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Published: November 30th -0001
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So after the luxury of a cosy night in Bundaburg, it was back in the musty van, continuing our way down south (stopping to get a snap next to the giant bottle of Bundaburg rum on the way).
We trundled to the sunny little town of Rainbow Beach, home of the bright coloured sands and overpriced caravan parks. The reason for stopping in this seaside town was a trip to Fraser Island. We had originally booked ourselves on a 3 day camping trip, in a 4x4, before the weather took a nasty turn. So we asked if we could change it to a day trip (we thought 3 days in a water logged tent would be pretty miserable).
We were picked up the next morning by a 4x4 bus (like an army truck), along with 20 other passengers and a grizzly old guide/ranger, called Woody. Good lord Woody could talk and that’s bad coming from me! He spoke solidly for the 8 hours we were onboard the bus about everything Fraser related. For those not aware of Fraser Island, in short, it’s a massive sand island covered in beautiful views, lakes and forrest.
We make the crossing to
Fraser Island and within 20 mins we’re bombing along the beach avoiding big dips in the sand and crashing waves. It’s like the opening scene of ‘The Goonies’.
We exit the beach and take one of the many bone shaking roads through the many acres of forest that covers the island and then, bizarrely, we arrive at a cafe. For some reason I wasn’t expecting it to be so touristy and I definitely wasn’t expecting souvenir shops and fancy cafes.
Our trip to this (supposedly) secluded island is a popular one and it soon dawns on us that we’ve timed it really badly. It’s school holidays…and a Saturday…throw in the fact that it’s raining and we’re beginning to wish we’d been here months before!
We get a buffet lunch as part of the tour and we’re joined by 120 other people! It’s like being at Alton Towers. However before I start sounding too bitter about the situation I’ll get onto the cool stuff. We visit Lake Mckenzie and ignoring the weather, dive right in the lake, it’s really nice and the water is clear even without the sun. We also visit Eli Creek, the colored sands and
the famous ship wreck. On the way back we also see a couple of Dingos, but the days still a bit of a washout.
Woody talks so much that we start to get a headache (I can tell you some interesting things about tree bark and sand erosion!). Maybe we’ll go back one day and do it properly.
So the rain is making things tricky. We carry on our route, stopping at a place in the middle of nowhere called Glastonbury (complete with camping in the rain for the full experience!) and a deserted Scout Camp near Lake Coochin.
We make a return to Brisbane where we started our Oz experience and the hostel we stayed at last time let us park up in their carpark and use the showers etc. We also visit Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary, and get to hold a little Koala called Jaffa (he’s actually got a sharp grip!). We also see tons of other cool creatures like Roo’s, platypus, kookaburras and even a few crocs.
I have to say, by the end of our 2 days I’m beginning to really like Brizzie and I reckon I could live here, especially in
Fortitude Valley. At this point our addiction to wine in a box or ‘goon bag’ is getting a bit out of control and we end up having a boozy few nights with all the other residents. The owner of the hostel, Jo is a qualified hairdresser and on our final morning she ends my 4 month (and personal best) hair cut draught and trims my ‘koala ears’ hair doo before we drive to Surfers Paradise.
Our trip to the Gold Coast includes a reunion with my old flatmate James and his girlfriend Laura, who moved out here 3 years ago. They also have a recent addition to their household, 5 month old baby Harry. They live in Burleigh Heads (about 20 mins from Surfers), in an amazing 4 bed house. After 3 weeks in a small, smelly van, we feel a bit overwhelmed with luxury. James and Laura are perfect hosts and provide us with a cracking meal and plenty of booze on the Friday night - it’s great to catch up.
So with a heavy head on Saturday morning, James takes me for my first surfing session. James say’s he’s not that great considering how long he’s
been surfing, however he seems to know what he’s doing. His surf tutorial is minimal though (it consists of him saying ‘strap it to this ankle, put your feet at this end’) and I spend the next hour getting smashed around by waves and don’t get close to standing up. James failed to mention the most important lesson - make sure you wear boxers or speedos under your shorts when surfing…I return from the water, a little sore, much to everyone else’s amusement!
Saturday is another drunken night. We meet up with James and Laura’s friends, Steve and Eloise at their swanky pad in Broad Beach and head on to the Surf Club. We get an introduction to the casual gamblers favorite game, ‘Keno’ (a cross between the lottery and bingo), before the drinking games start...
We hit a couple of bars and then to Jupiter Casino. Not a great place for two penniless backpackers, so we concentrate on drinking. Unfortunately this leads to a messy end to the night, involving falling over injuries (I won’t say who), Mcdonalds and a weird phonecall to mates back in England where I decide to profess my love. I had to
be reminded of all of this the next day.
Oh dear
James and Laura kindly let us stay another night to recover, before we set off to New South Wales.
So that’s Queensland done. The final week in the van will be tough, especially with Sydney within touching distance. We’re on detox now, at least until Byron Bay!
Ali and Clio x
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Leila
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Hi Clio and Ali, I LOVE Jaffa and wish I could cuddle him too, he looks great :) Love the drunken phone calls home too, it just has to be done, although I bet it cost a fortune. I can tell it really was a drunken night if it ended with a McDonalds, he he. I'm glad it's so much fun and I love reading your blogs. Keep 'em coming. x x x