Loved Mission beach - for the people and another place to do not much apart from relax.
Stayed in Townsville 4 a few hours before the greyhound just to glimpse it. Reminded me of a slightly better Rockhampton. Spent the time looking for a second hand bookshop and a copy of Lonely Planet Thailand. Found it a mile out of town, shut. Nxt door told me it was in the centre now... D'oh! Found it; or the shop it would be in, in a few weeks. No point in the adventure! Had a McEurope burger for lunch - bit like KFC.
Bus to Mission Beach. Arrived and talked to Kevin and Camilla from Byron and Surfer's Paradise and Airlie Beach, who were randomly getting my bus.
Niiiice hostel, 1st 2 nites only 25 bucks cuz of voucher. Saggy matresses but there's a fire and a drive thru 'liquor store' across st. Infront of fire, made good friends instantly. got fire names based on our experiences and strengths/weaknesses, I'm burnt foot , Dan is Talking Bull, Jussi is Big Flame, Chris the skydiver is Long Fall, there was also White face, Maggie - No Play (a guitar but no songs!), Andy who whitewtaer rafted that day - floating monkey.
Nxt day played badminton, read in the hammock and went to the beach which was cold and windy - was warmer in the sea! Little bit of body surfing! Keepy ups with beach ball for hours. Big fire that night! Collected a tonne of driftwood wi wheel barrow. Tried slide quitar with a beer bottle. Told to be quiet. I thought it was good...
Next day, same thing til lunch - read map with Andy and Dan, found "Muff Creek" - boyish laughs and innuendo for about an hour. Decided to go on a journey/adventure there. took $8 on bus, 2km walk and being bitten on one leg by sandflies. Saw a butch cassowary sign on the way, 2 dead marsupials. Creek its self just tiny, muddy and trickling. Muff Creek had crabs! etc...
Bingo that night!! Andy and I won $10, Ethel stole the big hamper tho... Good fun. Recognised some people from Sydney back at hostel, thought they were from Deeping for something - Sydney so long ago!!
got a free T-shirt for staying 3 nights and a free cap for booking white water rafting. Woo?! Rafting day - got up nice and early, picked up, E+B in van! Driven to tully river; had grades 1-4 rapids (5 is impossible). First rapids biggest!! Paul a guy in the raft freaking out when our raft flipped - good fun floating down rapids!! Nice and dangerous... BBQ lunch, saw a 1m eel in the shallows. Beautiful scenery, more jurrasic park. Sheer cliff and unspoilt dense rainforest for the whole 5hours of rafting. Big 4m rock to jump off, a few people flipping off it! Free photo after, cuz of voucher. Want to learn to Kayak now, and get strong enough to do rapids like that. Where in the UK though...
Watched 'Wolf Creek' - film about travellers who break down and get tortured. People up coast say it'll make you not want to travel, but its not that bad... its just a horror film, based on 'true' events. Made popcorn from real corn. Next day - swimming in the pool and chilling before the LAST EVER GREYHOUND!! Saw the big (5m) cassowary by bus stop. Wasn't moving much...
Off to Cairns!!
Friday, 4 July 2008
Magnetic Island, one of my fave places!
Arrived in Townsville having passed 100s of kms of sugar cane fields. Ferry wi ollie to Magnetic Island - rough and ferry had a leaky roof - kids running through, screaming and being kids. Filled up with expensive groceries - $1.40 for 500g pasta!!! normally 80c/less. Waited 2 hrs for bus...
Arr at hostel via beautiful rugged landscape - all the island is granite boulders that look like they've jsut been piled up there for storage. Most of island wilderness - too steep and difficult to explore. Bungalow Bay; my hostel - modern wooden bar/reception , cool back to basic accom - wooden hut dorms wi ensuite! Dinner outside with possums coming up expectingly. Loads of green big ants (german girl squeezed some juice from its bum and said its nutritious and lemony...) and a gecko in my room. Nice real mattress!
Lazy day, getting used to local area. B+E came with Dana the Canadian to say hi. fed a tree of lorakeets wet bread; about 15 on me, screaming and pooing! Scratched me quite a bit. belly laughs.
Kookaburra feeding - slapping the meat on my arm to kill it!
visit B+E+D's hostel, Base. Barman squirted me, not funny and unprovoked. Stayed in spare bed in their room without paying :-0
Walked back the next day after a fry up brekkie - awesome 12km walk: Nelly Bay- inland loop (lizards, snakes, ulesseys butterflies and rainforest) with awesome lookouts. Became savannah on other side of mountain/hill. Arcadia - the forts, a WW2 gun emplacement, then home. 2 blisters :-) Others visited in their topless car they hired. More possums at dinner (carbonara).
Up early for PADI dive course!! Day of pool work/classroom theory. POol cold and DVD boring.. Completed all my 'skills' necessary - only me and Aarron the instructor (an ex martial arts instructor), so v quick progression. No ollie that nite for 1st time in ages - moved to E+Bs hostel cuz cheaper + I busy. Saw a possum with 1/2 face like terminator.
Medical passed - I'm 74kgs (76kgs when I bungee jumped :P) and 186cm. 1st open water dive, with Cecil the swiss and Aaron. Rough and murky (6m vis). Cool corals and fish. Strong swell + backwash - felt like on a boat when left water. More classwork; slightly tricky! Working out nitrogen in body and safe dive times.
Dived the Moltke wreck off of Alma Bay - V cool! Angel fish, clams, and loads of other fish I can't remember! Officially passed! No problemo. Good 'post dive' wet photo for certificate. checked account - half of what I thought not there! Checked web and the atm had shown a $ sign for a pound amount... bit scared. Free curry that night - real food! nice. Base again for Basils birthday, after not knowing where they were - thought in Magnums, 1st, where I found a Toad race! Lead by a very old, ozzie guy. No EBO+Dana, though. Eventually found them; got the last bus back not walk! A few rock wallabies bounced past while waiting for bus; like big kanagroo rats.
Leaving the next day for Mission Beach! 'Maggie' was v good cuz it was different to everywhere else and was V chilled out.
Arr at hostel via beautiful rugged landscape - all the island is granite boulders that look like they've jsut been piled up there for storage. Most of island wilderness - too steep and difficult to explore. Bungalow Bay; my hostel - modern wooden bar/reception , cool back to basic accom - wooden hut dorms wi ensuite! Dinner outside with possums coming up expectingly. Loads of green big ants (german girl squeezed some juice from its bum and said its nutritious and lemony...) and a gecko in my room. Nice real mattress!
Lazy day, getting used to local area. B+E came with Dana the Canadian to say hi. fed a tree of lorakeets wet bread; about 15 on me, screaming and pooing! Scratched me quite a bit. belly laughs.
Kookaburra feeding - slapping the meat on my arm to kill it!
visit B+E+D's hostel, Base. Barman squirted me, not funny and unprovoked. Stayed in spare bed in their room without paying :-0
Walked back the next day after a fry up brekkie - awesome 12km walk: Nelly Bay- inland loop (lizards, snakes, ulesseys butterflies and rainforest) with awesome lookouts. Became savannah on other side of mountain/hill. Arcadia - the forts, a WW2 gun emplacement, then home. 2 blisters :-) Others visited in their topless car they hired. More possums at dinner (carbonara).
Up early for PADI dive course!! Day of pool work/classroom theory. POol cold and DVD boring.. Completed all my 'skills' necessary - only me and Aarron the instructor (an ex martial arts instructor), so v quick progression. No ollie that nite for 1st time in ages - moved to E+Bs hostel cuz cheaper + I busy. Saw a possum with 1/2 face like terminator.
Medical passed - I'm 74kgs (76kgs when I bungee jumped :P) and 186cm. 1st open water dive, with Cecil the swiss and Aaron. Rough and murky (6m vis). Cool corals and fish. Strong swell + backwash - felt like on a boat when left water. More classwork; slightly tricky! Working out nitrogen in body and safe dive times.
Dived the Moltke wreck off of Alma Bay - V cool! Angel fish, clams, and loads of other fish I can't remember! Officially passed! No problemo. Good 'post dive' wet photo for certificate. checked account - half of what I thought not there! Checked web and the atm had shown a $ sign for a pound amount... bit scared. Free curry that night - real food! nice. Base again for Basils birthday, after not knowing where they were - thought in Magnums, 1st, where I found a Toad race! Lead by a very old, ozzie guy. No EBO+Dana, though. Eventually found them; got the last bus back not walk! A few rock wallabies bounced past while waiting for bus; like big kanagroo rats.
Leaving the next day for Mission Beach! 'Maggie' was v good cuz it was different to everywhere else and was V chilled out.
Airlie Beach and crusing the Whitsunday Islands
Airlie Beach - crap beach at low tide - about 5m of sand and then rocks! Good night life though, a bit like Byron bay in it's setup - 1 strip with everything.
High tide - awesome views; blue clear waters, green hills either side. Magical!
Beaches Backpackers: Cool! TV in room, 1 channel... found cow and chicken in B+W. Aircon, thank god and ensuite! Wi free brekkie and washing machines that u can use the old cotton bud trick with.
Came there when over cast - next day bright blue skies.
In same room as E, B and O with 2 canadian girls (got annoying though - didn't get any jokes) and 2 dutch guys -bumped into them in Cairns loads.
Worst sleep walk ever!! Woke up at 4am in a corridor never been in before, totally confused JUST WEARING PANTS AND HOLDING MY SLEEPING SHEET. Tried all doors. Seemed to all be locked. One lead to the bar... it was empty, but I dont think i came that way...
Had to go thru bar - check the way - 2 people walking in street outside, bar empty, thank god. Quick time walk through the bar, into the open and up some stairs. met no one, cuz it was 4am, but would have been embarassing.
No key!! Course not, I'm just wearing pants, with no pockets! Hesitant knock at the door, hear footsteps inside. Britney the Canadian come out. Asks me why I 'ran out of the room'...
Woke up tired...
domestic day - washing, shopping with the boiz ( big plans to make good food cuz theres 4 of us!!)
Ollie and everyone dancing to Wake Me Up Before You Go, Wham in the room's balcony. Funny vid. New holiday song!
Cooked rice 4 first time ever - horrible and starchy.
Chilling out for day by the lagoon a decent sized pool with sand and space to make up for Airlie Beach's namesake beach.
Next day - Whitsunday sailing! Big coincidence: Paul from the Blue Mountains was checking in at the same time to same boat. AND his french canadian mateshad just come up with a fake name of Adam Smith to play with a mate...
Met roomies for the trip- Frank the french, niall and andy the irish and paul.
37 onboard the "Kora" - decent sized catamaran with some speakers all over board 4 music.
Getting out of airlie, passing some islands, very jurassic park, tropical blue waters.
Arrived at our resort island, south mole island. V 70's, slightly run down. Happy hour from 5pm! Only me, Niall and Paul there. After dinner, drinking games in the bar, beer fight, mad noise and bed at 10pm.
Up at 6.15am... POO! Big pile of diahorea on the room's floor... Andy comes in and tells Niall he did it. Nah, he says, but frank backs Andy up and Niall goes "Oh god...." Horrible!!!!! Frank says he saw him doing it - just half on his bed with pants by knees, pooing and peeing... No smell, til he tried wiping it up.
Didn't come sailing that day. Embarasement?Met him on dry land- was puking blood apparently, so thought he should go to a doctor, plus embarrased.
Leave for boat 8am. Loads of Lorakeets at jetty! really noisy and they drink beer and goon (wine) - Hence the name Goon Birds! Landing on people and making more noise in ears. Saw huge stingray and fish below jetty.
Sailed to Whitehaven Beach. Little dingy to get there. Walk to lookout - amazing swirling sands that extend from Hill Inlet; near pure white sand and blue fades in water. Amazing; real national geographic! Voted 3rd best beach. Sand 98% Silica - used for the Hubble Telescope's lenses.
Strange feeling sand! Like flour - perfection? Good for exfoliation. Strange bubbles coming out of sand underwater! V bright on beach. Walk with cam across 300m water stretch, only waist deep. Saw stingray pods, small sharks and baby mangroves! Cool weathered old tree/log + rocks.
Snorkelling on some fringing reef! Coral, fish and clams galore. Bit cold and not as bright as the pictures. Huge turtle under catamaran - just popped up, looked at us with dopey eyes and submerged! Magestic.
Back to south mole- new room in charity. Tennis, swimming pool and Jacuzzi!
Bar had broken speakers so moved to other bar in the "family" part - Karaoke, 2x price!! No thanks. E, B and O arrived from their boat - just sat on a jetty with them. Curlew looking at us spookily. jam session with some guitar guy at the rooms.
Up at 6.30, no smell! Visited another fringing reef - warmer and more fish - fed with bread - swarmed around us. Heading back to land - roasting in the V hot sun. checked into Koala's, gave me the furthest possible room. Incredibly small kitchen - for 145 rooms (around 500 people) -4 hobs, 2 fridges and about 1/2 a pot to cook in. Plus had to rent cutlery.
Drinks with boat people, playing mind games - Land of Ogg, Big red bus etc. Gets people annoyed!
Walked to Beaches BPers in the morning for free brekkie... He hehe, sneaky! Also pretended we were from the hostel and got a lift to the transport terminal 1 mile away. Beats walking.
Bye Airlie Beach!! Good party place.
High tide - awesome views; blue clear waters, green hills either side. Magical!
Beaches Backpackers: Cool! TV in room, 1 channel... found cow and chicken in B+W. Aircon, thank god and ensuite! Wi free brekkie and washing machines that u can use the old cotton bud trick with.
Came there when over cast - next day bright blue skies.
In same room as E, B and O with 2 canadian girls (got annoying though - didn't get any jokes) and 2 dutch guys -bumped into them in Cairns loads.
Worst sleep walk ever!! Woke up at 4am in a corridor never been in before, totally confused JUST WEARING PANTS AND HOLDING MY SLEEPING SHEET. Tried all doors. Seemed to all be locked. One lead to the bar... it was empty, but I dont think i came that way...
Had to go thru bar - check the way - 2 people walking in street outside, bar empty, thank god. Quick time walk through the bar, into the open and up some stairs. met no one, cuz it was 4am, but would have been embarassing.
No key!! Course not, I'm just wearing pants, with no pockets! Hesitant knock at the door, hear footsteps inside. Britney the Canadian come out. Asks me why I 'ran out of the room'...
Woke up tired...
domestic day - washing, shopping with the boiz ( big plans to make good food cuz theres 4 of us!!)
Ollie and everyone dancing to Wake Me Up Before You Go, Wham in the room's balcony. Funny vid. New holiday song!
Cooked rice 4 first time ever - horrible and starchy.
Chilling out for day by the lagoon a decent sized pool with sand and space to make up for Airlie Beach's namesake beach.
Next day - Whitsunday sailing! Big coincidence: Paul from the Blue Mountains was checking in at the same time to same boat. AND his french canadian mateshad just come up with a fake name of Adam Smith to play with a mate...
Met roomies for the trip- Frank the french, niall and andy the irish and paul.
37 onboard the "Kora" - decent sized catamaran with some speakers all over board 4 music.
Getting out of airlie, passing some islands, very jurassic park, tropical blue waters.
Arrived at our resort island, south mole island. V 70's, slightly run down. Happy hour from 5pm! Only me, Niall and Paul there. After dinner, drinking games in the bar, beer fight, mad noise and bed at 10pm.
Up at 6.15am... POO! Big pile of diahorea on the room's floor... Andy comes in and tells Niall he did it. Nah, he says, but frank backs Andy up and Niall goes "Oh god...." Horrible!!!!! Frank says he saw him doing it - just half on his bed with pants by knees, pooing and peeing... No smell, til he tried wiping it up.
Didn't come sailing that day. Embarasement?Met him on dry land- was puking blood apparently, so thought he should go to a doctor, plus embarrased.
Leave for boat 8am. Loads of Lorakeets at jetty! really noisy and they drink beer and goon (wine) - Hence the name Goon Birds! Landing on people and making more noise in ears. Saw huge stingray and fish below jetty.
Sailed to Whitehaven Beach. Little dingy to get there. Walk to lookout - amazing swirling sands that extend from Hill Inlet; near pure white sand and blue fades in water. Amazing; real national geographic! Voted 3rd best beach. Sand 98% Silica - used for the Hubble Telescope's lenses.
Strange feeling sand! Like flour - perfection? Good for exfoliation. Strange bubbles coming out of sand underwater! V bright on beach. Walk with cam across 300m water stretch, only waist deep. Saw stingray pods, small sharks and baby mangroves! Cool weathered old tree/log + rocks.
Snorkelling on some fringing reef! Coral, fish and clams galore. Bit cold and not as bright as the pictures. Huge turtle under catamaran - just popped up, looked at us with dopey eyes and submerged! Magestic.
Back to south mole- new room in charity. Tennis, swimming pool and Jacuzzi!
Bar had broken speakers so moved to other bar in the "family" part - Karaoke, 2x price!! No thanks. E, B and O arrived from their boat - just sat on a jetty with them. Curlew looking at us spookily. jam session with some guitar guy at the rooms.
Up at 6.30, no smell! Visited another fringing reef - warmer and more fish - fed with bread - swarmed around us. Heading back to land - roasting in the V hot sun. checked into Koala's, gave me the furthest possible room. Incredibly small kitchen - for 145 rooms (around 500 people) -4 hobs, 2 fridges and about 1/2 a pot to cook in. Plus had to rent cutlery.
Drinks with boat people, playing mind games - Land of Ogg, Big red bus etc. Gets people annoyed!
Walked to Beaches BPers in the morning for free brekkie... He hehe, sneaky! Also pretended we were from the hostel and got a lift to the transport terminal 1 mile away. Beats walking.
Bye Airlie Beach!! Good party place.
Wednesday, 2 July 2008
NEVER go to ROCKHAMPTON!
Arrived in rain, well outside of town - Taxi with ollie, Floris and a random. Checked into hostel via downstairs pub. 11.50, thought all in the dorm be asleep and that it be cramped and a bit crap at $20/night. Open room door quietly. Its a double bed with single on top!! Cool! Shotgunned (bagsied) bottom bunk asap. No linen provided, so used my SINGLE sleeping bag liner - basically sleepign in small single again...
Wandered around next morning. 1st place without anything to actually see. 'Mall'/Highstreet a series of discount shops. Everything shut at 3pm. People: Mulleted, cardigans, good at localism - got a couple of wierd looks and shouts to go home. Dang cowboys! Rockhampton famed for beef.
Spent afternoon sorting stuff/admin. Small cam tripod I bought snapped instantly. Went out for a steak with O + Floris. V nice - 600gm T bone! and a few beers, best thing in rocky. More local looks though. Found a big painted sign saying "Beautiful" nr centre. Bit ironic.
Up at 6.15 for bus to Airlie Beach...
Wandered around next morning. 1st place without anything to actually see. 'Mall'/Highstreet a series of discount shops. Everything shut at 3pm. People: Mulleted, cardigans, good at localism - got a couple of wierd looks and shouts to go home. Dang cowboys! Rockhampton famed for beef.
Spent afternoon sorting stuff/admin. Small cam tripod I bought snapped instantly. Went out for a steak with O + Floris. V nice - 600gm T bone! and a few beers, best thing in rocky. More local looks though. Found a big painted sign saying "Beautiful" nr centre. Bit ironic.
Up at 6.15 for bus to Airlie Beach...
Ah... Cool Bananas at 1770/Agnes Water
Arrived in dark with Kal the german, hostel across road. Looked cool, big chill out common room with bean bags.
Fire pit! Free Tea!. Nice vibe and people. Beds very comfortable. Didnt have a key, but door was always unlocked anyway. Nothing went missing.
Day reading book (The Gathering) in hammock.
Meetign Gus, the hostel dog, an appropriately mellow dog whose full name is Disgusting :)
Wandered to beach and checked local area. Squeeky sand! Small surf.
Lea turning up from Townsville and suprising me!
Beers around the fire. Fire = the best way to meet new people.
Walked to 1770 proper with Lea. Small headlands and tiny beaches. Almost deserted - no backpackers!! Just a family with toy digger trucks. Lots of tiny crabs. Some drizzle... small mangroves. Came up with better name for my sarong: my MANRONG! Much better.
Couldnt b bothered to walk back in drizzle so we hitchhiked! Awesome!
Basil, Eric and Ollie arrive. Fish and Chip supper for $5!
Ping Pong tournament at local/only bar. out in 1st round a Trillion - 1 to Basil. B+E to semifinals.
Rain; slipped into railing trying to get ball, nearly broke foot- hurt to run for ages.
$2 cups of beer after. Strange bar. Looked half complete, had projector showing homemade surf vids, cool! Bye to Leah for last time - hitchhiking to Brisbane, naturally.
Beach again. Met a nice soft and collared stray dog. Hung around us for a few hrs. Didn't fetch frisbee. Saw a 'Disabled Lifesaver' sign... eh?
Scooteroo! $50 for 3 hrs, motorbike tour with a mexican hells angels type - 50cc choppers!! Mine jet black. Cooooooolest thing. saw loads of wild roos, standign like logs. They jump so easily; unnaturally... Got to 85kmph. 35 people in twilight trying to overtake each other :-O First motorised 2 wheel experience!
Back at Cool Bananas, met girl who was being flown to sydney for a Nintendo DS modelling shoot.
Free Pool @ Agnes Tavern + BOGOF on drinks. Tried Bundaberg Run for 1st time. not too nice, just tastes like white spirit.
Au revoir again to B+E.
Woke up to heavy rain. Met Floris, mad dutch roommate with excentric curly fringe. "Goood times!! Ho ho ho!" His saying.
Lots of film watching and Tea.
Greyhound to Rockhampton in rain wi ollie. V humid in transfer bus, nasty nasty!
1770 is like Byron Bay 20 yrs ago! Bet it gets 10x more popular! One of fave hostel.
Fire pit! Free Tea!. Nice vibe and people. Beds very comfortable. Didnt have a key, but door was always unlocked anyway. Nothing went missing.
Day reading book (The Gathering) in hammock.
Meetign Gus, the hostel dog, an appropriately mellow dog whose full name is Disgusting :)
Wandered to beach and checked local area. Squeeky sand! Small surf.
Lea turning up from Townsville and suprising me!
Beers around the fire. Fire = the best way to meet new people.
Walked to 1770 proper with Lea. Small headlands and tiny beaches. Almost deserted - no backpackers!! Just a family with toy digger trucks. Lots of tiny crabs. Some drizzle... small mangroves. Came up with better name for my sarong: my MANRONG! Much better.
Couldnt b bothered to walk back in drizzle so we hitchhiked! Awesome!
Basil, Eric and Ollie arrive. Fish and Chip supper for $5!
Ping Pong tournament at local/only bar. out in 1st round a Trillion - 1 to Basil. B+E to semifinals.
Rain; slipped into railing trying to get ball, nearly broke foot- hurt to run for ages.
$2 cups of beer after. Strange bar. Looked half complete, had projector showing homemade surf vids, cool! Bye to Leah for last time - hitchhiking to Brisbane, naturally.
Beach again. Met a nice soft and collared stray dog. Hung around us for a few hrs. Didn't fetch frisbee. Saw a 'Disabled Lifesaver' sign... eh?
Scooteroo! $50 for 3 hrs, motorbike tour with a mexican hells angels type - 50cc choppers!! Mine jet black. Cooooooolest thing. saw loads of wild roos, standign like logs. They jump so easily; unnaturally... Got to 85kmph. 35 people in twilight trying to overtake each other :-O First motorised 2 wheel experience!
Back at Cool Bananas, met girl who was being flown to sydney for a Nintendo DS modelling shoot.
Free Pool @ Agnes Tavern + BOGOF on drinks. Tried Bundaberg Run for 1st time. not too nice, just tastes like white spirit.
Au revoir again to B+E.
Woke up to heavy rain. Met Floris, mad dutch roommate with excentric curly fringe. "Goood times!! Ho ho ho!" His saying.
Lots of film watching and Tea.
Greyhound to Rockhampton in rain wi ollie. V humid in transfer bus, nasty nasty!
1770 is like Byron Bay 20 yrs ago! Bet it gets 10x more popular! One of fave hostel.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
