Mission to Brisbane!

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G'day from our hostel roof terrace in Brisbane! The Ozzies are trying to convince us that this is Winter, but as long as I can continue to wear t-shirts and flip-flops I'm happy enough that it still could be Summer 😊

So, we left off last time as we were en route to Mission Beach. Lonely Planet describes Mission Beach to be a regular Australian paradise with a fantastic beach, palm trees, fabulous sea - the whole shooting gallery. What we should have done was a *brief* google of the place before we booked in....in Februray the largest cyclone that has ever hit Australia, hit Mission Beach. The insurance companies are still assessing claims so the place is largely still in tatters. It was unreal. The hostel we were in had only re-opened 3 weeks previous, and they had done a bit of a patch job to get the place going, but it was oddly one of the best hostels we have stayed in. No-one was complaining about the cyclone-ripped huge holes in the roof in the bathroom, it just seemed to be part of the charm!

We stayed 3 nights in Mission Beach before moving onto Airlie Beach. From here we did a 3 day, 2 night cruise around the Whitsunday islands. Based on advice (thanks ladies!) we opted for the trip that stayed overnight on solid ground rather than on the boat. We were blessed with the weather as the trip took us to Whitehaven beach, and to different spots for snorkelling and spotting coral and fishies. We were with a group of about 20 people (6 Irish!) which were great fun, and we had a couple of great nights on the islands sampling the local beer pitchers and (winning!) drinking games!

An overnight bus took us to Agnes Water where we chilled out for a couple of nights. While here we hired electric bikes to "cycle" to Town 1770. After a brief breakdown assist when the power went ka-put on Francis' bike, we headed off to Town 1770 and all it's sea-side glory.

From Agnes Water it was a 9 hour bus journey to Brisbane where we currently are, enjoying the views, the shops, the sights and being in the same city as another Brouder (Helen!) for the first time in about 2 and a half months!

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