Backpacking Australia: Noosa and Moloolaba

If you want to experience real Aussie life on the East Coast, then Noosa and Moloolaba are right up your street. Not only will you get a real insight into the local culture, the pristine beaches are not worth missing out on. These towns are typically less frequented by tourists and backpackers which is an added bonus.

Noosa

 

Viewpoint from National Park 

After Rainbow Beach and the Whitsundays I thought the views could not get any better. For a panoramic view take a walk up to the National Park. The hill is steep so I recommend not doing it when the sun is at it's hottest. The Park extends right down to the coastal area and in this area you can spot a lot of different wildlife including koalas in their natural habitat.

Noosa has many different beaches for strolling along, watching surfers or simply relaxing. The Main Beach is the closest one to the town but is pretty busy during the summer period. The other beaches are less crowded so worth visiting. Pay careful attention to the information about where it is safe to swim or surf. The good thing about the Main Beach is it is patrolled by lifeguards.

 

 

Noosa main beach

 

 

The one thing I wanted to do at Noosa was to visit the Everglades but we never got the chance; my time in Australia was quickly running out and there was so much more I wanted to see. The Everglades are situated on the Cooloola coast and are waterways that allow for lots of aquatic adventures such as canoeing, kayaking or doing a boat tour. For those interested in nature, it is the perfect opportunity for seeing local wildlife.

 

Although there a few suitable hostels for backpackers, we ended up staying in an apartment on Noosa hill as it was just as cheap for a group. Our apartment had a pool, sauna and steam room and allowed for even more relaxation. However if you are on your own or in a small group, a hostel is definitely better and will allow you to meet new people.

 

Mooloolaba

It wasn't my choice to get off the Oz Experience bus at Mooloolaba but my friends had heard great things from their Aussie relatives. At first, it just looked like a little town to me and I wondered what was so great about it. Mooloolaba has a calm and relaxing atmosphere where people are happy strolling around, checking out the many shops along the Esplanade or sipping a drink at one of the many cafés and restaurants. If you are looking for a wild nightlife, this is not the place for you.

 

The beach is a hub of activity and is full of young Aussie teenagers and families making the most of the warm summer months. Typically, there are more people in the sea wave jumping than relaxing on the beach. This is where I noticed that the locals head to the beach not purely to sunbathe but to swim in the ocean. The beach here is very safe and is also patrolled all year long.

 

The Surf Club is great for eating out at a reasonable price and has many typical Australian dishes such as chicken parmi, roasts and many different types of seafood.

 

 

 

Source: http://www.mooloolabatourism.com.au/aboutus

 

I recommend visiting the nearby Australia Zoo, you can get a Greyhound bus from Mooloolaba. This is not a typical zoo; the enclosures are big, the animals look well cared for and the majority of animals are native to Australia so are as close to their natural habitat as can be. The crocodile show at the Crocoseum is fun and at least you are at a distance from them! Watch out for the birds flying all around you during the bird show.

 

 

 

 

If the Northern Beaches are for adventure and excitement, the Sunshine Coast is perfect for some relaxation and getting in tune with the local life. Even if you can only spend limited time there, be sure not to miss out!



Adventure stories from Australia part 2

When you are travelling, it is important to make the most of your time and to embrace new challenges. As mentioned in part 1, I used my time in Australia to get over my fears and take part in many new adventurous activities. Each time I emailed home, I had wonderful and exciting stories to share with family and friends.

Skydiving

What better way to see the world than jumping out of a plane at 14,000 feet? Particularly when the views on offer are those of the Great Barrier Reef. You can do a skydive in many locations in Australia and I chose to do mine at Mission Beach in Queensland. This was, hands down, my best experience in Australia.

 

Mission Beach, Australia

We got picked up at our hostel early in the morning and were taken to the skydiving centre. Here we got allocated our tandem instructor - this is when you are praying you haven't got the newbie young instructor or the one that looks slightly crazy. After being suited up and safety procedures explained, we got on our plane. I would say the plane part of the journey is the worst. You sit on a little bench facing the back of the plane- my crazy instructor decided it would be a great laugh to sit right at the very back next to the pilot, and be the last to jump! Maybe he thought I was as mental as him! The plane is tiny and as you see it climbing altitude, it begins to quickly sink in that you are about to do a sixty second free fall before your parachute opens!

 

Me right at the very back

 

As you reach the correct altitude, a little doorway opens and this is when the fear sets in. If you are first to go, you are extremely lucky as you don't have to see everyone else fall out the plane. Then your instructor gets you to shimmy up to the door ( a bit difficult when you are attached very closely to him!). Sitting at the doorway edge is the scariest part because you now have no control. Before you know it, you are freefalling from the plane and this is the thrilling part of the skydive as you feel like you are falling for quite a while.

 

 

More out the plane than in!

 



 

Then, the instructor activates the parachute and you are yanked back upwards. This is when you have time to appreciate your surroundings, the weirdest thing ever is that from up here you see the curve of the Earth. After a couple of minutes, it's time for the dreaded landing moment. You might not think it's that a big a deal but this part terrified me because a day before my skydive a girl at our hostel ended up with a broken leg because she had not carried out the instructions about landing. What you need to do is really lift your legs as high as you can to allow your instructor to land first.

 

 

 

The moment we landed, all of us wanted to do it again straight away. It passes much quicker than you think and is the most thrilling experience I have ever had.

 

 

Tips for doing a skydive

 

1. Listen to your instructor; they are in charge of your safety. Remember they do this several times a day on a daily basis and have plenty of experience.

 

2. Pick your location carefully. Unless you are planning to do several skydives, location is everything.

 

3. You can pay for another instructor to jump alongside you and take photos as you fall. Personally I would save my money as your own instructor already has a camera attached to his wrist. My friends paid for the extra photos and to be honest theirs aren't that different from mine.

 

4. Don't scream all the way down as you will cover your instructor in drool. Remember he's in charge of your safe landing!

 

5. Wear suitable clothing and footwear. For girls, it's not a great idea to wear a tank top unless you want all your pictures to be pretty revealing! Stupidly, I wore a tank top and sandals - D'oh!

 

6. Thank your instructor - it may be their job and their hobby but they have just risked their life for you.

 

7. Embrace the moment and enjoy. It's a fun once in a lifetime experience and very worthwhile. You won't regret it!



Humanity is not doomed

You know those conversations where you want to shake someone for a comment they make? I recently had this feeling when discussing the topic of Cecil the lion with a group of friends.

The general conversation followed the lines of why this story had caused such an uproar when it is something that is happening every day. Don't get me wrong; we were all very saddened and disgusted to hear of this brutal killing. However, by the same token what about all the other animals that are poached or endangered by humans? Because they aren't famous, they matter less?  I believe these issues should be reported more frequently in the media to raise awareness. While the readers may not want to read about it every day, we should be given more regular information about the extent of the problem. Bizarrely, I came across this picture today which sums it up perfectly (don't scroll down if easily distressed)
 

 

According to WWF, there are 99 species that are endangered, vulnerable or of concern. To top it off, animals on this list (as well as many others) also face other forms of torture at the hands of humans. What is most shocking is that all of these dreadful things happen for the sake of a hobby or for earning money. I can't blame as much the people in poor countries who make a living from poaching, as long as there is a demand for those items poaching will happen. In this case, it is down to the government to create better job opportunities so that they don't have to earn money in this way. I can't abide those who do it for a thrill, there are many other ways you can seek thrills without having such a negative impact. 

As we were finishing our conversation, I noticed a friend had been really quiet throughout. So I asked him if he didn't agree with our arguments. His response? He thought it just as appalling as the rest of the group but believed there was nothing he could do to help. This is probably a pretty standard response, but if you believe enough in a cause there are always things to be done.

What can we do to help?

1. Social media is one of the most powerful ways of having an impact. I recently read 2 blog posts I found on Twitter that rapidly changed my mind on riding elephants and swimming with dolphins.

2. Adopt an animal, a great way to involve children in caring for animals.

3. Donate money. I know that there are so many causes out there and we can't donate to all of them. If this is the issue you care most about then you can donate a monthly amount, every little counts. If like me, there are more charities you are very passionate about, why not swap your donation about? The best way is every 6 months change which charity you will donate to. I always make sure I have a balance between charities for animals,  helping people with illnesses and natural disaster emergency funds.

4. Sign any petitions that come your way and then share them via social media. It might help, it might not but at least you know you have tried. If everyone had the same mind set as my friend, nothing would improve.

5. Change how you live. Research what your products are made of, buy from eco-friendly companies, use less paper and recycle more, don't use products tested on animals and take steps to help reduce climate change.

6. Participate in raising awareness campaigns. The website dosomething.org has many campaigns that you can join to help make the world a better place. There are plenty of other websites that have campaigns, for example for animal protection check the WWF or PETA website.


7. Finally, and most importantly.....

Don't make excuses. Whatever the issue that concerns you, there are always ways and means of having an impact. Whether you can only do one of the things above or all of them doesn't matter, the important thing is making a contribution.

Backpacking Australia: Cairns to Whitsundays

Starting in Cape Tribulation and ending in Melbourne, the East Coast is the destination for backpackers. With a distance of 4,500 kilometres over 3 states, it offers plenty of opportunities for adventure, relaxation and job opportunities for those on a working visa. For me, it was where I decided I was going to let go of my fears and embrace every adventurous opportunity that came my way. Jumping out a plane? Easy-peasy! Diving in the Great Barrier Reef? Hell yeah!

With so many places to visit and exciting activities to do, it can be easy to overlook the hidden gems of the East Coast. It took my friends and I almost 2 months to travel between Cairns and Brisbane and even then we didn't get to experience everything we wanted to. Based on my experiences here is what you can't miss:

- Mission beach: its sandy beaches offer the perfect location for relaxation, or if you are more daring, it is the perfect spot for doing a skydive. Why? Because you see the Great Barrier Reef and land on the beach! It's also a great place to interact with the locals as it is less touristy than other locations. From here you can also do white water rafting, the one daring activity I didn't dare to do. Here I stayed at Scotty's which I thoroughly recommend as it has a good sized swimming pool and they have events to get you to meet new people such as BBQ's. It is about a 15 minute walk to the main part of the town but offers a bus service to get there too.

 

 

 

- Rainbow beach: Hike up the steepest hill I have ever seen (and survived!) for wonderful views of the beach and sunset, fun times sledging down the sand and a hike back down a very steep hill! This unspoilt place might just be my favourite of the East Coast. Here we stayed at Fraser's which is the hostel that offers this free walk up to Carlo Sand Blow. If they hadn't offered this, I probably wouldn't have known it existed.

 

 

 

 

- Magnetic Island or "Maggie Island" is situated near Townsville and is full of adventure and beautiful sights.  I thoroughly recommend staying at Base hostel which has fun competitions in the evenings, offers diving courses and has awesome full moon parties. The locals from Townsville even travel across for full moon.

 

 

Not only is it the ideal place to party, you can hire a jeep which is the best way to travel around the island. A trip to the National Park allows you to see koalas in their natural habitat as well as beautiful views of the Island. Tip - not a good idea with a hangover and a lack of water!

 

 

- Airlie Beach is the stop off point for Whitsunday Islands. This medium sized town is full of hostels and backpackers, all raring to go on their adventures. Despite being little, it offers great shops, a beautiful port and has a great nightlife too. Tip: when choosing what boat to go out on, shop around a little as there are many shops selling tours.

 

 

- Whitsunday Islands are a group of 74 islands which offer the most beautiful views I have ever seen in my life. The boats leave from Airlie Beach port and you do activities such as snorkelling, diving, kayaking as well as sailing past some of the islands. A sailing trip would be incomplete without a visit to the stunning Whitehaven Beach. This photograph does not even do it justice:

 

 

 

 

 

The boat I went out on was called Summertime and we had a blast! Yummy barbeque food, plenty of adventures and fun games in the evenings made for a perfect 3 day trip which I would recommend to everyone. The crew were very friendly and wanted us to have the best experience.

 

 



 

 

 

From Cairns to Airlie Beach, it takes about 8 hours to drive. To explore and make the most of our time here, it took us over a month. There are endless opportunities awaiting here and you might as well make the most of it, it really is a once in a lifetime experience.



Bad altitude

There is nothing more frustrating for me than being in a confined space with 300 people I don't know but with whom I will be spending the next x hours of my life. Luckily my plane journeys usually only last 4 hours or less, but even on short flights you see it all. Cheap airlines are great for those of us who love travelling and want to save our pennies for more exciting things than airfare. However, as they attempt to make more profit, you find yourself practically sitting on the stranger next to you. I'm exaggerating, I don't actually do that, but personal space is a thing of the past. That's why it's important to show respect when travelling by following the tips below.

Source: http://www.keepcalm-o-matic.co.uk/p/keep-calm-and-have-a-nice-trip-9/

 

5 tips for being a thoughtful plane passenger

1. You may be the most interesting person on the planet, but not everyone wants to hear your conversation. Especially not when you are 3 rows behind and we can still hear you. Every single word. Unless you are telling us all a secret to winning the lottery, keep your voice at a reasonable level.



2. Travelling with young kids is never easy and hats off to parents who do a great job of keeping their kids entertained. I love kids but I certainly don't want your kid climbing over your seat and landing on top of me ( true story). Kids equally need to be taught how to behave safely in an airplane and this should start at a young age.



3. Keep your feet to yourself. I get that people need to take their shoes off on a long haul flight. If you really need to take them off, make sure they are clean, not smelly and the sight of them doesn't make me want to puke. Anyone who doesn't like feet will get this, the rest might think I'm being oversensitive!



4. There's nothing more infuriating than the person behind you kicking your chair constantly, even though it is not on purpose. Tip: sigh loudly each time and they will soon get the message. I do sympathize slightly with this as tall people attempt to cram their legs into the tiny space. It's the one time when being short is a benefit.... Plenty of leg room!



5. When the plane lands, everyone relax. Yes it can be a drag sitting waiting to get off the plane. especially when you're going on holiday and just want to get to your destination as quickly as possible. However, there is no need to bounce out your seat the second we have touched ground, knock the person next to you in the face trying to quickly get your suitcase out of the overhead and then occupying so much aisle space that no one else around you can move. We will all get off the plane, they aren't going to kidnap you if you're last off! The best way to start a holiday or trip is stress free so just sit down, wait until the row in front of you is moving and then prepare to disembark.

 

 

 

Confession: As a child, I probably did bounce about on the plane excited and wanting to explore. As for numbers 4 and 5 I am guilty of having done these before, we probably all have at some stage to some extent, whether conscientiously or not.

Using Spanish abroad

It is no wonder Spanish is fast becoming the language to learn, with over 400 million people speaking it. That's more than the whole population of the USA! It is used as the official language in 21 countries, so statistically speaking 11% of the world use it on a daily basis.

Source: http://goodpixgallery.com/flags-of-spanish-speaking-countries-photos/

Why you should make an effort

You are in a foreign country, it is the polite thing to do. Whether the locals can speak your language or not, it is still always preferable to speak to them in their own language where possible, even if you can only say the basics. I guarantee they will appreciate this gesture and you will feel good for making an attempt. As you become more confident, you can try new phrases.


Furthermore you can't assume that everyone will speak English or another language, and you might just need help in a sticky situation. Recently in Barcelona, I heard the French couple in front of me talking about what bus to get to the airport. From listening I could tell they were about to get on the bus to the wrong terminal. I didn't want them to miss their flight so told them in French that they needed to get the other bus. Knowing I had helped someone made me feel happy. In the interests of disclosure, I am a polyglot so it was easy for me to do so. But even if I had only known some French I still would have tried.


I haven't yet been to Latin America, but I know from living in Spain that the Spanish are very proud of their language. The majority of the time, and especially outside tourist areas, they will always speak to you in Spanish, even if they can tell you are foreign. Why? Because to them, their language is a huge part of their culture. They appreciate when foreigners make an attempt to communicate with them in their language, more so than any other country I have been to. I may be wrong, but I get the impression Latin Americans would also react in the same way. I certainly hope so anyway!

Source: https://www.pinterest.com/saundzcom/inspiring-language-quotes/

Tips for using Spanish

- Before your trip use the website www.duolingo.com to get you up to speed on the basics. Be careful though as the Spanish they teach you contains many Latin American words that may not be understood in Spain and vice versa.


- There are many other websites and Youtube videos you can watch to help you learn some phrases. Find one that suits how much you want to learn.


- Get a cheap language guide, even the small one would help you. Sometimes, charity shops have these at really cheap prices. Avoid buying at the airport as you will pay a lot more for one. If not, use the Internet to find some phrases you may need and write them down. I'd start by searching greetings, asking for help, asking how much something is and asking for directions.


- Make the flight time pass quickly by practising phrases, remember the pronunciation is easy as most words sound the way they are written. Small tip : the h is always silent so to say hello we say "ola" instead of "hola".


- Listen to the locals use their language - how does someone ask for the bill? how do they order a beer? Or if you're a beginner how do they say hello/goodbye? With Spanish, it is probably easier to pick up on the spot than many other languages.


- If you are unsure of a word, ask whoever you are speaking to ¿Cómo se dice (insert word) en Español? Then by learning it, you will know it for next time.


- Be prepared to make errors but don't let it affect your confidence. It's part and parcel of learning a new language.