East Coast, Australia

Fresh off the plane in Cairns we got a taxi to pick up our accommodation for the next 2 weeks, a dirty, smelly, swelteringly hot camper van. We were super disappointed with the van which we got from wicked campers, although very reliable the condition of the van was poor. To add to our disappointment it was raining, like really raining! But what did we expect in the Tropical rainforest?

In a panic we took ourselves off to a Kwikmart and picked up duvets, pillows, lights, kitchen equipment etc. And set off to our first campsite, on arrival we were presented with a field and a very rusty, dirty kitchen. How far the mighty had fallen since our apartment in Melbourne. Determined to keep in high spirits we visited our second botanical gardens of the trip but the rain cut that short. Defeated we decided to splash out on an expensive campsite with hot showers in an effort to break ourselves in gently.

The next few days we drove further north of Cairns to Port Douglas but still the rain persisted. Two hurricanes were merging on the East coast and the rain was here to stay for the next week.

Knowing we had very little time we began driving south to escape the rain. Stopping off at funny little towns that wouldn’t have been out of place in the deep South of America, until eventually after days of torrential rain we arrived in Townsville at the Billabong sanctuary. The animal park kept only Australian animals like Koalas, kangaroos, crocodiles and snakes. As we were petting the Koalas a break in the cloud let the sun shine through- hallelujah! From then on we had escaped the rain and we could actually get out and see the beautiful scenery the East coast of Australia had to offer.

Travelling further south we arrived in beautiful Airlie beach, known for its set off point to the Whitsundays and the Great Barrier Reef. Finally we were living out our Australian dream, bbqs on the beach, sunbathing all day...ahhhh.

We booked an excursion to go to Whitehaven beach, scuba dive the reef and sail the whitsundays. Sounds dreamy right? It was. The sand at Whitehaven was so pure white it stung your eyes and the water was so beautifully clear. Check out the pictures below for reference 😉

So...the next few days were spent travelling down the east coast stopping off for one of the cheapest surf lessons in Australia and passed my level 2 in surfing 🤙🏼

We also stopped off at the Bundaberg factory...

Then relaxed on Rainbow beach and visited a huge sand blow... and did some handstands. Top Tip: Get to nearby Tin Can Bay in the morning and you might catch some friendly dolphins feeding.

Then we got to Noosa Heights, ah Noosa you beautiful thing you! If I could recommend anywhere a bit different to visit in Australia it would be here. It’s like stepping into an episode of 90210 or the OC, spoilt rich kids and all. This cosmopolitan seaside town is quite the hit with the celebs and locals alike during the holidays and weekends so be prepared for busyness during these times. Start your day at Açai brothers superfood bar, splurg out and get the ‘Treat yourself’ bowl, you will NOT regret it! Then walk around the town looking in the shops and stop for some lunch at the many glam cafes or restaurants then take a trip up to the beach and down over the board walk for some beautiful tropical rainforest views. Finally as the sun starts to come down walk through the nature reserve, keep your eye out for Koalas in the overhanging eucalyptus trees, ending your day on a bench overlooking the sea watching the surfers catching the evening waves (a cold can of beer does not go a miss right now, I recommend Yak Pacific ale).

We were now on the final stretch of our Australian Eat I mean East coast tour and our last stop called, sunny Brisbane. We mainly hit the shops whilst here, making the most of the city which buzzed. I’d recommend visiting the huge lido here, it is perfect for an afternoon dip and there are lots of places to relax and eat an ice cream. There is also a large garden space next to the river which sometimes hosts special events, it was the commonwealth games at the time we were there so there were huge screens and pop up bars and food trucks. One thing to note in the city is that restaurants don’t always have a toilet, they just have one to direct you to nearby (fun essential fact).

Anyway, from here we dropped off our stinking camper van and caught the next flight to New Zealand, Good day mate.

Let me know if i've missed anywhere off, we defo missed loads because of the rain in NE Queensland but the beauty is we can go back, ha!

#Food #Drink #Travelling #Australia #Brisbane #EastCoast #Noosa #Whitsundays #Whitehaven