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Published: March 10th 2007
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The only falling water we wanted to see!
The waterfalls at Finch Hatton gorge (we can't remember it's name!) After our little jaunt on a farm we hot-footed it further up the east coast and stopped in Mackay. I had heard that Eungulla National Park just outside Mackay had some spectacular rainforest and we decided to hire a car for the day, take a picnic and enjoy a little stroll through the trees- We should have known that this was a bad idea if you remember back to our Chang Mai blog (rainforest, monsoons, bruises and a water-logged camara just to recap!).
Well, the clouds came rolling over as we merrily drove towards Eungulla and by the time we got there it was absolutely pouring. So we bravely put on our raincoats and started walking up to the waterfall - all of the tourist info said that this was a lovely walk up to a natural swimming pool where you could cool off with a relaxing swim! But by the time we got there we looked like we had already had our swim - fully dressed. And when my Dad and Marilyn suggested that my ever so cheap cag wouldn’t be very waterproof they were right! In future I will always listen to your advice!
Anyway at this point we
Boomerang
Our trusty sea-going vessel were still actually enjoying ourselves, feeling that the rain added something to the beauty of the rainforest until I felt something bite, looked down at my leg and tried to pull it off. At which point i tried to keep the near-hysteria out of my voice as i said to Jonny 'What do leeches look like?' He seemed to find this very amusing and promptly got the camera out to photograph me in my hour of need! However, the tables were soon turned when i pulled up my socks (a very fetching look) which he couldn't do because he was wearing trainer socks so by the time the day was over his ankles were a mass of bite marks, which don't stop bleeding for quite a long time afterwards. It was almost like a horror movie moment. Oh how I laughed!
Due to the adverse weather conditions we had to have our picnic in the car, so very british!
After this debacle we continued north to Airlie beach, where we booked ourselves on a Whitsundays tour. The Whitsundays are a group of 74 islands, mostly uninhabited, and are a marine national park. We booked ourselves onto a 2 night
Whitehaven Beach
The view from the lookout on whitsunday island over whitehaven beach. trip and i stocked up on travel sickness pills. We had a moments doubt as to whether this trip was a good idea when we woke up on the morning we were due to depart to discover that there was a severe weather warning because of three possible cyclones slightly further north. Also Jonny woke up with conjunctivitis, and not enough time to go to a doctor! But thankfully this cleared up and the bad weather stayed further north.
We had two beautiful days aboard a racing yacht, which scared the wits out of me when it tacked at high speed and one side of the boat was in the water and we had to scramble to the high side! This meant when we sailed the boat deck was at about 45 degrees and i felt the need to hang on for dear life. However once my sea legs improved i began to find it fun. Overall it was a great few days of lazing (if you can laze during a white knuckle ride) in the sun, snorkelling, and playing drinking games in the evening! We were lucky enough to see dolphins and turtles swimming near to the boat.
Sunset over the whitsundays
This is Jonny's favourite picture so far. After this we carried on north to Townsville and hopped over to Magnetic Island (Maggie) for some much needed days of R&R. At this point we realised that Jonny has not actually been fully healthy since before his allergic reaction, and he proved this by puking for most of the journey to Maggie! Jonny then spent the first day in our new paradise sleeping, but during the following days we went snorkelling and for walks up to the old WW2 forts.
At the start of the fort walk there was a warning that death adders are present in the area so not to stray off the path as they'll bite if you disturb them, and as the name suggests they're venomous. We managed to get most of the way through our walk when i spotted one sleeping in the shade of a rock just centimetres from the main path. Jonny, fairly unsurprisingly, had almost managed to stand on it without noticing. I got very excited at being so near to a snake, and decided to photograph it. I have to mention that the first photo that i took was from behind it, and out of it's striking range in case
Death Adder
Does exactly what it says on the tin! the flash alarmed it (see i'm secretly quite sensible!).
The rest of our time on Maggie was spent sat in the jacuzzi, and trying to avoid the possums (they tried to share our dinners), and avoiding the mummy and daddy curlews who hissed when we got too near their baby.
Now we're off to start work again so the contact will tail off - parents please don't panic!!
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Vix Barton
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Sounds like u 2 are still having the times of your lives - jesus though I would have freaked out seeing that Adder, arrghh!!! The bit about leeches was gross too! Glad u enjoyed Whitsundays and now enjoying relaxing on Maggie!!! - hire a mini moke for the day there, its wicked fun!! Looking forward to your next adventure update....xxx