I was told by a friend that there is a reason why Australians don't get as "wowed" by the beaches in Thailand as other nationalities. He was saying that the beaches in Australia are are actually really nice and after today, i believe him.
I had never been to Australia before this past week, and I had seen some wonderful pictures, but never with my own eyes . Today my buddy took me to Noosa Beach, which is in the north of the country near Brisbane in Queensland.
We wanted to go there because we had heard rumors of an incredible break (for surfing) that happens here, but unfortunately it wasn't happening today. We did conform its existance with some locals though but to be honest with you I am kind of glad it disn't exist since it is nearing the end of Australian winter at this point in time (for those of you in the northern hemisphere - which is most of you - the seasons are reversed down here) and therefore the water was freezing. Also, while the pics have people in their bathing suits, it is not terribly hot right now and these people are kind of "jumping the gun" on getting to the beach.
This is not a budget beach by any means, which is something that I have talked about almost exclusively since I started writing here 2.5 years ago or so. This beach's accommodation is very expensive, and the food isn't very different as far as prices are concerned. However, since this is Australia and not a budget country like Vietnam or Thailand, this will probably not come as a surprise to anyone out there.
This beach had great restaurants on the beachfront, and of course they were expensive, but we drove all the way over there and were hungry so we ate there anyway.
For a meal and a couple of beers you can expect to spend 40 -50 Australian bucks per person here. If you don't drink, it will still likely cost you $20 AUD.
This beach is very unfriendly to smokers but that should be no surprise at all since Australia as a whole is very non-smoker-friendly. Perhaps that is a good thing because as a smoker of 25 years, i haven't had even one ciggie since I arrived.
Overall, i would say this beach is fantastic, but you need to have a considerably higher income than I do in order to fully enjoy it since there is virtually noting budget-oriented in the entire area. Like i mentioned before, it was too cold today to really enjoy the freezing water, but it will soon be summer. The winters are mild in the north of the country, so even if it is winter, you can still sight-see in this area with a jacket and shorts. Maybe if you are more bold than me, you can jump in :)