Muddle Through Memoirs

A busy week entering the Sunshine State

This week I was bidding a fond farewell to New South Wales and entering Queensland, a state which receives approximately 260 days of sunshine per year – a vast improvement on the infallibly dreary, grey England.

I started off the week with just one night in Surfer’s Paradise (Gold Coast), a choice I made based on the reported vibe of the place as akin to Magaluf or Benidorm. I haven’t been to either but would equate it to a sort of Redhill-on-sea situation. Near enough the first thing I saw was a violently hungover girl hurling into a pot plant and that did really set the tone for the place for me. Whilst it would undoubtedly make a great place for a Stag night, Surfer’s really wasn’t the place for me and I was more than happy to move swiftly onwards.

My next stop up the coast was the Capital city of Brisbane. From here I had one place in particular I had set my sight firmly on and that was Steve Irwin’s Australia Zoo, a train ride away from the city centre in Beerwah. I absolutely idolised Steve Irwin as a child and couldn’t wait for this particular day out and it certainly didn’t disappoint.

The massive space is fantastically organised and packed with incredible wildlife from Australia and around the world. Some highlights for me were the cute and fluffy quokas, a sweet echidna names Prickles, the koalas in the nursery that allowed you to get very close to these gorgeous animals, and finally the walk-through kangaroo and wallaby area where you were able to feed the animals.

Additionally, in the specially designed ‘Crocoseum’ I was able to see some of the amazing tropical birds native to Australia as well as the crocs that Steve was most famous for. One slightly terrifying fact from the crocodile show was that crocs can hold their breath for 7-8 hours, so you really are never safe in the water! The zookeepers were all fantastic and, though sadly no Irwins were spotted, I had a great and unforgettable day.

My trip to Brisbane happened to coincide with St Patrick’s Day, and due to the large Irish immigrant population in the city this was a significant affair. There was a parade through the town, a set of markets where you could buy flags and all sorts of themed items, and of course in the various Irish pubs there was live music and drinks flowing. I was so glad to catch this as I made my way up the East Coast, and particularly enjoyed the music, having grown up surrounded by Irish folk music.

I also made a stop at the Brisbane Museum, a small spot located in the town hall which had a beautiful flower themed exhibit as well as a section based on Brisbane’s origins, showing how Aboriginal, convict and immigrant society and culture has combined in the formation of the city. You may remember from my second week in Sydney, that there is a large mural in Kings Cross by the artist Dylan Mooney, and I was pleased to discover another (much smaller) piece of his artwork here.

My final activity in Brisbane was a day trip across the water to Moreton Island (Gheebulum Kunungai), or Spooky Island to those who have watch the Scooby Doo movie. This was a day jam packed with fun, starting off with sandboarding. For those who haven’t done this before it involves trekking up a very, very steep sand dune, taking a thin wooden board and throwing yourself fairly ungracefully down the slope to speeds of up to 50km/hr! The thrill from this was unreal and, though some people who screamed did end up with a mouthful of sand, everyone really enjoyed this. The trek back up the dune again from however far into the distance you’d ended up was decidedly less fun but we were all put thoroughly to shame by the 75 year old man who loved it so much he did it 5 times over! Once was enough for me.

After a quick picnic on the beach we swapped activities and headed into the water for snorkelling around the Tangalooma ship wrecks. These shipwrecks were pretty incredible to swim around, though the coral and tonnes of fish we saw were definitely the highlight, particularly when the tour guides began chucking food into the water around us so the fish swarmed by.
After snorkelling we hopped into some glass-bottom kayaks and headed back out to sea for a more leisurely paddle and to soak up some sun. I had such a great time on this day trip but was pretty exhausted by the time we were finished and more than a few of us were falling asleep by the time we trudged onto the ferry home.

My last stop this week was Noosa and, after 4 weeks in hostel dorms I was beyond excited to be re-entering the real world and staying in an actual house! One of mum’s friends very kindly had me to stay whilst I was in Noosa and I cannot describe the luxury of a non-squeaky, non-bunk bed and being able to close the door to be met with silence rather than snores. The only slight hitch in this was the rather large huntsman spider who had taken up residence and spent most of my stay glaring down at me with malicious intent.

After a chilled first day in Noosa, the next morning I headed out to the Noosa Everglades. The everglades (one of only two in the world!) are a water way through a wetlands area, with the water suffused with tea trea oil making it seem black and therefore acting like a mirror to create a very cool reflective effect. The trip started with an eco-cruise along the water to Fig Tree Point, from where we hopped into kayaks to explore the everglades ourselves. I think I underestimated just how exhausting paddling for 90 minutes straight would be; you definitely don’t need a gym membership when you’re travelling!

On my last day in Noosa we headed to the Eumundi markets in the world, a massive market space with around 100 stalls with everything from clothes, food and jewellery to crystals, ointments and tarot reading.
After breakfast in the markets we headed down to Noosa main beach to hike along past the fairy pools and towards Hell’s Gate. I was very glad of the occasional cloud cover and breeze here as while I do love my Australian coastal walks, I am beginning to get sick of the constant sweating that goes with it. Nevertheless, the views were gorgeous and a quick dip in the sea remedied the effects of the humidity.

I absolutely loved my time in Noosa and was very sad to leave, hopefully my travels will bring me back past this way again in the future x