We’ve been in Australia for 2 months now, and amid setting up our life and earning money for future travels, we’ve also tried to make the most of our time off with weekend trips and evening events to fully enjoy our time in the city.

Considering the cost of accommodation in Australia and the fantastic weather, we knew that camping would be a significant part of our travel accommodation this year. Shortly after purchasing our car, we bought some essential supplies to be ready for camping anywhere. This included a secondhand tent, an air mattress, camping bedding, various camping materials, and a bike rack for our car. We found these items on Facebook Marketplace and at our favorite store here, Kmart. Kmart in Australia is quite different from the one I’ve visited in the United States. The best way I can describe it is like an IKEA for anything you might need in your life. The company produces its own brand of goods and primarily sells its own brand at very reasonable prices. Fortunately, unlike IKEA, there’s no assembly required.

Noosa and the Sunshine Coast

Our first weekend trip was to Noosa, about a 1.5-hour drive from Brisbane. We camped on a farm using the booking service HipCamp. Noosa was particularly special as it marked our first swim in the Australian jurisdiction of the Pacific Ocean, and the weather was gorgeous! We spent our first day walking around the town of Noosa, strolling along the boardwalk on the beach, and exploring Noosa National Park. We enjoyed people-watching the beachgoers and surfers as we explored the town and the park.

On the second day of our weekend trip, we visited the Noosa farmers market and then made our way down the coast. We discovered some amazing beaches, with our favorite being Castaway Beach. It had such soft, golden sand, crystal-clear water, and there was nobody else on the beach! This was quite different for us, coming from Canada, where we’re accustomed to beaches being crowded on the limited sunny days of our summers there.

Byron Bay

The next weekend adventure we embarked on from Brisbane was to Byron Bay, approximately a 2-hour drive away. On our way to Byron, we made a stop at a point of interest marked on the map as “Tropical Fruit World”. With no prior knowledge of what it entailed, our curiosity led us to check it out. It turns out to be a sprawling fruit farm where you can take tours and shop in a marketplace stocked with every tropical fruit imaginable. We inquired about a tour, but unfortunately, they were fully booked. We’re hoping to visit again in about a month for the tour when George’s mom visits. We spent some time walking around, appreciating the picturesque farmland, and then continued on our journey.

We camped at a family campground in Byron Bay due to its excellent amenities and proximity to the beach. After setting up our campsite, we drove into town and strolled down to the beach to admire the views and watch the surfers before taking a refreshing swim. Byron Bay is truly beautiful, and its charming beach town adds to its appeal. That evening, we had our first barbecue in Australia using a communal barbecue at our campground, which was very exciting. George and I share the sentiment that when you’re in a new place, even the most everyday tasks become thrilling because they’re different from what you’re used to. We’ve been savoring this aspect of our adventures!

The following day, after finding a company that would rent both surfboards and wetsuits to us, we tried our hand at surfing in Australia. While both George and I have surfed before, it seems we forget all our skills each time we pick up a board again. It was a tiring but enjoyable day, and we both managed to stand up on our boards before exhaustion set in. We’ve signed up for a multi-day surf camp in Byron at the end of September, hoping that consecutive days of surfing will help us improve our skill level.

Other Adventures

As we each began feeling more busy with work, we fit in some other explorations in the areas surrounding Brisbane. Some highlights have included:

• Cleveland: A train/bike trip out to the suburb of Cleveland to visit the area where my family friends did an exchange in 2005 (and a visit to the local lighthouse).

• Mount Coolum and Coolum Beach: On a random holiday in the middle of the work week, we hiked up Mount Coolum on the Sunshine Coast and then visited the town of Coolum Beach. We loved walking down the sandy beach, having a barbecue at one of the parks, and then learning more about the surf clubs we have been seeing on every beachfront.

• Ekka: A week-long fair celebrating farming in Queensland, which I can most closely compare to the Calgary Stampede. . We went one evening after work to enjoy a ‘Dagwood Dog’ (a giant corn dog dipped in ketchup), visited the animal nursery, explored the exhibition area to see the various ‘showbags’ for sale, and were treated to a spectacular evening show that exceeded our expectations.

• Maroochydore: We loved the Sunshine Coast and wanted to visit it again before moving on to the next stage of our adventure. So, we took another weekend trip, this time to a town called Maroochydore. We stayed at another family campground right on the beach. My mom bought us body boards for the beach as a birthday gift for George, so we picked them up on our way there and used them for the first time. We had a delightful evening at the local surf club bar, which had a lively atmosphere and was perfect for people-watching. We had more beach and body board time the next day.

In addition to our many adventures, we’ve been trying to relax and enjoy life outside of work from day to day. Our favorite local spot is the reservoir near our house, which I’ve gone trail running around, and we’ve gone swimming in it after work on warmer days. It’s easy to have a great day, even when working, when the weather is beautiful every day.

The past two months in Brisbane have been a lot of fun. We have exciting plans for the rest of the year and eagerly anticipate each upcoming adventure. This coming week, we’ll be wrapping up our first work stint and then embarking on a road trip through Central Queensland up to the Whitsundays. We can’t wait!