The East Coast - finally!

Well my trip down the East Coast is rather brief as I have from 22nd April till 15th May to cover all the attractions but, do you know, I think it is enougth time!

In Brief:

22nd April and 23rd April, Cairns - Day trip out to the Great Barrier reef, we went out on a boat to the reef and I got to do an introductory scuba dive as I don't have my PADI certificate - it was pretty good but not quite as full of fish or as colourful as I expected, the whole experience was really good though. When we went back on board the boat they basically said we coud do another dive in the afternoon which would be a lot more interesting more colours, more fish, more time down there, etc. And it only cost another $55! So I think they did that on purpose with the first dive to make sure they can make more moeny out of you!! The second dive was really good so much better than the first - we saw loads more fish (I saw Nemo) and got ages down there, it still wasn't quite as colourful as I expected though - I am not sure perhaps if the reef has been damaged by the amount of tourists that see it...

24th and 25th April, Mission Beach - The thing with mission beach is it is really spreadout, there didn't seem to be a concentrated part where all the shops were or anything. It was really lush and green and the beaches looked nice but apparently it is not safe to swim there due to Jellyfish. The hostel I stayed in, the YHA Treehouse could have been better, the people weren't that friendly and the there were so many bugs everywhere I got tonnes of bites!! I didn't have too long there though as I went rafting on the 25th!

The rafting was down the river tully and cost a fortune - things like this so much cheaper in New Zealand!! However it is the best place to raf tin Australia and I wasn't going to miss out! There were plenty of grade 4 rapids and I felt a bit of a pro as this was my third go at rafting - so much so that I actually paid extra to go on the extreme white water rafting session - it just meant that you got to do cliff jumping and you got to go down some white water without the raft just in your life jacket. It all went pretty well until we lost the fat american at the front of the boat just as we went into a grade 4 set of rapids, his mate tried to grab (it did take quite a while for him to surface!!) and then the whole boat flipped! I knew it was dodgy stuff as the guides were not pissing around anymore and wee trying to make sure they could find the 6 of us. We got shot down the rapdis hitting rocks and some it were really shallow so we were actually sliding across the top of a few rocks! Thankfully I was able to get myself into the right position pretty quick (feet first) and just relaxed so I was fine - I think it helps if you are comfortable being under water etc. Others did get pretty scared though and one cut his knee quite bad but I guess that's what adds to the adventure it wouldn't be fun if there was no risk involved!! Anyways it was a good day and I really enjoyed it.

26th and 27th April, Magnetic Island - You have tog et yourself a ferry over to Townsville to get to Magnetic Island and quite a few people said not to bothere there wasn't much there. However I really loved it, there was beautiful beaches and lots of hiking tracks all over the island. I ended up walking about 20km on my full day there and it was really really hot! The forts walk was nice it only takes about 1.5 hours and goes up to to a look out across the ocean to the mainland. There was a lot of military work down there back during the war as they could protect the east coast from there so you got to see all the remains of there buildings. On the way back down I saw a Kuala which was at head height on a tree so I got up real close. All the other ones I have seen have been really high up where as with this one I could just reach across and touch it (if I wanted to!). Best accomodation yet to - Arcadia Beach Guesthouse - no bunk beds and lovely and clean. It would be a really good place to stay if you were just going on a holiday there not too backpackerish at all!

29th and 30th, Mackay - This isn't the best town to stop, it is more of a working town and most backpackers skip it but I really wanted to go as I found you could do a day trip from there to see the duck billed platypus! I did spend a day too long there mind but the day trip itself (although I overpaid i should just have rented a car) was great. We went to the national park and did a little walk to Finch Hatten Gorge where we went swimming under a huge water fall, it was bloody freezing mind! Then travelling further into Eungella National Park stopping at a lovely lookout on the way till we got to where the Playpus come up to feed. Viewing platforms were built so you could just look over the water and we got to see 2 female and 1 male Platypus - they were so much smaller than I expected! The girls only about 30cm long and the boy was 40-50cm. They were great to watch, they just diving for food, resurfacing for a few seconds and diving back down.

1st May, Hervey Bay - Base for Fraser Island

2nd, 3rd and 4th May, Fraser Island - I did a guided tour of the island which was good as it came with accomodation where you share a room with 4 people and you got all your food. We had an excellent guide, Peter Meyar, he was very enthusiastic and have been doing it for years. He has done quite a lot of photographic work there and all assisted the BBC and national geographic with work they have done there - I am definately going to look up some of his work when I get back! The island was an amazing place, before I went I unserstood it was one massive sand dune but couldn't really comprehend what that would be like - I assumed they would of paved roads and such but no it was all sand with everything growing out of it!! There are beautiful fresh water lakes, rain forest areas, sand dunes, creeks and then huge beaches which all the 4x4 drive down! I took a scenic flight as it wasn't too dear at 35 quid and got to see the island froma differenet perspective. The water in the lakes is just so clear, I have never seen anything like it before. The one little problem we did have was the weather - it tried to be nice but we did have a couple of times where heavy rain impeeded us slightly. I met some lovely people in my group which I hit it off with on day one which was excellent so I just had a really great weekend there on the island.

5th and 6th May, Noosa - Would have been better if it had bloody stopped raining! I did manage to get the walks in that you could do round the national park which were really nice - it was still fairly warm anyway. Noosa is a bit of a holiday destination there are lots of posh hotels and boutique shops - would be great if I was on a weeks holiday or if I had Mark to treat me!! It is pretty well known for it's top surf so there was quite a bit of that to watch if you wanted to - sadly it's not like the picture I had in my mind (ever seen the film Point Break - Patrick Swayze, Keanu Reeves....). When the rain I got too much I went to the movies and watched Wolverine, X-Men Origins, very nice....

7th, 8th and 9th May, Brisbane - Most travellers told me to avoid Brisbane as it was just another big city but I really liked it! True I didn't venture into the city centre too much but on the other side of the river they have what they call the South Bank. South Bank has all the museums and an arts complex along with a long promenade and a fake beach! They also have a cinema that only costs 3.25 and as it gets dark very early and I get pretty bored in the evenings it was perfect for me! On my second night there I met up with a couple, Sam and Nick, that I had met on my Borneo tour, we went out for dinner and drinks. People in Australia keep telling me they have the best beef in the world but so far nothing has convinced me - the steak I had was pretty average and the cost slightly above average! It was nice to catch up with my friends though even if it was a bit costly and the wine did go straight to my head as I am so out of practive! Whilst I was in Brisbane I also went to the Science Museum which was pretty good and kept me entertained for a good afternoon.

10th, 11th and 12th May, Byron Bay -

and 13th and 14th Sydney...

I will fill this in properly later..internet in Oz too expensive to keep this up to date!