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Babs friend
...and she only had to travel half way around the world to find one...Well hello there.
We have made it through our first few weeks in the land of kangaroos, didgeridoos and several thousand things intent on poisoning you, eating you or generally causing you a great deal of harm. The fact is that we haven't really come across any of them yet, apart from that strange bloke we met in Brisbane...
Brisbane is a real nice city - worth a stop if its not too far out of your way, which I imagine it is for most of you at the moment. The first real stop we made in Oz was Hervey Bay for a trip over to Fraser Island. Its a 100Km long island on the East Coast made entirely of sand. Even the "mountains" are just giant sand dunes. Most of it is covered in Rainforest but there are also beautiful lakes and rolling sand plains. Only about 1% of the island is paved road and only 4WD vehicles are allowed on. The east beach (where the wreck seen below is) is a public road as well as the worlds longest landing strip. It is also home to Australia's purest strain of Dingos. We were quite lucky to see
Fraser Island
Wreck on the beach one digging on the beach.
After leaving Hervey bay it was on up the coast to 1770, so called because that was when Captain Cook landed there. It is a gorgeous little place and also provides the most southernly access to The Great Barrier Reef at Lady Musgrave Island. We travelled to the Island on a 70 person catamaran in winds much higher than predicted and to cut a 1hr 30min story very short the crossing was not pretty. (Imagine a totally unpredictable roller coaster which lasts 1hr 29min more than it should...) The island was very nice though and we managed to see lots of coral, fish and turtles before the trip back. Because the wind was behind us on the way back the trip was not as bad. However, "surfing" waves in boat that size coming back near land was quite an experience...
We also had the chance to take a scooter ride around the 1770 area looking out for Kangaroos etc. before watching the sun go down. So, that was nice.
After stops in Byron Bay to catch some waves, Coff's Harbour to do some fishing and Noosa just because we could, we travelled
Fraser Island.,
This place has more sand than the entire Sahara desert. on down to Sydney.
Experts have long argued wether or not the Sydney Funnelweb spider is the most venomous spider in the world. Gladly the only one that I came across was behind glass. Right next to the Inland Taipan - the most venomous snake in the world, in fact. (also Australian - surprise surprise) For your interest I have just found out that no-one is ever known to have died of an Inland Taipan bite. So there you go. (Although 3 people died last year in Oz when vending machines fell on them.) Right - back to less interesting matters.
After a service at Hillsong church we paid a visit to the Bridge and the Opera House. We also took a cruise across the Sydney Harbour - the largest natural harbour in the world. (Did you know the second largest is Poole harbour, Dorset??)
The Blue Mountains, only an hours drive from Sydney supposedly contain the second largest canyon in the world, after the Grand Canyon. However after only a few moments research I found that this claim is also reputedly held by Namibia, Peru and also Serbia (and probably France as well...)
Anyway its a
Scooteroos
The only way to travel big canyon in a lovely area and up the side of it is the steepest railway in the world. (only Switzerland also claims this one) It has a maximum gradient of 52 degrees and is pretty scary!
Anyway we have made it as far as Adelaide already and had a nice rest (thanks very much Pip, Geoff, Bee and Rhys) before 8 days in the Outback travelling to Alice springs via Uluru (Ayers rock).
We'll be in touch.
Sam and Babs
P.s. If anyone has any suggestions about what we are going to do in about 7 weeks when we get back we'd love to hear them...
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anonymous
non-member comment
I didn't know kangaroos walked on water ... look at the bridge picture... it looks like a roo in the middle of the water. Thanks for the koala picture.