What better way to celebrate Christmas than to head down to Noosa for a couple days of holidays? Sunshine, a beautiful costal town, sandy beaches... and us drunks.
What could possibly go wrong when 20+ dirty, tomato-picking rowdy louts hit this seaside community?
I think we only had three days off from the killing fields of Bundy, and we intended to use all 72 hours to our advantage...
Destination: GOOD TIMES...
With less than 72 hours to spare... we got right into the thick of celebration immediately.
Our non-stop party mindset was overwhelmed AND overflowing with a combination of celebrating Christmas, much needed days off, a beach holiday, being free from tomato farms.... and out of Bundaberg, albeit it, temporarily.
We were delirious with beach fun fever, probably a bit too much sun... and definitely too much beer and rum.
After spending Christmas Eve in an intoxicated stupor, we decided to continue the tradition for the following day.very waking moment of Christmas, at our backpackers hostel in Noosa, was spent in party mode.
Without much regard for anyone NOT in party mode, we embraced the festivities with full force. In the pool, out of the pool... party, party, party.
Dawn to dusk... Dusk to dark... Into the darkness and beyond...
Party.
A new friend and fellow backpacker took this photo of me on Christmas, and sent it to me (back home) as a postcard.
Funny? Yes.
Funny... and an ingenious way to save money on postcards.
When you're still in Australia and your mother gets it first?
Funny? No.
It was suddenly VERY evident to my parents how my year travelling abroad was going.
*if you look, you can see the photo fluorescent stamp date on the side ~ 94 12 25...
So Christmas was FUN.
Boxing Day?
... not so much.
Apparently our crew was just a little toooo rowdy for this particular location. We got politely asked to leave... aka "kicked out."
NOW.
I think they gave us 2 minutes to pack up our belonging and hit the road. After much consideration into how to solve our problem... we came up with; "We'll sleep on the beach!"
Not. A. Problem.
There is not a lot I remember about Boxing Day on the Noosa Beach. We continued the intoxication tradition that was AND wasn't working out for us so well.
... in times of both holidays and dire straights, nothing adds more to the celebration than that of furthering the festivities!
A wedding.
Picture here is proof - Ivan 'married' Ellen and Matt on the beach....
This was the beginning of my friendship with Ivan...
Ivan had been picking fruit for years and knew of this magical place, down in Southern Australia, where grapes grew rampant, and they were in desperate need of pickers...
Apparently it was EASY and great money!
Say no more...
That caught the attention of most of us. The thought of leaving the dust, dirt and grime of Bundaberg behind, was enough of a lure...
During a somewhat drunken stupor... important plans were laid out.
On Boxing Day... during a brief conversation on the beaches of Noosa, ... with directions sketched out on a napkin map... it was decided.
At the beginning of February, we would meet Ivan in Mildura.
After an evening of shoeing away crabs on the beach... we awoke...
Hungover... disorientated... broke...
Sand in our clothes and surrounded by dozens of empty bottles, we gathered up our things and prepared to head back to reality.
