Wipeout

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Hello. How's it going? All well I do hope. I thought it ws bout time that I filled you in on the rest of my wanderings down the east coast of Australia.

When I last wrote I think I was in Airlie Beach, so I'll pick up where I left off.

After Airlie there was a day on the bus to get me to Agnes Water, which is a small little town partnered with the equally small little town called Town of 1770, or just 1770 most of the time. I was here for a couple of nights with the thing giving me the most to be excited about being the first appearance of waves on my whole trip. Who knew that the Great Barrier Reef acted as, well a barrier and stopped the whole of the east coast where it resides from getting waves?! I didn't.

After Agnes Water my next stop was Hervey Bay, which was a bit of a nothingy place where it rained a lot. I got stuck here for an unintentional second night due to some flash floods which had affected the roads further north, meaning the buses couldn't get through. From Hervey it was on to Rainbow Beach. If ever there was a case of a place falsely advertising itself then it's here. Not only were there famous 'coloured' cliffs just coloured brown, I didn't see one single rainbow in my time there.

To be honest, with my 2 wet days in Hervey Bay and a fairly dull one in Rainbow I'd lost a bit of the wanderlust by this point, but this soon returned with the next couple of stops along the way. The first of these was the pituresque sprawling town of Noosa, where I spent 3 days. Thanks to my hostel offering free surfboard hire I got to catch my first waves of the trip along the many surf beaches that Noosa has to offer. Much of the rest of the time was spent wandering around the amazing Noosa National Park, where I finally spotted a wild koala having a sleep in a tree.

From Noosa it was on to Brisbane, which will rank very highly next time I make a list of my favourite cities. It was just so relaxed and easy to get around. You'd never know that they had been battered by the floods just 2 months ago either, apart from the odd small bit of repair work. I was here for 3 nights as well, filling my time wandering around all the 'must see' bits and even visiting a modern art gallery. Not a very Simon thing to do, I grant, but it was free. And really interesting actually. Another afternoon was spent visiting the Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary where I got myself the customary 'I've been to Australia, here's a picture of me holding a koala to prove it' photo. The photo is slightly ruined by my highly dubious facial hair which I'm currently sporting. After deciding a haircut was too expensive here and at the same time not shaving for about 6 weeks lets just say I'm looking fairly 'hobosexual' at the moment. Or if that word play doesn't paint the picture...like a tramp.

Following Brisbane was Surfer's Paradise, which I could only put up with for one night. It's the self-appointed capital of the Gold Coast, an area famous for theme parks, good waves and partying. I knew it was going to be tacky and I was hoping it would be tacky in a Vegas sort of way. It wasn't. With its high rises on the beach front and disgracefully drunken people I couldn't be doing with it for any longer than a night, so it was on to my new found spiritual home instead.

Byron Bay is just one of the greatest places I've ever been. Full of surfers, backpackers, hippies and families it has one of the nicest atmospheres I've ever experienced. Unfortunately, due to the fact that the hostel here cost around $10 more per night than I've paid anywhere else, I could only afford to stay for 3 nights. I managed to have two of my favourite days of the whole trip whilst I was there though, surfing two afternoons away in the boiling sun before heading over to the famous lighthouse to catch the sun setting. Any readers of Chris's blog will know that he has set himself the goal of being better than me at surfing by the time we meet up again. I honestly don't know why he assumes I'm any good at it? I'm not. I'm getting slightly better but to be honest I think I enjoy wiping out too much to ever be really good at it!

After Byron it was time to hit Sydney. Easier than it sounds, I was on the bus for 11 and a half hours. Australia is big! Sydney is pretty cool. I spent yesterday wandering around looking at all the usual touristy spots. I may well have gone a but photo crazy when I saw the opera house.

I'm here for another 3 days before my flight out on Sunday morning to New Zealand. I'm thinking tomorrow will be spent checking out Bondi beach and then some more sightseeing on Friday. My last act in Oz on Saturday night will be to watch a 'footy' (Aussie Rules) game at the SCG which I'm pretty excited about.

Enough from me anyway. Well done if you've read it all the way through, it's a bit of an epic!

Hope you are all well and everything is good wherever you are

Simon

X

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Comments

[Gemma]

Surfing
Iyaaa, hey your really good at surfing. I have just got a flashback of seeing your hands above the water with a surf board on your head haha x

[Nan & Granda]

"Its good to chat"
Hi there Si, great Blog, So pleased to have caught you on line, enjoyed the chat, very pleased to know that all is going well with your trip. Yes we have a clear mental picture of the new Simon image "The Vagrent Look" however an "email" photo would be appreciated preferably before the proposed haircut and shave, one for the family album we think. Don't forget your "Long Johns for NZ leg !!! perhaps not with those Singapore shorts though. Take care, have great fun, I'm told the fish n Chips ard good in NZ, they are pretty good here in Cumbria, all the best from N&G. XX

[Phil Botley]

Hi Si, another great read, am also reading Chris' blog and enjoying them both. Enjoy your last day or two in Sydney "sport"! Looking forward to the first installment of the "NZ" leg! I expect it will all be about your bunjee jumping experiences!!!! Keep safe mate.

[mum]

Wipe Out?
Hey Si, do you mean to tell me you learnt nothing from those two surfing lessons at Inch Beach, County Kerry that cost an arm and a leg a couple of years ago!! Is it really a case of 'check out the pomme fallin off his board'!!!! Sounds great fun whatever. Whats with the new image are you going to get back here with dubious facial hair and dreadlocks or is it just a surfing phase? Anyway great to read your blog, enjoy the rest of Sydney, have a great flight over to New Zealand I'm sure you will have a fab time there too - oh by the way don't even think of bungee jumping - didn't you know that you have to have written parental consent nowadays!! If you should get round that loophole tell me about it after you've done it OK! Love you loads Mum x x

[jackie]

hi simon. well done you. you've covered a lot of ground and seen plenty of things [unlike chris who is now beach bumming it indefinately!] you'll be glad to know you're about £700 better of as we've clearted chris's debt to you. thank you very much for helping him out. i cant believe you'll be back together again in a few weeks,thats if chris doesnt island hop and go too far east and lose his way back! how was the footy game? probably makes our footballers look like a group of pansys! new zealand will be glorious im sure and hopefullya little cheaper. beautiful walking country. are you doing L of the R's bit? not too burnt i hope? and probably skin and bone if you're living off bread and jam, as chris informs me! enjoy the rest of your solo tour then it will be back to your baby sitting duties!!! take care love from us all jackie