BYRON BAY

I had heard so much about Byron Bay and after wanting to visit for a couple of years I was so excited to be on the greyhound! It was only a short drive from Surfers and we arrived early morning. We had a surf lesson and overnight accommodation already booked, so we headed straight to the hostel. At 2pm we headed to the beach with our small surf group, warmed up then headed straight into the water. It was a lot easier than we thought it was gonna be, and to Brad's horror I stood up first time! I began to overcome my fear of waves until I started getting smashed about by bigger waves and my surfboard kept smashing into me; so after a couple hours I was exhausted and just sat on my board at the back watching the group. Brad loved it so much and he got quite good at it by the end of the lesson!

In the evening we went to cheeky monkeys; a club we had heard a lot about coming down the east coast. We set off in a group of   8 and straight away saw the $3 alcoholic slushies! The club got quite busy quite quickly and it was the strangest concept people dancing on tables, and watching a Spanish guy win a twerking competition which he was actually so good at. We decided to head home but Byron had some torrential rain whilst we were there which came in short bursts but drenched you straight through in about two seconds- this was occurring when we were leaving the club so we had an interesting run home. 

The next day Brad, Katie and I headed into town to have a look round the shops and get some food. We found the most amazing toastie place- would 100% go back to Byron just for that. Once we had enough of the shops we went back to the hostel and sat on the beach- the hostel literally was a 20 second walk from the beach it was amazing! We watched some surfing lessons and then got caught in the rain again so headed back. In the evening there was a BBQ at the hostel so we enjoyed that and also a fire show. After having a few drinks four of us headed to Woodys- a club we had been recommended by locals. When we got there it was so packed! We only stayed for about an hour and a half because it took ages to get anywhere and there was a permanent long queue at the bar which was annoying, but we still had fun! 

Our third day in Byron we went to Nimbin. Five of us boarded 'the happy coach' and we headed to the weirdest little town. We looked around, had a few cookies, and enjoyed amazing burgers cooked by our bus driver- Princess Fiona. We headed back to Byron after a few hours and tried to sit on the beach, but once again Byron brought the torrential rain. When it had passed over we all headed to dominos for a pizza each and went home and just chatted till bed time.

Our last day in Byron it was just Brad and I and we headed into town for a toastie each and to pick up some food for dinner. When we got back we tried to do the lighthouse walk because it was actually really sunny on our last day, thank god! But as per usual we stop to take pictures a lot of the way and we ended up adding a lot of time on, and half way on the walk we realised how much longer it would take and how little time we had till we had to catch our bus to Sydney. We decided to turn back unfortunately- just means we have a good excuse to return to Byron! On the way back we also stopped for a coconut along the beach and I had a 15 minute nap on the grass- I can honestly fall asleep anywhere at any time of the day... In the evening we caught our 13 hour coach ride to Sydney- overnight coaches do not get easier the more you do, they will forever be uncomfortable and only allow you to have 3/4 hours sleep maximum.

We absolutely loved Byron and we met amazing people which definitely made it a lot better too! Both of us would come back here as it was just so chilled and we loved watching the surfers, and surfing ourselves. If we came back it would definitely be in summer, as there was times where we wished we could've just sat on the beach but the rain stopped us. But despite the weather it's still one of our favourite places we visited along the East Coast!

Surfers Paradise

Along our way down the east coast we'd heard so many mixed reviews about surfers paradise, just like we had about Brisbane. Nevertheless we had 3 days here so we wanted to have a good look around to make our own opinion. We got a taxi to our hostel but annoyingly it was an hour walk back to the city or a $20 taxi ride. So first we just checked out the marina right outside our hostel and took a wander round; which is where we saw the Versace hotel literally a few doors down from our hostel which is always depressing. We started the walk as soon as we checked in and it was only along the beach front the whole way which was actually quite nice! When we got to the city we had a stroll around and looked in a few shops- there was loads. Afterwards we went and chilled on the beach, waiting around for dinner. We underestimated how hard it would be to find somewhere that sold spag bol because I was ill and I was just craving some home comfort! After about half an hour of walking round we finally found somewhere and went straight in. We walked back to our hostel after dinner, stopping along the way so brad could take some pictures. Whilst Brad was taking some of the sea I went and sat down further up the beach; which is where we lost each other for a few minutes and when he found me again it was literally like when you see a parent who loses their child and they panic he was so funny!! 

The next day we had a lie in- the first we've had in months! And when we dragged ourselves out of bed we decided on a McDonald's for lunch. Then we took our food babies for a walk on the beach and collapsed and sunbathed for a bit. After a while we headed back to the hostel and in the evening we got the bus to the city and looked in a few more shops. Then we looked around for dinner again. Neither of us being particularly hungry we settled for a KFC little share bucket and enjoyed that on the beach. This is where our day gets even healthier, we then went to the chocolate shop and had the nicest waffle! 

On our third day we again went into the city and wandered round. We had the most amazing brunch at a little cafe- Brad having a smoked salmon toastie and I had avocado and eggs on toast. Once we finished that we carried on walking round and stopped in a few more shops. It wasn't as sunny today so we only sat on the beach for a little while before heading to Coles to buy dinner and wait for the transfer back to the hostel. We got back to the hostel in the late afternoon and we were so shattered we napped from 4-8 (the worst time to nap) and woke up to make dinner. It got to about 10 before we headed back to the room to pack our backpacks and try and sleep. 

In all honesty, surfers paradise is the place we enjoyed the least down the east coast, and I think it's the same for most people we have met as well. But we did still enjoy it and did have a wander round; we just found it too touristy!

Brisbane

After Noosa we weren't quite sure if Brisbane would be able to top it, and after hearing that Brisbane is quite artificial and you either love it or you hate it we weren't too sure if we'd even enjoy it! When we got to Brisbane we literally hiked up a huge hill to get to our hostel with our backpacks and I swear I could've started crying- I can't handle carrying the weight of my backpack more than 2 seconds. We literally checked in and left straight away for the city centre which was about a 10 minute walk. We got there and it was so similar to London! There's all the same shops as home and the atmosphere was the same. After a little shop around we went to Southbank- literally the same as London Southbank as well, we strolled round for a few hours and sat by the river. We headed back to the hostel as the sun was starting to set to grab brads camera and change into jeans as we thought it would get colder (a decision we later regretted because it was still boiling). We headed back to Southbank and took some pictures- Brad finally figured out how to do long exposures so we got some amazing pictures! We had dinner and then later went for drinks by the river.

Our second day we had an amazing breakfast from the cafe in the hostel where smoothies were the equivalent of £1.50! After we went to explore more of the city, heading to James Street but it was quite expensive boutiques so we decided to just head back to Southbank for some nachos. Brad had been wanting to go to the cinema for ages because the wifi is so bad everywhere we go and you can barely load anything :( So we did just that and in the evening we saw the Jungle Book, which was actually amazing! The cinema was so cheap as well (£3 each) so we thought we may as well take advantage of it. We came out and took some more pictures of the river and all the buildings which look incredible in the dark.

We really enjoyed Brisbane a lot more than we expected and it's so similar to London so you can't really hate it. It was nice to be in a city again as well! 

Noosa!

I had heard how lovely Noosa was so I definitely wanted to spend a few days here. As soon as we arrived we got checked in and headed straight for the beach and shops. It was such a nice town and had so many unique shops and restaurants! We wandered round for a little bit and Brad managed to find some Ray bans he liked so we got him them, as we were both getting worried because he was literally squinting 24/7 and it's crazy how sunny it is. We took a walk onto the beach and after Brad got a hair cut, we wandered to Coles and got some food to cook for dinner. We caught the shuttle back to the hostel and just chilled out for a bit. Our hostel is called Flashpackers; it's so nice and although it was a bit more expensive I am glad we chose this one. The staff are friendly as well and they run the bus every hour to take you wherever you like. 

Our second day in Noosa was spent relaxing and walking by the shops. We got to the beach and spent about an hour watching the waves take people out and Brad had a go at trying to swim for his life through them. We then had a wander round the shops and had a smoothie from Boost (they're everywhere over here!) after a bit more shopping we settled down to have lunch and got a seafood sharing platter with the best prawns, calamari, etc! For a grand total of $30 (£15) which was a bargain lunch for the quality of the food! We then went and sat back on the beach for a few hours, watching the even bigger waves. After we headed back to the hostel and just chilled for dinner. 

Although this post isn't long and probably isn't interesting to most people I definitely wanted to remember our time here and this is my online diary sort of thing anyway! I would 10000% come back to Noosa and we definitely feel like we didn't spend enough time here as we didn't do as much as we wanted because we didn't have the time! There's some amazing looking restaurants and shops so we would definitely come back when we're on less of a budget (I don't know who we're trying to fool because we don't ever budget anything oops) 

FRASER ISLAND

Fraser Island was beautiful! After a long bus ride to Hervey Bay and a little ferry ride we arrived at Fraser Island. You are brought into the Kingfisher Bay Resort (which is huge) and checked in and went up to our lodges. We had a free afternoon so we decided to chill by the pool at the main resort and after having the best vanilla milkshake, a cocktail and a mental breakdown about how much I wanted to be staying in a nice hotel, we headed back up to our rooms. All our meals were provided for us on the 4 days on Fraser Island and it was so nice to not have to worry about what we're going to cook or where we're going to eat!

Our second day on Fraser Island began with an early start (shock) and a little 4x4 drive to Lake Mckenzie. It was beautiful and we had the best weather! The rest of the day consisted of a rainforest walk and another lake. 

The third day was probably my favourite. We first went to champagne pools. This is where there are a few little rock pools and the waves crash at the front of them and then the sea water flows through keeping them topped up. It was an amazing thing to see and it was like little swimming pools right by the ocean. After we went to Indian head, which is quite a big lookout and you climb up lots of big rocks then onto a path and you can see for miles! Down the road- by road I mean beach as you're literally driving right next to the sea! We stopped off at the ship wreck where we took some photos and the guide told us the next cyclone to hit will most probably destroy it, so it's something the next generation might not see; I think it's quite cool that we've can say we saw it :). We ended the day at Eli Creek with some inflatable rings just floating down it. It was crystal clear (and freezing cold) and the way it flowed meant it was just like a lazy river. 

The fourth day we went to a lake and paddle boarded, something Brad and I just couldn't get the hang of so we kept falling in! Then we went to some sand dunes where you could run up them and roll back down. Afterwards we went back to Lake McKenzie where Brad and I had a little nap on the sand, then after a bumpy ride home we got back on the ferry to Hervey Bay. We had one night here so we winged it with accommodation- aka just go into any hostel and pray they have a room. Then finished our night with some fish and chips from down by the sea :)

We enjoyed Fraser Island so much and there was so many activities which meant we made the most out of the island! It was amazing and I would definitely go back!

Whitsunday islands!

An early start in Airlie Beach and a couple hours sailing landed us in the Whitsunday Islands; definitely one of the most beautiful places I've ever been. We went to a little lookout point and witnessed the most amazing view- the sea was so many different colours and there was so many islands surrounding it. We went down to Whitehaven beach and had a little explore and a swim around. There was a little area in the sea where baby sharks and stingrays were swimming around after being born which was so cute! 

We headed back to our sailing boat with our group and chatted to everyone and headed for Blue Pearl Bay where we all watched the sunset whilst having some snacks and dinner. This is where the boat parked up for the night and we all chilled on the deck drinking and watching the stars- which were amazing! We even spotted a couple of shooting stars! Some of the group attempted to sleep up on the deck, and Brad was the only one who made it through the whole night. 

We had an early start the next day and got ready for snorkelling. There was so many fish in the reef! The area was still part of the Great Barrier Reef but it was so different to Cairns where we snorkelled in it too. The girl from the tour kept chucking in bits of bread for the fish so we could all watch them underwater :) 

We went to a second snorkel spot where there was a few turtles, but because it was a bit chilly I just laid on the beach for a while. When we got back to the boat it was so sunny and we all sunbathed on the deck- aka napping for me as I seem to always fall asleep in the sun no matter where I am! After lunch we sailed for a couple hours home. I had never been on a sailing boat (that I can remember) and so when the boat was literally on its side and you have to hang on for dear life, it's safe to say I was just a bit frightened! After a while you get used to it but it's still the strangest concept to me! 

Overall we had an amazing 2 day and one night adventure on the Whitsundays! We met some amazing people and created memories that will definitely stay with me forever. I would definitely go back and the pictures don't even do it justice! With the beaches also, because the sand is constantly being moved around and the sea changing, the way you saw the beach will change from the next time you go there which I think is pretty cool!