Pimping it down the Pacific Highway

Monday, May 31, 2010 | Posted by Hazel

After Fraser Island I spent a couple of rainy days in Brisbane, felt cultured by going to the museum and saw a few of the sights.

I managed to score myself a ride from Brisbane to Sydney from an Aussie who was moving south for a new job, so just completed a mini 24 hour adventure in a car I really didn't expect to be putting my backpack in...


Along the way we stopped at Byron Bay.  I really liked Byron Bay but just had a bit of a whistle stop tour of it this time around.


Stopped at Coffs Harbour so I could see 'The Big Banana' (This fibre glass banana is over 40 years old, originally built to get people to stop and visit the local banana plantation, it successfully sparked a trend in Australia to make large icons in different cities, some other ones include a big guitar, a big mango and a big prawn).


A few hours before we hit Sydney, the sun turned to rain, and it turns out they are having some kind of freak flooding here at the moment.  

It has actually stopped raining now though and looks a little bit sunny, so am off to do some exploring!

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Heaps of sand on Fraser...

Saturday, May 29, 2010 | Posted by Hazel

So, after Bundaberg, I travelled down the coast to Rainbow Beach where I leapt on to Fraser Island, putting my life in the hands of 6 others driving a 4WD on a sand island (to be fair, they also put their life in my hands for parts of the journey).

Fraser Island is the largest sand island in the world, and also the only place in the world where the trees grow directly from the sun...there are a couple of handy facts for you.  (As an aside, loving the '90's' day the Australian radio station in here is having right now...from Mariah and Britney to 'total eclipse of the heart', oh yeah.)


The trip began by all of us bombarding the local supermarket and having to buy food between us for the next 3 days which was a challenge in itself it seemed, but we succeeded.  Anyway, we left Rainbow Beach which was pretty grey and dull to arrive on Fraser Island which had glorious sunshine.  There aren't really any roads on the island, just a large mass of sand on the beach which is used as the road.


Aborigines (or, 'Indigenious people') believe that when humans were created, the goddess 'K'gari' (the aboriginal name for Fraser Island) fell in love with the earths beauty and refused to leave, so their snake god turned her in to Fraser Island.

This is a the 'Maheno', a ship which was used as a hospital ship in WW1.  It was caught by a cyclone in 1935 and washed up on Fraser Island where it has been ever since, rusting away on the beach for everyone to see, it's surprising there is still so much of it left actually.


From Indian Head, we were able to see Mantarays and Sharks in the water below, and there were lots of dingos (wild dogs) living wild on the island.  Even saw a dead shark on the beach.



On our first day some of the aboriginal guys who run the camp we were staying at invited us to come and help with the fishing, took me a while to work up to pick up a wriggling fish and chuck it in the basket, they'd caught tonnes of the poor little fishies, they did taste good on the barbie later though!


In the middle of Fraser Island is 'Lake Mackenzie', which has 98% silica sand (like Whitehaven beach) so it's pretty white and is said to have healing properties in it, so we all smothered ourselves in it and used it as an exfoliator in the water, even to the extent of brushing our teeth with it, it did feel as though it did something...scrubbing off my tan if nothing else.



I am now in Brisbane, arrived here last night.  The weather isn't so great, but it's brightening up.  I am actually wearing my jeans for the first time since I left the UK in February which is taking a bit of getting used to, but I have missed them a bit. 

Ronan is now on the radio which is my cue to leave...




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Some flora and fauna in Queensland

Monday, May 24, 2010 | Posted by Hazel

So, I am gradually moving down the east coast of Australia and have just spent a few days in Bundaberg...as we were leaving for our little weekend trip (I have been staying with Jeanne-Marie and Mick), Mick luckily checked his trainers before he put them on, I have taken note to do this in the future, because a couple of little froggies were enjoying the moistness, hmmm...


Well, it is the winter here, and whilst that hasn't really changed the weather too much, here it has been a little cooler.  It has still been fairly warm by my standards though.  Jeanne-Marie and Mick are new to this area of Australia so we have done a bit of exploring, and spent the weekend at Cania Gorge, a couple of hours inland from Bundaberg.


We spent our time doing walks in the gorge, I even managed to capture Gollum on the rocks...


I was pretty excited to see a kangaroo carrying her joey and then in the evening, we saw some wild bettongs, which I didn't even know existed until then - they are small marsupials, commonly known as 'rat-kangaroos', they did kind of look like a rat that bounced along like a kangaroo, it was kind of cute.


Today my highlight of the day has probably been using the ride on mower, I've always wanted a go and today I got to live that dream!


Tomorrow I head further south down the coast to Rainbow Beach, where I am off to Fraser Island on my 4WD adventure!

Thanks Jeanne-Marie and Mick for entertaining me in Bundaberg (and surrounding areas), and of course for the ride on mower bit too...

Jeanne-Marie, Mick and me

(There's nothing like a bit of forced posing - to be honest though, they really didn't need to be asked twice to hop on the horses...)

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Sailing on the Great Barrier Reef

Friday, May 21, 2010 | Posted by Hazel


This is Whitehaven Beach, famous for being one of the best beaches in the world as the sand is 98% pure silica, and is apparently the site where most shots are taken for advertising holidays in Australia.  I have just been on a 3 day sailing trip around the Whitsundays which was ace, and this was one of the sites we stopped at.  The weather wasn't so great to begin with but it soon perked up.


We did a couple of snorkels off the boat on the Great Barrier Reef which were amazing.  Despite the cloudy weather, the water was still really warm and the fish and the coral were so beautiful, I think this was probably the best snorkelling I have done so far on my trip.  When we were snorkelling one of the times we saw dolphin in the water (not that close to where we were snorkelling luckily, as I was a little scared after my previous dolphin experience in Monkey Mia where the lady took pride in telling me dolphins had 104 teeth and weren't afraid to use them on me).

The boat I was on only had 7 people on it and 3 crew, I even got a go of 'driving' it.  It was actually harder than 'Steve the Skipper' made it look...


This is a view of the moon from the boat at night.


And, just a couple of shots from the trip...


After the sailing trip, I was in Airlie Beach for a day, where I had a didgeridoo lesson.  I could just about make a sound, but the guy doing the lesson was amazing, he kind of beat boxed down it...you probably had to be there to see it, but it was pretty impressive.  And yes, I am going red in the face attempting to play it, it is not sunburn. 


Yesterday I took a 12 hour bus trip south to Bundaberg where I am now.  I have come to stay with Jeanne-Marie and Mick (Jeanne-Marie is my mums Dutch penpal who married an Aussie) and Bruce, their dog.  Tomorrow we are going to a gorge for the weekend to do some walking which I am looking forward to after my recent revelation that I like climbing.  Today it has been about 23 C which I still consider warm so am in my shorts and t-shirt, however this is apparently cold so JM and Mick have been raiding their winter wardrobes to find some warm jumpers.

I only have just under 3 weeks left in Australia now, can't believe it has gone so quickly, although I do feel as though I have done quite a lot with my time here, and have lots still planned to come - next week I am off to Fraser Island on a 4WD (4 wheel drive) tour, and on a 3 day canoe trip...


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At least the sniffer dog loves me...

Monday, May 17, 2010 | Posted by Hazel

So, I made a new friend at the airport the other day..."go get it boy, higher...good boy"...

Australian airports are totally paraoid about people bringing in food, dirt or drugs.  So whilst standing in queue at the immigration passport bit, they sent a sniffer dog through the aisles, getting his nose right stuck in.  Somehow he took a liking to me and wouldn't leave my bag alone...so when I got through the passport bit I got pulled aside and questioned about why the dog may have been so attracted to me...sadly there was no answer, other than my clearly wonderful scent.

Well, it's been a few days since I updated my blog, so I have since been to Cairns, and those in the UK right now will be pleased to know that it rains there...apparently the wet season has gone on longer than usual so it is not quite over.  Although rain here is not quite the same as at home, it rains for about 10 mins and then it is really hot again.

Last night I got a right treat...there was a free wildlife show at the hostel, which included an owl display...how did they know I would be there?!  [owls = my ex-favourite animal, previous to the archer fish]

Cairns consisted of a bit of beach action (not actually in Cairns city because the beach there is gross, its like a big mud fest, but up the coast a bit there are some nice beaches).

I then travelled south to Magenetic Island...named because when it was discovered apparently the compass wasn't working...(but later on it started working, after, presumably, they'd named it).  The island was nice, had some cool beaches and I was staying at a Koala sanctuary so had a little tour and got to hold a variety of animals...


Yes, this is me feeding a parrot thing (can't remember the technical name) from my mouth...attempting to kiss a croc, and being assaulted by a python...

And here's the money shot...


I had another animal experience...at the end of the day at the koala sanctuary, they feed the birds.  There are tonnes of these multicoloured parrots (again, didn't pay attention to the actual name).  They're pretty cool looking, so I was watching them at feeding time, when the ranger lady approached me and said 'here', dumping a load of soggy bread in my hand (apparently dipped in honey) and suddenly I was absolutely swarmed with these birds, all over me...sadly there is no photo evidence of the event, but it was kind of funny.


Did a couple of walks on the island too.  Unfortunately for any island dwellers, I am slightly biased because I love the Isle of Arran in Scotland so much, all islands in my mind are compared to this, but Magnetic Island scored pretty well in comparison.


So, now I am in Airlie Beach.  Another night bus ride and I arrived here late last night.  This afternoon I am off on a 3 day sailing adventure of the Whitsunday Islands...pretty pumped about that, although the weather isn't great, but fingers crossed it's going to get sunny again soon!

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I think I saw some fish kissing today

Wednesday, May 12, 2010 | Posted by Hazel

So, for the last couple of days I have been in the sticky and hot NT (Northern Territory) capital of Darwin.  Here I have been staying with Suzanne and Gerry.  Suzanne is the daughter of my mums pen pal, Jeanne Marie.  They have been wonderful hosts to me, and even offered to take me to the airport at 4am tomorrow morning!


Yesterday I went to Crocadylus Cove, a kind of reptile house with lots of crocs, fish and turtles.  Here I am holding a black headed python, we made friends.  In the evening we went and ate some fish and chips on the beach [Que beach picture...]


Crocodiles are often spotted at the beach, alongside box jellyfish, so its safe to say I have stayed out of the water whilst I have been here...didn't fancy losing any limbs.

One big touristy thing to do here is to go and feed the fish at 'Aquascene', where heaps of fish turn up daily to get their meals, which consists of bread for most of them and meat for the catfish.  Some of the fish are massive and were swimming all over my ankles and jumping in the air to get the bread.  Here is a batfish and a mik fish, looking very much to me like they were trying to sneak a quick kiss, but I caught them...


And this is me attempting to feed them...


I have decided that my new favourite animal is the 'Archer fish', it is quite small, but in order to catch its prey, it spits a jet of water in to the air to hit whatever it's aiming at, like a fly or some kind of bug, then it falls to the water and they snap it up.  It's pretty impressive to see!

Tomorrow I head off to Cairns (well, technically it's tomorrow, but it's more like tonight, 4am), so although my stay in Darwin has been short, it has been fun, oh, and hot.

I am not sure I have mentioned yet Australias love for 'signs', I find them rather entertaining, here are a few I have seen over the last couple of days...









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Gorge-ous West Coast Travelling...

Saturday, May 08, 2010 | Posted by Hazel

So, here I am, currently in Broome, about 2 thirds of the way up the West coast of Australia.  I have just come back from an amazing 10 day tour which has taken me up the coast.  Starting in Perth, we stopped at loads of places along the way, staying in hostels and sleeping in swags (like a big canvas sleeping bag, outside underneath the stars).  There were originally 18 people on the trip but as we went along some people got off at different places so there were only 10 of us who went all the way to Broome.

I have done loads, so will try and pick out the highlights for you...on the first day I tried some sandboarding...thought it would be hard, but actually it was easy, however I did do it sitting down, didn't quite upgrade to standing...


Monkey Mia is famous for having wild dolphins swimming in the sea, apparently 40ish years ago the fisherman used to chuck their scraps over the side of their boats and it encouraged the dolphins to come and feed and now they arrive everyday for their breakfast and lunch.  I got picked out of the crowd to feed one, so here I am, having just tossed the dolphin a dead fish...


After Monkey Mia, we stopped at Exmouth and did some snorkelling, it was amazing, I went on a glass bottomed boat and we could see these massive fish swimming underneath and all this really beautiful coral, and then they stopped and told me to jump in with my snorkel and suddenly the big fish were slightly scary, however, it was great and the fish got really close...no nibbling this time though.

This is a massive termite mound we passed on a road we were driving on...there was a lot of driving, so getting off the bus became novel at times...



We then headed to Karijini National Park for a few days, this was where I slept in a swag and admired the stars...the 'Southern Cross' was pointed out to me lots of times as it is featured on the Australian flag, and there was some kind of Emu shape that I still can not see however hard I look.  Anyway, that was not important.  Karijini was really cool, there were loads of gorges which we walked through and climbed the rocks and then swam in the pools.  I remembered how much I like climbing rocks whilst I was here so had a great time!  I took quite a few pics but here is just one of the gorges that we climbed in to and swam in the pool. 
Whilst we were at the National Park, our battery died on the bus, so we spent the rest of the trip having to push it to get it started as jump starting it didn't seem to work, this was quite amusing to begin with, but less so towards the 5th day of doing it...it's all part of the adventure. 


There is loads more stuff we did, and I had a great time.  I am  now in Broome, which is quite North, but not as North as I had thought!  On the map it looked really close to Darwin, but it turns out it is a 28 hour bus ride, so maybe not as close as I had thought.  Infact, I found out the other day that Australia is the same size as the whole of Europe...no wonder everything seems so far away from each other...it is.

I forgot to say how much the flies annoyed me in the Outback, they are everywhere, they couldn't get enough of me either (and that wasn't due to my lack of showers), it's nice to be in a city where there are no flies about, although it does feel weird to see so many people, as where we were travelling we were quite often the only people there.  Unfortunately a lot of my photos don't do the landscape justice, it is so much better when you are there, so I will just have to try and remember it!

This is everyone who was left of the tour on the last day at '80 mile beach'...don't know where it got its name from, but apparently it's a really long stretch of beach, about 80 miles long I think.



A few people from the tour are still in Broome, so a few of us are going to an open air cinema tonight to see 'Bran Nue Dae', which was apparently filmed in Broome and I met one of the stars in the show this morning...a snake that features on the road in the film...haha, he was called George. 

Not sure my plans for the next few days as I need to work out how I am going to get to where I am going next, and indeed where I am going next.  Anyway, stay in touch, 4 weeks left in Australia.

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