Airlie Beach - April 30th - May 3rd
Our 12hr overnight train ride arrived in Airlie early on the morning of the 30th. We found a shuttle waiting to take us into town and jumped aboard. The driver ended up acting as a sort of de facto tour guide and peppered us with information (both requested and extraneous) as we crawled through the hills and valleys separating the station from Airlie proper. By the time we arrived we were knowledgeable on everything from the size and location of the original town, to the pros and cons of driver’s house, to the best places to accidentally be eaten by crocodiles. Definitely enough to keep us entertained en-route.
Coming over the bend on one of the final hills before town, the trees on the left-hand side of the van gave way to an amazing rolling-hills-meet-aquamarine-oceanfront view. Mike had been talking for days about how all he wanted to find was a place that felt truly tropical, like we had actually escaped and found something unique. When we crested that hill all that had to be said aloud was “found it”. We knew we had arrived.
Airlie is a very small town, one that has grown and shrunk over the years in relation to the tourist attention it receives. It has been growing again recently and definitely has a lively upbeat semi-tourist feel.
Upon arrival we met up with the Irish guys we met in Noosa (David and Adam), and would later find the Canadians as well (Andrew and Adam). The real purpose of our visit to this place was to climb aboard a sailing/diving charter into the Whitsunday Islands, but the 3 day bender that ensued could have been a cause unto itself.
Lazy days at the lagoon, crazy nights up and down the strip, and a marginally successful fishing charter were more than enough to fill our time in this sub tropical paradise. When the time came to board the catamaran and sail out into the islands we were more than ready for a brief reprieve.
Next post will cover the the Whitsundays, probably my favorite shots of the trip thus far.
Listening to: RJD2 - The Proxy
Noosa - April 24th - 29th
As we made our way up the East coast it became fairly apparent that most of recommended city stops are merely conduits to some sort of land or sea based attraction. Often times the cities offer little more than transportation and charter to whatever the natural attraction happens to be. Noosa is the exception.
Noosa is a fairly quiet little town, but it offers alot in terms of the relaxed atmosphere and easy going people Australia is known for. On top of that, we stayed at the Flashpackers hostel and were treated to one of the best designed / best managed outfits available. It was here that we ran into some of the most interesting and agreeable people on the entire trip.
The surfing in Noosa was ideal each and every time we jumped in. The clean point break offered 2 sets of waves to ride, and the locals were just as warm and friendly as the surf. The coastal walk provided some good exercise and great views of the ocean under windy conditions, and kayaking the river and everglades provided a unique water-level view of the local flora.
If I had to pick my favorite town at this point, Noosa would be an easy winner. If I get the chance, I would like to return for a longer stay.
Listening to: Prefuse 73 - Storm Returns With Tommy Guerrero
Tweed Heads & Surfer’s Paradise - April 18
During our stay in Byron we heard mixed reviews about the Tweed Heads / Surfer’s Paradise area. Some people claimed Surfer’s was a theme park and others said Tweed was too boring to bother visiting. Needing a rest from the partying in Byron, we decided that Tweed Heads was our best bet.
Our choice was clearly correct. We had a few days in sleepy Tweed to R&R. Eating out, ambling the coastal path, and doing a bit of surfing on Kirra and Rainbow were just the sort of medicine needed at that point. The town is small, and the nightlife is non-existent, but what it lacks in spark, it more than makes up for in miles of beautiful coastline.
When it came time to move on we made sure to catch a city bus from Tweed into Surfer’s for an afternoon just to get a taste of things before boarding the coach. All things considered, Surfer’s was exactly as predicted. It was big and bustling with tourists. There was no doubt it might have been a good place to grab a drink, but neither I nor Mike felt we missed anything by just passing through. A walk around town, and a few photos for documentation and we were back on the road to Brisbane.
Listening to: Andrew Bird - Fitz & Dizzyspells
Byron Bay - April 13-15
To see the full size version of the panorama, click here: http://www.panogio.com/australia/15531204275081
We visited Byron Bay in mid April and I must say that it was one of the more enjoyable places I have ever been. The town is essentially a recreation of the college atmosphere. Everyone is a little older, but most are just as broke. Backpackers are clever though, so the short funding doesn’t stop anyone from partying. The night scene in Sydney felt very intense, and in some of the other towns along the east coast it was almost non-existent, Byron Bay gets it right.
Byron also offers quite a bit as far as daytime entertainment. The stores along the main drag are all pretty trendy and though it feels a little touristy, I found things I liked in almost every store. Its best that I am living out of a backpack because I would have dropped quite a bit of cash on clothing if I didn’t have to carry it later.
The best part of the town, to me anyway, is easily the lighthouse and the beautiful board-walk approach. One morning Mike and I woke up at 5AM, grabbed the camera gear, and hiked our way all the way up to the lighthouse to catch it before the sun. A pastel ocean sunrise crept through the haze and gave us exactly what we had hoped for. From there we took the Captain Cook Trail down though the forest (past quite a few wild Wallabies !) and back to town.
The next set will cover our trip through Tweed Heads and Surfer’s Paradise. I’ll try to ready those photos a little quicker this time. After that, the shots from Brisbane will go up.
Listening to: Cabaret Voltaire - Keep On
I have found it to be a huge challenge to put together a coherent set of images now that we are on the road. Sydney, Bondi, and the like lend themselves to easy photo coverage. During almost constant travel you are offered less opportunity to really study a subject, and more one-off chances at fleeting images. This set is a grab-bag of shots consisting of scenes from Port Macquarie to Coff’s Harbor, and some of the transit between.
The weather has been acceptable, but blue skies have been a little harder to come by than I would have imagined. The threat of rain has kept my camera in the room quite a few times, and I am a little disappointed with that. The fact that my camera bag is more or less rainproof should mean I really have no excuse.
I am already putting together the next set of shots for Byron Bay. We stayed there for quite a few days so I had some time to get some shots I was really pleased with.
As we head up the coast, the climate is definitely beginning to change, and we are seeing more and more of the palm trees and thick leaved water/sun loving plants I really hoped we would.
Listening to: Lemaitre - The End
Just some shots from King’s Cross a week or so back.
Listening to: My Morning Jacket - One Big Holiday
A week or so back I had a very engaging conversation with a stranger at a local coffee shop. Among other recommendations it was suggested that I check out The Gap and Watson’s Bay for some of the more impressive views of the ocean cliffs and Sydney from afar.
The following day I grabbed the camera and set out walking north. The round trip would be over 10 miles over hills, paved roads, and gravel paths and resulted in some of the photos attached here. I also shot a few panoramic movies, but I don’t really have the software or ambition to post them just yet. I think I’ll stick to photos for now.
Listening to: Ben Browning - I Can’t Stay
After walking the harbor area and seeing the opera house and bridge, I headed over to the Sydney botanical gardens. A title such as this conveys an image of a small densely packed group of exotic plants. This is not the case. The Sydney botanical gardens are a massive sweeping greenscape perched neatly at the foot of Sydney’s financial district. I have never witnessed a combination such as this. It simultaneously allows for easy access from the downtown area (which a great number of workers visit daily on lunch break) and delivers a stunning view of the city’s grandeur.
So often immense cities stack tower upon tower in a gradually declining fashion, each successive building stealing the thunder of the next. Here the largest skyscrapers are adjacent to the park, and the contrast is fantastic.
Enough about the transition though, the gardens themselves are spectacular in size and content. Sprawling greens and dense forest trails abound making it a diverse and generous plot. Maps to the area are plentiful, but if one wanted to get lost they could.
Before my time in Sydney is though, I plan to go back and explore the gardens a little further.
Listening to: Miami Horror - Moon Theory (Baby Monster Remix)
Being in Sydney, I felt compelled to head to the harbor and see the opera house, bridge, and downtown area. Sydney is beautiful, and appears to have been carefully planned (despite what you would assume from looking at the road map). I really enjoyed the day milling around the waterfront area, but once you get into the city you might as well be in almost any other international city.
To be completely honest, I found the botanical gardens / park to be my favorite part of all. I took quite a few photos there, and they will posted separately in my next update.
Listening to: The War On Drugs - Comin’ Through
Yesterday I took a tour up into the Blue Mountains west of Sydney. It was an early start (relative of course) and I was aboard the bus before sunrise. We picked up travelers all around town and then headed west on the main highway towards Katoomba.
I enjoyed the candor of our tour guide immensely. So many times you feel like they are attempting to sell a timeshare. This guy cut out the fluff and gave you just what you want, some awesome views and a no-nonsense explanation upon request.
We did a bit of hiking up and down the heights of the various gorges carved away by the elements. The views were grand, but for the most part they could not be accurately conveyed by camera. The dense fog in the morning and heavy clouds towards evening served to mute out all the natural highlights you would hope to find. Every so often the skies broke, and what I saw at those times is posted here.
Listening to: Fleet Foxes - Blue Ridge Mountains (Thanks to one of the other tourists who was jokingly humming this tune while we were on the road. This song was written about the Blue Ridge Mountains of North America, but was ironically fitting)
