Noosa
was a nice place. We stayed in a good hostel near a typically huge
beach and ate at a restaurant that had these incredible lamb and mint
pizzas (see Travel Notes: Incredible Food). It was a great place to
hang out and get some beach time – remember India hadn't delivered
in this area and the weather in Port Douglas was a bit grey. Of all
the places we went in Australia Noosa had the most appeal
Chiswick-on-Sea.
Aside
from walking the headland (this was a coastal path that went past
small coves, limitless flora and fauna and, most excitingly, a nudist
beach) our days were not particularly laden with activities. We did,
however, take a trip to Australia Zoo – Steve Irwin's family zoo.
This
is a real highlight – simply one of the best things to do in
Australia. The zoo is so well set up that it doesn't feel like a
typical zoo. The animal handlers walk around with various creatures
for you to stroke, hold and learn about (Chloe again on hand to meet
and greet). The kangaroo and koala enclosures are highlights.
In
total we must have spent an hour with the kangaroos alone. There are
loads of lizards milling about, just wandering around the visitors.
The first time we saw one we assumed it had escaped. It turns out
they're wild but the zoo is a cool place for them to hang out. They
like it there. Imagine that at Chester Zoo – shall we agree on ten
minutes before some kid has a got one in his hands trying to force
feed it a Magnum?
So
that was Australia Zoo and Noosa.
We
moved on from there looking forward to Byron Bay as we'd heard so
many positive things about it. The accommodation we booked was
fantastic. It was a hell of a walk into town but worth it . It kind
of reminded me of how Dad used to park ' miles out of Shrewsbury so
we could get free parking. Talking of free, their breakfasts were
amazing. I don't go in for muesli but I had this home made stuff
everyday – I developed this love affair and got so into it I
started throwing banana, honey and natural yoghurt in too. Took the
raisins out obviously. Yep, I had a breakfast changing moment in that
hostel.n Never before had I strayed from my staple: 3 cups of coffee
and the sweeter offerings from Kellogg's.
If
you look at Byron Bay on a map it bears a striking similarity to
Noosa. Two great beaches with a national park headland in between.
The towns couldn't be more different though. We struggled for decent
affordable places to eat in Bryon Bay. You either went for the food
that over the course of five days would kill you or the better
options. So we alternated. On a positive note Chloe discovered that
she does like sushi.
Whilst
in Bryron Bay it is law to pay a visit to a town called Nimbin. It
was a hotspot for hippies in the 60's and now, like a controlled
experiment, you can go back and see how they turned out by visiting
there little town. Most backpackers go there to buy weed – which is
easy to achieve from the endless supply of crusty Nimbians who
approach you as you get out of the minibus. Whilst in town we popped
into the Museum of Marijuana (have you built a picture of Nimbin
yet?) , and bought a chicken wrap that was awful I went on to
supplement it with the worlds largest bowl of potato wedges.
The
minibus driver had promised a tour if we wanted it and on our fourth
walk of the 'high' street we decided this might be a drug free way of
killing some time. The bus driver/ guide took us around three spots
of 'interest'; an alternative energy company, a candle factory and
natural rock formation that the aboriginals considered sacred – and
what drew the hippies there in the first place. I played the model tudent during the tour:
Me:
That was interesting, what did he say about the thermal generator
that...
Chloe:
I DONT care
We
also bought a candle at, you guessed it, the candle factory. On the
way back, on the outskirts of Byron Bay, the driver announced: “at
the end of this journey the local police sometimes like to give us a
little greeting party so if anyone made any 'special' purchases and
would like to get off early please let me know”
Half
the bus got off.
We
did further walking in Byron Bay, again around the headland (no
nudists) and down the beaches. We got lost this time so ended up
walking the second furthest of my life (first place: when Gran took
her grandchildren on a nice day out at Brown Moss – circa 1986 –
and forgot where she parked the car). Other events worth a mention;
the fruit bats are ridiculously big swooping around; a rainy night in
watching Midsomer Murders and
a morning comforting our hostel receptionist. She had accidentally
received an email, intended for the owners of the hostel that
included some pretty derogatory things said about her, from her boss.
Endless tears.
