Nothin like a Straddie Vacay

Yikes - it's been a few days since the last update! That's because I spent the last 3 days here:

~North Gorge at North Stradbroke Island, Australia~

And their internet cost $8 an hour! But the good news is that the beaches were FREE!

After getting back from the Gold Coast, I had noticed a blurb about an island just across the bay from Brisbane that was remote, peaceful and beautiful - North Stradbroke Island - so we decided to try it out for a few days. They had a lovely backpackers hostel called Manta Lodge where we stayed with in the good company of a few locals and a kind Canadian named Paul who ran the place.

~Our lovely accomodation - YHA Manta Lodge at North Stradbroke Island, Australia~

The hostel also featured a dive shop (as seen in the picture above) where you can take day trip to snorkel or scuba dive around the island. Usually the waters around the island are host to some exciting species of fish and marine life, such as sea turtles, manta rays and grey nurse sharks. Also in the early spring, you can see dolphins and humpback whales as they make their annual migration from Antarctica to warmer waters.

~Manta ray & diver~

North Stradbroke Island - or 'Straddie', as the locals call it - is host to several unspoiled, fairly deserted beaches that look like something out of a pirate movie. The waters are crystal clear and the waves are HUGE! We went swimming Friday afternoon and it was exhausting just keeping up with the waves pounding the snot out of you every few seconds. We were in water up to our waists and the incoming waves towered well over our heads!

~Surfer at Cylinder Beach~

After we got back from the beach, Paul told us about a surfer who had been surfing over at Main Beach around the same time we were swimming at Cylinder Beach (about 2 km apart). The surfer noticed a shark tailing him, so he went in and told the lifeguards, who hopped on their jetskis to chase the shark away. Apparently, the shark came back later and made himself known to the surfers, so they had to close the beach. Paul said the unusual thing about the shark was it was much more aggressive than the usual sharks around the area - and that it was much larger too. The lifeguards speculated it was either a tiger shark or a great white - neither of which are common in the area, except during the month of the whale migration.

~Main Beach at North Stradbroke Island, Australia~

I'm just glad I heard about it after I had been swimming...I wouldn't have gotten NEAR that water if I'd heard about it before!

Now we're centered in Brisbane city for a few days. I head off to Bali on Wednesday morning, and there will be no updates from Indonesia through the rest of my trip because there's only sporadic internet on the islands. Maybe I'll sneak one update in somewhere, or maybe at one of the many airports (Bali, Taipei, San Francisco or Detroit!) I'll be traveling through on my way home.

Until next time, cheers mate!