Noosa

Unbeknownst to me, my last stop of my East Coast trip was the beautiful beach town of Noosa.
It felt good to be out of the city, especially when I arrived at the YHA which was gorgeous old pale blue building.

It was pretty but I was not happy about it being at the top of a very steep hill


After getting settled here (and having a phone interview with an au pair family), I went for pizza and a pot of beer for a tenner with a German couple from my room. What can I say, every backpacker loves a good deal. During this meal I got the happy news that I was offered the job as an au pair! I think getting this news at the start of my time in Noosa really made me relax and enjoy it more, as I knew I had something to go to after my trip.

The next day, I got up and went straight out to do the national park walk with the Germans and my good friend Leah from Byron Bay. Noosa is situated right by a National Park, with stunning coastal views and natural surroundings. I love when you can see the beach, bush, and rainforest environments all so close to each other, and this was a fantastic example of that.

We watched dozens of surfers across lots of little beaches along the way- but they weren't the only locals around. Along the track, we saw lots of wildlife, including a small snake, three goannas (big ass lizards), and a number of massive bugs and cockroaches. But unfortunately no matter how hard we looked, we couldn't find any koalas.

When you see the snake

One out of three goannas

Noosa national park is also famous for its fairy pools, which are small inlets of water from the sea which create beautiful natural pools. Unfortunately I think we got there when the tide was too high, so it wasn't safe to swim in them. Still, we continued on our route and saw some stunning scenery at Hells Gates!

By the fairy pools

Hells Gates

My second day in Noosa was spent doing a tour of the Noosa Everglades. It was a very early morning to get on a minibus to go down to the everglades. We started on a huge lake which was absolutely stunning.

We took a boat across into the main part of the everglades, called the River of Mirros because of the reflective still waters.

With my new friends made on the boat, we spotted wildlife such as birds and pelicans (but we were told there are no crocodiles, which surprised me). The guides told us we were lucky enough to have a really beautiful day to see the reflective water and enjoy the area in all its glory.

We stopped off for some morning tea, and got the chance to swim in the waters, infused with tea tree because there was so much of it growing there. When we got in the water, we saw huge catfish swimming to the surface! It was definitely worth not looking as you got into the water as they were pretty freaky looking! After getting out, the water made me skin feel smooth and fresh.

Now was the time to do a bit of canoeing down the River of Mirrors! We went in pairs canoeing down the calm waters for about an hour; it was so peaceful and felt really special. There are only 2 everglades systems in the world (Florida being the other one), and I felt really lucky to have been to both of them.

This amazing everglades tour with Wildlife tours was a huge highlight for me, and ended with a slap up roast meal back at the campsite we started at.

When back in the main town of Noosa, me and my new friends went to the beach for the sunset with slushies from 7-11.

Nothing quite like an Australian sunset

We then decided to go out in the evening (ah the good old days when we were allowed out). A fun night out was a great way to end this incredible day in Noosa that I will not be forgetting soon.

Hostel life is drinking goon in a bedroom

(P.s. once we got back to the hostel, we saw a possum hanging from a tree! Noosa really has some amazing wildlife)

The next day, after a much-needed lie in, was the day for me to set out on my own adventure. I had planned this for a long time and it's not a must-see by any stretch of the imagination, but it was very important to me- it was of course the Big Pineapple.

I knew it was going to be a bit of a journey out to it as it isn't in Noosa at all, but oh my word it was hard to get to. I took an hour long bus, walked 25 mins in the hot Australian midday sun, then got another 20 min bus to finally get there... And yes it was worth it.

Look how happy I look

There isn't even much there, I just wanted to get my photos and I was more than happy. It feels so good to cross things off my bucket list like that!

This pretty much took up the whole day cos it then took me a Didi (like uber) and another hour bus to get back lol.

For my final day in Noosa, I ended up doing part of the National Park walk again but with different people than the first time. I was more than happy for this as it's so beautiful I could never tire of it.

After this, I went back to the hostel and chilled before I was due to get the bus to Rainbow Beach. A small group of us were getting the same bus so we all collected our stuff and waited together. This is, of course, when shit hit the fan...

We all got a text saying that all Fraser Island trips had been cancelled. Gutted. Two girls got the bus to Rainbow Beach anyway, while my other friend and I booked another night at the hostel and booked a bus to Brisbane the next day to sort out arrangements to prep for lockdown. I called the host family and arranged going to their early. I feel really lucky that for me, timing worked out not bad as I could stay with them. Plus, I only missed out on the last few days of my trip, whereas some people had whole months cancelled.

It was a shame for my trip to end like this, but I'm so happy and grateful that I had so much fun up the East coast and especially in Noosa beforehand. It's a really beautiful place and I'd definitely love to come back here once travelling is an option again, as it's only a max. 2 hour drive from where I am now.

Until then, Noosa.

Shepp x