Australia’s East Coast: What to enjoy besides SurferGuys & BeachBabes

Australia’s East Coast is the most popular backpacker route in Australia. On my trip, I met many people arriving in Sydney, Brisbane or Cairns that had absolutely no idea on how to travel Australia’s East Coast. I am sure I have told my stories about this trip at least 100 times! That is why, I decided to put together my experiences in this post to share it with everybody that plans to come to Australia!

North to South or South to North?

First of all the question: North to South or South to North? I was traveling in November, which made the decision very easy for me. Melbourne: 10 degrees celsius. Cairns: 30 degrees! Just check the temperatures for your Start/End cities (Cairns, Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne) before you begin your travels and you will know! At the end or beginning of your trip, you will be chased by sellers that will try to offer you all inclusive packages with a bus ticket and a tour to the Whitsunday’s, Fraser Island and some other excursions. In my opinion they are not cheaper and they make your trip very inflexible! I would not recommend those packages!

In my blog post for digital nomads in Australia you will find Information about different bus companies and an option to travel Australia’s East Coast with the train.

By the way; the average East Coast Traveler is in their 20’s and has just finished High School or College and is in Australia on a working holiday visa. The age limit for this visa will be raised from 30 to 35 years soon!

SNORKELING & DIVING

in CAIRNS

Cairns is a small and (in Summer) very hot city that offers a free lagoon saltwater pool and free sport courses in the morning. From Cairns you can visit the Daintree Rainforest and the cosy little town Port Douglas. The number one attraction is a trip to the Great Barrier Reef! You can go snorkeling or diving and it is definitely worth it! A lot of companies offer a snorkeling tour with an orientation dive for first time divers. The coral of the Great Barrier reef is absolutely stunning and you will see lots of tropical fish, turtles (if you are lucky) and reef sharks.

I was very nervous to go out snorkeling at the reef and I did see a shark. At the Great Barrier Reef there are mostly reef sharks. These sharks have a small mouth and don’t grow that big. I saw one while I was in the water and to be honest, it was completely fine! Don’t worry too much and just enjoy the trip. I went on an organized snorkeling trip from the boat and I highly recommend it. You feel much safer in a group and you get loads of information about the plants, coral and fish.

There are tons of boat companies going to the reef. I recommend going to the outer reef and to invest a little more money on this trip. The sight under water at the outer reef is much better and there are not so many boats going out there. This means you get to see much nicer coral and the water is very clear. I paid 210 dollar for this trip, but it was really worth it.

 

SKYDIVE

in ARLIE BEACH

Arlie Beach is a great little town to hang out in. There is one café next to Woolworth that offers free WIFI and another travel agent that offers the free use of their internet. A great spot with soso WIFI is Restaurant Barcelona in the Marina Yacht Area: Great view and nice wines! The boardwalk “Coral Esplanade” takes you all the way to the edge of the town. Great to walk all the way from the city until the path ends. The best time to do the walk is when the sun sets. If did the walk almost every day and greeted my little friend at the same spot every day, while he was doing his afternoon yoga 😉

Close to Altmann Ave, there are many turtles in the bay. If you take some time and look at the surface, you will see them coming up for air. Skydiving is very popular in Arlie Beach, because you have a great view over the Whitsunday Islands. Since I am a hero on socks, as we tend to call people like me in the Netherlands, I did not go skydiving. I did conquer a lot of my fears (Read my post “Don’t be fearless, but fear less”), but Skydiving, would not be something I would enjoy very much 😉 My roommate did go and I saw her video. The view from above on the Whitsundays and Great Barrier Reef will take your breath away! If you want to skydive, do it in Arlie Beach!

 

SNORKELING & CHILLING
at WHITSUNDAYS

A must from Arlie Beach is a tour to the Whitsunday Islands. There are a lot of companies that offer sailing trips for around 500 dollars. I have heard from others, that these boats seldom really sail however! They usually use their engine! Be ready to be jammed in the bottom of the boat and share the small space with a few people, that haven’t seen a shower in a few days! Therefore, I was not really in to that; I just booked a day trip. Much cheaper – and a great experience!

The view on the beaches from the viewing point on Whiteheaven is absolutely amazing! It is even more beautiful than the beaches I have seen in the Philippines. But like anywhere else in Australia, be careful going into the water. An Australian woman told me “Everything in this country is designed to kill you” and this is very true. The Whitsundays gets stingers that are as big as your fingernail and clear in color. No way you are going to spot them in the water! So enjoy the water, but don’t forget to wear a stinger suit!

 

LEARN TO SURF & RIDE  A CHOPPER MOTORBIKE

in AGNES WATER / 1770

1770 / Agnes Water are tiny little sleepy towns on Australia’s East Coast, where time stands still. The place seems to have the effect on people that when they come, they don’t want to leave anymore. Maybe because it is the perfect and cheapest spot to learn how to surf! A 3 hours surfing class only costs around 17 dollars here. The water is quite shallow and the waves are small. If I manage to stand up on the board after this course; I am sure you can as well! As far as I know, they haven’t spotted any sharks here at all. From the town it is only a 5 minute walk to the beach, where it is quiet and peaceful and you can really relax and go for long walks.

Wanna be a badass?  Than do the Scooteroo tour! It is a tour with small motorbikes that do not require a special license! You get a leather jacket and they take some awesome biker photos of you for free! It is an amazing feeling, riding a bike, feeling the wind in your face, and seeing the sun set with kangaroos jumping around the side of the road.

If you go to Agnes Water /1770, you end up staying much longer than you had planned. Trust me! Check out this nice article about the Agnes Water Effect.

 

ADVENTURE on
FRASER ISLAND (HERVEY BAY)

Hervey Bay is a good base to see one of Australia’s East Coast main attractions: Fraser Island. Another option is to visit Fraser Island from Rainbow Beach. Since the hostels there had a bad rating, I preferred Hervey Bay, where I stayed at the Whoolshed. Both towns, don’t really have anything exciting to see, but it is a good idea to spend the night there before and after your Fraser Island  adventure.

I booked a one-night-trip to Fraser Island with COOL DINGO TOURS. It was a great tour with an awesome tour guide and I liked that the accommodation was in a lodge and not in tents. The Island is very nice and is made completely out of sand! You can be sure to experience a true adventure….and motion sickness if you are sensitive for it! All roads are made of sand and you will feel like sitting on a carnival ride, while you explore the island. Dingos make your Indiana Jones adventure complete and you are warned by signs all the time for these wild dogs/wolfs, because they can be quite dangerous!

The highway of this Island is the beach. This road is shared with small planes as well, that use this beach as their runway! Fraser Island is expensive, but worth it. In my opinion, two days is enough to see to main sights. The lake is stunning; the Champagne pools are not that special. in my opinion. The saltwater pools in Sydney are much nicer! Check out the Lady’s Bath close to Coogee beach if you’re in Sydney and a girl 😉

 

LEARN SALSA & HOLD A KOALA
in BRISBANE

I love Brisbane! Brisbane is a city with a perfect spring climate in a perfect spot. To the north on Australia’s East Coast it is only a short trip to the Gold Coast and South of Brisbane starts the Sunshine coast. I never expected that Brisbane has so much to offer: a free pool, free sports classes, and a free boat that takes you up and down the river. On Friday nights there is Open Air Salsa Dancing on the streets. Join Meetup (Appstore) and find free Salsa Classes in the city as well. If you love Salsa and even if you don’t, check out the Restaurant & Nightclub CLOUDLAND. The architecture of Cloudland is absolutely amazing. I can also recommend to visit a musical: I went to Singing in the Rain and it was fantastic! If you buy your ticket 2,5 hours before the show you can save up to 50% on the original price!

If you haven’t seen any koala’s yet, than pay a visit to the Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary. If you are a digital nomad, also don’t forget to bring your laptop and charger. The park offers several Blogger lounges that will provide the best working view you can imagine! Get work done while koala’s and kangaroos fight for your attention! Of course you can’t leave without getting a picture with a koala. The park protects them and makes sure that this is done in a way that does not disturb the animals.

Brisbane big enough to offer lots of activities, but small enough to find your way around and walk everywhere! I stayed at the YHA and I can recommend it. They have a rooftop pool and a lot of facilities. The free internet is useless however!

 

TAKE IT EASY
in BYRON BAY

Welcome to Australia’s East Coast’s UBUD. A place with hippies, yoga, ecological stores and street artist. Life seems to be on half speed mode here. It is extremely popular with surfers, but the be honest: I DO NOT RECOMMEND SURFING HERE. While I was in Byron Bay, the town suffered from 6 shark attacks. The beach had to be closed several times! The surfers are not bothered by this at all! When my roommate picked up his board to go to the beach, I told him they had just closed it, because a shark had attacked a surfer. His answer was. “Nothing and nobody can stop me from surfing!”. Byron Bay is the place of addicts and dreadlocks. The addiction is either grass or surfing – it doesn’t really matter! No worries!

I know that when you think of Australia you think of snakes and sharks, and to be honest, Byron Bay seems to have them both. There is a small beach that has some bushes behind the sand in the direction of Byron Bay’s lighthouse. A brown snake (very poisonous!) came out of the bush and out on the sand of the beach, while my friend was just sitting on his towel!  So be aware and most of all: stay away from the bushes!

A must see in Byron Way is the Coastal Walk to the lighthouse! In November it is migration time for Whales and you can probably spot some Whales that are making their way to the South Pole. On my hike over to the lighthouse, I could also spot dolphins and turtles! It is totally worth it to pay a small donation to go upstairs in the lighthouse, because from here you have the best view to spot whales passing by.

Of course you can continue the your Australia’s East Coast trip until Sydney! But Sydney deserves a post on its own! An update about my adventures in Sydney will follow soon!

 

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If you like to read more information about traveling (Australia), check out my post Australia for digital nomads: 10 tips for survival. I you have any questions, just drop me a comment. Want to read more posts like this? Follow my facebook fanpage or sign up for my newsletter. Like what you read? Share it!