East Coast: Odds and ends (and reposts)

Part 2: Across NSW, then up to Rainbow Beach

Day 5: The Outback Explorer

My ride was set to be 13.5 hours and cover 1135 km, not too shabby!

I LOVED the first 11 hours of the train ride. Getting to watch the landscape gradually change, keeping my eyes peeled for critters (roos, goats – SO MANY GOATS, pigs, emus – full sized and baby ones), and just letting my thoughts wander was such a nice way to spend the day. Plus, about every 90 minutes or so we stopped at the next station eastward and got to stretch our legs on the platform. Much nicer than my flight over, which for relatively the same amount of time, had significantly fewer leg-stretching opportunities. A recurring thought throughout the day: not as barren as I thought. Still not teeming with trees and lush plant life, but a wide array of grasses, shrubbery and other bushes. By about 12:30, the ground appeared to be covered in soil more so than red gravelly rocks. Still red, but enough to support the growth of some medium-sized trees. At some point throughout the day, I crossed the time zone line and jumped forward half an hour, because Australia is weird like that. I was too enthralled by the view out my window to notice when it happened. 

Once it got dark around Katoomba (where I visited in January!), I was over the train ride. Mostly because it was 8 PM, I had to be up at 4:30, and I couldn’t even enjoy the view any more. But at least it was the least nice part of the view? Coming into the city means more concrete and less wide open, so if it had to be dark for any time, that would be it. We arrived at Sydney Central about 9:45, I got Thai takeaway for dinner, and went straight to bed. Luckily my hostel was a 4 minute walk from the train station, so I didn’t have far to go in the morning. 

Day 6: Sunshine Coast

Early risers rule! At least that’s how I was gaslighting myself into thinking booking the 6 AM flight to Sunshine Coast was a good idea. And it was, because I got to spend the better part of a day exploring a new place, savouring an iced latte and trying a “crookie” (croissant + chocolate chip cookie), going for a boat tour in Mooloolaba, trying some local prawns (with the heads on! A first time for everything), then taking my first Greyhound bus northbound to Rainbow Beach. 

The boat tour took us down the Mooloolaba canals, where we saw many vacation homes that were fancier than I could ever imagine. Towards the end, we went out near XYZ, and got to witness a trawler being towed in by another boat. In typical tourist fashion, we had a chance to steer the boat and of course a photo op:

After our cruise, I ventured to Prawn Star to try some prawns, seeing as they were so fresh. I had to concede and ask how the heck I was supposed to eat them, but got the hang of it eventually! I’ll be honest, it was a lot of work, even if they were tasty. 

Then it was time for my first Greyhound experience – a quintessential backpacker mode of transport. It was about a two and a half hour drive, with this segment of the route having a meal break at a rest stop with a Macca’s so I fuelled myself with only the finest frozen dairy dessert that money can buy before we were on our way again.

One thing about being in Queensland, is that it gets dark early! Our bus ride ended up slower than expected, and we arrived around 8:30, but you could have told me it was midnight. It was check into the hostel, shower, and straight to bed for me, because I had an early start for my K’gari 4×4 tour.