Cairns to Sydney - Part 1

Day 1 - Cairns to Mission Beach

I started my last major tour in Australia - 16 days heading down the East coast from Cairns to Sydney.

Although the tour I was on was an Adventure Tours one there were also people on the bus doing OZ Experience. Our driver was Pistol Pete. The music on the bus (Pete's I-Pod)was pretty good and really varied - you could also request stuff you wanted to hear.

The first stop just North of Cairns was at the AJ Hackett Bungy site. A few people from our bus decided to do the jump but I opted out as I'd done the Nevis jump in New Zealand and had a bacon sandwich instead!

We then headed into the Atherton Tablelands stopping briefly to buy stuff for lunch (a Subway sandwich in my case!). It was unusual compared to the other Adventure tours trips I'd done as not many of the meals were included.

We then headed to Mila Mila falls made famous by Peter Andre in his music video Mysterious Girl (you know it's your favourite!). It was a nice spot and there were turtles swimming around the base of the waterfall too.



We ate our lunch beside Lake Eacham and headed off on a short walk - we saw more turtles swimmng in the lake as well as some lizards relaxing on the shore under the boardwalk.

Next we went to a Crocodile Farm. This was a really entertaining stop as the blokes running the farm were all mental and would get in the cages with the crocs and get them riled. There were some absolutely massive crocodiles there too. Some of the enclosures looked empty but the handlers would tap the water with a rake and the crocs would come jumping out.



There were other animals there too including some pet wallabys - one of the wallabys had a baby in it's pouch and one of the handlers offered to sell it to us for 5 dollars so we could feed it to the crocs. He was also asking if anyone wanted a ride on a crocodiles back before telling us they don't like strangers.

I also got to see my first Cassowary at the Croc farm - it was a bit like an Emu with a big horn on it's head. The handler jumped in the enclosure and tried to get them to attack his hat but they weren't playing along although one tried to sneak up behind him.



Just before we left the farm we got to hold a baby croc (with it's mouth taped up).

That night we arrived at Mission Beach and made a brief stop at a bottle shop before checking in to our hostel - Scottys. We had a group meal and a few beers so that everyone could get to know each other.

Day 2 - Mission Beach to Magnetic Island

We left Mission beach and headed out to catch the ferry to Magnetic Island. On the way we stopped to do a walk through local bush tracks near Mission Beach. This was yet another chance to see Cassowaries in the wild but I'd given up by now.

We stopped at Townsville to pick up some food supplies before catching the Ferry over to Magnetic Island.

We were staying in Base hostel right on the Beach. That afternoon we headed straight out for some sea kayaking. Because there are Box Jelly Fish in the water over the summer months we all had to wear stinger suits which looked a bit like leotards. The Kayaks were hard to get out into the sea as the waves were pretty big. One of the Kayaks smacked one lad in the head and he looked concussed. I got to share with a Swiss lad called Ralph who was so busy laughing it took him ages to help me get the kayak into the water. We were the last pair to get out as we waited for everyone to get clear - we didn't stay out for long either as it was hard work!

The bar at the hostel was really popular and we met there for food and what turned out to be more than a few drinks (and some pole dancing - you know who you are!).

That night there was a huge rain storm and we had to race back to our rooms when we left the bar.

Day 3 - Magnetic Island to Airlie Beach

It was still raining next morning when we set out to do the Forts Walk. We saw some of the buildings used as a fort during WWII with the lookout towers and gun emplacements. We also saw Koalas up in the trees - they are some of the few animals that can survive on the island as there is no natural water source and they do not drink water as they get the moisture from the Eucolyptus leaves.

We caught the Ferry back to the mainland and headed on to Airlie beach. We got to Airlie pretty late and had to go to the tour office to check in for our Whitsunday sailing the next day. We also had to hire stinger suits and I topped up on Sea Sickness pills and ordered some booze.

We all met up in the hostel bar (Beaches) but I deliberately made an escape quite early.

Days 4,5,6 - Sailing the Whitsundays

Our group was split up a bit for the 3 day, 2 nights Whitsundays sailing.

Fortunately I was on the boat with the majority of our group though and only 3 new people joined us. By coincidence a French lad who'd been on the Desert Venturer with me was also on the boat.

We got picked up and taken to the harbour where we got first glimpse of the sailboat and crew. Our boat was called Ron of Argyll. It is a classic Gaff Riigged Topsail Ketch (for those of you in the know), commissioned by Colonel Charles Spencer and built with Teak and Mahogany in Scotland in 1928. During the early days of Ron of Argyll's history King George V was a regular crew member and among some of the most famous passengers was Marylin Monroe with Errol Flynn being rumoured to also sail on Ron of Argyll during the vessels time in Antigua.

I think we were all a bit shocked at how small it was for 12 passengers plus crew. You weren't allowed to wear shoes on the boat so we took off our shoes and climbed a board. The crew consisted of the Captain and another bloke who looked like a younger version of Peter Stringfellow with his young girlfriend who it turned out would do most of the work.(Peter was sick for most of the trip with a cold and didn't say much - he would just pop up periodically whenever there was a sail which needed trimming).

We were all assigned to cabins - I got a bed at the front of the boat which was shaped like an ironing board to fit with the front of the boat.



(Here I am on the Poop Deck climbing out of my cabin)

I helped get the sails up which involved pulling a series of ropes and we set sail for Hayman Island the Northmost island in the Whitsundays. I was impressed at how fast the boat could go and had to hang on especially when the occaisional wave would wash accross deck.

We stopped at a snorkelling spot and got our stinger suits on. The dingy then took us over to a small beach where we could walk in and start snorkelling.

The food on board was top quality and everything was prepared for us and cleared away and washed up afterwards. The food was waiting for us after our first snorkel.

We got some snacks in the afternoon too before we anchored up for the night at Nara Inlet. I was surprised at how calm the water was in the inlet - the boat hardly moved at all. We had our evening meal together and some wine up on deck before it started to rain.

I managed to get really badly sunburned the first day even though there wasn't much sun - the top of my head got pretty badly burned - needless to say I went crazy with the sun tan cream after that and wore my hat for the rest of the trip.

I was amazed that I managed to sleep soundly that night - we all woke up though at 7 when the sump alarm went off when the boat was taking on too much water.

We had breakfast and a Cockatoo landed on the rigging and came down for some biscuits.



That day we sailed to Whitsunday Island and Whitehaven beach. The approach to the beach is deceptive as you arrive on the opposite side of the island - we got dropped by dingy onto the island and walked up to the lookout to get our first view of the beach. The beach was absolutely amazing - probably the best beach I've seen - the sand is really white and so fine that it can damage your camera - it even squeaks when you walk on it.



It was funny to watch everyone walking and swimming in their stinger suits though.



We went down onto the beach and looked around before we sat back and relaxed for the morning.

That afternoon we made a snorkelling stop where there was blue coral and a Giant Clam. I spotted a stingray here too and there was some huge bat fish hanging around next to the boat.

I found the snorkeling on the Whitsundays much better than at the outer reef in Cairns as there was a much bigger variety of stuff to see.

We did a bit of sailing that afternoon around Hook Island but the wind wasn't blowing in the right direction for us. We were late trying to find a place to anchor for the night and all the best moorings were taken. The crew tied the boat to the last available buoy (I guess it was too deep to drop anchor) - I noticed straight away that we were in for a much more rocky night.

That night I was running a bit low on booze - luckily some fellow drinkers on the boat helped me out and gave me some booze (Thanks Magnus, Ralph and Tommy!).

Some people found it really easy to sleep that night - they said the motion of the boat rocked them to sleep - not me though - I didn't sleep a wink - to make matters worse the buoy mooring was tied to the boat right next to where I was sleeping and kept clanging on the side.

After breakfast we started our day with a snorkel - you could just jump right off the side of the boat into the water. We then motored back to Airlie beach - before we went back to shore we set up the sails and the crew went out on a speedboat to get some good photos of us lot on the boat.



I was surprised by how much I enjoyed the whole sailing thing. My opinion changed so much from what I thought would be a cramped wet 3 days when we first got on the boat. I managed not to be sea sick and enjoyed almost every minute of the trip (except my sleepless night!!)

Back on dry land I decided it was time for a haircut. I reckon the hairdresser I picked was a bit dim though - I explained my scalp was sunburned on top and asked her to be careful - she managed to catch it twice making me jump - she then decided I had 3rd degree burns and needed a doctor. Well I didn't agree but got some aloevera instead which did the trick.

Yet another night out for the group all back together from different boats - we decided to check out some more of the nightspots in Airlie Beach.

Cairns to Sydney - Part 2

Day 7 - Airlie Beach to Kroombit Cattle Station

Up early today although nearly everyone got onto the bus and went to sleep.

Today was a big driving day. Our first stop of the day was at Sarina, a small sugar township where we got to try 'barefoot bowling'. Basically lawn bowls which is apparently popular with all ages in Australia - I wasn't entertained for long.



Back on the bus because it was going to be such a long driving day we were allowed to watch two films the driver decided on a chick flick (The Devil Wears Prada) and the a lads movie (Chopper) - both of which managed to pass the time along with some music.

Later that afternoon we arrived at Kroombit Cattle Station. We got checked into our cabins and had a fantastic evening meal of Soup with Roast Beef and Veg.

The owner of the station told us a bit about the place and his work before giving out whips (and goggles) so we could practice cracking a whip (not sure why).

I nearly popped my arm out of it's socket trying to crack it so I gave up gracefully. Next on the list for the evenings entertainment was the mechanical bull ride. I was annoyed at myself for not really watching the previous contestants. I ended up only staying on for 6 spins as I started slipping away from the rope. My arm then started smacking against the family jewels - when I couldn't take the pain anylonger I flew headfirst onto the mat - it hurt (check out the pain on my face!!)



Day 8 - Kroombit to Hervey Bay

After breakfast next day I went horse riding. I quite enjoyed this too - my horse was called Amy and she was really chilled out. The first bit of the ride was just a slow walk but then we got to the padocks and had to round up a herd of goats into a mustering station. You had to ride around behind the goats and guide them into the enclosure. To hurry the goats on you had to shout - Up, up, up, up - which became a bit of a catch phrase for the rest of the trip.



There were two fields of goats to round up before we took the horses back to the stables.

The next event was a goat rodeo - which was absolutely nuts - the idea was to pretend the goats were cows that needed branding. We were put into teams of three - one had to catch the goat, the second had to flip it on its side and the last person had to get the branding iron and press it on the goats side for 3 seconds. The whole thing was timed and there were penalties for being too rough or grabbing the wrong end of the branding iron.



The whole thing was hillarious. Because there were 3 lads in our team they picked the craziest goat they had which bounced around the arena before jumping up and over the side just missing my head!! The second goat they got for us was even bigger but not as lively - I spent about ten minutes chasing after it before tagging in my team mate for some assistance - needless to say we didn't win!

The final activity was shooting and I was actually quite good at it hitting 4 out of the 5 clay pigeons.



(Thanks to Pistol Pete for the photo - If you look closely you can see the clay shattering)

We left Kroombit and headed to Hervey bay. I had really enjoyed my time there though and it was nice to do some different activities.

That night we arrived in Hervey bay.

I hated the hostel there - Palace Backpackers - we had to queue for ages to check in - we then went to another hostel Beaches for some food and waited ages again. When I got back to my room they had checked someone else in who was now asleep in my bed.

I woke her up and we went to complain to the night manager who tried to blame us - his English was atrocious. He then tried to move the girl into another full room before moving her into a double without any word of an apology to either of us - in the process he managed to lock himself out of his room - I had to excuse mself before I resorted to violence!

Day 9,10 - Fraser Island

More queing madness at beaches again next morning as we struggled to get our "free" breakfast - I had to stand by the kitchen door to get mine, before queing again to check out of Palace and get bags into storage. When I went up to complain about the previous night the woman behind the counter just shrugged her shoulders which really got my back up - she said I needed to speak to the manager who wasn't there!

Anyway if I mention Palace Backpackers enough here - Google should pick it up - don't stay here!!

Anyway once on the bus heading to the Fraser Island Ferry I managed to calm down.

We were on the island in no time at all. Fraser Island is the largest sand island in the world at 1630 km². It was named as a World Heritage site in 1992.

Most of our group were doing a Ranger Guided safari so once on the island we met up with our guide and got on board our 4 wheel drive coach. There were quite a few other people who joined us too including the girl who had been sleeping in my bed!

We drove off into the rainforest. I was a bit tired and found the guide a bit irritating at first as he never stopped talking - he was a bit like a failed stand up comedian laughing at his own jokes, but as the trip went on his humour grew on me. If you asked him anything (when he wasn't near a mic), he'd give you all the info you needed.

We headed to our first stop of the day - Bow Lake where we went swimming. Although it is a sand island the lakes are all fresh water with crystal clear water that you can drink as your swimming in it. The freshwater lakes on Fraser Island are some of the cleanest lakes in the world. From Bow Lake we did a rainforest walk down to central station (an old logging train station) where we had a buffet lunch - yet again with no preparation or washing up on our part. After another short walk we headed to Lake Mckenzie the biggest of the lakes on the island.



This was a great spot with a nice beach - The beach sand is nearly pure silica and is good for washing hair, teeth, jewellery, and exfoliating the skin. A few of us decided to swim across - well I think I misjudged my swimming ability as I was absolutely knackered when I reach the other side. A few of the more athletic chose to swim back whilst a couple of us walked back around - we saw a big lizard on the walk back.

After a coffee break we headed back to Kingfisher Bay's Wilderness Lodge where we had time to relax - we were just sitting out on the balcony when we were hit with a thunder storm. It rained so much - we were glad not to be doing a self drive camping trip as the tents would probably have been washed away.

The buffet diner that evening was really good.

Next morning the weather was still a bit dodgy but we made the best of it. After a buffet breakfast we headed out onto Seventy-Five Mile beach where we stopped to see the shipwreck the Maheno. On June 25th, 1935 she was being towed from Melbourne to Japan for scrap metal when she was caught in a strong cyclone. A few days later, on July 1935 she drifted ashore and was beached on Fraser Island.



There was an option to do a flight around the island - the planes landed and took off from the beach however there seemed to be a bit of cloud cover and I didn't reckon it would be worth while.





From here we headed further along the beach to Coloured Sands and spotted some dingoes - supposedly some of the most pure bred in Australia.



We stopped at a giant sand dune - on the climb up the guide spotted a cane toad which he picked up - it proceeded to empty it's bladder on him which we found hilarious. We climbed up to the top of the sand dunes and a few crazy characters jumped down them. Next stop was Champagne Pools - these were disapointing not only due to the bad weather but because a red algae was growing in the sea which meant there was no champagne colour / effect.

We stopped for lunch at the base of Indian Head (named by Captain Cook as he saw loads of Aborigines stood up there waving spears at him). We climbed up after lunch to look down into the water where you can often see turtles and other marine life swimming by - unfortunately I think the water was a bit too rough.



Our next stop was Eli Creek. A frshwater stream which flows into the Sea. We walked along a boardwalk then jumped down into the creek.

We started a game of Aussie Rules/Football/American Football at the end of the creek on the sand with teams having to get from one side to the other - Fraser Island rules. I didn't play for long. It turns out afterwards that Fred a lad from Monaco had one of his ribs broken later in the game.

Our last stop of the day was to see Stone Tool Sand Blow.

We were then given the option to get the 5 O'clock ferry or go back and use the resort pool and spa and get another free meal back at the bar, before getting the 8 o'clock ferry back to Hervey Bay. Well it seemed like a bit of a no brainer to me but only a few of us decided to stay.

Well we got the ferry back and got dropped at my favourite accommodation. Reception was closed and we had to call so we could check in. It was the same gimp who had double booked us and he didn't have the key to the storage room where my bag was. I didn't bother kicking off this time and just smiled. This time he called someone to bring out the key.

Day 11 - Hervey Bay to Brisbane

A bit of a strange day today. We first drove to Rainbow Beach and headed to see a Sand Blow. It was ok but no where near as good as the ones we'd just seen on Fraser.

Next we went back to a field outside a hostel. The notes said we would "take part in a cultural demonstration, learning about the didgeridoo, boomerang and spear throwing" - I thought we might have had an Aboriginal guide to talk us through it. Instead we got Pistol Pete who gave us a brief talk on the weapons and instruments (none of which he could use very well!) then let us loose - pretty rubbish really.

We then headed on to Noosa. I think Noosa was the first place I went to where I would have liked to be doing the hop on hop off Oz Experience trip so I could stay longer.

On our way into Brisbane we stopped at a lookout over the Glass House mountains. It was quite a climb and a few of us took a beer to the top to celebrate! The views were spectacular although we could also see some forest fires in the distance as well as the Brisbane skyline.





Late in the afternoon we pulled into Tin Billys in the middle of Brisbane. It was a nice backpackers but the bar was pretty crowded. It was the day we lost the Ashes so there was a fair few Australians wanting to talk to us.

Two of the lads from the group were leaving us in Brisbane so of course we had to have a few beers with them.

Day 12 - Brisbane to Byron Bay

Everyone was hungover this morning. Pistol Pete was dissapointed as he'd given us option to go to Waterparks, Themeparks etc and all we wanted to do was sleep. We stopped at Surfers Paradise for a few hours. I lazed on the beach til it got too hot then went to look around the shops. Surfers Paradise is a bit like the Costa del Sol with high rise apartments built right next to the beach - not my cup of tea really.

We arrived at our accommodation in Byron Bay (The Holiday Village) in the early afternoon. I had a nap and did some washing - nothing too strenuous in preparation for my surf lesson next day!

That night we checked out the 5 Dollar meals at Cheeky Monkeys and "won" some jugs of beer.

Day 13 - Byron Bay

Most of us had our first surf lesson early today. We were driven out to a surfing beach near Lennox Heads where we got into our wetsuits, got our boards (big ones which are easy to balance on when learning) and had a warm up. We were taught the basics techniques on the beach.

The first thing I learned was that when you are learning you have to catch the waves after they have broken, otherwise you get dumped into the water.

The conditions were pretty rough but as I was to find out it was a good first experience as there were plenty of waves - the water was deep too so you had to actually had to paddle your board rather than just standing next to it.

I was really pleased when I managed to stand up for the first time (and even more pleased the photographer got some shots).





It was quite tiring getting thrown around by those waves but I really enjoyed it.

That afternoon we took a walk up to Cape Byron lighthouse. It was quite a walk and it was a hot afternoon. There were some good views up there - it's Australias most Easterly point.



After all that exercise it was time for a pint so we headed down to the Beach Hotel for a few. It was a really nice spot sitting outside in the shade watching the World go by.

That evening we went to see the new Bond film - Casino Royale - I really enjoyed it particularly as it was a bit different from the usual plots and storylines.

Again, I absolutely loved Byron Bay and would have loved to have stayed longer. The town is such a random mix of famlies, hippies and backpackers. The council seem to have made an effort not to commercialise it too much - I hope it stays that way.

Day 14 - Byron Bay to Surf Camp

We had the morning to relax in Byron - which didn't prove very relaxing as I spilt a jar of coffee in my backpack (don't ask!!) and it was raining.

Pete picked us up and we headed for Surf Camp at Arawara.

We headed down to the beach for a surf lesson. The conditions were a bit different as we spent a long time waiting for the waves. The water was very shallow too so you had to be careful when you fell off into only a few inches of water. It was a bit easier to position yourself for the waves though as you could walk the board out and get on.

We had dinner back at the camp and a few beers.

Some of the "surf crew" as they called themselves were a bit weird as they talk liked Bill and Ted, called everybody Dude and kept shouting Woo Who Who! Very funny for a bit - but then really annoying.

Day 15 - Surf Camp to Barrington Tops

After breakfast we headed down to the beach for our last surf lesson. It was raining but the waves were better - We had to move around a bit too as the tides changed. The waves were breaking really quickly at the end and it was quite hard to get out. I didn't feel like I improved that much but I did get better at paddling onto the waves.

While we were waiting to leave one of the Surf Crew really annoyed everyone by constantly trying to sell the photos so everyone started heckling him which was hillarious.

We left the Surf Camp and headed for Barrington tops.

In the afternoon we did a walk in the sub-tropical rainforest of the Barrington River. There were a lot of old goldmine tunnels scattered about and it was nice to get off the bus for a bit.

We arrived at the Barrington River Lodge. We did the paperwork to check-in then waited to be shown our rooms. We waited ages - then Pete took us down to where we would be meeting that evening. After even more waiting we were squashed into our minibus and taken to our room - the accomodation was really spread out. We were then told that we would be collected for dinner in 10 minutes - after 20 minutes we decided to walk back.

There was the option to night kayak but no one from our group wanted to do it. There was an unlimited pizza night and the by now compulsory beer.

Day 16 - Barrington Tops to Sydney

We left Barrington early and headed straight to Sydney. Pete had to fly back up the coast later that afternoon to cover for another driver so it was just a race to get to Sydney.

We arrived at Sydney in the afternoon to conclude what had been an excellent tour. I had a brilliant time with lots of new experiences and made some new friends.

Cairns and Cape Tribulation

Next morning I started my Dive Course with the Cairns Dive Centre. The lesson started in the classroom and all was going well as we went through the theory and learned about the physics and the diving equipment.

It all went a bit wrong though when we hit the pool that afternoon. I really did not like the feeling of the tank air on my lungs. At first I couldn't sink down so needed more weights. Once I finally sunk to the bottom I couldn't relax and follow the lesson. So after a few attempts I decided diving was not for me - I was disapointed as I had been really looking forward to diving the Barrier Reef. The Dive Centre said that they would refund the cost of my course less a bit of money for the days training. There was an option to still do the 2 days 1 night live aboard course and go snorkelling instead but I decided it would be cheaper to do a specialised snorkelling trip - there would also be more chances to go to snorkelling sites rather than dive sites.

That evening I went into the local branch of Peter Pan Travel to find out about my diving course refund and find out if I could change my accomodation. It turned out that the manager of the Cairns branch was a right muppet - which was a shame as the girls who'd helped me with my booking in Adelaide had been really good.

He was basically saying that I might not get any money back because I did not have payment protection - I explained that the Dive Centre would refund the majority of the money, then he said he needed to send a request to the Adelaide branch at which point I wondered what I was doing there. I was getting pretty annoyed by this point and asked about changing the accomodation - he explained there was a no refund policy then proceeded to call up the hostel and list my complaints (which I'd already done) - the hostel manager allegedly agreed to move me to a 4 bed dorm so I left the shop feeling like I'd made some progress.

When I got back to the hostel I was told there were no 4 bed dorms. Eventually the manager turned up and explained I was in an empty 4 bed section of an 8 bed dorm. I moved anyway then decided I needed a night out to cheer myself up. I met up with some friends who were staying at Gilligans a luxury 5 star backpackers right in the centre of Cairns. We had a few drinks on their balcony before going to an Irish bar.

My next major event in Cairns was the Outer Great Barrier Reef Snorkel. It turned out to be a good deal - I went with a company called Sea Quest and there was only 6 people doing snorkelling on our trip (and a few divers). We had a pretty big boat all to ourselves. We went out to the outer reef to 2 separate snorkel sites. The weather was pretty cloudy in Cairns but as we got off shore it brightened up and the conditions were pretty good.

On the outer reef there were loads of fish and the colour and shapes of the Coral were pretty spectacular.

Back in Cairns I decided to go to a Reef Teach lecture I had heard about.

The lecturer Paddy Colwell was round the bend but he basically explained how to identify all the different groups of fish and coral types and what to look out for when you are on the reef. Although his style was mental it really helped you remember the information he was telling you. I knew next time I went snorkelling I'd be able to see and understand a lot more stuff.

After the lecture I checked out the Cairns night market.

My next trip was up to Cape Tribulation. I was picked up from the Beach House and headed North from Cairns to the Daintree River where we stopped for morning tea. We then had a cruise along the river banks to see what wildlife was about. We spotted a female croc which swam accross the path of our boat.



We met up with the bus that had crossed the river by ferry and continued on our journey. We stopped again for a Rainforest Boardwalk but we didn't see much - probably because we were such a big group and our guide was shouting all the time - he got into trouble from another guide.

There was a chance that we might see Cassowaries. These big flightless birds have been know to attack humans.

We stopped at Cape Tribulation Centre which consited of a shop and a campsite and hostel. We then continued even further up the coast to my accomodation - the Cape Tribulation Beach House. The setting for the accomodation was pretty good - jungle lodges spread over a large site heading down to the beach. On the beach front was a pool and bar / restaurant area.

I was just sitting down to lunch when the rain started - it was a torrential downpour which lasted for most of the afternoon.

There was a break in the rain so a few of us decided to go for a walk to a lookout. It was quite funny as every one was scared due to all the tales of Cassowary and Croc attacks. Luckily we survived.



That night I decided to do a Jungle Safari. This was not too good as we were such a big group - the guide was just a young lad and way out of his depth - he couldn't really answer many of the questions.

I'd hoped to see a few bats and marsupials but we mostly saw frogs, insects and spiders. We did see a scorpion caught in a spiders web as well as a few sleeping lizards though.







Next morning rain again. It brightened in the afternoon and I decided to walk to the village along the beach. It was a nice walk but I got a bit stuck when I had to wade through a creek. In the village I visited the Bat House and rainforest interpretation centre operated by volunteers where I got to meet Pushkin the fruit bat - he was quality unfortunately his wing was damaged and he couldn't fly.



I decided to walk back to the lodge along the road which was a bit of a mistake as it was a much longer route. However the rain held off and I still didn't meet any Crocs or Cassowarys.

Later that afternoon we explored the beach to the North of the Beach House. I ate at the restaurant before having an early night. I also managed to read Bill Brysons book Down Under in my time at Cape Trib.

Next morning rain again - we got picked up after lunch and everyone was keen to get back to Cairns. We stopped off for ice cream, at some lookouts and then briefly at Mossman gorge. There's normally the opportunity to go swimming here but because the weather was so bad we just had a bit of time to check out the gorge and the bridge.

Before we got back to Cairns we stopped at Port Douglass for a late lunch and a look around. Back in Cairns I checked into Gilligans 5 star backpackers - it was nice to have a bit of luxury after the beach house.

Desert Venturer - Alice to Cairns

Day 1: Alice Springs To Boulia

Another early start and I was picked up by the Desert Venturer bus. I was paranoid about missing buses and had been outside early - when I opened the hostel gate though I was just in time to see the bus pull away up the road. Fortunately the bus had been early and had gone to do pick ups. It arrived back at the right time and there were a few other people from my hostel waiting too.

The coach was really comfortable, with lots of leg room and really good air con - it was not too busy either and there was enough room for two seats each. As we were to find out it was particularly important for the bus to have a good suspension as we had a lot of mileage to cover on unsealed roads.

Not far out of Alice we were to get a taste of the road conditions as we moved onto the unsealed roads through one of the most remote areas in Australia.

The roads could be particular dangerous because of what is known as Bull Dust which blows over the roads and covers potholes and other hazards. Luckily the driver had plenty of experience on these roads and whisked us along comfortably.

We made a lunch stop at Jervois station which was nothing in the middle of nowhere.

There was a bit of a scare that day too as the bus started to overheat - luckily the driver was also a mechanic and after some tinkering and adjustments we were back on the move - it was quite a scary thought being broken down miles from anywhere in the baking sun.

We then headed on to skirt the Simpson Desert before stopping at Tobermorey Station. Here we were the attration as the locals were photographing our bus.

Our overnight stay was at Wirrelyerna Station where we had one of the nicest meals of the trip - beef stew and vegetables cooked on the camp fire. There were a lot of animals on the station, including 2 pet kangaroos who liked to drink beer and a pig who stole backpacks. Fortunately I opted to sleep indoors as the few who stayed outside where woken up by braying Donkeys and Kangaroos that nibbled their feet.



Day 2: Boulia To Hughenden

Next day we set out and re-joined the sealed Highway passing through Boulia. Our first stop today was a little pub in the middle of nowhere, Middleton Pub – population 5.



I really liked this place as it was very like the Wild West with an old stage coach parked outside.

We headed on for lunch at Carisbrook Station where we had lunch in a shearing shed where we learned all about the shearing process. We were supposed to have a BBQ but it was so hot we stuck to sandwiches.

After lunch we met an old farmer who gave us a guided tour around his property which included some spectacular lookouts and an aboriginal rock art site.

The rock art site was down in a gorge and hidden under the rocks there we saw this snake trying to keep cool.



In the afternoon we stopped again at Winton - Famous for being the place where 'Banjo' Paterson wrote the Aussie anthem - Waltzing Matilda. Winton is also the birthplace of Quantas (Quuensland and Northern Terrirory Air Service).

The journey that night saw a complete change of landscape as we arrived at Hughenden. The accomodation was a bit grotty here and the airconditioning kept fusing in all the rooms. We did have an OK buffet dinner and a few beers though.

Day 3: Hughenden To Cairns

A short drive this morning to Porcupine Gorge lookout before disaster struck the bus again with a flat tyre this time. It was quite an efort to change it in the dust and a few of us pitched in to help.

Back on the road again we stopped briefly at Australia's smallest bar before re-join the sealed road travelling through the lush Atherton Tablelands.

We stopped for a BBQ lunch at Wooroonooren National Park followed by a rainforest walk & swim at the Nandroya Falls before continuing to Cairns and the journeys end.

My first experience of my hostel in Cairns - the Cairns Beach House was not good. The first room I was put in was absolutely red hot with no aircon - I moved to a different room after complaining but ended up in a full six bed dorm which also had two double rooms inside it all sharing a single shower and toilet. I had to wait 25 minutes to get in the shower before catching the suttle bus into the city to meet the group for our farewell dinner in the Woolshed. I made it an early night though as I had my Diving Course at Cairns Dive Centre the next day.