Queensland & "In Conclusion"

Oceania » Australia » Queensland
December 9th 2005

Published: December 9th 2005

Let me tell you my impressions of Queensland...think of Myrtle Beach, Daytona, Panama City all on steroids...it is 16 to 24 year olds looking for a good time...schoolies (think high school senior week), gap year kids (between high school and university) and those recently graduated from uni...land of the golden tan, size 2s, wet t-shirt contest and the foam party...I have avoided it like the crocodiles...I just don't have the patience or the inclination to hang with the cool kids any more...I’ve done this scene and don't want or need it anymore...BUT there are three things on the East Coast of Australia that I can't image not doing while I am here...exploring Fraser Island, sailing the Whitsunday Islands and diving the Great Barrier Reef...so I suck it up and in and off I go with my nose in a book to keep me away from those oh so tempting foam parties...

So here I go…fly from Darwin in the Northern Territory on the 1:30am “red eye” flight over to Brisbane, land in Brisbane at 6:00am…get on a train into town from the airport to catch a 7:45am bus to Hervey Bay, the gateway to Fraser Island, 300 kilometers away (186 miles) and 6 hours on the bus. (Greyhound is the only way to get around the East Coast…it’s actually not that bad, really I swear.)

Fraser Island is the world’s largest sand island and is magnificent. It is just lovely. We explore it in a giant 4wd bus/truck thingie…go with a cross between a church bus and a monster truck rally…Basin Lake and Lake McKenzie are two of it’s pristine fresh water lakes and are lovely blue color that is just not very easy to describe. The second day we explore the beach area of the island and get to drive the giant busruck out onto the beach and cruise 75 Mile Beach for a couple of hours…I also take a scenic flight which takes off and lands on the beach. That was pretty cool. I see some sharks from the air (reason we are not swimming in ocean)…We explore the Champaign Pools which are kind of natural rock formations that get enough surf to fill up but not high enough to let the sharks in…now one of the more amusing things on the trip was early in the morning we get promised that we are going to get to go “swim” Eli Creek. Now it’s pretty hot and a break from the salt water would be refreshing so we all get a little excited about wonderful Eli Creek…well we rock up to this area and I swear you would have thought it was a rock concert…all that was missing was the stage and the band and I was just waiting…tents were pitched, chairs were out, wine was chilling, the cheese and crackers were on display, soccer balls were being kicked around…all these people were all gathered around…this little tiny 1 foot deep inlet where the creek dumps out into the ocean…I thought surely this could not be what all the excitement was about…no way…so we walk the boardwalk about a half a kilometer into the woods…the whole time looking at this creek thinking ok it will get deeper right now, ok now, ok now. Ok maybe not…seriously…1 foot deep the entire way…I’m really confused by this point so I just go and bake in the sun…if it fries my brain maybe I won’t care what all the hoopla was about…

Ok…that was Fraser…lovely, lovely place…lots of sand…oh and some dingoes too.

Next I am on a bus at 5:00pm on the way to Airlie Beach were I will sail the Whitsunday Islands which really is a must do for anyone coming here. It is an overnight bus (885 km/ 550 miles) and it is supposed to arrive in Airlie at 6:20am…13 hours. Not bad I can handle it. Well about hour two something happens to the bus and we stop for dinner and then just don’t leave for two hours…no explanation, no sorry, no we will get it fixed…just wait…and here is the crazy thing…we all just sat there…we just sat there and slept or read or stared out the window…not a word was spoken, not a question was asked. I’m not sure if it was because we were all backpackers and are just all to beat down to care at that point or what but it was really crazy. Finally we leave and start driving again…it’s about 10:00 now…we drive for about two hours maybe (not sure really I’m in and out of slumber at this point and again just don’t really care…it is no where near our arrival time so I just can’t be bothered with the time). Then we stop on the side of the rode and just sit there for what I think is another two hours and then we are loaded onto another bus and off we go again…and again the crazy thing is no one cares…not a questions was question was asked…oh and it’s Thanksgiving…ok finally we reach Airlie Beach at 11:00am a mere five hours behind schedule (so somewhere up their my numbers are wrong but you get the picture) we have been on the bus for 18 hours. Guess what? I don’t even care…I guess want to lie down. Luckily the next day I am set to go sailing around the Whitsunday Islands. The Whitsunday’s are these gorgeous islands that are right off the coast. The vast majority is uninhabited and is national parks. There is great snorkeling around and I just love sailing and being on the water. I manage to read 3 books in three days and I am in heaven with only having to do one small hike the whole 3 days!! It really was one of the most relaxing times I have had on this trip.

OK so from Airlie Beach I am off next to Cairns to dive the Great Barrier Reef. How excited am I? This is on the list of things to do before I die and I’m going to get it checked off! Yippee…so I have a measly 11 hour bus trip…this is cake (632 km/392 miles). And actually it was…

Cairns is actually a nice town…not to big not to small. I am really excited about diving the reef but it has been 10 years since I have been diving so I take a refresher course and am feeling a little better about it but I’m still a little apprehensive…but any way no need for that I’m diving the Great Barrier Reef! Anyway, off I go on this very nice live aboard boat with 31 other divers and 6 crew members. We get to the outer reef in about 3 hours. We are scheduled for 11 dives in 3 days including 2 night dives…this is a lot…especially for someone who hasn’t been diving in awhile. Anyways, my first dive was a little scary and I had a bit of trouble with equalizing but the dive master helped me get down to about 20 meters and I just have to say that is was just beautiful. It is like swimming in a big aquarium. Fish are just everywhere! Beautiful, colorful fish! And sharks! And turtles! And lobsters! And eels! And the coral is just as amazing as the fish…beautiful vivid colors...my pictures do not do it justice! After the first dive I ended up making it down for 5 more and one of the night dives. I was really worried about the night dive because even during the day it was like looking out into the abyss…I can’t image it at night…but I ended up doing it and it was nice. I’m not really I natural diver and really can’t say that I enjoy doing it that much (my ears hurt!) but I am so glad I got to see the reef and enjoy it! It really was amazing!

On a side bar about the last blog…it turns out that after closely looking at the photos of the film shot my friend, Chris, determine the Michael Vartan was actually there and in my frenzy to take the pictures I completely failed to realize it and probably missed my one and only opportunity to yell “Michael Vartan, will you marry me?” I'm just gutted...

So there it is...my trip...14 airplanes, 1 helicopter, 8 tour buses, 2 4wds trucks, 3 boats, 4 ferries, 3 greyhound buses, 1 tram, 2 trains, 14 sleeping bags and 58 dorm beds…

I really have so many words and yet not enough to describe it as a whole: amazing, wonderful, lonely, awe inspiring, exhausting, beautiful, hard...all of these words and more...this has been one of the most amazing experiences of my life...I am so privileged to have been able to do it...I have seen and done things that many people can't even image make less ever have the opportunity to do. I am so lucky but now I am tired. Traveling is hard...it is exhausting...it is not a vacation or a holiday...you do not wake up every morning and step onto a beautiful beach or a ski slope...you wake up at 6am in a dorm with 5 other people listening to plastic bags rustle every morning, you choose between the 3 pairs of pants you have and the four tops...you pack your 30lb bag and put it on your back and get on a plane, train or bus and you go...to the next town, to the next park, to the next crazy activity, to the next beautiful rock or wave...and you take a picture and you tell the person next to you who you meet yesterday and will never see again after tomorrow how beautiful it is there and how glad you are that they are there because you got to share it with someone...anyone at this point. You are so alone and lonely. Then you go and check into another one of those dorms...you eat out dinner (and every other meal) and gain 20lbs you can't afford... and you wake again the next morning to rustling plastic bags and go...that is traveling and that was my choice and it was wonderful and I am glad for every one of those moments.

BUT now I am tired and I miss my high heels and my handbags to say nothing of my family and friends so I'm going home and for the first time in 4 months lay down on a couch, drink some lemonade and then put my head in my mama's lap and rest...and just hope there are no plastic bags.

Queensland & "In Conclusion"

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