CHRISTMAS 2009 - HERVEY BAY QUEENSLAND

We left Magnetic Island early Tuesday 22nd December morning via Ferry from Nelly Bay Harbour to Townsville. Here we picked up a coach to take us a short distance to the Premier Coach station where our bus was to take us to our next destination, Airlie Beach. The journey from Townsville to Airlie Beach took four hours stopping only once along the way for a toilet break.

We arrived in Airlie Beach 5.30 pm, a picturesque and busy coastal resort very popular with back packers. As we had a couple of hours to spare before our overnight Greyhound bus trip to Hervey Bay we went for a meal at 'Magnums' followed by a drink at the local Sailing Club - beautiful view of harbour from here!

Our Greyhound bus left Airlie Beach just after 8.00 pm mainly full of back-packers along with a couple of maturer suit case travellers! We would have liked to have spent more time in Airlie as it looked a nice place and appeared to have a busy night life!

The Greyhound overnight journey although long (thirteen hours) was very comfortable and we had a number of stops along the way at; Mackay, Rockhampton and Brundesberg.
At one of our stops at three in the morning we found the local McCafe (McDonalds) open. Here we ate the only fast food meal during our Oz Adventure, McKangaroo Burgers and McKoala milkshakes!!

We arrived in Hervey Bay coach station 9.00 am Wednesday 23rd and our first impression was the town was bigger than expected. After breakfast at the Jamaica Blue Cafe we headed off to pick up our keys for Watermark Apartments, our home for the next 7 days. We caught a local bus in search of the management company offices to collect our keys thinking it was nearby. However, with the temperatures in the 90's and the office some way from the bus stop we were relieved to find them and finally arrive at our Watermark apartment at Scarness, a suburb of Hervey Bay.

We were very pleased with our luxury apartment only across the road from the beach and with a pool in front of us. When James and Laura arrived they too were pleased and looked forward to the comforts of their Christmas holiday home having spent a couple of days in a back-packers hostel just down the road. We also had wireless internet access in the apartment which came in handy to catch up on Facebook messages and emails.

We went for a walk along the Esplanade catching up on what Laura and James had been up to since leaving us at Trinity Beach. They obviousy had had a fantastic time sailing the Whitsunday Islands and camping on Fraser Island. It was on Fraser Island where they took a Barbecue meat pack only to find that a local Dingo (wild dog) had taken it!
I'm sure he would have enjoyed his meal. However, despite this it sounded like they had a great experience and met more friends along the way, some that we were to meet later!

As we walked we noticed the trees on the front were covered with Bats hanging from them and it would be no exaggeration to estimate thier were thousands of them. Further along we found a notice board advising these were Flying Foxes (Fruit bats) - they sleep during the day and take flight at twilight in search of food.

We were to see this and in what can only be described as an amazing sight! Every evening around 7.00 pm the Bats took flight and for 10 - 15 minutes the skyline was covered with 'Flying Foxes' heading off for supper. There were hundreds of thousands that took flight only to re-appear the next day to sleep on the coastal lined trees before heading off again at twilight.

Xmas Eve and Johnny and Martin, two of Laura and James back packer friends from the Whitsunday/Fraser Island trips, arrived to see them before heading north to a place called 1770. Martin was from Germany and had been studying music at Bangkok University and Johnny had been in the Danish Army and fought in Afghanistan. Two very likeable lads they met up and were now travelling together as happens with some back packers who start a journey on their own! We had brunch and a few drinks to help them on their way before they left to catch their Greyhound bus.

Christmas Day and Laura was up first (The excitement of Xmas!). We had a lazy morning with the weather cooler before heading off for an afternoon stroll along the Esplanade, past the bats. I managed a Christmas day swim on the way back before our BBQ Xmas day meal of porterhouse steak, burgers, chicken kebabs, sausages and salad. The traditional christmas crackers, corney jokes and silly hats appeared along with a bit of bubbly to toast our friends and family who were just getting up for Xmas day in the UK.

Boxing Day and we hired four mountain bikes for a 15 Km ride along the Esplanade to the pier and back. It rained on and off and so we headed back to the shelter of the apartment and evening meal. Laura and James packed ready for their overnight Greyhound bus trip to Byrony Bay. We would meet up again in Sydney on 29th Dec'r.

Sunday 29th and Anne and I were up early for a day trip to visit Fraser Island, the Worlds largest sand island. The ferry took just over an hour from Hervey Bay harbour to Moon Point with Peter our guide for the day driving us around in the specially designed four wheel drive coach. Although the weather was overcast the rainforest, sand dunes and landscape was unforgettable. The only thing missing was we didn't see any dingo's!

After a drive through the rainforest we lunched at Happy Valley before driving along the beach to see the coloured sands, creeks and a shipwreck. It was then back to Happy Valley for tea and just as we were heading off to the lakes for a swim the coach broke down - sand damage to the propshaft! Replacement 4 + 4 vehicles were organised to take us but with the Ferry due to leave at 5.00 pm we had to leave the lake early. We were late leaving to catch the Ferry but fortunately it waited for us and we headed back to Hervey Bay arriving at our apartment 8.30 pm after an interesting and eventful day on the unique Fraser Island!

Monday 28th our last day at Hervey Bay was a quiet one due to a downpour late morning. However, we did manage a two hour bike ride along the Esplanade to the Boat Club returning via a tree lined inland cycle track where we passed lots of parrots and Ibis's (A white feathered bird with a long black curved beak).

The bats flew by on cue as we packed that evening ready for the last leg of our Journey to Sydney to meet up with James and Laura for the New Year!