Day 17: Noosa to Rainbow Beach
Since we only had a short distance to drive today, we had a leisurely morning sipping our coffee and tinkering with the motorbikes. Ever since the battery was replaced on Berry, the headlight fuse keeps blowing and we’re not sure why. Also Kiwis tail light has been hanging from duct tape so it was time I secured it better.
On the road, we stopped just half an hour out of town to the starting point of the Noosa Everglades. Apparently, there are only two Everglades in the world—one in Florida and one in Noosa. The reeds were tall and thick on either side of the boat launch. I heard a bizarre deep laughing noise and discovered five massive pelicans, with beaks as long as my arm and wingspan much taller than I.
The roads were great in the beginning in between leafy forests and open plains. Then, we approached a sign that said GRAVEL ROAD. We looked at each other and decided to turn around after our terrible experience on gravel roads before. We picked a different road and the same dreadful sign was on this route too!
Accepting our fate, we went back to the first road and I chugged along at 20km per hour, cursing the road every time the bike skidded. The bike actually performed wonderfully, despite the smooth street tires, and I was able to maintain control even down the steepest of hills.
The gravel eventually gave way to beautifully solid black pavement and I was able to zoom past the towering lumber farms and scrubby brush and white sand of the Great Sandy National Park. The road had wide curves, no intersections, and incredible views of the open plains and marshes, glowing in the afternoon sunlight.
We pulled into Pippies Beach House in Rainbow Beach and checked into our tented hut. Upon entering the kitchen to cook up something to satisfy our ravenous hunger, we had a sad realization. We had forgotten our shopping bag of leftovers, coffee and our precious Franks Hot Sauce at the last hostel. Frustrated at ourselves, we went to the only grocery store in town to restock.
Needed some time away from each other, I went for a run out to the beach and Inskip Point. Running on the compact sand with nothing but rolling waves on one side and the sun-streaked dunes on the other was incredibly soothing. I had to watch out for the four wheelers cruising down the beach but other than those, I had the beach to myself. It stretched on and on out of sight, so eventually I turned around and rejoined Byron at the hostel.
We headed up along the suburban streets and a small hiking path to the Carlos Sand Blow just before sunset. Fiery orange light reflected off of the open desert while people slid down the dunes on sand boards. The view overlooked the town below, out to the beach I had just run, and to the point where Rainbow Beach almost reaches Fraser Island.
Back at the hostel kitchen, it was a frenzy trying to battle for the stovetop and sink while everyone made dinner. We ran into two Germans we had hung out with in Surfers Paradise (the ones who sang Country Roads and Venga Boys) and another German who was at Maze and then Noosa YHA. Byron and I stayed up at the picnic tables with them learning German words and singing more Venga Boys. We even were lucky enough to have the hut to ourselves as the other two bunk beds remained unoccupied.
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May 3, 2018
Daily Costs
Accommodation: Pippies Beach House, $23
Food: $10
Drink: $10 Goon
Distance Covered: 120km