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Published: November 7th 2008
We crossed the border from NT to Queensland, knowing that this was the final border in an epic journey around the biggest country we have ever travelled. It was a moment of realization that it was soon all to end, and that brought some sadness. However, we were also aware that this was where we were going to have the most fun, and Queensland has promised a whole load of fun .
It was another long straight road, and we were fast becoming fed up of these. It really does take a whole load of concentration, and after many days of traveling 500-700Kms, and endless problems with the car, we were ready to throw the car in the gutter and get a plane to our final destination. If we had done that, however, we would have missed out on further beauty. Our first stop in Qld is Mount Isa. Known to locals as “the Isa”, this is a mining town that has had a big facelift in recent years, and now stands as a tourist spot in its own right, bringing in people to see their mining pits and prehistoric findings. Yes it is here that they have found dinosaur
fossils dating back millions and millions of years, and they have built a museum in celebration of it. It’s a bit pricey for what it is, but it’s a good hours fun.
Isa is not all that bad as a town either. It has more of a character than others like Port headland and Karratha, and the people are far friendlier.
We traveled through Normanton, via the Matilda Highway, and headed on towards Cairns, stopping off at Undara. This place is a wilderness lodge, and is made famous by the Lava Tubes that now inhabit the area. Yes, there are volcanoes here in Australia, and they have left their mark. There are about 62 Volcanoes in this area alone, and about 20,000 years ago, they erupted. The Lava flowed, sinking underground, and burrowing its way through. Many years later, and the ground above has been filled with green shrubs and trees, but underneath, the tunnels made by the Lava remain. It is these tunnels that bring in the tourists, and the 2 hour journey through the tubes, with a guide, is very informative and interesting. There are longer full day tours, but to b ehonest, after 2 hours,
it gets kinda boring!!!
The second thing about Undara was the camp. It was really great here, and there are some small walks that you can do, getting great views of the old volcanoes and mountains. The camsites have a damper, which is a pit used to burn your own camp fire. They sell wood at the reception, and you can cook up a feast or simply keep warm. There is also a nightly camp fire, with daily events, like story telling, sing a long and history telling. The campsite is done very well, with cabins made from old train carriages, swag tents (post tents with proper beds), and a bar/bistro.
We head on up to Kuranda, which is a tiny town, hell bent on attracting tourists. It is very striking that there are loads of Japanese in this part of Australia, and they all come here to buy nic naks, and cuddle a koala. We did not stay long here, but it is a nice looking town.
The drive to Cairns, through the Atherton Tablelands is a really lovely drive. The scenery is akin to the north of England. Picture Yorkshire on a spring day. Lush
green mountains, a feeling like its going to rain, a moderate temperature. I feel like I’m back in England already. But I AM in cairns. We stayed at the Big 4 Crystal Cascades campsite. What a beautiful place. You enter to the site of horses running free in the grounds, tennis courts, and a picturesque mountain retreat feel to the place. The toilets/bathrooms are like a hotels, and there’s free wireless internet!!!!!!!!!
Cairns is a pleasant town, with a slight feeling of Singapore. There’s a lagoon where there’s safe swimming, away from the sharks, stingers and crocs!!!! There’s and old/new feel to the place, we like it. Its tranquil, its beautiful scenery, and the weather was pretty good too!! Can’t really ask for more, can we?!
Townsville was our next stop, but after Cairns, this was really a let down. There’s not really much to do and see, so we went shopping!!!! I can’ really say much more than that for Townsville. Very American feel!!!!
We headed on down to Airlie beach. This is the gateway to the world famous Whitsunday islands. It has a 18-30 feel to the place. Lots of youngsters (I can call them
hmmmmmmmmmm!!!!!!!
what the hell does this mean? Raging bull about?that now that I’m classed as a middle aged man!!), lots of bars, live music, and semi naked bodies laid out on a very pretty looking lagoon. We met up with Alex and the rest of the german guys we kept meeting along the way. They had just finished their tour, a 3 day cruise on the Pacific Star catamaran to the outer reef. We then had to decide if we wanted a 2 or 3 day sail to the inner or outer reef. Since Carmen decided that 3 days on a boat may be too much for her, we opted for the 2 day cruise on the inner reef. However, not before we watched the Champions league final between Man U and Chelski. Not a supporter of either I hasten to add, but seeing as it was an all English final, we decided to get up at 4am to watch the match. I have to add here that the campsite we stayed in (Big 4) were sooo kind to us that they gave us a cabin to watch the game, free of charge!!!! We had a couple of beers for breakfast, and watched a great game!!!
So we
croc skull
saltie skull in dinosaur museum. Mt Isa went off on our trip. We met some great guys, and some were…….well lets just say they were expecting a party boat, and got a relaxed, chill out boat instead!!!!! They did not talk to anyone for the whole trip, and well, I guess they got their monies worth!!!!!
We did some diving there, but I have to say, the visibility was only 5M. It was also a comedy of errors for Carmen and i. First dive ended with a nasty cut from coral to my leg, bleeding all over the boat!!!! 2nd dive, and Carmen nearly broke her toe slipping into the dive dingy!!! The weather was pretty crappy, and we had rain for most of the 2nd day. Still, most of us made the most of it, and the hot tub after a dive was one of the best things!!!!!
We finally visited Whitehaven beach, voted the 3rd most beautiful beach in the world. Pure white sand (70% Silaca), and uninhabited. We had been warned to be careful of the sand, as most electronic things get broken due to the silicon sand here. So I decided to drop the camera whilst taking a photo of someone
else, and that was the end of our fantastic camera!!!! I was gutted like nothing else, and now must buy a new camera!!!!!
Still, the experience was put into perspective when we were told that 2 divers had gone missing in the outer reef. It then transpired that the divers were from the very boat we were thinking of going on, the Pacific star!!!! The divers were found safe after 2 days at sea, and have since made millions of dollars in tv deals!!!!! Could have been us, I said to Carmen, but a whack on the head soon put stop to that thought!!!!!
Hervey bay was the penultimate stop before Brisbane. Here we visited Fraser Island, a beautiful filled with rainforest. We spotted some humpback whales jumping out of the water. They were early, and we will be coming back to see the in a months time. Fraser island is well worth a visit for a day, and even a few days stay would not be so bad if you had the time and money. But alas, we are near broke now, and head to Brisbane to complete what has been such an extraordinary, ballistic, wonderful journey
Mt Isa
small town, but lovely. around Australia. We managed to score a lovely flat, just in time to celebrate my 32nd birthday. Brisbane has not captured us in the same way as Perth did, There's no real beach here, and you have to travel to either Noosa or Surfers Paradise for some decent wave action. Its suppossedly warmer here, but tell that to me when waking up at 0530 to get to work, and its freezing cold (about 6 degrees!).
We took a trip up back up to Hervey Bay, now that the humpback whales are here. They were great!!!. We got so close to these amazing creatures, and got some spectacular photos. We went on the boat called the Tasmen venture. This boat did not carry that many people (as oppossed to some which seemd to be crammed like the proverbial sardine), and had a lowering deck, which allowed you to get that bit closer to the animals. Whats more, you had the awesome feeling of a humpback whale going through your legs, as you stood out on this cage-like platform, and watched these great mammals glide effortlessly under you. For $100, we got the boat, some food and an experience you will
not get anywhere else in the world. Priceless really!!! We also stayed at this great backpackers. Called the woolshed, this is an old farmhose that has been converted to a backpackers. Its a family run place, clean, and quirky objects like old horseshoes, saddles.....farm stuff around the place!! Seafood i sthe order of hervey bay, and there are several places along the esplanade thatserve great seafood. Just be sure to take an empty stomach, as the servings are HUGE!!!!
In conclusion to this leg of the oddessy, i now understand why sooo many english people come to live here. You have everything in this amazing country. Sunny days, mild, barmy nights, bbq's every weekend, a plethora of outdoor activities, beach, surf, diving, skiing, rock climbing.....you name it, australia has it. Immigration is strict (something the UK could take heed of!), quality of life is central to the core here. The cost of living, although steadily increasing, is acceptable because employment is high, and wages are pretty good. You feel looked after here. People are always willing to lend a hand to their neighbour, and australians will always fight for those less fortunate than themselves.
There are some downsides
to this place, don't get me wrong. There is never going to be a perfect place to live. Things are fractured here. Each state has a different set of rules, and different mentality. The health service, although partly private, still has the same problems as the NHS!!! The NHS gets a really rough deal when it comes to the press, and you can really see it when you work in another country. Yet nurses complain about the same issues (underpaid, undervalued), doctors complain about greater working hours and underfunding and closure of beds in hospitals. When you move to another state, you have to fill out a whole new set of papers. Nothing is universal here, but i guess when you have such a big country, you have to have some order. You would think that in this day and age, there would be a simplier way of doing things thou!!! Also, everything is sooo bloody far here. Each family will have atleast 2 cars, and the level of pollution (per capita) is unsurprisingly high. There is a high level of obesity here (very surprisingly given all the outdoor activities on offer). People waste water here on a huge scale.
walking through history
walking where once lava flowed is a truely amazing experience. Knowing the there is an annual water shortage problem, people are still seen with taps flowing whilst brushing their teeth, hosing their garden everyday, cleaning the car every week, having loong showers, water features everywhere, spilling over onto bitumen ground.
Stilll, when it boils down to it, the weather makes all the difference, and people are generally happier here. So really.....who cares? We have been the happiest here than we have for a long time. In an ideal world, this would be the place to settle down. Our health has improved dramatically (both mental and physical). Yes, we may have been on the longest holiday known to man, but we have had to work too. We have seen that side of life here. Experienced the working life here. Seen people who have been here for years. Some of it has almost been a mirror image of life in England..................but at the end, it came down to the weather. It doesn't matter that i have had a shitty day at work , because i can come home knowing that tomorrow it will be a sunny day, and i can feel the sun on my ever browning face.
If you
wanted to see the real Australia, i believe it lies in the centre. The northern part of south australia, northern western australia, nothern terratories and north queensland. Its where you see the real australians, with outback dunnies, red dust, drunken aboriginals, rock art, snakes, spiders, crocs and...... ohh yes, some great big rock in the centre. Cities are cities, and all the capitals are the same really. But life in the centre is different. Its more authentic, its raw, its natural,its dramatic and its very, very beautiful.
Thanks Australia…………………you’ve been bloody great!!!! Bring on NZ!!
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