Agnes Water & The Whitsunday Islands

Southern Cross Backpackers 

We stayed in Agnes Water for three nights, at what has to be the nicest hostel we’ve stayed in so far - only took me six weeks to find one I liked! Situated on sixteen acres of land, Southern Cross Backpackers was more like a tropical holiday resort than a place for weary and slightly dirty backpackers to lay their heads for a few nights. With it’s own lake, chilli patch, horse field and individual wooden cabins, all with ensuite bathrooms, we definitely felt like we had hit the jackpot. Wifi was free, along with breakfast every morning and tea and coffee all day long. There was a pool for relaxing next to, as well as hammocks located all over the grounds (on the off chance you needed to rest after actually doing something strenuous.) Whilst in Agnes we took part in the Scooter Roo Tours - $75 for four hours worth of motorcycling around the town and spotting wild kangaroos (made sure to tell my parents about it AFTER the ride.) Within the first five minutes we were applying our fake tattoos and donning our leather jackets, complete with flamed embroidery - obviously! The route took us all around Agnes Water and Town 1770, named after the year Captain Cook first discovered it, as well as down to the marina to watch the sunset. Admittedly, I was not the best rider, but that didn’t take away from the experience. Being able to see the wild kangaroos in their natural environment was one of the coolest things we’ve done so far, as well as being able to see this pretty incredible end to the day. 

Fraser Island (And a Little Bit of Rainbow Beach)

Driving on Fraser Island

Rainbow Beach…a beautiful, sometimes sunny and ridiculously boring place to be. That pretty much sums up the five days that we spent at Fraser’s On Rainbow, after having to extend our stay before our weekend trip to Fraser Island. After arriving on the Monday and coming to the conclusion that there was next to nothing to do, the realisation that we were stuck there for the next week hit us hard. Luckily, the amazingly speedy wifi soon perked us up, and within the hour we were happily downloading movies and catching up with the latest How I Met Your Mother in no time (Finally got to see the ending!) 
To be fair, we did eventually manage to find some things to keep us entertained. For $30 on Thursday morning we headed over on the ferry to Tin Can Bay, where we were able to see a group of wild dolphins coming in for their breakfast. For another $5 we were actually able to get in the water with them and hand feed them, which was an amazing experience - despite the fact I had a slimy dead fish in my hands and the woman told me off for wearing my flip-flops near the edge (apparently dolphins are well known for their dislike of Havaianas) 
That afternoon we also did the hostel’s daily sunset walk, which took us up to the Caloola sand dunes where we went sand-boarding and, you guessed it, watched the sunset. That was definitely one of those ‘I can’t quite believe this is my life’ moments, as we sat together in silence and took in the beautiful view, with only one woman’s ukulele to be heard. 

One Month In - Surfers, Brisbane & Noosa

Brisbane's Man Made Lagoon 

So we’ve been in Australia for one month now, which is hard to believe as it feels like it should be so much longer. We’ve slept in a total of six different hostels and nine different rooms, experienced both city and town life, and done things I could have only imagined doing. We’ve met friends that’ll continue on with us, and friends that we’ve been sad to say goodbye to. Friends that have lasted a day, or some that have just been part of one evening. Sitting on the bottom bunk today, writing this with a fan directed solely at my head and desperately trying to stream the season finale of How I Met Your Mother, I think it’s safe to say that we’ve well and truly adjusted into the backpacking life. Since starting our Oz adventure on March 6th, we’ve visited Sydney, Byron Bay, Surfers Paradise, Brisbane and now Noosa. We’ve hiked mountains, visited Steve Irwin’s zoo and canoed around the Everglades - it’s pretty surreal to think this is actually my life, after what seems like years of saving up, planning and waiting. 

Backpacking Tips & Tricks

The more people you eat with, the cheaper it'll be.

1 - I’ve mentioned it before, but don’t assume that because you’re backpacking, you must have a backpack. I came out with a 120L capacity backpack and within just a few room changes I was ready to dump it and leave all my worldly possessions behind. A suitcase will become your best friend - easy to move, easy to pack, and most of all - easy to see where the hell all your stuff is! There is nothing more frustrating than trying to find a specific item of clothing and looking like a vet with his arm inside a cow - trust me, wheels are best.

2 - Never be afraid to ask for the odd cheeky discount. When buying my suitcase it was $199, a little over my budget. But after a simple question of ‘do you do backpackers discount…?’ I had managed to work $80 off - bargains! 

3 - Suncream suncream suncream. I can’t stress this enough - anything under SPF 50 and you will burn. To be honest, even with SPF 50 you’ll still have the odd lobster day. The ozone layer is a lot thinner in Australia, making it deceivingly difficult to guess when you need to apply. Simple solution - buy the aerosol kind and top up regularly, no stickiness, no greasy hands and you’ll be covered within 20 seconds. 

Top 10 Highlights So Far

1 - Jet boating around Sydney Harbour