Self-Drive Tour of Fraser Island

In the early hours of the morning we tiptoed around the girls' apartment getting ready, then walked the 10 minute walk to Southern Cross station. From there we got the skybus to the airport, where we flew to Brisbane. At Brisbane we had a couple of hours to wait til our coach. Not able to go anywhere because of all our luggage, we both passed out asleep on the airport seats for about 2 hours, oblivious to the hustle and bustle around us.

Finally on the coach, we slept for most of the journey, and had to be woken up by the driver wandering up the aisles calling our names when it was our stop. Quite embarrassing infront of a coachload of people, but lucky that we didn't wake up hours later, hundreds of miles from our destination!

By 5pm we arrived at Rainbow beach, and it was safe to say we were fully rested. Sometimes when you're backpacking, the only real rest you get is when you're travelling from one place to the next.

We checked into our hostel, then had to get together with a group of 18 people for a briefing. This was mainly to go over the dos and don'ts, and rules in general of the next few days.

Let me explain....The only reason to ever come to Rainbow beach, or Hervey Bay, a few hours up the coast, is to use it as a departure point to get to Fraser Island, the world's largest sand island. Both towns are full of backbackers either going to, or having just come back from, this popular part of Australia.

The hostels organise everything for you - food, transport, 'accommodation', all you need to do is remember your credit card!

This trip is a 2 day and 2 night tour of the island, which stretches to 123km. The hostel takes your drivers licence details, tells you about the huge 4WD you'll be driving, give you an itinery and a map, and send you, and a group of strangers, on your way.

The next morning we had to be up at 5am to load both trucks with 9 tents, sleeping bags, 2 cookers, utensils, crates of food, all our alcohol, the small bags of our limited belongings we were allowed to take with us, and finally ourselves.

Our group was a mixture of Germans, Swedes and Danes, with a couple of Irish thrown in. And funnily enough, a guy from Romford, who we took under our wing. Also amongst our group was one of the most annoying women I've ever had the misfortune of meeting - Norma.

Norma was 66, a retired accountant, who spent 6 months at home with her husband, and 6 months travelling. She'd been almost everywhere in the world, and boy did she like telling us about it!! Don't get me wrong, travelling is one thing we all had in common, and it gives us something to talk about if ever the conversation runs dry (which lets face it, doesn't happen very often with me around)! However this old witch had an amazing ability to talk forever about herself and only herself. God forbid anyone dare tell a tale about their own travels! Not that it mattered because no doubt Norma would have been there, done that and got the souvenirs to prove it. Because of Norma, our 2 day trip on this beautiful island felt like we were being supervised by a school Headmistress.

Anyway, on day one, we were told to go to Lake MacKenzie. This lake is quite spectacular, even moreso I imagine, if we had clear blue skies, which of course, we didn't. The sky was grey and overcast, and the air was damp and muggy. The lake has the bluest water I think I've ever seen, far bluer than the sea up at the Whitsundays. The water is still and calm; it's like a small corner of paradise (or it would have been, had it not been the school holidays and therefore loads of families - with kids - everywhere).

We spent the morning here, relaxing in this beautiful part of the world. Anna and I managed to separate ourselves from the group, which was probably the best idea we had for the whole 2 days.

Following our itinery down to the minute (thanks to Norma) we left Lake MacKenzie, enjoyed a picnic lunch, then drove on to find a spot to set up camp. We drove along the beach and found a place called Happy Valley. There was a small verge that was slightly back from the beach, so as not to get washed away when the tide came in, that could fit all our tents. There was 1 tent between 3, so Anna and I immediately asked our new friend from Romford to join us, for fear of being stuck with the old witch. After my many months of camping whilst fruitpicking, I'm now an expert at putting up tents, so I had ours pitched to perfection in under a minute, so the 3 of us could sit back with an ice cold beer and watch the others struggling. This became a habit over the next 2 days, the 3 of us sitting back and watching everyone else get stuck in whilst drinking a nice refreshing beer (not so refreshing after all the ice melted and they were luke warm, but better than nothing).

After everyone was finished, we took one last drive up the beach to the Maheno wreck, a ship that was being towed from Melbourne to Japan to be used as scrap metal, before being caught in a cyclone and ending up washed up on the coast of Fraser island, before we had to head back to camp.

We were given strict instructions when we left as to what times the tide came in, and when we could drive our 4WDs. If we didn't pay attention, we'd get stuck and have to pay a fortune to get help, and also to fix the damage that the sea salt does to the engine.

And so we were stuck here, with nothing to keep us entertained aside from the droney voice of Norma, telling yet another story about herself. We opened our coolboxes and started to prepare dinner, on the tiny little table, and with the tiny little cookers that we'd been provided with. It took a long time to cook dinner for 18 very hungry backpackers. For the whole trip, meals consisted of bread, with burgers or more burgers. That's about it. For someone who doesn't eat beef, it left a lot to be desired. But it was either that or starve, so I smothered everything in ketchup and imagined I was eating something else.

There's no artificial light on Fraser island, so from about 8 o'clock onwards, we sat in darkness, with the moon and stars our only form of light, and drank beer and chatted amongst ourselves until we eventually dragged ourselves to our tents, where we slept with only a sleeping bag, nothing beneath us and no pillows.

We woke up to the sound of rain running down the side of our tents. We knew immediately that the day would be a washout. Peering out of the tent, the sea was rough, waves crashing, and was a horrible brown colour. Not that you'd ever go in the sea here as it's full of sharks. We were warned not to go anywhere near the sea, not even to dip your feet in.

Despite only being the crack of dawn, we were the last ones up. When we went to make breakfast - bread with jam - we were told that one of the cool boxes had been left open and the dingoes had got our burgers....

On our itinery for the day was Indian Head and the Champagne Pools. This was a long drive right down the other end of the island. You time it right, so that you spend most of the day there, while the tide comes in. When it goes out again, it's safe to drive back to camp.

Well, this was a huge disappointment. The rain didn't ease up in the slightest the whole day. We got to the end of the island and had to park up, then walk about an hour to Champagne Pools. Walking in soft, wet sand for that length of time is exhausting. And we were getting soaked. But we kept ourselves going by thinking about the beautiful rock pools we were soon to be coming across. Except they weren't. We got there, drenched, and climbed down the boardwalk to horrible, slimy rocks. There were no pools, just waves crashing, covering us, making it impossible to even attempt to appreciate how amazing this might look had the sun been shining. What a waste. So, after taking the obligatory photos 'here's me having a great time at Champagne Pools,' we made the dreaded trek back to our cars, where we were now stranded for about 4 hours til the tide went back out.

In that time, Anna and I mostly slept in the car, and the boys..... well the boys dug a hole.

So that was it - day 2. A total and utter washout.

We left as soon as we could to go back to camp and just started to drink straight away. It was the only thing we could do to keep ourselves occupied, except for sleeping.

The next day, feeling very hungover, we woke up last again. In fact when we got up, at 5.30am, everyone else had packed up their tents and started to load the van. Oooops! Taking our time, the 3 of us eventually took our tent down and packed up. As it was still grey and miserable, we'd all agreed that rather than attempt to cook in this weather, we would save the bacon and eggs and cook it once we got back to the hostel.

Our last stop on the itinery was Lake Wabby. We had to walk about 20 minutes to this lake, and unfortunately it wasn't really worth it. It was nothing like the first one we went to, Lake MacKenzie. But, we got in and had a dip, and 'cleaned' ourselves, as we'd had no showers since 2 days earlier. The only thing at this lake that was worth mentioning was that we saw turtles swimming in the lake. That's about it.

So on we went, homeward bound, to make the journey back to where we'd get the boat back to mainland. And of course, as we drove, the skies cleared and there was bright blue sky and beaming sunshine. Bloody typical. I mean, it had rained, really rained, non stop for 2 days. We'd had to cook under leaking tarpauline, camp in dripping tents, and trek miles along a beach, getting soaked to the bone. And while we parked up and wait for our boat to arrive, it was beautiful.

At least the last glimpse of Fraser Island I had at that moment was seeing it as it's supposed to be seen, this huge vast beach as far as the eye can see, lined with trees swaying in the sea breeze. As we waited, we saw dolphins swimming in the ocean. This was what I'd expected! Typical....

Once we got back to the hostel, the others checked into their rooms and got cleaned up. Anna, myself, and our new friend from Romford, helped ourselves to the breakfast we should have had earlier, in peace and quiet, away from yet more of Norma's tales.

That evening, when most groups would all sit together and talk about the adventures and sights of Fraser Island, the 3 of us drank what was left of the alcohol from the trip and chatted about what a let down of a trip that'd been.

Unfortunately, when you book a trip like this, there are 2 things you can't control: the weather and the people. And I can easily say we had the worst of both. We had fun and entertained ourselves, but I have to say that's one trip I need to make sure I do again one day. I'm sure it can be better than torrential rain and moany old 66 year olds.

Melbourne, the Fourth and Final Time!

Our flight to Melbourne was at lunchtime, but by the time we landed and made our way into the city it was early evening. We checked into Urban Central, my home for most of my time in Melbourne, and got ourselves settled. It had been a long, hungover, struggle of a day, and we were glad to be able to relax.
Walking through the kitchen/ dining area, there were very few faces I recognised, which was surprising considering that a month ago there was such a big group of us 'longtermers'. As expected, most people had moved on for Christmas and New Years, mostly to Sydney.
Spending what remained of the day recovering from NYE, we woke up the following morning feeling refreshed and ready to spend the next few days sightseeing. I already new Melbourne like the back of my hand, and had done all the touristy things, but I was spending the next 4 days showing Anna why I loved this city so much.
First of all was shopping! Melbourne is well known in Australia for it's shopping, especially the Brusnwick St area which is packed full of vintage clothes shops. We wandered up and down this street for hours, going into every shop that looked as though it might be in our price range. The great thing about Brunswick Street is that aside from all the posh, expensive shops, there are also a million and one second hand or just cheap shops where you're guaranteed to find a bargain.
We came away from there with a few new items, ready for a big night out (I know I know, it was only the day after New Years day, but there was no time to waste)!
The weather wasn't great today, but I took Anna to St. Kilda anyway, mainly for more clothes shopping. It's a shame because had the sun have been shining we could've had a lazy afternoon at the beach.

Back at the hostel, and in typical Urban Central style, we bought a few bottles of wine, and all sat around drinking and talking, mainly about what we'd all been up to since I left a month earlier.
We were dressed up in the day's bargains, and headed out to my favourite bars. First of all, down the laneways, we went to Section 8. Aside from being a particular favourite, I also wanted to take Anna there as it's a bar like no other bar I've been to. It's open air, they sell drinks from inside a shipping container, and the walls are covered with graffiti. After a mojito or two, we went to Toffs bar, where we could dance the night away. And then we ended up in good old PJ O'Briens, an Irish bar where all backpackers go. Cheap drinks, cheesy music, lots of dancing, and only a short walk back to the hostel.
In the morning, hungover, (I barely knew what it was like to not be hungover anymore) we got on the train and went down to Frankston. Anna also knew Beau from our holiday in Thailand nearly 3 years previously, and was keen to see him whilst we were in Melbourne.
First of all, I went to see Robyn, my Australian mum! She picked us up from the station and we went back to hers, and as it was a nice day we sat in the garden, drank lots of wine and did lots of chatting, like we always did. After a couple of hours, she drove us round to Beau's. I'd already been in touch with him to tell him we would be coming, and to invite the boys round and get plenty of stuff for a BBQ and a few drinks in his bar, something I did every weekend for the 4 months I stayed with him. This would be the last time I'd see Beau, his girlfriend Kristy, and all the boys. As I'd already said goodbye to them 3 times before, it wasn't so bad, although this time we all knew it would be for good, or at least for a very long time.

On our last day in Melbourne, still giving ourselves no time to relax, we wandered round the city. It was a lovely day, sun shining and clear blue skies. We sat on the grass outside the cathedral and ate sushi, from a place I found that I'm sure does the best sushi in Australia! We sat there amongst all the office workers making the most of the sunshine on their lunchbreaks.

Then we walked through the botanical gardens, and on to the Eureka tower. I'd already been up the tower twice before, once with my friend Simon and once with mum and dad's friend Jeff. Being my third time, and practically a local to Melbourne by now, we went up to the sky deck and I acted the tour guide, telling Anna what every landmark or building in the city was.

On our way back to the hostel we went to Port Melbourne. Port Melbourne is where 'the other half' live. The beach isn't great compared to others I'd seen in Australia, but the properties looking on to it are stunning. If I ever ended up living in Melbourne, this is where I'd live. If I could afford it. We took a stroll along the pier and the beachfront, wondering what sort of a life these people have, living in beautiful apartment buildings, with their choice of nice, expensive restuarants, walking their dogs along the beach and generally living in luxury.

Back at Urban we packed our bags and I checked for the last time. As we were leaving at 3 in the morning, I didn't see the point in paying for another night's accommodation, so some of the girls I knew who lived in an apartment nearby, had kindly offered to put us up for the night. We went round there in the early evening, chucked our bags down, and went out to meet the last lot of people on our list. Ilias and Tristan were 2 guys we worked with in Lagos, who I'd met up with many times in Melbourne, but for Anna this would be her only chance to see them. I'd arranged for us to meet at the Rooftop Bar, where they'd never been before. The bar, which oddly enough is on a rooftop, is set out like a huge garden, with deckchairs and parasols all over the place. The views across the city are amazing. And, as it was such a nice day, we could sit there for hours, sipping our sangrias, and like I'd done so many times with so many people over the past few weeks, say our final goodbyes.
Back at the girl's apartment, we got as much sleep as we could, before our alarms went off at 3am and we were on the road again, this time to Rainbow Beach and Fraser Island.

Christmas and New Years in Sydney

My bus to Sydney took 17 hours. I arrved at lunchtime feeling far from refreshed after a big night out in Brisbane and nearly no sleep since.
In Sydney I was staying with a friend, Paul, for the Christmas period. I met Paul on holiday in Portugal in 2006. He's a Kiwi who, at the time, was traveling around Europe. A few months later I picked him up from Luton airport and he stayed at ours for the night. Since then he always promised to return the favour. So here I was, getting a cab to one of Sydney's seaside suburbs, Coogee. I'd been to Coogee before, but only briefly, back in February when we did the 2 hour coastal walk from Bondi.
I arrived and got the key from the plant pot where Paul had left it for me, and made myself at home, so pleased to be in the comfort of a house again, with a laptop, TV, and all the other things we take for granted. Staying here was doing me a huge favour, as all the hostels in Sydney bump their rates up to an extortinate amount over the festive period. It would have cost me $1000 for a 32 bed dorm for 10 nights. There was no way I'd ever stay in a 32 bed dorm, and especially not for $100 a night! Paul didn't want a penny from me, so instead, before he got home from work I filled the fridge with beers, wine and food.
That night, when Paul arrived home from work, we spent the evening chilling out, drinking wine and catching up on the last few years. He was disappointed that after nearly a year in Oz I had only just got round to seeing him, but I had 10 days to make up for lost time.
The following day, after a great night's sleep but still feeling a bit rough with a cold, I took myself to the beach. It was a beautiful day, and it was so nice being just metres from the beach and all these shops, cafes and restaurants. It was a lifestyle that I could really get used to. And, after being on the road for a while, it was a relief to know that I could relax without having to pack my bags and catch another bus in a few days.
The next couple of days before Christmas I caught up with friends. I met Louise, my friend from home who relocated here, in a bar for drinks not far from Paul's house. I also met up with a guy called Carl, who I met in Thailand in December 08, who had just arrived in Oz. When I met Carl I encouraged him to go travelling, telling him he'd have the time of his life and so on. It was so good that he'd made the decision to do it, and here we were a year later, sitting on Bondi beach.
On Christmas eve, while Paul and his housemate Travis were at work, I went out and bought loads of Christmas decorations. Being typical males, they had nothing. There was nothing at all to suggest that it was nearly Christmas. And so I filled the living room with tinsel and baubles (in blue, so it was a bit manly)! I bought crackers and put them round the room. And filled a bowl with chocolates which I left for them on the coffee table. It wasn't much, in fact it looked a bit pathetic without a tree or lights, but it was something. And it made me feel a bit more festive!
Before I knew it I was waking up on Christmas day. I'd had cards delivered from home that Paul hadn't told me about, which was a lovely surprise. I insisted that I make the boys a breakfast of scrambled eggs and smoked salmon on toast with fresh orange juice, just like I have at home, which I cooked wearing a santa hat. Then, while we ate, I made them watch Love Actually with me, again, something I do at home, and also what I made all the boys do last Christmas in Thailand!
They stayed for a while, then went up the road to their friends house where they were spending the day. I waited at the house for my mum to call, then went on the dreaded walk to Bronte where I was meeting Louise and co. Bronte is along the coastal walk, near to Bondi. I was told that if I walked fast I could do it in an hour. I wasn't up for this at all. It was muggy and humid outside, and looked like it was about to pour down. I also had bags of stuff, food, drinks, christmas crackers and so on. But I set off anyway (not realising that buses still run on xmas day - damnit)! and power-walked all the way there. Any hopes I had of looking nice when I got there were ruined, when I arrived sweating, with my make-up smudged around my eyes, and my freshly straightened hair was frizzy (at least I had a santa hat to cover it up). But I managed to do it in about 45 minutes, and arrived there before everyone else!
I was amazed at how many people were out and about, forgetting that Christmas here isn't like it is at home. I walked around about 5 different beaches, which were packed full of people cooking on their BBQs, and kids swimming in the sea, despite the overcast sky and damp air.

I waited about 10 minutes, enough time to freshen up, when Louise and 9 others arrived. We picked a spot and laid our rugs out, with all our food and drinks etc. The boys were sent on their way to go and get the BBQ started, using one of the free BBQs here, while us girls chatted and drank lots of wine! It was such a shame the weather wasn't better. Even moreso when, after a few hours and when the boys had only just got to the front of the BBQ queue, it started to rain. Shortly after, the place had pretty much cleared out, which wasn't bad as it meant we could get a table under shelter, and the boys could cook in peace.

Looking around, the only people mad enough to stay on the beach were other groups of backpackers, with pretty much no where else to go, and determined to have a typical 'Australian Christmas' with a BBQ on the beach. We had this, except without the sunshine. After we'd eaten, and pretty much drunk everything we had between us, we made a decision to go back to Louise and James' to carry on the evening in the comfort of a warm, dry, apartment, where there was plenty more to eat and drink!
I ended up staying at Louise's, and made my way home the following afternoon. It was quite embarrassing because the weather had changed, and today was quite cold. Yet here I was, catching buses, in just a pair of denim shorts, a bikini and a thin cardigan. People probably thought I was mad. I was also incredibly hungover, so I just wanted to get back, put comfortable clothes on, and chill out on the sofa, which is exactly what I did.

That evening I couldn't sleep, despite having spent the previous night tossing and turning on the sofa, and being hungover. It was because I was so excited. More excited than I get at Christmas, which to anyone who knows me, knows is hard to beat. And it was because Anna was arriving in the morning. My best friend, who I hadn't seen since she came out to see me in Thailand this time last year, was going to be in Central train station at 8am. After only about 4 hours sleep I was up and dressed, and on the bus on the way into the city to go and meet her. It was tipping it down today, which is such a bad first impression to get of the apparently 'sunny-all-year-round' Australia! But it didn't matter. I waited for what felt like forever for Anna to arrive, as I'd got a bit enthusiastic and was there far too early. When she walked through the barriers, as expected, we had a tearful reunion. After a minute or two to compose ourselves, we stepped out into the pouring rain to get the poor girl to Paul's, where she could dump her luggage and sort herself out after travelling for about 30 hours, via Hong Kong, to get here.
I gave her no time at all to let the jetlag set in, as we had no time to waste. Anna was here for 18 days, and we had so much to fit in in that time. We headed into the city where we wandered around taking in the sights, the Opera House, Harbour Bridge etc. Although I'd been to Sydney before, it was only for a few days, and I was always with people who knew their way around, so I told Anna that I was as much a stranger to this city as she was. Walking around Circular Quay we bumped into Louise and James, and another couple, friends of theirs from home who'd also just arrived for a holiday. With the weather still pretty miserable, we all went for a drink in the Opera bar, which has amazing views of, yes you've guessed it, the Opera house. It's definitely my favourite bar in Sydney. Yes the drinks are overpriced, but the view's great and so is the atmosphere.
After the others left Anna and I stayed for a few more. Probably not the best idea, but at the time it seemed ok. We drank a couple of bottles of wine, and by now it was only about 5.30. Feeling rather tipsy, we got the bus back so that Anna could see Paul, now that he was home from work. The 3 of us took a stroll to a nearby Thai restaurant, where we ate nice food, drank more wine, and chatted the night away.
In the morning I was so pleased to see blue skies and a bright beaming sun. We got up fairly early - by backpackers standards anyway - and, still not giving Anna any time to get used to the time difference, we got the bus to Bondi beach. We spent the day here, among about a million other people who had done the same as us. The beach was packed and overcrowded, but I still managed to see two of my mates from my time living in Melbourne, who came and sunbathed with us for a while.

Wanting to do as much as possible with Anna, and also other people I'd met on my travels, i'd attempted to arrange a big night out for everyone I knew that was in Sydney. So after a day of tanning, we rushed back to Paul's to get ready for a night out. While Paul cooked us dinner, we were frantically hair-straightening, applying make-up, and changing our outfits for the umpteenth time. By the time we got out we were late. Late to something that I'd organised which was a tad embarrassing. And also, not all of the people I'd invited knew eachother. By the time we got there and got drinks, I had to find everyone and bring them together.
It ended up being a really good night out. And, despite Australia being so big, I wasn't surprised that I bumped into a couple of people I'd met over the last year, even someone I'd worked with whilst packing fruit in Renmark. It's at this time of year when the place just fills with backpackers. Some of the people I saw tonight I knew that I would be saying goodbye to for good. The chances are that I won't see a lot of them again, even when they come back to England. But of course, by now, after nearly 15 months of travelling, I was perfectly used to this part, even though it doesn't get any easier.
Feeling sorry for ourselves in the morning, and sleeping in longer than I'd have liked, we saw the sun beaming through the blinds and decided we couldn't waste a glorious day hungover and inside. So we dragged ourselves the 100 metres down the road to the beach. An extra bonus was that Paul was with us too. He'd taken a couple of days off work to spend time with us. He even came out with us into the city the night before, the only guy with a bunch of drunken girls....Oh, ok, now it makes sense why he came.....
So anyway, here we were on Coogee beach. Anna braved the sea, overcoming her huge fear of sharks, and pretty much anything else you find in the ocean. The sun was strong today, and I was pleased that at last Anna was seeing some proper Ozzy weather.
After a few hours, again, not wanting to miss an opportunity to meet up with people, we went back, got showered and changed, and headed back into the city where we were catching a ferry to Manly. When I was here in Feb I'd stayed with my mate Becky, an Ozzy I'd met in Portugal. Well I lived in Portugal with Anna, so obviously she knew Becky too and wanted to see her. And even better, another friend of ours from London who we'd also met in Portugal was staying with Becky. And another friend Tim, had also arranged to meet up. So it was a mini Lagos-reunion.
Once over in Manly we met the others in the Wharf bar, a trendy bar that's particularly popular for a Sunday session. All types come here. The protentious girls in their dresses and heels and men in their smart shirts and shoes. The surf-dude types who've strolled in after a day of riding the waves. And the backpackers.
Paul came with us, but the poor guy couldn't get a word in. The 5 of us hadn't seen eachother as a group since summer 2007, and the excitement was obvious, lots of squealing and hugging. Paul went to get the drinks in.
After catching up for probably only a couple of hours, the sun started to set. The atmosphere was great here, but we were well aware that we had a long journey to get back, and the tiredness from our hangovers was kicking in. Reluctantly, we said our goodbyes, my 2nd time in 2 nights, and made our way back to Paul's for a takeaway and a DVD. We all fell asleep on the sofa at about 9pm.
The next day was New Years eve. Again, the sky was grey and overcast, but it was still warm. Anna and I had a lie in, then spent the day, yes, the entire day, getting ready for tonight. We were meeting Louise, her boyfriend James, and a few others, to go to Shark Island. Shark Island's quite a way away, but is the perfect location for watching the famous fireworks they set off in the harbour.
At about 5pm we set off, getting buses and taxis, through the chaos of the city. There were people everywhere, roads were closed and police walked the streets, all in preparation for the 4 million people who spend New Years Eve in Sydney. Thankfully we were going about 15 minutes out of the city, where we waited for our boat to take us to the island.
Shark Island has no facilities except for toilets, so we had to bring all food, drinks, seats, music etc ourselves. The island's small, but there were only a couple of hundred people there, so we all had plenty of space to spread out and get a great view of the Harbour Bridge.
To get the boat over on a normal day is $18. On New Years Eve, it's $160, so we all hoped it'd be worth it. There were about 10 of us there in our group. Between us we'd brought so much food that we could have fed another 10. We also had so much alcohol, but of course we knew we'd have no trouble finishing that off. We were there for 7.30, so we had plenty of time before the fireworks started. The first show was at 9pm, the kiddies show. These were brilliant, and our view was incredible, but it was nothing compared to what was to come at midnight.
Whilst we drank the night away, it gradually got darker and there was a chill in the air. We sat huddled, playing drinking games and listening to our music, as loud as we could have it. So far the night was brilliant. NYE always seems to be a let down. At home you spend extortinate amounts of money on entry to a bar or club. They hike the price of the drinks up, that's if you can get to the bar amongst the hundreds of other people they've managed to cram into the place. So after you've spent a fortune on tickets and drinks, spent hardly any time with your mates because you've been stuck in queues for the bar or the toilet, you then pay triple for a taxi home. At the end of it, you look back and promise not to spend another NYE like that.
But here we were, close friends, sitting together in a completely chilled out, laid back atmosphere. Yes the boat tickets were expensive, but when you think what we saved by bringing our own food and drink it balances out.

We talked and laughed and drank our way through the warm evening. Before we knew it, the first lot of fireworks for the countdown to midnight had started. Everyone rushes for their cameras. Sometimes we forget that while we're trying desperately to capture everything on camera we're not actually seeing it for ourselves. At the end of the night I must have had 100 pictures of those fireworks, and they were all as blurry as the one I'd taken before. Realising how hard it is to take a good photo of fireworks I stopped trying and just enjoyed the show.
I'd smuggled some sparklers onto the island (apparently these are strictly forbidden - I'm such a rebel) and shared them out with everyone. So, amongst the 'ooohs' and 'aaahs' we were there spelling our names out with our sparklers, and watching the most amazing fireworks display I've ever seen, and probably ever will see.
Not long after the hugs and kisses and 'happy new years', it was time to get the boat back to Rosebay, and make our way back to Paul's. Everyone else was heading to a house party not far away, but with no time to waste, Anna and I had a flight booked to Melbourne in the morning (something we later regretted)!
I really enjoyed Sydney, and had such a good NYE that I'm sure will be hard to compete with for years to come. However, I'm not sure it's a city I could live in like I did in Melbourne. It's so spread out that to get from one place to another requires changing buses 3 times. And the transport/ restaurants/ bars are so expensive, unlike Melbourne. But for what it's worth I had a great time, made better by the fact that Anna was here. We crammed in so much over the last few days, meeting people and seeing the sights, that I was ready for a break, but no such luck. Melbourne here we come.....

A weekend of pouring rain in Brisbane

I got to the Roma Street Transit Centre at lunchtime the next day in a foul mood. Unusual for me, I'd barely slept a wink in the past 18 hours, because I was coughing and spluttering the whole night.

Most people travelling up or down the east coast wouldn't sit on a bus for so long, but as I had been to, or was planning to go soon, to all stops inbetween, I had to endure this terrible journey feeling really rough.

Once in Brisbane I got a taxi straight to my hostel; I was staying at a Base hostel again. I checked in, showered, got in bed and didn't move for the rest of the day. By this point I was feeling so crap that I couldn't, (nor did I want to) get out of bed, which was really frustrating as I only had three days here and I didn't want to waste time doing nothing. When I looked outside it was pouring with rain, so that made me feel a bit better about it.

That evening, Clarisse checked into the same hostel, so the two of us went for a wander and grab a coffee. Clarisse was feelnig under the weather as well, so we decided to stop trying to fight it, and instead sent ourselves to bed for an early night.

Clarisse left for Sydney early the next morning. Feeling slightly better, I decided to get up and go out, and stop wasting time. I walked round the city for a while. It's big compared to Cairns, much bigger, but small in comparison to Melbourne, which bear in mind isn't very big either. I walked for a bit along the river, through the Botanic Gardens and then over to Southbank. It's a pretty easy city to get around in; like Melbourne the streets all run parallel with eachother in blocks, so it's nearly impossible to get lost. Once I got over the river to Southbank the heavens opened. There was a torrential downpour and I got stuck right in the middle of i. I ran for cover in the nearest restaurant, where I made a tall skinny latte last about an hour. When I realised it wasn't going to ease up I made a run for a taxi. I was annoyed for 2 reasons; First, I had no where to go in this weather except back to the hostel, so it felt like another wasted day. Second, I'd straightened my hair that morning for the first time in weeks, and now it'd gotten wetit was gonig frizzy. At least it gave me something to do for the rest of the afternoon.

Later on, as it started to ease off, and with my hair freshly straightened, I asked the receptionist where the other Base hostel in the city was. Staying at Base, you get discounted drinks, but only one of the 2 in Brisbane had a bar, so I had to go there if I wanted a cheap beer. Once I'd found it, ordered, and sat down to have a refreshing drink, I scanned the bar. Not for faces I knew, just to look occupied whilst sitting at the bar on my own. Within seconds I'd spotted the 5 Cumbrian guys I'd shared a room with in Cairns. Small world indeed, considering the amount of bars in the city, plus I didn't even know they were in Brisbane. I ended up drinking with them in the bar until the early hours of the morning, and again, like in Cairns, I didn't spend a penny.

I strolled home at 6 in the morning, and got in bed, knowing that I had to check out at 10am. I figured I could get a couple of hours sleep in, get up, get ready and pack, and be out by 10 so I wouldn't lose my $20 key deposit. I think I set my alarm for 9. Next thing I know, it's 10.30 and I've just woken up. I rushed to get showered and changed, then ran down the stairs to ask the Receptionist nicely to let me have 20 minutes more to pack, and to keep my deposit. Thankfully, being the nice lady she was, and having seen me stagger in 4 and a half hours earlier, she let me off!

I was feeling rough, but not prepared waste my last day in this lovely city, especially as I hadn't really done anything so far. My bus to Sydney wasn't until 7pm, so I still had the whole day.

I decided to go to the Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary, the oldest and biggest koala sanctuary in the country. It's a 30minute bus ride out of the city, but straightforward enough to get to. As soon as I got there, there was a sheepdog show, which was recommended to me by the Cumbrian lads. I made my way there just before it started, and again, the same as the last few days, it started to tip it down. So badly, that the guy talking on the microphone couldn't be heard over the rain falling on the tarpauline above our heads. Before long, in a matter of minutes, the area was starting to flood. The show was stopped, and about 40 people who, like me, were standing there watching, could do nothing but wait for it to stop. And so we waited. And waited. I watched the off person make a run for it and decided I would too! It was ridiculous! I ran through muddy puddles and over bridge to the next bit of shelter. By now it was coming down so heavy, but I was close to the entrance where there was a shop. I dashed inside and bought myself a very cool, and fashionable, Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary poncho. So I casually walked around the park, in the pouring rain, but remained relatively dry.

As I've mentioned before, I love Koalas. Although they're not soft and cuddly, as people would like to think, they are so funny to watch. This was the first time I'd seen them up and about. There were areas for all kinds, old, young, males, females, females with babies etc. I stood, watching and laughing, wearing my poncho, on my own. I'm sure I looked like a crazy person, but I had so much fun. There are other animals there, but nothing that I hadn't seen before, and the main attraction was obviously the hundreds of koalas that were kept there.

I stayed a couple of hours, but after you've seen 20 or so koalas they all start to look the same. And I was aware of the place beginning to flood, and that I had a bus to catch. So I went back to the hostel and sat in the TV room for the last couple of hours, where I of course fell asleep, until I had to be back where I started, at the Roma St Transit Centre, to get my 18hour overnight bus to Sydney. But I'll be back in Brisbane at some stage...

Airlie Beach and the Whitsunday Islands

I had another early start and another long bus journey to my next destination. This bus was only for 6 hours, and as usual I was asleep straight away.

I arrived in Airlie Beach around 6pm, and walked the short distance to the Waterfront Hostel where I was staying.

Airlie beach is the gateway to the Whitsundays, and also a backpackers heaven. The streets are lined with bar after bar selling cheap cocktails and discount dinners. There's a real party atmosphere, meaning a lot of travellers come here with the intention of seeing the islands and moving on, and then never leave!

I think in total there are 74 Whitsunday islands. They are known to be pure paradise, and so you get all sorts of tourists visiting. There are the backpackers who, like me, book onto 2 day/2 night party boats with 32 other likeminded people. Then there are the middle-aged tourists with money to burn, who do the same trip but slightly differently. There will only be 10 on their boat, or even better, they'll hire their own, and they'll do the trip exactly how they want to, a nice relaxing, peaceful sail between the islands. And then there are the people who have multi-million dollar yachts sitting in the marina. Regardless, everyone is here for the same reason, to enjoy these magnificent islands.

Back in my hostel, I met one of my roommates straight away, Clarisse from France. Clarisse and I click instantly, and so she invites me out that evening with 4 girls she'd met previously from Denmark. The 6 of us all ended up sitting on the hostel balcony for so long, chatting, listening to music, playing drinking games and so on, that by the time we went to go out there was only one club open, Mama Africas. We had a great time; 6 girls dancing the night away.... It felt like ages since I'd done that!

The following day I had what I'd call a 'koala day'. I literally did nothing but eat and sleep the whole day. In fact I don't think I was awake for more than about 3 hours at a time. Shame on me, yes.... but I never do it, so I let myself off this one time.

The next day I packed a small bag and headed to the marina to get on my boat, the New Horizon. While I was waiting I met the other people I'd be spending the next 2 days and 2 nights with. There were only 2 other English people, which is OK. I didn't come all this way to be with English people. Everyone else was German, French, Swiss, Spanish and Swedish, with 32 of us altogether. I have nothing against other nationalities, in fact I have a lot of European friends, however, when there's a group of them they tend to stick together. If you don't speak the language you're not often included, and so you become an outsider; not great for me travelling on my own. But there are 2 things with organised tours and trips that you can't control; the people and the weather. You just have to make the most of it.

So I made small talk etc, but mainly just sit there, happily watching the surroundings as the boat sails through the islands.

We stopped for the night and are warned, again, not to go into the sea. Despite the usual jellyfish warnings in Queensland, this time we're told that we've stopped in a channel that tiger sharks use as a breeding ground. So basically, if you go in the water, you're shark bait!

When I went to bed that night in the cabin I shared with 7 other people, the rocking motion of the boat sent me to sleep.

We were woken up for breakfast at about 6.30am, which was no problem for me as I'd slept like a baby. Up at the table though, some people weren't feeling so fresh!
Our first and main stop was Whitehaven beach. We were dropped there and told we had 3 hours. First, you walk through woodlands to the viewpoint. From there you're looking out to sea at other islands, and the ever changing sand formations down below. One of the boat crew told me you'll never see the sand dunes look the same. The sand is supposedly the finest in the world; so fine that if it was struck by lightening it would melt and turn to glass instantly. Nasa used the sand from this beach to create the lens in the Hubble telescope. The Olympic games wanted to hold the volleyball competition there but as it's a national park they were told they couldn't. Apparently the beach is second only to one other in the world, somewhere in the Caribbean. You can imagine what your expectations would be like if you heard all this!

Walking down through the woods from the viewpoint there's an opening in the trees, and there it is. Crystal clear sea, and the whitest sand. It was everything that I expected. I stood waist deep in the sea and could still see the white sand between my toes.

Like with everywhere else in Queensland, we still had to wear stinger suits in the water, which is a pain when you're trying to work on your tan! I stayed in the sea most of the time, and could see stingrays swimming around my ankles which was a bit scary!

In the time we were there, the tide was coming in and changing the shape of the beach. So much so that I sacrificed beach time and trekked all the way back up to the viewpoint to take more photos of the beach looking different this time.

Back on the boat after lunch we were taken to a spot that's good for snorkelling, and it's safe - well away from the tiger sharks! The coral here was so much nicer than at Green Island. The fish however were pretty much exactly the same. There wasn't anything I saw this time that I hadn't seen before. But still, I love the water and snorkelling fascinates me everytime, so I was still in it for hours.

That evening we sailed a bit further. Tonight I'd decided to have a few drinks, considering I was on a party boat afterall. And it was about time I actually got to know the people I was on a boat/ sharing a cabin with, even though maybe it was a little late.

We were taken to a secluded beach, where they dropped us off for an hour or so to watch the sunset, have some drinks and just relax.

When the boat stopped for the night I noticed just how many stars there are in the sky. Out in the middle of the ocean where there are no aritificial lights, the stars just brighten up the sky. It's amazing, and a shame that it doesn't come out in photos.

The next day, after another stint of snorkelling (which by the way is a great hangover cure) in a different spot this time, it was time to head back to the mainland. On the way, we had dolphins swimming alongside the boat, and I saw my first ever sea turtle, poking it's head above water.

The trip itself was great. Had I gone with a group of friends, or met more people on the boat, it would've been even better. But this is what travelling is all about! At the end of it, I've seen the 2nd most beautiful beach in the world, and it really was amazing.

The only real downside towards the end was that I could feel myself coming down with something, and I was about to go on a 19 hour overnight bus journey!

I got back to Airlie at lunchtime and met up with Clarisse. She'd checked back into the same hostel, so I used her shower, went on the net for a bit and generally pottered about until 6pm when it was time for me to catch a bus, with a cold, all the way to Brisbane.

Magnetic Island

In the morning, in the 35 degree heat and with almost 30kg of bags on my back and front, I walked what felt like million miles to catch my Greyhound bus. By the time I got there I could've done with another shower. As always with me and any form of transport, I was asleep as soon as I got on, and slept for most of the 7 or 8 hours to Townsville. Once there, I got straight onto the boat for the 20 minute journey to Magnetic Island. Magnetic Island is a beautiful place, but not really a backpacker 'must-do'. I heard of it randomly 9 months previously. Back when I was fruitpicking in hillbilly Gin Gin, I was waiting in the library for my turn on the internet, and the librarian gave me a book on Australia to read. After seeing pictures of the island I promised myself I would go, despite not hearing much about it in the whole time since then.

My hostel was already booked and paid for. I was staying at Base, which is a chain of hostels around Australia and New Zealand. I was booked in for 2 nights, which is apparently enough time to see everything on this little island.

I arrived about 25 minutes before happy hour ended; enough time to chuck my bags in my dorm and grab a cheap beer. This hostel is completely open-air, except for the rooms which are divided into male and female, in porta-style cabins. The kitchen's in a giant teepee, and there's a nice pool and a dive shop. All of this is set right on the sea front, not that we could go in the sea here either, but it was nice to sit outside with a beer and watch the palm trees swaying infront of the ocean.

Sitting there, I got talking to an Irish and a German girl who were travelling together. I told them about mokes, tiny jeeps I'd heard that you could hire for the day to explore the island. They were as keen as me to hire one, which was great as it meant that I wasn't doing it on my own, nor did I have to pay for it all myself! We spoke to the receptionist and she told us about a special offer on a topless car for 24 hours. It was amazing; it was pink, looked like a barbie car, and only $80 from the time we picked it up in the morning until the following day.

That afternoon, we cooled off in the pool for a while, where we met an Irish guy, also travelling alone. We persuaded him to join us for the day in our girly car! For the rest of the evening we just did the usual...got to know eachother and exchanged travelling stories over a few beers.

When we woke up, bright and early and excited, we went to pick up our car. It was the coolest vehicle i've ever seen, and it was a manual which is always a bonus as most cars in Australia are autos. My only problem was that it was the first time I'd driven a manual in the 14 months since I'd left home, so I felt a bit rusty! We took it in turns driving round the island for the day. We were really lucky with the weather, the sun was shining and there wasn't a cloud in the sky, perfect for tanning whilst cruising around.

There's only one main road on Magnetic Island, so all you can really do is drive from one end, Horseshoe Bay, to the other, Picnic Bay. Still, we entertained ourselves enough. Also, in certain parts of the beaches, they've netted off sections of the sea, so you can go in without a stinger suit or without worrying about the jellyfish.

Later in the day, after going up and down and round the island about 15 times, we stopped at a supermarket, bought some meat and drinks, and drove to Picnic Bay to use the free BBQ on the beach until sunset.

There isn't really a great deal to do here. A lot of the residents live here because I suppose they like it this way... quiet and peaceful with just enough shops and restaurants to get by and keep themselves entertained. And they're only a 20 minute boat ride from the mainland. The scenery on the island is amazing, beaches are great, and there's loads of Ozzie wildlife like koalas and kookaburras, but I think 1 day and 2 nights was definitely enough. I had a really good time, met new people, and kept my promise to myself that I'd see Magnetic Island.