The Road to Becoming OZ Experienced - Bargara from Noosa

Digg this page

Save This Page

Stumble It!

On the Bus...

Travelling from Noosa I picked up the Oz Experience Bus once again. Our route took us through Hervey Bay, another pick-up and drop-off point on the OZ Experience route and an alternative gateway to Fraser Island for passengers. Then on to Gympie, a small town named after a variety of Stingy-nettles found on the town's riverbank. Gympie is famous for it's giant, and some say tacky, plastic pineapple. In the 1999 floods the water level reached half way up the big yellow fruit and one unlucky OZ bus was stuck in the town for five days.

The only accommodation the driver could find for passengers was the dance-floor of a local strip club, now that's entertainment! Our entertainment for the day on the bus was The Simpson's on video. The journey continued through Maryborough where there are more churches per head of population and more pubs per kilometre than any other town in Australia.

Childers was next. This place may sound familiar to many people. A few weeks after I passed through Childers, a madman burnt down a hostel killing fifteen backpackers. The news sent a chill down travellers around the world. Childers is traditionally a good spot to pick up fruit picking work. Childers also lost more men then any other town in Australia during World War Two.

Our last town before Bargara was Bundaberg, famous for Bundaberg Rum. Alex, our driver, described Bundaberg Rum as one of those drinks you down a bottle of when you're a kid and never touch again. Sounds like Thailand's Mekong Whiskey.

Bargara

Bargara is on the coast and is the exit point to the most southerly point of The Great Barrier Reef, which is only 50 metres off shore. Many divers come here to dive Lady Elliot Island, rated as one of the seven best dive sites in the world because of the water's clarity. As well as coral, there is also wreck diving in the nearby waters. The beach at Bargara is serene, making the town a great place to learn to dive or just snorkel.

During my visit I stayed at Kelly's Beach Resort (07 4154 7200) in Bargara, voted the best accommodation on the OZ Experience route in 1999. Kelly's is the best in hostel luxury and the prices are in line with the rest of Australia's hostels. Facilities include pool, sauna, spa, tennis, and a video library. The grounds are maintained to level that you'd expect only to see at five star holiday resorts. The huts are styled as Tropical Villas and many people staying just for one night, end up staying for several nights. The resort doesn't promote itself as a party venue, there are enough of them all along the East Coast. Instead Kelly's Beach Resort is all about pampering yourself, the ideal place to recover from Dingo if you're southbound or Noosa if you're Northbound.

Many Backpackers get off here for awhile to find work fruit picking at nearby Bundaberg. Types of fruit to be picked depends on the season and the hostel can give you information and help put you in touch with the right people.

Australian Saying

"Hungry enough to eat the crutch out of a low flying duck"


Digg this page | Save This Page | Stumble It!