Advertisement
Published: January 22nd 2009
17th January 2008 - ARRIVAL IN NOOSA AND BAD PREPARATION!!!
I slept most of the way from the zoo to Noosa as did Nat and Hatty. You would think that we had been performing rather than the animals!! We arrived in Noosa at about 5.30pm and once off the bus we phoned Tribal Travel straight away as we had to check in with them for our canoe tour the flollowing day. The woman at tribal was not very helpful and claimed to not know much about the trip. We asked lots of questions about what sort of stuff we neeed to take and what would happen but she was neither no use nor ornament....we came off the phone knowig that we would be picked up a 8am the following morning and that we had to take our own food with us........not much help at all considering we already knew those 2 things!!
Following our phone call we waited for the shuttle bus to take us to the hostel. Upon arrival at the hostel we checked in and then quizzed the woman behind reception about the canoe tour. She was more helpful and told us a bit about what we needed
and what we wouldn't need. We also found out that Woolworths was closed and the only place we could get food from was a convienience store up the road......twice the price and half the choice!! We even had to buy branded stuff which is outrageous for a budget traveller!! Bring on the home brands!! There wasn't even a bottle shop so we had no beer to take either. Organisation skills = terrible!!!
After dumping our stuff in the hostel (Noosa Backpackers) we set off to the store and bought some food. Looked like we would be living off bread, beans, pasta and soup for the next few days!! Carb central!! We then headed back to the hostel, had a quick tea and sorted our stuff for our trip. Minimal packing as there were no showers at camp and not much room in the canoes. We basically took 1 pair of shorts, 1 jumper, 1 trousers, 2 tops, 1 bikini, underwear, deoderant and toothpaste!!! I had a feeling we ween't going to smell too good by the end of the trip!! Some may call it pungent!!!
The hostel was pretty nice...very clean, 4 person room (all girls), en-suite bathroom,
licenced bar, big kitchen and communal area. It was probably one of the nicest hostels we had stayed in and I knew I would look forward to coming back for a night once the canoe trip was over. A canadian girl was sharing our room with us but she went out so we pretty much had the room to ourselves for the evening. It was nice and by the time we had sorted everything out it was pretty late. After writing in my journal for a while I went to bed for what I hoped would be good nights sleep!! Unfortunatley I was woken up at around 3am by what I could only assume was an earthquake. My bed was rocking back and forth and it turned out that the candian girl (not the smallest girl I might add) had brought home a 'special friend'!!! Not what I needed at all especially as I had landed in the bunk bed above her!!! I had to put my head under the pillow to drown out the noise and hope it would all end soon!! Despite all the drinking, adrenelin activities and boat trips we have been on, that experience was the
closest I have been to vomiting and it brought a whole new meaning to the phrase 'Motion Sickness'!!!
18th January 2008 - DAY 1 CANOE TOUR!!!
After a bad nights sleep I still managed to get up at 7am. After a shower and quick check to make sure I had got everything I needed I was ready to go!! We all put our belongings that we were leaving behind in a locker, had breakfast and checked out before waiting for the bus to pick us up. The bus arrived shortly after 8am and the guy gave us an itinerary as to what would happen over the three days. The weather was pretty dull but I was looking forwad to it. A bit of exerise and back to basics would do me good!!!
Thre were 9 of us on the trip. Us three, 4 Canadian guys and 2 English guys. We all met up at a stop to collect the stuff we needed such as 2 barrells for our clothes and valuables, a gas burner, dinner set and a tent/sleeping bags. We were then taken to a boat where we loaded everything on before being taken across the river
to Boreen Point. At Boreen Point we got everything off the water taxi and were given a briefing about what we should do and warned of the dangers of the river including bull sharks....looked like there would be no swimming in the river!!
Everyone else had 2 men in each canoe along with barrells, coolboxes, tents, water supplies and cooking equipment. As there was an odd number we were all (us three girls) put in a canoe together. It was a bit of a squash on the way there with all the stuff and thankfully one of the canadian boats took our food box for us as we couldn't fit it in. I sat at the back to steer, Nat at the front and Hatty in the middle. We were off!! The Canadians were well quick in their canoes but we managed to keep pace fairly well and all stayed pretty much together. The two English Guys flagged a little as they had never paddled before but all in all it was a good first days paddling!
I love canoeing (though prefer kayaking) and enjoed paddling down the river. It wasn't too hot either which made it easier
and we even had to get the trusty rain macs on at one point when the heavens opened...good job skin is waterproof as we only had shorts on!! We bypassed Fig-Tree Point as we were all a bit excited about getting to the campsite and setting up. It only took about 90 minutes before we arrived at Harry's Hut (our camping spot for both nights). Once there we unloaded all the canoes and expolred. It was a pretty good base. There were two spots for tents...2 tents in each area and then 4 picnic tables in the middle for us to cook on, eat on and chill around. There was also a toilet block through the trees and a sink so at least we would be able to brush our teeth and keep our dignity!!
We decided to set our tent up first and I can't say it was all together sucessful!! It took a while and one of the poles snapped so we ended up with a bit of a wonky entrance which we held up with barrells!! I don't think i'll take up a career in putting tets up!! Following our tent disaster we made lunch....a gourmet
meal of beans on bread......not sure it would win masterchef but it did the trick and filled me up!! Either that or it put me off food for a few hours!! We then just hung about at the campground all afternoon chilling out. Nat wrote in her journal, Hatty played some cards with the English boys, I listened to some music and the Canadians tried to sleep off their hangovers!!
The afternoon passed quickly and it was soon time to cook tea. Hatty and I were on packet Risotto!! To be honest i didn't think it tasted too bad. There were a few wild turkeys hanging around camp that tried to steal your food if left unattended. We literally had to have eyes in the back of our heads and had to keep all food locked up in the freezer boxes else they ran off with it or jumped on the tables to eat it from your bowl. Funnily enough though they didn't try and steal our risotto but did headbutt the freezer box a few times......maybe they could smell the cookies!! Once dinner was over we had to wash up all our stuff using the river water....it really
was back to basics. I liked it!!
It got dark at around 7pm...pretty early!! We spent the evening sat around the picnic tables chatting and playing cards!! The guys all played drinking games with the 30 litres of goon that they had all brought between them. Us ladies stayed sober and watched. They did offer us some drink but we decided to use it as a detox trip!! I felt like I was a some kind of yoga retreat or rehab!! It was good though and everyone seemed nice!! The evening was pretty funny too watching all the lads get drunk and watching Hatty and one of the English guys go frantic when a huge bug landed on them. That was one bad thing.......loads of bugs about and a few massive goannas (large lizards....kind of like baby alligators) strolling around camp!! Still....I enjoyed my evening and it was nice knowing that I would not wake up with a hangover!!
19th January 2008 - DAY 2 - MORE PADDLING AND AMAZING SAND DUNES!!!
I didnn't get the best nights sleep again. The floor was not comfy and I woke up each hour to rotate from my side to my
back to my other side to my front due to various body parts going numb!! Where are the airbeds on this trip?!! I also woke at around 6am to the sound of Turkeys scratching at the mesh of the tent......I think we locked the cool box up so well they had decided to scavange in the tents instead!! I moved my toes away from the mesh......I didn't want to go home without them!!
I finally forced myself to get up at around 7.30am and went to have breakfast. I happened to be the first up and enjoyed my bread and jam in peace whilst also keeping a watchful eye on the turkeys that appeared to be circling me!! It wasn't Special K but it was ok!! During the next hour or so the rest of my fellow campers woke up and we all got ready for the day.
We set off in the canoes at around 9.30am. We only took lunch and water that we needed for the day so the canoes were a lot lighter and easier to paddle. We swapped around seats in ours and this time Hatty had a go at steering and I sat
at the front with Nat taking up the middle seat. The plan was to paddle to camp site 3 which took around 90 minutes. We played a few word association games along the way and told a few stories. Because we weren't drinking we had forfits instead involving putting limbs in the bull shark infested water!! Thankfully we all made it there limbs intact!! I enjoyed the paddle though both Nat and Hat said they found the repettive action boring after a while.
Once at Campsite 3 we pulled the canoe out of the water and cooked up a not so tasty lunch of cheese and leek soup with.........bread!!! I am going to look like a loaf of bread after this trip!! The soup was described by Hatty as 'the worst thing she had ever tasted' and that just about summed it up!!! I so wish we had been more organised for this trip!! Once we had all eaten lunch we set off on the 12km walk up to the sand dunes. The walk was good and we got up a good pace. A lot of the path was overgrown though and we got scratched my a number of
plants and bushes. As I was at the front I also got dive bombed by the biggest flies I had ever seen...I felt like I had been shot with a BB gun at one point!!! It was pretty hot too so its safe to say that we were glowing with moisture by the time we got to the top!!
Once at the top I was lost for words!! It was amazing and I have never seen anything like it in my life!! Just loads of sand with amazing views of the sea and the land. Crazy to think that the dunes had got there just by sand blowing up from the beach. There was literally miles of unwalked sand and only the 9 of us there to appreciate it. We had a good walk over the sand to each edge. I made some sand angels as I couldn't resist the fresh sand. I jumped about in it and ran around on it for ages in my own little world. I even tried to cannonball down the side of a drop but ended up falling just before take off. I had such fun and was amazing to see the others
dotted around in the distance. It was the best thing I have seen so far on my travels and the photos do not do it justice!!
We stayed up there for a good hour before walking the long walk back to the canoes. Thankfully the way back was mostly downhill and a lot easier despite the hot weather. I think I would have paid about $20 for a callipo at one point it was that hot!! Once back at the canoes we sat on the jetty for 10 minutes enjoying the sunshine and the rest before getting our canoe back on the water. The 90 minute paddle back to Harry's hut seemed to last forever and we must have said 'I think it's just around the corner' and 'I think we're nearly there' about 10 times!! The water was very still though and the river reflected the trees so well that you could hardly tell which the reflection was. I aptly named it the 'river of reflections'!! Imaginative eh?!!
We eventually arrived back at Harry's Hut at about 5.30pm. We were all tired out from the day but no time to nap....we had to get tea on before
it got dark. Pasta covered in tomato and pepper sauce tonight!! To be honest it was tasty and after all the walking and canoeing I was ready for it!! The poor turkeys missed out again though they did steal our ant infested bag of cookies that we left on the top of the table!! They also pecked througha bag of the Canadians goon whilst we had all been out for the day. None of the turkeys were staggering though so they can't have had a drink!! Gees....I love the insects and creatures in Australia!!
Once we had all eaten tea and night had fallen we sat around the picnic benches again to play some cards and chat. The night before had been so still and quiet but I came through on night 2 as I was the only one who had taken my ipod and luckily another guy had some speakers. It was nice to chill out again with some background music. The guys were all drinking again but us ladies stuck to our detox. Hatty was in bed for 8pm she was that tired and Nat and I lasted until about 9.30pm. The 2 English guys weren't far
behind which left the Canadians up to party...and party they did!! They were determined to finish their 5 litres of goon off!! They were right next to our tent and they were pretty loud but I managed to get to sleep almost straight away!! I hoped the floor would somehow be less hard than the night before!!!
20th January 2008 - POTS AND PANS THEN BACK TO NOOSA!!!
I woke up pretty early again....about 6.30am. I had a wander to the toilet block and then made my brekkie. Again I was the first up so it was just me and the turkeys whilst I ate my beans and bread!! I would be glad to get back to proper food and not see bread for days!!! Once I had washed up my pots and pans I headed back to the tent. We all had to leave by 8.30am this morning so I figured the others should be getting up soonish too and I saw that Nat and Hat were both stirring in the tent.
As I climbed in we heard women shouting 'wake up' and 'time to get up' as they banged pots and pans together. We wandered what
on earth was going on as the sound came closer. I peered my head out and they were on our campsite. One of the women looked at me as they were shouting so I asked what the whole wake up call was in aid of. She advised that it was because of the racket last night and carried on banging on the pans. This angered me and I told her straight that we were in bed by 9.30pm. She laughed in my face and so I told her again in no uncertain terms!! She then marched over with her kids in tow to the Canadians tents banging the pans some more. A guy followed her and I'm guessing he was the husband!
Things got a little heated as the Canadians got out of their tents to see who was shouting. The woman and man were angry at being kept awake last night so had decided that they wanted to wake them up. They had gone aout it in a total agressive way calling the Canadians assholes and dickheads. We thought it was going to get a bit agressive so we went to try and diffuse the situation but there
was no talking to the woman or the man. They were complaining about the drinking and swearing during the night and the fact that they had children in bed (a bit hypocritical considering they had just come over swearing and woken up people who weren't making any noise last night) . The whole thing was ridiculous as they never approached them during the night and asked them to keep it down. It also turned out that their own eldest son had joined in and had a drink and played guitar with the Canadians. Some funny lines and insults came out such as 'You're not welcome in Australia' and 'this country relies on tourism!! It did provide a bit of entertainment for the morning and it did save us ladies from having to wake the Canadians up but even so........bringing your kids around at 7am to bang pots and pans whilst their mum swore at people was not a great example to her kids or a great way to deal with the situation! In the words of Ron Burgundy she needed "a straight shot to the babymaker!!!"
Once the drama was over we all packed up the tents and cleared
the area before loading the canoes up and paddling back to Boreen Point. Nat did the steering for the final day and I took up the middle seat. The water was very still and we did some good paddling to keep the bingo wings at bay!! I was looking forward to a shower and was pleased when the water taxi arrived to pick us up and we were heading back to civillisation!! Once back on dry land we were driven back to the loading point wher we washed our stuff up, shook the tents out and hosed the barrells out. Once the clean up session was over we all said bye and us ladies were taken back to our hostel in Noosa!! Shower time!!!
Once we had checked in, retrieved our stuff from the lockers and showered we headed on the shuttle bus to see some of Noosa. It seemed like a really nice little town....a bit like Byron Bay but less toursity!! The town was cool and had a few surf shops and cafes though it wasn't too busy. The beach was nice too and although none of us wanted to get all sandy after just getting clean
we did have a nice walk along the main beach and watched some of the surfers out on the water. Some people were also paddle surfing and I so wanted to have a go....shame I hadn't packed a bikini and a towel!!! Nat and I then did part of a coastal walk and found a little cove and a lookout called the 'Boiling Pot'. Some awesome views!! At about 5.30 we had to head back to the carpark to catch the last shuttle bus back to the hostel. I wished we had another day to spend in Noosa as it seemed like a really cool place!!!
Back at the hostel we chilled out for the evening. We were all pretty tired after the canoe trip and were looking forward to sleeping in a proper bed. My back was hurting from sleeping on the hard floor and my bum muscles were also killing from the walking uphill!!! I must walk funny to make my bum muscles hurt but at least I must be working a good area!!! I can't quite call them buns of steel yet though!! I hoped that they would ease by morning and that my night at
the hostel would be less 'rocky' than the last one!!!
I really enjoyed the canoe tour and had a good feeling about Noosa...so good that I didn't really want to leave so soon!!! Oh well, new adventures to come.......next stop......Rainbow Beach!!!!
Advertisement
Tot: 0.286s; Tpl: 0.022s; cc: 33; qc: 135; dbt: 0.235s; 1; m:domysql w:travelblog (10.17.0.13); sld: 1;
; mem: 1.5mb
Sally
non-member comment
Great insight to Noosa trip
I loved reading your account as our son is on a gap year and is doing this trip today. he will not be home for another 3 months and will have so much to tell, this gives the details lI'm sure he will leave out. Very interesting Thanks!