Mission Beach - A Secret Paradise

Time flies! After leaving Magnetic Island, I went to Mission Beach. Before arriving, I never thought that I would enjoy my time there more than any other place I had been to in the previous weeks 😍👌 But let me start from the beginning. From the already very small town, you have to take a shuttle for a few kilometers to reach the hostel, which is located in the middle of the forest. On the drive, I sat next to a Dutch guy who told me that the hostel team would be going out for dinner that evening and all guests were invited. I didn't need to be told twice, and within an hour of my arrival, we were already back in the shuttle, this time heading to Bingli's Burger Bar. They had a great special offer: burger, fries, and a beer for $15 👌🍔🍟🍺 The burgers there are huge. So we all sat at a large table and waited for our food. I sat next to Elisa from Italy, who was also staying in my room. We immediately started talking and I found out that she is very interested in Latin! That was quite rare during my trip 😉 Anyway, we agreed to go out together the next day and explore the area. The food was amazing, simply fantastic 😋 The portions were already big, but I also got to help finish a pizza and eat Elisa's fries. Good deal for so much food 😅 After returning to the hostel, we went to the bar. One of the team members was celebrating their farewell, so there was a lot of drinking. Of course, there were also drinking games like the always popular Ring of Fire🍷🍻 I also teamed up with my fellow countrywoman Bella (from Cottbus) for a game of beer pong, but unfortunately, we were narrowly defeated 😔 We sat together for a long time that evening, very long. So it was already late at night when we went to bed 😴

I didn't want to sleep too long the next morning so that I could take advantage of the free breakfast 😆 After breakfast, I realized that Daphne and Iris from the sailing trip had also been in my room. They hadn't been to the restaurant and were already sleeping when the rest of the room came back from the bar. But they were already on their way to Cairns in the morning. Then we went shopping and from there to one of the beaches, which I briefly checked out before going back to the supermarket where I had arranged to meet Elisa to go into the rainforest. We were driven there by a hostel staff member and then set off together into the jungle, which was only about a kilometer long. So we took advantage of the remaining time to go swimming in the pleasantly cool water. It was the first time I had been in a real rainforest, and it was something special, even though we didn't spot any big animals. I also had a great conversation with Elisa, who I noticed has a lot of common interests with me, like sports, languages, and traveling... She lives in Trieste, right on the Slovenian border, and has not only invited me to her home (of course, I have also invited her to Pomster), but we have also agreed to go on a vacation together to Slovenia and Croatia in the future. It's going well 😊 By the way, we were the only ones around and didn't see anyone else walking along the hiking trails for hours. Afterwards, we took another slightly longer path that led back through the rainforest. The ground there was very slippery, so it was a bit of a struggle to walk around in flip-flops 😆 But anyway, we managed 😉 On the way back, we made a little mistake and unfortunately went in the wrong direction 😂 To make matters worse, we were then overtaken by Callum in the hostel shuttle, but he didn't recognize us, so we couldn't ride with him. But eventually, after walking along the road for about an hour, we passed a fruit stand where someone had just bought something and was headed towards the hostel. They offered us a ride. Perfect 👍 So we got in the car and went home. We arrived after about 10 minutes. It would have been quite a walk. When we were in the hostel, the next shuttle was already about to leave for its round. And since we wanted to see the waterfall, where you can also jump into the water from a rock outcrop, it was time to get in and go for it 🚓 At the waterfall parking lot, there were six of us - Frida (DEN), Jessie (NZL), Callum, Mitch (both UK), Elisa, and me - and we started the trail that led through a creek. After about five minutes, we saw the relatively small but beautiful waterfall in front of us. The water in front of the waterfall is very deep, so you can jump in without any problem, from a rock that is about 6-7 meters above the water surface. So one after another, we went up and then down into the depths. It's definitely different from jumping off the diving tower at the swimming pool, but it was incredibly fun, even though it looks very deep from up there. Afterwards, we swam and splashed around in the creek for a while before heading back. But the day was not over yet. During our walk through the rainforest, Elisa told me that she goes running at home very often, more or less every day, and would like to do the same in Mission Beach. So we agreed to go for a short jog together in the early evening. I noticed that my fitness is definitely not the same as it used to be when I was still in Germany, but I managed to get through the hour without too much exhaustion. Elisa did too. It was very nice to see the lush landscape on both sides and listen to the chirping of countless different birds during our run through the empty streets. Pure nature 😍 When we returned to Jackaroo, it was getting dark. After showering and having dinner, I started packing my things and went back to the bar, where most of the people from the previous evening were once again. I had a great evening with Elisa, as well as Mitch and Darija, who are both from England and work in the hostel. There were no drinking games this time, but we ordered a bottle of white wine together 😊🍾 Eventually, things started to break up and everyone went to bed one by one.

It was actually quite sad - well, very sad is more accurate - but the last day in Mission Beach came for me after just two nights at Jackaroo. Since my bus wasn't going to arrive until late afternoon, I had a lot of free time. So, once again with Elisa, we went to the beach first. In most of the sea at Mission Beach, swimming is not allowed because of the highly dangerous stinger jellyfish. Only in a small area was a net put up around a barrier, so you can swim there as well. We spent about an hour in this small zone until Mitch joined us and we took a little walk along the beach together. Then we went back into the water and back to the shuttle. At the bus stop, I ran into a 'old' acquaintance by chance: Sophia! 😊 She was actually already in Cairns but had come to Mission Beach for half a day to do her skydive there. She was waiting for it. I later saw the pictures on Instagram, it's definitely a great place to jump out of a plane 😉 But Abel Tasman was, I believe, still the better choice for me 😊 Anyway, after returning to the hostel, there was a two-hour break. During this time, I went to the pool at Jackaroo with Elisa before I had to say goodbye to her, which definitely wasn't easy for me. But I'm really looking forward to seeing her again in Europe 😙 She was going to spend the next two weeks as a WWOOFer in the middle of the rainforest, at the Sanctuary Retreat, about a kilometer away from the hostel. I, on the other hand, had two more hours and used them to have shuttle driver Lisa (someone else from Germany 😉) drive me to a small hiking trail that leads up a hill and goes through the forest. However, I didn't spot many animals, just lots of butterflies in all possible colors. There was also a good view from the summit. From there, I headed back and arrived at the parking lot one hour before the shuttle. So I sat on the rocks on the coast for a while and let my gaze wander over the beach landscape. It's really a beautiful place and above all so peaceful and natural. Plus, a great hostel and really nice people. Those who skip Mission Beach are definitely making a mistake. When I arrived, I never thought I would say that after my stay, but overall, my time in Mission Beach was definitely one of my best experiences in Australia 😍🏖🏞 If I had known that before, I would have loved to stay longer 😊

I will soon share how I ended my first time in Australia - the second time will definitely come and I already know 99% when 😉😉😉 (see report of the time just before the sailing trip) - in Cairns. Spoiler alert: It will be worth reading 😊

See you soon!

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