If Brad was a dingo…
I think our dog Brad might come from a Dingo crossed with a Labrador…look at the similarities in the markings…
Dingo
Its a small world…
Heading out of Brisbane in a Taxi to the campervan rentals depot, we pull up and as I get out I spot a familiar looking couple! I double take again…and yes it is Netty and Jim from Derby who are on their honeymoon. It turns out they were supposed to be picking up their van the day before but due to a change of plane time were too late to pick it up.
We swap numbers so we can meet up along the east coast and they mention we are welcome to stop over in the apartment they have over New Year in Sydney. A welcome random meet.
Christmas on Fraser Island
It was a 3 1/2 hour drive up the Hervey Bay, were we could stay over night and leave the campervan. We managed to find a caravan park which had the space, as they are getting booked up now we are heading into the thick of the holiday season.Its one of the BIG4 campsite so has really nice facilities, pool etc.
A bus picks us up early morning, taking us to the catermaran which has us over to Fraser Island in 40 minutes, were we are straight on to the 4×4 tour bus.
Our guide for the trip introduces himself as Fabian, and warns us its going to be a bumpy ride, as we head off along the sandy tracks into the rainforest.
Day 1
Trek to Basin Lake
basin lake
Trek through rainforest, along fresh water river.
When we all get back to the bus, there is a head count and one of the group is missing. Turns out to be a girl who turned back, but for some reason her mate failed to mention she did and was missing! Some people are clueless or maybe she wanted rid of her! We have to turn back and find her, which we do but means we lose about an hour of swimming and chilling at lake Mckenzie, which is beautiful.
Mckenzie Lake
We check into the lodge and share a room with a german couple, called mattous and angelica. in the evening we head to the dingo bar for food and drinks, meeting a couple called Clare and … who we win the quiz with, our team name is ’dingo very well’. we get free cocktails and enjoy a good dance in the bar.
Day 2 – Christmas Eve
Had a really poor nights sleep, woke at 3am and couldn’t get off again, so tired and alittle hungover on day 2. Fabian seemed to be lacking on giving us much info on the island and abit stressed about controlling the group. After speaking to other groups who raved how informative there guide was, we figured
something must be going on, turns out its his first tour and he’s more concerned with getting us across the island in time and in the right direction. He relaxes more as the day goes on.
We drive along the 75mile beach, which is stunning and see the rainbow sand rocks.
rainbow sands
We then do a plane trip around the island, its cool to see it from this perspective, you see the rainforest canopys, sharks in the clear waters and the length of the beach.
75 mile beach
We take a steepish walk upto indian head and lookout over the rocks to the sharks below, but they are difficult to see due the the sand being churned up. Its a great view.
indian head
We all enjoy a bite to eat on the beach and a couple of the lads go for a swim. Its then onto the champayne pools for a dip and on the way back into a fresh water creek for a paddle.
Champaign pools
Back at the lodge it’s a chilled evening and early night. Again i struggle to sleep!
Day 3 – Christmas Day
Its chritmas day! waking to a few welcome xmas texts and at breakfast open the three chritmas cards, cheers mum, dad, norma and aunty pauline & uncle doug. It feels so bizzare that its xmas day, really miss the family.
The group has halved in size, as not everyone has done the three day trip. a smaller group is loads better and fabian is on top form today, settling into it. We go to lake wabby, which is next to a huge sand dune than we all run down and into the lake. the lake is really refreshing after the walk and has huge cat fish in.
lake wabby
The walk back to the bus is quite grulling, as its up hill and steps, by the time we get back we are all sweating alot. Next it’s some lunch, which even included xmas pudding. Kim had his first taste of xmas pudding and custard :
The afternoon was bliss, at lake birrabean were we all chill, play in the water with a ‘water rocket’ i found. Heres the pic of the group:
The fraser island group
On the way back to camp we help rescue someone who stuck in the sand and Fabian is really excited about his first rescue, hes a big kid at heart. Heres the rescue attempt…
ute rescue
I gave my ipod to fabian to play out some xmas tunes on the bus and also manage to get the juno soundtrack played, which gets a mixed response.
back at the campsite in Hervey Bay we call the families, annoyingly i run out of phone credit half way through a conversation with my dad but its great to here them all. (apart from my bro si, who became ill and had to go home to bed)
Airlie Beach/Whitsunday Islands
After a 12 hour train journey that went surprisingly quick considering the train seemed to be travelling at walking pace, we have arrive at Airlie Beach and the Whitsunday Islands. It’s dark when we got here, so it wasn’t until the morning when we ventured into Airlie that we got to see the sand and sea. By lunch time, we were on a boat heading off to one of the islands where we enjoyed a lazy afternoon (apart from the trek over the small mountain to a very pebbley beach, only to decide to trek back to the other one!). The water and islands are beautiful, we head back to shore enjoying a drink at a bayside bar before heading into town for a thai curry then ambling back to the backpackers. Its a hard life!
Next we head off on a three island hop, for some snorkling at Hook Island where there are hundreds of fish swimming around us. The next stop is Whitehaven beach, which is absolutely stunning. The sand is bright white and soooo soft, perfect. We enjoy 2 hours messing around on the beach and in the water…here are a few pics.
mermaid
jumping on whitehaven beach
Port Douglas – Australia
I have arrived in Australia, at Cairns Airport and jumped onto a bus north to Port Douglas. On the bus we got chatting to a guy, Bernie who owned a Motel (the Lazy Lizard Motor Inn) with his wife, Lesley, after relocating to Oz two years ago so we decide to stay at their place for the night. A good choice, as they are really friendly and helpful. Within a few hours of arriving we are settled and heading into town for some drinks before heading out to the barrier reef for a dive the following morning.
The next morning we are up early and I am soooo looking forward to getting into the water for a dive, as we set out on the boat with a crew of about 10 on the calypso dive boat. It takes about 1 1/2 hours to get out to the reefs and get our dive briefings. I went in for a snorkel on the first dive with Steph, to ensure she was okay and got used to it. The reef is beautiful and full of life.
The next dive I do a scuba with 7 others, we are taken out on a small boat for a drift dive. We all head down and swim through some caves, which was great entering the unknown. It took me a few minutes to relax into the dive as it has been a good few months, the water is 28 degrees which is absolute bliss compared to the British waters were I got my PADI license.
I go down to 50bar before we finish so use the alternative air supply from Dan the instructor for the last 5 minutes before we surface and clamber back onto the small boat and head back. The last dive site I snorkeled as the reef was so close, it was nice just to float above at my own leisure and have a good look around taking it all in, seeing giant clams, a huge Maurie wrasse, sting ray…
It’s stinger season out here so we had to wear Lycra suits to protect our skin, even so I am stung 3 times but only by non-harmful fellas which just tingle abit now.
Here are some pics…
self portrait
barrier reef
Penguins
steph in her camo gear, ready for some penguin action
baby penguin
- keeping quiet in the penguin hide, shhh…
Akaroa
We took a stroll onlong the bay, stopping for a glass of wine (well wine for me and cup of tea for Steph), a nice and relaxing evening. That night as we were about to settle for the night, I went to pop to the loo when I stepped outside the van I heard a few loud grunts and some shuffling, so I dived back in convinced there was a wild boar outside. We continued to hear russling, I had the fear, eventually I grabbed the torch and made a run for it. Nothing took chase.
Poor steph worried all night, and was hearing noises…. come the daylight of the morning we find that a family of sheep were resident next to our van but these sheep were grunting pig sheep.
Orca – Killer Whales
It had been recommended that the trip to swim with dolphins in Akaroa was well worth it, so we went down to the bay to enquire. Fortunately for us we managed to get the last two places available that day, as the boats only take
out a small number of swimmers the places fill up quick. Other things we have been on say that you will see dolphins and might get to swim with them, but these guys kit you up straight away in wet suits, snorkels etc, so the impression
we got was it was pretty likely we would be getting in the water. Great. The dolphins that swim in this bay are Hector dolphins, which are the smallest dolphins in the world, growing to only 1.2 meters long. They are a protected and endangered species, with a conservation program and protected area in the bay therefore fishing nets are banned which has been a big threat to their survival.
We got kitted up and spilt into two groups, we went out on the small boat with Andrew and Richard as our crew. We came across a few pods which were feeding so the guys headed out further to sea to see what we might find with the view of heading back into the bay for a swim.
We sped and crashed through the open waves, the boat bouncing along enjoying the ride. Then the guys turn to us all and say we think we have just seen the fin of a killer whale, we are heading closer to have a look. At first no one was sure as we all looked around for sign of the fin. We waited, kept driving forward. Nothing. Then there they were, one huge dorsal fin, then another and another…three, a male, female and baby. The crew become visibly excited, trying to radio to the bay what they have seen but we are out of signal range, no communication can be obtained. So there we were out in the ocean rolling amongst the waves, accompanied by these magnificent mammals. We moved in closer and another two whales appear, steph was worried that we might get eaten but was assured we would be fine, they don’t attack boats. All of a sudden one pops ups the side of the boat to say hello and a curious baby comes over and begins to play with the back of the boat. So close to us, its amazing.
We stay for a while watching them, then eventually turn to head back to the bay, as we do I sit and lean out the back of the boat watching them as we head off. All of a sudden the male breaches out of the water, turns and re-enters, its a sight i will never forget, I alert the other and he does it again. We had a French marine biologist on the boat who said she had never witnessed that before.
We arrived back into the bay and jumped into the water to have a swim with 5 hectar dolphins, we only had 15 mins in the water as we had spent so long out with the orca dolphins (killer whales), so they swam around us but weren’t as interactive as they normally are but was still a brilliant experience. We got out and had a warm drink, then headed back, once we were back into signal we were told to get back quick as we were out too long. Crazy thing is they gave offered us a $50 discount as it was classed as an unsuccessful swim!! due to use hectors not being as interactive by the time we were in the water.
We saw the smallest and the largest dolphin in one day, which we were told was a rare treat. That in my book is a pretty dam successful trip.
Next time I am in New Zealand I will be paying these guys another visit.
killer whale
killer whales, babies
whale family
