Day 124 - Hervey Bay

HAPPY CHRISTMAS EVE EVERYBODY!

Am now in Hervey Bay, and it's not that bad after all!

I had a bit of a disaster this morning when my bus didn't turn up, and when I rang Oz Experience I was told that despite the fact that I both booked and confirmed the bus for the 24th, there was no bus running. Let's just say I panicked a bit. I rang Oz Exp and shouted, so they told me to ring Greyhound and book a bus that they would refund the cost (from the tired, accepting tone of voice of the operator I guess this happens on a fairly regular basis). So I called Greyhound. Office closed. So I went online and booked a ticket on the first bus outa Bris. Then I looked at the bus and realised that it was already 7.35 and my bus was leaving from the Coach terminal in 10 minutes. I went "Aaaargh", picked up my bags and ran out the hostel, waving wildly at the taxis whizzing by. Thankfully one stopped, and when I told the guy my bus was leaving at quarter to, he raced over to the coach station and dropped me off as close as he could. Then I picked up my bags (why do I have to carry so many around: backpack, day pack, yoga mat and huge bag of food/crockery? It makes last minute panics so painful) and ran to the bus. The doors were just closing so I sort of just went splat against the door and desperately hammered on the glass. Drivers here aren't like those in England, and like to leave on the dot, so I got much grumbling and muttering as the guy opened the luggage compartment and assigned me a seat ("mumble, mumble, knew I shouldn't have got out of bed this morning, mumble". Anyway, the trip went quickly and I was deposited, along with my pile of bags, safely at Hervey Bay bus stop at about 2pm.

The owner of my hostel, the Friendly, picked me up from the stop. The hostel is really nice - more like an apartment with a proper bed (not bunk), kitchen and living room with widescreen TV and DVD player! I managed to find Laura, who is also staying here, and also met a couple of other girls staying in the apartment above mine. Tomorrow we are going to have a BBQ on the balcony (have bought tuna steak and ingredients for vegetable kebabs - yum, oh and red wine) and then we will go to the looooveelly loong beach to sunbathe all day in the lovely weather. Picture of the beach below. Will take more piccies tomorrow of BBQ in sunshine, and us sitting on the beach in bikinis and santa hats to induce complete jealousy in those of you stuck in soggy England. Tee hee.