Dallon's Blog: Byron To Airlie Beach

Our first stop after Byron Bay was a place called Noosa on the Sunshine Coast. It is a little more fancy than Byron, and has NO hippies. None that I could smell or hear anyway. It was very busy with little tourist families though. This is ok with me. Really I just wanted to surf there. So that's really all I did. Though the incredible uncomfiness in my man regions caused by cold water and excessively tight wet suit made lying on a surfboard about as pleasurable as, well...it was unpleasant. So I braved it without the wet suit. A drastic improvement in surfing skill. (it's 90 percent mental surfing is, and under the previous circumstances my mind was not where it should have been). But, I could only stay out for about 45 minutes before my teeth started to rattle loose from the shivering. TONS of jellyfish in the water that day, but as no one else seemed to be worried about it, I assumed it was ok, so I poked a few. Slimy little suckers. Not as cool as all the migrant whales passing by just yards from me though! We did another coastal hike. And this time I saw a KOALA BEAR! SO cool. So most animals are really cute as babies, Koalas though, pull it off through adulthood. Seriously, I just wanted to climb that tree and cuddle the thing! I could use his pouch to carry my nick nacks. He could be my pillow at night and I'd give him all the narcotic eucalyptus leaves his stomach could handle. We'd be the bestest of mates!

After Noosa it was just braindead driving. Two days straight of not really stopping. Though I must give the state of Queensland credit. They are really concerned with my traveling well-being. Driver reviver stops are about every 15 kms and about every 17 feet there is a sign of some sort reminding me to be a good driver and 'Rest or RIP' and 'Arrive Alive'. My favorite though are the life saving trivia signs. You get a sign with a question, then a few minutes later a sign with the answer. Followed soon after by a sign that acknowledges the fact that I'm still alive and should keep playing the travel trivia because 'It just might save your life!' So far I'm beating Andy. Thanks Queensland for keeping me alive and increasing my expansive vault of useless information! Up here in the northern bit it feels much more like the outback. Except right by the coast it's pretty tropical-ish. I do feel like I should be passing Walkabout Creek any moment now! (kudos if you get the reference!) Though here at the end of my northern travels it's all sugar cane. As far as the eye can see there are cane fields, and cute little cane trains taking it all to the stinky refineries. How can sugar make such a horrible smell!