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With the dissapointment of no cameras inside the rum factory...
... I offer this pick of Jim after a few shots of old N3 tripple distilled 78% Madness! Yum, Yum Bundy Rum! Sandy Island, Great Lakes, Da-Dum, Posh Surf Resorts, BrisO.
Well as you can imagine it was a early start to get into the Rum factory before the locals got stuck in, there’s nay a Queenslander alive can resist a free rum tasting!
Much to my disappointment, and im sure yours, I found that the factory was a camera free zone. I also had to surrender my wallet, phone, lose change, and the empty 30 gallon drum I had with me. As they brew some of the Rum to over 80% proof there is so much of the beloved C2H5OH in the air that any spark (say from someone rubbing two coins together, or siphoning of one of their vats into a huge barrel), would cause a large Woumph, and a world shortage of Bundy Rum. Now I did fear for my eyebrows a little, but denying the world of this notorious amber nectar is a sin even I would not risk, so no I did not smuggle even my hip flask into the factory.
Fortunately the tour was a thoroughly memorable experience even without digitization or the subtle gathering of ‘souvenirs’. Rum if you
Fraiser Island, Ocean Beach.
Surfs Up! Only there is a 4m Tiger lurking out back. No Worries?? RIiiiiiiiiGHt! don’t know is made from Sugar Cain, that depressing monoculture that covers most of the east coast of Qld’s useable arable land. The Cain farms are quite phenomenal, Bundaburg sits in a sea of green 3m high Cain plantations, all the local streams and rivers are dammed, diverted and dissipated to irrigate this massive overuse of the land. The Cain farms are connected by a railway that caries the harvested Cain to the Bundy factory and a refinery near the port of Rockhampton. The Cain is then mashed into Molasses the liquid form of the sugars that looks a lot like raw sewage (though smells like treacle and brown sugar), all the leftovers of the Cain and from purifying the Molasses is sold back to the Cain farmers for fertiliser.
From a Purified form of Molasses called Wort, a type of yeast is added and the sugar is magically transformed to Alcohol. This is then distilled down to various strengths for various Rum’s, its funny as at this stage the Rum has no flavour, only the gut burning chemical enema of the strongest Vodkas. The flavour comes from the hardwood barrels that the rum is then matured in for
Fraiser Island, Ocean Beach.
Realy only in Australia wouls you find a speed limit on a beach. 3 to 20 years. We stood in a room full of enormous barrels, one of which contained AUS$8 Mill worth of Rum, you can see why they are paranoid about fires, and termites.
After our tour we had the golden opportunity to sample some Rum, and so we did. Of particular note is the Triple Distilled, which has a much smother flavour, and a much higher price tag, or am I just seeing double?
From Bundy we cruise on south again to Harvey Bay, a dull and sleepy little town that is the access point for the world’s largest sand island, Frasier Island. After our previous Bungles we decide the only way were going to visit Fraiser is on a 4WD Tour, again we leave Betty behind (bricks holding her inplace), and ship out to De island on a huge 4wd tour bus.
We were prity apprehensive at first about the tour, images of being squished on a bus with a load of Bundy obsessed 18year old gapers, and crinkley critters swam through our minds. But in the end, for good or bad, we ended up on a bus seating 40 with only 6 others, disappointingly they
Fraiser Island, Ocean Beach, Shipwerck.
With perfect light i could not help but take lots of detail pics of this old rusted hulk. were all couples, fortunately in their mid 20’s and spanning Europe from Essex (which I believe it is still part of Europe?), through Holland, German and Switzerland.
Fraiser Isl at about 150k long and at its widest 20k, really s just a big sand dune, though with a huge aquifer of fresh water trapped beneath it a variety of vegetation has sprouted. The fresh water is the key to the island being absolutely fascinating, the bird and animal life not withstanding, it is also home to expanses or stunning rain forest, areas of pine forest, fringes of Mangrove, dune scrub and the desolate ‘Sandblows’ where no vegetation holds the sand and giant dunes sweep across the island. But the most fascinating feature is its numerous and multicoloured fresh water lakes.
The water collects in hollows in the island, held in the sand by Humus (not the kind that goes well with crisps), organic matter from the island vegetation. In the two days we spent on the island we visited two lakes, the first was a lurid green colour the second a startling sapphire blue. The lakes have a different PH causing different varieties of Algy to thrive in
Ocean Beach, Ship Wreck
This luxuary liner was dammaged in a cyclone, then as it was towed back to land the cable broke and the cyclone dashed it on Fraisers ocean faceing beach. their waters, giving them different colours, fantastic!
Our one night on the island is spent at a large (and rather gaudy) resort, its off season so the place was pretty quiet and Jim and I had to make do being beaten at Pool with ruthless efficiency by the Swiss couple on our tour.
One of the most memorable moments from our visit to Frasier was a climb to a lookout point called Indian Heads, named by Columbus as he passed through, because he saw aboriginals standing on the heads watching his ship. As we arrive at the peak looking down onto the Pacific we almost immediately spot a monstrous tiger shark, easily 4m long, cursing along the back of the breakers looking for something to munch. Not a minute later we see a large Manta ray pass by, distinctive with its feeding ‘horns’. A green turtle appears below and head the other way, then a burst of spray a K out to sea heralds a passing Humpback Whale that then breaches out of the water and crashes back down almost audibly. A reef shark, tiny in comparison to the tiger appears briefly beneath us, and just as I
Ocean Beach, Ship Wreck
Apparently the Ozz airforce used this as target practice after the 2nd war, though they only ever scored 2 hits which is why so much is intact. believe it cant get better, a pair of Dolphins pass playfully through. I sit onto a great rock, camera in hand, a huge smile on my face, what choreography!
After our Frasier experience we have some time to Kill in Harvey Bay, as we drive about town we spot a very peculiar site, a huge fake shark atop a pole, how could we not investigate.
It turns out to be Nick Hislop’s famous shark show, more of a museum really, made by the famous shark hunter to educate people in the evil of those Toothy fiends. Much of it is dedicated to the many (I never knew till I visited), who have been munched before their time. The museum centre piece is a 18ft great white, frozen in a tank, Da-dum…. Da-dum… da-dum..
Next its Noosa, an incredibly upmarket surfer resort on the edge of a small national park that holds back the development. Despite its small size, Noosa reeks of Bling, Ferraris mix with Japanese muscle cars, designer labels are everywhere, coffee shops and Pilates studios, surfers with BMW’s, endless pearls, diamonds and tanned princepesas, Ugh!
Though I have to admit, the area is really beautiful, the
Lake Wabby.
Hark, lurid green! national park protects some gorgeous beaches, there are a string of clean beach and point breaks, the town is clean and the architecture modern with style, real Bling. We stay two days, one to kite the river mouth, and another to walk the park, more than that and we would have to shop, sadly our personal Bling is more of a plink.
From Noosa we head into the Metropolis of Brisbane, where we are staying with friends of Jimmy’s not far from the city centre. I’m still in two minds about Brisbane, it is really big (the second biggest city in Ozz), and has a lot of the characteristics of a throbbing metropolis, its situated on a large river and parts of it remind me of London (with sun and palm trees). The south bank has some gorgeous walkways, and the CBD is alive and on the move, there are some nice botanical gardens, and a great bridge. But still after seeing so much space in the last 5 months, to be in amongst the skyscrapers and traffic, jostled constantly, it’s a bit of a shock!
Though with just over a week till I’m back to the UK
Lake Macanese .
See, Saphire blue! it’s probably about time I learnt how to cross the road again.
Ill be back in Blighty on the 15th and plan to pack an extera suitcase full of sun incase the English summer is not up to ozzy cancerous standards, I hope Qantas don’t charge me excess for it!
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anonymous
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See you in ten days then sweetie will be at Purston! x