Bruce Highway

This post is written while traveling north up the eastern coast of Australia during day 3…

On Saturday, the official start of the 2 week trip began. We stayed local and explored the Sunshine Coast. An early 8am start, Abby and I (bus captains) boarded the coach bus to start the adventure off! There are 27 of us in total, including 17 pre-service teachers, 1 girl who is only here for the 2 week class and the trip, 2 pe major girls from Cortland just participating in the trip, Laura (a friends grandma) and another friends parents. 

The first stop was the famous Glasshouse Mountains. This scenic view is the reminiscence of a volcano and has great meaning to the Indigenous people of Australia. The mountains are a story and represent a family. After a quick (and freezing) stop at the overlook, the journey continued forward. 

The next stop was the Eumundi Markets. Food, crafts, art, music, homemade, homegrown- it was all there. For some this experience was very unique- for myself it was like a bigger farmers market the you would see in Woodstock, NY. The highlight of these markets was a potato slinky I had the pleasure to experience! 

From there we ventured to Noosa. TALK ABOUT BEAUTIFUL. This area was gorgeous - clear water, fresh food, and a national park with a coastal hiking trail. As a group we hiked the 3+ mile costal path up and down sand dunes and along the edge of cliffs.Pictures don’t do it justice, but some are showcased below. 

Finally, Saturday ended with a stop at Colin’s pub and mudslide!

On Sunday, we caught the bus outside of Newport at 8am and began the track up the coast. Our first stop was Montville - a little town with not much in it. We continued through cattle land - so may horses, cows, and goats!   

We stopped at a pub in Rockhampton, where we had arvo (afternoon) tea - i.e. a schoony (beer). Fun fact when ordering a beer at a bar you have to say the size: Pot = small Schoony = medium sized Pint = the big one ( or just a regular size bed in the states). 

We continued… and finally reached our destination of Emu Park. (sadly none of us saw any Emus) and this is where I ran to the beach and touched the Coral Sea!! 

We stayed at our first hostel i.e. a backpackers - this one was called Emu Beach Resort. It was so fun and had much meaning for this trip. Inside the pub was a signing wall - everyone who has been on this trip has signed the wall for the past 14 years - it was so cool. We all enjoyed cheap drinks (really good drinks!) during happy hour from 6-8pm. We sang and danced the night away! 

 

Today, Monday, was an even earlier day. 5 am wake up to have brekky (breakfast) and board the bus for a 6:30am departure. 4 hours north we stopped in a small town Selina for an early lunch. 3 more hours in the car for a quick stop in Bowen, to then drive more to Townsville. From there we all boarded a 6pm ferry to travel to Magnetic Island where we will be staying the next 3 days. 

While driving up the coast we say: 

The great dividing range. (basically mountains with dense rainforest on them). 

Cattle, cattle and more cattle. 

Sugar Cane. 

Tropical fruit trees.