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A whole lot of Australia in a small amount of time.....
Since we last left you we've travelled down from far North Queensland and down into New South Wales. We've managed to put most of the photos up but haven't had a chance to update you with our adventures so here goes...
The next destination on our whistle stop tour of the east coast was Magnetic Island. As we only had a day to experience it we decided a good way to see the island was by kayak. Unfortunately for us the one and only kayak man was on holiday for a month, so we turned to Adrenaline jetski tours. We opted for the 3 hour full circumference tour of the island. Our guide, originally from near Watford, told us we'd reach speeds of up to 90 kmph and see an abundance of marine life. The one problem about spotting marine life from a jetski is that they can hear you coming so basically we didn't see anything! We weren't too bothered though as we had seen plenty on the Taka trip and since then. Another problem was that we took the 90kmph literally! Half way around the island and hitting waves at 80km plus meant we had a bumpy ride....Lauren more so being on the back of speed demon Benny C. That's not to say that we both didn't experience the thrill of the speed on water. Judging from the name, 'Adrenaline tours' we figured these speeds and the thrill we were enjoying were part of the tour. However, conservative tour guide (we've since forgotten his name) halted the tour and effectively told us off as if we were school kids for going too fast. We both burst into laughter as he drove off. It didn't help that the three other couples weren't the most thrill seeking of people.
After our 'Adrenaline' experience we headed south and stopped at the Billabong Sanctuary. Here we caught the start of the Crocodile feed (we've become a bit obsessed with these creatures since being here) as you can see from the pictures, it was well worth it. One croc, named Jaws, had eaten four of his previous girlfriends, Ben made this a warning to Loz! We also petted Koalas, Kangaroos, Squirrel Gliders, a 15 year old Wombat called Willamina and Ben had a unforgettable experience with a Python around his neck! All in all it was a fun place to visit.
That night we headed to Alva beach so we could dive a wreck called SS. Yongala. It was 40 minutes in a high powered dingy from the mainland, a bumpy but enjoyable ride. The Yongala had sunk almost 100 years ago in a cyclone and was only discovered in 1952 when they were searching for WW2 mines. Its original destination was Cairns and when it didn't arrive a search party was sent out and after three weeks nothing was found and it was a mystery for 50 years. Obviously all 130 passengers and crew died and nothing was recovered apart from the ships bell which sat 200 metres away from the vessel which now rests in Townsville museum. It was difficult to distinguish the Yongala as a ship as so much marine life had set up their home there amongst the lost souls at sea (possibly more marine life than we had seen at reefs previously). Knowing the history it was quite an overwhelming experience and had a eerie feeling to it. Parts of the ship were pointed out to us including the engine room, the anchor and the toilets which were possibly the only recognisable feature on the ship. Included in the marine life were roughly 5 turtles, plenty of sea snakes and many varieties of fish which we could get up close with. Having dived the Yongala we can see why it is regarded as one of the top three dive sites in the world!
On the dive we met a nice Dutch guy named Stefan who we bumped into in the campsite 200kms away in Airlie Beach later that night. Having had a hectic few days we stayed at Airlie beach with Stefan for three days. The weather was perfect, lots of sun but a cool sea breeze as geographically, it's a peninsular. It's part of the Whitsundays area consisting of 74 islands. Traditionally people sail around to get a feel of the area but we wanted to be a bit more physically active so we took a day kayaking around the closest islands where no one inhabits or barely visits. Team Ben and Loz were by far the standout kayakers but to be fair the competition wasn't up to much. The snorkelling we did off the kayaks was good but nothing compared to the diving we had already done. We felt extremely lucky as others in the group thought it was spectacular.
From Airlie beach we headed to Rockhampton for an overnight stop and then we travelled on to Hervey Bay where we did a day tour of Fraser Island. The largest sand island in the world. As 4x4s are the only form of transport allowed onto the island we had to leave our campervan for the day. Unfortunately the weather played up and it rained which made the experience less enjoyable and harder to appreciate the beauty of it all. It's a mixture of rainforest, freshwater lakes and huge sand dunes. The diverse landscapes in such a small area is something that you wouldn't find anywhere else in the world. It's home to the purest breed of Dingo Australia has, a more solitary animal than the main land breed. During the tour we met a couple from Ireland, Mark and Ann, who are very easy going, lovely people and we've travelled with them ever since.
We made our way with our new companions to Noosa Heads. An upmarket but unpretentious beach town that we really liked and wished we had more money to stay longer. It's where the rich Australians go to holiday.
Everyone's heard of Steve Irwin, the Crocodile Hunter. So just north of Brisbane we visited his 'Australia Zoo'. Set up by Steve Irwin and his family, it's since become a memorial park for him as well as being a zoo. We watched the famous show at the Crocoseum where Crocs, snakes and different species of birds were all on display, it was a real spectical. One of the Perakeet birds landed on Mark's head and refused to leave until the handler came and collected it. There was everything from Tigers to the Tasmainian Devil including a chance to feed the Elephants, Lauren chose Sabu! A name that had cropped up on our India adventures...Joe will understand! However it was the Otters that stole our hearts with their Rita-esque look.
We passed through Brisbane after a brief look around but we were motivated to move on to the Gold Coast. We left Ann and Mark with a friend for a night in Brisbane while we headed to Burleigh Heads just past Surfer's Paradise. This was our first chance to rent a surfboard for half a day and had a good time off the point at Burleigh Heads. The campsite was also ideally placed on the beach and was one of the nicest we stayed at.
After meeting up with Ann and Mark again we headed down to Byron Bay and were taken aback by how crowded and busy it was. We found it difficult to find a place to stay but on our way out managed to find a half decent campsite so that we had a night to sample Byron Bay, the most easterly point of Australia.
We then travelled inland 30kms to a town called Nimbin. A town known for its 'hippie' culture where artists and pot heads are on every corner. A bit of a strange and contrasting area from anywhere we'd been before. On our way down to Darlington Beach we had our first police breath test which we passed you'll be pleased to know!
After spending a night at Darlington beach we headed to Emerald beach in the Coffs Harbour area. Another fairly affluent seaside town with a perfect set up for us. We're still there now after spending three nights 20 metres from the beach with great surfing, a giant bouncing pillow fun for all ages and a free pancake breakfast tomorrow morning. We've experienced a lot of wildlife at campsites down the coast, none moreso than Emerald beach. Lauren has had a kangaroo run straight at her in the night chased by a big dog and there's an iguana three and a half feet long that is constantly in and around looking for food and many varieties of birds in the trees and the odd Possom we spot at night.
The first day at Emerald we rented three surfboards, $25 for two full days which seems like a great deal. We've had big swell, the waves are more powerful than what we're used to at home so while we've had great surfing we've also taken a beating from the sea. In the area just before you get to 'The Big Banana' (anyone who has seen The Endless Summer II will know) is the Surf Legends museum owned by Scott Dillon, a pioneer of surfing in Australia and the world. A real character, we spent some time with him chatting about his surfing and experiences of which he had many, including encounters with crocodiles and great white sharks. At 80 he doesn't look bad and he's been surfing for 77 years! He's very fond of the ladies as Lauren will testify!
That updates you with our journey so far. Tomorrow we're off to Sydney for two nights before heading to NZ Christchurch.
Merry Christmas everyone, until next time.....
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