Profile
Blog
Photos
Videos
Lush Life
Well, hello again everyone.
Since last Monday we've had an action packed 7 days. From Hervey Bay we had a massive (to us) 5 hour drive to Rockhampton-some hicksville town in the middle of no where, which is famous for its cattle and beef! We pulled into the town to be greeted by a lifesize cow, and a flower display, displaying the word "BEEF' in big red flowers! Er-ok!
We literally stopped there for the night and left as soon as we could in the morning for another 5 hour stint to get to Airlie Beach, but not before I got pulled over by the police for speeding! haha I got informed that there would be a warrant out for my arrest if I didn't pay the fine. Rock and Roll, I love it!
At the camp site in Airlie we met with a couple called Mark and Denise, who we originally met in the Hunter Valley, and have bumped into on the road since. We told them about the sailing trip we were booked on and they decided to come on it with us too. Airlie Beach is gorgeous, although why it's named Airlie Beach beats me, as the place doesn't have a beach! Again, another Australian Mystery! But it did have a nice fake lagoon, and good fish and chips. It's also the main gateway to the Whitsundays, and you can see the islands from the shore, they're beautiful.
After a day of looking round Airlie we had our sailing trip for 3 days. The boat we booked on was called New Horizon, and was a tall ship-a great wooden pirate looking thing, with 38 on board including the 6 crew. It was a little cramped, but loads of fun, we were with a load of backpackers, and over half of them were Irish, which always guarantees a laugh.
We left the harbour on Thursday at 4pm and were not due back until Saturday at 2pm. It was amazing!!! We sailed to our first stop were we anchored for the night - between Whitsunday and Hook Island - the food was fantastic, and we were all getting to know one another, and generally doing what we do best-boozing!
The next morning we got off the boat and went onto Whitsunday Island for a walk to a hill inlet which has a fabulous birds eye view of the famous Whitehaven Beach-the one on all the postcards. We then made our way to a beach on the island to sunbathe for a couple of hours, before heading back to the boat for dinner.
Then it was on to Luncheon Bay on Hook Island for my dive! I was diving with 4 other qualified divers including the instructor, and was a bit apprehensive as I haven't dived since September, but fortunately Denise and Mark where included in the group, and they have over 1000 dives between them, and told me they'd make sure they looked after me. So off we went, and started our decent to 8 metres. The visability was terrible though (considering its the Great Barrier Reef and you have a prior belief that it will be fantastic), so I s*** myself, and while everyone else was giving the 'ok' signal, I was giving the 'f**k this' I'm getting out of here one, and went back up. Mark followed me though and made me feel at ease instantly. He was reasuring me I was ok, and helped me calm down and regain my breath. He then took me down with him and quite literally held my hand for the duration of the 40 minute dive. We were about 5 minutes into the dive though when Denise signalled 'Shark' and below her, sleeping on the sand floor was a 5 foot Black Tipped Reef Shark. It was great, we were literally floating 2 feet above him. Fantastic experience! Then the poor b***** woke up, got the shock of his life with us 3 ugly mugs floating on top of him, and shot off. That was the highlight of the dive, especially considering the visability was only about 3 metres, so you couldn't see much, and there wasn't really anything there that I hadn't seen when diving or snorkling in the past. Everyone was dead jealous of us seeing the shark though, and I was dead chuffed.
After then we layed anchor at Hayman Island, where we had a fab tea and watched the sunset over the ocean, with dolphins in the background. Once the sun went down we had the boat lights on which attracted squid to the boat, and that attracts sharks, which was fantastic. We had big torches and all 38 of us were running from one side of the boat to the other spotting sharks and giant batfish. We were even trying to entice them in with our coconut cakes and goon, which funnily enough they loved! haha It was such an experience, we were being circled by sharks. Absolutely fantastic, and everone on board really appreciated just how lucky we are.
Once we got bored of shark watching (and the alcohol kicked in) the Irish got the night really going by singing Irish songs, then it went round every nationality, with everyone singing a song from their country. In the end virtually everone had sung a solo, and so I sung 'We'll never walk alone' which went down a treat, especially with all the Irish. The whole boat joined in, it was so good. There where other boats harboured near to us who started shouting obviously cos we were making so much noise and they were trying to get our attention, so then we had a singing comp from boat to boat, it was wll funny.
The last day was snorkelling at Blue Pearl Bay. The crew told us about a giant Neapoleon Wrasse fish called Elvis who lives in the spot, and told us to look out for him. Me and Nad made it our mission to find him, and had the skipper of our boat out in his dingy searching for him for us as the visability in the water wasn't too great. He found him with the help of bread, and so off we went to see him, and omigod, no word of a lie, he was the length of me! He was the biggest fish I have ever seen, but these particular ones are notoriously friendly, with big rubber type lips, and he loved us, we were even able to stroke him, I was astounded! We also saw a giant rock cod, which was the second biggest fish I've ever seen after Elvis, and loads of other fish like the parrot fish, whitings, angel fish etc. Now we don't want to go fishing anymore - it seems so mean. I've always loved snorkling anyway, but Nads had never been, and is now so anti-fishing its funny. We're going to sell our rods in favour of snorkles!
We got back on Saturday and met up with Matthew and Bridget at the camp site, who we met in Noosa (at the bat poo camp site) and we went out with the rest of gang from the boat in the evening, for a party!
Yesterday morning I had my birthday present off my mum, dad and the girls, which was a flight over the Whitsunday Islands, and the Great Barrier Reef. It was out of this world! It was a sea plane that took off from land, and we flew over the islands, which gave a great alternative perspective to sailing around them, and also sunbathing on them. We then headed out to the outer Barrier Reef, and trust me, I can see just why it is one of the Seven Wonders of the World. It's exactly how you see it in all the pictures, except I was flying over it, in a chartered aeroplane, completely mesmerised, taking photo after photo. It has to be the best thing I've ever seen in all of my travels, it's spectacular. We had a couple on the plane who were on there to be taken to Reefworld, (a permanent boat on the reef where you can snorkle etc), and so we did a sea landing (again, the experience was amazing) and as we were preparing to land, the pilot was pointing out manta rays, sharks, turtles, and huge fish that were in the reef right below us.
After taking off again, we flew over the famous 'heart shaped reef'-absolutely unbelievable, and I got some great pictures, which I'll be enlarging onto canvas as soon as I get home.
The flight was about an hour and a half in the end-the pilot allowed me to stay on longer, as it was only me on there and I was asking loads of questions and was loviong it, and it was just the best thing ever, I'd recommend it to everyone. The best birthday present ever, thanks guys! x
The Whitsunday Islands are by far the highlight of the trip so far - lets see if I can top it!!!
We are now in Townsville staying with Karens mum and dads (I worked with Karen in the pub) and their neighbours are Helens aunty and uncle. We went over to their house today for the day, and they were hysterical-such scousers, even though they've been living in Aus for 25 years. This evening we were shown around Townsville, and taken to a lookout point at the top of a huge hill by Ann and Bob (Karens mum and dad) and then had fish and chips for tea. So good.
Moving on again tomorrow, heading towards Cairns. We now have just 5 days til the 5 day drive to Darwin. Fortunately we're just still laughing about it!
I'm about to put pictures on from Fraser Island and my birthday, and also a new folder with all of the Whitsundays, and the Great Barrier Reef inparticular.
Enjoy!
Speak to you all again soon, love Lauz. xxx
- comments