Brisbane, Rainbow Beach and Agnes Water / 1770

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Well hello everybody...

Again it has been a while since my last blog, mainly due to the fact I have been working!!! and the internet in Australia never works and is expensive! Since my last blog I have done so so much, so here goes...

So me and Coley spent the day watching hockey in Brisbane, was good fun and a very good standard. Was nice to have a few beers in the sun, as had not really done much of that since Asia...In the evening we went round one of the hockey girls houses, who he has started to get together with. Normally on a saturday night I wouldn't stay in, but for the case of a girls hockey team and me and Coley I took exception, haha. It was a good night, we watched 2 rubbish films though...

On the Sunday Coley flew to New Zeland for work and I got the bus to noosa, my next port of call. Bit of a stitch up on the trains, as it was Sunday and I had misread the timetable and had to jump in a taxi and speed to the bus stop, not good as I was massively skint! Anyway made the bus and arrived in Noosa. Very very nice place, beautiful beaches and a massive inland natural harbour and 'river' system. The houses along the river were beautiful and there were roads and little closes all over the place. Reminded me of some of the places like at home on the Thames, its was beautiful...I wandrered down to the beach and got chatting to a guy from Leeds who was selling bracelets, we talked about traveeling and all sorts and places to go. Once our convo had finished I went off and took out a canoe around the 'rivers'. It was good fun and I paddled well far in the hour, nice work out for the arm muscles. In the evening, I cooked some dinner and got an early night.

Next day I went for a run, as at this point I was smashing the running. Had some brekie when I got back and met a girl called Sophie in the hostel. We walked around the national park about a mile down the coastline there were some nice secluded beaches, with not many people around. Was well nice so spent the afternoon chilling and chatting. Got back to the hostel, had a chilled night again, cooked, couple of beers and bed.

On Tuesday I decided to stay another night in Noosa. In hindsight I should have moved on, but hey ho. Spent the day with Sophie on the beach and then in the evening, she cooked me dinner and we had some wine, which was cool. Pretty quiet day and didn't go out...

On Wednesday I got up and headed for the bus stop. Getting on the bus was my mate Bret who I had met and stayed with in Byron bay. I could not blooming believe it, I had not bumped into him or any of the girls and noosa was tiny. Typical, anyway was great to see him and a couple of the girls and we all got the bus to Rainbow beach. I continued my blagging and luck in Australia as at the service station I asked the lady if there was a mcdonalds, as a cup of tea everywhere was about 3/4 quid. She said have you got a cup, so I grabbed a cardboard one form the cafe next door and she made me a huge cup of tea, amazing...! Everybody was well jelous, haha...We got to Rainbow beach and my luck continued. Me, Bret and the girls went into Dingo's hostel to check in. In Rainbow beach there is 3 hostels all next to each other, a very very small but beautiful place. I walked next door to Pippies hostel to see if theey had any woofing (working for accomodation). The guy that had been meeting the buses had left that day, so I grabbed my bag and moved into the hostel. My job was so so good and easy, I had to meet 5 buses each day and the bus stop was 20 metres from the hostel. This was amazing as I got to meet everybody coming in and out of rainbow and all the other workers. After the first 24 hours I knknew pretty much everybody in Rainbow, all the workers as spent all my time chatting to people. (I worked out by the time I had left I must of met over 200 backpackers) I had to wipe the kitchen down at the end of the day, did not take long at all, so all good for free accomodation. A massive group of us walked up to the sandunes for sunset, which was one of the most amazing things I had ever seen. The sandune was blooming massive and the sunset over the national park was like the pics you see in Africa. It was definately the best I had seen, and trust me I have seen some amazing ones now! That night Bret and everybody came over to my hostel as you could bring beer in. The other 2 hostles had bars, so you could not. My hostel was amazing, the people were awsome and we sat round the campfire and had some drinks then went to the bar in Frasers hostel for a beer. Was really funny as I was in Pippies, Bret was in Dingo's and Dom was in Frasers and there were only 3 hostels, 1 in each...

On the Thursday my luck propelled to new levels. 2 of the girls came over to find me and told me there was some work that needed doing in the upmarket guesthouse 'Debbie's place' which was down the road. I walked up to see Debbie as I was hoping for a major cash injection, and my goodness did it work out well. Debbie has a gorgous typical queensland house and she has purchased the properties next door either side. She needed loads of painting and gardening doing, so I started straight away for 20 bucks and hour, cash in hand. The equivilant of 15 quid an hour, cash! I needed a helper so on the 12:30 bus run I found a dutch girl that helped me for 2 days. Debbie is the nicest and soundest person I have met in OZ, she lent me her 4x4 landrover all the time to drive back and do the 9:30 and 15:30 buses. My days were awsome went pretty much like this...

7:30 cup of tea
7:40 bus
7:45 brekie
8:00 get to Debbies and start work
9:30 drive to hostel, make cup of tea, wander out to bus stop chat to some people
9:50 back to work
12:10 drive back, do 2 lunch buses, have lunch, cup of tea
13:00 back to Debbies
15:30 drive to hostel, make cup of tea, wander out to bus stop chat to some people
16:00- 17:00 finish work

The bus run was so easy as half the time they were early so I missed some of them or they were really late so i didn't have to wait, quality. On the thursday night we all chilled out, all the bioys and girls were off to Fraser Island in the morning, so we said our sad goodbyes. Rainbow is like the place where all the tours got from, so the 3 hostels are basically tour companies. I got offered to take a landrover out to the Isalnd for free on my own (thats how sound the oweners of my hostel were)

Friday I worked my 2nd day at Debbies, we were painting plant pots, moving plants around, varnishing tables, I pod was on and sun was out, so all good! Saturday and Sunday were pretty much as above, I wanted to go out Saturday night but nobody would come with me as the new group I had met were all up in the morning and all the workers in the 3 hostels were just chilling, so we all stayed in the bar and by the campfire. They were all trying to convince me to come Fraser but its about 280 quid and Debbie wanted me to work the weekend, so couldn't turn down the work . Charlie the dutch girl went on the Fraser trip Sunday aswell so worked on my own after she left. Debbie got me doing all her gardening jobs and stuff like that, so I spent my time gardening, which I love and doing stuff like taking stuff to the dump in the pick up. She had beautiful gardens and that so was really nice to work. Good thing me and Dad and the brothers have been gardening for aunty Dolly for the last few years, so I can do pretty much everything. I went up to the sandunes on my own and sat there for an hour looking out to sea, than walked back to the top of the hill and sat watching the sunset over the national park. Bret and the boys got back from Fraser on Sunday and they all came over to my hostel for a celebration of there trip. As I was working, sunset and then kitchen cleaning, they were all drunk as had been out all afternoon. I sat out with them til 1ish, but it gets cold at night so we hit the sack...

Debbie wanted me to carry on working, but I was running seriously short on days so had to get moving. Worked the morning for her as we had to lay a carpet and move plants around, so I did all the heavy duty work for her. Got back, said my goodbyes to all the people in the 3 hostels, all the people I had met in my hostel and all of the people I had worked with. Met some well sound mates! Amazing times...Got the 12:30 bus to Agnes Water and the Town of '1770' with Bret, was sad leaving, very sad, but I will be back! Debbie paid me $610, about 450 quid, awsome stuff!

So we arrived in Agnes water at night and I went to the hostel Bret was in. It was 1 mile out of the town of Agnes Water, but very beautiful. Almost as good as the Nimbin Hostel. I seem to strike lucky with my hostels as I was in the best hostel in the area. It was so remote, lovely rooms, all wooden cabins, a lovely fire pit, totally amazing. Met so many nice people and me, Bret and Dom who had arrived earlier all spent the night round the fire. I cooked a stir fry for us, was tidy...

On Tuesday we had a massive day in front of us. I went surfing in the morning and then we did Scooteroo in the afternoon, which was good fun. You basically ride miniture harley Davidson's around for the afternoon...Was well good, I got told off a few times for basically nothing, but was such a laugh. Think we got the bikes up to about 45mph, Bret's was the quickest at about 50mph. It was a good day, but we had to keep waiting for slower riders, but overall was good. That night we met a few of the other boys from Rainbow who arrived and we sat around the fire and polayed some drinking games. I cooked bbq for me and Bret, was well nice although had no flour to make burgers, so had mince burgers, haha. Dom kept taking the mick outa me as I was an adventurous cook! He basically means hes just lazy! I had a massage from some New Zeland girl aswell at the fire, was well good...

On Wednesday we got some board and went surfing again, weather everyday by the way was sunny and very hot! Waves were not to great this day though, which was ab it of a bummer. We sat on the beach, Bret and Dom got the bus back to the hostel and I set out along the beach for a walk to 1770. Its called 1770 beacause its the year captain cook landed on the shores of Australia and is the place he landed. As I was walking 2 germans from my hostel were doing the walk, so we all walked together. Took about an hour to walk along the beach, then climbed the cliffs and chilled on top. We then walked over the hill and dropped down into 1770. It was so so so beautiful and lovely, I will show you all the pictures. We had a beer in the bar looking over the harbour, was totally fantastic. The girl who served me knew my name and i was totally perplexed. She then told me she was the girl who gave me a massage. She was dressed up working in the bar and not in her hippy dress and I totally totally did not recognise her. Was well funny, alll I said was 'oh my god, you look different'. We then started looking for a hitch hike back to Agnes Water, it was starting to look grim but then a car pulled in and some sound Aussie guy dropped us all they way to the hostel. We were almost going to resort to my plan, of the pretty german girl standing on the roadside with her thumb out and me and the german lad hiding in the trees and then jumping out when the firsat car pulled over. Oh yeah, I also bought some new swim shorts that day, almost forgot. We got back to the hostel and I cooked vegetable stir fry, was nice...We then had to say lots of goodbyes, to all the lads and Dom. And all the new people I had met in the hostel...sad times!There was ahuge drum lesson going on when we left at the fire. We got dropped down for the bus and then me and Bret got on and headed to Airlie beach...

I fell asleep 20 mins into the journey, standard and woke up at 7am when we arrived, haha result! I checked into my Whitsunday boat the british Defender, a round the world yaght...Its going to be amazing. I was going to go on the Party boat 'The Clipper', but decided to go on this one, so I hope its still good. Kinda thinking I should have doen the clipper as I know a group of Irish girls and a group of French girls on there. I have literally not been out or partied since Byron Bay 3 weeks ago, just spending all my time at campfires or very quiet places where there is no party nightlife or anything. Its been wonderful thoug! So we are about to set sail for the Whitsunday Islands, in er 1 hour, sugar I need to get moving and get down there...Just said my goodbye to Bret, I will see him again in England so all good. He sets sail tomorrow...

Well there we go, my longest blog. Its taken me and hour and I hope I have remembered everything. Sorry for the spelling mistakes, I have been speeding again and have not time to check as my time is going and I need to go...Thanks to Debbie for paying for my boat trip...

Having the most amazing time. I have met so so so many people, its getting stupid now. I just chat to every single person, think I need to tone it down, haha, I can never remember names!

Hope everybody is good, Love you all...

Luke x x x

PS: New Zeland in 1 week!!! I wish I had more days in OZ, would of stayed in Agnes and worked for a bit, now got to rush up to Cairns for a flight Saturday when back off the boat!

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