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.
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.
posted by Phil at 12:22 PM
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