From Airlie Beach we travelled to Mackay which was only a 2 hour journey on the greyhound. We spent the afternoon and the following morning looking around the town. There's very little to see in Mackay and because of this it's not swarming with backpackers which suited us fine as our intentions are to visit as many places as possible, not just the usual hotspots i.e. Sydney, Melbourne etc. Mackay was fine for just the one night stop-over that we did.

From Mackay we took the greyhound to Rockhampton which took 5 hours. Rockhampton is known as Australia's beef capital and it features plenty of historic buildings throughout the city from its days as a trading port and gold mining centre. We were there for 2 nights, staying at Rockhampton YHA. As we were there for Emma's birthday on the 16th November, we went out to try one of the famous steaks at the popular Bush Inn, just 10 minutes from the YHA over the bridge. The Bush Inn is part of the Criterion Hotel which has a lot of history behind it - Gary Cooper, and US President Herbert Hoover regularly stayed there and it was also headquarters during WWII. I ordered our steaks and when the bartender asked me if I'd like one blue I said 'yes' thinking this was a joke - how can a steak possibly be blue? He wrote down blue on the bill and shouted to the kitchen staff asking for a blue steak. I just thought he was taking the joke really far and all the time remaining to keep a straight face. Anyway, the steaks came to the table with the waiter asking 'who's the vampire?' Emma tucked into it and gave me a bite, and it was quite nice, but we sent the blue steak back for a bit longer on the grill. We both now know that steaks can be blue! I also tried the famous local drink Bundaberg (rum) with cola in the hotel bar and it wasn't very pleasant!

We also spent Emma's birthday walking around the botanic gardens and free zoo where we got to see koalas for the first time. One was called Billy just like Emma's daddy and she said he looked grumpy like her dad too!!

We arrived in Bundaberg (where the drink is from) on the 17th at 11.40pm. We checked into Cellblock Backpackers into a very crowded room and had a quick look around the hostel. It was very unpleasant as Bundaberg caters mainly for working backpackers (who like to be messy), but we were only there for a night's sleep so it didn't really matter to us. In the morning we checked out and had a look around the town.Like Mackay there was very little to see or do. We felt happy that we planned for Emma's birthday to fall whilst we were in Rockhampton where there were things to do.

Hervey Bay was our next stop after Bundaberg which took 2 ½ hours on the greyhound. We checked into Next backpackers which was very nice when compared to the last dump. We went for our usual walk around and again this didn't take long to do. We decided to be wicked in the evening and so talked ourselves into going for a Chinese buffet. Three large helpings later we left to collapse back at the hostel.

After one night at Hervey Bay we got the greyhound early in the morning to go to Rainbow Beach which took 2 hours. We were leaving for Fraser Island on Monday 22nd so had three days to explore Rainbow Beach. Walking around Rainbow Beach took about 20 minutes. It rained most of time we were there so we spent a lot of the time indoors reading. We went for a run on Saturday and Sunday and I brushed up on my karate on the beach and even taught Emma a little bit. On the Sunday we got caught in a heavy shower on the run back. After getting back to the hostel we got out of our soaking wet clothes, showered and went to our Fraser Island meeting where we were put into groups - Derek and Sinead from Ireland, Pete and Rachel from England, Sven from Germany, and Daniel from Austria. The meeting was actually a bit off-putting as all that was really talked about were the dangers of Fraser Island!

On Monday morning we got up for our free pancakes before checking out and putting our bags into the storage room (as we were coming back to the hostel after the three day trip). After another brief where we checked the contents of our 4x4 and loaded our bags, food, drink, tents and sleeping bags. Our first destination on the island was our camping area where we set up our tents and after that we drove straight to Lake Wabby. In order to get to Lake Wabby we had to walk along massive sand dunes which stretched for miles that were simply stunning. Derek, Pete and I enjoyed a leisurely swim around the outside of the lake and even spotted a small snake resting on a plant. The best thing about Lake Wabby is that it contains catfish that nibble on your dead skin if remained still enough. Emma and I spent about 30 minutes sitting near the bank so the water was just up to our necks whilst 10-20 catfish nibbled on our feet. Back at camp the girls cooked steak and veg whilst the boys drank beer!

Luke, our tour guide, drove into camp early morning tooting his horn to wake us all up for our departure to Eli Creek. After our stroll through the creek we stopped at the Maheno, the most famous of the Fraser Island wrecks. It was driven ashore just north of Happy Valley during a cyclone in 1935. Once a well-known Tasmin liner, the Maheno was bound for a Japanese wrecking yard when she met her stormy end. After a quick dip in some natural rock pools we stopped at Indian Heads for fantastic views over the island. On tonight's menu was stir-fry with egg fried rice which was cooked up by the boys, and was extremely good if I do say so myself.

Lake McKenzie was our destination for our last day on Fraser Island. Derek, Pete and I again enjoyed a leisurely swim across half of the lake which took about 45 minutes. The sun even decided to show itself for about 20 minutes before disappearing again. We were very lucky with the weather whilst on the island as it had been raining heavily whilst we were at Rainbow Beach and for the 3 days we were on Fraser Island it was mostly just cloudy and dull with the occasional shower at night.

Back at Rainbow Beach, the 3 couples went straight to the beach as again we were being blessed with a bit of sun. Derek, Pete and I took body boards from the hostel reception and enjoyed the waves.

Emma and I left Rainbow Beach on Thursday 25th after saying our goodbyes to Derek, Sinead, Pete and Rachel. Sven and Daniel took the greyhound with us as they were travelling all the way through to Brisbane. We arrived in Noosa and were picked up by the Nomads hostel shuttle bus. After having a small free meal in the hostel we walked to the centre to explore the area. Noosa is definitely the classiest place we've stopped in Australia. The restaurants are all very fancy and expensive and the place instantly depressed us as we're living on cheap bread, pasta and beans. Despite the depression it caused it was very nice, and we decided we'd visit again in 10 years when we're millionaires.

We spent one night in Noosa as we were having two nights at Gagaju before returning to Noosa for one more night. We had been recommended to stay at the Gagaju Bush Camp by a couple we met on the Ghan to Alice Springs because of its remote location and outback authenticity. We were picked up from Noosa and on the way to the camp stopped at a lookout point in Noosa National Park which overlooked most of the town. We arrived at the camp and were given a guided tour of the camp. We even had our own 4 man tent. The camp also had a good supply of DVDs to watch and although we were in the middle of nowhere and we presumed there wouldn't be a television, it was nice to have films to watch, as whilst we've been travelling we've pretty much watched no television and only seen about 6 or 7 films. So when we get the chance it's extra nice to put our feet up and watch a film. So not long after arriving at the bush camp we made lunch and got comfortable to watch 'Harry Potter and The Half Blood Prince'(in order to get excited for the 7th outing on Tuesday). After the film we went out for a walk in the bush but got caught in a very heavy downpour and had to rush back to the camp as to not upset my camera! After changing into dry clothes we sat with the other guests to watch 'Road Trip' before cooking up a barbeque which we enjoyed eating by the camp fire. Then it was back to the TV for a few episodes of 'The Big Bang Theory' (seriously it's a luxury to relax in front of the TV when backpacking!!!). We made a late night journey to the showers in the dark (as our torch we bought only a month ago doesn't work) which was a bit tricky as we literally couldn't see where we were walking as there's no light in the bush!

Up early for breakfast and guess what? Another film to start the day! 'What Happens in Vegas' - put on by another backpacker. Emma and I spent much of the day relaxing and updating our diaries, the bush camp was the perfect location to do this as it was such a relaxing place. After another walk around the area surrounding the camp, I cooked up another barbie (what else are you supposed to eat in the bush?). I then stuck on the Kiefer Sutherland film 'Mirrors' to watch - good job the 6 year old boy sitting in front of the television was falling asleep!

The next morning Emma and I were dropped off back at Nomads in Noosa by the friendly Gagaju Bush Camp man. Staying at the bush camp was a great experience, as like the couple who recommended it to us said, it was nice being in a remote location away from all the crowds of backpackers, and it also had a nice aussie vibe to it. It was also nice to watch a few films too! We spent our day back in Noosa washing our clothes at the laundrette and enjoyed another walk around the town admiring it in the daytime this time. Back at the hostel we were treated to a free sausage sizzle and also treated ourselves to a couple glasses of wine each - of course we had buy one get one free vouchers!

Next morning - Monday 29th - we checked out of Nomads and were picked up by the Australia Zoo bus. The zoo was only about an hour drive from Noosa. After carefully arranging all of our belongings into one large locker we went straight to feed an elephant which was fun, although I was tempted to keep the fruit which I had been given to feed the elephant for myself - the hardship that a backpacker must endure! After the feeding we went straight to the crocosium for a show that featured snakes, birds circling the arena and of course, croc feeding. We went to catch a talk being given on the elephants and watched them playing around and doing elephant stuff. Tigers were next on the list of things to do, and the rest of the day was spent walking round and saying hello to the many other inhabitants of the zoo. Australia Zoo is still very much all about Steve Irwin and you can't walk anywhere in the zoo without seeing his face plastered on a wall. The guides at the zoo all speak very highly of him during their animal talks and the whole zoo experience can seem a little bit emotional. There's a massive memorial section that includes letters from people around the world and a whole wall of signed shirts with messages that were scribbled on after his death.

We only had to walk outside the zoo entrance to catch our greyhound to Brisbane, but I think I'll leave that for the next blog…..

Matthew x