We decided to leave for the Gold Coast on a Wednesday. Thankfully we don’t have class on Thursdays and Fridays so the timing couldn’t be better. Actually, it could have, I was extremely sick and dreading a little bit getting on a plane. Our first stop was Surfers Paradise and somehow, upon arriving, I felt better already.
As soon as we checked in at our hostel, we bought tickets for a pub crawl around 4 different bars and we thought it was a great way to meet people from our hostel. At a club, they wouldn’t let us in because we didn’t have our passports with us, so remember to have it with you as in some places they don’t accept regular ID’s.
The next day we decided to have breakfast on the beach. It wasn’t the best idea as it started to rain and we had to get some cover. After that the sun came out and we tanned for a couple of hours. Needless to say, we got really sunburned. We walked back to our hostel wondering where all the people were. I guess it’s better if you go during the summer. That night we went to Melbas and we danced to latin music.
Our plan for the next day was to go to Burleigh Heads. We didn’t really know where we were going so we just walked around and stumbled upon this beautiful little beach and we were the only ones there! We took some pictures and kept walking. Sand was almost like quicksand and the water, though cold, was completely crystal clear.
It rained all through the night and the morning so we were pretty glad we were leaving. We got to Byron Bay and the weather was so good! We hiked up to the Lighthouse, which took us about two hours and even though we were pretty tired when we got to the top, the view was completely worth it. We got back to town and decided to have lunch at a karaoke place. After a couple of drinks, we were on stage giving our best performance of Tell me Why by the Backstreet Boys. After that we went to this really cool bar called The Mez Club where drinks ranged from Espresso Martinis to Jalapeño Palomas.
The next day we really wanted to go to Nimbin, but it was kind of expensive to get there and they told us that there wouldn't be that many people because it wasn't summer so we thought it wasn't really worth it. We just chilled at the beach and went on a guided tour at one of the breweries so they could show us how they made their beer. Always pay attention to the activities list on hostels as it’s a great way to meet people.
Our third stop was Brisbane. When we got there we had lunch around the Botanical Gardens and later went to the Art Gallery. Really close from there, you can see the Brisbane Festival. Every day at night they have light shows on the river and so many other activities. We went to Séance which is an immersive audio experience which was really creepy and fun. We later had dinner at this delicious and authentic Italian restaurant called Julius.
On our last day there we went to the Southbank which has a pool, a fake beach and a beautiful park with art installations around it. There is also a free ferry you can take to move around the city and plus, there’s free wifi everywhere! After that we went to Mount Coot-tha that offers an amazing view of the whole city. Before leaving we went to the Contemporary Museum which is not as big as the Art Gallery but it was still worth it.
So our last stop was Noosa! For some reason it felt like we had been traveling forever and at this point we were exhausted. We went hiking (for around 3-4 hours) at the National Park and the views were just amazing. There you can see Hell’s Gate, the Fairy Pools and if you’re really attentive you might even spot some dolphins! After our hike we were really tired and luckily we found this private beach and even though the water was very cold, we got in and it was so refreshing. Honestly, it was one of the best experiences of my life.
On our last day we just chilled around the beach, we watched the sunset and we could already feel the dread of the trip ending and having to go back to Sydney and back to the routine.