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Published: June 22nd 2017
Geo: -28.0746, 153.445
To say we were excited when we landed in Australia is probably the biggest understatement in these blogs so far. Not that we didn't enjoy Asia, just the prospect of cooking our own food (those who know us know that this is a BIG deal), renting a car and driving ourselves (not having to fold Phil into a minivan and put our lives on the line having lunatics chauffeur us around), and yes, we are going to say it, a predominantly white skinned country (we can now blend in and not stick out like the tourists we are while having locals shouting "taxi?" or “massage?” at us every step we take) were all reasons that we were practically shaking with anticipation to begin our Australian adventure!
We were picked up from Cairns airport after our overnight 4.5 hour flight from Bali. We were feeling tired but still couldn't hide the excitement as we were driving through Cairns to our hostel. The thing that struck us was how much it reminded us of the USA. The roads were really wide, the paths were also huge which was a blessing after walking single file down most Asian streets. Even the buildings and
shops were a similar low-level, large building we have both experienced in the States.
When we realised that we couldn't check in until 2pm and there was nowhere we could rest our heads until then, we decided to go shopping for our first home cooked meal! This is where we also discovered the reason why Australians share another similarity with the US… obesity! Our eyes were popping out of their sockets at the range of chocolate alone that we don't get in the UK and Ireland. The supermarkets were huge and packed full of freshly baked bread and cakes, meat (which was very reasonably priced), the deli counter was huge (Sooz wanted to live in it), surprisingly small and very overpriced fruit and veg sections and the fact that they were EVERYWHERE, we understood that the Aussies like there food and it's easy to get!
We devoured our first meal (sausage sandwiches for anyone interested, we were easing ourselves into it), checked in and had a nap before planning our journey through Queensland.
After renting a car, we set off north to Daintree which is advertised as the only place in the world where the rainforest meets the reef. We
went on a small walk around a rainforest reserve, on the lookout for the elusive Cassowary that had apparently been sighted quite often in recent weeks (we didn't believe it either) and despite not seeing the Cassowary, we saw some pretty cool spiders, a snake and some beautiful rainforest. Slightly satisfied (nothing will ever beat the rainforest in Sumatra), we headed back to Cairns where we had booked our day out to the Great Barrier Reef (known from here on as GBR)!
Snorkelling the GBR was a day we will not forget in a hurry. We sailed out to a spot called 'fish bowl' on the outer reef where we donned our stinger suits, snorkels and fins and spent about 2 hours exploring the reef. The colours were unbelievable! If we hadn't have seen it with our own eyes we would have thought it was photoshopped! The designs and colours of both the coral and fish were out of this world. We were squealing away at each other pointing and waving like children at a sweet shop. We had an amazing buffet style lunch included and then headed off to another sight called ‘Mickelmass cay' for the second dive of
the day. All in all we spent about 3.5 hours snorkelling and exploring the GBR.
One of the great things about Australia is although for half of the year you can't swim in the sea because of the nasty jelly fish, towns like Cairns, Townsville and Airlie beach have got you covered with free, outdoor lagoons right next to the beach. The one in Cairns was the best. It was huge, with different depths, a ‘beach' section with sand, some fountains and we just happened to catch a free aqua aerobics session! There were throngs of people getting involved. It was great! Well, Sooz liked it anyway. We also hit up a Quiksilver/ Roxy outlet shop in Cairns. Both of us were in pretty desperate need for some clothes due to 5 months worth of wear and tear and a considerable amount of weight loss. We got loads of stuff for an amazing price. Very happy!
Our next excursion was out of Airlie beach. We booked a 3 day, 2 night tour around the Whitsunday islands. We boarded the 70 year old sail boat along with 11 other passengers and 3 crew to begin our 3 days in heaven. The
first day began with a bit of drama as one of the crew accidentally dropped kicked the captains camera off a cliff at Whitsunday beach. She was terrified of the repercussions, we were laughing our heads off. Whitsunday beach was a bit special really, we happened to catch it on an absolutely stunning day. The swirling pattern of the sand was gorgeous. We could hardly believe our eyes. We got some photos at a lookout point then went for a lovely swim in the gorgeous turquoise water. The next day we spent snorkelling in a couple of spots, and the last day we went kayaking around sting ray bay, weaving in and out of the mangroves. We then played a game of kayak polo (it got pretty competitive between Sooz and the Germans… it was worth it, we won). The food was great every day, the company was awesome and we can definitely say that despite the captain being a bit of a knob (another story for another time), it was actually one of the best experiences we've ever had.
We continued down through MacKay, Agnes Water and 1770 (yes it's a town with a number for a name), went
to a kangaroo sanctuary where we fed and cuddled some kangaroos and got a lecture on the fact that the Australian government was killing all of the roo's to make way for the beef industry (and also how we shouldn't use moisturiser or soap as we're washing off our own moisture in the shower then putting it back on … this was where we smiled and nodded and backed away). We then hit Noosa, but not before going on an AMAZING tour around the Bundaberg rum distillery! We saw how the rum was made from the sugar cane and the molasses (two Olympic sized swimming pools of it!) to the end product. It was a brilliant tour and definitely recommended if anyone goes that way.
Noosa was interesting. We knew it was a great surf area but nothing prepared us for the wealth there! For starters, everyone has a boat. But not only do they have a boat, it sits on their own jetty out the back of their beautiful modern houses on the river. You look out of place unless you're wearing a shirt and slacks. Expensive restaurants, 5 star accommodation, we didn't know what to do with ourselves! There
was a small surf festival on which Phil watched while Sooz went to meet up with an old friend from her European whistlestop tour. The following day we went to meet an old friend of Phil's from college days. Daithí and his fiancé Miriam, live on Black Mountain on the Cooroy hinterland which was only a stone's throw from Noosa. They are an amazing example of how we can live in an environmentally very friendly way, pretty inspirational stuff really. As it happens it was Daithís birthday coming up and we joined him and Miriam and some of their friends for the best fish and chips we've ever had (sorry England but you need to buck your ideas up!).
On from Noosa we paid a visit to the Wildlife Rescue Hospital at Australia Zoo. We paid for what was meant to be a half hour tour around the hospital. Over two hours later we emerged having had a fantastic experience, we witnessed surgery taking place on a koala, bats and a venomous snake, we toured around the entire hospital including the minor and major surgery areas, the neonatal room, the inpatient wards, saw the lists of patients and the reasons
they were there and were told how they were being treated, we saw the lab, the radiography suite and even the specific koala quarantine section. It was amazing!
After the zoo we went to stay with an old work colleague of Phil's near Brisbane. Stu, Naomi and their two adorable daughters Maddie and Sophia were so amazing and spoilt us rotten! The food was delicious and we had some great conversation about travel and life. We had our first Aussie BBQ with them and went on some lovely walks.
St Patricks day was spent out at snapper rocks in the Gold Coast where the Quiksilver and Roxy pro surf competition was being held for a few weeks. It was unbelievable. The sun was splitting the rocks (until the heavens opened and everyone fled the beach) and the surf was epic! We consider ourselves very lucky. It was a fantastic day of surf.
The Gold Coast airport was where we would be flying out of in a few days. Phil just happened to have an old college friend living there too! Tara and her partner Carey live in Miami which was a stones throw away from the airport. We rocked up
on Paddies's day evening and had a great time reminiscing, talking about films and music and drinking green sangria! The following days we spent going on a picnic down by a creek followed by a very fresh swim in it! Playing heads up and drinking what was left of our banana and toffee liquor from Bundaberg. We laughed a lot and had a great time chilling out and getting ready to hit New Zealand.
Australia was amazing overall. The big, empty roads were a pleasure to drive, the weather was absolutely perfect almost every day, our experiences were out of this world and it was so so nice to meet up with friends and not have to talk to each other for a bit ��. What an amazing 3 weeks. We will absolutely be returning to Australia in the future.
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Christopher Carroll
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Wow what an action packed 3 weeks, you should rename it a good drink and travel blog! Never really fancied Australia but hadn't really thought much about it, what you have seen in 3 weeks is amazing!