Blogs from Townsville, Queensland, Australia, Oceania - page 27

Today we travelled by Greyhound to Townsville. The weather decided to tip it down, still it didn't matter, we were on a coach watching another cheesy film (Dr. Doolittle 3!). We arrived in Townsville late afternoon and were picked up by the hostel in their mini bus. The driver obviously thought he was taking part in the grand prix and sped round the town, flying over the speed bumps. We clung to our seats, the rucksacs flying about the van before coming to an abrupt halt outside our new home for the night - the Civic Guest House. We didn't get the most welcoming greeting...in fact we barely got a grunt of acknowledgement! The receptionist was more interested in having her cigarette than us. She did manage to mumble where our room was. Our room was, ... read more

ja nemlig. tak for alle julehilsnerne, rart at hoere fra jer alle, og ogsaa lidt rart at i ikke har glemt os helt! nu kommer der et lille billedshow - hvor mange billeder kommer an paa hvor hurtigt nettet er! foerst et billede helt fra starten af julemaaneden, naermere 1.december - tillykke med foedselsdagen far. Det i ser paa billedet er verdens naeststoerste sten, Ayers Rock (der er at finde i centralaustralien kun omgivet af oerken), med masser af vandfald loebene ned af siderne, et fantastisk (og meget sjaeldent) syn! det naeste billede er blot taget 31 minutter senere for at vaere helt eksakt - og der ser stenen saaledes ud: og fordi vi er saa selvglade saa kommer der ogsaa lige et billede med os selv - eller jeg er gla... read more

We arrived in Townsville after dark. Driving down the Strand we noticed some type of winter carnival/concert going on in the park. We later learned it was a living nativity. After finding a hotel and settling in, we set out for dinner and found town to be absolutely hopping. Large groups of young women in short skirts and heavy makeup were out on the town for the evening, as were clumps of guys with short hair having beers. Turns out Townsville is home to a huge military base which explains the party atmosphere in town on a Thursday night. All over this part of Australia, we saw people driving "Utes" or what looked to us like new El Caminos. These car/truck combos are extremely popular here for some reason. We would have thought everyone in Australia ... read more

Today we were up early for a very special breakfast at Bungalow Bay Koala Village on Magnetic Island. This is a very special breakfast that only takes place a few times a month serving: Champagne (well it would be rude not to!), local tropical fruit, bacon, sausages, egg, barramundi, pancakes... well the list goes on, as the good backpackers we are (feeling more and more like skint students every day!) we filled our faces! While doing so, the rangers brought round a 2 year old salt water crocodile to stroke, a 2 metre carpet python and a koala all whilst being surrounded by lizards, a very friendly cockatoo and a rock wallaby. Then came the best bit, the chance to hold a Koala - this is something that I had been waiting to do since a ... read more

Hey guys!! Well just hit dry land and all i can say is get me back on that boat!!! Im swaying!! i liked it better aboard a tin can - no bugs or bitey things!! So after a few nights in townsville I was settiong sail for the great barrier reef and some of the best diving ever!! 15 of us with 3 instuctors and a skipper and a cook..............just hope i like them!!! We were on the boat for 8pm and didnt set dsail til 11pm with the gear checks and stuff and then we were off........sailing through the night to the first dive site - wheelers reef! Sailing through the night isn't all its cracked up to be! takes a lot to drown out the noise of an engine whilst you're sailing and trying ... read more