Leg 14 - Australia (Queensland) - Surf and Snorkel

Oceania » Australia » Queensland
May 27th 2010

Published: April 28th 2010

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DaveNChristina

Beach bubbly

Champagne by a lake on Fraser

Top Times

* Helicoptering over the Great Barrier Reef
* Watching big salt-water crocodiles jumping and rolling
* Swimming, snorkelling and surfing in the warm Pacific
* Relaxing at another 'home from home' with friends
* Dave touching terra firma, thankfully softly, after doing his first skydive

We were both looking forward to Queensland - it was another chance for us to recharge our batteries by staying a week or so with friends, and then to knock off a few must-do activities in a hassle-free tropical haven (no beggars/hawkers/poverty) before returning back to Europe (we thought!).

Darren and Michele put us up, friends of ours who had recently left UK to return to their homeland in Brisbane. We spent several days with them equally enjoying the company, walking, sightseeing and eating. We also decided together to risk playing what must be statistically the most deadly sport in Australia.... lawn bowls. A few 'ends' over some beers was a great way to spend the afternoon. Another highlight was going to the Gabba to watch an Aussie Rules AFL game, which illustrated the more relaxed approach the Australians have to such events... allowing alcohol and letting everyone have a

Croc jumper

kick about on the pitch after the game.

We also caught up with another friend Darren, who has moved to Brisbane and is currently working in Surfer's Paradise. This was a perfect excuse for Dave to take a surfing lesson. Darren also joined us on a night kayak on the Brisbane river which was a fun.

After Brisbane, it was case of driving the 1000 miles or so up the coast to Port Douglas, stopping for some key sites/activities on the way i.e. a 4x4 tour on Fraser Island (the worlds largest sand island), boating in the Whitsunday Islands, and most memorable, taking a helicoptor ride to the Great Barrier Reef to do some snorkelling ... the extra cost was worth it for a once in a lifetime experience. That lifetime could have been shortened dramatically for Dave a few days later when he did a tandem skydive/parachute jump, but thankfully all was ok.

During the final week we were due to fly back to the UK, an Icelandic volcano decided it would alter our plans. After our flight was cancelled, we were given a revised date of 3 weeks later! So instead we had a night