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It's been over a month since my last entry so I thought It was about time I finished off my Australia blog! All be it very quickly as I have so much to say about Pattaya!
So after Sydney I took a 14 hour bus up to Byron Bay where I stayed for 3 nights. It rained continuously here so I didn't get up to much - just a bit of rest and recuperation! After Byron I caught another very long night bus up to Harvey Bay where I stayed for a night before my Fraser Island trip. That night the hostel divided us into groups of 9 or 10 and we were set the challenge to write a shopping list of all the things we would need for the next 3 days. After a stressful trip to the supermarket in the morning we headed out in the pink 4WDs they provided for us. In our group we only had 4 that could legally drive so we decided that the 4 of us would take it in turns. I was very nervous as I haven't got behind the wheel of a car in over 2 years and the last time
I did I reversed it into a post in a car park!! (Obviously I didn't tell the others this) The driving on Fraser Island was quite difficult actually - having to drive over big rocks and sand dunes and putting it into a special gear for soft sand but I think I coped ok! Fraser Island is the largest Sand Island in the world and is protected so very little development can take place this is why everyone who visits must camp. We had lots of fun speeding down the beach visiting Lake Wabi - the water here was so green it looked like nuclear waste but the white sand leading into it proved it wasn't!! Lake Mackenzie was completely different - crystal clear blue water and powder white sand. We were plagued by cheeky Dingos here trying to steel our food. We also visited the wreck of the Maheno ship which sunk in 1938 - it is completely untouched and nature is left to run its cause. After setting up camp and experiencing a number of huge spiders we set about cooking. Unfortunately I got the vegetarian group, so food was very bland but it was still fun to
camp out under the stars and fall asleep listening to waves crashing. The next day we visited the champagne pools, so called because the water sprays over the top like a champagne bottle being opened. On the whole, Fraser was a really different experience and I really enjoyed it but 2 nights was definitely enough for me.
The next morning I set off in the opposite direction back to Noosa as I had arranged to stay with some friends for a few nights. Really enjoyed Noosa - lots of relaxing and walking along the beach and treating ourselves to a few nice meals out and glasses of wine. I felt like I was more on holiday than backpacking here as it is quite an up-market resort. On the third day we visited Australia zoo where we got to stroke Koalas and Kangaroos. I have fallen in love with Koalas - they are the cutest animals!
After Noosa I caught the Greyhound up to Airlie Beach - the major stop off point before the Whitsunday’s. Here I booked myself a two night trip on a racing boat. Unfortunately the weather wasn't very kind to us, so a lot of
the time was spent getting thrown about on deck in stylish yellow raincoats. The wind was good though so we got some good sailing in and everyone was encouraged to take part and help crew. We stopped off the visit the famous Whitehaven beach - where it rained non-stop, although I could tell it would be lovely if the clouds disappeared! I was on a boat full of 19 - 21 year old boys which was an experience in itself but there were a few girls to help me out and it was a funny 2 days. Again, two nights with 24 people on a boat was definitely the right amount of time.
After the Whitsunday’s I caught the overnight bus to Townsville where I was meeting Nina. It was so good to see her!! We spent the night catching up in Townsville - which I have absolutely nothing good to say about (it's on a par with Invercargill).
The next morning we caught the early boat out to Magnetic Island. We just stayed for a day and a night here. We went on a walk where all the Koalas are supposed to hang out and just as I
was getting quite disheartened that we hadn't spotted one, Nina saw one. It was so obvious - I can't believe I walked straight past it! After a few beers overlooking the bay we were exhausted so had an early night. The hostel dorms we stayed in looked quite rustic and alluring from the outside but they were the smallest 8 bed dorms that I had ever come across!
That morning we got up at 5.45 and caught the first boat back to the mainland where we had decided to take the bus to Mission beach. We were running seriously short of time so just stayed the afternoon here. It was ok - just another beach I guess and the water was a bit murky. It is also slightly annoying that on the upper east coast if you want to swim in the sea, you either have to swim in stinger enclosures or wear stinger suits... which takes away the spontaneity of having a dip when you feel like it.
That evening we caught the bus up to Cairns.
The next morning we caught a boat out to do some snorkeling on the Great Barrier Reef. The weather was
gorgeous and we even managed to see a giant turtle. It was quite an awesome feeling swimming alongside him - and he didn't seem at all bothered or phased (probably stoned on seaweed). The colours of the corals and fish were pretty impressive too - it's a shame I didn't have a decent underwater camera.
We decided to hire a car for the next part of the trip as we were fed up of buses. We drove up to Cape Tribulation - I had fun trying to drive an automatic - it should be easy but i kept on reaching for the gears! Cape tribulation is really out in the sticks - no phone reception at all - infested with Crocodiles (although we didn't have time to see any) and literally crawling with the most enormous spiders I have ever seen in my life. We saw a few giant monitor lizards too which aren't supposed to be that friendly! We slept in a little hut surrounded by rainforest... I didn't get much sleep though as there were too many strange scuttling sounds on the roof and I was convinced spiders were crawling all over me. I was grateful when
morning came and we went off to go canopy surfing. This was good fun but a little overpriced and tame compared to some of the adrenalin rushes I had in NZ. A great and different way to see the rainforest though.
So after a packed 4 and a half weeks it was time to say goodbye to Oz and on to the next part of my trip… Thailand.
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Gerard Lee
non-member comment
Driving!
You could have said you wrote the car off too! And that your Dad had to pay for it!