Half way through my holiday and i'm loving it!!!
Luckily I've found myself in a great group on people, there's a whole mix of nationalities and personalities in there, which is great fun. Mike and Jean(Gin) from the UK are my drinking buddies!, Dutchy (Anna) from Amsterdam, Anthony from Switzerand, Constance and Sylvia from Germany, Claudia and Nicole from Switzerland, Helga from Austria and 2 Korean girls that sleep continually!!
The trip started off a bit slowly when there was such heavy rain that we got stuck in Cairns! The town has one road in and one road out - both of which were flooded for 2 days! In the absence of any other activites we spent both days getting smashed in the pouring rain!
We finally left backpackers central (Cairns!) via a crocodile farm, I held a 3 foot baby crocdile, which was relatively scary (My smile on the piccie is more one of terror than joy! I had to refrain from having a snake slither around my neck. We went out and fed kangaroos, including a gorgeous one with a joey in it's pouch (will upload the piccies) and went witht he croc keeper to feed the crocs. They are MASSIVE, snappy and scary!!!).
Moved onto Mission Beach (tiny, tiny town - population less than 1000) and spent the night there at Scotty's, the night was incredilbly messy to say the least! Free wine tasting, cheap beers and stashed goon all helped!!! Although caused problems when the taxi home from the 'club' (loosely termed!) broke down and we had to scale the fence to get back into the hostel, where mike cut his hand open and I lost my shoes!
We had an early, hungover start from Mission Beach (7.45am) through townsville (The unofficial capital of North Queensland) to our destination - Magnetic Island. On this gorgeous island, we stayed in a hostel with probably the best location in the whole of Austraila, Base - the only hostel right on the beach. Went on a wildlife walk around the island, were we saw a koala in a tree! On closer inspection and walking a little round the tree, I spotted a baby koala on it's back - it was just amazing. Really bizarre to be so close to something that you've only ever seen on the tv before.
(Note to self... Pool Queen, Table Footie, Boy band, Coat Hangers, the birth of Who's in my glasses, James, Laura, Deano and Swede join the story)
Day 4 was a complete day of driving through the Aussie outback to get to Airlie Beach - the gateway to the Whitsundays. Amazing scenery, exactly as you imagine the australian cowboy outback to be- hot, dry, dusty, desolate - punctuated by very occassional sleepy towns and full of greenery, trees, fields, banana plants and sugar cane grwoing everywhere. Spent the evening in the WORST hostel! Where we met german Elle with the biggest boobs, who was permenantly attached to a pack of Uno cards and Swede got involved with the story again!
The Whitsundays... 74 beautiful Islands in the heart of the Great Barrier Reef, this was a truly beautiful sailing trip. Funnily enough I was really looking forward to the snorkelling and a little worried about the sailing, just seeing it as a means to an end really. No-one can be more surprised than me about how much a totally loved the sailing. It was awesome. We were on Boomerang, An 80ft ex ocean racing boat, that could really move. As soon as we left the calmer waters behind and the wind picked up - we were right off. The boat was speeding so much and we had so much wind behind us that we were tipping at 45 degrees, putting the whole of one side of the boat was underwater, whilst we sat on the high side, it was absolutely incredible, a total adrenaline rush. We had 3 snorkelling trips whilst out, some better than others, visability wasn't amazing and it is probably better to snorkel out of the wet season. But the sailing rocked! Moored in what felt like the middle of the sea, had wine and dinner under the stars and then slept in the tiniest bunk.
What was such an incredible expeiernce was that all you could see around you was the bluest ocean that you've ever seen and tiny little white sand islands nestled in it. Stunning.
Will defiantely do this again, perhaps for my birthday.
From The Whitsundays another adventure of a totally different kind awaited us... Kroombit Cattle Station! This was a 7 hour drive from Airlie beach, but worth every mile, twist and turn.
Kroombit is a fully functioning cattle station in the middle of nowhere, again picture the true cowboy outback scenery (think there's some pics on facebook or photobox). Spent 2 days and 2 nights at Kroombit, where we totally lived and breathed the cowboy lifestyle, it was just the best. I'm so shocked at how much I enjoyed it as it's totally not my cup of tea at all. We learnt to crack a whip (breaking the sound barrier to make the whippy noise!) and lassoo. We went out on houseback to round up the goats from the field and bring them back into the pen, that was fun and then had a goat rodeo. Where in teams of 3 we had to lassoo the goat, turn it on it's side and then fake brand it. We came second, nothing to do with the penalty points we recieved, when mike body slammed the pregnant goat because he couldn't quite pick her up!
Swaggin' It!
At Kroombit we were offered the option of sleeping out under the stars in the woodland, needless to say we all jumped at the opportunity! So we headed off on the bumpiest ride to a clearing in the middle of the forest.
It was the most basic campsite i've ever seen! Consisting of a huge fire in the middle, Andy the cattle cowboy decided that twigs and sticks were not enough so preceeded to pull a chainsaw out of somewhere in his 'ute and saw a huge fallen tree in half to put on the fire. The tree was so big - it took 3 guys and the ute to move it onto the fire! However it did keep burning right through the night and was still going by the time we packed up and left the next morning!
The 'shower' was a rusty corrigated contraption with a steel bucket overhead with holes drilled in - heat the water on the fire and pour in in the bucket! And the toilet (well check the pictures on facebook or photobox!) - lets just say I didn't go until we got back to civilisation! Which was no mean feat - considering the amount of goon I'd consumed!
The bbq - was litterally a piece of metal put over the fire - however it was the most amazing bbq'd meal (steak and veggies) that I've ever had. We even made toast and tea in the fire the next morning.
Being a little nervous about swagging it (sleeping in a waterproof canvas sleeping bag and matteress rolled into one out in the open)and what could get me in the night, I finally settled to sleep about half midnight. It took me ages to drift off - as there were a million stars in the pitch black sky, it was just the most amazing sight. Everytime i shut my eyes to sleep, they just kept coming open again so i could marvel again at the beautiful clear stars. Awesome sight.
3.30am and i was rudely awakened by the wild dingos howlng and howling. No dramas tho. Until the sunrose at 5.45am and we all got up to have breakfast!!!
We waved a sad goodbye to Kroombit and headed to Rainbow Beach where Mike, Laura, James and I managed to secured our own dorm. Nice accomadation - to some of the hovels we stayed in! What began as a gooned up night - ended with a very civilised few cups of tea, a blanket on the floor and card games until midnight! Only drama was Mike and Laura going to get their diet coke fix and not noticing there was a wild dingo sitting right next to the coke machine! I've never seen them run so fast - despite all advice being to stand absolutely still and stare them out!!!! Gorgeous mexican meal for tea!!
Fraser Isalnd Well what can i say about this totally magical island. It must be one of the most stunning places on earth. It is the worlds largest sand island and it is bizarre, it has so many different elements to it. Lake Mackenzie - a stunning lake with white sand and crystal clear waters, was the most incredible beach I've seen since being in Oz. The sand dunes that go on for miles, they are all you can see and are exhausting to trek up, the sand is so hot you can't walk barefoot, the sun is beating down and all you can see are the dunes. You finally make it to the top of the dune and look down and like a mirage - you see a gorgeous freshwater lake (Lake Wabby) and a forest surrounding it. Then there's the rain forest that we trekked through - all grown out of the sand on the isalnd. And not to forget the 4 wheel drive ride - that begins smoothly as you drive down Seventy Five Mile beach and ends in the bumpiets ride as you a speeding through the jungle roads, driving over boulders and rock, with trees whipping the bus - It was great fun.
Through to the Maheno Wreck, a wrecked ship, that was 3 floors high, only 1 floor now visabel as the other 2 are sunken in the sand (again there's some good piccies on facebook or photobox).
Amazing, Amazing day - It's definately a plan to go back to Fraser for at least a weekend.
Another day of driving through Byron Bay a funky cool travelling/surfy hang out - thought it appropriate to have a vegan veggie style lunch there! Past surfers paradise and the Gold Coast and onto Brisbane, where we spent the night. Ate at the most divine restuarant (Emerald Budda) overlooking Brisbane bridge and the city and then Gin an I hit the casino! Loved it and I won! Get in!!
Onto Surf Camp at Arrawarra, what a cool couple of days, hanign out on the beach at an all night beach party gooning it up, followed by an early morning surf lesson and more chilling. Oh my God, surfing is defiantely a sport! I never fully appreciate dit until knowing how exhausting it is spending an hour and a half in the sea surfing. Strike 1 - I managed to get onto my kees on the surf board, Strike 2 - Managed to Fully Stand up!! and strike 3 - I got so over enthusiastic about being able to stand that I came crashing down on the sand and bust my knee! And it was just too painful to get up again (although I did keep trying). More chilling out, bought myself a surf hoodie! and then we set out for the long labourious drive to Sydney Central and Home sweet home (Aussie home sweet home!)
All in all and amazing 2 weeks, where I've seen and done things that I never imagained I would and loved it all. If I'd not have done this trip I would look at Sydney and think it is Australia, however I now realise that is so far away from true Australia. Sydney could actually (apart from the opera house and bridge be any city), it's not till you are driving through the outback and the towns that have population of 1000, I pub and one main road that you really feel like getting to know this fabulous country.
