One-Thousand K's to Three Beautiful Days

Watching the Sunshine Coast slowly fade in my rear view mirror, I was bit sad I was leaving not only Shy and Michelle, but also that I was leaving the surf as well. See, the way the East coast of Australia works is that you get great surf all along coast until you cross an imaginary line right after a surf

spot called 1770, just a ways up from the Sunshine Coast. After that point, a few islands off the coast, along with the Great Barrier Reef, obstruct any swell from reaching the shore. Oh and also, once you pass this imaginary line, salt water crocodiles, killer box jelly fish and agressive bull sharks inhabit the waters. So now my mission was to conquer the reef and see it in as many ways as possible. Thinking that there wasn't a whole lot to see between the one-thousand killometers that separated Sunshine Coast and the Great Barrier Reef, I tried to knock out the sixteen hour drive as quickly as I could. And to be honest, it really wasn't all that bad because what was ordinary and generic to most people on that road, was new and exciting to me. I watched as the landscape changed from thick, dense forest and trees, to open plains with random, scattered trees here and there with the presence of mountains constantly in the background, separating the green, lush coastal regions
from the red barren deserts. Then I would go through kilometer upon kilometer of sugar cane fields on either side of me that stood well over five meters tall. Driving through small towns where the sugar cane was being processed, I would roll down my windows to the sweet, sugary aroma blowing in the air. Stopping at a gas station in one of the small cane producing shires, I made small talk with the clerk and he said that it was harvest season and that I should grab a sugar cane to gnaw on for my drive. So I did, and I was pleasantly surprised at this occupation keeping me busy during my drive. As it became dusk, I continued to see more and more kangaroos hopping about, and knew I would have to pull off pretty soon. Kangaroos are sadly like the deer of the states. Their carcasses litter the road, and if you happen to hit one, you're guaranteed an expensive repair cost on your car, if not worse if they make you crash. Pulling off at a campground, I settled in for the night excited I was only six hours away from seeing one of the greatest natural wonders of the world the next day. As the scenery continued to amuse me the next day, I decided to pull off the highway towards the small town of Airlie

beach. I was still about five hours away from Cairns, but the drive was taking a toll and I knew I would still be able to snorkel the reef from here. Parking my car, I immediately went to a tour office to book a snorkel adventure, being that the reef is only accessible by hired boat. After going through just about every option with a very cute tour lady, I was booked in on the most adventurous tour they offered. It was a speed boat tour that went to not only the reef, but also to the Whitsundays, which is where the purest, whitest sand in the world comes from. They even made the lense from the Hubble space telescope out of this stuff! ​ I decided to check into a hostel that night because you always meet interesting people at hostels, and its a great way to socialize and find out interesting things about all sorts of stuff. I ended up meeting a Frenchman, a Brit and my first American since I had gotten to Australia. We all went out that night and had a great time sharing stories and adventures and future plans.

The next day, we all said our goodbye's set out on our own tours. Showing up to a dock not too far from my hostel, I met a few other people going on the tour and then met the energetic staff of the jet boat I was about to board. They were all very excited about something and kept on saying how much fun we were going to have that day. Now trust me, I've worked in the hospitality industry before and have seen plenty of fake excitement, but these guys were genuinely excited about something.
And then they laid it on us. "Oi theh mates! I reckon we'll be havin' waves tallah than a kangaroo on a dingo's back due to the twennay plus knot wiiiinds wer havin' t'day!" And then he went on to say that if you were pregnant or had back problems or get at all nauseous on the ocean, that you absolutely should not go on that tour today. This was all music to my ears as I then too became even more excited than I already was.

As we left the safety of the harbor, we began to see the wind swell become more and more apparent. At first it was little three foot waves that we could just bounce over, but then as we rounded one of the islands, into open waters, we went head on into waves that were ironically accurate to our guides description of them being as tall as a kangaroo standing on a dingo's back, if you can imagine it. Or about nine feet tall if you can't.
The boat began its aquatic beating from the waves as it climbed up to the peaks and then came crashing down, spraying the salty sea water over everyone. Up and down, side to side, we were getting tossed around like a echidna in a dingo's mouth. Everyone was frantically grabbing onto whatever they could, bracing themselves as we would occasionally fly through the air and then nose dive through the next oncoming wave. With a front row seat at the bow of the boat, I was loving every bit of this bucking bronco of a ride. The screams and shouts of everyone just added to the fun as I would occasionally look back at the sheer terror on the tourist's faces.

Finally getting some shelter from yet another beautiful island, we pulled into an uninhabitted bay to check out the Whitsundays from a high point. Hiking no more than ten minutes up this island trail, I came to a clearing where I experienced one of my top three most beautiful sights I have ever laid eyes on. Right up there with Mount Everest and the mile deep, underground sparkling caves of Laos. As I looked out before me, I saw pure white sand bars that looked like they had been painted on the turquoise waters by with a paint brush with vivid green jungle

islands as the framework. Even from as high up as I was, I could see the contrast of the dark black bat rays soaring through the shallow waters and even spotted a sea turtle floating about. I was flabbergasted at what I was standing before. Pure beauty. Now it was time to explore. After a short lunch buffet, we went out and meandered the colorless sands of this

beautiful area. Never have I seen such brilliance from a beach before in my life. It was one of those times where I just had to keep slowly turning in circles in attempt to absorb as much of this paradise as I could. ​ The tour wasn't over yet. Crashing through more waves, we made it to a sheltered part of the Great Barrier Reef. Now, with the winds being as rough as they were, we unfortunately did not have the visibility we normally would have on a clear, calm day. Nonetheless I was first one off the boat, dolphin kicking around the massive coral heads, eager to explore the reef to it's fullest.

Taking tons of photos and videos of the beautiful reef, I saw all sorts of varieties of coral. Fish were everywhere among the coral, and giant clams the size of basketballs would snap shut at the slightest disturbance, only to cautiously reopen, flaunting its vivid red, purple and blue insides. The complexities of the reef perplexed me as I swam through schools of fish and over peculiar looking sea plants that looked like they were made of silly putty.
I was able to stay out there for for over an hour before I was called back to the boat, being the last one in. And as we resumed our roller coaster of a ride back to Airlie Beach, the sun began using its own paint brush to color the sky pinks, oranges and yellows. 

Friends, Fans and Flips

Continuing on my Australian adventure, a few days went by with me meandering beaches, meeting new interesting people in Coff's Harbor, having a run in with my first water dragon in Byron Bay, and then finding amazing waves at beautiful Lennox Head that would have me contemplating turning this vacation into a reality.

Continuing on though, I drove my search for waves up the Gold Coast until I hit Surfer's Paradise where I was very excited to potentially meet up with my old friend Lee that I worked with while living in New Zealand. A bit surprised at arriving on moments notice, he was still able to show me all around Surfer's Paradise. It was unbelievable how many skyscrapers covered the shoreline and how many people littered the streets. I was definitely in tourist-ville, but I could see why so many people came here with how beautiful the beaches were and with how much there was to do around the city. After roaming around all day seeing the sights and checking out the nightlife a bit, I continued on the next day to surf somewhere, no anywhere where there weren't so many "surfers" in the water. ​

Not sure exactly what town I was in, I woke up the next day in my little camper to the sound of waves breaking on the shore which might I say is probably one of my favorite things to wake up to. After getting a morning surf session in, I got back to my car and just as I was about to leave, an actual beach bum began chatting me up. We had a very interesting conversation about life, living and happiness and then he told me about a beach on an island not to far from where we were. So after giving him an apple, an avocado and a couple tortillas, I set off for Bribie Island. ​

Crossing a long bridge and arriving at what seemed to be a very ritzy area with huge beach-side mansions and yachts scattered about, I wasn't too sure I would be very into this detour after all. However, I remembered that the bum, who introduced himself as Z by the way, said to take the main road to the far side of the island until it turns to dirt and then pull off wherever you please to have the beach all to yourself. So I did, and sure enough, I pulled up to my own beach stretching further than I could see. Even after walking along the beach for an hour, it still seemed to just keep going and completely vacant of people too. Hence the lack of people, the wildlife flourished with sea eagles soaring through the sky, then swooping down, plucking unknowing, red fish the size of rugby balls straight out of the water. Small sand crabs tip toed along the white sand, claws outstretched towards me as I approached, only to retreat to small holes in the sand when I got too close. I was even lucky enough to see a pod of miniature dolphins swim by. At first I thought I saw a couple baby dolphins, but after gazing a bit closer, I noticed all six of them were no longer than the leg of a tall man. I would later find out from an old salty fisherman with weather worn tattoos on his face that these were Kimberly Dolphins, indigenous to Australia. ​

After yet another beautiful sunset, I sat on the sand and watched the stars begin to illuminate to the sounds of waves lapping at the shore. Waking up on the beach the next morning to the sounds of laughter, I groggily looked around to see what was so funny. I then realized that there weren't people around for miles. Following my ears to the trees I saw that the laughter was coming from two birds with big brown eyes. Surely I was still asleep and this was all a dream, but sure enough these bird's calls sounded like laughter. Turns out these birds are called the Laughing Kookaburra, native to Australia. ​

Later that day I surfed a break called Moffat's point on the south side of the Sunshine Coast. After the four hour surf session, I went to a cafe to get some Internet, only to be pleasantly surprised to find out that my best buddy Shy, from college was surprising his girlfriend by coming to the Sunshine Coast to visit. At this news I drove up to meet them at Noosa Heads, which is a surf spot notorious for some of the longest rides in

Australia. Walking down the street, Shy's girlfriend, Michelle, who is from the Sunshine Coast, spotted me and from there we went to the Noosa Heads National Park to see some truly beautiful beaches as well as see some amazing lookout points. Swimming around in the
small waves for a bit, we watched the sun start to fall from the sky. After a failed attempt at trying to catch a wild Aussie turkey, we decided to get going and barely made it out of the park before it got pitch black out.

The next few days would be spent in great company having Michelle and her lovely parents show Shy and I around Coolum beach, where they are from, as well as the surrounding areas. The second day we went on a beautiful little hike along a river that fell into a large pool that we were able to jump into and swim around in. Basking in the sun, enjoying the waterfall alighting next to us, I couldn't imagine having a better time until we discovered the rope swing. Now this wasn't just any rope swing, but the most epic rope swing I have ever come across in

all my travels, and trust me, I have swung many a ropes in my day. Taking the swing as high as I could on the slope, way back into the trees, I nervously gripped as tight as I could, heart pumping, adrenaline rushing and let my feet up from underneath me. Watching the rocks and brush rush beneath my feet, gaining speed, I then broke through the fauna out over the water, at least twenty from the surface doing a flip and then landing in the cool water. Now, you know an event is genuinely exciting when without thinking, you uncontrollably shout out in fervor and that is exactly what I did as I came to the surface, unable to stop smiling.

Entirely content with the day's events, we later headed over to one of Michelle's good friends for dinner, having some delicious local fish And great conversation. The next day we went out snorkeling right off Point Arkwright, just out front of Michelle's parent's house. Swimming our way out to the reef, Michelle immediately spotted a sea turtle, and then we saw giant schools of fish go by us in the clear, blue water. We spent a good amount of time out at that point spectating the ecosystem flourishing before us, and then right as we decided to head back to shore, Shy spotted a bat ray soaring effortlessly over the reef. Cautiously staying a safe distance behind the four foot long tail with a deadly barb at the end, Shy was able to get a clear shot of the ray on camera just before it decided to swoosh off into the depths ahead.
Excited at getting a chance to see as many residents of the reef that we did, we talked all about it that night at dinner with Michelle's parents, having my first Aussie steak that nearly covered my entire plate. Needless to say, there was nothing left on my plate by the time I done. ​

On my last day with Shy and Michelle we went to my first live rugby match between two local towns in the surrounding area. It was especially eventful because it just happened to be the Grand Final, which is basically like the championship game. After getting a few Aussie brewskis, we were ready to join the fans which all seemed to have had quite more than just a few. I actually have never heard a more interactive crowd in my life as

we watched the two teams smother, tackle and beat on one another. The heckling going on in the stands was possibly more entertaining than the game itself as they called the players names and bantered back and forth among apposing fans. All in all the game was very entertaining and a ton of fun. ​
Not knowing if it would be months or years before I would see these two friends again, it was hard to say goodbye. Heading back to the highway was tough, but with the thought of The Great Barrier Reef only a day away, I started my sixteen hour, straight shot to Airlie Beach, where I would end up having the time of my life! ​ ​ ​ ​ ​