Favorite Places

Whenever I tell people the amount of time that I lived in Australia (just a few days shy of a year) I’m immediately peppered with questions about what life is like there.

Can you really ride kangaroos? No.

What’s the food like? Think American food, but more fattening.

Does it get so hot that you feel like you’re walking into a blistering inferno every time you step outside? Oh god, yes.

Do the toilets flush in the opposite direction? I’ve never wanted to put my face so close to a toilet that I could tell, but let me know when you find out. My guess is they probably just flush straight down like a lot of toilets outside of the US do.

But, the most popular question I get, and the one I love answering the most, is Where was your favorite place to live?

And that, my friends, is a wet little tropical oasis in the northern part of Queensland called Mission Beach.

I say that Mission Beach is my favorite part of Australia, but it’s really also one of my favorite parts of the world. There is sun, beautiful beach, adventure at every corner, and–odd, because tourism is how this town stays alive–a complete lack of the over-saturated, touristy vibe that a lot of the hot spots in Australia give off.

Instead of telling you–no words can really do it justice–I’ll show you a bit of what I’m talking about:

I spent about four months in the area in total (after only planning on staying four weeks). Sky diving, river rafting, trying not to get eaten by creatures in the rainforest. Basically having more fun than any one person should really be allowed to have. 

Unfortunately, the area was devastated by Cyclone Yasi a short time after my last visit. They’re slowly rebuilding, but it’s taking time and a lot of money that the locals don’t really have if travelers aren’t coming through. I hope that they can withstand the tough times and reclaim some of the traffic that they used to get. It’s no doubt, even looking through pictures of the rebuilding process, that the magic is definitely still there. 

I hope you’ve enjoyed this look at my favorite place on Earth! If you ever find yourself in Australia, definitely stop in. If you’re anything like me, you might not be able to leave! 

If you haven't done so already, you must check out Bobbi's blog, Today I'm Bobbi. She has such a great style and design sense.  I love her book reviews, travel photos, humor, and sarcasm. Did I mention that she also designs blogs?  Really, you just need to go check her out, she's so much fun!