This morning I was up early for pancakes and packing to leave for noosa! Was still very tired, and after much running about trying to get sorted to leave and check out - only one person on the reception desk and a drama about a Danish guy who had been beaten up the night before - I just about made it on to the bus to Noosa: last on but just in time!

The bus was packed, never seen it completely full before! I was sitting beside a girl who I gathered was the bus driver's daughter and was travelling the whole way from Cairns to Brisbane with him - over 24 hours trip - to stay with him...I wasn't sure if the bus journey was their bonding time or what, but it seemed a bit mad. We watched a film...I think it was Transporter 3, which I was actually getting quite in to by the time we had a 40 minute rest stop and switched drivers - and the driver took his DVDs with him! Think I just slept most of the rest of the way.

Soon we arrived in Noosa! Sian, Leonie and Sven had booked into the same hostel as me - the YHA Halse Lodge - and we got on to the shuttle bus there from the bus stop. Noosa was a bit of a shock after all the tiny towns I'd been in since Cairns, it seemed huge just because there was more than one or two streets! Our hostel was about 20 minutes walk from Noosa Junction, where the supermarket etc was, but only a 5 minute walk to the beach!

There was a lot of people checking in, and standard - one person at reception trying to deal with it all. I really don't know why the hostels don't realise they are always mega busy when a greyhound comes in! We ended up waiting quite a while as the girl said she could get me and Sian in the same room if we waited 5 minutes...then 10 minutes later said we could either take separate rooms or stay another half hour or so! Needless to say we weren't that fussed, and just went in separate rooms! We were all pretty tired, and arranged to meet around half 5 as there was a welcome drink in the hostel at 6. Sian and I went to have a lie down/nap for a bit, then went for a wander.

Our hostel was right beside Hastings Street (I think that's what it was called!) which was full of posh restaurants and shops. We had a wander, looking for a supermarket and some cheap food, although we didn't find much! Sian bought a pie and I had the end of it when she was full. We had a look in a few shops but were generally just tired, and headed back to the hostel to chill put for a bit. I tried to book the Uluru tour that I had been putting off for ages through the hostel, and they said they would look into it and get back to me when they were less busy. Back in my room I met a Parisien guy called Niko and 2 girls from Canberra who all seemed nice!

We met for the welcome drink which was a pretty cool idea for a hostel. They got together the people who had checked in that day and gave us a glass of wine (in a wine glass no less!) and gave a little talk about what there was in the hostel etc. I had expected slightly more info on Noosa itself, but it was still cool. Nice way to meet some people too!

After the meeting we had dinner...a very classy affair of pasta and tomato ketchup for me - my credit card had been rejected earlier in the day so I was down to using up whatever food I had left! It actually wasn't as bad as I had expected, but not my new favourite meal! While cooking we got talking to a guy I recognised from the welcome meeting who looked a bit lost. It turned out he was english and called Gareth.

After dinner we went back to shower etc and arranged to meet in the bar at the hostel for a drink and then we would figure out what to do with our evening! I ended up bringing the 3 from my room along too, and we all chatted for a bit at the bar while waiting for everyone to be ready. Sven came flying down ready to leave because he had some friends he wanted to meet at the Nomads hostel down the road, and he and Sian went on ahead to Nomads as she had a friend there too. Leonie and I finished our drinks, then said bye to the Canberra girls and Niko and Gareth joined us to the other hostel. The bar there was pretty dead and very "backpackery"...we found our ones in the actual hostel bit by the pool - Sven entertaining two German girls haha, as per usual! The three of us weren't hugely feeling it, chatted for a bit then went home, leaving Sven and Sian! After a lovely walk home on the torrential rain that had started, we headed for bed, ready for an early morning to go surfing!