PORT DOUGLAS AND THE GREAT BARRIER REEF

From Magnetic Island we took the ferry and bus to Cairns where we stayed a night before getting a shuttle bus for two hours to Port Douglas , further up the East Coast of Australia. We stayed in the YHA there for two nights. It is a beautiful place. Steven Speilberg and Tom Hanks were staying there last year because they were filming their latest blockbuster. (Don't know what it is called ) it is due to be released soon apparently. We went for a wander down by the seafront and saw a little old wooden church that had been built in the 1800's.

I ventured inside and was blown away by the view from the window at the back of the alter.
It looked out over the sea and there were stained glass windows at both sides. I do not know why but it made me feel very emotional and I sat down at the back of the church and had a little cry. I reflected on just how lucky I am to be able to undertake this whole trip and see such beautiful things.
Then we walked a bit nearer the sea and came across a great little restaurant called Soul and Pepper,
they served the most delicious spicey calamari and fish dishes. The owner was so friendly and funny.

We sat there for ages admiring the view and drinking some glasses of bubbly. We decided to splash out because the setting was so perfect. Then we went to a bar called 'Groppers Bar' because we had been told that a massive Gropper fish comes around five thirty at night to be fed.
We grabbed a seat and a cocktail and waited. Sure enough around five thirty the giant Gropper fish appeared, and we were all startled because it was far bigger than any of us imagined it would be.It was very entertaining seeing it get fed and it came right out of the water.(But seemed to miss it every time I tried to take a picture!!) But I did manage to get one of it in the water. We got talking to a couple from Vancouver called Pat and Lauren. They were going on a trip to the outer barrier reef snorkelling the next day, it sounded good, so we decided to take the trip as well.

In the morning we got the Quick Silver boat to the outer Reef.
It took about an hour and a half and the water was pretty choppy.Thankfully Lauren had some sea sickness tablets and she kindly gave me one. I managed to survive the outward journey pretty much unscathed. They took us out to a platform on the outer Reef that is all geared up for everyone to get a good look at the Great Barrier Reef.

we were all kitted out with Stinger suits, flippers mask, tube and goggles..very fetching!!!!And off we went to explore the Great Barrier Reef. I loved it, there were so many beautiful fish so close to me and it was so relaxing just swimming around. You can see why it is one of the great wonders of the world. When I finished snorkelling there was a lovely lunch provided for us.

Then we went in a glass bottomed submarine to explore even further around the reef, with a running commentary from a guide.We saw sea Turtles and sea snakes amongst the beautiful coloured coral.


As you can see I kept missing the fish as they swam by. I only managed to take a few rubbish pictures, but they are better than nothing.But we had a fantastic time on the trip .
And even though Carolyn did not snorkel she managed to see just as much of the reef as Pat ,Lauren and me, because she spent most of the time going backwards and forwards in the submarine exploring the hidden corals and fish.

MAGNETIC ISLAND

From Arlie beach we took the Grey Hound bus for 4 hours north to Townsville, where we got the ferry to Magnetic island.

I could not believe my luck after the sailing trip. We were to stay on one of the most beautiful islands I have been to. The youth hostel was magical. We got a little hut at the top of the field and they warned us not to have any food in our rooms because the wild animals will break into or dig their way into the hut to try and get to the food.
There were exotic birds flying around everywhere and possums running loose around the compound. There was also a Koala and wildlife section where you could have breakfast with the animals. We opted not to do that as we had seen a lot of wildlife and cuddled Koalas already.
One night when I went to the loo block, I came out to see a Possum sitting on a wall opposite, just yards away from me, looking straight at me.I was petrified at first but then I just looked at its big eyes and prayed it would not attack me and rushed off back to the cabin. My heart pounding in my chest!
The food at the YHA restaurant was first class. There was a special deal that if you ordered before six, you got a fantastic curry meal with either a glass of wine or pot of beer for fourteen dollars (about seven pounds). Carolyn and I decided that we could not cook it much cheaper so we opted for the special every night...the fish curry was my favourite!

We were only a fifteen minute walk from the nearest bay..Horseshoe Bay.It is beautiful. We spent a couple of evenings just sitting on the seafront watching the sunset and having a drink.

There are special swimming areas that are netted off so that you can swim safely without being stung by Stingers( a type of jelly fish). But I decided to stick to swimming in the pool at the YHA site.

One day we took the rickety island bus on a round trip around the island and we decided that we were near the nicest bay...Horseshoe Bay.
We had a lovely three days just chilling out in the hammocks by the pool at the YHA, listening to the music coming from the bar.

Life does not get any better than this!!

WHITSUNDAY ISLANDS SAILING TRIP

Carolyn and me got the Greyhound bus from Hervey Bay to Airlie beach. It took fourteen hours and we arrived at the youth Hostel at half past two in the morning. Thankfully they left a key in a box for us, so we were able to get to our rooms. We did not get much sleep as we had to get up early to catch the bus to our Tall ship, Whitsunday Magic,which would be our home for the next three nights.
We were going sailing in the Whitsunday Islands for four days and three nights. The boat was beautiful and our little cabin was great. We had our own little on-suite shower and toilet.There were only sixteen passengers on board and eight crew members, including a chef. The meals were wonderful. We got continental breakfast or cooked breakfast.Morning coffee with a snack,Lunch, afternoon tea and cakes, and for dinner we had a choice of two main courses.
We were able to really unwind as the ship sailed around the islands.
And much to my surprise I signed up for the scuba diving. It could have been because the dive instructor was a gorgeous looking Frenchman. But in the morning after some lessons I managed a dive with three other people and the instructor. I just gripped onto the instructors arm all the way. In the afternoon he took me diving just one to one and I was able to dive to 13meters without grabbing hold of him. We also saw a shark during the dive, but thankfully I thought to myself"it cant be" as it disappeared in the distance.So I did not panick.But when the instructor asked me if I had seen it when we surficed I nearly died!!! We all got certificates for the dives. You can see that I am very proud of myself..(And you have to agree that the blond instructor is pretty nice!!!)
The next day we sailed to Whithaven beach.It is one of the ten most beautiful beaches in the world.It is mostly silicone sand so once again we set to work exfoliating our skin.It really does work.

Every night during dinner the Captain would come up on deck and tell us where we had sailed that day and where we would be heading the next day.
They even let us all have a go at hoisting the sails.

One couple on the boat, Mary and Bill, celebrated their 42 wedding anniversary and the crew made a special cake for them so that we could all celebrate together.
As well as scuba diving they took us out in little dingys to snorkel in the barrier Reef and we saw such a colourful collection of fish and coral.
We all had to wear special swim suites to protect us from the stingers(a type of deadly jelly fish that are in the waters around this time.You can die if you get stung by one, so it was better to be safe than sorry)

On the last night we put all the tables together and enjoyed a lovely dinner together.

All the passengers mixed so well on the trip so it really made it special.
Then Carolyn and me decided it would be fun to sleep on deck and look at the stars on the last night. We saw a few shooting stars and made some wishes!!

It got pretty nippy at times, but it was worth sleeping out because we saw the most amazing colours in the sky as the sun rose.

But when I got up in the morning I realised that I had been stung on the eye by a mosquito and it swelled up so much that I looked like I had been punched in the eye. But I did not let that spoil the last day of sailing.(It took three days to settle down)

I have to say the sailing in the Whitsundays on the tallship has to be the highlight of my trip so far. It far exceeded my expectations. It is one of the most beautiful places I have been to and the ship was perfect.

FRASER ISLAND

We booked a day trip to go to Fraser Island. It is the largest sand island in the world. We got an early ferry over to the island. We were then taken in a four wheel drive bus around the island for the rest of the day. It was quite hairy at points. We got a chance to swim in Lake McKenzie which is so beautiful.

The water is so pure because it has come up through the sand and formed a lake. It is silicone sand so everyone was exfoliating their bodies and cleaning there jewelery, which was funny to see. The island is inhabited by Dingos and there are signs everywhere telling tourists not to feed them and that they sometimes attack. We were so scared and kept dingo watch for each other as we swam! We did not see any, but there were plenty of people talking about how they had had their bags and shoes taken by them and they had to chase them off!!

We went for a walk through the rainforest. Scientists marvel at the fact the trees grow in the sand as it is not supposed to be able to hold nutrients. It is also strange not to hear the sound of the river flowing through the trees and plantation. The guide said that is because it is flowing over the sandbed and there are no stones or rocks for it to trickle over.

We then went to 75 mile beach where the four wheel drive bus drives you along beside the waves and it is so wonderful.


As we were going along we spotted a couple of small planes taking off from the beach and landing.
I said I was amazed that anyone had the guts to do that!!!
Well half an hour later I was being strapped into a seat in the plane!!!! It all happened when we stopped to examine a shipwreck on the beach.
I walked past the pilot of one of the planes and said "I would love to go up in the plane and look over the island but I am just too afraid to do it" He said "That is a shame because there are very few places where you get the chance in the world to take off and land in a plane on the beach, and the views over the island are spectacular. Carolyn was eager to do it and she persuaded me to take a risk.



Well I have to say it was really worth the fear factor. I loved it but at the same time I was scared to death!
She sat up alongside the pilot and at one stage he asked her if she wanted her photo taking and he would let her hold the steering thing (Dont know what you call it in a plane) well you can imagine my reaction in the seat behind..I just shouted out NO! NO! NO! NO! like the fella in the vicar of Dibley! I had visions of the plane going into freefall if he took his hands off. They just laughed and told me it would be ok. We did get to see some spectacular views and the landing back on the beach was so smooth!! I was overjoyed when we got back safely and very proud of myself for doing it!! I have to say that Fraser Island is one of the most beautiful places on earth.

SAMMIE'S GONE

After three fantastic weeks of travelling with Sammie in Australia it was time for her to head off back to Birmingham and her studies. I was so sad to see her go. She had not had the chance to have her photograph taken with a life guard, so we took the photo opportunity at Brisbane airport, when we saw a life size figure of a lifeguard in the passenger terminal.
After she left I had a good cry, then got on with the business of enjoying my trip down under.
I went to visit Australia Zoo, which was set up by Steve Irwin, with Carolyn, the girl I am going to travel up the east coast with for the next three weeks.(Sammie and I met her in Sydney, when she was in our dorm, and it was at her BBQ in Byron Bay where we saw the frog!!)

We had a great time at the Zoo ,it is a fantastic place. We saw all kinds of animal displays, including the crocodiles.


The next day we took a four hour bus journey north to Hervey Bay. It is beautiful. We decided to hire bicycles to cycle along the special cycle route by the sea. It is 11km. Well, almost as soon as we set off the heavens opened and the heaviest rainstorm started.

Not to be deterred we put on our plastic ponchos and carried on. I was laughing at Carolyn because she tried to set off on the bike, with her bike resting stand still down, it was scraping along the road!!!
Thankfully it brightened up and we stopped halfway for a lovely lunch in a cafe by the sea.
Then we headed off again, and this time Carolyn was laughing at me as I had left my bike stand down and it was scraping along the ground. I had been so full of myself when I told her she had left hers down earlier on, so it made us both laugh like mad. We were also laughing our heads off at how crappy the bikes were and how hard it was to peddle, when again the rain started. This time it was torrential and we got absolutely soaked through. But we were determined to get to the end of the cycle route!(Not thinking that we had to cycle all the way back again!!)

Eventually we decended a steep hill and were thrilled to see that there was a lovely restaurant by the sea, so that we could dry off and get a hot drink. As we stood at the doorway dripping wet and clutching our cycle helmets in our hands, a guy, invited us in and told us not to worry that we looked such a mess, and that we were dripping rainwater all over the place. We were soaked and cold and planned to get a cup of tea. When we tried to order tea, a woman who it turned out was a guest at the wedding behind us, said we needed a drop of the hard stuff. We agreed that Champagne would be better and prompty ordered two small bottles for ourselves. It was the bridegroom who had taken pity on us when he saw us standing at the door, drenched! We had gatecrashed a wedding in our rain ponchos!! As we sat sipping champagne, with out bikes outside, we could not stop laughing at how rediculous the situation was.
We soon stopped laughing when we realised that we had 11km to cycle back again!!!
We were in so much pain by the time we eventually reached the YHA.