Advertisement
Published: March 12th 2009
Edit Blog Post
Picture 036
Agnes Water Beach, 1770 Morning Campers!
Greeting from a very wet and windy Rainbow Beach where we have been stuck FOR NEARLY A WEEK due to the stupid weather we are having right now!!
OK, so we left Airlie Beach and the Whitsunday's behind last Wednesday, and off we went on a 11 hour bus ride to a COMPULSORY cattle station overnight stop called, "Kroombit". We were a little annoyed we HAD to stop there, but when we got there we realised we were in for a good night. We were greeted firstly with 'bar snacks' which was basically a huge pot of meat; of which you had to guess which animal it came from. It was so yummy! same texture as lamb, but a little bit of a milder flavour, Han and I guessed Goat and we got it right! Might have to track some down when we get to the UK! There were 2 other Oz Experience buses that turned up that night too, and we were basically split into 2 groups- Southbound (us, the best of course) and Northbound and it got pretty competitive! We had a fancy dress competition (re: pics), learned how to crack a whip, and the
Picture 013
Crazy naked guy! all important bucking bronco competiton which was hillarious- fully grown men, dressed in floor length floral dresses riding a mechanical bull was pretty funny; but the longer the night dragged on , the less clothes were worn; ending in some guy going on butt naked. Silly silly boy. Oh and our Oz Experience driver Roach (female) actually got on the bull and then instead of riding it; surfed it!! Quality! Han also got on and was quite good considering the amount of 'Giggle Juice' (sparkling wine) she had consumed; beat most of the boys!
So the next morning Han and I woke up an hour late surprise surprise, missed breakfast and the bus and had to walk ages to catch up with the rest of the group, whereby we all had to get into groups of 3, and then each group (we were Billy the Kids!) had to catch, pin down and brand (pretend) a goat! Now at 8am with a hangover, this was certainly a challenge, especially as these bloody goats had massive horns on them, but we did ok, didnt come first, but didnt come last so we were quite pleased with that considering the state we
were in!
You cannot comprehend the size of Oz, its so enormous. Kroombit is Oz's second largest cattle farm, they actually herd their cattle using a helicopter! And the largest cattle farm is in Victoria and its the size of Swizerland!! So we leave Kroombit and jump back on the bus and head to 1770; we cross the line of Capricorn, which means we leave the tropics behind and getting into a dryer climate. 1770 is named that because thats when Captain Cook discovered it. If you don't know much about Cook, then read about him! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Cook he's a very interesting guy. So we get to 1770, or more specifically Agnes Waters; where we are staying with some Canadian friends we met- Sophie and Tom. It's so strange how on our trip we keep bumping into people! We saw some girls in Singapore Airport whowe took the flight from Heathrow to Bangkok with, and last night we were up having drinks with 2 english guys who were on our flight to Oz! Very strange! So ok, back to Agnes Waters. There was a surf competition on so obviously the girls donned their finest bikini's and headed down there; the
Picture 026
Billy the kids in action....... beach was lovely and the weather was great, and Han and I went for a swim. Now we have crossed the line of Capricorn, Jelly Fish are no longer a threat so we don't need to wear stinger suits in the water (yay!) although from here south the Jelly Fish are replaced by the threat of sharks! Great!! And you must always swim in between the designated flags, so the lifeguards can keep an eye on you and the skark nets are in place. So Han and I go into the water there (and like to deem ourselves as competant, strong swimmers!) And some thing very strange happened to us- we, for the first time ever, experienced Australian Surf!! Sounds weird I know, but these waves are like nothing we have ever experienced before! Anyone who has been to Oz will know, they're kind of stripy, appear out of no where, and they're massive! Certainly don't get those on the shores of Skegness!
Our hostel in 1770 was great, it was called Cool Bananas, and it was the first time Han and I have ever stayed in a mixed dorm; there's something very strange about waking up in a
top bunk and opposite you is some random guy asleep in his pants! Very strange........ The hostel's food was great aswell, you pay $5 (2.50 pounds) and they dish out some great home cooked food. Han and I aren't doing too bad for money; we're still able to eat out once a day, but some people are so poor, they literally live on noodles breakfast, lunch and dinner!
So we leave 1770 very excited for our next leg of the trip- Fraser Island- the largest sand island in the world, and everyone we know who's been says its amazing. But unfortunately after a week we are still stuck in stupid Rainbow Beach as the cyclone is preventing anyone from getting on the island! And its so frustrating, initially we were supposed to go there Mon, then Tues, then Fri and now its looking like next Monday. Possibly, maybe...... no one has any concrete answers for us! So Han and I are cutting our losses and getting out of here, we just dont have the time to waste to wait for Fraser to re-open, for all we know it could be another week or two! We are so gutted, but
hey ho thats life, and we've managed to get a refund for the self drive tour so not all is bad. I have uploaded some pics of Kroombit, 1770 but unfortunately all the pics of us in the last week aren't particularly scenic or interesting; due to the terrible weather we have decided the only thing to do here (Rainbow beach consists of 3 hostels, 1 bar 2 cafes) is play card games and get pissed!
Oh oh oh wait!!!!! I have just heard news from the hostel and Frasers is back on so we're going tomorrow!!!!!! Yay!!! I have to go now for the briefing so will update you on my return!! Yippee!!!
Advertisement
Tot: 0.185s; Tpl: 0.013s; cc: 9; qc: 56; dbt: 0.0615s; 1; m:domysql w:travelblog (10.17.0.13); sld: 1;
; mem: 1.2mb
Matt
non-member comment
Hey sweetie...
Looks like your both having an mazing time! Wish i was with ya - all those hummy men too, such lucky girls! Ha! Keep safe both of ya - hope to see you soon x x x x x x