Another day on the job, and I remembered what it was like to travel again. Packing bags is the vain of my existence, but well worth it if it means traveling up the east coast of Australia. We were out the door by half past eight in order to catch the ferry off the island, or so we thought. There is nothing like a good 4wd adventure to wake you up; a bit of fishtailing while speeding past the sand dunes, and Hana had us at the ferry dock just as the barge pulled away. Thank goodness for connections, as a quick phone call meant the ferry turned around to come pick us all up. I guess there is a reason it’s called Drop Bear Adventures and not Drop bear Tours.
A scenic 45 minute ferry ride and we were in Hervey Bay. With a whirlwind morning, we stopped off at the Colonial Village YHA in order to have some brekky (as the Aussies call breakfast). Although we weren’t staying there, the hostel has some of the most breathtaking surroundings, creating a picture perfect sanctuary that most travelers crave once in a while as a getaway. While the hostel itself has a capacity of 130, I wouldn’t believe it based on the sprawling grounds complete with tennis courts, a pool, pond, chicken coop, basketball courts, and enough green space to set up camp if you really like. I have to admit, the best part was no bunk beds. As a 26 year old, (or for anyone over the age of 10), bunk beds are the devil of all hostels.
Then we headed off to Enzo’s for lunch. A cute little beach shack, complete with a beanbag chairs to sip cocktails in, we inhaled mango smoothies and pesto chicken aioli burgers all while enjoying an ocean view. If this isn’t paradise, I’m not sure what is, as Hervey Bay seems way underrated to consider skipping it on the east coast.
With full bellies we headed down the road to Aquavit in order to get out on the water and zip our way around on jet skis. A brief safety lesson, and we were out on the water taking turns while laughing at how uncoordinated we were at driving them. Nevertheless, at half the price of renting them in Noosa, it was the perfect place to try out something new. After whipping around on the water, we decided to take things a bit slower and went paddle-boarding amongst the coral reef. While I’ve paddle boarded before, I can’t say I’ve ever had the chance to paddleboard over a coral reef. Although, the conditions weren’t perfect, it was an amazing way to cap the day before we headed to Flashpackers for the night.
Flashpackers was generous to host us for the evening and even provided us with a sausage sizzle and party games to get the whole hostel involved. A few new friends and several beers and boxes of goon later and the inevitable dance party was born.
