It’s time for an update… I have been noticeably absent this year as there have been so many changes going on for me and unfortunately I wasn’t making the effort to prioritise my writing. In hindsight it would have been awesome to have been updating you on my travels as they were happening however with the joint power of posting and photography I just might be able to give you a bit of a run down regardless.

First and foremost, I HAVE MOVED!!! I packed my things and took a nice long drive down the East Coast. Mum flew up to Cairns to join me for the drive as she was in the market for a road trip and thankfully there was just enough room for her in the fully loaded Commodore!

We stopped in Airlie Beach and stayed a night at Nomads Hostel. I can highly recommend their private ensuite double rooms. They are totally swing-a-cat friendly. Unfortunately I didn’t get to eat at Mr. Bones this time around (my favourite Airlie Beach restaurant), however we did take an amazing lamb pizza back to our room from La Tabella Trattoira, and were blessed with a fantastic breakfast at Cafe One 3. They serve delicious, healthy, natural foods at really good prices and I highly recommend them, especially if you’re looking for good travel fuel!

I love the way the colours change as you move up and down the coast of Australia, I have lived amongst the sugar cane for the past 4.5 years and as it continues to grow all the way along this journey it is the subtle differences in colour, in height, in texture somehow, that I find the most endearing. Parts of the drive may be considered deathly boring, in some parts the death itself is even hard to comprehend; I saw koala road kill for the first time in my life. 😦

Agnes Water and the Town of Seventeen Seventy would definitely be highlights and absolutely worth the detour off the main highway. We stayed at Southern Cross Backpackers in Agnes Water, and honestly, what an amazing surprise. The grounds are absolutely gorgeous, vast open space, trees with slack lines between, a massage pavillion in the park, rooms located in separate huts spaced out around a central meeting/kitchen/lounging/pool/outdoor seating area. The hostel is managed by a beautiful young couple, Oli and Rachel, who are very much in love and strive to make each guests experience personal and fabulous. Rachel also makes stunning crystal jewellery and I was blessed to have picked up a few of her pieces whilst there.

The town itself hosts some pretty amazing shops for its size, there’s a great crystal shop run by a passionate man with an incredible wealth of knowledge, a health food store selling fantastically unique smoothies, juices and raw treats, a hippie shop selling more crystals, clothing, music, trinkets and homewares, and the food at the pub…. YUMMO!! We picked up food to takeaway so we could relax back at the hostel and it was heavenly. I enjoyed an amazing pumkpin and macadamia soup, (which only cost $3.50!!!) followed by a pretty outstanding rack of ribs basted in a rich, punchy, fresh, and finger licking good BBQ sauce!

Agnes is also home to Scooteroo, a chopper-style motor scooter tour that takes riders in and around the area for a few hours of fun and fresh air, culminating with sunset over the water at 1770. If there is only one activity you do from Noosa to Airlie Beach this would be the one. Well, maybe from Fraser Island to Airlie Beach. (Although I’m still yet to get over to Fraser myself!)

I wasn’t expecting much south of here, certainly not food wise, I mean honestly, Bundaberg doesn’t really scream foodie to me. Thankfully, actually whatever is more thankful than thankfully, the food angels were watching over us as we rolled into town searching for a late lunch. So so so sick of looking at pizzas, burgers, day old sandwiches, servo food, pies, sausage rolls, dirty looks on peoples faces when I turn down microwave and deep fried food options, and wondering if there is anything left in limp iceberg lettuce salads….. and then there was –
Indulge. “A Bundaberg regional farmer to plate produce driven bistro/cafe, seeking out the best the area has to offer.” YAHOOOOOOO, there is a roadtrip food deity after all!!

I can’t even begin to describe how incredible everything about this cafe is, from the use of local produce to the menu depicting each ingredient in all its fresh farmed glory, the interior space, the huge fresh flower arrangements, the attentive and knowledgable staff, the food, my god the food…… The staff may have been a little surprised by my maniacal enthusiasm, my barrage of questions and conversation, the cheshire cat grin across my face, and then moans and groans coming from our table, but they did a great job at playing along for me!

I have since started following their Instagram account too, it’s delicious!! @indulge_80

Hervey Bay is beautiful, we were well timed to watch a magnificent storm sweep across the bay, to enjoy the Blessing of the Fleet and a night of markets, live music, boat tours, and food at the marina, and then the Hervey Bay Seafood festival the following day! We were also told of a magnificent crystal shop there, kind of a weak spot I guess!! (Tinkerbells is simply jaw-dropping). There’s also a newly opened cafe that I only came across this week on a quick day jaunt up the coast to visit aforementioned jaw-dropping crystal shop(!), Or2Bee Cafe. They’re menu is infused with life, love and local organic produce and their organic, fair-trade coffee is sublime. I ordered a mocha on coconut milk to take away after finished a delicious haloumi, caramelised onion, roast pumpkin and homemade relish veg burger. Mmmmmm….. both were divine!

And from Hervey Bay we shot down to the Sunny Coast and life as I know it changed all over again. So here’s to the big, exciting, slightly frightening, realms of new life, I’ll keep you posted.