Byron Bay and Noosa

Byron Bay

Meet Cockatoo Paul. An enthusiastic bush tucker man with a 'big knife, big hat, big bird on head' combo, it was an honour to meet the real-life character upon whom Mick Dundee was based:

Yes, that really is a cockatoo on his head.

He took a small group of us on a bush walk around the grounds of our accommodation - the Arts Factory hostel, a long-established hippie retreat in the middle of the jungle:

As we ventured through this mysterious world, Cockatoo Paul (or 'Cock', as I shortened it to) pointed out numerous creepy crawlies, including a hairy caterpillar, which can blind you by shooting out its spines into your eyes. Cute!

I was also introduced to the neighbours:

Now, as everybody knows, you can't stay in Byron Bay without paying a visit to the infamous township of Nimbin, where lots of skinny, old, bearded pot smokers have chucked together a load of crap and called it a museum:

A real cultural experience.

Stuart ate a few too many 'special cookies' in Nimbin, and I became rather concerned when he wandered off, telling me he was going to find some 'hot fairies'.

Naturally, I thought it was the weed talking, so you can imagine my surprise when I found him canoodling in the grass with this tiny, blonde, winged lady:

I thought she seemed altogether more wholesome than the trashy girl he hooked up with in Barrytown, so I let it lie. Perhaps I should have reined him in more, though, because not long afterwards, he decided it would be a really 'far out' idea to wrestle an angry koala. I'm sorry to say he didn't come off too well...

I TOLD him drugs were bad...! I had no choice but to lock him in my handbag for the rest of the night and not let him out again until I felt sure he wasn't going to get into more any trouble. Honestly, sometimes I think it would have been easier to travel alone.

Noosa

My next stop was Noosa, a much more upmarket resort a couple of hours north of Brisbane. Here I discovered a fantastic hostel (ensuite bathroom with hair straighteners!). Having spent weeks sleeping in slightly (and sometimes very) scummy hostels, this was most welcome and I decided to take a rest from my travels and stay here for ten days, instead of the four days I had initially scheduled in.

Having had slightly dodgy weather in Byron Bay, I'm pleased to report that the weather in Noosa went from good to great - here is a shot of the sky:

Perfick.

Whilst in Noosa, I had my first ever surfing lesson. I'm very proud to say that I stood up on my board first time - I'm a natural, the instructor told me. In just two hours I progressed from this:

to this:

It was very physically demanding... I lost ten kilos that day as you can see.

I also took a walk in Noosa National Park, which runs along the coast and is eye-poppingly beautiful:

Along the way I saw wild dolphins, and, snoozing in the branches above my head, my first ever koala! While he was too far up in the trees to get a decent shot at him (with my camera, I mean), I simply have to show you how cute these creatures are - so here's a picture of me giving one a cuddle in a wildlife sanctuary:

Aww, look! So cute and cuddly. (The koala wasn't bad either... snort!)

I've seen a great many weird and wonderful animals since arriving in Oz, and it's been a sheer delight to have seen the vast majority of these in the wild. I'll include pics of some of them in my next blog...

As for other Noosa highlights, here's me chilling out at a music festival in a park by the beach:

As you can probably tell from my expression, I was having a hard time trying to decide whether I would rather be here, or back home in the office.

I also took a very memorable river boat cruise with three new friends, which involved hiring a boat with an onboard barbecue, and bringing along a couple of bottles of wine. Sadly I have no photos of this marvellous occasion, but with four rather tipsy girls in charge of steering a boat, perhaps things are best left to the imagination. I will leave you with just one word to aid you in forming a mental picture of the day's events: SANDBANK!!!

Verdict: Good times!
Do I miss England: Who?