Not too bad a night on the bus - the first few hours taken up watching Harry Potter. Managed to get a bit of uncomfortable sleep before arriving in Byron Bay at 10.30am. A quick food shop before a free bus to our hostel. We had to wait a while for our room, but once checked in we crashed for an hour or so. Didn't really sleep so we were soon up again for a sandwich before slapping on the sun screen and heading to the beach for more snooze action! Soaked up some rays on the lovely long sandy beach and got covered in fine sand. Time for a swim. The water was lovely and cooling and the waves good fun for jumping in. They were rather powerful and Joy's bikini bottoms ended up around her ankles a few times - hope no one had an underwater camera! Back on the sand to dry out before our stomachs were rumbling. Cooled down with a slush puppy to keep us going on the walk back to the hostel but luckily we spotted the free hostel bus so we bagged a lift back. Made dinner in the noisy and not the cleanest looking kitchen! Spent the evening on our little terrace until the mossies came!
06/01/09
Lovely sleep until 10am! Packed our day bags and again headed to the beach. 10 minutes later we headed back home as we'd forgotten our books! Had a walk along a nice quiet beach, paddling as we went - no swimming allowed here due to the currents though. After an hour or so walking in the hot sun we found a spot on Byron Bay beach. Hit the sea, the waves weren't so big but the current was quite strong so at some points we were swimming but not actually getting anywhere - other than backwards! Headed home after 5pm - not getting a slush this time as we'd forgotten any money! Glad we discovered this at the beach and not the shop counter! We got lucky again though and just managed to catch the free bus home!
07/01/09
Up early to pack and head to Brisbane on the bus. The 3 hour journey actually took 4 as we crossed a time zone passing from New South Wales into Queensland. Arrived in a hot and humid Brisbane at 1.30pm. Dropped our bags at our hostel and headed into the city for a wander. Walked along the river and through the gardens onto the Southbank, and back into town for a slushie. Wandered in a few shops but tried not to look at too much as we'd spent up over Christmas. Bought tickets for Australia Zoo and headed back to our hostel via the supermarket to stock up on pasta and sauce! After dinner, had a walk across 'Storey Bridge' and back, relieved to be back in our room and the cooler fan!
08/01/09
Up early to catch the 8am train to Australia Zoo. Cloudy, but still hot. Saw lots of crocs, kangaroos, koalas, snakes, giant tortoises, lizards and birds and were entertained by Steve Irwin's family at the 'Crocoseum.' No-one was attacked by a crocodile so that was a relief! After lunch by the tiger enclosure we went to see the koalas being fed and it started to tip it down! It was nice to be cooled by the rain though. At 2pm we got on the bus home and half way through our journey swapped to a train for the remainder, getting back to Brisbane around 3.30pm. Relaxed in the hostel garden before dinner, then went out to the City Hall for a free event 'Le Carnaval Spirituel' - yoga, exotic dance and drumming! However we were late and the place was full! We wandered around town for a while but it soon got too hot so we took our legs home for a rejuvenating shower!
09/01/09
Checked out at 10.00 and although cloudy, we took a hot and humid walk to New Farm Park. Sat by the river lazing for the morning, it was too hot to do much else. Headed for the bus at 2pm and arrived in a blustery and rainy Noosa at 5pm. Our hostel was a little way out of town in a place called Sunshine Beach. Our room was also away from the main hostel. It was in fact a room in a 2 bedroom apartment, sharing a lounge and kitchen with 2 other girls. Had dinner and with a break in the clouds we chanced a quick walk. It turned into an even quicker walk as the rain started falling in sheets! We came home with a Twix and watched a DVD whilst listening to the wind and rain outside. Weather is meant to be improving - hope it does so that Sunshine Beach can live up to its name!
10/01/09
We wandered around Sunshine Beach and tried to find our way into the National Park, when we finally found an entrance we noticed that all of the recommended walks were quite long so we jumped on a bus to Noosa Heads. We had a look in the shops and the Spit before picking a spot on the beach to chill. The sea was really warm and the waves were awesome - We both had snotty noses afterwards! We headed back to our house and on the way Joy bought some new thongs (flip flops) and we wolfed down some dinner to make it to a performance of 'Le Carnaval Spirituel' It was a Hare Krisna show that we missed in Brisbane. It was completely random and only the yoga part was really any good. There was free food on offer as well so we were a bit gutted that we had already eaten! Headed home for a glass of Prosecco before bed.
11/01/09
Checked out and hit the beach for an hour or so before catching the free shuttle bus into town. The Greyhound was late and we eventually arrived into Hervey Bay at 17.30. We checked into our room which was very nice and included our very own TV and DVD player, plus ensuite bathroom before heading into town for a beer and some fish and chips on the seafront before an early night.
12/01/09
Another early start. We were picked up outside our hostel by our 4x4 bus at 7.30 and taken to the River Heads ferry for our crossing to Fraser Island. We arrived on the island at about 8.30 and headed towards Eurong. Apparently because there was a King Tide (the highest tide of the year) our plans were changed a little so we headed up the 'Highway' (75 mile beach!) on the east coast to Lake Wabby. We walked across a massive sand dune and down to the lake where we had a swim and burnt the soles of our feet on the scalding sand! When we returned to our truck we had lunch and then carried on up the beach to the Moheno shipwreck and Indian Heads. We were hoping to spot some sharks from the lookout here but with no luck unfortunately :-(. Next it was on to Eli Creek where Greg floated down the stream. It was a bit shallow though and the current wasn't amazing so it was a slow ride! We then headed off to Dilli Village where we were shown our accommodation - a nice but very small room in a cabin. We chilled out for an hour or so before a BBQ. Unfortunately our guide overcooked the steaks but the burgers were bearable - she should have let one of us cook. We did enjoy a bottle of red wine and chatted to the other 12 people in the group though.
13/01/09
Up at 7am with bloated stomachs, but as breakfast was offered we couldn't refuse. Back on the bus and we sat in the back (the bumpiest place) and we were flung in the air a few times - Greg squashing his nuts when we landed back on the seat after one particularly big bump! Went to 'Central Station' and had a walk through the rainforest, doing a bit of tree hugging on the way. Drove to Lake McKenzie - a big fresh water puddle! Had a swim and a laze on the bright, white sandy beach before chicken wraps for lunch. One last laze on the shore of the lake before driving back to the car ferry port. One hour later we were back on the mainland and relieved to be back on concrete roads! Back to the Aussie Woolshed, showered to get sand out of places we didn't know existed. Went to town to get dinner, we'd eaten a lot so we had an ice cream, we'll be healthy again tomorrow! Relaxing night watching 'Flight of the Conchords'.
14/01/09
Checked out at 10am but had a day to fill as our bus wasn't until 8.30pm. Had brekkie and read magazines in the hostel kitchen until noon then had coffee and cookies for lunch! Went to town and wandered along the beach stopping under the shade of a tree to read for a few hours. Bought some pineapple on the way back to the hostel for a non sugary snack and got a lift to the Greyhound at 5pm. The bus stop was in a retail park but all the shops were closed. We had 3 hours to kill - a pub and a dominos pizza were open so we could either do that or sit at the bus stop. 2 beers and a lush pizza later we got back to the bus stop. The bus was late and the driver stroppy and we didn't leave until 21.30. Watched 'Wildhogs' on the bus - luckily with low expectations, it didn't seem so bad the second time around.
15/01/09
Arrived in Airlie Beach at 10.30am. Luckily there were a few spare seats on the bus so we had 2 to ourselves to spread out and get some sleep. It was raining when we arrived so we had a quick stop at the supermarket and caught a taxi to Airlie Cove to check in to our cabin. Went to the bottle stop to stock up on wine for our boat trip - 4 litres should do it! Spent the rest of the day doing nothing as the rain got worse - TV, DVD, books. Mince and pasta for dinner and made a start on the 4 litre box. Hope the weather clears before our boat trip on Saturday, that and the odd smell in our cabin - not the result of our smelly trainers this time either!
16/01/09
Weather was a bit brighter today, we were just caught out a few times but luckily had our waterproofs with us. Didn't venture too far - looked around the shops in town and bought a few essentials - underwater camera and a $3 ripcurl bag - bargain. Checked in for our boat trip tomorrow and found out we can't take red wine on board - we've still got 3 1/2 litres of the stuff left! Walked along the coast to the shopping centre and added a 4 litre box of white wine to our supplies! Headed back to our cabin later in the afternoon for a read on the balcony and a glass or two of red! When making dinner we discovered the courgette we'd bought to liven up our pasta was in fact a small cucumber!
17/01/09
Check out at 10.00 and loaded our bags into a taxi - not forgetting the wine! We had 8 bags altogether as we had extra packing for the boat! Luckily we could leave the extras at the boat trip office while we were out at sea. Spent the rest of the morning lying on the grass by the lagoon and having a swim. Thankfully the weather was on our side so we were looking forward to our trip. Just after 2pm we walked along the marina and discovered why the Ripcurl bag was only $3 - blinkin bag left a red mark over Greg's Christmas T-shirt and shorts - pah! Not entirely sure what to expect we were met by our boat crew and boarded the 'New Horizon.' There were about 30 of us altogether, mostly young, we were definitely at the older end of the scale - man how did that happen! Our alcohol was loaded into a big cool box and our shoes taken from us as we went on deck, our soles burning on the sun soaked wood. We soon set sail and were shown to our cabin. We were sharing with 2 other couples, 2 of the beds, ours included had a single bunk above, ours didn't even have a ladder going up to it, we crossed our fingers it would remain empty. However we later saw someone's stuff on it so we had a lodger almost in our bed. We cracked open the wine just before dinner and enjoyed a lovely meal of fish, mash and coleslaw sitting on the deck of the ship. Other ships nearby also stopped for the night so it was a pretty view as we ate. We drank more wine than we should have whilst enjoying the outdoors and starry sky and stumbled to bed after midnight getting ready in the dark as all our cabin mates were already in bed. Fell asleep as soon as our heads hit the pillow. At 7am, Blair, our 'first mate' appeared armed with a pan and a wooden spoon - what a racket, we were up and having breakfast very fast. Hangover kicking in we got a little dinghy to Whitsunday Island and walked to a lookout point to see the beautiful white sandy beaches including the famously gorgeous Whitehaven Beach. We then had an hour or so on such a beach - 'Betty's Beach.' Thank goodness for a few grey clouds, our hangovers could not have coped with bright sunlight! Back to the boat for a sandwich lunch then sailed to a diving spot. We were given stinger suits - Joy's particularly attractive as we later discovered she'd been wearing it back to front - won't be taking fashion advice from Greg anymore, no, the zip doesn't always go at the back! Enjoyed a snorkel and saw lovely colored coral and a few fish but the water was a little murky, it was still good though and we put our underwater camera to use. Back on the boat for showers and relaxing before a spag bol dinner. No wine for us tonight! We read and sat inside most of the night - our bums too sore to sit on the wooden deck any longer. We went outside on hearing someone yell 'Shark!' and saw sharks swimming right by our boat! Although not massive, they still looked scary and when they jumped out the surface of the water to eat some innocent fish swimming by we saw they could be fierce! Earlier to bed tonight. Missed the knockout qualities of wine and didn't sleep much due to the loud engine noise of the boat. The boy in our top bunk also woke Joy up, standing on her leg as he got into bed!
19/01/09
Blair appeared again at 7am and we were up and soon out for another snorkel at 'Blue Pearl Bay.' There were loads of fish and we also saw a stingray, jellyfish and a turtle. There were loads of little black and white fish so Greg reckoned it was like St James Park! Back on the boat for an early lunch just after 11am before making our way back to shore. Joy really looking forward to dry land - definitely not got her sea legs! A short wait for the Greyhound at 2.30 and off to Magnetic Island. The journey went well, arriving in Townsville in time to catch the catamaran (arrrgghhhh another boat!) to Magnetic Island and then the bus to Bungalow Bay. We arrived at Koala Village in the dark, dumped our bags in our cabin and headed to the bar for some chips and a drink. Showered after dinner with lots of insects, Joy discovering that big green ones that look like leaves do attack - blinking thing landed right on her face as she was peering at it - arrghhh! Tired tonight and looking forward to non-rocking bed, still feel a bit like we're swaying on the sea!!
20/01/09
A nice lazy morning. Joy had a lie in while Greg did some laundry and bought some provisions and also had time to do some online banking! We headed to Horseshoe Bay beach and had a walk along towards Balding Bay. We tried to find the path but to no avail so we had to ask for directions - apparently we had been right next to it all along! The walk was uphill and it was in the blazing midday heat so it was a bit of a struggle. We eventually arrived at the beach (which was deserted) at around 13.00 and picked a nice spot, we had seen some signs saying that it was a nudist beach and about an hour later a naked man in a cowboy hat appeared! We did some reading whilst sunbaking and then walked back to Horseshoe Bay for a swim. After the swim we had a shower before a glass of wine and a pizza at the resort bar.
21/01/09
We checked out and caught the bus back to the ferry terminal, waited for the Greyhound and then watched Flightplan on the journey to Mission Beach. We arrived at 3 ish and dropped our bags off before having a wander around town. There wasn't too much to see but Greg bought a book from the local second hand shop and we did our usual grocery shop before having a dip in the hotel pool. Pasta for dinner before watching TV with the other residents - some of whom were a bit weird!
22/01/09
A nice long lie in today so breakfast wasn't served until 11.00. We then had a walk to Clump Point and back and then had another dip in 'our' pool (nobody else seemed to use it). We had a very strange chilli flavoured cheese sandwich for lunch before heading back to the beach for some sun. However, the clouds appeared at around 16.30 so we headed back to the hostel for another dip in the pool* and a shower. We then hit the town for some beers but just before we left the electricity went off in the whole town and we wondered whether it would come back on in time to cook dinner. A couple of beers later and there was still no sign of light so Joy popped to the supermarket to get us some crisps for dinner (it was the only thing we could think of that didn't need to be cooked!) We tucked in to our LARGE packets of crisps at around 19.30 and low and behold the electricity came back on just as we were finishing them!! We weren't really full so we tucked into some pasta for good measure! Had a walk on the beach in the pitch black to try and walk it off and we watched a lightning storm in the distance. We found out the next day that the power cut had gone all the way up the east coast, so an area the size of Britain had no power for 2 hours!
*We couldn't swim in the sea in Queensland because it was (stinger) jellyfish season and we didn't want to die!
23/01/09
Caught our final Greyhound at 11.00 and arrived into Cairns at 13.30. We did our usual and dumped our stuff in the bedroom and had a wander around town. The signs were saying that it was 34 degrees but it felt hotter and it was stifling. We went supermarket shopping and then headed back to the hostel. At 18.30 we headed to the Calypso Inn for an all you can eat Mexican. There were fajitas, nachos and chillis and all for $9 - Bargain!! Naturally we stuffed ourselves silly and walked back SLOWLY to the hostel, arriving just in time for Shaun of the Dead to start.
24/01/09
We were picked up outside our hostel at 7.10 and headed to Port Douglas, where we had a quick look around while the rest of the group were in the zoo. We then headed to Mossman Gorge where we had an amazingly refreshing swim, diving off rocks and bobbing along in the currents. We then caught the car ferry across the Daintree River and drove towards Cape Tribulation beach, on the way we saw 2 Cassowarys which are very rare birds that are quite large and fierce. We had a nice walk to a lookout before enjoying our sandwiches - the rest of the group had a 5 star buffet but we decided to save $25 and make our own! After lunch we had a walk through a rainforest and ate some delicious rare flavoured ice cream before catching a river cruise to spot some crocodiles. We saw 4 in total before making our way back to Cairns for some much needed dinner.
25/01/09
Picked up at 10am for a cable car ride to Kuranda Village. Once we'd floated on top of the rainforest canopy for approx 1 hour, stopping to view Barron Falls half way, we arrived at Karunda village. We spent an hour or so looking around the shops and markets, treating ourselves to some rockyroad fudge, a lime and passion fruit icecream and some honey roasted macadamias - well, we had to sample the local produce! Booked on the 3.30 train back to Cairns but having pretty much seen everything there was to see, we were able to change our ticket to an earlier one. We boarded the Kuranda Scenic Railway and made it back down the mountains in just over an hour. Once back, internet/relaxing and dinner, oh and extra applications of mozzie spray and after bite!
