More Noosa!

One of the many parrots outside our window at the hostel in Noosa! (they are super loud and are pretty much our alarm clocks every morning)

Mmmmm ice cream :)

Some cute kangaroos we spotted on our walk back from the beach!

Our short trip to Egypt.. not really, but there were camel tours going along the beach!

Mmmm... goon.

Relaxing in the hammocks with a beer at Gagaju Bush Camp (after a long day of canoeing)

Gagaju Bush Camp... aka Boot Camp

Our LOVELY suite for 6.

At Sunset on our walk back from the National Park.

Chillin out on Little Cove Beach :)

We went to Gagaju Bush Camp to go on a three day canoe safari through the Noosa Everglades. It was really beautiful, but the accommodations were a bit under par to say the least. We spent the night in the canvas rooms the first night and camped in tents the next night.

At night in our "room" after killing a zillion HUGE spiders...

Canoeing the Noosa Everglades!!

We love Noosa!

Best travel mates :)

We finally did laundry!!! (Its a panty party!)

The ocean is amazing here--this picture doesn't do it justice, but its bright teal and crystal clear! We're heading to the beach after we post this to go for a swim!

Happy Hour 2 for 1 special at the Koala Bar at our hostel...there is no nightlife in Noosa aside from the bar at our hostel, so it's usually pretty packed!

These signs are everywhere in Noosa--soo cute!! We're going on a koala hunt later today in the National Park :)

One of the many beautiful beaches here in Noosa...it's easy to see why this place is our favorite!

At the Market in Eumendi (a 20 minute bus ride from Noosa.) This guy playing the didgeridoo was amazing!!

Brissy

Here's a few pictures from the last couple days in Brisbane. Today we're hopping on a bus and heading up to Noosa--really excited to get out of the city!

Last night Holl and I went to see a performance of Oscar Wilde's play The Importance of Being Earnest. It was super cute and really funny! On our walk to dinner there was a surprise thunderstorm, and on our way to the play it was pouring/hailing on us!! Didn't phase us though and it's back to blue skies today!!

View of the city from the river.

A six-pack of Corona costs 20$ here...its cheaper to go get a schooner (pint) in a bar than it is to buy a single Corona at the store!

At Streets Beach...a public pool (man-made beach) alongside the river...we would have gone in but there were about 1,000 seven year olds in it (i.e. a lot of pee.)

This is a really cool walkway in South Bank Brisbane. It was super long, perfectly manicured, and lead to a bunch of restaurants/shops overlooking the river.

Our favorite part of Brisbane...Shopping!!!

We took a two hour City Cat (ferry) ride on the Brisbane River...really cool. It was realllly hot out but the boat went pretty fast so we got a nice breeze!

A little friend we made :)

This was the first billboard we saw when we got off our bus in Brisbane...HA!!! So what if we like our carbs?!?

Adventures on the Gold Coast

Enjoying an ice cold Pure Blonde on Anthony's boat :)

Wakeboarding with our friends Matt and Anthony. We met Matt earlier in the week...he is from the Gold Coast and was a superb tour guide :) We both got up even though we were using a men's wakeboard, but definitely had our fair share of wipe-outs. The boys showed us up...lol.

Walking on the beach from our Main Beach hostel to Surfers...about 4 km away (yes, we measure in kilometers now.) It was a little windy this day, but it cleared up over the next few days and was beautiful. Fun Fact: they caught a 2.1 meter great white shark down the beach from here the day before we left the Gold Coast!

Our favorite past-time...Curling up in our bunkbed with our sharkies and a bottle of cheap wine, watching Sex and the City. We are currently on Season 3, Disc 2. Carrie is cheating on Aiden with Big, who is married to Natasha. Charlotte is about to get married to Trey, Miranda is dating a random guy she met speed-dating and Sammantha is doing her usual.

The view from our second hostel located in Main Beach on the Gold Coast. There are about ten different beaches that make up the Gold Coast...Surfers is the most popular tourist location. Our first hostel was in the heart of Surfers, but this one was on a quiet marina and was very relaxing.

At the ice bar "Minus Five" in Surfers... We stopped in to check out prices, and ended up getting a private tour for free because no one was there!! (And free drinks!!) It's nice being a girl :) (Thanks Nathan!!)

This one doesn't get a caption.

Sitting in the famous Surfer's Paradise chair right by the beach! About to go to an Irish Pub called Waxy's to grab a "jug" (thats what they call pitchers here)

So we got back from the bars and Ash passed out right away, leaving Holly to fend for herself with the wild ferocious gecko in our room. Holly's fear of bugs is growing rapidly. Luckily Ash has a strange tolerance and usually protects Holl from all Australia's creepy crawlies (i.e. cockroaches, huge spiders, geckos, bats, beetles, etc.)

We took a detour on our walk back from the mall in Surfer's and ended up in Batville. They are fruit bats, but will still bite you and carry diseases (and also live in swarms of 1000's.) Holly says it's gross, Ashley says it's cool.

Surfer's Paradise!

Hi everyone! We arrived in Surfer's Paradise 5 days ago and have been having a blast exploring the city!! It is a bit like Miami...a big city with a crazy nightlife located right on the beach! We just moved to a new hostel yesterday which is about a 3 mile walk from the heart of the city--which is nice, because its much more relaxing! Our first hostel was in the center of the city surrounded by clubs, which got a bit overwhelming after 4 nights. Indy is in 9 days here, and is apparently a HUGE deal...they have already blocked off a ton of streets and set up bleachers for the races! We are considering staying until then as everyone has been telling us how fun it is! Anyway, we will upload pictures later. Hope you're all doing well back home!!! xoxo

A vacation within a vacation

We have been staying with Bill and Chris Bailey for the past few nights in Suffolk Park/Byron Bay. (Ashley's dad Greg and her uncle Mick have been friends with Bill for over 20 years!) He and his wife Chris were gracious enough to welcome us into their beautiful home on the beach! We cannot thank them enough for the wonderful home-cooked meals and REAL beds--it feels like a vacation within a vacation! :) We are staying until Thursday, then heading up to Surfer's Paradise.


Bill took us to his good friend Mick's house. They live right outside of Nimbin in a commune called Turnable Falls and are almost entirely self sufficient--so cool! Mick even makes his own beer (green bottles) which was probably the best beer we have ever had! Thanks Mick! It even won first prize in a local brewing competition :) Mick also cooked us an incredible feast for dinner!

Us and Bill :)

Ash and Karma (Mick's daughter) at the top of Tuntable Falls after hiking straight up the mountain for the past hour. The view of the entire valley was well worth the steep incline!

Crystal clean water we walked through on our hike to Tuntable Falls with Bill and Karma.

Captain Holly flying the plane!!!

At Bill's farm... a few of his many cattle!! (he also has horses, sheep, and pigs! and kangaroos and dingos of course!)

Ash, Bill, and his plane! (about to go flying!)

Laying out at Lennox Beach...we packed PB and J's in our backpack and had a picnic!! :)

The view of Lennox Beach from Bill's plane! He took us over the city of Byron and all the beaches, and then over to his ranch (a 2o minute flight inland.)

A cool painting at the Beach Hotel...the title sums it up! We love Byron :)

The instructions on the hand-drier in the bathroom at a rest-stop... we laughed for HOURS on why the emu is drying his hands (because he doesn't have any.) Are we the only ones who find this HILARIOUS? (we still crack up every time we think about it)

Byron Bay

The swimming hole we stopped at on our way back from Nimbin.... We jumped from the cliffs in the top left corner!

At the top of some cliff right outside of Nimbin.

Self-explanatory...

After swimming in the ocean at Lennox Beach!

This was our first day in Byron Bay!! We walked down to the beach and just explored town--so beautiful! It's definitely our favorite town so far! :)