East Coast Part 1 - Islands, Watersports and Cuddly Animals

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I have come to realise that I am terrible at keeping up to date with my travel blog! So much so that I am going to write up the past month in two parts to save my fingers and to stop my avid fan's eyes from hurting!
After Brisbane we headed on up to Rainbow beach, where we would go over to Fraser Island. As you might imagine, Rainbow Beach is home to a rather large beach and lots of large rainbow sand coloured cliffs. We couldn't see that it had much else going for it really, and headed off to our hostel to pack for the next day's activities. We were picked up the following morning in a 4 wheel drive bus with pink flowery seat covers and set off on the short ferry crossing to Fraser Island. The island is the world's largest sand island, hence the need for a 4 wheel drive to get around and we decided on a tour rather than a self-drive trip so we could sit back, relax and enjoy the view, all whilst trying not to hit our heads on the roof of the bus as we sped over the sand! Our first stop was to see a wild dingo as he investigated our bus looking very cute, then we stopped at our hostel for lunch. Some people camp, we do things in style! After lunch we were driven up 75-mile beach, stopping at Eli Creek, which is great for a paddle; the Maheno shipwreck; the pinnacles which are huge sand dunes; and finally Indian head, where you can climb up a path and then look out over the sea and the rest of the island coast. Sitting up there on the rocks makes you feel on top of the world! That evening everyone got chatting over dinner and by the end of the night our group were acting like old friends. The following day the rain found us, however it was a day for getting wet anyway so it didn't really matter! After a rainforest walk (did you know clear plastic ponchos are very sexy? Ok that's a lie...) we went to Lake Birrabeen which, even in the rain, looked absolutely breathtaking with it's clear waters and white sand surroundings. Almost everyone went for a swim and we had a great time splashing around and walking along the lake's edge. We were the only group there and the silence and tranquility was amazing. Afterwards, we went to Lake Boomanjin, a tea tree lake, and had another good swim in the reddish brown waters whilist giving out skin a treat too! The final day started with a walk across a very large sand dune to Lake Wabby, where we took part in that great sport of dune boarding. As you might guess, this involves climbing up a sand dune (which can't be done easily or elegantly by the way!), lying on a body board and pushing yourself down the sand into the lake below. It was so much fun - I think people miles around could hear our group laughing as all manner of styles were adopted to get down the slope, from falling off the board to letting go before you hit the water! Unfortunately, after this activity it was time to leave Fraser Island and it was with much sadness that Ellie and I learnt that we were the only two heading back to Rainbow beach and everyone else was heading to Noosa! I don't think I've ever been so sad to leave a group of people and can honestly say that tour was the best I've ever been on. Our mood lifted slightly the following day however as we went to the Carlo Sand Blow, a huge sand dune overlooking Rainbow beach and the sea and discovered that Rainbow beach might be small but it's sbsolutely gorgeous - and what's more, it's the closest point to Fraser Island!
One long overnight greyhound later, we arrived in Airlie beach - which is one of the many places along the east coast you can get a trip to the Whitsunday Islands from. Airlie is very touristy - take aways, bars and souvenir shops everywhere but we found the best hostel, just outside of the town and with the best people in it too! We spent a couple of days chilling out in Airlie beach, swimming in the lagoon and learning how to play the didgeridoo (and resisting the urge to buy one when I found that I could play it!). Our 3 day 3 night boat trip around the Whitsunday Islands took place aboard Solway Lass, a tall ship with a pirate flag and rope swing! The boat was great and quite luxurious, with a bigger group of people than our previous tour but a geat mix and lots of fun. We set sail in the evening and the next morning awoke to brilliant blue sky and sparkling sea. The first activity was going across to Whitsunday Island to walk through to the lookout over Whitehaven beach. This is so much more than a nice beach - the sand was so fine and white and the water crystal clear. Only pictures can just about do it justice so make sure you come and see me when I'm back and I can show you! We went for a very short swim in the sea and then had to go back to get on our boat, however the tide had changed and we couldn't be picked up which meant we had some extra swimming time whilst Solway Lass sailed around the island to get us from the other side - shame!! We enjoyed a lot of snorkelling on our boat trip and saw many colourful fish and beautiful coral, and I was lucky enough to swim with a turtle! Another highlight of the trip was being taken across to the beach to sit and watch the sunset behind our boat which was a wonderful sight and one I'll always remember. I had a fantastic time sailing in the Whitsundays, the islands are all so different but all equally beautiful and the sea was calm and relaxing despite what lurks beneath - on one night we saw a shark which caused great excitement! After getting back to dry land most of our group met up again for a meal in Airlie which was good fun and a great way to end a really fun trip.
Our next stop was Townsville, where we couchsurfed for one night before going to Magnetic Island. Townsville is an odd little place, we arrived on a Saturday but the town centre was absolutely dead with all the shops closed and no people around! The next few days were centred around wildlife and nature as we spent our time in on Magnetic staying in a hostel that had an adjoining nature park and we got to hold all manner of creatures - a blue tongue lizard, a crocodile, a cockatoo, a carpet python and my personal favourite, the koala bear! We also confirmed all thoughts that we were crazy by embarking on a few hikes on the island in the hot sun, including the forts walk which took us up wuite high for some great views and a walk that it took us close to 3 days to find but was worth it for the lovely beaches we got to see! Magnetic island is really pretty and it must be said, it's the best thing about Townsville as we didn't see a single sign for a wet t-shirt competition on the island but there were plenty of them in Townsville!
Following Magnetic Island, we had a one night stop at Mission beach where we decided against another sky dive in favour of a 4 hour sea kayaking trip which was a lot of fun, and once I got the hang of it, not as hard as I imagined. Well, not too hard, that is, until the tide changes and you feel like you've been paddling for about twenty minutes and you've moved about 3 feet. Then a big wave comes and beaches you so you drag your kayak across the sand and back to the shop. Of course, none of this happened to me...
Part 2 coming soon!

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Comments

[Kyrp]

:D
Hey! KNow I've had the priveledge of your actual real life company, but enjoying the blog update anyway :D Look forward to reading next part! Love ya xxxx