Before I move on to telling you about the Whitsundays, just a little more on Fraser that I omitted in yesterday's post.
First I have to tell you about the crazy bus driver we had on our tour. His name was Dave and he looked like a proper Aussie in his shorts, boots and hat. He had the dirtiest laugh and told the dirties, close to the mark jokes you could think of. He also had an obsession with drugs, mostly of the natural kind like how poisons and toxins affect the body but then he'd spill into what he learnt from a documentary about the full moon parties in Thailand! Most of it was really interesting but he did love the sound of his own voice (and laugh) a little too much at times. Tour guides really don't like silence (especially when you're really tired and in need of a power nap on the bus).
He's got some rap video on YouTube that he re-enacted for us on the drive down the beach but I can't find it to share with you. DJ dingo or something like that but I now can't remember.
Anyway, for those of you who've never been to Fraser, it's the world's largest sand island. It doesn't look like it's all sand as it's covered with miles and miles of forest but underneath all that it's still heaps and heaps of sand. The beaches are beautiful and the water in the creeks and lakes is crystal clear. No murky waters here. We packed so much into our second day that I forgot to mention all the places we went to. After the plane ride we checked out the wreck of the Maheno, walked along a huge sand dune that felt like you were in the desert, looked at the multicoloured layers of sand at the Pinnacles, climbed up Indian Head to see the whales spouting water and slapping their huge fins. We also visited Eli Creek. Definitely not to be missed if you're heading down the Queensland coast.
Anyway, so with that bit of further information for you just so you don't feel like you're missing out, on to the next set of islands - the Whitsundays. This trip was definitely more of a backpackers fest. When everyone rocked up to the marina with crates of beer and boxes of wine I knew it wasn't going to be a peaceful one. Got chatting to a lovely Irish couple, Pat and Theresa, straight away on the boat so that was a good start. In fact the trip was spent mostly hanging out with the Irish as there were four great girls doing their travelling round Oz before settling in Perth to work for the rest of their year away. I practically had an Irish accent by the end of the three days.
So we set off on the boat for South Molle Island, where we were staying. A short walk up through a bit of rainforest and we were watching the sun set over the islands. The trouble with that was that then we were coming down from the hill and through the forest in the pitch black by the time we got to the bottom. Not an easy task even with a few torches to light our way!
After dinner in the bar it was on to the Club 18-30esque drinking games. Yes, it was pushing the limits of my tolerance for a little bit but you've just got to get stuck in and not sit on the sidelines and moan. So a game of beer racing, flip cup and sex positions later and we all knew each other a little better than before! I did get to play the sex positions game with a Canadian guy who looked like the main character out of Prison Break (yes ladies, it's a hard life but someone's got to do it) but it did get pretty embarassing the more intimate things got. We deliberately bailed after a few, not quite entering into the spirit of it.
I was sharing a room with a Belgian girl who was also travelling on her own (the rest of the crowd were groups of friends or couples) and a couple of English guys in their early twenties. Bless 'em the guys were really sweet but there's a reason why you go for all-female dorms in the hostels! One of them must be allergic to alcohol or something as both nights he spent most of his time in the toilets throwing up despite not seeming massively drunk. So there was not much sleep to be had and I think I'm still recovering.
The next day we headed off early on the boat to check out one of the most beautiful beaches - Whitehaven beach. It really is stunning with the whitest sand and the bluest, clearest sea. It was great to just chill out sunbathing on the beach for a couple of hours. We then headed off after lunch to a snorkelling spot before going back to the island for another night of a slightly crap dinner, drinking games, karaoke and general hilarity. The Irish girls were hammered on 'goon' (cheap boxed wine) and Pat and them were trying to teach some of us a spot of Irish dancing.
There were a lot of sore heads the next day as we sailed off to another snorkelling spot where only about half the people wanted to go for a dip. It might have been toasty warm on the beaches in the sunshine but it got pretty chilly sailing around on the boat so put a lot of people of going in the icy water (that and the hangovers). I must admit I bailed on the snorkelling both times, I think it's the fact you have to put a stinger suit on just to go in the sea that does it for me. I promised myself I'll go up in Cairns though, can't miss out on the Barrier Reef for a second time in my life (having never seen it on my previous trip due to a horrendous boat journey that made me never want to go in the sea again).
Just to test everyone's already delicate constitutions, we had a very rough trip back to Airlie Beach. Most of us were sitting up the front of the catamaran soaking up the rays so when we hit the rough water there was no escaping the thunderous waves that splashed all over the boat. We all got soaked and felt like we were hanging on for dear life. I honestly thought someone was going to go overboard but I think a towel was the only casualty. We huddled up the back of the boat for the next hour while a few people's stomaches got the better of them.
It was a relaxing afternoon recovering by the lagoon in Airlie and then a quiet night at the hostel. I'm so glad I splashed out on my own room again as I had a feeling I'd need some time to myself to recover from it. Another bus journey later (delayed yet again, this time by a sick driver during the night) and I rocked up in Townsville a little later than planned. Great hostel to stay in overnight though. It's in the old colonial style and pretty big but with a homely feel to it. Huge rooms and a massive ensuite bathroom plus the kitchen's equipped with all the mod cons. Makes a change from the other very basic places I've been staying in.
Not here long in Townsville so I headed out into town on the bus to soak up as much as possible. It's a really nice town with some old buildings with a touch of the French Riviera about them. Or that's what it feels like to me. I walked halfway up Castle Hill to catch the stunning views of Magnetic Island but decided not to go all the way to the top with the sun going down. Didn't want to be descending in the dark like the other night. I managed a quick walk through the Botanic Gardens and a walk along the Strand by the manmade beach before the sun finally set.
Another quiet night in at the hostel despite the liveliness of the town centre as I was coming back. Everyone looked like they'd been to a wedding with all the ladies in posh dresses and fascinators and the lads in their smart suits. I managed to deduce from earwigging on people's conversations that they'd been to the races. There were a few drunken casualties even at 7pm. Got to watch the celebratory fireworks from the hostel verandah though.
I'm moving on to Mission Beach shortly and looking forward to staying at the yoga retreat in the rainforest that Nick recommended. Something a bit different, now where's a yoga mat when you need one?!?
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