We drove south down to Surfer’s Paradise which we were really excited about since we wanted to go surfing and figured where could there possibly be a better place to surf than Surfer’s Paradise? I mean the name says it all. I’ve heard it’s a developed area so I was expecting the rows of tall hotels and apartment buildings along the beach. We found a parking spot, which was always a challenge with our bus since we took up two parking spaces and then looked out into the ocean to see the surfers catching waves. When we did we couldn’t see any. On a closer look we saw about two but they were lying in the ocean not catching waves. The waves were choppy and uneven and hardly suitable for surfing. I’m no surfing expert by any means but I do know when I wouldn’t go surfing.

I asked the lady at the booth by the beach who was renting surfboards whether this was typical weather, thinking that she’d tell me this was way out of the ordinary and has been the worst day she’s ever seen, I mean this was Surfer’s Paradise.

The most stereotypical pic from Surfer's Paradise

“It’s pretty much always like this,” she said. “It’s usually good around 6AM.” Most surf beaches are good at 6AM, how is this possibly a surfer’s paradise, I thought. Basically it’s a name they gave to a not so great beach so tourists would visit and they do. Most tourists go to the Gold Coast and that includes Australians who don’t usually sight see their own country but they’ll swarm to the gold coast because that’s where Australia’s four theme parks are such as Sea World and Warner Brothers Movie World. I met an Aussie who was jealous of the quantity of theme parks we have in the states because they have a severe deficiency of amusement parks. Instead they have a crappy fair in cities like Melbourne and Sydney called Luna Park. They have no more than 5 mediocre rides and charge about as much as a 6 Flags ticket in the USA for an unlimited day pass. He told me he wants to go to the US to do a tour of theme parks which I thought sounded incredibly fun.

We did not go to any of the parks because we’ve been to many more larger, better and cheaper parks so we weren’t going to waste our time and money. We did however go shopping for rash shirts because we figured eventually we’ll go surfing and then we’ll need them because what do two armature surfers, who can hardly catch a wave and never stand up need? A rash shirt obviously. One store was having a two for one sale so even though we weren’t ecstatic with the design, we figured we really didn’t need the most expensive coolest rash shirts and any would do. So for 20 bucks a piece we got a shirt each which was a good deal but we have not used them yet (3 months later) so we have not gotten our value for money.

Instead of surfing since it was incredibly windy we flew a kite on the beach. I had picked up a kite at one of the campsites for 2 dollars, which Hendrik made fun of me for but he had never flown a kite before which I found strange so he particularly loved it and let the childhood fantasy fulfil itself. What we saw more than surfers were kite surfers and the activity looked really fun but I probably wouldn’t have the muscles for it. I would have loved to try it. So maybe the Aussies in their habit just shortened the name of the town from Kite Surfer’s Paradise to Surfer’s Paradise

Brisbane is a nice city but I felt it tried to copy other cities instead of having its own thing. For instance it has a replica of the London Eye right along the river which also cost an exorbitant amount to ride so if I didn’t want to pay an arm and a leg to see London, I was definitely not going to ride the “Brisbane Eye.” As opposed to London there was no line whatsoever to ride the as it claims “largest Ferris wheel in the Southern Hemisphere.”

Also around the Brisbane River is an area that very much resembles Darling Harbour, which was not comparable but it felt like Brisbane was having an identity crisis.

We also visited the parliament because Hendrik is into government buildings, as for me after this trip I’ve had enough of government buildings and seeing the red senate and the green house.

Brisbane is definitely trying to be a nice city and a tourist destination, but the problem is there just isn’t that much to do so the one day was plenty of time to see it.

We spent the day at the zoo, and unknowingly it was father’s day in Australia so it was jam packed which was a bit annoying but at least we got a free muffin on entry. I haven’t visited every zoo in Australia, but I think this one is probably the best. I thought that the Australian zoo would be one of the worst because I heard they were going out of business, but they probably aren’t since they are expanding. There is a lot to do and see and the grounds are tidy and the animal cages are spacious and clean. The animal information sessions were actually informative and entertaining, as opposed to many I’ve seen in other animal parks. This one is definitely in another league compared to the Sydney zoo which was a major disappointment because the whole zoo seemed so unkempt.

I was able to feed an elephant a piece of banana, which was fun since I’ve never fed an elephant before, and of course we went to the famous crocoseum for the croc show. It was cheesy but still entertaining because the animals were so well trained. It was definitely the best flying bird show I ever saw and the crocks were neat since I’ve never seen the animal in action in real life before. The snakes were a bit dull since snakes don’t really do much.

There were lots of iguanas wondering free around the zoo like common pigeons and an area where people could pet and feed kangaroos and wallabies which is always fun. I definitely recommend going to this zoo, and if you only do one zoo in AU this should be it.

Me in Australia Zoo

Holding a mini croc

The crocosseum

Then we drove to Brisbane and got situated in a campsite and took the bus to town to have a drink in a pub. It was nice being back in a city where anything I wanted was available.

The next morning we were off to Noosa where there was a festival going on so there was no parking anywhere near town, but we were able to find parking at the beach so we went boogie boarding. It looked like a cute town when we drove through it, and we wished we had more time to spend there since it looked like there is some good surfing, but we were worried about falling behind schedule, and we had to go further south the same day.
We made our way down to Beerwah, which is close to Brisbane and the home to the Australia Zoo. I had wanted to visit the zoo because I had heard so much about it after Steve Irwin’s passing.

Our tents in the morning

I was thrilled when I stepped out of the tent to see that it wasn’t raining. I can’t say that it was sunny but at least water wasn’t pelting down. Kirk told us that a few weeks ago it rained for his whole tour and that they got stuck in the sand and everyone had to dig out the bus in the rain, so comparatively we had a much better time.

Our first stop was at the Coloured Sands which were piles of sand with sand that ranged in colour from pale yellow to almost red. It was pretty because at that time we even had some sunshine which lit up the sand. On our way to the next destination we spotted a snake on the middle of the beach. So we all got out to observe it and saw that it had been run over. It was a poisonous water snake which had been washed out to land. We wanted to help it but didn’t know how since we couldn’t touch it. Kirk got a shovel and managed to pick it up and toss it out to sea and the snake swam away, so hopefully it survived.

Captain Kirk rescues snake

We got back on the bus and soon after we saw a dingo, but Kirk wasn’t allowed to let us out of the bus to take pictures because those were the rules. We were glad we at least got to see one wild dingo since Fraser Island is home to the purest breed of dingo in Australia. Our next stop was Lake Wabby which is a lake formed by blown sand that forms a bank which then dams an already existing creek. This is called a barrage lake and Lake Wabby is the only one like it on the island. It has a steep bank which is a sandblow that drops into the lake which we rolled down. It was a cold small lake which I was able to swim across.

Rolling into Lake Wabby

Then it started to rain and we all started the trek back to the bus. At least the rain didn’t last long because we had to walk through a forest. As we were walking a branch of a tree fell a few meters in front of us on the path. Luckily, this time it was not on top of me but it gave me a scare. Inside, the tree was blood red, and bugs crawled all over it.

We had lunch in Central Station which got its name because it was the centre of the logging industry. There was a short boardwalk around the area where there were some neat trees. I thought the trees with holes or ones that were overgrowing with vines were interesting.

Our last activity on the island was Lake Birrabeen and luckily it was sunny.  It is a clear blue lake surrounded by extremely fine white sand. We did not visit Lake Mckenzie which we were a bit sad about, but Kirk assured us that Lake Birrabeen was just as pretty and even more so because it wasn’t overrun by tourists. It was nice being on the beach with only a small group of people and having the whole lake to ourselves. The sand was soft and I polished my earrings until they shined. The water was cold but refreshing and at the end Hendrik and I had to make a run for it and we were the last people on the bus which was not a good thing for the last activity of the tour.

Lake Birrabeen

Then the ferry took us back to the mainland, and we spotted dolphins swimming along the boat and jumping out of the water. Before the bus dropped us off we spotted kangaroos having a feed in the meadow. Kirk pulled over and everyone but a few Aussies, who thought we were silly, got out and started taking pictures. They were the first wild living kangaroos we saw in Australia so we were excited.

I thoroughly enjoyed the tour and I’m glad we didn’t drive because we wouldn’t have gotten any of the commentary which was probably the most interesting part of the tour to learn about the history of the island, the logging, the aboriginals, the animals, and the plants. I would have been really mad if we had spent half a day digging out our vehicle in the rain, though Hendrik still regretted not having a car to speed down the 75 mile beach with.

We were picked up at our campsite in the morning by a huge 4wd green bus and were brought to the ferry which then took us to Fraser Island. It was overcast so we knew it would either be raining shortly or the clouds would break and the sun would shine though, of course we were hoping for the latter. Fraser Island is the largest sand island in the world and there is only one very short paved road there so, therefore, you need a 4wd to get around it. The main highway of the island is actually the beach which runs along the whole east coast of the island.

Our bus

We first stopped at the Yidney Rainforest which is the only rainforest on the Island which had not been logged since it was the last one which was supposed to be logged. Logging started in 1863, being initiated by American Jack Piggott and ended in 1991. In 1992 the island became a world heritage site. The rainforest is home to some spectacular plants and trees which our tour guide, Kirk, was excited to talk about. He loved the Island and it seemed that he knew everything about it. He was one of the best tour guides I’ve had on a tour, and he talked non-stop for two days which was impressive. We had a nice walk through a part of the rainforest, but we got eaten by mosquitoes which wasn’t too fun. We were told over and over again to “only leave footprints and only take pictures,” so I didn’t think killing mosquitoes really fell into that motto, but nevertheless I squashed a fair share.

As we rode the bus to the place where we would have lunch the rain started to come down and by the time we were supposed to get out of the bus and have lunch it was pouring. It was the kind of rain that gets you soaked in seconds. We all ran to the restaurant and had a buffet lunch and hoped that this was just a shower, but no such luck, it just kept coming down.  I was really upset because I was really looking forward to relaxing in Eli Creek. Eli Creek is the largest creek on the east coast of the island and you can walk to the top via a boardwalk and then use it as a lazy river to get back. I put my bathing suit on before getting back on the bus just in case.

After lunch we went to 75 mile beach which is the highway and even runway but it’s not good for swimming because of dangerous currents and Tiger sharks. We spent most of our time on Fraser Island driving along this beach. It was still raining and a bit chilly when we got to Eli Creek. I first waded into the clear clean stream with my umbrella and when I reached the top of the boardwalk I really wanted to ride the creek back. My clothes were already damp from the rain so I figured I can either be wet and swim, or I can just be wet, so I went for it. The rest of the group thought I was crazy, but I thought, “Screw you rain, why should you ruin my fun?” One other guy followed as well so there were two of us in the creek. It was very relaxing to lie in the water letting it do with me what it wanted, until I hit a root, which was painful. The water was warm, the surrounding silent, and the pitter patter of the rain on my face didn’t bother me at all. It was one of my favourite moments on the island. The rain was probably a blessing in disguise because our tour guide said that on nice days the creek is jam packed with people, or maybe he was just trying to make me feel better. I was a bit chilly after and moist the whole day, but I would have been moist anyway since I happened to have the seat in the bus under a leak.

Eli Creek

The next stop was the S.S. Maheno wreck which was shipwrecked on the island in 1935 while it was being towed after its retirement. We saw before pictures so we could compare and see the drastic effects of salt water and wind in less than 100 years. We also learned that soon after it became beached a wedding was held on it because it was still a beautiful ship. I thought that was a very original wedding location.

Maheno Wreck

The next site was at the Champagne Pools which on a nice day would be a cool swimming spot and people asked me whether I was going to go for another dip. Because the weather was so bad the waves crashed into the pool and caused too much motion so I thought it looked a bit too dangerous to go swimming since it was really rocky, but I did go for a wade.

Champagne Pools

That night we stayed at a campsite where we had a bbq dinner, played cards, and hoped for a sunny day the next day. We slept in tents but they were permanent tents with wooden floors, double beds, and nightstands so they were comfortable except that I could hear everything outside such as the pop pop pop of the rain on the canvas and worse the loud rainforest birds really early in the morning, so I didn’t sleep too much because of that and because I always have trouble sleeping in new places.

We took this day off to relax, do much needed laundry, and decide how we want to visit Fraser Island. Ideally we would have liked to rent a 4wd and drive around the Island ourselves but all the rentals were so ridiculously expensive, that we could go on a tour with meals and lodging for the two of us for less then just renting a vehicle. We asked at reception which was also the booking agent what we should do and the lady said, “tour, no doubt, you’ll get all the information about the island. If you drive yourself you’d be digging yourself out of sand all day.” Coincidentally there was another man at reception that agreed that he got stuck in the sand when he drove around Fraser Island. Much to Hendrik’s dismay since he has fantasies of being a rally driver, we booked a tour. We found a company that we felt was the best value, the Fraser Island Company, and then we didn’t even have to make a choice which one to take since every tour did not depart every day. Since it was a Tuesday we had to go on the 2 day wilderness safari.

Pelican

Then we went to check out Hervey Bay and to find an ATM to pay for the tour. The town is nothing special and the only reason people come here is for Fraser Island. There is a beach with pelicans all in a line which I thought was cool, and we found pineapples for 50 cents each at the Spar and it was really good, so a definite score right there.

It was off to the rum distillery first thing in the morning, where we got a guided tour and saw where all those cane trains were going since Rum is made from sugar. It’s definitely worth a visit, especially if you like rum, and you get to try two of their products at the end of the tour. I volunteered to drive since I don’t particularly like rum.

Bundaberg distillery

Next was a stop at the Ginger Beer brewery. When we entered, we were the only patrons and we asked for 2 tickets and the woman asked us, “You do know this isn’t the rum distillery?” We nodded that we knew that and she said, “Oh, good you don’t know how many people come here looking for the rum tour.” I guess we did fit into the demographic of the rum tour because the ginger beer brewery was unfortunately not a guided tour through the factory but a children’s learning center on how to make ginger beer. I learned over and over again that ginger beer is made from fresh ginger, sugar, yeast, and lemon juice, and that I can make it myself.

I really enjoyed the tasting aspect of the factory since they make a few flavors all from natural ingredients including peach, apple, lemon lime bitter, lemon, and sarsaparilla and they let you try all of them. The one that’s not natural is Burgundy (cherry), and I didn’t like it as much. That’s why I like the ginger beer so much more than ginger ale, because that’s made from flavoring. Though they claim to export to the US, I haven’t seen it there before. I bought myself Bundaberg brewery flip flops since they were on sale and mine would have to retire after the trip because of all the trekking they had to do around campsites to get to the facilities.

Then we drove the rest of the day down to Hervey Bay from where we planned to visit the “must do” Fraser Island.

I insisted on at least driving through 1770 because it is the site of the second landing by James Cook and the crew of HM Bark Endeavour in May 1770. Obviously for this reason alone 1770 deserved at least a photo. Though once we got there we were pleasantly surprised how nice it was and stayed a bit longer. There were, beautiful beaches and hiking paths, and of course the sculpture commemorating Cook and his efforts. We found a nice beach with waves to finally use our boogie board that we had been schlepping around and went for a swim. It’s definitely a nice place to spend some time in.

The marker for Cook's landing spot and our van

Then we were off to Bundaberg. Bundaberg is most famous for its rum distillery which is called Bundaberg and Bundy for short since the Aussies (Another shortening from Australians) can’t be bothers to say names with more than two syllables. The ever present mascot is a polar bear because they wanted the drink to appeal to people in colder climates down south, because Rum is a tropical stereotype.

The other reason the town is famous is the Ginger Beer factory which I have to say I like more than the rum. It’s non alcoholic but it’s really good, so I was excited about going on their factory tour more.

We arrived in Bundaberg in the evening and decided to try to have a meal out again since we had failed yesterday. I had a craving for Chinese since I hadn’t had Chinese the whole trip and I missed it. Of course there was a Chinese restaurant in the town, which was much cuter than Rockhampton. We were the only patrons at the restaurant the whole time, it smelled of mildew, and the wallpaper and rugs didn’t match and the colors were overwhelming, but we decided to stay anyway even though we felt uneasy about it. We would have rather just taken the food out but then we had no where to go besides eating takeout in the van which was less appealing than eating in the mismatched soggy restaurant. When the food came, though, I have to admit that it was the best Chinese food I’ve had in AU. The problem is that there are so many Asian people here, that the food is actually properly Chinese and not the Americanized version which I’m used to. But in Bundaberg I had proper westernized Chinese food which was so yummy, or maybe it was because I’d been eating ramen for days before that but it was lovely.