Back in Brisbane now but got a few days of the last part of my travels up the East coast of Australia to cover before moving on to newer pastures (off to New Zealand tomorrow).
So I left you in Townsville after my trip to the Whitsundays and Fraser Island. I headed a bit further up the coast to Mission Beach later that day to stay in the rainforest at an eco retreat with a yoga studio. Well, I just about had the most chilled out days of my life staying there for three nights (apart from all the freaking out at the creepy crawlies and wondering what was lurking outside my cabin in the middle of the night).
I wasn't sure how I was going to get to the retreat without a car as a taxi cost about $40 (more than my depleted budget could take at this stage just for a 15 min journey) but the manager of the resort suggested I try and get one of the other hostels to drop me off close by and then he could come and pick me up. The main building is so remote that you need a 4-wheel drive to get you from the car park to the front door so he had to come and get me from there anyway. So I asked around when I got off the bus and found a friend in the shape of an English guy from another hostel who didn't have any other pick ups and offered to drop me off right at the Sanctuary - a real lifesaver. That's one of the things I love about travelling, the amazingly friendly people and the kindness you get from complete strangers.
Once I arrived I got shown round the place and introduced to my new home for the next few days. I was a little shocked that my humble cabin didn't even have solid walls at first - there was just a thick screen on all four sides and a roof over my head but the views were beautiful and the whole place so peaceful that I took it all in my stride. The main building housed the shared showers and toilets, plus a kitchen with bar and restaurant upstairs. The manager was a really nice guy from Stockport who'd been at the Sanctuary for five years he loved the place so much. As I was on my own he offered to let me join their staff meal that evening at a bargain price and I jumped at the chance, not having brought any food to cook and with no way of getting to the shops while I was there.
I went for a walk through the rainforest to the beach, which took about ten minutes, and was a bit jumpy wondering what creatures I might find lurking in the undergrowth. But I think the cyclone in February of this year has depleted not only the forest but also the animal and insect populations so I didn't get any nasty surprises on my way. The rainforest does look a little odd, missing the dense foliage usually present at the tops of the trunks and from a distance it looks like a mass of naked toothpicks in need of a cover-up.
The beach was rugged and beautiful and mostly deserted being so tucked away from the main part of town. On my last day I spent a few hours there all by myself, which was really strange at first and it took me a while to relax. I don't think I've ever had a beach all to myself before. It was a luxury to whack my ipod on and sing at the top of my voice without fear of being overheard. I felt like I was filming a music video prancing up and down in the surf, singing my heart out! Very therapeutic though.
That evening I met a fantastic lady, Cath, from Melbourne who'd escaped from her husband and kids for a week following the death of a friend she'd nursed in her final few months. We had some really interesting chats and she kindly provided me with breakfast a couple of days. A musician and community arts worker by trade, we shared stories about working in the charitable and public sectors.
The nights were a little more challenging. Although I'd paid for a shared cabin, as it was low season with not many residents, I had the place to myself. Both a help and a hindrance. It was nice to have my own space but it would have been a bit more comforting at night to have had a companion with the sounds of the rainforest and an overactive imagination took over. I wasn't doing too badly until about 2am when I heard a loud rustling outside my cabin and lay there for ages wondering what it might be and if there was any way it could get in. But eventually I dozed off and had a restorative lay in with nothing more to do the next day than to do a bit of yoga in the studio overlooking the rainforest and head back down to the beach.
And that's pretty much how I spent the whole three days. Bliss! I highly recommend it to anyone. But before long it was time to get back on the old bus and head to my final destination - Cairns. Which is pretty much a backpacker party town. But after all my chilling out I didn't feel inclined to join in with all the revelry. But I found a kindred spirit in my room mate, a 60-year-old scouser who was a good crack. So we hung out in the kitchen, headed off to the cinema that evening and the beach on my last day.
But before I wrap up let me tell you about my day of diving on the Great Barrier Reef. A boat trip was the final part of my package that I'd booked through Greyhound and my last opportunity to make up for missing out on all that coral on my last trip to Oz. And make up for it I did indeed. I was nervous about getting the BCD back on again (scuba lingo) but got more excited as we headed out to the reef. Especially as we were quite a select group those of us who were qualified to dive. I felt part of a little exclusive club hopping on board and saying to the crew that I was certified and therefore a little different to the rest.
Once we got in the water it all came back to me and I relaxed into the breathing and pottering around to see what I could see. Saw so many fish and beautiful coral I couldn't even remember them all by the time we returned to the boat to identify them all. It was just stunning and way more impressive than Thailand. Found lots of nemo, stingray, sea cucumbers, fish, fish and more fish. My fellow divers (all three of them) had hired underwater cameras so they were darting about all over the place and getting in everyone's way. Like excitable puppies tripping over themselves to play! But they got some really good shots of all sorts of marine life.
So now it's nearing the end of my final day in Oz. Can't believe it's gone so quickly but then looking back over all my photos today I can't believe I've done so much and been to so many amazing places already. And there's still so much more to see. But it is dawning on my that I'm probably halfway through my trip now and that I've got to make the most of the next few months otherwise before I know it I'll be back home wondering where it all went. I'll be sad to say goodbye to Oz, it has been a real home from home. I've managed to catch up with all the family today and say a proper goodbye, which is great though.
New Zealand here I come...!
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