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Sunday 20th April.............Mag. Island ---> Cairns (via Innisfail)
Waking up early, I met Ali and Rob for breakfast and we checked out of the hostel in time for the 8am bus to the ferry terminal!! Lots of familiar faces were on the bus, Craig and Jenny, Jess and Kath, Lucy and Kate, and then Sama and Lucy met us at the ferry terminal! All these people I have met on my travels so you can see how cool it is and how many people you meet up with further along the coast. We caught the 8:20am ferry, and I was chatting to Forest, our driver who I have had previously, and he realised that I was the one in the bright orange bikini and sunnies!! I asked him if he remembered me from our short encounter from Brisbane to Noosa, and he looked at me lost, I reminded him that I was Wooloomooloo, the Aboriginal from his stories and it suddenly clicked and he gave me a huge hug!! Lol, he then chatted to me for the entire journey, teasing Rob about being a girl!!
We reached Townsville and herded onto the bus, I managed to get front seats, which were more comfy and closer to Forest who is a legend story teller!! We headed off and had a few toilet and food stops!! We all stopped at a lookout, and saw the World's Largest National Park Island, and he told us to make sure we stamped our feet whilst walking...puzzled I asked why and he said to scare the snakes away!! Great thats reassuring!! Not!! He then told us a bit about the island, and told us if you tried to go down their...you would die!! The forest is full of crocodiles, snakes, and deadly spiders that would hear you miles off and you'd have no chance of escaping!! I suddenly no longer wanted to be in this forest anymore!!
We then headed to Mission Beach, on the way Forest told us about Cyclone Larry ( a cyclone is a hurricane) and it was the worst to hit Australia so far, grade five listing!! It wiped out so much of the rainforest and it is only just starting to regrow and recover!! When we reached Mission Beach there was a monument, a wellington boot, that was the size of 7.9m which reflected the amount of rain they had had...I asked the stupid question that that was a lot of rain, did the houses not disappear under the water, only to be laughed at and told that was the rain for the whole year!! I was rather embarrassed and Forest ripped it out of me the whole way to Cairns. After saying bye to Jenny and Craig, and to Jess and Kath, we hopped off and I had difficulty making my cheese and ham sandwiches on the side of the road!!
When Forest returned with the bus, Matt and Dan were the new passengers (the Brighton Boys from Kroombit) and we chatted for ages about there good times!! We then reached the Crocodile Farm! By farm this means the farm are allowed to capture any offending crocodiles, e.g. if they consistantly attack cows or horses, and then they breed crocodiles!! Only the crocodiles they breed are they allowed to kill and make Gucci Bags and Purses!! We were sat happily on the bus waiting to get off when a Croc Worker jumped on the bus with a small croc in his hands (its mouth taped with sellotape...I was not confident that would keep it shut!!). He told us of the plan $14 to enter, bargain, and I asked if the croc was dangerous...he then said know, look...and threw it on my lap.......I was so not prepared and wet myself as this thing crawled over my legs. Rather scared I climbed off the bus and Forest then tried to put the croc down my t-shirt! I was not happy!!
We went in, picked up our Kangaroo Food and headed to see the BIG CROCS...and they were massive!! Gregory the biggest croc was absolutely huge! He weighed 1.25 ton and was so fat!! But it could still move! Two workers then fed the croc, one in the cage, the other by the gate. It did not make me too confident that the door to the cage was just left casually open as they fed them!! In my eyes, 30 tasty humans looked better than a dead bit of chicken!! We saw some aggressive crocs, some placid, and the dude nearly got knocked over by another!! After 20mins of watching the feed, we were then able to feed some kangaroos! they slobber on my hand and I do not appreciate it at all!! It was minging!! Then we saw a Cassowarrie which is a really aggressive bird...it practically went for the worker, how it missed him I do not know!!
We left the croc cages and were able to get photos with the small croc, I was happy to hold it when I was in control, a little lizard, which hung to your clothes, and then a snake, a water python!! This was slightly scary as it started to constrict around my neck, I was like excuse me it is getting tight and the guy was just like, ah don't worry about it! Hello!! I was not finding it easy to relax at all!!
We left the croc centre and headed now for Cairns, just outside of Cairns, Forest gave a thankyou for travelling with the Oz Experience speech, this was rather emotional and Ali and I were pretty choked up!! I have had such an amazing time on the Oz Experience, and its all down to the bus that i have had a good time!! I have met o many people through it and I didn't want it to end :(! He then told us that we go to school for 20 years of our life, we should travel for 20 years of our life, then we should work for 20 years, in order to support ourselves for the last 20 years of our life!! A definate good theory I feel but I am not sure I'll be able to afford my yacht that way!! He finally played an emotional song...Green Day...Time of my Life as we entered Cairns City!!
He dropped me off at the Bus centre, where I was to meet Sara, Cynthia's Sister-in-Law (Rob's sister) who was going to look after me for the next few days!! Forest called me a Loser as I was not going to be going out and getting hammered with the bus but I was not fussed, I was going to a house, that beats anything!!! I said an emotional goodbye to Rob and Ali, even though I planned to meet up with them in the week!! And then the bus drove away!! A very poignant moment!! I felt a little deflated, that was the last stop on the bus, and it feels really sad!! However, I was soon to be cheered up, Sara turned up with her husband Roger, and daughter Ellie!! They shoved my bags into the car and we were off to their house!!
We chatted away all the way to their house, which is at Kewarra Beach, half an hour outside Cairns! They asked me all about their travels and it was like I had verbal diahorrea...so I guess thats what I am going to be doing when I get home mum!! Just to warn you! We arrived at their house and its a really lovely bungalow!! Its all open plan and they have an amazing atrium with a ceiling to floor mirror with gold frame...its gorgeous!! They layout is really cool, its like a big circle with the kitchen/diner, and living room that are in a circle and the rooms lead off it!! It was so amazing to be back in a house...and it made me a little home sick!! Yes me who was like the only child not to miss her parents on her Year 6 school trip...I think it was because Sara and Roger were so lovely and it was sooooooooo amazingly nice to be back in a house!! It sounds silly but I was so excited to have a clean bed (no chance of bed bugs) to have my own room (no chance of being woken up by snoring in the middle of the night) and to have a power shower!! It was like heaven! And to put the icing on the cake was when I was served up Pork Chops, Fresh Veg and Roast Potatoes!! ROAST POTATOES I tell you it was divine!! I was so greatful! I headed to bed pretty early, after watching some TV with Ellie, who's 18 and Chloe who's 13!!
Monday 21st April..............Lazy day at the Young's Household
Okies, so I decided to have a well deserved lay in, I slept till 11am...woohoo!! No one was here when I surfaced so I made myself some brekkie...its so nice to have all the cutlery clean and available when I have been so used to fighting over the few dirty pans! Then I tried to work the TV, giving up very quickly and resorting to the radio! I decided to use my time on the Internet as it was now available and free...so I spent like the whole day on there!! The weather was gorgeous and I really should have spent it by there pool...yes they have a pool...but I decided to get all the internet done and photos uploaded!! As it would cost me next time!!
In the afternoon, Chloe arrived from school and we chatted for a while, then Ellie, Roger and Sara arrived from work!! We chatted and watched tv...they are all lovely, and they have offered to run me around while I'm here!! Absolute legends!! I love them! We had steak and chips for dinner which was so yummy!! And the salad was so good!!
We watched Eastenders in the evening...and they are four months behind...and then Family Guy with the girls! Again I went to sleep quite early as I had Cape Tribulation tomorrow morning!! Plus I have Harry Potter to go to bed with...yes they have the last book...and it is so good, I just hope I can finish it in these five days!!
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