After the relaxed stop in Agnes Water, it was time to move further south in order to be in Sydney on time for my flight. Some 4 hours later, the bus dropped me off in Hervey Bay. Though substantial in size, there was not much to do in town while I was there. It is a very popular place for spotting whales, but the season had already ended in November. So I took the opportunity to spend some more time at the beach, which was very pleasurable due to the many shady spots. I also explored the botanical gardens a little and went to see the sunset from the Urangan Pier, which was incredibly long. Misreading the bus signs meant that I walked a total of 20 kilometers that day in 30 degree weather and on my flip flops, but a delicious ice cream made up for the soar feet. Hervey Bay also brought some unforeseen costs with it, as my phone no longer wanted to charge and in order to stay in contact with my beloved other half of the world, I had to get it fixed. So no worries, I’m only one call away again!


Why go to Hervey Bay if there is nothing to do? Well, the main reason for me to go to Hervey Bay was for what lays some 40 minutes off the coast: Fraser Island, or K’Gari (meaning paradise, pronounced as Gurri) in the local Aboriginal language. 120 kilometers long and 24 kilometers wide, Fraser Island is the largest sand island in the world, and has been growing for some 750,000 years. What makes this sand island so special though, is its ecological ability to grow an abundance of plants and trees, with several unique species.

I was to explore this island with a two-day tour in several 4WDs that would take our group around the island. With an early pickup in the morning and a stop for some groceries we arrived at the ferry to cross the Great Sandy Strait. Immediately upon arrival at Fraser, it was very clear that this island was sandy; the roads were just tracks in the sand making the drives across the island very bumpy at times. With a time schedule because of the tides, we first made a quick stop at ‘Central Station’. Though no train rides on the island, the island used to be used for tree logging and Central Station functioned as the loggers’ base camp. After a stroll along one of the clearest creeks I’ve ever seen, Wanggoolba Creek, we headed to our accommodation for the night to drop off our stuff and some lunch. Can you spot the water in the photos?


The first real bumps and difficult patches were experienced, with two of our cars being stuck for a short while in a very soft part of the sand. It was also our first experience on Fraser Island’s main highway: 75-Mile Beach. This beach stretches across the length of the island and is used not only as the main road, but also as a landing strip for airplanes. A really cool experience to drive so close to the waves!

After lunch it was time for some fun in Lake Birrabeen. When we first arrived, everyone was a bit disappointed; the lake was very brown and did not look appealing at all. But soon as our guide explained it was because of the surrounding tea trees that the water looked brown, and that it was not only completely safe but also very healing to swim, everyone stripped off their clothes to take a dive in the refreshing water. The day ended with some very good pasta,  a spectacular sunset and somewhat later a stunning Milky Way on the highway. We also spotted our first dingo on Fraser, which has a population of about 200. An amazing first day in paradise!


After a sweaty couple of hours of sleep, my alarm went off at 4:30am. With some 15 others we strolled down to the highway again just in time to see the sun rise from the ocean. Though tired and annoyed by the many horse flies, it was a breathtaking sight. (Please don't judge the photo, yes I am in pyjamas, and yes I was tired)



With breakfast ready when we got back, everyone was ready quite early and so we set off to the Pinnacles for a short photo stop at this coloured sand hill. We couldn’t leave without a group photo with our 4WDs either and so it took another 20 minutes before every camera on the tour had a picture on it. On the way we spotted our second dingo, and got pretty close this time with the car. Next off was the Wreck of the Saheno, a shipwreck that stranded on Fraser Island in 1935 after having served as a cruise ship and WWI hospital ship. It was also used as a shooting practice site in WWII which caused great instability due to which you’re not allowed to climb the rusty wreck.


By the time we had left the wreck it had already warmed up considerably again and it was time for another dip, this time in Eli Creek. It is the largest permanent creek on the island and also the coldest as it is fed by an underwater spring. This was a really fun creek to swim through, as even though it was only about 20 cm deep, the stream was quite fast and with the rubber bands it was amazing to float down!

After our last lunch on Fraser it was time to see the most known lake on the island: Lake McKenzie. The road there was the bumpiest road I have ever been on, we tried holding onto everything we could, but after 40 minutes we were all soar and tired from the ride. It was also a difficult road with heaps of soft sand, and several buses in front of us got stuck. Luckily it didn't delay us too much so we still had enough time to admire the beautiful Lake McKenzie. The water is so pure that it is unsuitable for most species, but the combination with the white silica sand (like on Whitehaven Beach) results in a stunning contrast. The water had a pleasurable temperature and we spent about an hour there before returning back to the ferry. Thank you Fraser Island for another unforgettable and unique experience on the East Coast! Just two more weeks to go in paradise before it is time to head back to the Netherlands!

After a rather hectic Christmas and NYE period, it is time to relax. And you cannot do anything better than in the small town of Agnes Water, where I stayed for 5 nights. This was not only to recover a little from the fast travelling of the past 2 weeks, but also because I had to wait for my Fraser Island tour to start. With a local population of around 1800 people and one main street with some shops and a supermarket, Anges Water is a relatively unknown stop along the touristy East Coast of Australia. But it is worth a stop nonetheless.

Living up to its name (which it got from a lost ship at sea), everything in Agnes Water surrounds itself around water. Not only do you need to drink loads of water to combat the heat, with a main beach of 5.5 km long and several other quiet beaches around, you can really relax here while going for a swim. But more importantly, Anges Water is the most northern town where you can surf. At the Reef to Beach surf school you can take a beginners surfing lesson for just $17 (or if you book through bookme.com $13), a real bargain compared to the 60 bucks you spend on surfing in tourist towns like Byron Bay. As a real backpacker I could not let this deal slip through my fingers so after a day of recovering from a long nightbus to Agnes, it was time for me to become even more Australian and learn how to surf.

After a lenghty introduction it was time to catch our first waves; sandwaves to be precise. To practise our paddling and standing up techniques, our surf trainers made us paddle on the sand until everyone was doing it exactly like they wanted us to. Quite a tiring experience, as you put in all the effort but your board stays in the exact same spot (and it just also looks ridiculous).

Luckily, though, most of us got used to the techniques quite quickly and so it was time to catch real waves this time. The water was really calm and had perfect small waves for beginners, but still the first two or three times I did not manage to stand up before ending up on the sand again. One of the surf trainers, however, took some extra time to explain me his special technique of getting onto his board and right after I surfed on my first wave ever! It really is a magnificent feeling floating on top of the water like that, until you hit the sand and fall off quite ridiculously. For $13 though it is really
worth the effort (and the immense sunburn).


A bit further north of Agnes Water sits the very small town of Seventeen Seventy (1770) with a local population of about 80 people. This somewhat extended part of Agnes Water is a very known spot among both locals and tourists that go off the beaten tracks. What makes this part so special is that it is one of the three places on the East Coast of Australia where you can see the sun set over water. A very friendly guy from our hostel offered to drive me and two other backpackers there and I have to admit that it was quite spectacular.

And so the next day I decided that I had to do another water (and sunset) related activity while spending my time here: I went kayaking during the sunset with a chance of spotting wildlife like dolphins and turtles. The tour was 2,5 hours and took us up and down the estuary near 1770 while we learned a lot about the surrounding national parks, towns and animals. We were a bit unfortunate with the wildlife, but a unexpectedly spectacular sunset made it very much worth it. It was really different from the other sunset, but the colours were so magnificent while colouring the sky that it really felt like it was being painted right before your eyes.


A very different encounter with the water here only occurs during the summer months: thunderstorms with heavy rainfall. Two nights in a row there was a spectacular lightning show right above us while the rain poured down on the roofs. The electricity was cut off and there were even rumours that the Greyhound buses would not drive due to flooded roads. Fortunately, this turned out to be a false rumour, but nonetheless we spent several hours in the dark waiting for the storms to pass. This rainfall also resulted in a very unexpected account with water. Recommended by the hostel I set off to do the Paperbark Forest Walk, a cute 15 minute walk that took me about an hour walking to get there. The first steps into the forest are mindblowing, as the trees are so different than the rest of the surrounding nature. Walking on stepping stones and wooden boardwalks I soon realized, however, that I would not return home with dry feet. The heavy rainfall had flooded the walk, making it look like I was walking on water. Still worth the wet feet though!


Agnes Water really surprised me, and so it does with many other people here. In my hostel there are several people who had planned on being here for either an hour or a night, but ended up staying 2 full months. I can see why, this quaint small town really shows the charms of Australia's East Coast without all the touristy attractions you find in the well-known towns along the way. A definite must-do if you have the time!

First of all, I want to wish you all a very happy, healthy and adventurous 2018! I hope that all your dreams may come through and that you can see many places on this beautiful earth!

The last days of 2017, I spent in Airlie Beach and the nearby Whitsundays. I arrived quite late in Airlie Beach, but was happy to find out that I knew people from Magnetic Island and thus I spent my first night with them. The next morning it was already time to leave Airlie Beach behind for a moment to explore the reason why Airlie Beach is such a famous stop on the East Coast: the Whitsundays. With a 2 night sailing tour I was ready to explore these 74 islands and islets.

Our first afternoon on the sailing boat the Mandarake centered around procedures on board as well as getting to know the boat, crew and other passengers. With only 14 passengers it was very easy to get to know everyone at least a little bit, and they turned out to be great company. We put up the sails and set off to the spot where we would spent the night. On our way there it was already quite evident that the Whitsundays are definitely worth a visit. The views are stunning and especially viewing the island groups from a boat gives a different feel to it. After dinner we chilled a bit on deck, but the intense amount of information seemed to have drained a couple of us so it was an early night. Luckily the tiredness made falling asleep a bit easier than expected. The rocking of the boat, the unknown noises, the heat (there is no airconditioning) and the snoring of 3 people on board did not bother much as I quickly feel into a deep sleep.


The next day breakfast was served at 6:15 in order to make it to Whitehaven Beach as one of the first groups. This 7km stretch of white beach is very impressive to see, and the different currents give a different view on the beach every single time you go to the lookout points. The sand is made up of 98% silica due to which it gets its white colour. Due to the silica the sand does not warm up like normal sand does, making it pleasant to walk on even on the hottest days of summer. It also means that if you drop your phone or camera, they are ruined as the sand is so fine it will get into every single hole. The whiteness of the sand was very impressive, and though we were not the first ones to arrive, the view was still magnificent.




After Whitehaven Beach, it was time to explore another feature of the Whitsundays: snorkeling. Airlie Beach is the Heart of the Great Barrier Reef thus gives plenty of opportunity to dive and snorkel the reef here as well. In total we did three different snorkels, two on the second day and one on the third day. Every single one of them was different, and also different from Cairns. It was a busier at these spots than when we were in Cairns, making it a bit more difficult to move around. However, the amount of fish was incredible. Unfortunately we did not spot turtles or sharks, but the corals and fish definitely made up for that. The fish here were way bigger than up in Cairns, especially 'George' a giant Maori Wrasse that can grow up to 2.3m long. The corals were very pretty, though I thought that the corals up in Cairns were a bit more diverse in colour. All in all, I was very happy to have both experiences on my trip, as both were unique enough to keep on making it extremely impressive. The fish you can see below are flatfish, and ones you do not want to eat, as they feed themselves with poo :)

With one of the prettiest sunsets I have ever seen we finished off the second day with good conversations on the deck. A very special thanks to the crew on the Mandrake for making the Whitsundays a definite highlight in my East Coast trip! If you ever travel down here, be sure not to miss this piece of paradise!


Upon return to Airlie Beach, there was an afterparty in one of the bars and we discussed our plans for New Years Eve the next day. Airlie Beach is well known for its location close to the Great Barrier Reef and the Whitsundays, but I have to admit that the town itself does not have a lot to offer despite swimming and drinking. It only has a population of about 1200 people and despite its name the beach is really small and does not have a stinger net in stinger season. The lagoon provides some relief from the heat, but there is not much shade around. I had burned myself a little on the boat, and thus this meant that my last day of 2017 was spent in a hammock in the shade reading a nice book. Luckily the sun sets around 7pm, so that gave us enough time to enjoy NYE without having to worry about the sun. Together with two girls from the Mandarake boat I had dinner and we danced in a bar before watching the fireworks on the beach. A few guys from the boat tour joined us shortly after and we enjoyed the first hours of 2018 together! Day one of 2018 I spent with two Dutch guys from the Mandrake chilling at the hostel's kitchen playing games and complaining about the heat, our tiredness and life in general. A very Dutch way to start the new year... Nevertheless I really enjoyed my time in Airlie Beach as the people I was surrounded by really helped me get through another festivity away from home! With just 3,5 weeks to go, time is flying by, and even though I love it hear, I must admit that I am really looking forward to seeing you all again!