Hervey Bay

After a couple of nights in Brisbane (nice enough hostel but someone in my room was a terrible snorer) I moved on to Hervey Bay.  The bus ride was five hours, so a little longer than I've become accustomed to, and I arrived around 5:30pm.  My current hostel is very quaint and homey; it has a cabin type feel to it with grounds covered by lots of pretty greenery.

My first morning here I got up and walked to the nearest Woolworths to get food for the next few days.  I ended up using what I got to cook up some turkey burgers with onions in them (Carter family favorite) and vegetables.  I had to go healthy because yesterday I definitely downed pizza and a milkshake for dinner...mmmm, yummy.

After finding the store and returning to the hostel, Sarah (a British girl staying in my room) and I decided to rent bikes so we could ride along the esplanade lining the water.  It was actually a great way to go and we were able to cover some real ground.  Of course the best part was wearing the helmet; the law here is that everyone regardless of age has to have one on.  On one end we found and went down the longest pier I've ever seen.  It was highly populated with fishermen and the water was a lovely shade of blue.  This end of the trail was also very commercial, with some nice places to stay and good looking restaurants.

After the pier we set off in the opposite direction and found it to be a bit quieter, containing more houses than businesses.  It was cool to see the pier from afar and realize how massive it really was.  We rode back before getting to the end of the trail because Sarah had a bus to catch.  I set out again a little later but didn't end up getting very far (mostly because my butt hurt too much from the bike seat).  I ended up at a park and just sat and enjoyed the sun.

Today I got up and went to the used bookstore that I saw on my way to the grocery store.  I've been powering through books (I've already read five) and needed some new material.  I like to take my time and find something good, but of course when I arrived there this morning I realized that I really had to use the restroom and so I had to hurry myself along before I peed my pants in the middle of the store.  A bit unfortunate as far as timing is concerned, but I still managed to come out with two books for $6.  After I got back I dove right into one of the books and then set off to the pier again, but this time on foot.  I ran all the way from the hostel and then about half of the time on the way back.  It was a good bit of exercise and afterwards I just enjoyed the sun again (I'm really trying to soak it in before I head back to the winter weather in Melbourne).

Tomorrow I'm off to Rockhampton for a couple of days.  My task while I'm there is to decide when/if I'm going to to the Great Barrier Reef.  There are so many options as far as where to leave from and what islands to go to, so I just have to pick one and run with it.  I doubt that anything out there will be bad, so I really can't lose.

And also I should mention, as it's July 7th here in Aussie-land, that it's my mom's birthday today/tomorrow!!  Happy Birthday Mom!  Have an absolutely AMAZING day.  I love you!  :)