Au-straay-lee-aa- Part Two: Tall Tales Of Cool Dingoes and Salty Dogs

Moving on from Brisbane past the Glasshouse mountains we traveled to Noosa on the sunshine coast, so called because most places along the coast get well over 300 hundred days of perfect sunshine a year. Here it is full of quiet neighbourhoods with enormous houses owned by the lucky affluent chaps. Lovely beaches and a national park with a nice coastal path added to its appeal. We were lucky enough to see some more humpback whales jumping out of the water.

Also from Noosa we took a day trip out to Australia zoo home of the late and great Steve Irwin! Australia zoo is fantasticly set out with huge enclosures for the animals and even the snakes have loads of space to roam around. We were especially pleased when only a few minutes in to our visit we spotted Wes (Steve's best mate!) marching around the zoo talking about important things! A big highlight of the day! There is loads of stuff to do around the zoo and we had a go at feeding the elephants before going in to the famous Crocoseum to watch the show. This involved lots of clips on the big screen tv of Steve doing mad things, as well as displays of birds, snakes and of course crocodiles! There is a big memorial to Steve outside the Crocoseum which is really lovely but apart from that it is still very much as though he is alive. A great day out, recommended to all!

After Noosa we headed for Rainbow beach where we saw our first sandblow and had great fun messing around there for hours. We also spent a lot of our time sampling all the delicious wraps on offer around town. Yummy!

Then we were off to Hervey Bay where we embarked on a 3 day trip to Fraser Island. Our guide Craig was a really nice Kiwi guy and the group of people we were with were all nice which helped make it a great few days. We spent our days bumping along sandy tracks in a monster 4 wheel drive bus on route to one amazing destination after another. We enjoyed a few nice swims in the clear blue Basin lake, lake Mckenzie and lake Birrabeen as well as trips out to Indian head overlooking the Pacific ocean. Here Sam was very brave and climbed down some rocks, hoping to spot an elusive hawk. The sea below is home to turtles, manta rays and man eating tiger sharks but unfortunately we didn't get many sightings. It was a nice place to sit and take in the amazing surroundings though. Very enjoyable! We enjoyed lunch at the Champagne pools by the sea and saw plenty of humpback whales out to sea having a great time splashing about. The food was great with picnic lunches at idyllic little spots and afternoon muffins and cookies. In the evening we would return to a nice little lodge for a hot shower to rinse away the sand and a top draw evening meal. Craig was an informative guide and we came away with a healthy respect and feel for the island. It was not surprising to hear that the Aboriginal name for Fraser island means 'paradise'.

On the afternoon of our second day we made a stop at Eli creek where we had a paddle before setting ourselves up along the bank to enjoy our cookies and dip our feet in the water. We watched some kids body-boarding down the sandy slopes in to the water and Craig decided that was a great idea. This resulted on us decending on Lake Wabby the following day with a couple of body-boards. The slopes down to the lake are quite steep and some of the group had a go boarding down which was hilarious to watch and only resulted in a few minor injuries luckily! Our final drive back to the ferry that afternoon was accompanied with much cheesy music and lots of singing and bopping! We arrived at the ferry still hopefully looking along the beach for a glimpse of a dingo (which we never did see) and enjoying our last few minutes in paradise. It was a great trip on a beautiful island and we were lucky to have such a fun group and guide to make it all the more memorable!

Then we were off to the quiet town of 1770, so named after Captain Cook "discovered" it in the year of 1770. Very imaginative! We spent a few days here relaxing and doing very little although there is plenty to do for those who want to. We stayed in the town of Agnes waters which has a long empty beach and a few shops and we took a long walk down to 1770 on one of our days there. 1770 is fascinating and the beach seems like an enchanted place with strange blue crabs travelling in huge groups and lots of mangroves along the beach. We had a jolly good time herding these strange little crabs along the beach! We spent a pleasant few hours there to make sure we weren't dreaming all these odd things before enjoying a pie and a lemonade lolly!

Jumping back on to the bus, we were herded off to the Kroombit cattle station, which is much further inland than we have ventured yet. We were looking forward to seeing some more of Australia away from the coast and are happy to report back that it is a whole lot of countryside. Very empty and very pretty. The evening at the cattle station involved some harrassment of goats (which we didn't join in with!) as well as learning to crack a whip and riding the mechanical bull. Both of these activities are harder than they look and we didn't have much success with either but had a good time trying. The bull riding was a bit of a blur as we were both flung off in a matter of seconds! The cattle station was staffed by a bunch of proper aussie cowboys with top accents and cool hats! Very authentic! We also saw how they keep themselves entertained out here when they decided to blow stuff up. The stuff was a load of propane bottles and made quite an impresive explosion. A fun night!

Next day we departed for the mammoth journey to Airlie Beach. A fairly nice little harbourside town with a man made lagoon, a few shops and one main street filled with backpacker bars. Everyone comes here as it is the departure point for all sailing trips to the Whitsunday Islands. Another part of the east coast first stumbled upon by Lieutenant Cook. Or as always in Australia the first white man comes along and simply renames a place. It is not a bad little place and we enjoyed a few days here either side of our sailing excursion.

Then it was time to embark on a journey of piracy or maybe just some casual sailing depending on how you look at it. We took to the seas on the mighty Solway lass, a pretty big sailing ship with a hundred years or so of history. We spent three amazing days on board sailing between various tranquil bays for a spot of snorkelling and also paying a visit to the pristine Whitehaven beach. Before we reached the Whitsundays we had heard that Whitehaven beach was voted amongst the worlds top ten beaches. Now we have seen it for ourselves we certainly wouldn't disagree. It is hard to imagine bluer waters or whiter sands, especially spread on such a scale before you. Unfortunately it is not possible to do it justice in a photograph but we have tried. It really has to be seen to be believed.

We had a couple of opportunities to do some snorkelling and one in particluar was excellent. Snorkelling on a fringing reef in blue pearl bay was a great experience. The waters were clear and calm and the reef absolutely buzzing with fish of every imaginable colour. I had never seen such a variety and vivacity of colour. It was a spectacular feeling being surrounded by the thriving sea life.

The ship (apparently it is one - not a boat) herself was a fantastic one with plenty of space to wander about and enjoy the time at sea. I spent some time lounging in the bow nets, in the lounge or in various places on deck. We both enjoyed meeting all the different people on board of varying age groups and it was a fun time had by all. The crew were fantastic and fun to chat to and made the trip even more enjoyable for us. Wandering along Whitehaven beach, watching the sunset on the first day and cutting through the water when the wind picked up were unforgetable experiences. The whole trip was an absolute highlight of our journey and we will definitely have to return and do it all over again!

Back on dry land we relaxed for a day before heading off to Mission beach. We stayed at a great hostel here and apart from a walk along the beach on our first day we spent pretty much the whole 4 days there sunbathing and swimming in the pool. A very relaxing time indeed! We did venture out for a walk around the quiet streets one evening and we were surprised to see the biggest bat we have seen yet. It was about 2 foot wide and had a swoop over us before hanging himself upside down in a tree. Very interesting!

Finally it was time for our very last Oz Experience bus which would take us up to Cairns. It was a short journey and along the way we were to stop at the Johnston crocodile farm which I was really looking forward to. When we pulled up, Mick came aboard and started to tell us about the farm, before dropping a baby croc out of his shirt on to the bus floor. A few screams ensued but nothing compared to mine as he reached in to his pocket to pull out a spider. I had jumped over 3 lots of seats and was at the back of the bus before he finished the word but as it turned out it was just his keys! Trickster!!

Anyway, the farm was a really good experience and although I'm not all for the farming of these amazing animals, I had to admit it was a really hands on experience. As he showed us around the farm the massive crocs that he was feeding were allowed to get up very close to us and on several occasions he opened the gate and they came right out. I'm not sure how health and safety conscious it was but it was really incredible to be up so close to them! He finished off the croc bit by finding the biggest one of the lot and sitting on his back! He had a few scars to show for his work but didn't seem bothered. We then strolled over to see the Cassowaries, one of the most dangerous birds in the world as they are able to disembowel you with their raptor claw, nice! We have seen these birds a few times in Australia's zoo's but this was a whole new experience as our guide dangled his hat over the fence and did his best to annoy the bird until the cassowary could take it no more and attacked it. Quite a scary thing to watch as it attempted to jump and slash the hat while making a horrible screeching noise. Definitely not a bird to be messed with!

Then we went to see the much friendlier kangaroos and give them a bit of a feed which they seemed pleased about, before returning to the entrance. Next came the bit I had most been looking forward to, the snakes! He brought out some really beautiful ones ranging from a tiny childrens python to a big green one that was in a bit of a mood. We also had a baby croc and a blue tongued lizard to play with and thankfully no spiders! It was brilliant as we were left to our own devices with all these reptiles and it wasn't like being at a zoo where you are constantly supervised. In fact we could have left with one of the snakes and I don't think they would have noticed! It was such an amazing experience and Mick was a really interesting guy to talk to! A great way to finish our Oz experience journey. Reluctantly we all hopped back on the bus to finish the last stretch up to Cairns. We finished our time in Oz staying at a nice little hostel here. Aside from trips out of Cairns there is little to do other than top up your tan and take a swim at the lagoon. We enjoyed chilling out and relaxing and we also celebrated Jeds 28th birthday here by filling our tums at an all you can eat Asian buffet. Very tasty!

Australia has been a very different traveling experience to what we have grown used to. We have had a really good time here but it doesn't really feel like traveling, more a long holiday. Everything is set up and the only real decisions you need to make are which hostel you will be dropped off at or which activities you would like to take part in. The only real downside though is the cost of everything here. It's quite a step up when you arrive from Asia even when you expect it. That said though we have had a fun filled two months here and are glad we included Australia in our trip.

Next stop New Zealand

Sam and Jed x

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Part of trip: Oceania

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