Blogs from Mission Beach, Queensland, Australia, Oceania - page 18

Wow, I have so much to update for since the last entry, that I have to split it up into two! Johanna and I left for Noosa on Saturday, June 24th, and absolutely loved it there. We stayed at a really nice hostel where we took advantage of the free surf boards, boogie boards, and kayaks everyday. We went shopping the first day, met up with Marcus, and met some really fun British guys. I ended up staying up (hardly) that night for the !:00 AM game of Sweden vs. Germany, because Johanna needed some more support than just herself cheering for Team Sweden. The Monday after, we decided to book our seats on the free bus to the Australia Zoo, or better known as Steve Irwin, the Crocodile Hunter's Zoo. We went and saw everything. ... read more

Townsville lived up to its reputation as being nothing special, well, apart from the lovely 363m high Castle Rock which looms over the city and afforded climbers some sweeping views of the urban sprawl and distant Magnetic Island. Talking of Magnetic Island, it does look appealing and the ferry over isn't too much, but I've seen fantastic beaches and lush rainforest and it's terrible to say, but I'm yearning for something different. I stopped for two nights in Globetrotters, a roomy converted house, where I met Alex (German) and Mike (English), two really friendly guys who I wish I'd been able to spend more time with, rather than a quick burger, pint and movie. Regardless, it was fun, even with the dissapointment of the recently released 'Da Vinci Code'. A hillarious coach driver, (since most coach ... read more

Well actually I can- today- I jumped out of a plane at 14,000ft! And Yes I am still alive! It was an amazing experience- but it was over way too quickly- I just wanted to get back up in the air and do it again! I have a DVD of it, so you'll be able to see me in action when I get back! We have a hectic couple of days coming up. We are going to Magnetic Island tomorrow just for one night. Then going down to Airlie beach- sailing around the Whitsundays for 2 days, then driving around Fraser Island for 3 days, then heading to Byron Bay- soo much to do soo little time!... read more

Eventually we set off on our journey down the east coast in our campervan. First stop was Mission Beach which was covered in branches and seaweed thanks to the cyclone. Not quite the image we had of it! We did however see a wild Cassowary (large dinosaur like bird) which is quite rare. Next we journeyed through Ingham to Bowen where we visited Horseshoe and Rose Bays, both beautiful and pretty much deserted as Bowen is not very touristic. We found the locals very friendly (well, most Aussies are keen for a chat). From Bowen we drove to Airlie Beach to visit the Whitsundays. We took a boat trip to Whitehaven Beach on Whitsunday Island. It is often voted the world's best beach and we could see why! We then snorkelled off Hook Island and almost ... read more

"If you see a croc then form a circle facing outwards with you guide in the middle. And hold on TIGHT!". Yet another Humourous Ozzy Tour Guide (Read No Worries by Mark McCrum (thanks Kerry!)). Except this one was from the north of Scotland, not from North Tropical Queensland. We all grouped at the offices of the rafting company - about 15 europeans from mission beach, and about 120 Japanese from Cairns. We were then bussed again out up the Tully to the start of our rafting experience. We formed into groups of 6 for the adventure and I ended up with 4 british girls - Katie, Georgina, Nicole and Danielle and one belgium guy, whose name was apparantly Carrot. The rafting was amazing. Fast, Rough, and Hard Work. But not too fast, or too rough, ... read more