Ok, so once again a bit lax on the blogging. Got a lot to say so lets get straight to it...

After Mission Beach we headed to Magnetic Island, a small GBR island south of Cairns. We arrived late in the evening, and had a fairly early start the next day, so only had a few hours to enjoy the beautiful setting; we did manage to get a swim in the sea and the pool and a free dinner AND a lot of lazing around in hammocks in, so hopefully made the most of that. Next day we were back on the ferry and on the bus to Airlie Beach. Airlie is the gateway to the Whitsunday Islands, one of the seven wonders of the world, so we all booked up sailing trips and checked into our Auschwitz-style hostel (I was worried when they mentioned the communal 'showers') before having a couple of nights on the town and a couple of days lazing around by the beach and lagoon. Met some really nice girls here who I'm hoping to catch up with again in Melbourne.

A couple of days after arriving in Airlie I headed down to the port, goon (box of 'wine') in hand, to catch my sail aboard the good ship SV Whitehaven. Tom and Harry had chosen a different boat so they could scuba, so it was time to try and make new friends again - gulp. Unfortunately I managed to meet the most negative and frankly very beige man in the world on that first day, but luckily the rest of the team turned out to be a really good bunch of people. We got on the boat at about midday and were under sail shortly after, headed straight to our first destination for a quick snorkel. More very exciting marine life spotted. After an hour or so in the water we re-boarded for some tea and biscuits and enough time for a quick shower and sail before dinner. After dinner we played the cereal box game (you have to pick up a cereal box from the floor with your teeth and without putting your knees/hands/etc down, with the box being cut down with each round) and for the first time ever I was beaten by some exceptionally flexible Estonians, who could pick up a flat piece of paper. Unfair. After a bit more goon (to ease the pain of loss/torn muscles) we all went to our cabins to get a good nights sleep.

Next day we were up very early and headed to Whitehaven Beach. The beach is incredible; its sand is completely white, and is composed of 90% silica - it's the sand used to make the lens of the Hubble telescope! It's so soft and so fine that when you walk on it it squeaks, and the waters around the beach are filled with tiny sharks and sting rays. After a couple of hours there, and a big sandwichy lunch, we sailed off to a new spot for some more snorkeling. This days snorkeling was amazing; I saw sea turtles and even an enormous fish with huge teeth - possibly a moray eel but still not sure. Bit scary to be honest! Naturally there were more games after dinner, this time involving tieing and untieing knots in rope, which only a Scottish man named Neil could ever figure out, much to the Estonian boys frustration! Another early morning next day to get one last snorkel in, before heading back to port and back to Airlie Beach for a last night on the town.

After the excitement of Airlie (I do love a good sail, not to mention the ice creams...), Tom, Harry and I were unconvinced that our less-than-enticing next destination of 'Kroombit Cattle Station', in the middle of nowhere, would live up. We literally couldn't have been more wrong! The cattle station was in the middle of nowhere, and lets be honest I did not deal well with being covered in ants all the time, but as soon as we got there it was just amazing from start to finish. We had a big feed on arrival, and after dinner we got taught how to crack whips - turns out that cracking noise is made when the whip breaks the sound barrier, very exciting. I'm now a regular Indiana Jones. Predictably, long after everyone else had gotten bored of cracking the whip, Tom, Harry and I were still having a whale of a time, and even dragged the owner back to show us how to do different things. Lad. After that we all had a go at the mechanical rodeo bull. Now there's no easy way to put this: I royally suck at it. I only managed to stay on for 6 bucks, which really pales in comparison to Tom's 38. Lame. Still, managed to salvage dignity by winning the cereal box game afterwards (they really love that game here), even if I did end up with a mouthful of gravel to show for it. Win.

Next day we got up pretty early, woken up by a literally insane Crocodile Dundee-alike called Andy, who came into our room with a shovel and a bayonet to tell us to get to breakfast. Suffice to say, we obliged. After breakfast it was off to the goat rodeo for some more fun and games. I got straight onto the shotgun range (at last) to try my hand at some clay pigeon shooting. Guess what Dad? I'm a natural, 3 out of 5 pigeons shot out of the air. Must be all that practice time on the N64. My skills were so great that I have even been cordially invited by Tom and Harry to go and visit them in Dorset and go proper shooting with them, hurrah! After the shooting, we all learnt how to lassoo things, before heading into the goat rodeo to try and rope real moving goats. Amazing fun, made more fun by the commentary from crazy Andy, and again, apparently lassooing is a talent I never knew I had. While most of the group headed back to the camp to chill for a few hours, Tom, Harry and I took Andy up on his offer of an off-road drive round the station land. This may seem unwise, especially because when we climbed in Andy's clapped out, ancient 4wd, we spotted a .22 rifle and the bayonet in the front. Needless to say, the ride was amazing, and at times amazingly scary. Highlight was the moment when we all figured out that the car had no brakes ('they only slowed me down') and at times the steering failed. After a bit of a rag around the park, and being told how the cattle were mustered once a year, we headed back, stopping only for the boys to try and shoot a 'roo. They missed; personally I think I should have had a go, but hey. After all the excitement of the day we were massively gutted to have to get back on the bus in the afternoon, heading to Hervey Bay (stopped to eat a roo burger though, score).

Hervey Bay is the gateway to Fraser Island, a heritage listed entirely sand island (turns out longshore drift actually is important out here) which has lakes, rainforest, sand dunes, beaches - essentially a mini paradise. It's also full of dingoes, meaning that there is a lot of banter about dingoes stealing babies, but you genuinely do have to watch out for them while you're camping! Fraser's really not built up, and the only way to do it is to rent a 4wd and drive up and down the beaches and the inland sand tracks. So, up early next day we piled in our 4WD along with, wouldn't you know it, the Estonians from my sailing ship, and after picking up some essential supplies (meat, bread, goon) we caught the ferry over to the island. First day we got lucky with weather and managed to get in a rainforest walk, a walk over the sanddunes (much banter with Tom and Harry) to get to Lake Wabby, a quick photoshoot with the Maheno shipwreck, still untouched on the beach from years ago, and a lot of dubious driving (myself included) before heading to camp for the night. Luckily, one of the guys from our group called Yasseen was keen to cook, and my god could he BBQ meat well.

Next day we got up as early as was possible, shook off our goon hangovers and headed out in the rain to Indian Head, a high headland from which you can often see tigersharks in the sea. No such luck for us, so on we went to champagne pools - essentially rock pools that the sea piles into and makes them seem fizzy. A quick dip there, and a prompt escape from a heavy downfall, before heading to paddle through an amazing clear rainforest creek, and a photo op with some pinnacles. Back to camp again, for more food and goon. My favourite story from the night was about one scottish guy, who got exceptionally drunk and fell asleep outside his tent before vomitting on himself. He was only woken up at 4am by a dingo licking vomit off his face, and had to try and scare it off without it attacking him. Now that's a scare story!

For our last day on the island we headed to Lake Mackenzie, a huge and very beautiful fresh water lake towards the west of the island. After a lot of splashing around and some pretty lacklustre frisbee, we piled back in the car and back to the mainland. That was yesterday, and was also my last day/evening with Tom and Harry - they've got slightly longer to travel so are now going to places I don't have time for. Very sad indeed! For our last evening we had an absolutely epic feed - mountains of sausages, onions, mash, cabbage and broccoli, followed by an obscene amount of mint choc chip ice cream.

After a very very early morning today (4.30am) and 2 very long bus journeys (finally arriving at 5pm), I'm now in Byron Bay, a small surf town just south of the Queensland/New South Wales border. First impressions are amazing, I really like it here. It seems to have a really chilled out vibe, and I can't wait to get surfing/hiking/wandering tomorrow. About to go and cook my first solo dinner in Aus (sob sob, sniff sniff) and then think I'm going to take myself to the cinema to console myself about my newly lonesome status. Hoping to meet some new people over the next few days, but fairly happy to jsut pootle around on my own for a bit as well - it's that kind of place. Will try and blog again a little sooner now - these mammoth blogs are eating up my internet time like nothing on earth!