Cairns to Sydney – 16 Day Tour (Days 7 to 12)

And so the tour continued…

Day 7: Airlie Beach to Kroombit Cattle Station

Today, I once again enjoyed what Australia had to offer, in particular the east coast. It was a day for driving, a fair distance from Airlie Beach to Kroombit, however, a 10.30pm stop to play Lawn Bowls made it fun. I have not played Lawn Bowls before and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I learned that the balls are unevenly distributed in weight and will spin to the right or left once thrown, so skill is required in placing the ball close to the jack. I soon got the knack of it and racked up a few points for our team – I would like to play this game when I return to England.

As we approached Kroombit Cattle Station, Pete got us in a country mood by playing Australia Slim Dusty, Johnny Cash and Dolly Parton. Kroombit Cattle Station was great – all buildings constructed of wood; a big wooden dining table and an outside bar. We ate red pepper soup, fire roasted steak (home grown of course) and drank wine – it was only $10 per bottle. I learned to crack a whip – a short one to start with and later a full length one, and terrified as I was even had a go on a mechanical bull. Yep, I was rubbish and came off halfway through the first turn. Oh well, I tried! At midnight I retired to bed, having one of the most comfortable nights sleep on the east coast.

Day 8: Kroombit to Hervey Bay

We did not leave Kroombit Cattle Station until 1.00pm, all good as we had to make time to participate in a Goat Rodeo and I shot my first ever shot gun.

The goat rodeo involved forming teams of 3. A goat was placed in the ring; it was then the turn of the team to perform a mock branding. This was not an easy task since the goats were literally ‘wild’! and would go crazy on approach. It is amazing how high goats can jump! However, when it was our teams turn, Pia did very well in catching the littl’ cretin, I haled him over and Jess mocked branded him with the iron stick. I dare say, we were not that fastest team, but made a good effort.

It was then time for Cley Pigeon Shooting; this is a sport I have been gagging to try so could not wait to have a go. I managed to shoot 3/5 cleys – yeah, me, little Em with a massive gun shot 3 cleys, calling ‘pull!’ (something else I have always wanted to do). On the first shot I managed to lean into the gun, the remainder not and I came away with a pretty sore shoulder – shot guns have a lot of ooomph!

We waved goodbye to Kroombit to make our way to Hervey Bay – our stop for Frasier Island.

Days 9 to 10: Frasier Island

The ferry ride to Frasier Island was nice and smooth and I think I may have even spotted a dolphin on the water. On Frasier Island at Kingfisher Bay, we were greeted by our guide Pete, who turned out to be an absolute hoot! Think Jim Carey sense of style and add constant ramblings of humour and someone that laughs at their own jokes. He was hilarious!

Our first stop was Basin Lake – a freshwater lake surrounded by white sand and rainforest. The water here is so fresh that you can actually drink it, rather like swimming in a big bath of Evian. Swimming in the lake was just beautiful. From there we walked 2.6km through the bush, to arrive at the bus and were then escorted to Central Station for a fine buffet lunch. The afternoon was spent walking through rainforest, seeing the ancient king ferns at Wanggoolba Creek, marvelling at the giant hard wood trees in the Pile Valley, and the best bit…swimming in Lake McKenzie. Here I joined the boys for a swim – it was a long way to the other side of the beach and back! We were greeted back at the coach with cookies, chocolate muffins and tea – yummy.

That evening, we were shown to our lodges – they reminded me a little of the big brother house. The views from the lodge were stunning, as was the rain storm that set in that night. Even for dinner the rain did not stop, so we ran in bare feet and ponchos to the Dingo bar for food. Elin and I decided to drink some more wine back at the lodge, which turned into a great nice of chat with our unknown roomies – an Irish man, a girl born in Swindon and her South African boyfriend.

The following day, the rain had ceased to stop. I understand from Pia who had visited Frasier Island years before in the sunshine that the bad weather did detract from the beauty of Frasier Island. This did not however stop me very much liking the island. From the 4WD along Seventy Mile Beach, seeing wild Dingos, to the Maheno ship wreck, to seeing the Coloured Sands, to the giant sand dune, to swimming down Eli Creek, to looking at the Champagne Pools and searching from turtles at Indian Head, Frasier Island did itself proud.

According to the itinerary, we were due to depart Frasier Island at 5pm, however, Pete kindly gave us the option to stay a little longer and make use of the swimming pool at Sands Resort and a free meal at the Dingo Bar. So, we did and dined on rather good Mexican food. In his spare time Pete takes photographs of Frasier Island. I bought his book. He also presented me with a geological marvel – a section if sand struck by lightening, that had crystallised in the form of the fork. I was touched and am now making my way around the world with this little marvel. What a fabulous two days on the east coast of Australia.

Day 11: Hervey Bay to Brisbane

The aim of the day was to reach Brisbane, although we made some fun stops along the way. Firstly at Rainbow Beach (famous for it’s coloured rock), secondly at a sand dune blow out; thirdly at a grassy area close to the sand dune, where we played with boomerangs, spears and didgeridoos; fourthly at Noosa Beach; and lastly at Wild Horse Lookout.

Noosa is rather a place to been seen, a playground for the rich. It was quite nice, and great to see people swimming in the sea without stinger suits.

The views from the Wild Horse Lookout were great; in the distance I could see the Glass House Mountains (named by Captain Cook) and lots of pine trees. The lookout is also used to spot fires – bush fires are rife during dry season in this area of Australia.

We arrived in Brisbane, where we ate dinner in the hostel bar and proceeded to play the pub quiz (doing very well in the first round) and dance a lot. It was fun, but a shame as that this was all I got to see of Brisbane (added to only with the views from the bus window as we drove into the city).

Day 12: Brisbane to Byron Bay

I woke up very excited to get to Byron Bay. I had heard it is a great town, famous for its hippy style of living, great shops and great surf.

On the way, we did take a quick visit to a rather monumental site….this was Surfer’s Paradise, located on Australia’s Gold Coast. Surfers Paradise (or rather Narrowneck Reef) is the site of the world first artificial surfing reef. Lazing on the white sand beach, I did not get to see the reef, but could appreciate its worth from the massive waves that crashed onto the shore. I tried very hard to swim in the ocean here, but the littoral current was very strong and the waves pretty powerful. In the end I left the sea for the surfers, lazed on the beach and strolled around Surfers Paradise for the remainder of the time that we had there. I have not been to LA or an American seaside resort, but Surfers Paradise is just how I imagine one to be.

We arrived in Byron Bay around 1pm, although had to jump forward an hour as we crossed the border from Queensland to New South Wales. I decided to use the afternoon in Byron Bay wisely, so took some time out to stroll around the organic eateries, the divine shops and sunbathe on the lovely sandy beach. I made the most of the stinger-free water and dived into the beautiful clear ocean. The waves just on the main beach gave me a taste of what would lie ahead during our surf lesson tomorrow. Boy was I excited! That evening and for the first time during my Australian travels, I tried an Italian dish that is sooooo popular here on the east coast – Chicken Parmigana. This is basically chips, overlain with chicken schnitzel, tomato sauce and cheese. It was very nice.
Lots of Love, Em x