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Published: August 10th 2007
Our East Coast blitz began in the rain and continued as such through the Central Coast and up to Byron Bay. In fact, at Byron the rain was so heavy that we had to roll up our trousers and wade through rain water thigh high to get to places. It was so impressive that people even took pictures of it. Thankfully, the rain stopped and the sun came out to show off in all its glory.
We expected Byron to be a surfing and backpacking Mecca, with lots of heavy drinking and hard core partying. Whilst this happens, it also turned out to be a great town with lots of boutique shops and nice easy going bars and restaurants. However, it is for the surfing that people flock there and it did not disappoint. Near the Pass in particular there are huge breaks for the experts and further along there are lots of steady, constant smaller sets for those in need of practice - i.e. Gregor. Still, even Gregor coped well here, resulting in the biggest cheesiest grin imaginable. Slightly worrying was when we walked up to the lighthouse and spotted big oceanic sharks cruising around on the other side
of the point. We saw a sign in Byron that we have adopted as our motto, "Make a plan for life but write it in pencil". Classic!! Also, as the sun came out Becky thought up a new description of herself - Neapolitan - like the ice cream to describe the various colours of he body from tanned to lobster.
Onwards to Brisbane, where we stayed with Clare, one of Becky's friends from school (whose uncle is George from Rainbow!!), her husband Aarron and their four children. It was refreshing to get away from the backpacker trail for a bit. Gregor played with the two youngest boys whilst the others were at school. Clare seemed happy to stay out of the baking sun and leave them to it, bouncing around on the trampoline, playing football and using Gregor as a live climbing tree. He was shattered afterwards.
Brisbane itself was better than we expected. The South Bank is really lively with market stalls and an urban beach. It is also a good base to explore the southern and northern beaches.
Surfers Paradise is ghastly, with lots of skyscrapers and it is very tacky with little natural beauty
remaining. The beaches are good but the environment spoils them and when we headed out to sea the waves were messy with a vicious current. We did yield to it a bit and went to a water park and a theme park. The rides were a lot of fun, especially the Superman ride which pulls 4+ve Gs. Gregor's highlight though was posing with Catwoman. While we were at Wet n' Wild water park there was a photo shoot for Hawaiian Tropic, which made us feel old. It was fun relaxing on a leisurely tube ride, where we overheard one lady telling her kids that, "Daddy has decided to stay on a bit longer" ... to watch the shoot - dirty old man!!
Heading north we went to Glasshouse Mountains, which has a charming aboriginal tale that is worth finding out about. From there we went to Noosa, on the Sunshine Coast. The contrast between this and the Gold Coast is phenomenal. It was tastefully done, with height restrictions on the buildings to ensure that they did not surpass the tree line. The main drag is very upmarket, with designer shops and expensive restaurants. We stayed in somewhat cheaper accommodation
at Halse Lodge YHA. We really liked it though. It is an old colonial building with a lot of history and charm that has been converted for its current use. It is also a stone's throw from the beach.
Noosa was our last opportunity to go surfing due to the abundance of deadly jellyfish in the sea further north. So, it was a fun stop. For anyone going there we recommend the local ice cream shop, which is heavenly. As well as hitting the beach we went walking in the local national park. This unfortunately timed in with the Nudist Olympics, on the far side beach, which wasn't really our thing - it seemed to mainly involve old men with beards. More importantly we saw our first koala in the wild. As we have been travelling we have passed through various places that claim to be the best place in Australia to spot koalas but we have still managed to miss them, hence this was a major find.
We tried to alternate between sea and land based activities and went to Fraser Island - the world's largest sand island and a must-do-stop for travellers. We stayed in the
fanciest tents we have ever seen. It even had polished solid wood flooring. So much for roughing it! Our guide was really funny. He would constantly say, "No dramas" and "It is all too easy". Well the first time that we got stuck he still thought it was all too easy. The third time though, when the axel was even buried in sand and it happened to be his birthday, the catch phrase had vanished. It's really funny now. As for the place, the photos tell their own story. Lots of rainforest and beautiful lakes, especially Lake Allom with its golden oily water that has the same benefits as a visit to a spa. Plus there were little turtles, a freak of nature as they shouldn't really have been able to get there. It was also amusing to see people rolly polly down the sand dunes into the colourful Lake Wabby. There is more to it than just lots of sand as my brother put it.
Australia is huge. We know this is kind of stating the obvious. On our trip up the coast we clocked up over 4,500 kms. Despite this we saw only a small fraction of
the country. There is an amazing amount of space, yet most of it is barren and inhospitable, hence people crowd by the coast. To break up our journey from Fraser Island (actually Hervey Bay as it is an island) we stopped off in Rockhampton. Now this is not an obvious tourist destination, other than as a rest stop, but is happens to be the cattle capital of Australia with lots of big model bulls to emphasise the point. There is no accounting for taste. Bizarrely though it turned out to be one of our favourite stops. We headed though the industrial estates on the fringe of the town centre to the Great Western Hotel. You might ask why, well it was because there was trial rodeo riding on real bulls!!
Gregor was keen (stupid man!!) but gave in to Becky's protests; possibly for the best. It was enjoyable watching people step up and have a go. At this point it may be worth pointing out that we were the only tourists and everyone else wore cowboy hats, so we stood out a mile - especially Gregor in his shorts and red 'Mr Happy' t-shirt. There were all sorts that
had a go. From those that made it look easy, to one guy that went out on a saddle on a bull that wouldn't buck - it may have been his first time but his mates ripped him solidly about it. Then there was the 12 year old kid that got thrown against a metal fence and then trampled on by the bull (these things can weigh about a ton). Rather than being concerned about her son's welfare his mom told him to stop crying as it was embarrassing. These people are tough!
Another detour off the standard backpacker route was to Eungella National Park. We stayed for the first night at Platypus Bush Camp with our host Wazza (see the photo). The idea was that it would be an idyllic retreat in the rainforest, which would be basic but would have a lot of charm. Well we have discovered a new level of basic - no electricity or gas, with steel bins for a fridge and our 'honeymoon suite villa' was a hut with no sides, with a mossie net with holes and no bed covers. It may give you the opportunity to be at one with nature
and seemed to be a magnet for lost souls, but having been eaten alive and unable to sleep that night Becky refused to stay for the second night. We moved to Broken River resort which was as opposite as you could get. That aside, Eungella is beautiful. The area was beautiful with only a few visitors. The walking tracks are great but the highlight and real reason for going was to see platypus in their natural environment, as normally they are very shy and reclusive. We saw quite a few, including some up river whilst walking - the first time that they have been up that far for 5 years due to the lack of rain. they are so sweet and adorable, playing around and scourging for food.
After Eungella we went sailing in the Whitsundays on the Derwent Hunter, a stunning tall ship. We planned to go on one of the maxi race boats but are really glad that we didn't, as they are meant to be crowded (+bed bugs!) and not as relaxing. Considering its age (it was built in 1947) it managed to reach over 12 knots through the Whitsunday Passage, which is impressive for any
sailboat. Being an eco-tour it was also good to learn more about the local area and Andy, the deckhand/monkey who gave the talks, was a fountain of useful information. The islands are gorgeous, with lots of great snorkelling including seeing turtles up close, breathtaking white sandy beaches and great sailing. This was definitely one of the highlight of so far.
Back on land we passed through an endless amount of sugar cane fields. They are everywhere as far as you can see. Magnetic Island (Maggie) was another opportunity to relax and wind down. In fact it was really hard to leave. We tried the Bush Tucker breakfast whilst there, which included delicacies such as green ant tea. It also gave us an opportunity to handle the local wildlife, such as a carpet python, baby saltwater crocodile and koalas.
On Maggie we were forced to alter our plans. Unfortunately this meant being unable to dive SS Yongalla, one of the best wreck dives in the world and curtailing other plans. Fortunately it meant spending seven days out diving on the Great Barrier Reef instead of the planned three to four. Oh, the hardship that is our lives.
Heading
from Townsville to Cairns Gregor received a call from his uncle to say that the government had issued a tsunami warning for Northern Queensland. We thought that it was a joke but checked out the radio stations to find out. True enough there was an earthquake in the Solomon Islands that registered 8.1 on the Richter scale, causing huge devastation there and a tidal surge towards Australia. Naturally this was seriously bad news. You have got to love the Aussies. The radio stations briefly mentioned the tsunami for about 5-15 seconds before moving on to more important news such as rugby league or local elections. One channel was professional enough to add, "... probably not a great day to go outside". In the end it barely affected Australia, other than gifting surfers a decent day out.
As part of our dive trip we flew up to Cooktown, which is further north than you are able, to travel without a good 4wd vehicle. Mind you, there is not a lot to it. The airport consisted of a toilet and a drink vending machine and a bench. Pretty small!!
We dived the northern Ribbon Reefs, which are more pristine than
those around Cairns as they are less frequented. The plan was to head out to Osprey Reef, a famous site in the Coral Sea where you can see for up to 100m and regularly attracts lots of sharks. However, the sea was very choppy with huge swells and even in a big catamaran the skipper decided it was too dangerous to go out there. As it was, we got bounced around to the point that you would be lifted off your bunk and would smack your head on the bunk above. Some of the people suffered from seasickness so badly that they didn't dive for the first few days. When we got back they said that the winds averaged 20-30 knots and on the only boat to make it to Osprey every single person was violently sick - some holiday.
Despite the weather the diving was stunning. We saw some great sea life, including reef fish, turtles, lionfish, sharks, barracuda, potato cod, and Gregor's favourite, two wobbegong (rare flat mottled sharks). The real beauty of the reefs though was the coral gardens, which were really diverse and colourful. Our photographs do not do it justice. Unfortunately, Becky got stung
by an irukanji jellyfish, which is exceptionally toxic. This meant that she was unable to dive as much - a sore topic!! She had relatively minor symptoms though (although they lasted for a month!).
After diving we headed north to Cape Tribulation. It is famous for being where the rainforest meets the beach. When we arrived it lashed down with torrential rain (spot the theme), which is not much fun for walking. We were shattered anyway and were happy to relax in our room. As it happens luck was with us, as without stepping outdoors we saw a cassowary right outside our room - pretty fortunate as they are not frequently seen. The claws on these giant prehistoric birds are huge. The weather finally cleared before we left, so we managed to visit the waterhole and walked through Mosman Gorge in sunshine.
Short and brief but a lot of fun, Sydney seemed huge when we got back. As funds were rapidly depleting we stayed in the Kings Cross area. We got locked out of our hostel one day, due to a police barricade of the street (a gunman had taken hostages nearby!). It wasn't as exciting as it
sounds though, ending peacefully with the Swat team using our internet venue as their base throughout - apparently they were catching up on their e-mails there.
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Laura (soon to make guest appearance)
non-member comment
How . jealous . am . I !!
Best entry yet - gave me some much-needed laughs :-)