The Coast

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Well, it has been a while since I last updated this website so there is quite a few stories to tell you all. I also have a few photo's for you to see at last! I'll have to condense this somewhat...

I left Brisbane on the 16th January to start my road trip up north along the Queensland coast. I stopped off at Caloundra (Sunshine Coast) to visit Steve and Sue Beck.

Then onto Hervey Bay (Fraser Island) where I stayed for 2 weeks with the Kluckow brothers and worked as a plumbers assistant for a few days. Went across to Fraser Island and hired a 4x4. Really an amazing place! Huge forests and crystal clear lakes (see photo's). Apparently a good place to catch shad! Also went hand-line fishing with some locals which was great. We caught a whole drum full of Blackall and Moses Perch until my hands bled!

I then moved onto an amazing spot called 1770 (the place where Captain James Cook landed!) The headland offers great fishing with really deep water right up against the rocks. I cought a small mackerel on spoon.

Then onto Rockhampton (the Beef capital of Australia) and Yepoon (the gateway to the Keppel Islands). I caught a ferry to Great Keppel Island for the day. I found a beautiful bay to snorkel. Amazing coral and reef fish, I also swam with a few turtles.

Then up to Airlie Beach (the gateway to the Whitsunday Islands). I met up with a mate of mine from back home, Andrew Daubrey. We went sailing around the Whitsunday Islands for a few days on Enid. This was definately the highlight of my trip sofar and something I recommend to everyone. We had a fantastic crew and all got on well. The diving was incredible!! Made Mozambique look like Eshowe town pool!!!!

We then continued North into the rain Forest Region. Stopping off at Mission Beach aswell as a few National Parks. We visited Wallaman Falls (Australia's tallest falls at 305m). We swam in rivers and jumped off waterfalls etc. We did a few walks in search for the elusive Cassowary (an endangered rainforest ostrich type of bird) but never got to see one!
The rainforets are unbelievable! The thickest jungle vegetation you can imagine and because we were up there in the wet season it was really hot and humid with raindrops the size of golfballs! The birdlife was like nothing I had ever experienced before.

Then onto Cape Tribulation at which point we could go no further as the roads are said to be to bad. Here the Rainforests grow right down to the sea edge with beautiful beaches. We stayed the night in a backpackers which was built right into the forest. After staying one night in the forest we made our way back down to Cairns.

Cairns is very commercialised with about half the population being Chinese or Japanese. We booked ourselves onto a dive boat to take us out to the Geat Barrier Reef. We dived on the Michaelmas Cay which is one of the very few sand islands along the Barrier Reef. The snorkeling was again unbelievable but as it was Summer the vis wasn't as great as I was expecting but still better then anything I had ever seen before! Amoungst other things we saw giant clams and big 30-40kg Ignoblis - if only I had a rode there!!

I then stayed a few more days in Cairns in search for work but because the town is very quiet over that period there was nothing on, also the rain was really getting to me so I decided to make my way back down the coast via Mission Beach and then made arrangements to head into the Outback which I will discuss in my next entry.

Hope you are all well and that this is not to boring?!?!?!?

Cheers

Mike (here in Oz everyone calls me Mick)

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