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G'Day all you Pommies!
We've been bombarded with a few messages for a new blog post.... so we are providing you with an update with our travels.
So still in Cairns we picked up our new home for the next 7 weeks... Leonard the Hippie Camper :) Packed up and moved in! Started the trip driving up north stopping for a stunning view across the coast at Yorkies Knob... we clearly only visted here after seeing the name on the map... we are immature we know. Carried on up to Cape Tribulation and the Daintree Rainforest via Port Douglas. For our first night of illegal camping we stopped in a layby and cooked dinner in the dark. Spent a day in the Daintree and saw an unusual view where the rainforest meets the sea with hundreds of mangroves on the beach!!
Tracing our tracks back south we made it to Mission Beach for a chilled day and took the first of many oppurtunities to get rid of our boobie tan lines ;) Next stop Townsville, had a day by the lagoon and getting all the way up to the top of Castle Hill lookout... in the van... why walk when we now have wheels! With Hanna desperate to see her Fannie (Stefanie) we crashed into Stef's dorm a little earlier than said! Big hugs and with lots to catch up on we went out into Townsville for a big steak dinner :) so 10.30pm comes along and its time for us to leave and begin the EPIC roadtrip to Ayers Rock (Uluru).
With Hanna taking the wheel first and Hannah soon sleeping in the back all was going fine until "Oh s***!"... an Echidna (a porcipine thing...we only found out what it was later at Australia Zoo) became roadkill number 1 for Hanna. After waking Hannah with two more "O s***s"... roadkill 3, a kangaroo maybe flying big bird thingy wiping out the wing mirror and roadkill 4, a rabbit. We eventually stopped for fuel at 4.30am with Hanna delirious with lack of sleep and straight roads trying to convince Hannah she was going to drive the remaining 2000km to Uluru before she woke up! But with the petrol station not open until 6am Hanna was pretty quick to pass out for an hour and half sleep before it was Hannahs turn behind the wheel. Whilst Hannah watched the sunrise and Hanna recovering in the back finally pulled over at the Northern Territory border after driving through vast nothingness!! Hanna back behind the wheel we got to Tennants Creek and pulled over for dinner... which turned out to be a massive ants invasion!!! After another driver swap at 9.30pm we make it to Alice springs at 12.30pm after 26hours on the road! Grab some more fuel and we are unfortunately stopped in our tracks by a flood across the road... "Han STOP!!"... so we pull over and have some much needed sleep.
With the alarm sounding at 6am we both just looked at each other and reset it for 8am.... with just 300km left to go Hannah drove the last leg and we FINALLY FINALLY viewed The Big Red Rock on the horizon! So after 40 hours, 28 of those driving the 2500km, we had made it to the stunning Uluru (Ayers Rock or the Big Red Rock)!!! After some much needed breakfast we kitted ourselves in our walking boots and took the breataking 10km walk around the base of Uluru. With tired feet we drove to the sunset viewing spot to watching the changing colours of Uluru. After lack of sleep and physically tired we became a bit loud and deliriously giggly possibly ruining the usually silent and eerie sunset experience for those around... oh well! So we joined the many others driving out of Uluru - Kata Tjuta National Park to park up at Ayers Rock campground and plug our van into some power! Hannah took a much needed nice hot shower.
5.30am Hanna drags herself out of the van excited for a nice hot shower only to discover the hot water isn't turned on til 9am ...COLD COLD COLD!!! So we set off back into the national park to the sunset lookout from the previous night but this time to watch the sunrise behind Uluru... a fantastic experience never to be forgottern :) Back to Uluru we did the guided walk tolearn a bit more about the significance of The Rock to the local Ananugu people, also met an traditional Anangu owner. We then drove to The Olgas (Kata Tjuta), a nearby range. After a small nap we walked the Valley of the Winds and then absolutely shattere we walked along the gorge in flip flops far enough to see the end but with sore feet and ready to sleep we made it back to the van and went to watch the sunset on The Olgas, whilst trying out some traditional Anangu medicine on our feet. Finally drove from the park for the last time saying bye to Uluru.
Woke up to the sound of torrential rain but unperturbed we began the walk around Kings Canyon after a few hours the van was back in sight, however a river seemed to have come from nowhere and we were now stranded the wrong side. Soon we were being rescued by a ranger practically swimming across the river!! After a warning about the rain and a possibility that if we didn't leave now we would be stuck for the night we were quick to get in the van and began the long journey back to the east coast. Stopped off for a McDs family box for dinner and then stopped to sleep for the night. With a more relaxed approach we continued the journey back stopping off for a communal shower in the middle of nowhere! Hannah decided with only our towels around us this would be the perfect time to lock the keys in the van! luckily the back door was open and we made it back to Cairns!
After recovering from our awesome road trip we were again up early the next morning for some scuba diving on the Great Barrier Reef. So colourful and visibility was amazing, we did our first drift dive. Our last evening in Cairns we took our washing to Gilligans hostel and stuck it in the machine. With 40mins to waste we had dinner and took advantage of the 241 drink deals. So our washing night turned into a crazy dancing night out! Next morning we retrieved our washing from the machine and left Cairns for the final time!
Next stop Airlee Beach, halted again by another flood, chilled and sorted ourselves out before joining 30 others at the marina to board the Atlantic Clipper for a 2day trip sailing the Whitsundays. Soon the cups of goon were flowing with many trips to the alcohol fridge and it wasn't long before we were both fluent in many rude german phrases, involved in a game of dares and "naked jacuzzi!". 7am and were woken by crazy Dave banging our doors and shouting "The sun is shining!". After a geran outburst from Hannah and our updates from the night before we joined every one else in dragging ourselves out our cabins to see rain and feeling slightly rough had some breakfast. We were then taken to Whitehaven Beach and after a tour by Braydon (AKA the Clipper Ripper) we got on the stinger suits and went for a swim in the sea and spent the morning burying Hannah in the sand providing her with a great set of male and female bits and having a photo sesh with Dimitri the boat photographer. After an amazing day we were soon back on the boat with another helping of goon and bit of dressing up and games. Again woke up not feeling so great but we were all soon snorkelling in the sea and we saw some turtles :D After two amazing days we were on our way back to dry land with hot dogs in hand. After an eventful night out with our new Clipper friends it was time to recover and leave Airlee Beach.
So we drove to the small but cute town of 1770. Had a surfing lesson and got to practise our skills from South Africa. We got into leather jackets and became dirty tattooed biker chicks for the afternoon on Scooteros :) Both of us loved roaring down the clear roads!
Next town on our tour was Rainbow Beach and with a few days to spare before going to Fraser Island, we saw some dolphins at Tin Can Bay, got caught sneaking from a campsite at 6.30am and made to pay up and clambered up the stoney path to the sandblow, regretably in barefeet as we have now taken to wearing no shoes! Generally spent the rest of our days buming around until we could check into to Dingoes Hostel and meeting our 'family' we will be spending the 3 days on Fraser with. So Fraser Island, the largest sand island in the world, was stunning. Drove big 4 Wheel Drives along the beach and through sand dunes, visited the pure white sands of Lake Mackenzie and Lake Wabby, climbed Indian Head to watch dolphins playing in the surf. Both evenings we camped up with the first a bit messy again with a cask of goon flowing, the second spent alcohol free with both of us and one of our 'family' Laura telling scary stories and Dingo hunting!! So it was soon time to get the ferry back to Rainbow Beach. Watched the sunset up the sandblow and had fish and chips with the family :)
After a goodbye we left for the instantly loved town of Noosa. Here we braved it and hired some surf boards and took to the waves on our own :) After 2 hours we were shattered and were soon just lying on our boards floating back to shore. Tired and hungary we tucked into a KFC and left. Pulled up at a hostel in Mooloolaba the next morning for some kayacking on the river. With Australia Zoo down the road it was time to hang with the Irwins and see the coolest Kangaroos ever and the cutest Koalas. Next morning we ventured to Brisbane and after seeing it would cost $15 just to park the van we left after 15mins of driving round in the rain and drove to Upper Coomera. Seeing a Medical Centre Hanna decided it was time to get her results from the blood tests she had in Cairns. Diagnosis.... Glandular AND Dengue Fever!!!! Got back into the van to drive to Hannas cousins only to find out she had left the van lights on and the battery was as flat as a pancake. After some help with jump leads from some locals with no luck we called the RAC. 50minutes later we discovered those locals had been trying to jump start the wrong battery!!! Dumb Aussies!
So with the engine started we pulled up outside Merrandas house to get out the van and make ourselves at home for a few days. Went to a theme park Dreamworld and water park White Water World to let the big kids out :) Spent the next day vegged in front of the tv and sorting ourselves out before we leave the comforts of a house and back into the van. So tomorrow we will be heading south again for Byron Bay making the most of our last 3 weeks in Australia!
So its G'Day from us :)
Love you all
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