I’ve been ready to leave Australia for a long time. It’s felt like the longest six months of my life. For the majority of people, Australia is the best place on earth. The hot weather, the beaches, easy money with plenty of ways to spend it – what’s not to like? The thing is I didn’t really experience much of the Australian dream. It rained a heck of a lot and I only tanned on one of my last days in Australia (Castaway). I did see a lot of the beaches and they are great but I’ve seen better for a fraction of the price in Thailand. The money didn’t really roll in for me so the less we talk about that then the better and the fact that I didn’t get it meant that the long list of things to do in Oz may as well have not existed for me.
I don’t want to come across as bitter as I was never expecting my full 12 months travelling to be 100% euphoria. What does annoy me is that everyone seems to bum Australia and when I tell them that I didn’t really feel it then I get shit for it.
But now I’m free and I don’t have to work anymore I can talk about happier subjects like my impending travels in New Zealand and Fiji.
For New Zealand, I decided to buy a hop-on-hop-off bus ticket. I was originally going to book separate tickets with intercity and see what happens but I want the easy life. After fretting over money and stressing about not being able to do anything in Oz, I’d rather just sit back and let someone else take the reins. I’ll go wherever the bus takes me and figure it out from there.
Out of the main bus operators, I chose Stray. I’d heard that Kiwi Experience is a bit of a party bus and I think I’ve had my dose of that in Thailand and Oz. One of my friends has used Stray and had nothing but good things to say about it so I’m going for that. If it all goes tits-up then I can blame him!
I managed to get a good discount off the Moe Pass as they were having a massive sale. I booked and paid online for the pass. Once I did this, I received a confirmation email and a further message gave me login details. Like any other bus journey, I need to book a seat on each one. I’ve decided to go ahead and book all of them now. Although five weeks sounds like a long time, it isn’t when you see how many places there are to visit and what you can do/see.
Here are the places I'm looking to visit:
Auckland
Raglan
Waitomo
Maketu
Rotorua
Taupo
National Park
Whakahoro
Wellington
Picton
Nelson
Abel Tasman
Punakaiki
Franz Josef
Wanaka
Queenstown
Gunns Camp
Milford Sound
Invercargill
Stewart Island
Mount Cook
Rangitata
Christchurch
So just a few places...
The website was pretty self-explanatory. I used the proposed itinerary on their website to make sure that I had the correct route. At one point I did lose my login details, but the website has an online chat application which allows you to speak to a representative straight away. I must have called at a bad time as there was nobody available. I left a message and received an email within the hour. I was shocked as normally you have to wait around 48 hours at least for a response. After all the aggravation I had with STA and Peter Pans, it was about time I finally picked a good operator!
As for Fiji, I have everything sorted now. For my first week, I will be staying with a Fijian family which I’m really looking forward to. I’ll then spend my final days island hopping with my Awesome Fiji pass. It includes everything – boat pass, accommodation, food and activities. It should be bloody brilliant!
America is still a little hazy but I should be confirming the details whilst I’m in New Zealand. I miscalculated my time there and I have an empty week. I’m tempted to nip across to Canada. I’ve met so many friendly people from there. The first person to help me in Japan was Canadian. I’m thinking Toronto so I can use it as a base to see Niagara Falls too. This might all change though!
Another possibility on the horizon is to return to Australia and finish off my visa. I know it totally contradicts everything that I’ve been talking about for the past six months but I know I’ll earn more money there than I would back home. I’d also find a job sooner in Oz. I think I need that extra time to figure out where my life is heading next. I’ve been thinking a lot about my future lately as I’ve had too much time on my hands! It’s too soon to tell what I’ll do after my trip ends so going back to Australia can be a safety net for that.
Showing posts with label Australia. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Australia. Show all posts
Tuesday, 22 May 2012
Monday, 21 May 2012
Airlie Beach And The Clipper Boat Trip
Driving long distances is never fun, but driving whilst sleep deprived in the soaring heat is just plain tortuous.
Steff drove for around an hour and couldn’t stand the heat. Mel felt sick so I took over. We stopped once or twice for fuel and a drink. Six hours had passed and I’d barely noticed. I felt like I was in a trance. My body was doing the necessary jobs in keeping the car moving but my mind was on auto pilot. I just wanted to get there and nose-dive into the nearest bed.
As the sun set I grew a little apprehensive. Remembering what it was like last time I drove in the dark, I tried to be a bit more alert. I drove past several abrupt signs – If You Are Tired You Will Die. Every 500m I was haunted by the message of death on the roads. I felt ok though. Mel and Steff drifted in and out of sleep so I decided to carry on.
There were a lot of trucks and trailers on the road that night. It was frustrating driving 80kph in a 100-110kph zone. I confidently overtook most of them but there was one truck that night that I just couldn’t pass. I tried a couple of times but the car was too heavy so I could barely accelerate in the space given.
Next time, I knew I was going to get it so I increased my speed and looked out in front. There were no cars so I went for it. What I didn’t anticipate was a sharp corner and Mel sprang up in shock. I thought I could make it originally but now I knew I couldn’t so I slowed down. In a matter of seconds a cars headlights shone into our car. I was still in the opposite lane and a car was heading straight for us. Mel yelped and cowered, Steff shouted, and I sat in silence.
A strange calmness took over. Rather than panic and swerve, cover my eyes and pray or another knee-jerk reaction, I just calmly manoeuvred the car into the middle of the road. The truck moved to the left slightly and the car on the other side of the road moved across too giving me enough room to travel through. I slowed down and moved back into the correct lane. Nobody beeped their horn (I hate that noise) and I just kept saying sorry to Mel and Steff who were petrified by what just happened. We were literally inches from death. A head on smash would have been fatal and we were incredibly close. I felt terrible, not for my close call with death, but the fact that I put Mel and Steff through that and that I almost did kill them!
I carried on driving, wondering why I was so calm in the face of death. Is that normal? It’s a reaction that saved us all. Mel and Steff were surprisingly supportive. I thought they’d kick me out of the car and give me shit. Five minutes later and we were laughing and joking about something. We’d swapped drivers and I was in the back resting. We started talking about the future and Mel got all sentimental and said some nice things about me.
The last hour and a half of the trip felt like treble that amount of time. The hostel which we booked at was at the bottom of the street so we didn’t waste time looking for it.
We parked up the car and made our way to reception which was on the opposite side of the grounds. Tiredness really hit me then and I wasn’t up for being messed around. I just wanted to check in and go to bed.
Reception closed at 9pm and we arrived at 9:40pm. Great. Nobody had any credit to call the night officer so I asked the bouncer across the street if he could help. He radioed somebody to come across and check us in.
It had been 15 minutes and nobody had come across. My patience was wearing thin. I went back to the bouncer and he radioed through again. A few minutes later a guy turned up to check us in.
As I filled in the form two words made me want to vomit. Passport number. I only brought my purse with me to pay. Everything else was back at the car. I asked if I could hand in the information tomorrow but he said that he can’t check us in until everything is filled out. Bullshit. We also needed to give $20 cash deposit for the key. That I did have.
I walked back to the car to get my passport. Steff asked me to get his as well. Mine was within easy reach. Steff’s however was a pain in the arse to get. I needed to shift the heavily strapped in surf board on the roof, open the boot, life his suitcase out and rummage around. Eventually I found it just as Steff was walking up to see if I needed a hand. It’s a bit late now!
I was trying my best to hold in my anger as I knew I was ratty because I was tired. Mel and Steff don’t deserve my wrath and it’d bite me in the ass if I was a dick to the reception guy. It’d only be a short-lived thrill.
Once everything was sorted with the reception guy, I went back to the car and emptied it of my things. Mel and Steff were hungry so went off to get some food. I couldn’t stomach anything. It was only as they pulled away that I completely forgot what room number we were in. The number wasn’t on the key card. I wandered around aimlessly in a feeble attempt to jog my decrepit memory but failed. I sat by the road defeated.
Mel and Steff weren’t that long and laughed at me. I wasn’t in the mood to joke back. We collapsed in our beds. I was glad that the guys took pity on me and let me choose my bed. I hate being in the top bunk.
The guys in our room were chatty and friendly. I tried to join in but my brain wasn’t functioning. The guy said he was an expert on Thailand and had been many times when he was younger. He said he and his mate were due to go back soon and meet up with other friends. I got the last part and asked if he’d been to Koh Phi Phi. I continued to talk about it and say that he should go. Mel laughed at me and explained the above which I’d not heard. With that, I mellowed down and got ready for bed. I tried to be social but my brain’s just not there with me.
Surprise, surprise, we slept in until late. There was a free breakfast at the hostel but there was no way that I was moving a muscle. We checked in for our boat trip due to start the next day and wandered around doing nothing for the rest of the day.
When we returned to the hostel, the two guys from the previous night had checked out and were replaced by a couple. At first I thought they were speaking another language. But then I caught part of their conversation and the guy was speaking to some of his mates with a Scottish accent. Ha!
We spoke to them for a while about our trip and swapped stories. They were heading to Fraser Island and we’re off on a boat trip that their friend went on.
We’d heard mixed reviews. Some said it was brilliant and others said it was too crazy for them. It sounded very much like a party boat. Janine from castaway had just been on the boat and told me some gross stories. I guess we’ll just have to see for ourselves!
I tried to make the day as productive as possible and booked my trip to Fiji. I attempted to haggle and managed to get just over $120 off the RRP. It’s better than nothing I guess.
The boarding time for the boat wasn’t until the early afternoon so we casually checked out at 11am, loaded the car, had lunch, walked around the lagoon area and made our way across. Steff and Mel dropped me off with the stuff and went back to park the car. They were going to walk the ten minutes or so back to the meeting point. It saved us all having to carry our bags that distance as they were heavy. We made sure we had snacks and a good amount of alcohol to last us two days.
Whilst I waited alone, I got chatting to a few German guys and a couple of Aussie girls. One by one, everyone arrived with the same goon. It was fun spotting the people with cheap booze against those who had more cash and could upgrade to a better beer. There was no glass allowed on board so everyone had goon, cans and plastic bottles filled with spirits.
In total, there were 51 people. That’s a scary amount of people on one boat!
We all boarded the boat, dumped our things and headed to the top deck for an intro talk. It was pretty standard. The itinerary was listed along with a few safety rules. Our rooms were assigned. We grabbed our things and made our way to our room.
Our room resembled a game of Jenga. Each bed was stacked up. I was quite happy to be on the bottom bed to begin with, until I saw that Mel’s bed cut right across mine and my legs kept banging against the bottom of her bed. That’s not going to be fun. We also found our toilet and shower was adjoined to the cabin alongside ours. We both opened the door at the same time. That could be interesting!
We all made light of the situation (apart from Steff!). There was no set schedule for the evening. It was just a case of finding our bearings and taking it easy. Everyone started drinking already but I wasn’t so sure. Mel cracked open the goon anyway. It was awful.
I felt incredibly awkward looking around trying to find someone to talk to. I didn’t want to cling on to Mel and Steff for the whole boat ride but that’s exactly what I ended up doing. People were already on the boat with friends. Some groups joined together which made it even trickier to find my “in”.
Soon it was time for dinner which was a welcome distraction. We had fish that night and it was actually pretty good.
Mel and Steff were unsure what to do next so I suggested getting my cards. I thought it’d be a good ice breaker to invite people down to play some drinking games. Nobody else volunteered to go up so I went around and asked if anyone would be interested in playing some drinking games. The music was too loud to make an overall announcement. Everybody I went up to said yes. In the end, practically everyone came down!
Luckily there were other packs of cards lying around so people created their own separate games. Some people didn’t really get the hint and tried playing Ring Of Fire with about 20 people. It was terrible. The highlight was watching one girl licking two oranges suggestively. These oranges had just been down a guy’s pants after a previous bet.
Once that game was over, we moved to the floor and started playing games with signs and noises. Trying to explain the simplest of games to people became rather tiresome but it was all good fun once everyone got the hang of it. I learnt quite a few new drinking games to add to the repertoire.
Now that people had a few drinks down them, they were a lot friendlier and open to conversation which was nice. I didn’t stay up too late though as we were due to be woken up at 6:30am! We went to bed around midnight but the party carried on. I didn’t get to sleep for quite a while and wasn’t looking forward to the wake-up call.
As I drifted off to sleep someone banged on our door. Aren't we a little too old for knock-a-door-run? The banging got louder until finally someone stormed in and opened our toilet door. Obviously one of us forgot to unlock the toilet door the other side. There are other toilets there though. We were shocked and annoyed but too tired to actually do anything about it. Tomorrow perhaps...
A lively crew member banged on the door and shouted wakey-wakey. I groaned and rolled back over. Despite there being breakfast upstairs, I slept in for another hour. We managed to grab the last couple of pieces of toast.
Today was our main day for activities. We stopped off at Whitehaven Beach first. We needed to walk through a bit of bushland to get there. Mel and I saw a photo of a massive spider on a girl’s phone from this trip so we weren’t looking forward to the walk.
There were no spiders to be seen. We stopped off at a view point. The whole kingdom and his father were taking photos. I had one taken and was out of there!
The beach was certainly white. The sand was soft to begin with but grew bitty as I walked further in. It was very windy and the Brit in me made me think of the cold bitter days I had on Filey/Whitby/Scarborough beach. There were no fish and chips or ice cream hut to pacify me though.
I tried to lay my towel down but it kept blowing everywhere. Instead, I donned an embarrassing stinger suit and went into the ocean. The water was clear but it was pretty still. I grew bored after a few minutes and came back out. I took off the suit and decided to spend the rest of the time sun bathing. Problem was, it was a bit of a cloudy day.
The group chatted away about random things and we even played charades for a little while. Mel chose a couple of films that were used on Fraser Island so I didn’t bother taking part. It was funny to see other people’s interpretations.
One of the crew members from the boat came over to take photos. It is his job to take a million and one photos of everyone which he sells at the end. I posed for a few photos but recoiled in horror when I saw them later.
The guy tried piling everyone up into a pyramid. I felt so sorry for the guys on the bottom! We managed the jumping shot and general group shots without any problems.
Our time was up and we went back to the boat to head across to the snorkelling spot. I was really looking forward to this. Mel and Steff managed to find a spider to take a photo of on the way back. It wasn’t as big as the one we saw on the girl’s phone but it was still impressive.
Before we headed out into the water we had lunch. Sandwiches and pasta salad filled us up nicely.
We all had to don the stinger suits again. They were cold and sandy from Whitehaven which made me shudder. Instead of life jackets we had noodles. Maybe you might have seen them being used in an aqua fit class back home. It did the job and kept me afloat nicely.
I swam about for a while but didn’t see that much. The reef was nice and there were fishes which swam up close to me but it wasn’t even in the same vicinity as the snorkelling in Thailand. I wish I had my underwater camera for that. I still have the memories though.
Mel and Steff didn’t wake up after we settled down for a lunchtime nap. I went in first and met them after half an hour. They made the mistake of bringing their towels out and it started to rain. I had swam around for over an hour at this point and kept seeing the same things so I called it a day. I was also bursting for the toilet!
Back at the boat, the waterslide had been put out and so had the diving board. Both drops looked scary. I went to the waterslide and sat for a while. Steff pushed me in and I didn’t enjoy it one bit.
As I swam back around to get on the boat, the current kept pushing me further and further out. I was glad there were a couple of other people in the water who helped me back on the boat! I didn’t have a noodle to save me that time!
I decided not to go on the slide again. I tried to jump off of the diving board but it looked too scary. I think it was walking the plank that did it for me. I jumped off the top deck of the boat in Thailand with everyone and that was quite fun.
A couple of girls went in before me and they hated it. I have three videos of me stood at the edge of the plank papping myself whilst trying to convince myself to jump. I don’t regret not doing it. I did the Aqua Loop ride in Gold Coast to prove a point to myself but I didn’t enjoy it. I knew that water would go up my nose and I hate that feeling.
After getting showered and dry, we sat down for a lovely hot brew. Everyone was banging on about how great the snorkelling was.
A group of people, including Mel and Steff, started playing poker. I’d never played before so Mel taught me. It was incredibly satisfying as Mel is very much a risk taker and was down to her last chips. Yet she came back fighting and ended up coming third out of around eight people.
We had spaghetti bolognaise for dinner which again was nice and filling. The crew do a good job to say that they’re catering for such a large number. There was enough for everyone. There’s only one female crew member and the guys always shouted ladies first at meal times. To begin with, nobody listened and I too thought he was joking. It’s a nice gesture which ensures that most people get fed before the greedy get to it!
We were back on the alcohol and I transferred over to Malibu this time. I’d had enough of the goon from the night before. We played more drinking games and then the crew got involved. Everyone was ushered up to the top deck and told to change into fancy dress. By the time I got there, there was nothing but a few shreds of material. I did the best I could and decided to be a granny. I tied a black piece of wetsuit around my head and found some high-waist shorts.
I felt sorry for the crew having to do this day in day out. To begin with it was very cheesy and forced but once we got into it, it was quite fun. We got knocked out at the rowing stage. I got a wet arse for nothing. I went back to my room and got changed.
Back at the top, they were still going until it was down to four people. They had a dance off and an American guy won. He did have some pretty good dance moves!
We carried on playing drinking games into the night again. This time they got a bit more wacky. We played a game called shup-shuppoo. You have to cover your teeth with your lips and raise your eyebrows. This face has to be kept at all times. Each player goes round saying “shup”. To change direction you say “shuppoo”. At first we were in stitches but then everyone got better and better. It was a surreal yet highly entertaining game.
I think this night got a bit more raucous. As we were playing a game, I noticed a couple kissing by the cups cupboard. Someone whispered to me that they were having sex. No way. I looked around and the guy had his willy wonka out! The girl still had her shorts on but I couldn’t quite see. I ran down and told Mel and Steff.
It made me sick. Not what they were doing but the fact that they were doing that where our food was to be served the next day. Dirty bastards. Get a room!
Earlier someone was having sex in the shower. The door was very squeaky. This boat was hook up city or perhaps not as most of the people on board was couples.
We tried to get to sleep amongst all the sex noises and squeaky doors!
We slept in…again. We missed breakfast and the snorkelling. Whoops. We weren’t too bothered as the snorkelling the day before wasn’t up to much. Unfortunately people did come back and told us it was brilliant. But they also said that before so who knows!
The boat trip was almost over. I was neither happy nor sad. I couldn’t tell who was genuine or not. Everyone was friendly when they were drunk and groggy and quiet when they were sober. I couldn’t tell who was genuine or not. I met a nice couple on board who I thought I’d see again in New Zealand or Fiji as we’d both be there at the same time, but I don’t think it will happen. Mel reminded me of this fact when we settled back at Airlie Beach. I hope I do a better job of making friends in New Zealand!
There were hotdogs for lunch but some greedy people went back for seconds so not everyone had one. We were all distracted with our games of poker but managed to just get one.
The boat pulled up at lunchtime and we all parted ways. Mel and Steff were eager to get off and look for jobs. We started looking in hostels and within an hour Mel and Steff had a job.
I checked in to the hostel there, picked up my itinerary for Fiji and had lunch. I didn’t have too much packing to do as I’d already gotten rid of a load of stuff in 1770. I still feel like I’m carrying too much and it’s frustrating. It’s the same feeling I get when I walk into my bedroom. Except this time I really can’t get rid of anything as most of it is bulky stuff that I need.
It still hadn’t sunk in that the next day I would be saying goodbye to Mel and Steff. We were all terribly blasé about it all. We stayed up late to make the most of the evening but Steff fell asleep. Our last night of bonding didn’t quite go according to plan. Never mind!
Steff drove for around an hour and couldn’t stand the heat. Mel felt sick so I took over. We stopped once or twice for fuel and a drink. Six hours had passed and I’d barely noticed. I felt like I was in a trance. My body was doing the necessary jobs in keeping the car moving but my mind was on auto pilot. I just wanted to get there and nose-dive into the nearest bed.
As the sun set I grew a little apprehensive. Remembering what it was like last time I drove in the dark, I tried to be a bit more alert. I drove past several abrupt signs – If You Are Tired You Will Die. Every 500m I was haunted by the message of death on the roads. I felt ok though. Mel and Steff drifted in and out of sleep so I decided to carry on.
There were a lot of trucks and trailers on the road that night. It was frustrating driving 80kph in a 100-110kph zone. I confidently overtook most of them but there was one truck that night that I just couldn’t pass. I tried a couple of times but the car was too heavy so I could barely accelerate in the space given.
Next time, I knew I was going to get it so I increased my speed and looked out in front. There were no cars so I went for it. What I didn’t anticipate was a sharp corner and Mel sprang up in shock. I thought I could make it originally but now I knew I couldn’t so I slowed down. In a matter of seconds a cars headlights shone into our car. I was still in the opposite lane and a car was heading straight for us. Mel yelped and cowered, Steff shouted, and I sat in silence.
A strange calmness took over. Rather than panic and swerve, cover my eyes and pray or another knee-jerk reaction, I just calmly manoeuvred the car into the middle of the road. The truck moved to the left slightly and the car on the other side of the road moved across too giving me enough room to travel through. I slowed down and moved back into the correct lane. Nobody beeped their horn (I hate that noise) and I just kept saying sorry to Mel and Steff who were petrified by what just happened. We were literally inches from death. A head on smash would have been fatal and we were incredibly close. I felt terrible, not for my close call with death, but the fact that I put Mel and Steff through that and that I almost did kill them!
I carried on driving, wondering why I was so calm in the face of death. Is that normal? It’s a reaction that saved us all. Mel and Steff were surprisingly supportive. I thought they’d kick me out of the car and give me shit. Five minutes later and we were laughing and joking about something. We’d swapped drivers and I was in the back resting. We started talking about the future and Mel got all sentimental and said some nice things about me.
The last hour and a half of the trip felt like treble that amount of time. The hostel which we booked at was at the bottom of the street so we didn’t waste time looking for it.
We parked up the car and made our way to reception which was on the opposite side of the grounds. Tiredness really hit me then and I wasn’t up for being messed around. I just wanted to check in and go to bed.
Reception closed at 9pm and we arrived at 9:40pm. Great. Nobody had any credit to call the night officer so I asked the bouncer across the street if he could help. He radioed somebody to come across and check us in.
It had been 15 minutes and nobody had come across. My patience was wearing thin. I went back to the bouncer and he radioed through again. A few minutes later a guy turned up to check us in.
As I filled in the form two words made me want to vomit. Passport number. I only brought my purse with me to pay. Everything else was back at the car. I asked if I could hand in the information tomorrow but he said that he can’t check us in until everything is filled out. Bullshit. We also needed to give $20 cash deposit for the key. That I did have.
I walked back to the car to get my passport. Steff asked me to get his as well. Mine was within easy reach. Steff’s however was a pain in the arse to get. I needed to shift the heavily strapped in surf board on the roof, open the boot, life his suitcase out and rummage around. Eventually I found it just as Steff was walking up to see if I needed a hand. It’s a bit late now!
I was trying my best to hold in my anger as I knew I was ratty because I was tired. Mel and Steff don’t deserve my wrath and it’d bite me in the ass if I was a dick to the reception guy. It’d only be a short-lived thrill.
Once everything was sorted with the reception guy, I went back to the car and emptied it of my things. Mel and Steff were hungry so went off to get some food. I couldn’t stomach anything. It was only as they pulled away that I completely forgot what room number we were in. The number wasn’t on the key card. I wandered around aimlessly in a feeble attempt to jog my decrepit memory but failed. I sat by the road defeated.
Mel and Steff weren’t that long and laughed at me. I wasn’t in the mood to joke back. We collapsed in our beds. I was glad that the guys took pity on me and let me choose my bed. I hate being in the top bunk.
The guys in our room were chatty and friendly. I tried to join in but my brain wasn’t functioning. The guy said he was an expert on Thailand and had been many times when he was younger. He said he and his mate were due to go back soon and meet up with other friends. I got the last part and asked if he’d been to Koh Phi Phi. I continued to talk about it and say that he should go. Mel laughed at me and explained the above which I’d not heard. With that, I mellowed down and got ready for bed. I tried to be social but my brain’s just not there with me.
*****
Surprise, surprise, we slept in until late. There was a free breakfast at the hostel but there was no way that I was moving a muscle. We checked in for our boat trip due to start the next day and wandered around doing nothing for the rest of the day.
When we returned to the hostel, the two guys from the previous night had checked out and were replaced by a couple. At first I thought they were speaking another language. But then I caught part of their conversation and the guy was speaking to some of his mates with a Scottish accent. Ha!
We spoke to them for a while about our trip and swapped stories. They were heading to Fraser Island and we’re off on a boat trip that their friend went on.
We’d heard mixed reviews. Some said it was brilliant and others said it was too crazy for them. It sounded very much like a party boat. Janine from castaway had just been on the boat and told me some gross stories. I guess we’ll just have to see for ourselves!
I tried to make the day as productive as possible and booked my trip to Fiji. I attempted to haggle and managed to get just over $120 off the RRP. It’s better than nothing I guess.
*****
Whilst I waited alone, I got chatting to a few German guys and a couple of Aussie girls. One by one, everyone arrived with the same goon. It was fun spotting the people with cheap booze against those who had more cash and could upgrade to a better beer. There was no glass allowed on board so everyone had goon, cans and plastic bottles filled with spirits.
In total, there were 51 people. That’s a scary amount of people on one boat!
We all boarded the boat, dumped our things and headed to the top deck for an intro talk. It was pretty standard. The itinerary was listed along with a few safety rules. Our rooms were assigned. We grabbed our things and made our way to our room.
Steff was not happy with the bed situation.
Our room resembled a game of Jenga. Each bed was stacked up. I was quite happy to be on the bottom bed to begin with, until I saw that Mel’s bed cut right across mine and my legs kept banging against the bottom of her bed. That’s not going to be fun. We also found our toilet and shower was adjoined to the cabin alongside ours. We both opened the door at the same time. That could be interesting!
We all made light of the situation (apart from Steff!). There was no set schedule for the evening. It was just a case of finding our bearings and taking it easy. Everyone started drinking already but I wasn’t so sure. Mel cracked open the goon anyway. It was awful.
I felt incredibly awkward looking around trying to find someone to talk to. I didn’t want to cling on to Mel and Steff for the whole boat ride but that’s exactly what I ended up doing. People were already on the boat with friends. Some groups joined together which made it even trickier to find my “in”.
Soon it was time for dinner which was a welcome distraction. We had fish that night and it was actually pretty good.
Mel and Steff were unsure what to do next so I suggested getting my cards. I thought it’d be a good ice breaker to invite people down to play some drinking games. Nobody else volunteered to go up so I went around and asked if anyone would be interested in playing some drinking games. The music was too loud to make an overall announcement. Everybody I went up to said yes. In the end, practically everyone came down!
Luckily there were other packs of cards lying around so people created their own separate games. Some people didn’t really get the hint and tried playing Ring Of Fire with about 20 people. It was terrible. The highlight was watching one girl licking two oranges suggestively. These oranges had just been down a guy’s pants after a previous bet.
Once that game was over, we moved to the floor and started playing games with signs and noises. Trying to explain the simplest of games to people became rather tiresome but it was all good fun once everyone got the hang of it. I learnt quite a few new drinking games to add to the repertoire.
Now that people had a few drinks down them, they were a lot friendlier and open to conversation which was nice. I didn’t stay up too late though as we were due to be woken up at 6:30am! We went to bed around midnight but the party carried on. I didn’t get to sleep for quite a while and wasn’t looking forward to the wake-up call.
As I drifted off to sleep someone banged on our door. Aren't we a little too old for knock-a-door-run? The banging got louder until finally someone stormed in and opened our toilet door. Obviously one of us forgot to unlock the toilet door the other side. There are other toilets there though. We were shocked and annoyed but too tired to actually do anything about it. Tomorrow perhaps...
*****
A lively crew member banged on the door and shouted wakey-wakey. I groaned and rolled back over. Despite there being breakfast upstairs, I slept in for another hour. We managed to grab the last couple of pieces of toast.
Today was our main day for activities. We stopped off at Whitehaven Beach first. We needed to walk through a bit of bushland to get there. Mel and I saw a photo of a massive spider on a girl’s phone from this trip so we weren’t looking forward to the walk.
There were no spiders to be seen. We stopped off at a view point. The whole kingdom and his father were taking photos. I had one taken and was out of there!
The beach was certainly white. The sand was soft to begin with but grew bitty as I walked further in. It was very windy and the Brit in me made me think of the cold bitter days I had on Filey/Whitby/Scarborough beach. There were no fish and chips or ice cream hut to pacify me though.
I tried to lay my towel down but it kept blowing everywhere. Instead, I donned an embarrassing stinger suit and went into the ocean. The water was clear but it was pretty still. I grew bored after a few minutes and came back out. I took off the suit and decided to spend the rest of the time sun bathing. Problem was, it was a bit of a cloudy day.
The group chatted away about random things and we even played charades for a little while. Mel chose a couple of films that were used on Fraser Island so I didn’t bother taking part. It was funny to see other people’s interpretations.
One of the crew members from the boat came over to take photos. It is his job to take a million and one photos of everyone which he sells at the end. I posed for a few photos but recoiled in horror when I saw them later.
The guy tried piling everyone up into a pyramid. I felt so sorry for the guys on the bottom! We managed the jumping shot and general group shots without any problems.
Our time was up and we went back to the boat to head across to the snorkelling spot. I was really looking forward to this. Mel and Steff managed to find a spider to take a photo of on the way back. It wasn’t as big as the one we saw on the girl’s phone but it was still impressive.
Before we headed out into the water we had lunch. Sandwiches and pasta salad filled us up nicely.
We all had to don the stinger suits again. They were cold and sandy from Whitehaven which made me shudder. Instead of life jackets we had noodles. Maybe you might have seen them being used in an aqua fit class back home. It did the job and kept me afloat nicely.
I swam about for a while but didn’t see that much. The reef was nice and there were fishes which swam up close to me but it wasn’t even in the same vicinity as the snorkelling in Thailand. I wish I had my underwater camera for that. I still have the memories though.
Mel and Steff didn’t wake up after we settled down for a lunchtime nap. I went in first and met them after half an hour. They made the mistake of bringing their towels out and it started to rain. I had swam around for over an hour at this point and kept seeing the same things so I called it a day. I was also bursting for the toilet!
Back at the boat, the waterslide had been put out and so had the diving board. Both drops looked scary. I went to the waterslide and sat for a while. Steff pushed me in and I didn’t enjoy it one bit.
As I swam back around to get on the boat, the current kept pushing me further and further out. I was glad there were a couple of other people in the water who helped me back on the boat! I didn’t have a noodle to save me that time!
I decided not to go on the slide again. I tried to jump off of the diving board but it looked too scary. I think it was walking the plank that did it for me. I jumped off the top deck of the boat in Thailand with everyone and that was quite fun.
A couple of girls went in before me and they hated it. I have three videos of me stood at the edge of the plank papping myself whilst trying to convince myself to jump. I don’t regret not doing it. I did the Aqua Loop ride in Gold Coast to prove a point to myself but I didn’t enjoy it. I knew that water would go up my nose and I hate that feeling.
After getting showered and dry, we sat down for a lovely hot brew. Everyone was banging on about how great the snorkelling was.
A group of people, including Mel and Steff, started playing poker. I’d never played before so Mel taught me. It was incredibly satisfying as Mel is very much a risk taker and was down to her last chips. Yet she came back fighting and ended up coming third out of around eight people.
We had spaghetti bolognaise for dinner which again was nice and filling. The crew do a good job to say that they’re catering for such a large number. There was enough for everyone. There’s only one female crew member and the guys always shouted ladies first at meal times. To begin with, nobody listened and I too thought he was joking. It’s a nice gesture which ensures that most people get fed before the greedy get to it!
We were back on the alcohol and I transferred over to Malibu this time. I’d had enough of the goon from the night before. We played more drinking games and then the crew got involved. Everyone was ushered up to the top deck and told to change into fancy dress. By the time I got there, there was nothing but a few shreds of material. I did the best I could and decided to be a granny. I tied a black piece of wetsuit around my head and found some high-waist shorts.
I felt sorry for the crew having to do this day in day out. To begin with it was very cheesy and forced but once we got into it, it was quite fun. We got knocked out at the rowing stage. I got a wet arse for nothing. I went back to my room and got changed.
Back at the top, they were still going until it was down to four people. They had a dance off and an American guy won. He did have some pretty good dance moves!
We carried on playing drinking games into the night again. This time they got a bit more wacky. We played a game called shup-shuppoo. You have to cover your teeth with your lips and raise your eyebrows. This face has to be kept at all times. Each player goes round saying “shup”. To change direction you say “shuppoo”. At first we were in stitches but then everyone got better and better. It was a surreal yet highly entertaining game.
I think this night got a bit more raucous. As we were playing a game, I noticed a couple kissing by the cups cupboard. Someone whispered to me that they were having sex. No way. I looked around and the guy had his willy wonka out! The girl still had her shorts on but I couldn’t quite see. I ran down and told Mel and Steff.
It made me sick. Not what they were doing but the fact that they were doing that where our food was to be served the next day. Dirty bastards. Get a room!
Earlier someone was having sex in the shower. The door was very squeaky. This boat was hook up city or perhaps not as most of the people on board was couples.
We tried to get to sleep amongst all the sex noises and squeaky doors!
*****
We slept in…again. We missed breakfast and the snorkelling. Whoops. We weren’t too bothered as the snorkelling the day before wasn’t up to much. Unfortunately people did come back and told us it was brilliant. But they also said that before so who knows!
The boat trip was almost over. I was neither happy nor sad. I couldn’t tell who was genuine or not. Everyone was friendly when they were drunk and groggy and quiet when they were sober. I couldn’t tell who was genuine or not. I met a nice couple on board who I thought I’d see again in New Zealand or Fiji as we’d both be there at the same time, but I don’t think it will happen. Mel reminded me of this fact when we settled back at Airlie Beach. I hope I do a better job of making friends in New Zealand!
There were hotdogs for lunch but some greedy people went back for seconds so not everyone had one. We were all distracted with our games of poker but managed to just get one.
The boat pulled up at lunchtime and we all parted ways. Mel and Steff were eager to get off and look for jobs. We started looking in hostels and within an hour Mel and Steff had a job.
I checked in to the hostel there, picked up my itinerary for Fiji and had lunch. I didn’t have too much packing to do as I’d already gotten rid of a load of stuff in 1770. I still feel like I’m carrying too much and it’s frustrating. It’s the same feeling I get when I walk into my bedroom. Except this time I really can’t get rid of anything as most of it is bulky stuff that I need.
It still hadn’t sunk in that the next day I would be saying goodbye to Mel and Steff. We were all terribly blasé about it all. We stayed up late to make the most of the evening but Steff fell asleep. Our last night of bonding didn’t quite go according to plan. Never mind!
Sunday, 20 May 2012
Castaway 12/05/2012 - 1 Night
None of us had any idea what the castaway trip entailed precisely. I had grandiose visions of what Tom Hanks went through but less traumatic. Finding a Wilson would be a bonus.
Mel and Steff were on an earlier flight than me but we drove across to the meeting point together. In a stroke of luck, the person who was meant to fly alongside Mel and Steff didn’t turn up so I took their place. Steff sat at the front alongside the pilot and Mel and I sat in the back.
The flight across was a short 15 minutes but it was brilliant and well worth the money just to do that. The pilot weaved the plane up and down so Mel and I were thrown about in the back. It was scarily funny. I took plenty of photos and videos to capture the beauty outside.
We were the first to arrive on the island and the group of travellers who we were to replace came out to greet us. We got a tour of the site and a little bit of info on what there is to do.
The tents were very old and stank of staleness and urine. I wasn’t looking forward to sleeping there that night. I dumped my things and made my way to the front of the beach to lie down and relax.
Once rested, I looked around to see everyone hugging and taking photos. It felt like an excerpt from Shipwrecked/Survivor. Some had been there a couple of nights and others only one. There were about eight people in total and somehow they had bonded deeply.
After a photo taking session, three departed and one guy ran by the side of the plane until he couldn’t keep up. Jeez, this is a tough act to follow!
In total there were four Canadians, two Norwegians, three Germans and us. Within minutes I knew that the above was actually an impossible act to follow. The group didn’t mix at all and nobody seemed to be bothered by this. Everyone stuck with their friends.
I did find a couple of friendly creatures on the island.
It didn’t bother me to begin with as I was too busy basking in the glorious sunshine. I was completely relaxed. My sun-coma was interrupted by Mel and Steff shouting for me. I picked myself up halfway and leant on my elbows to see what the noise was all about. They waved me over to the rocks by the ocean. Mel asked me to bring her camera and to hurry up. I picked up my camera and made my across.
I thought they’d probably found a crab or some oysters. To my surprise I saw this fellow…
We weren’t sure what to do. It looked like it was struggling to get out but at the same time, moving it could make matters worse. Steff moved some of the rocks which were trapping the turtle’s flipper. The turtle sensed freedom and flapped about and settled again in a shallow pool of water. From this we decided we couldn’t just leave it there so Steff and I picked it up and moved it across the rocks to the ocean. I made it part of the way but the turtle started flapping again and I had to let go. Steff carried on and placed it in the sea. The turtle shot off.
Within seconds of this, Mel shouted us back over to the rocks yelling “shark!” I hoped Mel was wrong as we would have set that turtle free only to be attacked by a shark.
A fin surfaced and we looked at each other in horror. Moments later water spurted up and we realised it was a dolphin. After we saw that dolphin, two more surfaced metres away from us. We couldn’t believe our eyes.
Steff sprinted off to get a kayak. Mel and I moved across. At first I wasn’t sure whether to go in or not. Screw it! I grabbed a kayak and paddle. There were only two kayaks and Mel decided not to go out so there was no argument over who went out first.
It was only as I was paddling further and further out that I realised I wasn’t wearing a life jacket. If I tipped over and fell out, I’d surely drown. Steff was too far away and there was nobody by the shore watching us. I distanced myself from that thought and carried on paddling out.
I managed to catch up to Steff and we sat there waiting for the dolphins but none of them came. Never mind. I was still happy that within our first hour on the island, we saw a sea turtle up close and wild dolphins.
We paddled back but for some reason I wasn’t moving. Steff shot off and I was sat there paddling away for nothing. Frustrated I put a bit more effort into it and I eventually started moving. In the process of this aggravated floundering, I bashed my finger on the side. I didn’t think anything more of it until I reached the shore and saw that my finger was caked in blood. Mel chirped that sharks can detect a drop of blood from miles away. Lovely!
I put the kayak away and joined Mel who had been talking to one of the German girls. Janine wasn’t attached to the two girls that seemed to be in the same mood as they were at the travel shop the day before. Nobody else was being social so it was nice to meet someone that smiles and responds to your greeting.
Steff didn’t fancy going back out again after our failed attempt at finding the dolphins. Although I was slightly tired, I decided to go back out again.
We paddled out slowly and drifted further and further out. I turned my kayak to face Janine’s and we sat for well over an hour chatting away about our travels and people we had met.
For the rest of the day, all I did was sunbathe. There were scenic walks to take but I was happy with what I’d done already and I just wanted to relax.
Dinner was a beef stew which everyone paid for at the beginning of the trip. With the gas stove provided, it was going to take an hour and a half to cook. I breathed a sigh of relief when one of the Canadians decided to cook dinner. No arguments and no crowded kitchen. Thank you!
The guys went out and collected dead wood for the fire. I wished we brought marshmallows to toast but we decided not to in the supermarket. Mel and I looked out to the sun setting over the ocean. It was beautiful.
Whilst the food was cooking we pulled our chairs around the fire and started to play some drinking games. With everyone loosened up a bit, someone had the idea of playing I Have Never. What I thought was just a bit of fun, turned in to a less than subtle sexual proffering. All the questions were sex related and a test to see who was far from moralistic. One girl didn't really get it and was on the prowl for something else. With questions like - "I have never had an STI." And, "I have never been pregnant." - this girl was after dirt.
In regards to the moral competition, the two German girls won to the delight of the guys. There were only three guys out of the 12 of us. Steff was obviously out of bounds.
The purpose of the night only became apparent when the Canadian guys suggested going for a walk on the beach. The two Norwegians, the Canadian guys, the German girls and I started walking off into the darkness. I brought my head torch so I could see where I was going. The German girls shouted at me to turn it off. They had already coupled off with the Canadians. I looked at the Norwegians and we turned back.
The rest of campers laughed at me as they knew what was going on. The Canadian guys' two female friends told of how their friends have been desperate for sex since starting their holiday. Sheesh.
A chat-up line that one of the Canadian guys had used previous to the castaway was - "Would you like to see my bed?" It didn't quite work out. The girl came back, saw his bed, gave him a hand job then left.
Later in the night, after we’d eaten and drank a little bit more, each of the Canadian guys whispered to the German girls that they were going to the beach if they wanted to follow. No flirting, no flickering eye contact, nothing. Chivalry was dead and buried.
Time was ticking by so slowly that it made things awkward at times. Drinking game after drinking game, until we finally called it a night. Mel suggested to everyone that we should sleep on the beach. I’d rather sleep on the sand than in the smelly tent.
We all dragged our mats out from the tent to the fire along with our sleeping bags. We all laid down and looked up to the stars. There were so many in the sky that night twinkling and shining so brightly. Everyone kept seeing shooting stars but I didn’t see any.
Frustrated, I took off my glasses and tried to get to sleep. I couldn’t get to sleep. I tossed and turned but even the cushioned mat was making things better. If anything, it made it worse as I found out that they were the source of the smell in the tent!
The temperature dropped and I was shivering. I thought I was going to be physically sick it was that cold. It sounds great in theory, sleeping on the beach, but it turned out to be a nightmare.
Everyone asked to be woken up for the sunrise. I didn’t sleep at all so I counted down the minutes and hours until it was time. I sat up and nobody stirred. I started shouting to everyone that it was time for the sunrise but nobody moved. I called out Mel’s name as I couldn’t see her sleeping bag. I got a grouchy return that put me in my place.
I sat for half an hour and nothing seemed to be happening. It wasn’t as spectacular as the sunset the night before. I tried to get some more sleep but ended up lying there urging the sun to rise and warm me up!
One after another, each person announced that they had the worst sleep ever. I just wanted to pack up and leave. I was so grateful that we were on the first flight. It was due at 9:30am. It started to near 11am and the plane hadn’t arrived.
The one person who lives on the island in the lighthouse came down to take some photos for Facebook. He focussed on the German girls whilst he waited.
Finally the plane arrived and we practically sprinted over. Before we could escape it was time for group photos. Instead of the standard jumping shot and cheesy grins, the shoot resembled soft porn. Guys grabbing the girls, crawling in the sand, tiger growls and so on. We stayed right out of it.
Once back, we picked up the car and headed straight up the East Coast to our next stop. At first we were going stop half way but decided to take on the long drive at head straight to Airlie Beach. Roll on a 8-9 hour drive!
Mel and Steff were on an earlier flight than me but we drove across to the meeting point together. In a stroke of luck, the person who was meant to fly alongside Mel and Steff didn’t turn up so I took their place. Steff sat at the front alongside the pilot and Mel and I sat in the back.
The flight across was a short 15 minutes but it was brilliant and well worth the money just to do that. The pilot weaved the plane up and down so Mel and I were thrown about in the back. It was scarily funny. I took plenty of photos and videos to capture the beauty outside.
We were the first to arrive on the island and the group of travellers who we were to replace came out to greet us. We got a tour of the site and a little bit of info on what there is to do.
The tents were very old and stank of staleness and urine. I wasn’t looking forward to sleeping there that night. I dumped my things and made my way to the front of the beach to lie down and relax.
Once rested, I looked around to see everyone hugging and taking photos. It felt like an excerpt from Shipwrecked/Survivor. Some had been there a couple of nights and others only one. There were about eight people in total and somehow they had bonded deeply.
After a photo taking session, three departed and one guy ran by the side of the plane until he couldn’t keep up. Jeez, this is a tough act to follow!
In total there were four Canadians, two Norwegians, three Germans and us. Within minutes I knew that the above was actually an impossible act to follow. The group didn’t mix at all and nobody seemed to be bothered by this. Everyone stuck with their friends.
I did find a couple of friendly creatures on the island.
This guy was working the camera. We had a lizard couple to keep us company. They were so tame and confidently crawled up to me and licked my feet. Mel quipped - "It's because they're so cheesy." Thanks.
It didn’t bother me to begin with as I was too busy basking in the glorious sunshine. I was completely relaxed. My sun-coma was interrupted by Mel and Steff shouting for me. I picked myself up halfway and leant on my elbows to see what the noise was all about. They waved me over to the rocks by the ocean. Mel asked me to bring her camera and to hurry up. I picked up my camera and made my across.
I thought they’d probably found a crab or some oysters. To my surprise I saw this fellow…
We weren’t sure what to do. It looked like it was struggling to get out but at the same time, moving it could make matters worse. Steff moved some of the rocks which were trapping the turtle’s flipper. The turtle sensed freedom and flapped about and settled again in a shallow pool of water. From this we decided we couldn’t just leave it there so Steff and I picked it up and moved it across the rocks to the ocean. I made it part of the way but the turtle started flapping again and I had to let go. Steff carried on and placed it in the sea. The turtle shot off.
Within seconds of this, Mel shouted us back over to the rocks yelling “shark!” I hoped Mel was wrong as we would have set that turtle free only to be attacked by a shark.
A fin surfaced and we looked at each other in horror. Moments later water spurted up and we realised it was a dolphin. After we saw that dolphin, two more surfaced metres away from us. We couldn’t believe our eyes.
Steff sprinted off to get a kayak. Mel and I moved across. At first I wasn’t sure whether to go in or not. Screw it! I grabbed a kayak and paddle. There were only two kayaks and Mel decided not to go out so there was no argument over who went out first.
It was only as I was paddling further and further out that I realised I wasn’t wearing a life jacket. If I tipped over and fell out, I’d surely drown. Steff was too far away and there was nobody by the shore watching us. I distanced myself from that thought and carried on paddling out.
I managed to catch up to Steff and we sat there waiting for the dolphins but none of them came. Never mind. I was still happy that within our first hour on the island, we saw a sea turtle up close and wild dolphins.
We paddled back but for some reason I wasn’t moving. Steff shot off and I was sat there paddling away for nothing. Frustrated I put a bit more effort into it and I eventually started moving. In the process of this aggravated floundering, I bashed my finger on the side. I didn’t think anything more of it until I reached the shore and saw that my finger was caked in blood. Mel chirped that sharks can detect a drop of blood from miles away. Lovely!
I put the kayak away and joined Mel who had been talking to one of the German girls. Janine wasn’t attached to the two girls that seemed to be in the same mood as they were at the travel shop the day before. Nobody else was being social so it was nice to meet someone that smiles and responds to your greeting.
Steff didn’t fancy going back out again after our failed attempt at finding the dolphins. Although I was slightly tired, I decided to go back out again.
We paddled out slowly and drifted further and further out. I turned my kayak to face Janine’s and we sat for well over an hour chatting away about our travels and people we had met.
For the rest of the day, all I did was sunbathe. There were scenic walks to take but I was happy with what I’d done already and I just wanted to relax.
Dinner was a beef stew which everyone paid for at the beginning of the trip. With the gas stove provided, it was going to take an hour and a half to cook. I breathed a sigh of relief when one of the Canadians decided to cook dinner. No arguments and no crowded kitchen. Thank you!
The guys went out and collected dead wood for the fire. I wished we brought marshmallows to toast but we decided not to in the supermarket. Mel and I looked out to the sun setting over the ocean. It was beautiful.
Whilst the food was cooking we pulled our chairs around the fire and started to play some drinking games. With everyone loosened up a bit, someone had the idea of playing I Have Never. What I thought was just a bit of fun, turned in to a less than subtle sexual proffering. All the questions were sex related and a test to see who was far from moralistic. One girl didn't really get it and was on the prowl for something else. With questions like - "I have never had an STI." And, "I have never been pregnant." - this girl was after dirt.
In regards to the moral competition, the two German girls won to the delight of the guys. There were only three guys out of the 12 of us. Steff was obviously out of bounds.
The purpose of the night only became apparent when the Canadian guys suggested going for a walk on the beach. The two Norwegians, the Canadian guys, the German girls and I started walking off into the darkness. I brought my head torch so I could see where I was going. The German girls shouted at me to turn it off. They had already coupled off with the Canadians. I looked at the Norwegians and we turned back.
The rest of campers laughed at me as they knew what was going on. The Canadian guys' two female friends told of how their friends have been desperate for sex since starting their holiday. Sheesh.
A chat-up line that one of the Canadian guys had used previous to the castaway was - "Would you like to see my bed?" It didn't quite work out. The girl came back, saw his bed, gave him a hand job then left.
Later in the night, after we’d eaten and drank a little bit more, each of the Canadian guys whispered to the German girls that they were going to the beach if they wanted to follow. No flirting, no flickering eye contact, nothing. Chivalry was dead and buried.
Time was ticking by so slowly that it made things awkward at times. Drinking game after drinking game, until we finally called it a night. Mel suggested to everyone that we should sleep on the beach. I’d rather sleep on the sand than in the smelly tent.
We all dragged our mats out from the tent to the fire along with our sleeping bags. We all laid down and looked up to the stars. There were so many in the sky that night twinkling and shining so brightly. Everyone kept seeing shooting stars but I didn’t see any.
Frustrated, I took off my glasses and tried to get to sleep. I couldn’t get to sleep. I tossed and turned but even the cushioned mat was making things better. If anything, it made it worse as I found out that they were the source of the smell in the tent!
The temperature dropped and I was shivering. I thought I was going to be physically sick it was that cold. It sounds great in theory, sleeping on the beach, but it turned out to be a nightmare.
Everyone asked to be woken up for the sunrise. I didn’t sleep at all so I counted down the minutes and hours until it was time. I sat up and nobody stirred. I started shouting to everyone that it was time for the sunrise but nobody moved. I called out Mel’s name as I couldn’t see her sleeping bag. I got a grouchy return that put me in my place.
I sat for half an hour and nothing seemed to be happening. It wasn’t as spectacular as the sunset the night before. I tried to get some more sleep but ended up lying there urging the sun to rise and warm me up!
One after another, each person announced that they had the worst sleep ever. I just wanted to pack up and leave. I was so grateful that we were on the first flight. It was due at 9:30am. It started to near 11am and the plane hadn’t arrived.
The one person who lives on the island in the lighthouse came down to take some photos for Facebook. He focussed on the German girls whilst he waited.
Finally the plane arrived and we practically sprinted over. Before we could escape it was time for group photos. Instead of the standard jumping shot and cheesy grins, the shoot resembled soft porn. Guys grabbing the girls, crawling in the sand, tiger growls and so on. We stayed right out of it.
Once back, we picked up the car and headed straight up the East Coast to our next stop. At first we were going stop half way but decided to take on the long drive at head straight to Airlie Beach. Roll on a 8-9 hour drive!
1770 10/05/2012 - 2 Nights - Goldilocks Had The Right Idea
Hostels in Australia have been very hit and miss so, in rebellion, we decided to look around a few hostels before we decided on where to stay. As 1770 and Agnes Water are small towns, we weren’t spoilt for choice.
The first two hostels we visited were pretty much the same standard and weren’t very nice. The second hostel we went to had no plug sockets in the room. Not good news for a budding blogger. Thankfully, the third and final hostel we visited was just right. It was ideally located, had free wifi, free breakfast, free tea, coffee and bread all day as well as a games room. Sold!
We checked in and made our way to the room. I opened the door and was welcomed by stacks of building attire and empty beer bottles. All the beds had been pushed together so we couldn’t even walk in the room, not that we wanted to! It seemed they made a mistake so we were moved to a four bed dorm instead at no extra cost.
By day we explored the small quiet town and relaxed on the night. Our intention was to watch the sunset at a bar called The Tree but we forgot to go. Instead we spent most of the evening hogging the ping pong table and watching cheesy TV.
Embarrassingly, we woke up to four confused backpackers who had entered our room after check-in. Obviously the diary wasn’t updated so nobody knew that we were there. The hostel worker was a bit shocked when he swung the door open.
It was late morning so I felt a bit silly still being in bed. In the end, we didn’t have to move which was good as I didn’t fancy moving all my crap again.
With that we got up and went out for the day. We visited 1770 beach. Steff went surfing briefly but grew bored being out there on his own. Mel and I took photos, relaxed on the beach and watched people setting up a wedding. Mel and I collectively cooed. I love weddings.
Our stomachs told us it was time to eat so we left the beach. Whilst we sought out a café, we checked in for our second trip. Castaway is exactly what it says on the tin. We were due to fly out to an island and stay overnight with a group of fellow of travellers.
Two grumpy German girls were also checking in for the Castaway trip which didn’t fill us with much hope. At least we knew who to avoid. I don’t want to hate on a nationality but damn there are a lot of rude arsey Germans out there.
The travel agent was a bit sarcastic but I put that to one side when she told me the company can beat any travel quote. I needed to book my Fiji trip but was biding my time in hope of finding a good deal. I never trust a company that trashes a rival. It’s unprofessional and I’ve always been trained not to do this in previous jobs. It just makes me wonder what else they slip up on. I decided to wait until I got to Airlie Beach and I’d make my decision then.
Winding down in the evening we decided to seek out some cheap alcohol for the trip. The only catch was we couldn’t take glass onto the island. The massive alcohol warehouse only sold one brand of canned beer, the rest were bottled. Ridiculous. We settled for Carlton Mid and hoped it tasted ok. To accompany the alcohol, we bought crisps and goods to make sandwiches.
We spent our final night battling two Aussies in table tennis. I was alright and won a couple of games. One guy said I’m the best girl he’s ever seen play table tennis. I’ll take that!
The first two hostels we visited were pretty much the same standard and weren’t very nice. The second hostel we went to had no plug sockets in the room. Not good news for a budding blogger. Thankfully, the third and final hostel we visited was just right. It was ideally located, had free wifi, free breakfast, free tea, coffee and bread all day as well as a games room. Sold!
We checked in and made our way to the room. I opened the door and was welcomed by stacks of building attire and empty beer bottles. All the beds had been pushed together so we couldn’t even walk in the room, not that we wanted to! It seemed they made a mistake so we were moved to a four bed dorm instead at no extra cost.
By day we explored the small quiet town and relaxed on the night. Our intention was to watch the sunset at a bar called The Tree but we forgot to go. Instead we spent most of the evening hogging the ping pong table and watching cheesy TV.
*****
Embarrassingly, we woke up to four confused backpackers who had entered our room after check-in. Obviously the diary wasn’t updated so nobody knew that we were there. The hostel worker was a bit shocked when he swung the door open.
It was late morning so I felt a bit silly still being in bed. In the end, we didn’t have to move which was good as I didn’t fancy moving all my crap again.
With that we got up and went out for the day. We visited 1770 beach. Steff went surfing briefly but grew bored being out there on his own. Mel and I took photos, relaxed on the beach and watched people setting up a wedding. Mel and I collectively cooed. I love weddings.
Our stomachs told us it was time to eat so we left the beach. Whilst we sought out a café, we checked in for our second trip. Castaway is exactly what it says on the tin. We were due to fly out to an island and stay overnight with a group of fellow of travellers.
Two grumpy German girls were also checking in for the Castaway trip which didn’t fill us with much hope. At least we knew who to avoid. I don’t want to hate on a nationality but damn there are a lot of rude arsey Germans out there.
The travel agent was a bit sarcastic but I put that to one side when she told me the company can beat any travel quote. I needed to book my Fiji trip but was biding my time in hope of finding a good deal. I never trust a company that trashes a rival. It’s unprofessional and I’ve always been trained not to do this in previous jobs. It just makes me wonder what else they slip up on. I decided to wait until I got to Airlie Beach and I’d make my decision then.
Winding down in the evening we decided to seek out some cheap alcohol for the trip. The only catch was we couldn’t take glass onto the island. The massive alcohol warehouse only sold one brand of canned beer, the rest were bottled. Ridiculous. We settled for Carlton Mid and hoped it tasted ok. To accompany the alcohol, we bought crisps and goods to make sandwiches.
We spent our final night battling two Aussies in table tennis. I was alright and won a couple of games. One guy said I’m the best girl he’s ever seen play table tennis. I’ll take that!
Saturday, 19 May 2012
Hervey Bay 08/05/2012 - 2 Nights
Originally, we planned to head straight to 1770 from Noosa but decided to break up the drive and settle in Hervey Bay. Our intention was to make things easier but it didn’t work out that way.
From Sydney up until today, Steff has always been first driver. As he’s the tallest of us all, he’s probably best driving rather than being crammed in the back. Being front seat passenger holds a lot of pressure as you end up being chief navigator. Mel has a very good internal compass so even if we are completely lost, somehow she manages to get us back on track.
For Mel and I, today was like every other day. Steff went to drive but things were different. Steff didn’t know where he was going. Up until this point, we’ve only ever needed to look at maps when arriving at a place in search of a hostel. Steff looked to Mel who was just as clueless as the rest of us. It wasn’t a good start.
Mel fired up her laptop but, surprise surprise, the internet was slow. The signal in Australia is rubbish. We went around in circles a couple of times and Steff flipped his lid. It seemed like he’d been storing some resentment for a while about being chief driver.
Mel took over driving and I swapped at around the halfway point. We managed to get there without too many issues. It was scary driving in the dark. Hardly any of the roads were lit. We constantly saw signs about dangerous roads but I don’t think it’s the road that’s dangerous, they just need to throw in a few cats eyes!
I was a bit shaky to begin with. I’ve not had chance to drive that much seen as most journeys have been less than a few hours so Steff drives mostly and Mel takes over if need be. By the time it’s my turn, we’re already there. I’m not complaining as I’m not the most confident of drivers, especially when there are others in the car.
We arrived intact at a hostel we booked that day. It’s called Flashpackers and is advertised as being "affordable luxury". I think they should rephrase that as luxury is taking it a bit far. It’s by no means the worst hostel I’ve ever stayed at, but if you’re going to harp on about how flash your hostel is, you need to back it up.
Initially, all things looked great. Reception was empty so we poked our heads around to see an open plan room with a clean and modern kitchen alongside a common room. They had a cinema room too. It took a while for us to be served. The hostel provides a free shuttle bus for Greyhound passengers so we didn’t time our arrival very well.
The receptionist gave us directions which we fruitlessly tried to follow in the dark but failed. The place looked half built. The main building was only one storey as were the rest of the buildings there. We had no idea what was part of the hostel.
We caught the attention of the receptionist and she ushered us across mud and wood chippings to our room. It would be good if I had a backpack but instead, I had to wheel my suitcase across the crap.
I unlocked the door and laughed. Our room resembled a football changing room due to the large unit of cubby holes that faced the beds. The room wasn’t very clean (I walked across the room barefoot and ended up with black soles) and the ceiling fan was caked in dust. It was something I could tolerate but Mel and Steff shuddered with repulsion.
Another laughing point was the shower as the website said that no matter what room you stay in, you get an eight inch shower head from the ceiling. We got a low dribbling shower head over a half-sized shower cubicle. It was claustrophobic. So much so that you couldn't escape the shower curtain clinging to your body. I don’t normally mention hostels directly but it made me laugh how a company can brag about how great their facilities are yet fail to reach even a reasonable standard.
It's not a bad hostel at all though. The staff there were nice and friendly. There was free breakfast, tea and coffee all day and free wifi. With free being my favourite word as a traveller, I was happy.
As we arrived late, we spent the evening in the common room and went to bed.
Steff picked up a leaflet the previous day about a surreal shark museum. The creator, Vic Hislop, is well known in Australia as a shark hunter. He also has very controversial beliefs which run strongly throughout the museum. Vic is in a battle with the government over shark hunting. The government wish to preserve the shark species whereas Vic believes that killing sharks (specifically great whites, hammer head, tiger and bull sharks) will preserve other marine life such as dolphins and whales. Due to over-fishing, Vic feels that sharks now look elsewhere for its feed and other marine life are suffering because of this. Vic also feels that the government covers up the majority of shark attacks in Australia simply noting that a person was lost at sea. By doing this, it reduces the coverage of shark attacks and lulls the public into a false sense of security. It is a dividing subject.
After visiting the museum and reading a bit more about his cause, I do side with him on this. Cage diving and film crews have trained sharks to kill humans. It's scary.
This place was bizarrely hypnotising. The museum consists of two rooms with walls covered in newspaper cuttings. Some are of Vic Hislop’s conquests but the majority are reports of shark attacks on Australia’s shores.
It was scary stuff reading it all. People had also donated items to the museum – a shark bitten surf board and shredded life jacket spring to mind.
Connected to the newspaper clippings and memorabilia room were two rooms showing videos on shark hunting and shark attacks. I didn’t really have time to watch much of that though.
The most haunting aspect of the museum was the shark freezer. That’s right guys, this guy has two great white sharks frozen for viewing. Obviously there are no great whites in captivity so the only time people can get up, close and personal with one of these beasts is in the unfortunate event of an attack.
It was freaky. I only have a caricature perception of what sharks actually look like from movies and documentaries. They are even scarier in the flesh. I hope I never get to see one alive. As much as I’d like to think that I’d punch it in the face or ram a paddle down its throat, the likelihood would be that I’d never even get the chance. It’s all about luck.
I barely spoke to Steff that day. He was still unhappy with us and I was in no mood to start fights again.
In the evening we ate pizza and watched The Social Network in the cinema room. Mel was on Facebook whilst watching the film. Steff made me laugh as he got all confused about the film. He kept asking who everyone was and asked whether Jesse Eisenberg was the real Mark Zuckerberg. I don’t know what planet he was on when he asked that question. We all come out with silly questions and statements but Steff’s are always hilarious.
It was another late night in anticipation for a chilled out day tomorrow on our journey up to 1770.
From Sydney up until today, Steff has always been first driver. As he’s the tallest of us all, he’s probably best driving rather than being crammed in the back. Being front seat passenger holds a lot of pressure as you end up being chief navigator. Mel has a very good internal compass so even if we are completely lost, somehow she manages to get us back on track.
For Mel and I, today was like every other day. Steff went to drive but things were different. Steff didn’t know where he was going. Up until this point, we’ve only ever needed to look at maps when arriving at a place in search of a hostel. Steff looked to Mel who was just as clueless as the rest of us. It wasn’t a good start.
Mel fired up her laptop but, surprise surprise, the internet was slow. The signal in Australia is rubbish. We went around in circles a couple of times and Steff flipped his lid. It seemed like he’d been storing some resentment for a while about being chief driver.
Mel took over driving and I swapped at around the halfway point. We managed to get there without too many issues. It was scary driving in the dark. Hardly any of the roads were lit. We constantly saw signs about dangerous roads but I don’t think it’s the road that’s dangerous, they just need to throw in a few cats eyes!
I was a bit shaky to begin with. I’ve not had chance to drive that much seen as most journeys have been less than a few hours so Steff drives mostly and Mel takes over if need be. By the time it’s my turn, we’re already there. I’m not complaining as I’m not the most confident of drivers, especially when there are others in the car.
We arrived intact at a hostel we booked that day. It’s called Flashpackers and is advertised as being "affordable luxury". I think they should rephrase that as luxury is taking it a bit far. It’s by no means the worst hostel I’ve ever stayed at, but if you’re going to harp on about how flash your hostel is, you need to back it up.
Initially, all things looked great. Reception was empty so we poked our heads around to see an open plan room with a clean and modern kitchen alongside a common room. They had a cinema room too. It took a while for us to be served. The hostel provides a free shuttle bus for Greyhound passengers so we didn’t time our arrival very well.
The receptionist gave us directions which we fruitlessly tried to follow in the dark but failed. The place looked half built. The main building was only one storey as were the rest of the buildings there. We had no idea what was part of the hostel.
We caught the attention of the receptionist and she ushered us across mud and wood chippings to our room. It would be good if I had a backpack but instead, I had to wheel my suitcase across the crap.
I unlocked the door and laughed. Our room resembled a football changing room due to the large unit of cubby holes that faced the beds. The room wasn’t very clean (I walked across the room barefoot and ended up with black soles) and the ceiling fan was caked in dust. It was something I could tolerate but Mel and Steff shuddered with repulsion.
Another laughing point was the shower as the website said that no matter what room you stay in, you get an eight inch shower head from the ceiling. We got a low dribbling shower head over a half-sized shower cubicle. It was claustrophobic. So much so that you couldn't escape the shower curtain clinging to your body. I don’t normally mention hostels directly but it made me laugh how a company can brag about how great their facilities are yet fail to reach even a reasonable standard.
It's not a bad hostel at all though. The staff there were nice and friendly. There was free breakfast, tea and coffee all day and free wifi. With free being my favourite word as a traveller, I was happy.
As we arrived late, we spent the evening in the common room and went to bed.
*****
Steff picked up a leaflet the previous day about a surreal shark museum. The creator, Vic Hislop, is well known in Australia as a shark hunter. He also has very controversial beliefs which run strongly throughout the museum. Vic is in a battle with the government over shark hunting. The government wish to preserve the shark species whereas Vic believes that killing sharks (specifically great whites, hammer head, tiger and bull sharks) will preserve other marine life such as dolphins and whales. Due to over-fishing, Vic feels that sharks now look elsewhere for its feed and other marine life are suffering because of this. Vic also feels that the government covers up the majority of shark attacks in Australia simply noting that a person was lost at sea. By doing this, it reduces the coverage of shark attacks and lulls the public into a false sense of security. It is a dividing subject.
After visiting the museum and reading a bit more about his cause, I do side with him on this. Cage diving and film crews have trained sharks to kill humans. It's scary.
It's hard to miss this place!
Steff was in his element when we saw this casting of a megalodon's jaw and teeth. It's a prehistoric shark which Steff kept waffling on about to Mel and I throughout our time in Australia.
This place was bizarrely hypnotising. The museum consists of two rooms with walls covered in newspaper cuttings. Some are of Vic Hislop’s conquests but the majority are reports of shark attacks on Australia’s shores.
It was scary stuff reading it all. People had also donated items to the museum – a shark bitten surf board and shredded life jacket spring to mind.
Connected to the newspaper clippings and memorabilia room were two rooms showing videos on shark hunting and shark attacks. I didn’t really have time to watch much of that though.
The most haunting aspect of the museum was the shark freezer. That’s right guys, this guy has two great white sharks frozen for viewing. Obviously there are no great whites in captivity so the only time people can get up, close and personal with one of these beasts is in the unfortunate event of an attack.
This is how I'd prefer to look into the jaws of a great white shark.
It was freaky. I only have a caricature perception of what sharks actually look like from movies and documentaries. They are even scarier in the flesh. I hope I never get to see one alive. As much as I’d like to think that I’d punch it in the face or ram a paddle down its throat, the likelihood would be that I’d never even get the chance. It’s all about luck.
I barely spoke to Steff that day. He was still unhappy with us and I was in no mood to start fights again.
In the evening we ate pizza and watched The Social Network in the cinema room. Mel was on Facebook whilst watching the film. Steff made me laugh as he got all confused about the film. He kept asking who everyone was and asked whether Jesse Eisenberg was the real Mark Zuckerberg. I don’t know what planet he was on when he asked that question. We all come out with silly questions and statements but Steff’s are always hilarious.
It was another late night in anticipation for a chilled out day tomorrow on our journey up to 1770.
Friday, 18 May 2012
Fraser Island - 07/05/2012 - 2 Days, 1 Night - Part 2
It’s a shame we didn’t bring drinks for the evening. We had no idea what it was going to be like. There was even a washing machine. Now I know why they don’t advertise that as everyone would bring their washing, but damn, I wish I knew as I would have brought all my washing!
Being spoilt for choice over what to do, we sat and turned on the television and settled down. We needed a moment for it all to sink in. After we were through with that, we nipped next door to the reception to see what DVDs they had. We also saw games there so we grabbed a selection and returned.
Having been sat down or stood looking at things all day, Steff was itching to run around and do something. The last thing he wanted to do was sit down and play a game or watch television. I humoured him for a bit but failed miserably at Frisbee and he was too fast for a kick-around. I tried wrestling him but again admitted defeat pretty swiftly.
With that out of our systems, we sat down for a game of Scrabble. Mel and Steff think I’m some sort of boffin who sneers at bad grammar and speech. Well they’re not entirely off point but they do exaggerate.
The supposed fun game soon transcended into competitive bickering and frustration. You didn’t need to be Sherlock to guess that was going to happen!
It was still early evening and we’d ran out of things to do. Mel, Steff, Emma and I sat and chatted for a bit. Emma was yet another traveller who loves Australia and couldn’t understand why we didn’t agree. Mel described our feelings perfectly but they fell on deaf ears. I felt a heated debate brewing and it was far too early for that so I swiftly changed the subject.
Before long, we moved outside for the moon rising. It was beautiful. What started off as a flicker of bright orange, grew to a flaming orb that rose steadily until it emerged as its usual glowing white self. The stars were shining beautifully to accompany this startling sight.
It was already cold and nobody was heading back. Steff and I absent-mindedly drifted off and started rambling about nonsense. This was all to Mel’s annoyance as she didn’t want to hear the order of the Batman movies and what happens in each one. I love it when Mel rants as she’s so sharp-tongued. I rarely can come back with anything as I’m laughing so much. We left Mel with the moon and stumbled in the dark back to the outdoor seating for dinner.
It was a mighty feast. I had steak, a sausage, potato salad, pasta salad and freshly baked bread. The meat was of a high standard which came as a relief. I’ve been put off of sausages lately thanks to the cheap supermarket branded shite.
Mel, Steff and I had a chuckle as we thought back to the night before when everyone was queueing for the free barbecue at the hostel. I was sceptical as to what this free barbecue included. By the time we rocked up they had ran out of bread. I couldn’t stop laughing at the fact that 20 people were queueing up for a sausage. What surprised me further was the shocked reaction from the queueing backpackers – “But it’s free.” Well yes, it is free, but I’d rather spend my time looking for somewhere half decent to eat and buy a meal than choke on a shrivelled scabby sausage. It was a very wise decision and one confirmed by the grumblings of those in the queue when I got back as they threw away said shrivelled scabby sausage upon receiving it. Sometimes the best things in life aren’t free my dear.
We ate like kings that night and I made sure I got a good fill. We took extra slices of toast for the next morning. I ate so much I could hardly breathe but I was happy.
The table discussed the trip and how surprised we all were at the high standards of it all. It does have a high price tag but so do all the other trips which aren’t even half as classy as this one.
Once dinner was over, we invited everyone back to our apartment for a game of charades. It is a game associated with tired parties and Christmas Day with the family but it’s a good laugh when we’re all a bit tipsy. I forgot to add that we had wine with the meal but I made sure I topped up as much as I could before anyone else noticed. I’m not sure how much I had but I was giggly. Mel and Steff love it when I’m drunk so I proved to be added entertainment for the evening.
At first nobody came over and we felt like rejects. Eventually the Canadian guy and Annette (one of the German girls) arrived. We wanted Drew to join in too so Mel and Emma went off to find him but failed. As if by magic he knocked on our door moments after they came back.
It was boys versus girls and I was determined to win, of course. There is an obvious downside to being good at charades. If you guess them too quickly, it gets boring for everyone pretty quickly. I grew cocky and relished in the challenges thrown at me. For some reason I stumbled on James and the Giant Peach.
Drew was hilarious and his hand signals for “in” had us in stitches. Steff’s attempt at Dumb and Dumber brought out the tears. I laughed so hard I couldn’t breathe. Steff does an excellent impression of someone being dumb!
Now the sensible thing to do would be to go to bed but I knew that when I woke up, it’d be time to leave the apartment. I wanted to take advantage of all the luxuries. We hadn’t really used the television and had previously brought across a pile of DVDs.
The choices were Mrs Doubtfire, Slumdog Millionnaire or LA Story. I really wanted to watch Slumdog but Mel and Steff didn’t fancy it. My second choice was Mrs Doubtfire but in the end we settled for LA Story as nobody had seen it before.
It’s such a weird little film and we didn’t get the comedy at all. I didn’t read the cover and got the film confused with Woody Allen’s Shop Girl. But instead it was an old-school Steve Martin film with a very young Sarah Jessica Parker. It’s something to do with him talking to an illuminated street sign. Most of the characters are vacuous and annoying so I was put off straight away. I always hate stopping a film part way through, even if I don’t like it. Part of me always hopes that I like it by the end.
We all skulked off to bed, disappointed with the night’s end. That soon changed when I enveloped myself in the duvet provided. It’s another thing that I’ve taken for granted and one that I’ve surprisingly not seen much of on my travels. Or, if I have, I’ve decided not to use it as I know that the covers don’t get washed after each occupant has left. Gross. Tonight was different and I slept like a log.
Morning came far too quickly and I wasn’t ready to leave my bed. I contemplated barricading myself in and refusing to leave but that would get me nowhere. I admitted defeat at the last minute and haphazardly threw my things together to leave. I just about had time to eat some toast before we left.
There were only two stops during the second day. An awfully bumpy ride later and we were dropped off at the tranquil Lake McKenzie. White sand and clear water surrounded by picturesque landscape. Postcard fodder indeed.
I waded in the rather cold water, posed for photos and messed around with my waterproof camera. I’d say we had around 10 or 15 minutes of peace and quiet until the masses of tourists arrived. It was such a shame.
We moved across to a quieter beach, where Mel and Steff happened to be, and lounged on the sand until it was time to go.
Drew took us further into the subtropical rainforest where we stopped for lunch. Another filling feed in the form of turkey and beef wraps. There was a lot left over which was a bit of a waste. Mel asked if she could wrap some up for later. I knew there was an element of backpacker in her! For fear of missing out, a couple of others grabbed some too.
I didn’t put too much thought into the bush walk and thought it would be like the Blue Mountains or the Tiger Temple walk I did in Thailand. Drew warned us that once we decide to do the bush walk we can’t turn around and come back as he’s going to meet us at the other side. Everyone opted to do the walk.
Drew pointed out a lot of the trees and listed facts about them and other elements of the nature that surrounded us. I wasn’t paying too much attention. It was only when he mentioned spiders that my ears pricked up. He brought us across to a fallen tree and then pointed at a small hole in the ground. This is where funnel web spiders live. Drew warned us about the spiders and said that there will be species like this in the bush. Great!
As I was walking through the bush, I kept seeing holes of various sizes everywhere and wished that Drew kept his mouth shut. Ignorance is bliss you know!
Forty minutes or so of hell later and I was surprised I hadn’t screamed the whole forest down. Thankfully I only saw one small spider and a fat spider leg poking out of one of the holes. I didn’t want to hang about and wait for something to jump on my face!
Drew drove us back via the beach. We saw…
We said our goodbyes but didn’t swap details with anyone. Although, I did swap emails with Annette as we have photos of each other. After thanking Drew for a great trip, we packed up the car and left for Hervey Bay.
Being spoilt for choice over what to do, we sat and turned on the television and settled down. We needed a moment for it all to sink in. After we were through with that, we nipped next door to the reception to see what DVDs they had. We also saw games there so we grabbed a selection and returned.
Having been sat down or stood looking at things all day, Steff was itching to run around and do something. The last thing he wanted to do was sit down and play a game or watch television. I humoured him for a bit but failed miserably at Frisbee and he was too fast for a kick-around. I tried wrestling him but again admitted defeat pretty swiftly.
With that out of our systems, we sat down for a game of Scrabble. Mel and Steff think I’m some sort of boffin who sneers at bad grammar and speech. Well they’re not entirely off point but they do exaggerate.
The supposed fun game soon transcended into competitive bickering and frustration. You didn’t need to be Sherlock to guess that was going to happen!
It was still early evening and we’d ran out of things to do. Mel, Steff, Emma and I sat and chatted for a bit. Emma was yet another traveller who loves Australia and couldn’t understand why we didn’t agree. Mel described our feelings perfectly but they fell on deaf ears. I felt a heated debate brewing and it was far too early for that so I swiftly changed the subject.
Before long, we moved outside for the moon rising. It was beautiful. What started off as a flicker of bright orange, grew to a flaming orb that rose steadily until it emerged as its usual glowing white self. The stars were shining beautifully to accompany this startling sight.
It was already cold and nobody was heading back. Steff and I absent-mindedly drifted off and started rambling about nonsense. This was all to Mel’s annoyance as she didn’t want to hear the order of the Batman movies and what happens in each one. I love it when Mel rants as she’s so sharp-tongued. I rarely can come back with anything as I’m laughing so much. We left Mel with the moon and stumbled in the dark back to the outdoor seating for dinner.
It was a mighty feast. I had steak, a sausage, potato salad, pasta salad and freshly baked bread. The meat was of a high standard which came as a relief. I’ve been put off of sausages lately thanks to the cheap supermarket branded shite.
Mel, Steff and I had a chuckle as we thought back to the night before when everyone was queueing for the free barbecue at the hostel. I was sceptical as to what this free barbecue included. By the time we rocked up they had ran out of bread. I couldn’t stop laughing at the fact that 20 people were queueing up for a sausage. What surprised me further was the shocked reaction from the queueing backpackers – “But it’s free.” Well yes, it is free, but I’d rather spend my time looking for somewhere half decent to eat and buy a meal than choke on a shrivelled scabby sausage. It was a very wise decision and one confirmed by the grumblings of those in the queue when I got back as they threw away said shrivelled scabby sausage upon receiving it. Sometimes the best things in life aren’t free my dear.
We ate like kings that night and I made sure I got a good fill. We took extra slices of toast for the next morning. I ate so much I could hardly breathe but I was happy.
The table discussed the trip and how surprised we all were at the high standards of it all. It does have a high price tag but so do all the other trips which aren’t even half as classy as this one.
Once dinner was over, we invited everyone back to our apartment for a game of charades. It is a game associated with tired parties and Christmas Day with the family but it’s a good laugh when we’re all a bit tipsy. I forgot to add that we had wine with the meal but I made sure I topped up as much as I could before anyone else noticed. I’m not sure how much I had but I was giggly. Mel and Steff love it when I’m drunk so I proved to be added entertainment for the evening.
At first nobody came over and we felt like rejects. Eventually the Canadian guy and Annette (one of the German girls) arrived. We wanted Drew to join in too so Mel and Emma went off to find him but failed. As if by magic he knocked on our door moments after they came back.
It was boys versus girls and I was determined to win, of course. There is an obvious downside to being good at charades. If you guess them too quickly, it gets boring for everyone pretty quickly. I grew cocky and relished in the challenges thrown at me. For some reason I stumbled on James and the Giant Peach.
Drew was hilarious and his hand signals for “in” had us in stitches. Steff’s attempt at Dumb and Dumber brought out the tears. I laughed so hard I couldn’t breathe. Steff does an excellent impression of someone being dumb!
Now the sensible thing to do would be to go to bed but I knew that when I woke up, it’d be time to leave the apartment. I wanted to take advantage of all the luxuries. We hadn’t really used the television and had previously brought across a pile of DVDs.
The choices were Mrs Doubtfire, Slumdog Millionnaire or LA Story. I really wanted to watch Slumdog but Mel and Steff didn’t fancy it. My second choice was Mrs Doubtfire but in the end we settled for LA Story as nobody had seen it before.
It’s such a weird little film and we didn’t get the comedy at all. I didn’t read the cover and got the film confused with Woody Allen’s Shop Girl. But instead it was an old-school Steve Martin film with a very young Sarah Jessica Parker. It’s something to do with him talking to an illuminated street sign. Most of the characters are vacuous and annoying so I was put off straight away. I always hate stopping a film part way through, even if I don’t like it. Part of me always hopes that I like it by the end.
We all skulked off to bed, disappointed with the night’s end. That soon changed when I enveloped myself in the duvet provided. It’s another thing that I’ve taken for granted and one that I’ve surprisingly not seen much of on my travels. Or, if I have, I’ve decided not to use it as I know that the covers don’t get washed after each occupant has left. Gross. Tonight was different and I slept like a log.
*****
Morning came far too quickly and I wasn’t ready to leave my bed. I contemplated barricading myself in and refusing to leave but that would get me nowhere. I admitted defeat at the last minute and haphazardly threw my things together to leave. I just about had time to eat some toast before we left.
There were only two stops during the second day. An awfully bumpy ride later and we were dropped off at the tranquil Lake McKenzie. White sand and clear water surrounded by picturesque landscape. Postcard fodder indeed.
I waded in the rather cold water, posed for photos and messed around with my waterproof camera. I’d say we had around 10 or 15 minutes of peace and quiet until the masses of tourists arrived. It was such a shame.
We moved across to a quieter beach, where Mel and Steff happened to be, and lounged on the sand until it was time to go.
Drew took us further into the subtropical rainforest where we stopped for lunch. Another filling feed in the form of turkey and beef wraps. There was a lot left over which was a bit of a waste. Mel asked if she could wrap some up for later. I knew there was an element of backpacker in her! For fear of missing out, a couple of others grabbed some too.
I didn’t put too much thought into the bush walk and thought it would be like the Blue Mountains or the Tiger Temple walk I did in Thailand. Drew warned us that once we decide to do the bush walk we can’t turn around and come back as he’s going to meet us at the other side. Everyone opted to do the walk.
Drew pointed out a lot of the trees and listed facts about them and other elements of the nature that surrounded us. I wasn’t paying too much attention. It was only when he mentioned spiders that my ears pricked up. He brought us across to a fallen tree and then pointed at a small hole in the ground. This is where funnel web spiders live. Drew warned us about the spiders and said that there will be species like this in the bush. Great!
As I was walking through the bush, I kept seeing holes of various sizes everywhere and wished that Drew kept his mouth shut. Ignorance is bliss you know!
Forty minutes or so of hell later and I was surprised I hadn’t screamed the whole forest down. Thankfully I only saw one small spider and a fat spider leg poking out of one of the holes. I didn’t want to hang about and wait for something to jump on my face!
Drew drove us back via the beach. We saw…
Dingoes.
What used to be a car.
...and coloured sand cliffs at the Cathedrals.
We still had some time left for cliche photos.
We said our goodbyes but didn’t swap details with anyone. Although, I did swap emails with Annette as we have photos of each other. After thanking Drew for a great trip, we packed up the car and left for Hervey Bay.
Fraser Island 07/05/2012 - 2 Days, 1 Night - Part 1
I wish I was a morning person. By that I mean, I wish my body and mind could function normally during the early hours of the day. At home, I can walk around undisturbed as it’s only me and my parents. Travelling, on the other hand, is not the greatest of circumstances when it comes to peace. I always find that people start being friendly and chatty to me just as I’ve woken up. It’s the worst time of the day for me and it’s a moment where I really don’t want to talk to anyone. But then again, it might be the only level of interaction I have for the day. Travelling with Mel and Steff has meant that I can ease off the talk in the morning as there’ll be plenty of that during the day. It’s something I have taken for granted and am strangely thankful for!
Unfortunately I had to let go of this on the morning of our trip to Fraser Island. It’s the first of three trips we booked through a travel agency. I had to wake up earlier than the others as I needed to get something that was buried in the car. I overestimated how long it would take me to do this and lost out on an extra half an hour’s sleep.
The three of us grabbed our bags that we packed the previous night and trudged to the front of the hostel. I forgot how cold it is that early in the morning and the bitterness snapped me awake slightly.
We saw a massive tank of a truck at the front of the hostel and thought it was our tour. A tall tanned older gentleman stepped down and asked for our names. He had such a deep German accent that I found it difficult keeping a straight face. I wanted him to utter the famous words – “Come with me if you want to live.” Shameful I know. I had to get some comedy out of the morning.
Luckily for him, he was only picking up people for the day trip. We had another 10 minutes or so for our truck to arrive so we crossed the road and stood in silence.
Soon enough our truck arrived and a bouncy guide stepped out and asked us our names. He made a joke, saying to Steffan – “So, you must be Danielle then.” It didn’t click straight away to him that it was a joke and we all screwed our faces up with tiredness.
We boarded the bus and joined another couple. Several others were picked up along the way until there were 10 of us in total. The group was made up of one Canadian couple, one couple from New Zealand, two Germans (I think!), one Brit and us. As it was such a small group, we were able to stretch out and spread our crap. It made the journey a lot more relaxing.
Our tour guide, Drew, asked how we all were over the microphone to which a feeble murmuring that merged into a communal grunt transpired back to him. I’m glad he was the only morning person on the bus as it meant that we could travel in silence.
Drew fired facts and information about the area and our itinerary for the day then put some music on for the rest of the journey. Our first stop was Tin Can Bay.
This was just a quick pit stop to feed the dolphins. There are one or two friendly dolphins that visit the bay every day.
By this point, everyone was pretty laid back and outstretched on their seats. Drew piped up that we best put our seat belts on as it’s going to be a bumpy ride. We laughed cockily until he said that some people bounce up to a metre off their seat. I didn’t fancy getting brain damage so followed orders.
He wasn’t lying! It was a very bumpy ride throughout the trip. For some reason, Mel was getting the brunt of it at the back and I couldn’t help but laugh as she flew about like a rag doll. The sound effects were hilarious too!
All it took was a short ferry ride from Rainbow Beach to Fraser Island. Time was flowing by at a nice pace and I wasn’t falling asleep which was good. I'd hate to have shelled out a couple of hundred dollars for a lie in.
It was at on this ferry where we first met fellow tourists. There were numerous jeeps emblazoned with the words Tag-Along-Tour. It looked like hell. A pack of sweaty travellers tumbled out of the back of one jeep and I did not envy them one bit. Looking around, it seemed like our tour was the Big Daddy of them all. The truck, aptly named Xena, dwarfed everything else on the ferry. It felt awesome to finally be indulging in some form of luxury for once.
We stopped off at few points along the coast of Fraser Island. In doing so, I felt like a proper tourist. It was very much a drive, stop, point, take photos, drive, stop…etc. It was interesting though.
The day was broken up nicely with morning tea and cake but by lunch time we were all very hungry. A nice chicken sandwich somewhat satiated me but I knew that a big dinner was coming so I was happy.
Once lunch was out of the way, we all tackled a semi-steep climb to the view point at Indian Head. Whilst sitting down at lunch, I didn’t notice any sort of view really. We were sat on rocks looking out to the sea which was pretty standard stuff. It was only as I climbed further up that I realised how spectacular the view was.
The bright neon-esque colour of the sea complimented the rugged dark orange and brown territory. I felt like I was in an Andy Warhol painting it was that bright.
Mel's photo captures the colour a lot better.
We spent quite a while there taking photos and relaxing by the edge. A cooling breeze brushed against my face and my whole body heaved with gratitude. It was one of only a few moments in Australia that I’ve had where I’ve been truly content. It makes a change from being my stresshead self.
It was time to head back to the accommodation. We naturally made a few stops on the way back.
On the last toilet stop before our accommodation, we visited a small food store. As it was the only one around for miles, it was quite pricey. I decided to skip on treats, including alcohol, as I wasn't really in the mood.
Pinned up on one of the fridges was a photograph of a surfer who was being tailed by a massive shark. It was a haunting photo and added to my increasing fear of Aussie oceans. The guy managed to swim back to the shore unharmed but it’s not the point!
Our place of residence for the night was located in Happy Valley. I hoped that wasn’t an ironic name tag. My qualms were not eased by Drew’s warning about the dingoes in the area. The outside area surrounding our accommodation is covered with electric traps. We were told to use the footpath and not the driveway as we’d be electrocuted! I’d rather stay in than risk crossing a dingo or an electric minefield! I’m glad I wasn’t one of the many campers on the beach that night.
Drew pulled up to the apartments and called out the room allocations. I was put with Mel and Steff along with another girl who we all spoke to intermittently throughout the day. There were two couples who were friendly enough but stuck to their partners and two other girls who were quite quiet so we were happy with the selection.
Everyone was eager to see their rooms so we practically sprinted out the truck and across to our apartment.
Our jaws dropped. Flipping heckers. Although it was a clean-cut standard apartment, to us it was like something out of Cribs. It was like a house and it’s an environment neither of us had experienced for a very long time.
Unfortunately I had to let go of this on the morning of our trip to Fraser Island. It’s the first of three trips we booked through a travel agency. I had to wake up earlier than the others as I needed to get something that was buried in the car. I overestimated how long it would take me to do this and lost out on an extra half an hour’s sleep.
The three of us grabbed our bags that we packed the previous night and trudged to the front of the hostel. I forgot how cold it is that early in the morning and the bitterness snapped me awake slightly.
We saw a massive tank of a truck at the front of the hostel and thought it was our tour. A tall tanned older gentleman stepped down and asked for our names. He had such a deep German accent that I found it difficult keeping a straight face. I wanted him to utter the famous words – “Come with me if you want to live.” Shameful I know. I had to get some comedy out of the morning.
Luckily for him, he was only picking up people for the day trip. We had another 10 minutes or so for our truck to arrive so we crossed the road and stood in silence.
Soon enough our truck arrived and a bouncy guide stepped out and asked us our names. He made a joke, saying to Steffan – “So, you must be Danielle then.” It didn’t click straight away to him that it was a joke and we all screwed our faces up with tiredness.
We boarded the bus and joined another couple. Several others were picked up along the way until there were 10 of us in total. The group was made up of one Canadian couple, one couple from New Zealand, two Germans (I think!), one Brit and us. As it was such a small group, we were able to stretch out and spread our crap. It made the journey a lot more relaxing.
Our tour guide, Drew, asked how we all were over the microphone to which a feeble murmuring that merged into a communal grunt transpired back to him. I’m glad he was the only morning person on the bus as it meant that we could travel in silence.
Drew fired facts and information about the area and our itinerary for the day then put some music on for the rest of the journey. Our first stop was Tin Can Bay.
This was just a quick pit stop to feed the dolphins. There are one or two friendly dolphins that visit the bay every day.
Er...yum!
By this point, everyone was pretty laid back and outstretched on their seats. Drew piped up that we best put our seat belts on as it’s going to be a bumpy ride. We laughed cockily until he said that some people bounce up to a metre off their seat. I didn’t fancy getting brain damage so followed orders.
He wasn’t lying! It was a very bumpy ride throughout the trip. For some reason, Mel was getting the brunt of it at the back and I couldn’t help but laugh as she flew about like a rag doll. The sound effects were hilarious too!
All it took was a short ferry ride from Rainbow Beach to Fraser Island. Time was flowing by at a nice pace and I wasn’t falling asleep which was good. I'd hate to have shelled out a couple of hundred dollars for a lie in.
It was at on this ferry where we first met fellow tourists. There were numerous jeeps emblazoned with the words Tag-Along-Tour. It looked like hell. A pack of sweaty travellers tumbled out of the back of one jeep and I did not envy them one bit. Looking around, it seemed like our tour was the Big Daddy of them all. The truck, aptly named Xena, dwarfed everything else on the ferry. It felt awesome to finally be indulging in some form of luxury for once.
Tea-coloured waters.
Me and the pippie I dug up. I think it likes me.
Eli Creek: The current is strong enough to carry you down but I decided to take my towel for some reason so I just waded through. It was still a nice little wander.
The day was broken up nicely with morning tea and cake but by lunch time we were all very hungry. A nice chicken sandwich somewhat satiated me but I knew that a big dinner was coming so I was happy.
Once lunch was out of the way, we all tackled a semi-steep climb to the view point at Indian Head. Whilst sitting down at lunch, I didn’t notice any sort of view really. We were sat on rocks looking out to the sea which was pretty standard stuff. It was only as I climbed further up that I realised how spectacular the view was.
Almost there...
Wow.
The bright neon-esque colour of the sea complimented the rugged dark orange and brown territory. I felt like I was in an Andy Warhol painting it was that bright.
Mel's photo captures the colour a lot better.
We spent quite a while there taking photos and relaxing by the edge. A cooling breeze brushed against my face and my whole body heaved with gratitude. It was one of only a few moments in Australia that I’ve had where I’ve been truly content. It makes a change from being my stresshead self.
It was time to head back to the accommodation. We naturally made a few stops on the way back.
Sand cliffs.
Cheeky Kiwi!
On the last toilet stop before our accommodation, we visited a small food store. As it was the only one around for miles, it was quite pricey. I decided to skip on treats, including alcohol, as I wasn't really in the mood.
Pinned up on one of the fridges was a photograph of a surfer who was being tailed by a massive shark. It was a haunting photo and added to my increasing fear of Aussie oceans. The guy managed to swim back to the shore unharmed but it’s not the point!
Our place of residence for the night was located in Happy Valley. I hoped that wasn’t an ironic name tag. My qualms were not eased by Drew’s warning about the dingoes in the area. The outside area surrounding our accommodation is covered with electric traps. We were told to use the footpath and not the driveway as we’d be electrocuted! I’d rather stay in than risk crossing a dingo or an electric minefield! I’m glad I wasn’t one of the many campers on the beach that night.
Drew pulled up to the apartments and called out the room allocations. I was put with Mel and Steff along with another girl who we all spoke to intermittently throughout the day. There were two couples who were friendly enough but stuck to their partners and two other girls who were quite quiet so we were happy with the selection.
Everyone was eager to see their rooms so we practically sprinted out the truck and across to our apartment.
Our jaws dropped. Flipping heckers. Although it was a clean-cut standard apartment, to us it was like something out of Cribs. It was like a house and it’s an environment neither of us had experienced for a very long time.
Thursday, 17 May 2012
Noosa 05/05/2012 - Two Nights
Counting down the days during my last week in Brisbane filled me with great joy. This was tainted slightly as our old reliable car had packed up on us. It failed the garage test which meant we could not re-register or insure it. Basically it means the car is worthless.
It’s probably the worst news a group of travellers can get when they are days from starting a road trip. Whilst my mind was ticking over our options Mel and Steff were getting stressed about everything and cursing the day they ever came to Australia. It was all very dramatic. We’ve each had times when we have said that but things always work out in the end. It seemed our only option was to scrap the car and buy a new one. I did not fancy doing that as we were days from leaving.
Instead I offered to pay the rego and insurance whilst the money originally put in to pay for all this would be used to fix the car. Steff just happened to be pretty clued up when it comes to cars and he amazingly managed to get the parts needed for knock down prices at a scrap yard. Mel and Steff would wire me the money later once they picked up jobs at the end of their trip. I’m not that generous!
All this running about back and forth from Tweeds Head (back to NSW as that’s where the car was bought) meant that Steff had to take some time off from work which was a shame but secretly Mel and I were jealous of the fact that Steff managed to escape work for a couple of days! He even got to go on the Superman ride again at Movie World as he drove through Gold Coast.
To make up for some of the loss in earnings, Steff worked an extra day on Saturday whilst Mel and I were left to pack up the camping stuff. What should have been a relatively swift job turned into an exhausting onslaught of horridness.
The sun was beaming down on us and there was no shade to be found. We dragged everything out of the tent and started packing up. I squished down my airbed no problem. Mel went to do hers but nothing happened. Try as we may, that airbed would not go down. Half an hour later and we were still just as dazed and confused. Oh and profusely sweaty.
We enlisted the help of Steff via Blackberry but all we received was a torrent of abuse about how useless we were. Mel figured it out in the end but we’d wasted so much time doing that. Normally packing up takes us around 20 or 30 minutes but Mel and I spent a good few hours sorting everything out – such as the ant infestation! - and packing the car. It was unbelievable how long it took.
Mel and I were beat and we needed a shower fast. We drove to reception, checked out and asked to go for a shower. The receptionist frowned at us and said we should have had our showers earlier. Somehow, the receptionist saw the devastation in our eyes and pitied us enough to let us shower free of charge. We had just spent four weeks at the camp site so I'd like to think we deserved some goodwill!
Eventually we left to pick up Steff and headed to our first destination, Noosa. We’d heard all but good things about the place. It was described as Byron Bay before the crowds took over the place. This sounded right up our streets.
As we drove in, we passed high-end resort after spa after luxury apartments. It was a sight that saw our hearts sigh a little as we wished we had enough money to stay in one of those places.
We reached the heart of Noosa to find it buzzing with people. Noosa is made up of a cluster of restaurants and bars but was a lot more clean-cut than Byron Bay.
After the disaster that was this morning, the last thing we wanted to do was camp again. We booked two nights in Noosa before we departed for Fraser Island. We used this time to relax and spend time at the lovely beach there. Everything was so close together, it made things easy.
We ate well, eating out at a bar by the beach during the day and a pocket friendly fish and chip shop pointed out by a friendly 7 Eleven attendant by night. Everything was running smoothly and we were back to being our happy and chilled selves.
However, a hostel wouldn’t be a hostel without the token weirdos. This came during our second night where a random Swedish guy got up in the early hours to tackle the plumbing issue we had. He successfully unblocked the sink but made a mess in doing it. Mad. This coupled with a girl who had an awful tickly cough which meant she coughed every few seconds meant that we didn’t get the peaceful sleeps that we hoped but at least we were indoors and didn’t have to pack up a tent!
I was so excited for the Fraser Island trip but wasn’t looking forward to the early start. The pickup was 6:20am but I needed to unpack the car to get my lenses out as I’d forgotten to do that during the day. Naturally, I couldn’t sleep. I just hoped that I’d be awake enough to enjoy the trip.
It’s probably the worst news a group of travellers can get when they are days from starting a road trip. Whilst my mind was ticking over our options Mel and Steff were getting stressed about everything and cursing the day they ever came to Australia. It was all very dramatic. We’ve each had times when we have said that but things always work out in the end. It seemed our only option was to scrap the car and buy a new one. I did not fancy doing that as we were days from leaving.
Instead I offered to pay the rego and insurance whilst the money originally put in to pay for all this would be used to fix the car. Steff just happened to be pretty clued up when it comes to cars and he amazingly managed to get the parts needed for knock down prices at a scrap yard. Mel and Steff would wire me the money later once they picked up jobs at the end of their trip. I’m not that generous!
All this running about back and forth from Tweeds Head (back to NSW as that’s where the car was bought) meant that Steff had to take some time off from work which was a shame but secretly Mel and I were jealous of the fact that Steff managed to escape work for a couple of days! He even got to go on the Superman ride again at Movie World as he drove through Gold Coast.
To make up for some of the loss in earnings, Steff worked an extra day on Saturday whilst Mel and I were left to pack up the camping stuff. What should have been a relatively swift job turned into an exhausting onslaught of horridness.
The sun was beaming down on us and there was no shade to be found. We dragged everything out of the tent and started packing up. I squished down my airbed no problem. Mel went to do hers but nothing happened. Try as we may, that airbed would not go down. Half an hour later and we were still just as dazed and confused. Oh and profusely sweaty.
We enlisted the help of Steff via Blackberry but all we received was a torrent of abuse about how useless we were. Mel figured it out in the end but we’d wasted so much time doing that. Normally packing up takes us around 20 or 30 minutes but Mel and I spent a good few hours sorting everything out – such as the ant infestation! - and packing the car. It was unbelievable how long it took.
Mel and I were beat and we needed a shower fast. We drove to reception, checked out and asked to go for a shower. The receptionist frowned at us and said we should have had our showers earlier. Somehow, the receptionist saw the devastation in our eyes and pitied us enough to let us shower free of charge. We had just spent four weeks at the camp site so I'd like to think we deserved some goodwill!
Eventually we left to pick up Steff and headed to our first destination, Noosa. We’d heard all but good things about the place. It was described as Byron Bay before the crowds took over the place. This sounded right up our streets.
As we drove in, we passed high-end resort after spa after luxury apartments. It was a sight that saw our hearts sigh a little as we wished we had enough money to stay in one of those places.
We reached the heart of Noosa to find it buzzing with people. Noosa is made up of a cluster of restaurants and bars but was a lot more clean-cut than Byron Bay.
After the disaster that was this morning, the last thing we wanted to do was camp again. We booked two nights in Noosa before we departed for Fraser Island. We used this time to relax and spend time at the lovely beach there. Everything was so close together, it made things easy.
We ate well, eating out at a bar by the beach during the day and a pocket friendly fish and chip shop pointed out by a friendly 7 Eleven attendant by night. Everything was running smoothly and we were back to being our happy and chilled selves.
However, a hostel wouldn’t be a hostel without the token weirdos. This came during our second night where a random Swedish guy got up in the early hours to tackle the plumbing issue we had. He successfully unblocked the sink but made a mess in doing it. Mad. This coupled with a girl who had an awful tickly cough which meant she coughed every few seconds meant that we didn’t get the peaceful sleeps that we hoped but at least we were indoors and didn’t have to pack up a tent!
I was so excited for the Fraser Island trip but wasn’t looking forward to the early start. The pickup was 6:20am but I needed to unpack the car to get my lenses out as I’d forgotten to do that during the day. Naturally, I couldn’t sleep. I just hoped that I’d be awake enough to enjoy the trip.
Monday, 14 May 2012
Brisbane Contd...Sitting, Waiting, Wishing.
It wasn’t the mounting list of weirdos that drove us out of Brisbane YHA, but the never-ending need to save money. I feel like a broken record but it’s always about the money.
It was Good Friday. Mel and Steff were out building a boat and I decided to checkout of our room and chill out on the top floor until they finished. We found a campsite within 3 train stops of Fortitude Valley, where we were working which was perfect for us. The others took the car to work with the camping stuff so there was no point rocking up to the campsite to sit on a naked piece of grass.
I sat and ate breakfast in full view of the random woman from Earth Hour night. This time she had a Joker (Batman) face thanks to a long strand of sour cream which ran up either side of her face. The woman was sat mumbling to herself. It was another odd sight to add to the hostel weirdo collection.
Thankfully Mac was around so we whiled away the hours by playing pool and bouncing off each other with the fight talk. I plainly won due to the fact that Mac had no idea what I was saying. He didn’t know what a git was nor did he know the word faff. I’ve used it in my blog a few times so I apologise to those who too didn’t know what I was waffling on about. Faff means to dither about and generally waste time whether on purpose or not.
Soon enough, it was time to say goodbye to the hostel.
It did end up being a bit of a mad rush to get to the campsite before reception closed but we made it. There were no frills and bows to this place. There was a small outside kitchen area, showers, toilets and laundry. No common room, games room or jumping bean.
Our life was dull as doorknobs. We got up, got ready, went to work, came back and rushed to the supermarket to grab some food before closing, ate and went to bed. This was our Monday to Friday cycle so even if there was a common room, we would have seldom seen it!
Weather permitting, Mel and Steff still worked on the boat and I wandered about aimlessly looking for something to do. My brain was so drained of batteries that I could barely form words at the weekend. Imagine sitting listening to yourself say the same thing repeatedly. I didn’t blame people for hanging up on me. There were many times when I wanted to face plant my computer screen.
Our only excitement came from when Mac stayed with us for a week to sample a bit of camp life. He was sorely disappointed when he couldn’t start a camp fire. It must be a popular pastime in Canada. Drama also ensued when Mel became very ill due to on-going problems related to a past illness. The treatment Mel received made us all think twice about slating the NHS in England!
Oh it was also great fun when Steff lost the car keys. I was lucky as my suitcase was in the tent. Unfortunately everything that Mel and Steff owned (bar the tent etc) was in the car. Getting a locksmith to come out and fix us up a new key was around $300. It was a good job they found it the next day. Steff had left it in a café where they had breakfast that morning.
Surprisingly that’s a day where we hardly argued. We all fell silent in defeat. Steff was incredibly hard on himself and because it was something that effected everyone and consequently could have cost us a lot of money that we didn’t have, we couldn’t laugh it off.
It’s ok though as we all lived somewhat happily ever after once we quit our jobs and left Brisbane. We booked three trips – Two days and one night on Fraser Island, a one day and one night Castaway trip at 1770 and a three days and two nights boat trip around the Whitsunday Islands. We originally booked the Noosa Everglades trip but backed out as we’d spent the majority of our time camping up the East Coast. We decided it was time for a break! Instead, Mel was able to get the voucher transferred across to the Fraser Island trip instead and the value was deducted from the trip.
As always, it wasn’t easy to begin with. After the troubles I had with STA, I felt like a jinx when we had issues with Peter Pan (an Australian operated travel company…not the fairy tale character!). It’s a complicated story but the footnotes version is that our booking was lost and the person we spoke to was actually based in the Cairns branch so nobody in Brisbane had a clue what we were on about. Mel and I are both outspoken enough to get things sorted but it wasn’t easy. Unlike the email battle I had with STA, we were able to sort things out partially over the phone and then in person.
It does make me worry about my next locations as I will have booked things for New Zealand, Fiji and America! I need to find myself a good luck charm sharpish.
The elation of not having to work again whilst travelling is indescribable. I’m so happy that I can finally get back to travelling and not have anything holding me back. The prospect of leaving and starting afresh in a new country is both nerve-wracking and exciting as always. This time it is slightly different as I’ll feel like I’m leaving family behind by saying goodbye to Mel and Steff. We best make the most of my time and hope that my final weeks in Australia will make up for time lost through working to live.
It was Good Friday. Mel and Steff were out building a boat and I decided to checkout of our room and chill out on the top floor until they finished. We found a campsite within 3 train stops of Fortitude Valley, where we were working which was perfect for us. The others took the car to work with the camping stuff so there was no point rocking up to the campsite to sit on a naked piece of grass.
I sat and ate breakfast in full view of the random woman from Earth Hour night. This time she had a Joker (Batman) face thanks to a long strand of sour cream which ran up either side of her face. The woman was sat mumbling to herself. It was another odd sight to add to the hostel weirdo collection.
Thankfully Mac was around so we whiled away the hours by playing pool and bouncing off each other with the fight talk. I plainly won due to the fact that Mac had no idea what I was saying. He didn’t know what a git was nor did he know the word faff. I’ve used it in my blog a few times so I apologise to those who too didn’t know what I was waffling on about. Faff means to dither about and generally waste time whether on purpose or not.
Soon enough, it was time to say goodbye to the hostel.
Not a bad view for a lowly dorm in Brisbane.
It did end up being a bit of a mad rush to get to the campsite before reception closed but we made it. There were no frills and bows to this place. There was a small outside kitchen area, showers, toilets and laundry. No common room, games room or jumping bean.
Our life was dull as doorknobs. We got up, got ready, went to work, came back and rushed to the supermarket to grab some food before closing, ate and went to bed. This was our Monday to Friday cycle so even if there was a common room, we would have seldom seen it!
Weather permitting, Mel and Steff still worked on the boat and I wandered about aimlessly looking for something to do. My brain was so drained of batteries that I could barely form words at the weekend. Imagine sitting listening to yourself say the same thing repeatedly. I didn’t blame people for hanging up on me. There were many times when I wanted to face plant my computer screen.
Our only excitement came from when Mac stayed with us for a week to sample a bit of camp life. He was sorely disappointed when he couldn’t start a camp fire. It must be a popular pastime in Canada. Drama also ensued when Mel became very ill due to on-going problems related to a past illness. The treatment Mel received made us all think twice about slating the NHS in England!
Oh it was also great fun when Steff lost the car keys. I was lucky as my suitcase was in the tent. Unfortunately everything that Mel and Steff owned (bar the tent etc) was in the car. Getting a locksmith to come out and fix us up a new key was around $300. It was a good job they found it the next day. Steff had left it in a café where they had breakfast that morning.
Surprisingly that’s a day where we hardly argued. We all fell silent in defeat. Steff was incredibly hard on himself and because it was something that effected everyone and consequently could have cost us a lot of money that we didn’t have, we couldn’t laugh it off.
It’s ok though as we all lived somewhat happily ever after once we quit our jobs and left Brisbane. We booked three trips – Two days and one night on Fraser Island, a one day and one night Castaway trip at 1770 and a three days and two nights boat trip around the Whitsunday Islands. We originally booked the Noosa Everglades trip but backed out as we’d spent the majority of our time camping up the East Coast. We decided it was time for a break! Instead, Mel was able to get the voucher transferred across to the Fraser Island trip instead and the value was deducted from the trip.
As always, it wasn’t easy to begin with. After the troubles I had with STA, I felt like a jinx when we had issues with Peter Pan (an Australian operated travel company…not the fairy tale character!). It’s a complicated story but the footnotes version is that our booking was lost and the person we spoke to was actually based in the Cairns branch so nobody in Brisbane had a clue what we were on about. Mel and I are both outspoken enough to get things sorted but it wasn’t easy. Unlike the email battle I had with STA, we were able to sort things out partially over the phone and then in person.
It does make me worry about my next locations as I will have booked things for New Zealand, Fiji and America! I need to find myself a good luck charm sharpish.
The elation of not having to work again whilst travelling is indescribable. I’m so happy that I can finally get back to travelling and not have anything holding me back. The prospect of leaving and starting afresh in a new country is both nerve-wracking and exciting as always. This time it is slightly different as I’ll feel like I’m leaving family behind by saying goodbye to Mel and Steff. We best make the most of my time and hope that my final weeks in Australia will make up for time lost through working to live.
Friday, 11 May 2012
Brisbane Contd...The Longest Day
I awoke still not knowing whether I had a job or not. I called up as soon as the office opened and found out that we got it. Hooray. However, we did have to wait a little longer to find out if we could get on the training for that day (with Mel) or not. It was fully booked.
Mel left for her training and it wasn’t until it started that we found out we could come in. So off we rushed in hope that we hadn’t missed that much. It didn’t help that Steff wasn’t even ready when we received the phone call.
Having seen what people turned up to the interviews in, I decided to go in casual clothing. Wrong. Everyone was in shirts and dresses. Damn. We happened to walk in just as the trainer, Wayne, was describing what the dress code is. No thongs (flip flops), which we were both wearing and no three-quarter shorts, which Steff was wearing. Oh well!
Today happened to feel like the longest day of my trip so far. The training involved Wayne talking through a power point display and he threw in plenty of jokes but I still felt like falling asleep. It’s something we needed to go through as I’ve never done a job like this before plus, I needed to know as much information as possible about what I’ll be talking about on the phone!
With every group you get the one odd bod and this training group was no different. This girl was ker-razy! Every few minutes she’d say something weird and I’m not sure if it was a cry out for attention or if she was just plain weird. For instance, at one point she shouted out that one time a girl she didn’t know punched her in the face whilst she was in a restaurant. What do you say to that? Thankfully it was just half a day so I could just about tolerate the day.
Back at the hostel, in our wonderful backpacker wisdom, it was decided that we’d each take it in turns cooking. It’s always a pain to do so it’s nice to have a couple of days rest safe in the knowledge that somebody else will be doing the legwork. It’d also save on arguments over what to have as the cook chooses the dish.
The first night was Mel’s as it was her idea. I’m glad I had nothing to do with it as it took forever to make. I needed to think of something quick and simple as I didn’t want to be spending an hour and a half sweating in the kitchen!
Mel’s concoction was curried mince, mash and veg and it was quite tasty. In Come Dine With Me style we gave Mel marks out of ten. I think we marked Mel at 13. Not to worry as free pizza was on its way thanks to a travel talk. We had no idea what it entailed but I could always do with educating on travelling.
It turned out to be a representative from a tour operator. Mel, Steff and I had thought about booking trips for the rest of the way up the East Coast as we’d spent so much money and we’d not done as much as we’d hoped.
James from Discovery wowed us with the tours they offered. The first was a trip to the Noosa Everglades. It was a camping and canoeing trip and very much self-guided. You get given a map and are left to fend for yourself. It sounded quite exciting and I was surprised when Mel also showed an interest in the trip. It sounded very much like the Blue Mountains trip I took in that it’s all scenery and walking.
The next trip was for Fraser Island and looked fantastic. It was a luxury tour for sure. It was a sights trip more than activities and the food looked brilliant. Something I have been lacking in as of late.
A prize was given out – a free trip to the Noosa Everglades. To win, the first person to put their hand up and answer a question (related to the talk) correctly, won. I was too slow and a guy at the back won. Mel was gutted and, to be fair, seemed to be the only person alive in the room, asking plenty of questions.
I piped up with one, asking what the camping gear was like…specifically if the pans are non-stick. Not the best of questions nor was it that important. It was definitely something that should have stayed in my head and not burst out of my mouth.
James took a shine to Mel’s eagerness and asked another question that nobody expected. Mel’s arm nearly flew off its socket. With the question answered correctly, Mel had won a place on a Noosa Everglades trip. Nice one!
We chilled out by the pool table for the rest of the evening. My pool skills have not improved over the years so it was a bit embarrassing playing against power couple Mel and Steff. I played Mac and won so I felt a bit better about myself.
It’s always annoying how the evenings disappear when work is looming the next day. Well, training should I say, but still. Another day, another dollar…Ok I’m not getting paid until Thursday. You get the picture though!
Training was a little more bearable than the day before. I managed to speak to a couple of people within our training group as well as current workers. I felt a little bit better about my circumstances as I was surrounded by good people.
Again, not a lot to report – training by day, pool playing by night. Money is my priority so unfortunately, I’m going to be spending my days trying to save rather than spend.
There were three things different about the next day. Firstly, I worked a full day from 11am until 8pm. Another change is that I was finally getting paid for something! Finally, we had the ping pong. It’s an item of equipment that seems to be following us around so it seems. It certainly broke up the day nicely and it felt like it counted towards some sort of fitness seen as my future days were due to entail being tied to a desk and headset.
Most of the day was spent recapping what had been told to us on the previous days. I didn’t mind at all, anything to put off the inevitable suited me just fine. I was very nervous about getting on the phones.
When it got to it, I did alright. It’s not the worst of the worst, I’m calling people to ask if they want to save money on their electricity and not selling them something they don’t need. I still have a soul, don’t worry.
I got so worked up about the day and what was looming that I forgot it was my turn to cook tea. My first reaction wasn’t great as I was shocked the guys wanted food. It was far from my mind. After things calmed down, I had ten minutes to find something at the supermarket. I wasn’t used to Queensland operating times. It still baffles me that shops would close that early. Well, 9pm is early to me!
Skimming the aisles, I managed to find inspiration. A beef stir fry. I had issues with the green beans but everything turned out fantastically...if I say so myself. I got some good marks as it did go down a storm. I also bought dessert and said to the guys that the meal was on me. I felt bad for forgetting it was my night to cook and we could all do with a treat seen as our funds were dwindling.
The guys were really grateful and I even got a berry muffin for my efforts thanks to Mel.
We spent the evening working off our massive feed with a few games of pool. I still sucked but I was gradually getting better thanks to the tuition from the Mr and Mrs Pool.
It felt like the week had just started seen as I only just got on the phones at work. Easter weekend had other plans for me as everything shut down. Mel and Steff had their boat duties though so, again, I was left to my own devices. I had no idea what I was going to do.
Mel left for her training and it wasn’t until it started that we found out we could come in. So off we rushed in hope that we hadn’t missed that much. It didn’t help that Steff wasn’t even ready when we received the phone call.
Having seen what people turned up to the interviews in, I decided to go in casual clothing. Wrong. Everyone was in shirts and dresses. Damn. We happened to walk in just as the trainer, Wayne, was describing what the dress code is. No thongs (flip flops), which we were both wearing and no three-quarter shorts, which Steff was wearing. Oh well!
Today happened to feel like the longest day of my trip so far. The training involved Wayne talking through a power point display and he threw in plenty of jokes but I still felt like falling asleep. It’s something we needed to go through as I’ve never done a job like this before plus, I needed to know as much information as possible about what I’ll be talking about on the phone!
With every group you get the one odd bod and this training group was no different. This girl was ker-razy! Every few minutes she’d say something weird and I’m not sure if it was a cry out for attention or if she was just plain weird. For instance, at one point she shouted out that one time a girl she didn’t know punched her in the face whilst she was in a restaurant. What do you say to that? Thankfully it was just half a day so I could just about tolerate the day.
Back at the hostel, in our wonderful backpacker wisdom, it was decided that we’d each take it in turns cooking. It’s always a pain to do so it’s nice to have a couple of days rest safe in the knowledge that somebody else will be doing the legwork. It’d also save on arguments over what to have as the cook chooses the dish.
The first night was Mel’s as it was her idea. I’m glad I had nothing to do with it as it took forever to make. I needed to think of something quick and simple as I didn’t want to be spending an hour and a half sweating in the kitchen!
Mel’s concoction was curried mince, mash and veg and it was quite tasty. In Come Dine With Me style we gave Mel marks out of ten. I think we marked Mel at 13. Not to worry as free pizza was on its way thanks to a travel talk. We had no idea what it entailed but I could always do with educating on travelling.
It turned out to be a representative from a tour operator. Mel, Steff and I had thought about booking trips for the rest of the way up the East Coast as we’d spent so much money and we’d not done as much as we’d hoped.
James from Discovery wowed us with the tours they offered. The first was a trip to the Noosa Everglades. It was a camping and canoeing trip and very much self-guided. You get given a map and are left to fend for yourself. It sounded quite exciting and I was surprised when Mel also showed an interest in the trip. It sounded very much like the Blue Mountains trip I took in that it’s all scenery and walking.
The next trip was for Fraser Island and looked fantastic. It was a luxury tour for sure. It was a sights trip more than activities and the food looked brilliant. Something I have been lacking in as of late.
A prize was given out – a free trip to the Noosa Everglades. To win, the first person to put their hand up and answer a question (related to the talk) correctly, won. I was too slow and a guy at the back won. Mel was gutted and, to be fair, seemed to be the only person alive in the room, asking plenty of questions.
I piped up with one, asking what the camping gear was like…specifically if the pans are non-stick. Not the best of questions nor was it that important. It was definitely something that should have stayed in my head and not burst out of my mouth.
James took a shine to Mel’s eagerness and asked another question that nobody expected. Mel’s arm nearly flew off its socket. With the question answered correctly, Mel had won a place on a Noosa Everglades trip. Nice one!
We chilled out by the pool table for the rest of the evening. My pool skills have not improved over the years so it was a bit embarrassing playing against power couple Mel and Steff. I played Mac and won so I felt a bit better about myself.
It’s always annoying how the evenings disappear when work is looming the next day. Well, training should I say, but still. Another day, another dollar…Ok I’m not getting paid until Thursday. You get the picture though!
*****
Training was a little more bearable than the day before. I managed to speak to a couple of people within our training group as well as current workers. I felt a little bit better about my circumstances as I was surrounded by good people.
Again, not a lot to report – training by day, pool playing by night. Money is my priority so unfortunately, I’m going to be spending my days trying to save rather than spend.
*****
There were three things different about the next day. Firstly, I worked a full day from 11am until 8pm. Another change is that I was finally getting paid for something! Finally, we had the ping pong. It’s an item of equipment that seems to be following us around so it seems. It certainly broke up the day nicely and it felt like it counted towards some sort of fitness seen as my future days were due to entail being tied to a desk and headset.
Most of the day was spent recapping what had been told to us on the previous days. I didn’t mind at all, anything to put off the inevitable suited me just fine. I was very nervous about getting on the phones.
When it got to it, I did alright. It’s not the worst of the worst, I’m calling people to ask if they want to save money on their electricity and not selling them something they don’t need. I still have a soul, don’t worry.
I got so worked up about the day and what was looming that I forgot it was my turn to cook tea. My first reaction wasn’t great as I was shocked the guys wanted food. It was far from my mind. After things calmed down, I had ten minutes to find something at the supermarket. I wasn’t used to Queensland operating times. It still baffles me that shops would close that early. Well, 9pm is early to me!
Skimming the aisles, I managed to find inspiration. A beef stir fry. I had issues with the green beans but everything turned out fantastically...if I say so myself. I got some good marks as it did go down a storm. I also bought dessert and said to the guys that the meal was on me. I felt bad for forgetting it was my night to cook and we could all do with a treat seen as our funds were dwindling.
The guys were really grateful and I even got a berry muffin for my efforts thanks to Mel.
We spent the evening working off our massive feed with a few games of pool. I still sucked but I was gradually getting better thanks to the tuition from the Mr and Mrs Pool.
It felt like the week had just started seen as I only just got on the phones at work. Easter weekend had other plans for me as everything shut down. Mel and Steff had their boat duties though so, again, I was left to my own devices. I had no idea what I was going to do.
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