73rd-78th day 27.11. - 02.12. Gympie / Noosa

Tuesday 27.11.

In the morning, I had an unpleasant wake-up call. I slept in my car in just my underwear and was woken up at 6:15 by knocking. There was a parking attendant outside the car who told me that I was illegally camping. I was quite surprised and told her that I didn't know. She explained to me the difference between 'self-contained vehicles' and normal cars. Self-contained vehicles have a built-in toilet and shower, which my car does not have. She informed me that this illegal camping would now cost $261. But she let it slide and offered me the chance to leave within the next 5 minutes and not do it again. I got dressed as quickly as I could! So back on the road, I headed to a nearby national park by the beach. I drove on a very bumpy off-road road until I reached the beach and set up my camp there.

I got on my surfboard and tried to surf, but the weather was more like a storm and the waves weren't good. And when I noticed the lightning and thunder, I quickly made my way back and took the off-road track so that I wouldn't get trapped. 

I then went on a journey of about 200 km and found a nice rest area to sleep.

Wednesday 28.11.

In the morning, I headed to Gympie and went to a workshop. I wanted to find out what oil my car needs, as it was on my car to-do list. After getting the information, I bought a bottle of oil and a replacement light bulb from Autobarn, as my right front light wasn't working. However, I only noticed at the next rest area that it wasn't the light bulb but the entire plug that was broken. So this meant I would have to repair it myself or have it repaired at some point. I spent the rest of the day at the rest area at the table and in the hammock. Suddenly, I became alert because I heard a convoy of trucks, and what a convoy it was. 18 fully occupied fire trucks from Brisbane were driving north on the highway to the many bushfires. And about an hour later, the same picture again, but in yellow. 14 yellow fire trucks from New South Wales were driving north and were welcomed by honking and cheering bystanders. This must be a great relief for the people around Agnes Water. In the evening, I wanted to sleep in the car, but it was too hot, so I set up the hammock and slept in it with my sleeping bag. I woke up at 4 am and went back to sleep in the car.

Thursday 29.11.

I spent the morning at the rest area, reading my travel guidebook and chilling. In the afternoon, I headed towards Noosa, a beautiful holiday town about 1 hour north of Brisbane. This town is known as a luxurious holiday town and is also beautifully and partly lavishly furnished. Noosa has a very nice bathing beach and the surf beach leaves nothing to be desired with very good waves. There is also a very good surf spot for kite surfers, as a wide river flows from the sea into the city.

I had a nice afternoon, swam a little, admired the surfers and kite surfers, and enjoyed the sun. I also saw a cool-looking surfer who was surfing with a foil board and paddle on the open sea. But the prices for the courses bothered me because compared to Agnes Water, 3 hours of surfing lessons cost 3-5 times as much. I called a low-budget campground to see if I could stay there tonight and the owner said yes. As I was getting hungry, I checked my bank account just to be safe. And that was a very wise decision because I only had $40 left. So I was almost broke. And what do you do in such a situation, well it's obvious. I treated myself to a juicy burger for $20, which tasted even better with a view of the luxurious shopping street. 

Then I made my way to the campground about 20 km away. There I met Lene Madsen, an 18-year-old girl from Hamburg. We talked a bit, but since the mosquitoes were very aggressive right by the lake, we both went to sleep. I slept in the tent again, as I could set it up to be 99% mosquito-proof. 

Friday 30.11.

In the morning, Lene and I had breakfast together and then drove to Noosa to go swimming. I had my surfboard and bodyboard with me and felt really cool walking to the beach with a surfboard under my arm. It's a great feeling. We spent several hours at the beach and the waves were very nice. We also witnessed a wedding on the beach, which looked absolutely beautiful. When we returned to our cars, there was an unpleasant surprise waiting for us. A $65 parking fine, which wasn't very helpful considering my current financial situation. 

In the afternoon, we picked up a friend. Ida Elmholdt Bland is a Danish girl and a really lovely girl. We drove together to a lookout point and enjoyed the view. 

Suddenly, we heard a chirping sound and saw a baby owl that had fallen out of its nest and was crying for help. After making some phone calls, we took the owl to a vet and did a good deed. 

In the evening, we cooked curry together, played German, Danish, and international Christmas songs, and had a cozy evening.

Saturday 01.12.

So, the first Advent, 35°C in the shade, and on the other side of the world, that's the way I like it. After a leisurely breakfast, we went to Sunshine Beach near Noosa, where we spent the day. I spent most of the time in the water on the surfboard. 

The waves there were really good and fun to surf. In the afternoon, the girls went for a hike, but I had soaked up too much sun, so I went back to the camp. There, I searched for jobs on gumtree and quickly found one. I would be working as a gardener and landscaper in Brisbane on Monday morning, with the possibility of more work days. 

Sunday 02.12.

The three of us had breakfast together, made some oats, and then I said goodbye to them. My journey continued towards Brisbane, but I wanted to go for a hike first. Starting in Sunshine Beach, I walked through the Noosa National Park, passed a surf competition, and made it to Alexandria Bay.

This sandy beach is indirectly one of the most popular nude beaches, although it was quite empty. I continued hiking and reached a viewpoint (Hell's Gate) where turtles were swimming in the water. I walked barefoot for most of the way, which earned me some respect and astonished looks. But it was a pleasant feeling to hike in nature. In Alexandria Bay, I skinny-dipped to cool off as I was quite sweaty. Then I made my way back to the car and headed towards Brisbane. I spent the night at a rest area 30 km before Brisbane, had some conversations with locals and a young German couple, and then went to sleep. The next day, work would start at 8:30.