Australia 4: Noosa, Brisbane, Lone Pine Sanctuary & Byron Bay

Next stop was Noosa, also a tourist destination in Australia, but it was also very beautiful and worth a visit. Here we stood on a stand-up paddle board for the first time and we didn't do too bad.

After two days there, we continued to Brisbane. The city, which I didn't expect much from, really surprised me in a positive way. A really pretty city that has a lot to offer. It started with our YHA hostel, the hotel chain that we almost exclusively chose because here you could rely on a certain standard, good location, and fair prices. The same was true in Brisbane. We were relatively centrally located and even had a rooftop terrace with a pool and a view of the skyline. In Brisbane, we took part in a free boat trip offered by a kind of hop-on hop-off boat. We cruised along the Brisbane River and watched the sunset, which happened quite early, around 6 pm. Normally, there are three time zones in Australia. When the clock is switched to daylight saving time (from October to March/April), two more time zones are created. The city reminded me, especially because of the Brisbane River, of Frankfurt am Main. Home can be close after all 😉

From Brisbane, we took a trip to the nearby Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary. It is the world's first and largest koala sanctuary with more than 130 koalas. But there are also kangaroos, wallabies, wombats, various birds and parrots, dingos, and platypuses living here. Of course, we saw all the animals as well as a bird of prey and herding dog show. It was definitely worth a visit, especially when we all could hold a koala in our hands for a photo.

After a city trip and cuddling with koalas, it was time for the next beach, and that was our next stop, Byron Bay. Originally not planned at all, but since everyone recommended us to take a look there, we did. Well, what can you say. As always and no longer surprising for us, it was really beautiful here too. It's also a small tourist destination with many shops, bars, restaurants, and a beautiful beach for relaxing. We could only stay for one night here. Besides a relaxed afternoon at the beach, we also visited the Cape Byron Lighthouse the next day. The lighthouse is located at the easternmost point of the Australian mainland.