Continuing along the coast 08.04. - 16.04.2017

An insert before the 3rd post: unfortunately, we couldn't upload the post earlier. The internet hasn't been very good in the past few weeks and we couldn't upload the pictures, but better late than never 😬 Please imagine that it's Easter Sunday, that's how long it's been since we've been trying to post the article online...

Hello everyone 🙋🏻🙋‍♂️, in the short time since our last post, we've come a long way. The stops along the coast heading north were:

Coffs Harbour

Byron Bay

Coolangatta

Coffs Harbour is located on the hills right off the highway. However, the traffic was not at all disturbing. There were cute ducks and rabbits on our campsite, strolling around and looking for food 😂. Around the banana capital, as the name suggests, there are extensive banana plantations. We visited them and tried freshly picked bananas 🍌 They were delicious! Along the plantations, there are small boxes where bananas or avocados are available for self-service for a few dollars, as you can see in the photo. Jana had to grab some for sure 😁. In Coffs Harbour, we visited one of the four beaches recommended by the receptionist at the campsite, the Diggers Beach. Great name 😂. The beach was incredibly beautiful and hardly crowded. Truly amazing. The weather has been great since Coffs Harbour 😍 It hasn't rained anymore and the sun has been shining all day.

On our way north, we made a stop in Byron Bay. The town is located at the easternmost point of the Australian mainland, where we also hiked. Years ago, the place was a hidden gem for backpackers from all over the world, but today it is a popular holiday destination for people from all walks of life. As a result, it was very crowded (+ the Easter holidays, which we didn't consider 🤦🏻‍♀️🤦‍♂️). We encountered a colorful mix of hippies and free spirits, high society, retirees, and many backpackers. Byron Bay has long been known as a metropolis of alternative living, and these characteristics are still very recognizable. The town exudes a true easy-going feeling and the street performers, cafes, and food stalls are very tempting for a leisurely stay 😊. Here, we tried our first ice cream and Australian fries. 😁 We would have loved to extend our stay in Byron Bay, but the prices during the Easter holidays prevented us from doing so. We stayed at one of the affordable campgrounds, but even there, the prices increased daily. When it was supposed to cost 90$ 😵😱 per night, we moved on 🚙.

We didn't know where to go, had no idea where to spend the night because everything was fully booked (Easter holidays 😠)! After about 20 phone calls, we finally got hold of a nice lady who said 'we'll find a place for a car' 👏'. Juuhuuu, so we entered the address in the GPS and ended up in Coolangatta. Luckily 😍 It's really really beautiful here. Everything just fits. The campsite, the beach (2.5 km away, which we walk to every day 👣 😅), the weather, the town itself. We would love to stay here much longer and truly enjoy a vacation. But even here (although cheaper than in Byron Bay), it's a bit expensive at the moment due to the holiday season. The town is located in the well-known state of Queensland, so we have already visited two states. Coolangatta also marks the beginning of the popular Gold Coast. The first high-rise buildings and larger hotels shape the beautiful cityscape 😍. Here, it is still really peaceful and quiet, in contrast to the other holiday resorts of the Gold Coast, like Surfers Paradise, where it's supposedly very busy, full of tourists and lots of traffic.

Since we don't really need that, we are taking the alternative route (for nature lovers 😅) and driving through the national parks and rainforests in Queensland. From Monday, we will be in the Springbrook National Park, and from Wednesday in Lamington. Just for comparison, a night there costs 12$ 😳. But there definitely won't be any luxury or standard sanitary facilities 😱. We will report... it's very likely that we won't have any reception or internet there, so if we don't contact you, nothing happened to us, we will just be out of civilization 😂. But we hope to see many animals there. Of course, there will be a post with pictures 😊.

We always look forward to your messages 😊. See you soon and have a wonderful Easter Sunday. Enjoy your days off ♥️. We're spending the day at the beach today ⛱🏄‍♀️ 😁.

PS. One new acquisition is our bodyboard, which allows us to ride the waves while lying down, and it's so much fun! How amazing must it be when surfing?! We definitely want to try that sometime too.