Beach hopping
Finally left Mission Beach yesterday morning, three days after my intended departure. There's absolutely nothing to do there, but I got caught up in it nonetheless. Something about the relaxed atmosphere of the town and the friendliness of the hostel was infectuous. The fun culminated on Sunday night with a beach BBQ hosted by all the hostels in town -- a perfect evening playing ball, chatting and drinking on the shore.
Spent last night in Townsville, there's not a terrible lot going on there. The most interesting thing was the Great Northern Hotel where I stayed. My room was spare, the bed uncomfortable and my neighbor had his TV on at ungodly hours and volumes... still the place was completely charming. With nothing else to do for the evening, I sat with the other gents in the downstairs bar, drinking VBs and watching a TV show on Australia's Top 20 TV Comedic Personalities or something. I took lots of notes on Uncle Arthur, Con the Fruiterer, Sir Les Patterson and Collin Carpenter to name a few. In all, a solid evening of Australiana.
So now I'm in Airlie Beach, the sailing captial of the east coast and the gateway to the famed Whitsunday Islands. I'd like to explore the Whitsundays, but if I do it, I'm going to take a 3 day sailing course. Just cruising around on a big party boat doesn't sound as appealing as going out with 5 other students on a smaller boat and learning amid the scenery. The boat doesn't leave until Thursday, so I have tonight to think about it.
My hostel, The Backpackers by the Bay, is quiet, clean and has a lovely view of the harbor from the pool deck-- and free use of their gas grill, upon which I think I'll grill up something tasty tonight.
Oh, and the Panny is doing much better on fuel. I'm up to about 15mpg on LPG and 20mpg on Petrol. Based on their relative costs, the price per kilometer is about the same. LPG can get a lot cheaper than I've been finding it though, so it seems like the right choice.
Oh, and why do Australians insist on using the word orientated?
Spent last night in Townsville, there's not a terrible lot going on there. The most interesting thing was the Great Northern Hotel where I stayed. My room was spare, the bed uncomfortable and my neighbor had his TV on at ungodly hours and volumes... still the place was completely charming. With nothing else to do for the evening, I sat with the other gents in the downstairs bar, drinking VBs and watching a TV show on Australia's Top 20 TV Comedic Personalities or something. I took lots of notes on Uncle Arthur, Con the Fruiterer, Sir Les Patterson and Collin Carpenter to name a few. In all, a solid evening of Australiana.
So now I'm in Airlie Beach, the sailing captial of the east coast and the gateway to the famed Whitsunday Islands. I'd like to explore the Whitsundays, but if I do it, I'm going to take a 3 day sailing course. Just cruising around on a big party boat doesn't sound as appealing as going out with 5 other students on a smaller boat and learning amid the scenery. The boat doesn't leave until Thursday, so I have tonight to think about it.
My hostel, The Backpackers by the Bay, is quiet, clean and has a lovely view of the harbor from the pool deck-- and free use of their gas grill, upon which I think I'll grill up something tasty tonight.
Oh, and the Panny is doing much better on fuel. I'm up to about 15mpg on LPG and 20mpg on Petrol. Based on their relative costs, the price per kilometer is about the same. LPG can get a lot cheaper than I've been finding it though, so it seems like the right choice.
Oh, and why do Australians insist on using the word orientated?
posted by Scottley at 8:42 PM
2 Comments:
I'm pretty sure we just use it for americans who use words like "panny" :)
Enjoying the read scott, keep it up (if it fits your schedule)
Ah, yeah, I loved Backpackers by the Bay. That hammock by the pool, overlooking the ocean is nice.
You really need to spend some quality relaxation time on whitehaven beach. It's made up of pulverized coral, like a beach made of baby powder.
Man, I want to go back...
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