More Aussie adventures

I must warn all that this entry is going to make quite a lot of you MORE jealous...& rightly so.

After our brief visit to Nimbin we set off for Byron Bay. For those of you that haven't heard of it, it is a small (but popular) Surfing town South of Brisbane. It is very geared towards tourists, & reminded me a lot of Whistler (just sunny & surfing, not skiing!). We spent a couple of days there on the beach & out on the town. As we were there midweek there wasnt a great deal going on. We also saw the most rain since we have been travelling!

Next stop was Surfer's Paradise, which is a small city that is able to boast to being home to some of Oz's most attractive beaches.

We not only enjoyed the beaches, we tasted the nightlife too - which reminded me of some Spanish/Greek tourist spots that have been over run with young drinkers. The atmosphere around the place was good, including the hostel that we were staying. More goon was consumed (cheap boxed wine) over cards (aka drinking games) with our Norwegian & English room mates.

Whilst we were in Surfers we finally got the opportunity to visit one of Australia's best water parks, called "Wet N Wild." It had some pretty impressive slides & the weather was perfect for it.

After we had pickled our livers (not for the first time) in Surfers it was time to move onto Beerwah - the home of Australia Zoo. Australia Zoo was made famous by the late Steve Irwin, who was admired the world over for his passion for animals (& quite frankly he was a bit of a nutter too!). The Zoo is beautifully kept & they have all of the native Australian animals you could want to see. I am sure you don't need these pictures explaining...

In the centre of the Zoo they have a purpose built stadium (the Crocosium) for live animal shows. There were the usual birds & reptiles, although everyone was clearly waiting for the Croc feeding. It wasn't a disappointment!

Australia Zoo was a definite must do attraction & one we all thoroughly enjoyed.

The next day I drove Smalls & Dixy back to Brisbane & dropped them off, before heading West to the Glass Mountains National Park. I was taking another excursion to explore some more of Australia's more remote & stunning locations, & going on more treks too.

Yet again some of the trails were quite challenging, although always worth it in order to see these landscapes.

One of the things that has really impressed me about the Aussie outback is how evident nature's ability to regenerate is. The picture below is of an area of land that was badly burnt in recent fires, although the seeds from the trees can survive extreme heats & begin to flourish within days of the fires being extinguished. This is evident from the green growing out of burnt wood!

After my day of trekking I drove back to Brisbane, picked up the boys, then we were off again & heading North to Hervey Bay. Hervey isn't a great draw itself, although it is one of the most popular connection points to Fraser Island - which is an entirely sand based island.

We booked a three day/two nights self guided tour, costing a little over $200. There were four groups of nine, each responsible for their own 4x4 vehicle. We were blessed with an amazing group of people...team England!

Right from the moment we were put together we all got on famously. We were clearly the most organised of all the groups, & the envy of the others too (as a result of which we enjoyed many smug moments). Whislt we were travelling in the cars as a nine we would all camp together & socialise as we stopped off at the sightseeing venues throughout the day. This itinerary was planned out for us, so we just had to keep to a schedule (because of the tides) & read a map.

The first stop of the day was lake MacKensie, which was quite simply stunning...

Lots of sunbathing was undertaken by all, so I began to get restless (I am definitely not a lounger type of guy), resulting in me deciding to swim across the width of the lake. The water was the purest I have ever swam in, & the temperature was perfect too - refreshing but not cold. Only when I had reached halfway did I decide that maybe sunbathing could have an appeal, however I manned up & pushed on. There was much of the same beauty on the other side, but I didnt stay for long - cramping up is not an option when you have to swim the whole way back. I was very happy, & exhausted, when I crawled up the beach on the home shore. Well worth it though. Tom (a member of team England) & Dixy then decided to have a race...could Tommy swim to the other side before Dixy could run round the whole lake. Neither man appreciated the size of the task until they were underway, yet they both completed the task in good time - with Tom the champ! Very entertaining for all.

After the lake we drove along the beaches to Eurong Beach, to set up camp for the night. Yet again, in the true spirit of the term teamwork, everyone pitched in & cooked a fantastic meal of Burgers, Sausages & beans...everyone else seemed to be trying to heat up their hot plates whilst we were enjoying post dinner drinks...smug, smug, smug :-)

Smalls donned Sadie's hat (which he was strangely attached to) & began to entertain the campsite with his one man rock show. Lots of beer & goon was consumed & everyone had an excellent night.

The next day we were up early & on our way North to Indian Heads, a rock formation at the most Northernly accessible point of the island. Yet again we were all very impressed by the views on offer.

Before we left there was time for a quick team photo...

Next on the itinerary was Maheno Ship wreck. This vessel sank & washed ashore in the 1930's, which goes to show how resiliant steel is! It was well worth stopping for.

Just as we were about to set off we saw a sight we had been hoping for, but weren't guaranteed...

A more expensive means of travelling around the island. You do have to keep your eyes peeled when driving along, because otherwise you may have a plane land on your vehicle!
Tom & Dixy performing their acrobatics display to the delight of all...

We then set up camp at Eli Creek. The Creek is formed by a natural spring water feed from the hills, & it flows directly into the sea - creating a lazy river (for our enjoyment).

I was able to get a great shot of a Golden Orb spider which was loitering at our campsite. This spider isn't deadly, but nor is it pleasant!

One of the most prominent Australian wildlife on the island were the Dingos. We had been warned to watch out for them as they have attacked humans in the past, although they were nothing but quizical with us (thankfully). There were many of them sniffing around the campsite at night. The authorities seem to take their threat very seriously, as you can see from the information signs...

After our dip & sunbathing it was time for dinner again. Spag Bol. Yet again we put the other groups to shame with our efficiency! ;-) After dinner it was time for more beer, more goon, & more Smally & his Guitar (named "G-Diddy"...it is a 3/4 size).

Somehow, & I mean SOMEHOW, I managed to drag my backside out of bed at 6am in order to catch the sunrise. Hands up all those who think I considered the effort worth the reward?!?

Sleepily we made our way to the parking spot at Lake Wabby, then undertook the mile or so hike to the lake itself. Yet again, more beauty...

After a few hours of messing around on the vast sand dunes & generally chilling out, it was time to head back to the barge. We arrived back at Hervey Bay in awe of the weekend we had spent together, & the strong friendships that we had established amongst a fantastic bunch of people. We were incredibly lucky with the weather, so even a few clouds on the last morning couldnt ruin the experience. We all got back to the hostel & enjoyed one last night together at the bar, before heading our separate ways in the morning.

If any of you every visit Australia, Fraser Island is a must. I can safely say that it was one of the best weekends of my life...I am a lucky boy ;-)

Next (& sadly, last) stop in Australia was Cairns. We drove 1500km in two days to get there, in which I pulled off the longest driving stint of my life - 8hours, then checked into party central...a backpackers called Giligan's. It is like a proper hotel resort, although aimed purely at backpackers. Needless to say the place is absolutely heaving with people looking to socialise (aka - damage their livers), so we had to do our best to fit in...

Those of you familiar with the drinking game "King Beer" will understand why I am stood on the chair, those of you who don't will have to play it with us someday! We played with a group of hilarious Dutch lads, & then hit the club downstairs. Needless to say it was a hazy & late night! Cairns itself is a party place...everyone goes to the Lagoon/Beach during the day, then drinks on their patios in the evening, before hitting the bars/clubs for the night. Whislt it is enjoyable pasttime, I for one am glad that it can't go on forever!

Smalls & I did make some constructive use of our time in Cairns by booking a snorkelling excursion to the Great Barrier Reef. We set sail at 8am & were at Green Island after two smooth hours accross the ocean. Our group was good & our crew were lovely people - so we were lucky again!

The coral immediately surrounding the island isn't too impressive, as it has been bleached/damaged by the number of tourists that frequent it. Therefore I decided to swim out the other side of the boat for a few hundred metres & was rewarded the further I went (until I was called back by our captain). It was clear to see how much healthier the ocean bed was the further from the island I got, as the vibrance & variety of colours of coral got more & more impressive. Sadly though, the area we were in could not have come close to the Blue Lagoon in the Yasawa islands (Fiji) - where we were surrounded by literally thousands of fish. However, I did get the thrill of chasing an Octopus under some rocks, only to let him out (by backing off), then chasing him under again! Great fun! He kept it up longer that me though, as I got bored after ten minutes.

After lunch we got a lift onto the island, which is sand based & home to little other than a 5star resort & a Croc/Turtle sanctuary. What makes this place special is that it is home to the world's largest salt water Croc (in captivity), called Cassius, & measures a whopping 5.5m long the last time he was measured (weighing an incredible 1000kgs!) :-O

We also saw one of his buddies, White (5m), being fed at very close quarters...phenomenal creatures...

Just so that all can appreciate how amazing the weather has been during our stay in Australia, especially the further North we have got, I had to include the final picture. It is hard to believe that we are actually in "Winter" - when temperatures in Cairns over the past four days has averaged 35oC...who's jealous of those Aussies then?!?

As I write this my washing should be about finished, so I am going to go & pack for the final quarter of my year's adventure...three months travelling around Asia, starting with meeting up with one Daniel Clayton Spencer (is a legend) in Singapore tomorrow...bring it on! :-)

written by

johnnoble on May 21, 2009 from Cairns, Australia

from the travel blog: John's year off...

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