In my previous post, I talked about the first half of my Australia East Coast trip. I finished that post with Fraser Island and Noosa. This post picks up on the path further north after Noosa.

East Coast Stops

Emu Park

After Noosa, we went to the train station to catch the train to Rockhampton so we could go to Emu Park. We stayed at Emus Beach Resort, and we planned to only stay for two nights. We booked a trip out to Great Keppel Island to do some snorkeling at the southern end of the Great Barrier Reef. Most backpackers do not go to this location, but I think it was well worth the stop. I managed to get a lot of amazing photos while snorkeling off the island.

I planned to travel further north after just a couple of days, but Townsville had some severe flooding the prevented the trains from going any further north. Luckily the owner allowed me to do some work for accommodation until the trains started running again. I ended up staying in Emu Park for a total of ten days.

Airlie Beach

As soon as I had confirmation of a train going north of Emu Park, I joined the next group up to head off to Airlie Beach. I stayed at Base Backpackers while in Airlie Beach. Airlie Beach is where everyone goes to take the sailing trip around the Whitsundays. This trip almost didn’t happen for me because of the flooding issues, but it ended up working out in the end. I took a 2-day, 2-night sailing tour around the Whitsundays. The Whitsundays trip was another tour that is too big for this post, so read all about it here. I planned to only stay for another day or two before heading north again, but my next accommodation was sold out, so I had to add some extra nights in Airlie.

Magnetic Island

After the extra nights in Airlie Beach, we made our way to Magnetic Island. Magnetic Island was another fantastic stop, and I had three nights booked at Base Backpackers Magnetic Island. When we arrived on the island, we rented a 4WD car to see some of the main sights. We observed some wild koalas, went on the fantastic forts walk, and finished with some dinner and drinks together. I spent one of the days taking a walk along some of the trails near the hostel. One morning I also enjoyed a koala breakfast at Bungalow Bay Koala Village. I finally held a koala at this location as well!

Tully Rainforest

After Magnetic Island, we made our way to Tully to have an overnight Rainforest Experience. This stop was an optional extra trip that was well worth it. We stopped at a few spots on the way to the campsite in Tully Gorge National Park, including the golden gumboot. We set up camp and then had some dinner before taking a night nature watching drive. During the drive, we saw quite a few snakes and a few other animals. In the morning, we made our way to mission beach to hang out for a bit before the train arrived.

Cairns

Gilligan’s and Hot Air Balloon

The last leg of this journey was to head from Tully to Cairns. Upon arrival in Cairns, I made my way to Gilligan’s, where I would stay for the next six nights. Every day of the week, I went on a trip. The first morning I was up super early to go on a sunrise Hot Air Balloon tour. This trip was my first time going on a Hot Air Balloon, and it was well worth it! The sunrise wasn’t magnificent because of a lot of clouds but seeing the animals, and everything was stunning. It was also amazing to learn a bit about how they use the winds to control the balloon.

Tully River White Water Rafting

The second morning, I went on a white-water rafting trip down the Tully River. This trip took place in the camping area we went to a couple of nights earlier. The guide I had in my raft was even the same as the camping trip. I have gone rafting down quite a few rivers. I would rank the Tully River among my two favorites, the other being the Ocoee River in Tennessee. This river takes about four hours to complete, and we also had a stop for lunch in the middle. During the trip down, they also add a few fun activities during the slower sections, such as jumping off a rock and getting into some wars with the other rafts.

Fitzroy Island

I spent the next day going out to Fitzroy Island to do some sea kayaking. The weather wasn’t great this day either, but we still made the best of the trip. It was only four of us plus the guide. We couldn’t quite make it to the spot they usually go to because of the waves, but it was still fun. After returning from the kayaking, we had some lunch and were allowed to do whatever we wanted until the ferry came to take us back to the mainland. I tried to do some paddleboarding, but I need some more practice.

Diving the Great Barrier Reef

The next day I took a diving trip out to the Great Barrier Reef with Diver’s Den. Diving the reef has been a bucket list dive since I got my dive certification back in 2008. I did a total of three dives and saw so many amazing fish and marine life. I found Nemo and took some great photos of him. A triggerfish also attacked me, but it didn’t do any damage to me. Diver’s Den also offers a hosting program where you can do some work on the boat in exchange for some free diving. I was hoping to take advantage of this after I found a job, but the work I found didn’t allow me to do it.

Cape Tribulation

The last tour I took was with Uncle Brian’s to Cape Tribulation. This tour has quite a bit of driving, so the overnight visit is probably a little better option, but I only did the day tour. The first stop was in Port Douglas to have some mid-morning snacks. We stopped a few different lookouts for the fantastic views. The end of the tour was spent on a crocodile cruise to see some of the local wildlife.

Planning for the Future

After taking all of these trips, I figured my best option was to spend a couple of days to figure out what to do next. I decided to add a couple of nights at Gilligan’s but then found out that somehow, I already had two additional nights. This provided all the extra time I would need for planning. I inquired with the travel people at Gilligan’s for finding work, but they charge more than I wanted to spend for someone else to find me a job.

I then decided to move to Villa Vaucluse for five nights to get away from hostel life for a bit. During this time, I arranged to move into another hostel that was about to open. I planned to make myself valuable so that I could have a chance at getting some paid work. This decision ended up working out well for me since they did hire me, and it qualified to earn my second-year visa.

I spent the rest of my first year working at Summer House Backpackers Cairns. This post concludes my adventures from my first year in Australia.