After a short night’s sleep in Brisbane, I packed up and hit the road on another Greyhound Australia bus. Unlike in America, these buses are well-appointed. They’re clean, include a toilet and tap water, usually filled with backpackers, efficient, and rather comfortable. In terms of the buses I will be utilizing on my journey, these are as good as it gets. In Byron Bay, I purchased a 45-day pass allowing me on/off travel on northbound routes from Byron Bay to Cairns.

Along the 5-hour drive, I found ample time to appreciate the low-hanging, fluffy white clouds. I also firmly believe the various shades of blue in the sky are rather unique. If you look in the photo above, the sky is a lighter blue nearer the horizon. As you move further away, it gets darker. It could be I’m making something out of nothing, however I found it rather fascinating all the same.

The buses are required to stop every 4 hours for 30 minutes. On this trip, I devoured a meat pie for lunch. The pies are common throughout New Zealand and Australia. Basically, it’s a dough pie crust with a savory filling.  So far, I’ve enjoyed beef, chicken, and mutton pies, though vegetarian versions are often available as well. They are very filling and quite cheap (about $3-4 USD).

I caught the sunset in Hervey Bay, the popular jumping off point for 4×4 tours of nearby Fraser Island.