We’re leaving on a jet plane…….

Warning! – This is a log blog so either skim it or go and make a nice cuppa and maybe find yourself a more comfortable chair before you sit down to read!

Having successfully slept away the last traces of bloodshot (or should that be bloodshotedness?) from our eyes we set out to explore Byron Bay – we were expecting big things from this place as we had heard lot of enthusiastic travelers rave about the place – and I am pleased to report it didn’t disapoint.

Our first full day was started with a walk around Cape Byron which is Australia’s most easterly point. The walk took us along coastal pathways and up to various lookouts. It was along the walk that we spotted our first wild snake since being in Australia. We were beginning to lose all hope of spotting a snake as they are not interested in humans and therefore tend to keep themselves to themselves however this little fellow (he could have only been a metre long) was catching a few rays beside the path. We have absolutely no idea what kind of snake it was and still dont having since done some extensive research at Australia Zoo but we do know that when a Australian surfer-type lad and his mate come up behind you and start prodding the snake with his mobile phone then that was our cue to leave!

The walk then took us up to Byron Bay lighthouse and down into some scrub before leading us back into Byron timing it perfectly for a spot of lunch. Byron is a great place to do lunch as it seems to attract all-types of people from various differents walks of life which for their time in Byron our happy to chill and do very little but chat to each other and have a good time.

That afternoon the tiredness resulting from our lack of accomodation, and therefore sleep, over New Year began to rear its ugly head so we headed to the beach for a little snooze. Having had his twenty minutes Chris grew restless and headed off for a run along the beach. This was all to energetic for me who returned to sleep only to be woken by the heavens opening. I retreated back to the hostel where I met up with Chris who hobbled in with the biggest bloodblisters known to mankind about twenty minutes later. I thinks that spells the end of his barefoot runs along the beach!

The next day we enrolled for a surf lesson and headed off to the pass for our three and half hour tutorial. In order to learn to surf we not only had to overcome the obstacle of learning to stand on the board but also a strong rip which battered us about carrying us down the beach some distance and thousands of “purple people eaters” – which is what our teacher called the jellyfish which were in our paths. The lesson went well and had us both standing on our boards albeit just as the wave had run its course!

I took a direct hit from a purple people eater on the inner thigh but politely declined Chris’s offer to urinate on it to ease the pain!

Exhausted we headed to book the rest of our trip up the east coast. Up until now we have not needed to prebook anything but January is peak season and hostels and trip seem to be filling so we were not taking any chances. After spending the best part of two hours sorting the trip out and faced with some of the biggest decisions we have faced in the last eight months (how many days do we want to spend on this beach?) we relaxed with a Mexican dinner and a glass of red wine (for me not Chris who is still abstaining after his Christmas sessions!).

The next day we headed for Queensland. Our one full day in Brisbane was spent walking in a loop that Chris had planned to take in all the sites. We begun at Brisbane City Hall which was built in the 1920’s then strolled past the old Treasury Building which is an impressive site now housing a casino. The walk then took us across The Brisbane River to mooch around the various art galerries and museums which are grouped on the South bank. From these we headed to Street’s Beach (yep got a photo of Chris next to the sign!) which is a man-made beach overlooking th river and the CBD which we guessed had been conceived to give Brisbane a beach like all other major cities in Australia. Whatever the purpose it seemed to be a big hit as the area was packed with people enjoying the sun and the water.

On leaving the beach we headed through the botannical gardens where we were treated to a wonderful view of the river dotted with little sailing boats leading their way towards the imposing city skyrises. We enjoyed the views but would be treated to far better of the same scene later that night.

We headed back to the hostel for a quick nap before being picked up by Linda who is Chris’s second cousin (if my knowledge of family relationships is reliable!). Linda whisked us away to a fantastic view point overlooking the city which only a local would know about. We remained at the viewpoint enjoying a glass of wine, some nibbles and some good conversation, all of which Linda had brought with her and watched the sun set over the city and the city lights turn on. The views were brilliant.

We then headed back to Linda’s for some good old home cooking and the opportunity to meet one of her sons – Xavi (I really hope I have spelt that correctly!). We had a great night and it was wonderful to meet some family.

The next morning it was an early start and a train ride to Australia Zoo – first stop the Crocoseum. As it is school holidays out here we got to see Bindi do her dance show with the crocmen and Terri Irwin do the Croc show. We also took in the row of Khaki shirts left in tribute to the original crocodile hunter – Steve Irwin.

After a long day of walking we caught the bus to Noosa but not before having our photo taken with J.D. the Burmese Python draped around our necks.

And so to Noosa. Noosa has won Chris’s heart. It is a beautiful place with water everywhere you turn (think Australia’s version of the Riveira). The Noosa River and Noosa Sound run inland from the beach and along the banks there are some impresive properties. It has many surf beaches which are very popular…so what should we do when in Noosa? – the only obvious answer – Surf!

We spent all day on the beach having taken up the offer of free surf boards from the hostel we were staying in. Our aim was to spend the day working on our surfing technique but we only managed to stand up a handful of times as the boards were not long enough for novices like us! Nevertheless we had a really great day playing in the surf.

It was also in Noosa where I randomly (and a little freakishly!) bumped into an old friend of mine who I used to swim with which just goes to show – the world really is a very small place!

Tags: Australia, Byron Bay, New Zealand, Noosa

This entry was posted on Thursday, January 11th, 2007 at 7:27 pm and is filed under Australia. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.