Noosa Canoe Trip and Australia Zoo

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In Brisbane I had met up with Ellie who had left an internet message on some website or another. So we had met up and had booked our Fraser Island and Whitsunday sailing; as an added bonus the travel agent had given us a free canoe safari in the Noosa everglades. So we got picked up, met the rest of the group, got kitted up and stocked up on booze and food. We got taken across the lake and got instructions on the canoes and then we were off. We had a group of 12 so there were six canoes between us. Ellie and I were consistently the slowest which always perplexed us as we both felt we were working flat out. Having said that it is very easy for the person at the back to take a sneaky break and towards the end of the trip I was guilty of this.

We canoed up a river and after what seemed like an eternity (1h 20m) we reached base camp. After we had set up it was time for a swim and then dinner time and a fea drinks. We had been so busy all day and it got light so early that after an hour and a half of darkness at 8.30, everyone was ready for bed. It wasn't a great nights sleep, I don't think that I'm cut out for sleeping on the floor.

We were up early in the morning because as soon as it is light and warm you are awake as the tents get very hot. The mission for the day was to paddle for 1.5 hours up stream and then walk up to the sandpatch and paddle back again. It was a warm day and I was a little worried when Ellie said she was"SERIOUSLY close to getting heat stroke". The last thing the group needed was someone fainting and keeling over and all the consequences of that. But furtunatley it cooled a little and we made it too the sandpatch which is a bizarreexpanse of sand in the middle of forest.

The following day it was a gentle paddle back to HQ. The previous evening had been livened up when someone shouted "SNAKE" and we all jumped on the table. We later found out it was a harmless carpet python but at the time is was a little exciting. We had a night of R&R at Noosa and left for Hervey Bay the following day. Ellie had come down some throat infection which I was fortunate to avoid.

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