Rockhampton from what I had read was going to be like the Wild West of Australia so I was instantly quite disappointed when I arrived and there weren't saloons full of cowboys ready for showdowns on the dusty streets outside. Instead it was a fairly standard city full of places advertising the best steak in town as it is the beef capital of australia and the only relation to the wild west was the fact that every radio station you could tune in to played nothing but country and western. But the reason I was hear was because I had heard about a guy named Capricorn Dave who took people out on crazy one day trips to the outback looking for dangerous snakes and spiders etc. He was apparently a bit of a Steve Irwin character so I couldn't miss the opportunity.

The day however did not go quite as planned! Dave picked me up and then told me that because I had been the only person to book that day he couldnt do the trip to the outback but would I like to come on a free trip instead to the rainforest with his family! He said it would still be a good day and soon as it was all free I took up his offer and went off to pick up his mum, wife and baby which was all incredibly random but funny as well. He was a total nutter not wearing shoes anywhere but a really nice guy and his family were all incredibly friendly as well so off we went to the rainforest.

The first place we stopped was a gorgeous little swimming area in the middle of the forest and what would become a theme for the day, Dave took me past a sign warning people not to go past because of the potential danger saying he knew a fun place to go. He showed me to this natural spa where the fast flowing river crashes over the rocks and there a little ledges to sit on while the water massages your back. It was a really cool place although it nearly went a bit wrong when I tried to get out again, trapped my foot and for a little while was getting swept under but all was ok. Dave found it all very funny and just stood taking photos of my mini disaster.

Next stop was lunch at a little resort in the middle of nowhere and I got to know his family a little bit more and watched little CJ chasing after all the wallabies in the surrounding areas. Like her Dad she has no fear of the animals at all and there is a great video of her trying to eat a spider that is so big that when it escapes onto her head, it's legs cover her whole head! The lunch was delicious and was the only thing I had to pay for the whole trip. Next we took a little canoe off down a river that appears totally black from the tea tree oil or something like that he told me about. I've seen some amazing places on my trip and this river was up there with the best and it felt like something out of Indiana Jones as we cruised along looking out for snakes and the little dragons you get around. We pulled up to a bank and went for a walk, bare foot I might add which made me slightly nervous especially when I asked Dave if there were any dangerous spiders there. "No, they're not dangerous" he said, "just deadly!".

Luckily we came across no deadly spiders although he did put a rather large looking one on my face convincing me it would make a good photo! I nearly fell into the river a couple of times when we had to cross the river across fallen trees. Still alive we headed back to the resort and for what I thought was the trip back to Rockhampton. However on the way Dave pulled into another place that he said was good fun where we would do some rope swings into the river. Yet another danger sign this time warning not to go in the water because of the resident crocodiles and yet again Dave totally ignored it assuring me the croc never came this far up the river. He cracked me up with what a nutter he had been all day and before long I was up a tree and swinging out and into the river and thankfully there were no crocs underneath to swallow me up!

Back in Rockhampton and it had been an awesome day out with Capricorn Dave and I reckon he could well turn into the new Steve Irwin with his own show etc. The only disappointing thing of the day is we didn't find any snakes but I can cope with that. He drew me a map of a different route to take down south instead of the boring highways so will have to check it out as he seems to know his stuff. I couldn't not pay him money for the day after it had been so good so I gave him a decent tip, said goodbye to the family and headed on my way. If anyone is anywhere near Rockhampton, ignore the fact that the city is nothing special and stop by for a day out with Capricorn Dave and I guarantee you will have fun!