Sailing, Snorkeling and Magnetism
Another 18 hour coach ride north from Rainbow beach consisting of 2 tacky films and disturbed window knocking head sleep I reach Airlie beach and 6.30 am. Airlie is the jumping off point for sailing the whitsundays and by 7.30 am i had completely explored this extensive one street town - a collection of hostels, bars, hostel-bars, cafes and cafe-bars. Life in Airlie revolves around the sun, (inspired by Galileo) consisting pretty much of get up, go to the lagoon, lie in sun. After a day or two of Airlie life i wandered along to the mariner to find the boat that i was booked onto. 'Otella' was an ex around Australia race winner, a mono hull with 14 passengers and 2 crew. During our trip we took in Whitehaven beach, a beautifull network of sandbars, submerged by crystal blue waters. I also had my first experience of snorkeling on one of the reefs surrounding the islands. Coral and fish of every colour imaginable surrounded me, slightly disconcerting at first. When one fish 'bit' me i started flapping around until i worked out that my thumb was still where it should be. The variation of colour and shape of coral was facinating; jagged spires, large flakes, waving tenticals, clam like mouths in an array of blues, yellows purples and reds. One evening i tried my hand at fishing off of the side of the boat. I can safely say this was not my forte, catching precicely nothing. Got a couple of nibbles on the line but nothing wanted to bite. For my next stop i couldn't resist the attraction of magnetic island (see what i did there)... Thus called as captain cooks compass went a bit wobbly when he sailed past it. In fact, it isn't magnetic at all but is incredibly beautiful and chilled out. I've just been exploring various secluded (often destered) beaches around the island and last night climbed up to an old WW II fort positioned at the top to view the sun coming down. At one point i wandered face first into a very large and scary looking spiders house. Having heard so much about the deadly properties of our 8 legged friends in these parts, this sent me scampering backwards in fear for my life. It took me about 5 minutes to pluck up the courage to walk under the thing as was convinced it had positioned itself to strike... On the way down from the forts I saw my first kuala. The evening being their most active time of day it was engaged in the taxing process of chewing.
sand sand sand sand
ahhhh the famous fraser island the worlds larget sand pit and the toys to match. After leaving brisbane i spent a couple of days just chillin and reading before setting off to Fraser. Although this is shamelessly a tourist must do, its simply something that you must do. Fraser island is the worlds largest sand island and is covered in eucalyptus and rainforest as well as a number of unbeliveably clear fresh water lakes. At my hostel we were organised into groups of 9 to 11 and kitted out with camping stuff and a toyota land cruiser (of african cival war fame, only without the heavy machine guns). After a safety and rules briefing, DO NOT approach dingos (whoops), DO NOT drive excessively fast through streams and washouts (whoops), DO NOT lose or break camping gear (whoops and whoops) etc we piled in and set off. The first day we planed to make it up to the top of the island for sunset as this is the best time for seeing sharks feeding, which basically involves a 90 mile drive up the beach, which is the islands main road. however, after an hour of pottering along we thought it might be nice to take a 'scenic' drive to one of the less visited lakes. The scenic route required the 4x4 being put at 45 degree angles both length ways and side ways through dense rainforest, somehow we avoided rolling the thing and reach the lake relatively unscathed. It was deserted just surrounded by the forest. After swimming etc it was back on our way. by now we were hours behing schedual and by the time we made it back to the beach to continue north it was already 3.05 (DO NOT drive on the beach after 3.00 pm). A dash up the beach followed, stopping for photos at a ship wreck sunk into the sand and then on. With the sea slowly but surely closing the road on our right as the tide rolled in we were forced to pull in and camp some 7km short of our objective. We made camp, i let the others fiddle with the tents whilst i prepared the most important thing, a bit fire!2nd day began at 5, (as we had decided to get up for dawn at the previous days objective) i duely decided my head was in no state and turned off alarm. Mistaking the Dingos raiding our rubbish for sounds of human activity i managed to drag myself up at 5.30. Back in the 4x4 by 5.45 (having decided to break camp later) we drove throught the soft sand (as sea still high) up to Indian head. Sun rise was a couple of minutes after we got there but unfortuneatly i didn't see any sharks just a few rays (shark spotting requires focused attension on the sea, something i found myself unable to pull off....). so yeah, after that walked to the 'champagne pools' where the sea crashes into rock pools to create a bubbling effect and then back south. Spent a good deal of time getting lost in the rainforest that afternoon (when i was driving thus relying on others navigation!!). Believe me, trying to 3 point turn a 15 foot 4x4 in a road 8 foot wide in sand 3 foot deep ain't easy. On the last day we made it to the more famous lakes. Lake Wabby is a deep, steep sided affair at with people pencil rolling down the dunes into the lake. Lake Mckenzie is an amazingly blue lake, the combination of totally crystal clear frest water and the clear blue sky. Having been instructed to leave the lake for the last ferry off by 1.00 pm at the latest we set off at 1.20 and made the two hour drive in 1 hour 5 minutes. There few things more fun that being propelled upwards from your seat into the roof of a land cruiser, craking your head then falling down to meet your seat just as the vehical hits another bump. Luckly med students were on hand to deal with the multiple compression fractures, slipped disks etc etc. Don't have many pictures of island unfortunely as left my camera on then accidentally used it as pillow on first night wearing out the battery, so this is going to have to be a 'minds eye' entry.
Byron to Brisbane
Hi all!!! firstly, thanks everyone who posted/emailed happy b-day, it was indeed a good one.I reached Byron Bay on the 6th after leaving the blue mountains. Byron is my new favourite place, (for the last month anyway). Its basically a smallish town with two maaaaaaaasive beaches, onwhich i've been a resident for the last week. I'd like to go into all the cultural details of the area and explain some the horizon broadening, mental epiphanies (spelling suggestions on message board most welcome) i've experienced over the last week but sadly there weren't any. My life has pretty much consisted of beach to bar ping pong, (my intellectual side feels most ashamed). Byron bay was named by captain cook, the guy who named practically everywhere round here. Between the two beaches lies a rocky outcrop with a large (and impressively bright at night) lighthouse. From next to the lighthouse,you can look down into the waters below and see dolphins, turtles and sting rays swimming around what is the most easterly point of austrailia. In a mad turn of activity one day, myself and a couple of guys took bikes and rode around the coast to broken head nature reserve. This was an obvious misadventure from the point of conception and inevitably on the way back the chain on my bike broke. I was stranded at a junction and left to contemplate traffic whilst waiting an hour and a half for a pickup. Some spectacular nights out occured in Byron but somehow they all seemed to end in the same place, a particularly cheesy club named 'cheeky monkeys' The place has no dance floor, prefering tables for this purpose, greatly increasing the chances of breaking ones neck or being hit by bottles hurled across the room by some big drunkards flailing limbs. By the 9th everyone was pretty worn out but we still managed a day trip to nimbin. I had to drive unfortunately because i'm now 25. This new age of responsiblility is becoming a burden already. Nimbin is austrailia's answer to amsterdam, a hippy colony consisting of one street where the use and distribution of 'canabis based products' is ignored. If technicoloured buildings, unwashed stumbling locals and being offered 'special cookies' by people old enough to be your grandparents is your bag then this is definately the place to go. We drove back, accompanied by giggling, mime bands and animal noises, making it to byron in time to see an amazing sunset over the town.Travelling north on Monday I reached Surfers Paradise. How any city can retain any self respect with this name i have no idea and duely 'Surfers' fails. The golden beach without end, flanked by highrise builings makes this look like miami, whilst retaining the feel and ambiance of blackpool with sun. We braved the beach for an hour in a sand storm but were almost buried alive.The next day heading north again i reached brisbane, from which i write. I have to say its a jolly nice place having a good collection of victorian buildings, parks and river.
Nigel in the land of OZ
Ahhh in the land of constant sun, at last i can work on my tan! got to sydney on friday (today is apparently wednesday) after a quick (3 hour) flight from Auckland. Booked my place at a hostel in town from the airport and 2 minutes later was approached by some guys with think russian accents offering me a lift. I was convinced the thing was a scam but after interrorgating them for half an hour was convinced that in actual fact they HAD been sent to collect me.Got into kings cross which is the seedy, backpackery end of sydney. I kinda liked it, its got character (if a somewhat disreputable one). I was suprised by the number of oldish buildings in sydney, having expected it to be pretty much like NZ in that way. Sydney does, unfortunely, like london, have the unpleasent habit of consuming your money when you're not looking, so after a couple of days taking in the usual sights and an exspensive night down at darling habour i was off. Katoomba in oz terms is almost considered a suburb of sydney, the fact that its 2 hours away by train in a national park is of little coincidence. Its up in the blue mountains, a really stunning area and rated as one of the top 44 things to do in oz by rough guide, (why 44 i ask, these guide books are crazy). The name come from the blue haze that sits in the forested valleys, apparently something to do with evaporating gum tree gum, or something.... The area was once a hugh plateau, but over time deep and steep sided valleys have formed. The town itself is nearly all art deco in style, decked out in retro colours and packed out with 2nd hand clothes shops. Went for a long walk yesterday through the 'bush' (look at me, fully conversent in local terminology). The forest is just full of bird life most of which has something to say for itself. I saw a liar bird, which at the time i thought was a pheasent or something but was later told by a local what it was and that its pretty rare. Its apparently called that because it can immitate any other type of birds song, being the cover band of the avion world (i know, appalling pun but couldn't resist). Took the 'steepest railway in the world' out of the valley not being able to face the million steps back up and fed some parrots. This will make more sense when i put the pictures up.
