Surfers Paradise - Skypoint

As I said back when I first came to Australia I love a good view and when I found Surfers Paradise had a 360 degree viewing deck it was automatically on my list of must dos for while I was visiting. I headed off early to make sure I got there pre-sunset so I could take in the city during the day, at sunset and at night again like I did with Eureka Skydeck in Melbourne.

Rainbow Beach

Sorry I am only just getting around to posting about Rainbow Beach now, finding time to post on the road became a bit hectic this last week from moving around and exhaustion because of noisy room mates and hostel guests causing lack of sleep.

We arrived in Rainbow Beach lunchtime last Sunday after an early bus in from Agnes Waters and after settling into our accomodation across from the bus stop headed out to explore the beach. Weather was warm but there was a strong wind on the beach which meant you couldn't really sit down as you became covered in layers of sand but we did take a walk down the beach toward the Rainbow cliffs that the Beach now gets it's name from. The sands in Rainbow change colour from white, yellow, red, black and orange, hence the name of the beach, and you can see this colour change in the tall sand cliffs and dunes along the beach.

For myself I didn't get to see much more of Rainbow Beach than this as I fell asleep for sunset and went to Fraser Island on our second day but my travel companions tell me the sand blows at sunset were a brilliant sight so I would like to go back and see it if I ever get the opportunity. 

Surfers Paradise - Time on the Gold Coast

We left for the Gold Coast early on Sunday morning off to the coast again for a few days at Surfers Paradise. Arriving at the city for 8.30am and straight to leave belongings in the hostel, Budds in Surfers, though we couldn't check in until 2pm they took our bags and stored them for us so it was off to catch some z's on the beach.

Tom and I took to the sea for a little while jumping the strong waves and getting truly drenched in the wonderfully cold sea, a great contrast to the strength of the sun. Queensland's sun seems to fell stronger than anywhere I have travelled so far and I have felt the need to seek out shade a lot of the time to avoid burning my skin.

Surfers Paradise isn't huge, but it isn't small either with most of it being only a few blocks back from the beachfront and stretching for miles along the coastline. The atmosphere was fantastic and I think this was only aided by the V8 super cars being in town to race through the streets, you could hear the roar of the engines from the hostel and beach. 

The town is easy to walk around but the traffic lights and crossings in Australia still get me a little as you have to wait for the green man or be fined for J-walking but they take so long to change sometimes I think I could have crossed the road 6 times while waiting and no cars have passed.

Brisbane - Time Out In The Suburbs

After a rough night with horribly disrespectful room mates and getting about 3 hours sleep all night I was so grateful to be headed out into the suburbs of Brisbane to see my friend Kim and catch up with her. She had extended me the offer to stay with her and I am incredibly thankful for her kindness.

Instagram Diary - Tropical North Queensland #exploreTNQ

 

Brisbane - In the City Again

Back in the city again, this time Brisbane. I can't tell you how excited I was to be back in a city again with its tall architecture, beautiful bridges and hundreds of people milling about. I have really missed the buzz of a  metropolis, beaches start to look the same after a while and there is only so many times you can sit on the sands and watch the waves before you get bored but cities are forever changing. 

Fraser Island with Fraser Explorer Tours

So yesterday I had the time of my life on the photographers paradise of Fraser Island. Fraser Island is a world heritage listed site and the largest sand Island in the world located just off the Queensland Coast and somewhere I wanted to tick off while on the east coast and now I just want to go back and see more. I woke early to catch my bus at 7.30am for the ferry crossing from Rainbow Beach to the Island and was a little excited when a big bus with 4x4 power and wheels came rolling up to the bus stop.