Mission Beach, Australia

While I’ve to Mission Beach for one very important reason (my first-ever SKYDIVE!!), I enjoy my three-day stay in this sleepy seaside town. That’s about two more days than I planned to spend, thanks to a rainstorm passing through, but you’ll hear no complaints from me. Mission Beach is the perfect antidote to rowdy Airlie Beach. I edit lots of photos and polish off season 2 of Scandal, all while admiring this view:

I stay at Scotty’s Beach House (about a block away from the beach) and have a grand time. How tempting does this pool look?

This dog is the CUTEST. I’m told she’s about 15 years old and regularly drinks from the pool, so perhaps chlorine is her secret to longevity? (Ha, I imagine most vets would not agree.)

Here’s the front desk. The staff is super friendly.

I tell this staff member he looks like Tim Minchin, the famous Aussie comedian and musician (and Tony nominee for Matilda). Do you see the resemblance?

[Tim Minchin image via]

One more shot of the cute pup:

I’m in the room on the right below. It’s a 4-bed dorm with private bathroom.

I enjoy two dinners at Miller’s Beach Bar & Grill. If you show up between 4-7pm, they have $10 backpacker specials. I can personally vouch for their burger and pizza.

This photo is for my comedy nerd sister, Bethany — Comedy Bang Bang (formerly know as Comedy Death Ray) was a popular weekly stand-up event at Upright Citizens Brigade that we regularly attended for years. Now it lives on on IFC. This similarly-named coffee bar, located inside the supermarket, reminds me of CBB.

One more view of Mission Beach:

I leave you with this statue of a Southern Cassowary, a very dangerous bird that resembles an ostrich. They’re often spotted in this part of Queensland and we saw one en route to our skydive.