Ok so and update on my time in OZ, can’t believe I have been here nearly 3 weeks already time is flying by. So we arrived in Brisbane at a nice hour this time which was nice, so we picked a Hostel at random and made our way there on the Air train. Spent the rest of the day sorting ourselves out doing the boring things like food shopping and sorting out our transport on the Oz Experience.
Friday 15th May – today we did a walking tour of the city, visiting the city Hall where we went up the clock tower which gave us some incredible views of the city, Anzac Sq and the city Botanical gardens where we got stupidly lost in the grounds of the University. We were meant to take the ferry over to the south bank but somehow completely missed the s and found a bridge instead!! On the south bank we went and chilled out at the beach waiting fro the evening market to open.
Saturday 16th May – Started the Oz bus today, About an hour out of Brisbane we stopped and took a steep walk up to a forest look out, then took the bus to Rainbow beach where we spent the afternoon on the beach chilling.
Sunday 17th May – we traveled from Rainbow beach to Hervey bay again we chilled out on the beach.
Monday 18th May – We headed for Fraser Island which is the largest Sand island 123km long. So we were split into 2 trucks of 11 people each. We were given a truck, a food list which two people went off to buy, a map and some camping equipment. After a long DVD and being told that everything you do your likely to die and the insurance pretty much covers nothing!!!! Me and Dale were not very happy to be put down as drivers but it was too late at this point! So we set off for the ferry. The ride took 30 mins and we spent the time getting to know the group, seeing as we were going to be spending the next 2 days confined to a truck and a tent with them.
We got off the ferry and set off for a first stop Lake McKenzie- which was beautiful I have next seen anything so nice the water was clear and so so blue!!!
After flowing the other truck who were very head strong and sure we were going the right way even when we asked them after 15 minutes of going back from where we came they carried on! Then about another 15 minutes turned around, finally working out they were going the wrong way, this wasted so much time we could not go to the other lake and get to the beach at the time we needed to so we headed straight to the beach! Driving on the beach was so scary as the tied was so high we were not allowed to get the water anywhere near the truck which did not leave much space to drive!! I got stuck in sand pretty early on but once we got going I did about half an hour of driving but it was so intense and you just loose all control and power in the sand also the truck was so top heavy it always felt like it was going to tip!!! I gave up and let someone else have a try!
We reached camp and split the group into tent builder and cookers!! The tents were impossible!! Was so amusing we all did not have a clue!! We were told they should take 10 mins to put up…..half an hour later we were still trying!! Haha so amusing!!
Tuesday 19th May – it had rained all night and the tents were not the most waterproof things! We had to get up at 5 to be on the road for 6! But getting 22 people to get up after a heavy night on the Goon was impossible! Our tent got up and sorted out breakfast and lunch for the group and ended up hanging around for the other truck! Today we traveld up the beach to Indian Head where we had to park the truck up and walk to Champagne pools. We had to be back at the campsite by 1 because of the tides, which did not mater because it had started to rain very heavily so we sat under the shelter and ate Tim tams ( a penguin like biscuit just better) and drank tea!!
Wednesday 20th May - Had to get up and pack the tents away in the pouring rain!!! Was a challenge! Then we headed slowly back to the ferry stopping at the ship wreak and Lake Wabby.
Thursday 21st – we moved on to 1770 which was a tiny place we spent the afternoon on the beach! The best bit about this place was the Hostel it was called “ Cool bananas”
Friday 22nd May - today we had a long bus ride to Kroombit to a Cattle station, it was a crazy crazy experience. Most people went riding to muster up the goats I went for a walk up to a view point. They we headed to were the goats were and learnt to use a lasso and then played a team game in 3’s where we had to act out branding a goat. One person had to catch the goat- Dale, the next people had to tip the goat – Rachel and then the last person had to brand the Goat – me. Yep I took the easy job!!!!
We headed back to the ranch and tried Goat and then had the best beef meal with potatoes and 2 kinds of veg ( we were in heaven) The evening entertainment included dressing up, the limbo, learning to use a whip and a bucking bronco!!!!
Saturday23rd May - A long long long day traveling the trip to Airlie beach took 10 hours!!!!
Sunday 24th May – we went on our Whitsunday Sailing trip, we where on a boat called Matador which was the biggest off shore maxi to be built at 24.9 metres. We set off at 1pm with our swimmers and a stinger suit! There was 21 of us on the boat and 5 crew!! We moored the boat up at 4pm for the night! So sat drinking and eating!!
Monday 25th May – up early to a wet day so we donned the Orange rain coats and sat up deck getting wet from the waves as we made our way to Whiteheven Beach ( where it is famous for it fine sand) we went fro a swim before heading back to the boat for lunch! In the afternoon we were given the chance to go snorkeling or diving but the weather meant there was nothing to see as it was so foggy. We travelled back to the same mooring for the night
Tuesday 26th May - the weather picked up and we had a lovely sail back to the harbor. We snet the afternoon having a picnic by the Lagoon.
Wednesday 27th May – shopped, read, swam and sunbathed.
Thursday 28th May - Headed for Magnetic Island( get on average 320 days of sun a year!) which took and age as the driver kept getting lost. So headed over on the ferry and chilled out on the beach.