We arrived in Airlie Beach, found our hostel and started figuring out what trip we were going to do. Joe and I wanted to do a bit more snorkeling. Sandra was more excited about seeing Whitehaven Beach, so we split up for our trips.
We left at 8am and headed to the beach. There was a short hike up to a lookout, then down to the beach. Joe and I just walked around some before heading back to the boat for lunch. Next we went to a snorkel spot. The snorkeling was all right. The coral was neat, as were the fish, but the visibility was awful. So, that was a little disappointing. It was a fun trip though.
We left early this morning for Townsville. We'll be heading to Magnetic Island and spending a few days there. Hopefully it's relaxing.
-Miranda
Whitehaven Beach
Mangroves growing in the intertidal zone.
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The stay with Baz and Tasha was great. We had a good time and they were very friendly and helpful. Joe focused last night on trying to get Fraser Island figured out. We're meeting up with Sandra (the Swiss we met in New Zealand) which should be fun.
When we checked out the bus schedule to get to Gympie (where we'll catch the Greyhound to get to Hervey Bay) it was almost 4 hours of travel, transferring 4 times. Dee, a friend of one of the people we were staying with, offered us a ride to Gympie. He took us on a slightly scenic route and even drove through an area known to have a lot of kangaroos. Unfortunately, now is the worst time to see them. They normally come out in the morning or evening.
So, we're currently hanging out in Gympie at the bus stop waiting for Sandra and the bus.
By the way, the photo I took of the koala did not turn out at all. I could post it, but I'd have to circle the koala and you probably still wouldn't be able to see it. Haha. Oh well.
-Miranda
Super cute lizard that was in the bathroom one morning.
We finally threw Joe's hat away. We had been using it to hold the ice (in a plastic bag, but still) for my ankle, and the moisture apparently made the holes worse.
Very neat looking Strangler Fig.
A koala sign!!!
Baz and Tasha.
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We left Marcoola Thursday morning and headed for Noosa. My ankle still hurts, and I'm still hobbling some, but I can walk. Joe has to carry both packs though.
We made it to Noosa Heads and found a great place for lunch, Quenchers. There was a backpackers nearby, so we booked a room for the night. I hung out and worked some while Joe went to the beach to check out the surf. Unfortunately, the waves were tiny, but at least he got some time in the water.
The next morning, we asked about staying another night and they said they were all booked up. We left and headed back to Quenchers for breakfast. We started looking for someplace to stay, but everything Joe checked was completely booked. We started even looking at the possibility of renting a camper van, but the caravan sites he checked were booked.. .. . He even checked inland more. They were booked. Basically it was looking like, sleep on the beach or go back to Brisbane.
He ended up striking up a conversation with the owners of Quenchers (we shared a small breakfast, hung out, then had an early lunch) and they ended up offering for us to stay in their campervan. We took them up on it. I really wanted to check out Noosa National Park and maybe see a koala, so we headed there. They had a board with a koala sighting on it! :D It was close by even, so we got to see a koala up a tree. First koala sighting, not in a zoo.
We did a short, 1km hike around a nice loop, then Joe wanted to do a longer, coastal hike. He left me in the park to read and hang out some. We met back up again later, had dinner, then headed to their house.
We chatted for quite a bit before heading to sleep. It was quite comfortable. We'll be back there again tonight. Hopefully we'll find a place for Sunday night by looking today though.
I'm using Joe's computer, so I haven't uploaded any photos to the computer yet. I'll post any, if there are any good ones, later.
-Miranda
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We didn't do much while on the Gold Coast. Joe tried surfing a couple mornings and mostly got beat up. On the other mornings we went for a jog. That was a bit painful. Been a while.
We left Saturday morning to head back to Brisbane. I had looked up places where I could possibly see a koala (not in a zoo) and Noosa National Park was one place mentioned. Joe found a lady that was renting out a room south of there, so we booked a night.
There is a great vegetarian place in Brisbane where you get a lunch plate of yummy food, a drink and dessert all for $12. On our way back to the train station to start our trip north to the Sunshine Coast, I managed to misstep off the curb and sprain my ankle.. . . . Joe got to carry both packs while I hopped the 5 blocks or so to the station. We then road the train and bus for almost 4 hours to get to the place we're staying.
The apartment is great, the lady is really nice. She's already been super helpful. She has a pseudo ice pack and is letting me use her hiking stick to walk around. We have through Tuesday night paid, so I guess I'll just be getting work done. :p
-Miranda
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We decided to try and find someone that had a room for rent to stay with instead of staying in a hostel. We ended up finding one in Surfer's Paradise. It's not too far of a walk to the main area of the town and to the beach. The guy that owns the place is rarely here. He works in Brisbane, so leaves at 6am and doesn't get back until around 7pm. It basically feels like we have the place to ourselves.
This morning, we headed out so Joe could try some more surfing before the sun got too hot. It wasn't great, but he still was able to catch some waves and have some fun. Since then, we've basically been at the apartment getting some work done. Nothing too exciting.
-Miranda
Australian Coot and young with Iguana watching from the water in the Botanic Gardens in Brisbane.
Sunset view of the place we're staying (we're on the 11th floor).
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