On Saturday, I ventured north to the Eumundi Markets.

I had an idea of what I was in for, but it completely exceeded it. Eumundi itself, is a beautiful little country town. My kind of town. It reminds me of Daylesford (VIC) – with a bit of Nimbin (NSW) thrown in.

The markets are absolutely huge. I spent a good few hours walking around and I’d say I only saw half of the stalls. I’m going back today, to catch up on the rest.

It’s a breath of fresh air to have so many vegan options available. I have to stop myself from doing that thing where I buy all the yummy food out of scarcity, this is it. We’re in 2024, I’m in a progressive place. These people care about others and inclusion. It’s forward from here – progressive places, progressive people.

I stayed at the Eumundi Showgrounds on Saturday night. I initially came here so I had somewhere to cook, but it’s a very very safe place, there are toilets, showers and a kitchen, so I decided to stay the night.

I had originally seen it in my free camps guide, but I felt it might be a bit sketchy.

The caretaker is a lovely man and up for a chat.

You can stay here for 72 hours ($10 per night unpowered), leave for a night and come back for another 3.
It’s a great spot for resting and recharge. (and shower)

It rained in the evening and my towel and door mat got wet. and the sun didn’t want to come out with enough force to dry them.

I’m getting pretty good at hanging my towel on the door or out the window. It only blows away sometimes.

On Sunday I fumbled my way down to Maroochydore – Elixiba has been on my mind for a while. I got there aaaaand the kitchen wasn’t open for 30 minutes. This girl was hungry and irritated. So I went over to the supermarket while I wait, and did I mention I was hungry? I spent the most I’ve spent on groceries yet and I didn’t even get proper meal supplies. Fabulous. So we’re rationing this week.

In the afternoon, I parked up at the beach and chilled in the car. The weather was a bit upredictable and I just wanted to nap.

Overcast skies really set the tone for my mood.

In the afternoon, it started raining so I went to the op shop in search of yarn. I got a bundle with the intention of making a rug.. Something to keep me busy during the bad weather.

In the evening, I stayed somewhere in Maroochydore…

Woke up and went to the beach – brilliant start to the morning – then had a massage. My shoulders have been really sore this last week. It’s definitely from sleeping in a narrow space, but it gets to the point where I can’t access the knots through stretching.

The masseuse was amazing, she literally kneeled on my back to get deep into my hips and she worked wonders on my shoulders.

For the rest of the day, I was feeling dopey and lethargic. Pre-bleed, post massage will do that to a girl.

I went to Nurcha (omg!) and got an almond croissant yum then floated along the coastal roads to find the beach. I went a little too far and there was none of that beach just off the road business, it was always barricaded by a little park. Not so bad, but I was feeling LAY-Z.

I was napping in an area where tradies were working and come 2PM, they all started knocking off – lucky bastards – so I went on my way back up to Noosa.

Oh Noosa.

I had mixed feelings about it, considering the rain on my first night, but I spent some time at the beach and found a quiet place to set myself up for the night.

In the morning, I spent a few hours at the beach and really enjoyed it. Unfortunately the currents are too strong for me. While I am able to say ‘oh well!!’ my body remembers the feeling of nearly drowning and I am not going in that water on my own.

In the afternoon, I did my washing and that brings me to now.

I did pick up a copy of Bridget Jones’ Diary – love the movie, don’t really like the book. So I picked up another book yesterday – The One We All Fell in Love With. Gosh I’m really outing myself with my fiction book interests.

I need something to ease my mind amid all of this psychology stuff. The Road Less Travelled is taking me so long to get through and while I’m enjoying it, it’s so dense that I feel like I’m much further through than I am.

I am struggling to give myself leisure time in terms of watching a movie or tv show. Partly because I don’t want to use my laptop unless I really need to and also because if the sun is out, I want to be outside enjoying the day. But I know I can’t push through all the time and I need to give myself respite before I need it, so I don’t burn out.

It’s funny because I fear I come across as rude sometimes – times when I need to be on my own but I know if someone engages with me, I won’t be able to stop myself from talking.

I need to preserve my energy and it’s not a given for others. Sure it’s nice to connect, but there’s a time and place.

I have a few more days in town – I’m working at a music festival on the weekend and then I’ll be venturing south.

Things haven’t really fallen into place in the way I expected – I was hoping to get a few gigs and housesitting jobs while I was here. But I’m learning – I’m covering more of the coast and getting a feel for places and I’m also getting more comfortable with overnight parking.

There are heaps of things I’d like to do and places to go (moutains, cafes etc) if I had company, so I’ll definitely be back next year. But for now it’s getting a blueprint of the place so I will feel comfortable when I come back. No point in getting all excited and wanting to settle now, when there is still 8 weeks of travel ahead of me.

I can’t believe I’m only 2 weeks in.

I catch myself thinking about all the books I still have to read, etc, but the time will come.

Patience.

Siri, play Patience by Guns ‘n’ Roses.