Day 52 – Rainbow Beach, Australia – 12:00 a

“Day 52″…I cannot believe I am 52 days into this round-the-world adventure.  I also cannot believe that it is Christmas Day. Chances are I will wake up in the morning, put on a swimsuit and head to the beach to celebrate.  I am not used to southern hemisphere Christmases.  My hostel, Dingo’s, is putting on a Christmas Day lunch later today and I plan to attend.  My original thought was to save money and skip the holiday meal, but then I remembered it’s Christmas and thus the extra cost is acceptable.

I arrived in Rainbow Beach and checked into Dingo’s 2 days ago after an overnight bus ride from Airlie Beach.  The primary reason most travelers venture to Rainbow Beach is because of its close proximity to Fraser Island, the largest sand island in the world encompassing more than 74 miles.  A popular excursion among backpackers is to embark on a 2 day/2 night guided camping trip on Fraser Island.  My plan was to arrive in Rainbow Beach and book my Fraser trip on arrival.  However, after inquiring at reception I was informed that tours were booked solid because of the approaching holiday.  They were able to book me on a day excursion to Fraser from Noosa, my next destination.

While slightly disappointed I’m not participating in the 2 day excursion, it feels good to not have anything scheduled for a couple of days.  I’ve been in Australia for twelve days and I have been following a busy schedule.  Long bus rides have sandwiched a 2-day stay in Cairns, 1 night in Mission Beach and a busy 5-day stay in Airlie Beach.  I am ready to unwind and remain in a single location for a while.

 

 

*Check out the Australia Portfolio section on the Perpetual Footsteps homepage for additional photographs from Cairns, Mission Beach, Airlie Beach, Whitsunday Islands and Rainbow Beach.