http://www.travelblog.org/Bloggers/OZ08/ Travel adventures in journals and photos from OZ08 en-us Thu, 21 Aug 2008 10:54:10 BST Thu, 21 Aug 2008 10:54:10 BST Wednesday June 25thWe had to get up bright and early again. Today was the start of our five day learn to scuba course. The shuttle picked us up and took us to their retail shop in downtown Cairns. There we squared up all the remaining money met our instructor Nick and the other six people that would be in our class. From tehre we were shuttled to a small private pool. There we spent the rest of http://www.travelblog.org/Oceania/Australia/Queensland/Great-Barrier-Reef/blog-293751.html I was allowed to sleep in today with nothing planned early. We had the bungy jump today the final part of our three day adrenaline experience. I got up not worried about the jump at all. After jumping out of a plane from 14000 feet a 50 metre bungy jump was nothing to worry about The shuttle picked us up about 11 O'Clock and drove us to the outskirts of town where the town meets the mountain http://www.travelblog.org/Oceania/Australia/Queensland/Cairns/Cairns-City/blog-293731.html First of all thanks for your interest in my trip. Wanted to write a short message. Sorry I have been unable to update photos on the blog. Unless you were a member on facebook you were unable to see photos....until now. I just noticed that there is a public viewing link on the bottom of the photos I add. Because of this and that the adding process of images on Travelblog.org is rather slow I have a http://www.travelblog.org/Oceania/Australia/Queensland/Cairns/Cairns-City/blog-293464.html The alarm went off 730 after a pretty brutal sleep. I went to bed early the night before but the room was cold and I was unbelieveably stressed waking up with my stomach in my throat. I checked out and grabbed breakfast before the skydive shuttle picked us up at 730. We arrived at their complex shortly after spending lots more money getting a dvd of the experience. There was also plenty of pap http://www.travelblog.org/Oceania/Australia/Queensland/Mission-Beach/blog-291095.html The bus picked us up today at 750 to go white water rafting. After a short stop at the companies offices to meet all the people who had come down from Cairns we were off. The venue was the Tully River. It was a perfect place as Tully the town receives 4.5 metres of rain per year and also because there is a hydroelectric facility upstream which regulates the amount of water flowing making rafting http://www.travelblog.org/Oceania/Australia/Queensland/Mission-Beach/blog-291089.html Today was another travel day catching a 930 bus from Airlie Beach north to Mission Beach. We arrived in Mission Beach at around 530. Because we are so much closer to the equatoryou can really notice how much more sunlight you receive and how much later the sun sets. I went to sleep very early tired from the Whitsundays and because I had to be up early tomorrow for white water rafting. http://www.travelblog.org/Oceania/Australia/Queensland/Mission-Beach/blog-291085.html httpwww.facebook.comalbum.phpaid29002ld14cfid503645207Wednesday June 18thMy alarm woke me up at 750. Today was the start of the Whitsundays Sailing Trip I grabbed brekkie as they call it in Australia then check out putting my bags in storage. Everyone met at a small cafe at the Marina where we received instructions and got our stinger suits. From there we boarded the boat. We had p http://www.travelblog.org/Oceania/Australia/Queensland/Whitsundays/blog-291083.html After a 14 hour bus ride from Rainbow Beach crossing the Tropic of Capricorn we arrived in Airlie Beach. The bus ride was rather uneventful with three bus driver changes and complete darkness for a good 11 hours of the trip winter here. I was actually quite impressed by the amount of sleep I achieved on the bus. Mike required most of the day to catch up on sleep while I had already achieved my http://www.travelblog.org/Oceania/Australia/Queensland/Airlie-Beach/blog-291067.html I got up just before check out time knowing that all I had to do was hand in my key and throw my sheets in the machine by 930. After doing that I went back to the room showered packed up and stored all my bags. The rest of the day was quite lazy. Our group sat in the lounge room eating and talking most of the day saying good bye to members as they left for their buses. I also got a chance to up http://www.travelblog.org/Oceania/Australia/Queensland/Rainbow-Beach/blog-288247.html httpwww.facebook.comalbum.phpaid28999l1e09aid503645207Today we had to get up at 630 to go to Fraser Island. We had our complementary pancakes which shockingly did not include maple syrup even though 20 of Australian backpackers are Canadian I have heard. After breakfast we had to get with our groups and start packing up the 4X4's. The 4X4 was set up with three siting in the back and 8 http://www.travelblog.org/Oceania/Australia/Queensland/Fraser-Island/blog-287850.html Today we slept in until 10 O'Clock sleeping for about 12 hours. From there checked out the beach the only attraction in town. The water is so much warmer there then in Noosa though it is only 100km south or something. At 2 O'Clock we had our orientation meeting about Fraser Island. We were sorted into groups and explaned an itinerary and tonnes of do's and don'ts. After this we went to the phone http://www.travelblog.org/Oceania/Australia/Queensland/Rainbow-Beach/blog-287844.html Today we woke up about twenty minutes before checkout trying to get as much sleep as possible. We got up checked out and then went back to the room to pack up. After packing and studying we went back out surfing the only real thing to do in this town. We went back that same beach which I believe is called Little Cove and surfed a again. This is the first day that I did not feel like and idiot su http://www.travelblog.org/Oceania/Australia/Queensland/Noosa/blog-287841.html Woke up at 800 today. We grabbed breakfast and such and then got a free kyack from the hostel and headed off for the Noosa River about 200 metres down the street. The plan was to head inland up the river and then North into Great Sandy National Park. As it turns out the kyacks were slugs and it was far more difficult then I was expecting. We ended up kyacking about a km up the river and then givi http://www.travelblog.org/Oceania/Australia/Queensland/Noosa/blog-287835.html We ended up sleeping until around 1030 because of the festivities from the night before. Once we were up we grabbed breakfast and headed off to the beach again to give surfing another go. We went to a new part that we discovered while trekking through the Noosa National Park yesterday. the waves were much better to learn on. The weather was still a bit chilly and I was always a little unfomfortab http://www.travelblog.org/Oceania/Australia/Queensland/Noosa/blog-285693.html httpwww.facebook.comalbum.phpaid28996lb2c4fid503645207I woke up today at about 800 four people from the room were leaving to go on a 3 day canoe trip through the Great Sandy National Park and made a fair amount of noise. I grabbed breakfast and then went to Woolies again because we had forgot to grab bread the past day. Once we returned we pre made lunch so that we wouldn't have to come http://www.travelblog.org/Oceania/Australia/Queensland/Noosa/blog-285317.html Finally the day has come I woke up at 830 catching us on sleep a little bit. I got up showered and started teh mission of getting rid all perishable foods by means of consumption. While eating I also went on the computer. I checked my mail went on Facebook and finally researched getting a camera case that would allow me to take photose while scuba diving. It is still an option though they ar http://www.travelblog.org/Oceania/Australia/Queensland/blog-285314.html Today I woke up at 550. I quickly had a shower and rushed to the labour hire agency. I wanted to be first in waiting because I had not found work all week. I arrived and no one was there. They also had breakfast already set up. I had 2 bowls of coco puffs again enjoying the free food. I sat around and no other workers showed up. I finished the paper and only had to wait about 5 minutes before Cas http://www.travelblog.org/Oceania/Australia/Queensland/Brisbane/blog-284319.html Here is the run down hopefully all the links will help you understand whats going onSaturday June 7th take a bus to Noosa which is on the northern part of the Sunshine Coast about 130 km North of Brisbane. The next 4 nights we are staying at a backpackers resort with free surfboards boogie boards and bikes. Hopefully we can figure out how to successfully surf while checking out what the Sunshi http://www.travelblog.org/Oceania/Australia/Queensland/blog-283981.html First of all two days left in Brisbane The alarm went off today at 550 even though Shelly's had been going off constantly it seemed since 500. I got up and grabbed a shower. When I got back I said good bye to Shelly as it was the last time I would see her in Brisbane. I grabbed all my work stuff and went to AWX. They had cereal out waiting so I did not have to eat my PBJ that I had made. I sti http://www.travelblog.org/Oceania/Australia/Queensland/Brisbane/Central-Business-District/blog-283980.html Today I woke up at 630. The plan was for Mike and I to both work with Adrian today. We were to meet him at his shed in Strathpine for 830. Nothing interesting happened before work. Woke up had a shower grabbed breakfast got my gear and left. We showed up to the shed at 820 and shortly after I received a call from Adrian with a request to throw some stuff in the back of the truck. Mike and I http://www.travelblog.org/Oceania/Australia/Queensland/Brisbane/Central-Business-District/blog-283964.html