Think long sandy beaches, subtropical climate, beautiful blue ocean, the biggest avocados ever and convenient access to the Great Barrier Reef and Fraser Island. Yip you’ve got it. Paradise aka Hervey Bay in Southern Queensland, Australia (pronounced Harvey Bay by the locals – and you’ll thank me later cause they’ll correct you each time you say it incorrectly).

My first time in this neck of the woods and absolutely loving it! I mean who wouldn’t? It was just before ‘winter’ settled in (end of May) so relatively quiet but still plenty of sunshine around (and humidity…more on that next).

Fraser Island Beach Highway

The Pinnacles, Fraser Island

We did as all tourists do…lazed around, gorged on local produce and befriended the locals. We were even invited to a home cooked dinner but politely declined the offer when the gentleman confessed that he kept a crocodile as a pet. Perhaps he was jesting, but my mother had always told me never to go home with strangers ( especially those with large reptiles as pets). Thanks mom.

Everything was pretty much perfect. Except for my hair.

Now I know what you’re thinking. Why bother with your hair? You’re on holiday, stick it in a hat or ignore it. In my defense, I did, for days on end but I’m an ex-hairstylist and occasionally I have a pressing need to look half decent. Especially when going out to dinner in one of the fanciest restaurants in the area – Cafe Balaena.

Despite the air-con blowing a steady icy breeze, my hair told the weather truth. We’re talking hot and humid, as in very hot and very HUMID. Percentages and degrees don’t matter here, and my hair has quite literally taken on a life of its own. I call it my Hervey Hair Explosion.

My once straight, shiny hair had been transformed into a wild wispy halo of curls that refused to be tamed by dryer, straightener or product. We (my partner and I) decided to attempt a sacrifice to the braid gods in an attempt to appease them, hoping that they would bestow some semblance of hair normality on me. This my friends, is the result.

Now remember, before you judge too harshly, the braider has no experience in doing hair whatsoever, and the to-be braided hair had a particularly strong sense of self.

Hervey Hair Explosion

What to do with this do?