walking in nature. In Oz, fast friendships made the biggest impact. An interpersonal connection can easily add more value to an adventure. Since I consider myself a low-key extrovert, bonding with a few different groups of people really elevated whatever I was doing. I was fortunate enough to enjoy this on a few occasions.
There will always be something drawing me back to Australia. Part of it will be to visit the central and western areas of the country. The other part…I’m not exactly sure. To sky dive? Maybe. Either that, the crystal blue water or the gorgeous women.
It’s certainly not Vegemite.
“Awe, yeah?” “Yeah, right.”
By the Numbers
Days in Australia: 56 Days at Workaways: 16 Nights in Hostels: 31 Multi-day Tours: 2 Hours in Transit (Bus or Train): ~60 AUD Spent: ~$4,342.18 USD Spent: ~$3,192.78 (Avg conversion rate of roughly 1.36)
For those interested in visiting one day, here’s a list of where I went and how I ranked stuff: (click the top left button of the map to expand the list view)
Favorite Places: 1. Fraser Island 2. Melbourne 3. Whitsundays 4. Byron Bay 5. Brisbane
If I was feeling a bit old after my sailing trip on the Whitsundays, it was quelled somewhat by the guy who sat next to me on my bus ride up to Magnetic Island.
Dave was a 55+ guy from Phoenix. He told me how he recently sold his business and his house to long-term travel. We were on similar trajectories but in different phases of life. And traveling in different ways as well. He wasn’t doing the hostel thing yet. “Private rooms,” he said, “with the occasional house sit.” I’m keeping my eye on that game because like Workaway, it’s a great opportunity to extend that budget.
We parted ways when I got off in Townsville to catch the ferry over to the island. I was once again playing it by ear at this destination. I’d done basically no research about what there was to do. I reserved a hostel based on the recommendation of someone from my Fraser trip, but that’s about it. I heard it was a very chill spot without all that much going on.
I got off the ferry and realized I had to catch a bus to the other side of the island. I expected everything to be in walking distance but not quite.
On the bus ride, I could see why a lot of people suggest making the trip over. It was an island that had a lot of mountains that opened themselves up into beautiful bays. And it seemed like people were scarce wherever you went. Not bad.
Geoffrey Bay
My hostel was a collection of cozy cabins around a relaxing pool and bar, with a wildlife center on the grounds as well.
The cabins didn’t look like anything special from the outside but they were pretty comfortable on the inside.
On my first full day, I wanted to go for a long walk. I found a trail up to an old Fort site that I believe was used in WWII. The soldiers had pretty sick views while they were there, that’s for sure. Although it must have sucked to transport all of the building material up there. I saw a handful of koalas sleeping up in the trees on my way down too.
I kept up the walk on a bush trail that cut inland for a ways. I was the only one on it and anxiously waiting to cross paths with a snake or a rock wallaby. Surprisingly, no such encounters. It was insanely hot though. The sun was taking no prisoners on this day.
I got to an area called Arcadia and took a break to cool down and grab a bite to eat. I grubbed on a toastie and some chips until I stopped actively sweating. An hour later, I continued along a coastal path.
Eventually, I made it to Nelly Bay, which was the main settlement on the island. It’s where the grocery store (yes, ‘the’) and the ferry terminal are. I think there were a few bars/restaurants but I didn’t see all that much.
After pausing for another sweat break, I retraced my steps back to the hostel and b-lined it for the pool. All in all, I walked for around 4 or 5 hours, maybe 15kms or so. It was nice. I was feeling deficient in exercise so it was good to get a wander in.
The next day I went for another stroll to explore the northeast part of the island. The nearest area to the hostel was called Horseshoe Bay and was a popular swimming spot since they had a stinger net set up.
I found another bush trail that would take me to two other pretty isolated bays. I went up and down a small mountain to get to Radical Bay. I figured there would be a smattering of people enjoying the sun and water. I got there to find just one family on the other side of the bay. Presumably they belonged to the sailboat that was moored just a bit off shore. Still, that was it. Two adults and a child. Not too shabby.
I climbed back up the mountain and down a different path to the neighboring Balding Bay. The signs advertised it as the nudist spot. Again, I was anticipating several beach towels under pairs of old balls and leathery skin. I passed an unfit man on the way down and felt ok that he was leaving. Good timing.
I stepped off the path and onto the sand to find literally no one. Not a soul in this small, secluded bay.
I made my mind up that I was going to participate in the nudeness just to see what the experience was all about. Plus, my ghostly thighs could benefit from a few rays.
The emptiness made it a little anticlimactic. At the same time it was kind of exhilarating to have the whole place to myself. Then I realized that there was a couple over yonder as one of them uncamouflaged and went into the water. Then some dude kept walking 3 steps off the path to take pictures. I’m sure he was trying to get a sick snap of the serenity for Insta but I couldn’t help but feel it was a faux pas to spend that much time on your camera at the nudist beach.
I left after a half hour or so as to not lobsterify the private bits. I passed a couple and a family right as I was getting back on the path. Close call, kids.
That evening I hung out in Horseshoe to watch a setting sun disappear over the protruding land that comprised the left side of the shoe’s U.
Sunset at Horseshoe Bay #2
It was definitely a chill time on the island. There were a fair share of palm trees that gave it a tropical feel, juxtaposed by the rocky inner hills and mountains.
The following day I caught the ferry back to the mainland and rode a 6 hour bus up to Cairns. This would be my last stop in Australia, and I had 3 big excursions planned to finish it off on a high note.
The first day I was up at 6am to catch a fishing charter. It was an inlet trip that had 5 other people on it.
I had high hopes of hooking some bigguns until we spent the first hour watching the captain unsuccessfully throw out a net to catch some live bait. Seriously, we went to like 5 different spots and looked on helplessly as he kept saying, “You just never know where they’re gonna be,” and pulled up an empty net. “Nope. Nobody home.”
Finally, he motored us out to the first spot where we were able to get our lines in the water.
Two people caught finger marks that were too small to keep. Two creepy looking eels were also landed. Or at least reeled in to where we could see em and then cut the line. The one in the video below is the smaller one. The big boy was probably about 3 times its size, which is nuts. My phone was too scared to record it.
At the second spot, I caught a small basic fish. I was surprised because the bait seemed too big for this thing to be snacking on. A short while later, somebody caught a modest catfish. The most exciting thing that happened was a monster strike. The sad part is that it was likely a sting ray because it booked it and was so heavy that the line snapped.
We went to two more spots where not much more was caught. It kind of felt like the skipper was moderately inept. It’s also possible that I had this feeling because I was bitter we didn’t have a stronger day. I understand that’s the nature of fishing, but I felt like we could’ve been set up for more success. It was at least cool to get out and cast a few lines again. It had been so long.
I was back to the hostel by 1pm so I got some lunch and hung around to socialize. I ended up running into Janina from the Whitsundays trip. We hung out for a while and chatted with some random people from the hostel. She went to some ladies night event and I decided to turn in.
The next morning I geared up for a “fun and falls” tour in the tablelands/rainforest. The company was called Uncle Brian’s and came recommended by Stephany. I gathered outside with a few others and boarded a full bus of some 20 people.
Our guide, Adam, was a hilarious and energetic dude. He wore a set of fake hillbilly teeth when he went around to pick everyone up. I was curious about em and glad they were a joke.
He told some pretty good stories and gave us good background on various Australian enigmas on our way out to the first stop.
By the time we got there, we were getting the full effects of the rainforest. It was pissing outside but we still took a walk to see the Babinda Boulders, which were a series of rocks that have been hollowed out by running water.
Next, we went to Josephine Falls which had a rock slide and swimming pool from mountain runoff. Initially, Adam was wondering if we’d even be able to swim because there was so much rain that the river’s whitewater could be too powerful, making the conditions unsafe.
When we got to the spot it was all good. He did a demonstration run and then let the group go for it. There were a few unconfident swimmers that stayed ashore and watched the rest of us get our slide on.
The water was running with a pretty strong current and it was difficult to swim in certain spots. The rocks were also super slippery, so I could see how it could be risky.
That actually ended up coming into play when it was time to go. We’d been there for about an hour and the water level probably rose about 6 inches to the no-swim line. However, there were several group members that still had to make it across the pool back to the safe side.
There was particularly one girl that wasn’t a good swimmer and made a few unsuccessful attempts before she started to panic. Adam and another guide had to jump in and throw some ropes to get her to land.
In getting himself back across, Adam was swimming and missed his mark. He almost went down a grinding section of river. He was literally hanging onto a rock by his fingernails before another guide went out to help him get a strong enough footing. It was real dicey and after that point it was clear no other groups would be allowed in.
We were able to steady our nerves with some lunch before heading to another waterfall. Millaa Milllaa Falls is a picturesque waterfall where people take one of a few iconic Australian photos. It’s an Herbal Essence-type hair flick, capturing the arch of the water trail perfectly with the falls in the background. They really shot a commercial there once. A lot of people in the group nailed it, even some of the guys. Unfortunately, we will never see the evidence because Adam misplaced the camera at the end of the trip so we weren’t able to get the images. A pretty big bummer because I wasn’t using my own camera since it was raining so much. Maybe it will turn up at some point. Fingers crossed.
En route to the next spot, he instigated a sing-along/jam session by busting out some percussive instruments and a bubble machine. The highly amateur cymbal and tambourine playing got grating real fast but somehow the bubbles made it ok. A nice group of fellow tour-goers kept spirits high throughout the day even though we had brutal weather.
We stopped at a freshwater lake that had a crocodile in it (that we didn’t see) and a gnarly fig tree before heading back to Cairns. It was a decent little trip in the end that could’ve only been made better by some sun and some photos of the experience.
That evening I did a free booze circuit by winning trivia at the hostel (free shot), going to a hostel-hosted event (free mixed drink), and going to an Uncle Brian’s after party at another bar (free pitchers). I need to exploit this train more often.
For my last full day, it was time to snorkel the Great Barrier Reef.
I boarded the SeaQuest at 8am and watched the rain clouds swirl into Cairns. As we departed the harbor and got our safety briefing, it began to pour. Seemed like it was going to be rough weather yet again.
After cruising out to sea for a little over an hour some of the clouds parted ways and it was looking like maybe we’d be able to avoid the serious rain.
There were more divers than snorkelers on board so they went out to prepare first. Then the 6 of us top water folk were able to jump in. I was paired with an older gentlemen since all of the other people were coupled up. Buddy system and all that.
At the Reef
Firstly, I was surprised by the setting. I thought we’d be in really shallow, crystal blue water with panoramic views of the reef. It kinda looked like we were just in the middle of the ocean near a barge and two other ships. The overcast day may have played a part in that.
Anyhow, we got in the water and immediately saw a ton of fish loitering around our boat. We swam out a little ways and found the reef. It was a lot more vibrant and lively than any of the reefs I snorkeled in the Whitsundays. Conditions-wise, it was a lot more turbulent being the ocean and whatnot. It was funny because whenever I got pushed around by a wave, I could see the same happen to all the fish a few feet below. Interesting that I thought they wouldn’t be affected.
The reef ranged from 3-30ft deep, roughly, so it was cool to see the difference in aquatic life at those two depths. We saw one turtle and of course a million different varieties of fish.
We were called back to the boat after what felt like 20 minutes but was actually an hour and a half. Time for lunch and to move the boat.
After we grubbed, we were given another hour and a half in the water. My elderly partner took a nap after lunch, so I was finning it somewhat solo out there.
The boat didn’t move all that far but it was enough to see a different section of reef. There were a few moments where I was being stalked by some mammoth fish off in the distance. I kept turning my head to see it looking at me, then it would move on a little bit and be on my 6 a few minutes later. It looked pretty gnarly too. Like some dark prehistoric thing with large fins and a thin stinger at the bottom or something. It never came close enough to be a real problem, but it was unsettling. I also saw a black tip reef shark at one point. It was swimming slowly along near the bottom, like 20ft down so I wasn’t able to get a great look at it.
Fish Stalker
I returned to the boat just in time to beat a heavy rain that moved in quickly. The whole GBR snorkeling experience went by in a flash. It would’ve been cool to have a little more sun to make the colors of the reef stand out more but it was still righteous. I was also hoping for a few more marquee species, but I’ll take what I can get.
We sailed back to the marina and that was that. All of my notable Australian adventures had come to a close (for this time around).
The only thing left to do was repack my things and shuttle to the airport for my flight to Bali the next day.
It’s hard to believe that another few months have elapsed. There were some highs and lows in there without question. I’ll throw together a little summary of Australia post in the next few days to wrap up all of my thoughts.
I mean a night bus. But that’s what I was thinking it would be. A 14 hour trip up to Airlie Beach on a budget coach.
It actually wasn’t all that bad. Bus travel here, even with a no-frills company, is still 10 times better than in the US. Apart from two girls yucking it up the entire time, I got a surprising amount of shut eye. It wasn’t a recuperative night’s sleep by any means, but it was enough to get me through the day.
I arrived at 9:30am and went straight to the hostel to set down my luggage. I had the day to kill before embarking on my sailing trip the next afternoon.
During a bit of exploring, I got the impression that Airlie Beach was a place where there was a lot of money. It was small and tourist-centric, but everything was nice. There were fancy marinas and houses with views. I guess it makes sense considering the Whitsundays has one of the most popular beaches in the world.
In the morning when I was packing up my stuff, I found out that a dorm-mate was on the same boat as me. Janina was a 19yo German girl with an accent that leaned more UK/Aussie. She’s the kind of person that becomes fast friends with everyone because she’s comfortable carrying the conversation about whatever topic. She had plenty of crazy stories about her experience traveling Australia. Her family also runs a brewery in Southern Germany, so I need to remember that.
When it came time, we walked to the marina together and met the rest of the tour group. Our ship, the Mandrake, held 14 passengers, plus the skipper, a deck hand and a volunteer. What’s funny is of the 14 tour takers, 11 of them were German. There were separate groups of 5 guys, 3 girls, 2 girls and then Janina.
That was a big difference from the Fraser Island experience, which had more solo travelers on it. It meant that the groups kept to themselves a lot more so there wasn’t as much socializing amongst everyone.
After boarding, we got our bunk assignments and dropped our belongings. As we were leaving the harbor, we gathered above deck to get our safety briefing from deckhand Michael, who was our chef, doctor, janitor and source of information for the trip.
Airlie Beach looked pristine from the water as it was slowly disappearing behind us. Once we got far enough out, the sails went up and we were legit sailing.
Mandrake was built in the 80s I think, and it was a cruiser at that time. Its sister ship actually won the America’s Cup back then at some point and I think that was the first time a non-US vessel took home the top prize.
Overall, it was a pretty low key first day. We sailed to a spot called the Hook Island Pass and moored there for the night. We watched the sunset and ate a pretty tasty dinner.
We had a few beers as it got dark and chatted with the skipper.
Everybody turned in because it was an early wake up call the next morning. Myself, Janina and the 2 German girls, Lisa and Tessa, decided to sleep on deck under the stars. I had to find a spot to put my bed sheet and pillow case. It’s not like there were a lot of cushioned spots available, so it didn’t really matter.
It was a relatively solid night in the ocean air. I was woken up by a few chilly winds and a quick sprinkle, but all in all it was nice.
Greg, the skipper, came above deck at a little after 5am to get the motor running and we were on our way shortly thereafter.
We pulled into Tongue Bay by 7am I want to say. We were shuttled over to Whitsundays Island in two dingy trips and from there went up to Hill Inlet lookout. It was high tide, so we had the chance to see the before/after of the swirling sands a few hours later as the water went out. Quite a beautiful site.
Swirling Sands Pano
We found out that Whitehaven Beach is the most Instagram’d beach in the world. Insane. It’s silica sand is super white and fine. Some of the girls actually did a mini exfoliating session and refreshed some of their jewelry with it.
Since we were there so early, Janina and I were the first ones to set foot on the sand. We got an exclusive exploration session, had a photoshoot at a beached tree and a swim in a lagoon before another group showed up. Later when we left there were around 200 people filing in.
Back on the boat, we ate lunch and made our way to the next location. Turtle Bay was the spot where we were doing our first snorkel.
It took a minute to acclimate to solely mouth breathing, but after that it was pretty sick. Michael threw some food in the water from the dingy as the group was basically surrounded by all kinds of fish. There were a few big and gnarly looking ones that gave me a brief freak out but it was quite exhilarating in the end. There wasn’t much of a reef, but the fish activity made up for it. I could’ve floated there all day watching everything move around me.
At some point we had to re-board the ship and head on. Most of the group were already out of their stinger suits and snacking when Janina and I climbed the ladder. We kept ours half on since the next stop was another snorkel anyway. This was a clutch decision because as we were about to leave, two turtles showed up.
We jumped back in and got to witness them share a jellyfish for lunch. It was a pretty surreal experience. I was almost too mesmerized to mind the little particles that were starting to surface and could still sting. Luckily, I avoided them all.
The next spot wasn’t as good for the swimmy creatures, but there was a much more vibrant reef system that we got to check out. In some spots it was just a foot or two underneath us too, so that was a unique site to see. Again, I had to be dragged out of the water so Michael could get dinner started.
We set up for the night in Sunset Bay, which is a good spot for whale watching.
Sunset in Sunset Bay
Kidding. It was a good spot to catch an unobstructed sunset. We also got to see a mass exodus of bats fly overhead. If you’re wondering, there is a word for a grouping of bats similar to a murder of crows. It’s colony or cloud. I Google’d.
In any case, we ate some beef stew and cheesy mashed potatoes and then fell back into the beers and chatting routine.
There were only 3 people that elected to sleep on deck that night, so I got a yoga mat to put beneath me. I’m not sure it made much of a difference but it was a decent night. Still had a few cold winds, a bright moon and then a more substantial shower that forced me inside for the last 30 minutes of sleep.
We had breakfast and an uneventful morning snorkel before we were headed back to harbor.
The sails were up but there wasn’t much help from the wind. The cool thing was that Greg got out his fishing rod and dropped a line behind us as we cruised. Maybe 30 minutes later there was a fish on. He was thinking it was a mackerel but it ended up being a weird tuna which he said wasn’t very good for eating. He still landed it so we could check it out and then tossed it back. It was fun to watch. Fishing used to be a huge hobby for me in my younger days, so it kind of reignited that desire a bit. I’m going to look for a charter when I get up to Cairns and try to reel some in.
That was the last big thing that happened before we were docked back in Airlie. As we were pulling in, I wondered if it was too late for me to become a deckhand. It was a small and super chill group. Sailing, snorkeling, sunsets. I really like being on the water. Something to think about.
Anyway. the experience wasn’t over yet because there was an afterparty that evening at a bar where we got a few discounted items.
I repacked my bags and took a much needed shower before it was time to reconvene with the group.
The 5 German dudes had apparently been at the place since the early afternoon, Lisa and Tessa were an impressive bottomless pit for food and alcohol based on how fit they were, and Janina was going hard with a skydiving trip lined up for 4:30am. This is when I realized, if not for the first time then once more, that I’m an old traveler. At least for the way I’m traveling — hostel life, tour groups, buses, whatever is cheapest. I had 10 years on the majority of the group. Maybe everyone.
It probably wasn’t all that evident until the next morning. I had to get up and check out early to catch my next bus and I think I was still drunk. It was definitely a cloudy situation. I remember being at the second bar and standing in a group yelling over the music to talk to someone. Then the next minute searching the bar without finding anyone. These two instances could’ve been 2 minutes or 2 hours apart. Regardless, I know that’s when I left. Thankfully I made it back to the right place and heard my alarm.
I was sweating buckets by the time I got to the bus station and really hoping the AC worked on that piece because otherwise it was going to be a touch and go ride.
I had to hustle off the bus and into a safety briefing for the Fraser Island excursion because I was already late. I think the entire group was waiting on me.
There was a group of 26 people that got split into 3 cars.
Car #3 Aida (England) Kirsty (Scotland) Marvin (Germany) Max (Germany) Nathan (USA) Sabine (Netherlands) Sonja (Germany).
A good mix. We worked through a few rounds of paperwork and a horrendously old 12 minute long informational video. Then most people went their separate ways to sort out the alcohol and snacks they were going to bring.
Aido
MegaPrime 4×4
Down & Up the Dunes
All 26 of us reconvened around 6am the next morning to grab a quick breakfast and pack up our vehicles. That’s when we also met our guide, Aido, who endearingly referred to us as “critters” the entire trip.
Our SUVs were equipped with very necessary 4wd, an AUX cable so everybody could DJ, and a CB radio to communicate with the convoy.
Fraser Island is the world’s largest sand island and stretches over 120km. There’s very little infrastructure, so it’s mostly camping. To get around, you’re either driving on the beach or some incredibly sandy and bumpy paths.
Aida volunteered to take the first driving shift which seemed to be a fun one. She got to load us onto the ferry and do a bit of inland driving right off the bat because it was high tide. Ended up being a pretty good chunk of time which the group used to start getting to know each other.
Our first destination was Lake McKenzie. It was a beautiful, crystal clear natural lake. For my money, I think this was the best stop. We all took a dip in the water which was the perfect temperature. The sad part was that we didn’t get to spend much time there. But, on the bright side, this is where we settled on the name of our vehicle: MegaPrime. It was a mixture of Megatron and Optimus Prime (the best parts of the good and the bad) and also the new Amazon delivery option we invented. When you choose MegaPrime shipping, your item is delivered to you immediately upon payment. Let us know how much you’re willing to buy that Service Mark for, Besos.
Lake McKenzie
Everybody was hungry and the next stop was lunch, so at least we were getting to satisfy that urge. On this leg of the drive, Car 2 started to develop a reputation of being the black sheep of the group. “You’re too far to the left Car 2!” It was a common refrain, followed by an abyss of silence on the CB and no adjustment of course.
In the deep sand, it was important to follow the existing tracks and avoid oversteering the car. There are plenty of people that have gotten bogged or flipped from fighting what the car naturally wanted to do. It was sort of comically tense for a minute but thankfully it all worked out.
We arrived at Central Station, the old logging hub, and set up a wrap buffet. Wraps. We got to know them very well as that was our lunch for all 3 days. I think everybody wrote that down on the feedback form.
In any case, the entire group got a chance to mingle and then go on a walk through the forest. There was a creek that was practically invisible because of how clear it was. The short loop track brought us back to the pavilion and then we headed out.
We made it to basecamp in the early afternoon where Aido gave us the lay of the land and a brief talk about snakes, spiders, and other animals we might encounter. Everybody claimed a tent, unpacked some gear, and gathered back up to crack the first beer.
The majority of us went for a stroll up a large sand dune to watch the sunset. There was initially some worry about clouds, but it ended up being a solid one.
Once we got back to camp, we fired up the BBQ and had community dinner. There were card games, lots of chatting and all the good stuff associated with group bonding. Several hours into the night, a small group went for a quick walk to the beach to look at the stars. The sky was brilliant without any light pollution and you could clearly make out the Milky Way. It ended up being a relatively tame evening by the time we were all zipped into our tents and ready for bed.
Personally, I got a pretty shit night of sleep. First off, it was smotheringly hot. There wasn’t really a way to ventilate the tent because you had to keep out the bugs. And that was the second reason I was partially on edge the whole evening. The spider talk was in the back of my mind and I found a weird cricket trying to share rent just before I turned off my headlamp for the night.
I was half conscious when our 7am wake up reggaeton started playing. It took the group around an hour and a half to have breakfast and get ready to depart for our day 2 activities.
It was the best day.
First we drove for a while on the beach to a spot called Champagne Pools. The rocks and waves created a pool like formation that you could swim in. Or you could stand out on the edge and attempt to get swept away by a rogue wave crashing on the rocks. Most people just chilled and watched the “swoosh” happen.
Next we went for a short walk up Indian Head to a cliff outlook with awesome panoramic views. We realized pretty quickly that it was a well-crafted green screen and Dolby 8.12 surround sound. I think that was the number. It still looked really amazing for being fake so we didn’t let it disrupt our experience.
Indian Head Views
Then we did a quick scoot back to camp to have lunch. Obviously wraps. Before we left on our next adventure, somebody found a huntsman in their tent. Aido picked it up and a few people had a run letting it crawl on them. Gnarly.
Once that excitement died down, we made our way to Eli Creek which was kind of a lazy river. I mean, it was really lazy in the fact that it couldn’t be bothered to be high enough to easily float down it on a tube. It also was pretty short and crowded. Still a chill situation with awesome weather.
Two groups took a quick plane ride around the island. It was a tiny little prop guy that took off and landed on the beach. By all accounts, it was worth the $60 price of admission.
On the way back to camp, we stopped at a shipwreck to scope out the rusted SS Maheno. It was nifty to see the skeleton of a ship so close up. I wonder how many years it’ll take to completely rust it away.
For dinner, it was a group effort to cut up a bunch of veggies and get a bolognese together.
As it was the last night, it was the go hard night. Miracles happened that night, some would say. They would mainly be talking about the creation of the world’s newest and carb-friendliest drinking game — PastaPong — and the league that supports it. CLICK HERE for a list of the official rules.
That’s what happens when you combine alcohol, a huge community table and a bunch of leftover penne.
The night digressed a bit from there. Although we did make up a game for cleaning up the errant pasta. There was never a chance it was going to last long enough to get it all though.
After a few other miscellaneous games, there was a good vibe at the campfire. Xavi, a guy from Barcelona, was playing some songs on his guitar, as is fitting, and everybody was digging the situation. At some point Aido came down and was crushing some tunes as well. There were some good jams and I think marshmallows? I didn’t catch that part.
Gradually, the group petered out. A small contingency went to find the party beach but got lost along the way and ended up stargazing again.
I’m not sure how many people were ready for the 7am reggaeton alarm, but there it was again.
It was our last few hours on the island. We packed up our stuff and said goodbye to the campsite.
MegaPrime was sadly infiltrated by two people that wanted their chance to drive. We later found out that they weren’t even supposed to because they didn’t attend the briefing. Our convoy also got stopped and breathalyzed by the island police at one point, which Aido said was like the third time that had happened to his tour in 6 years or something.
Anyway, our only destination for the day was Lake Garawongera. It wasn’t as picturesque as Lake McKenzie, but it was substantially less crowded and offered us a great place to have a swim and chill.
We had our final round of wraps and drove to the ferry to be shepherded back to the main land.
We returned to the hostel around 4pm. The consensus was to keep it going with some dinner and more beer. We played a few games around a nonexistent campfire and made one last pilgrimage to the beach to check out the stars.
The next morning was bittersweet in that everybody was leaving. It was nice how everybody got up and was intent on seeing each other off though.
I was the last man standing, waiting on a 7pm bus.
What an amazing experience. It’s hard for me to rate Fraser Island based on the island though. I think it was really the group of people that made it such a worthwhile trip.
My two hopes are that we keep our Party Pippies Puppies chat alive for a long time and that my Whitsundays sailing excursion can somehow compete with this outing.
Even though I was only about 70km away from Byron Bay, I was in a new state and time zone. Queensland.
I didn’t do much research on this spot but I was able to find an AirBnB that was like half the price of all the hostels over the New Years period.
I found out why when I got to the house. I was in a shared room, which was just two mattresses on the floor. The kitchen was a mess, there wasn’t really any fridge space, there were…5 Brazilians living there and there was only one bathroom. Plus the place was hot as shit without any air conditioning.
I was intending to relax at the place but the amenities weren’t really all that pleasant. There was decent internet which was a silver lining.
One cool thing about Surfers Paradise is that there was water everywhere. There were a ton of random islands and inlets weaving all over the place.
I met up with Karalee (20yo Canadian), a fellow traveler I connected with on a FB Backpacker group. She was dogsitting for a family friend in a sweet house a block away from the beach.
We walked around the town and boardwalk while eventually formulating a plan for New Years Eve. There was a small group of other travelers from the same FB group that were interested in getting together too.
Everybody assembled at pool for a BBQ and hangout. I was the elder statesmen of the crew, which felt kinda weird. The next in line was a 25yo guy from India, then a 23yo German guy, 21 and 20yo German girls and Karalee.
Really pleasant people though. The mood was light and friendly. We had good conversation, took a dip in the hot tub and grilled up some sausages. Nobody was hitting the booze hard or anything. I actually got a 6-pack of Goose Island IPA to have that familiar taste of home.
As it got closer to midnight, we changed venues to Karalee’s place so we were closer to the beach for midnight. We marveled at the dog and played the Australian version of Cards Against Humanity to kill some time. The youngest German girl crushed us all, even with the language barrier.
We got out onto the beach and prepared for midnight. We were in one of the first time zones to ring in the new year. There was a decent fireworks show over the ocean. After the show, the group shared a few lessons learned from 2018 and some goals for 2019.
NYE Fireworks
It ended up getting whittled down to just me and Karalee at some point. We posted up under a blanket on the beach and took a short nap before waking up for the sunrise. That was a somewhat popular idea as there were a decent amount of other people scattered along the beach. A few dudes even went for a chilly swim.
It was close to 7am by the time I got back to Casa de Brazil. All of the tenants seemed to be away so I zonked out for a while and pretty much did nothing until I had to catch a bus up to Brisbane the following day.
Brissy, Brissy, Brissy can’t you see?
It was time for another Workaway. The house was in a suburb about 40 minutes via public transport outside of downtown.
I was greeted by Lozz, the very gregarious host. There was also a pretty Colombian Workawayer, Carolina, that arrived a little bit before me.
Lozz walked us through the basic everyday tasks and was very loose and informal about any other stuff we had to do.
Our daily charge was to walk the dog, look after the chickens and tidy up the pool area. We had a few other random tasks here and there but nothing extreme.
Chili Tofu Tortillas
Carolina and I tackled pretty much everything together. We also cooked some super solid vegetarian meals, as that was everybody else’s dietary preference. The chili tofu tortillas we whipped up were pretty dope.
I was helping her with English and she was sharing miscellaneous Spanish phrases with me.
We all got on very well. It was one of those situations where everybody felt immediately comfortable and familiar with each other. Lozz was so appreciative and positive about everything we did. Her kids, Ryan and Bri (30s), were cut from the same cloth as well. Just awesome people; really bright and energetic.
As far as exploring went, there was a day where I went to a Koala Sanctuary. The koalas (which are large marsupials and not bears) usually sleep for 20 hours a day but I showed up at the right time because the staff was changing out the eucalyptus leaves which meant feeding time. They were up and moving around which was cool to see. Super cute little things munching away. I also got to pet a kangaroo finally. And I was stared down hard by an emu. Unnerving.
I bussed downtown to wander around the city center and a few of the good suburbs. I went to the Gallery of Modern Art which was neat. My kind of museum.
In the evening, I met up with Jonathan, the guy I did Abel Tasman with back in NZ, and we did a touch of brewery hopping.
A few days later, I did a quick 40 minute walk up to the Mount Coot-tha summit, right by the house. Then I walked a few other suburbs, explored a park, checked out the artificial beach in the city and gave a few other beers a try.
Brisbane has a few unique things to offer that some other Australian cities don’t. It might not be as hip as Melbourne, or have as much going on as Sydney, but it still seemed like a good spot to be.
I was actually a bit sad to be leaving. I totally could’ve kept with the vibe and the people for longer.
Next up on the agenda was something tasty though. I was heading north to do a 3 day excursion on Fraser Island followed by a 2 day sailing trip around the Whitsundays.
