This week on our East Coast trip, it started off a little rainy and put a downer on some of our destinations, however as the days continued, it got a little sunnier. This week also marks us getting closer to some really exciting trips and locations. On Monday we had just arrived on the Gold Coast. The forecast was for rain, but wanting to do something fun that wasn't a theme park we decided to book ourselves in for the morning with Gold Coast Watersports. Each of chose to do something a little different but Katherine and Steph, Tor and myself chose to do a combo of jet skiing and parasailing. Parasailing was surprisingly peaceful as we soared above the sand dunes and could check out the city skyline as well as stingrays in the water below. We next tried out jetskiing which was so much fun! We had 30 minutes to travel around a 1km circuit and were encouraged to go as fast as we wanted to. Me and a Tor couldn't break the low 30s (mph) whilst Jesse managed to get it into the 35s!! This was a great adrenaline hit and I loved driving, although I think Tor was smoother on the turns. Being the passenger was tough as you had to use your thighs to hold on, and I didn't want to hold onto Tor too tightly in case we both fell off!! We loved it though and both left the circuit laughing. This was a great way to spend the morning and the weather held off. That afternoon we headed for lunch across the road and relaxed the rest of the day, jet skiing is tiring!! That evening we headed out with the hostel and joined in on their $5 goon, free entry and half priced drinks deal. The club we went to was called Sin City but was very different to its Swansea name sake. We had a good time though and I got to know the others in our group a little better. The next day it rained. And rained. We headed out to Lord of the Fries for lunch, a vegan fast food and debated what we could do with the rest of the day. We ended up doing very little and spending some time in the hot tub whilst the rain came down. I also went for a run in the rain, more to get out and see a little of the coast line than because I truly wanted to go out in the rain! That evening we made risotto and I spent time with Sian and Ced playing cards in their room. The next morning we checked out and left the Gold Coast early to head to Brisbane. Our experience in the Gold Coast wasn't the best because of the weather. We would have loved to have spent more time on the beach and me and Jesse were keen to rent surf boards for a few hours but the weather and lack of things to do in a wet Gold Coast made it hard to love this place. Our next stop was Brisbane and once again the weather wasn't on our side. We straight away headed out for some lunch and me Ced and Sian found a great little place to grab Pizza and chose to go vegan for the meal. I had a vegan pepperoni pizza which was amazing. After this we decided to make the most of the bad weather and head to some museums. There is a section of Brisbane on the South called the Cultural Center. On this side of the bank there is also a ferris wheel and the famous Brisbane sign. From the side across the river it looks like London and we all experienced a sense of deja vu. We got a photo with the Brisbane sign, of course I headed straight for the B's to crawl into the holes. We then headed to the Queensland Museum which for a free museum was pretty interesting. Queensland is home to so many amazing creatures and the museum portrayed this perfectly. It even had a dinosaur section with dinosaurs I never knew before existed. We also visited the Queensland Art Gallery however we didn't find this quite as interesting and left pretty quickly. We then headed back to the hostel for the evening, made a dinner of stir fry noodles and grabbed our free drink at the hostel bar. We headed to bed early because we had an exciting trip planned the next day, Australia Zoo. We got the Greyhound to the Zoo and spent the entire day there. It was by far the best zoo I've ever been to. The animals are treated amazingly and the keepers truly care about them. Many live on site and dedicate their time to the animals wellness and happiness. They are trained accordingly to their natural behaviours and nothing displayed is abnormal. We walked amongst kangaroos, stroked koalas, saw tigers, lemurs, amazing birds and awesome crocidiles. There were loads of shows throughout the day and we watched the Otters and the Tortioses being fed as well as the Warrior show which showcased their birds and the crocodiles. I learnt some useful tips on how to act in crocodiles territory for when I head up to Darwin at the end of the month! It was overall an amazing day and I'm so glad we traded out our surf lesson with Ultimate for the day trip to the zoo, it was a great experience, even if I didn't get to meet Robert Irwin. That evening we had a few drinks at the hostel bar again and were ambushed by a very VERY young man who told us his decisive views on American and Australian politics. The next day after breakfast we headed to Noosa. I didn't fully explore Brissy but I liked the feel of the city and I'm looking forward to exploring it further in a months time. We arrrvied in Noosa in the late afternoon and the weather was starting to pick up. We took advantage of the sunshine and headed straight to the beach. Noosa is a relaxed town at the top of the Sunshine Coast. Popular amongst retirees and backpackers, the town feels diverse and laid back. The beach is beautiful and we enjoyed playing in the waves and sunbathing again. Me and Abbie treated ourselves to an Ice Cream and walked around the town a little. That evening we had dinner at the hostel taking advantage of their burger, chips and pint deal and then had our free drink at the bar. We chilled out in the evening and sat and chatted and Jesse gave us all the gift of free cuddles, even a girl we'd just met who was staying in our room!! The next day I wanted to check out the Noosa National Park and the weather micraously held out for us! We walked the coastal path towards Hells Gate with the intention of seeing the Fairy Pools. These turned out to be dangerous and not suitable for swimming in. The waves were crashing into the pool and the current looked strong. There were some people already sitting by the pools and within 10 minutes of us being there they were pushed from the rocks they were sitting on to the other side of the pool by a huge waves leaving all of them ok but at least three of them with bad cuts. I'm always down for doing silly things with a little bit of a risk but I'm glad I had the common sense to see the danger in those pools! We headed back to the main beach after hearing that the Noosa Festival of Surfing that was on that day was also hosting a dog surfing competition. We found a spot to watch and it didn't disappoint. What a surreal site, seeing dogs on surf boards! After this we headed to the main beach again to relax and play in the waves. We ended up staying out in the water until sunset started to set in and it started to rain. The water is so warm its nicer to be swimming than out of the water! Today we've checked out of the hostel in Noosa and we're heading to Rainbow Beach and Fraser Island. This is one of the big trips of the tour and I can't wait to be driving on the sand dunes and camping! Next week we also head to Airlie Beach and this time next Sunday I'll be on a boat in the WhitSundays, how exciting!!
This week has involved a lot of rain and indoor activities but I'm so glad Noosa has come through and let us spend time on the beach again. Here's to a fabulous next week!
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Hi! I'm Holly, a twenty something traveller from the UK. Over the years I've been lucky enough to live and travel in many countries. I've studied in America and working holidayed in Australia and New Zealand! I currently live in South Korea. Learn more about me below!
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