Magnetic Island

1. View from Base hostel room
2. base hostel room (squeezed in 4 bunks!)
3. the look out at the Forts walk
4. my koala
5. the gunnery in the Forts walk

So today's lesson is again about Captain Cook and how even when he was being brilliant sometimes he was way off the mark! JK..
I had the day off in Airlie after returning from sailing, so I wandered around and walked off the headache from the cheap free wine the night before and found myself buying a personalized didgeridoo and getting a lesson. Just the noise one wants to hear with a headache... all is well now.
Island was named by the I arrived in Magnetic Island via Townsville and a ferry ride for a quick 20 hours or so. Magnetic Island was so named by Captain Cook because as he was sailing by his compass and navigation tools were freaking out. He believed that there was some magnetic field on the island and ergo "Magnetic Island". Later it was discovered he had faulty equipment (just what you want sailing the seas) and there is nothing magnetic on the Island. We stayed at the Base X hostel home to the world famous "full moon parties", though missed it by a day... and was told this one was a bust anyway..
I headed off for a hike to the area known as the Forts Walk- so called because it was built during WWII (?) when there was a threat of the Japanese invading Australia. Their first attack spot would have been Magnetic Island. Though the guns are gone, the remnants of the gunnery's (2) , the lookout, the weapons storage spaces and the fake rocks (for covering foliage or something) is still very visible. Great 360 degree views, but unfortunately it was rather cloudy (and still is today).
very exciting thing though, that during my walk I got to see a koala in the wild! It was even awake (they sleep more than I like to! 18-20 hours a day!) he was having a meal and sitting perched on a branch, but didn't want to look at my camera. Very neat to see. If I had more time I would have done a few other island walks. It is a pretty place.
So that was a quiet evening, after drinks during happy hour.. Everyone is starting to head into Cairns already to catch their flights home, but I am in Mission Beach and rafting tomorrow and also preparing myself for jumping out of a plane... perhaps... (I think I'll do it Dix, if the weather clears.. then if I love it I can always do it again...)
Later guys...

the Whitsundays

WOW WOW WOW... sailing for 3 days, relaxing and spending the days snorkeling and swimming, it was a good relaxing time with some great people.
The Whitsundays were named by Captain Cook (though he was only a lieutenant then) because he arrived 7 weeks after Easter and so that is Whitsunday or something. The Islands are Islands that are still connected to the continent of Australia but because of the moving tectonic places and volcanic activity the 74 Islands appear separate and apart from the mainland.
They stick out like green rolling mountains and have beautiful soft silica (?) sand. And of course there are coral reefs surrounding them. Loggerhead and green turtles swimming around, magnificent.
The Derwent Hunter is a Tall Ship, so we got to sail about the ocean rather than motoring around, which was so nice, just to hear the waves on the boat without the roar of the motor (though that was rather quiet when it was used).
We went snorkeling (wearing lovely stinger suits, to avoid stingray bites) at Cateran bay on Border Island, swam and snorkeled at Whitehaven beach, did a 15 minute walk up Tongue Island and saw the most spectacular view of Whitehaven Beach and the "swirly"sands as the guide told us... and then more snorkeling on Black Island (the clearest water I snorkeled in yet). The fish and coral were amazing there.
We had a great crew (young but talented). Rick was the Skipper, Logan the deckhand and Will the cook. We ate very well all day long. The weather was fantastic, though it got windy on the second night but stopped very quickly. The sun shone throughout the day in beautiful fashion.
Being in the middle of no where is indescribable what the sky looked like... literally billions of stars, the Milky Way (not the chocolate bar), the Southern Cross, Orion on his side, and sooooo much more. I have bought a book about the stars down here.. phenomenal really!

I don't know what can top this last week, but tomorrow I head up towards cairns, with a couple of stops.. don't worry I'll keep you updated!

Love y'all

Kroombit Cattle Station

So, off we went to the Kroombit Cattle Station for the night... I sure love farms and ranching and stuff.. NOT! But I survived. It was a quick evening of fun and games.. People went on a horse ride to gather the sheep for the rodeo. We wrangled a goat and "branded"one, shot at clay pigeons and learned to crack whips. We were fed ranch style food cooked over the open fire, just like the real cowboys...

The photos show our sleeping accommodations, me getting ready to wrangle and brand the goat, shooting at clay pigeons (got 2 out of 5) and me cracking the whip.. wasn't so hot (the guy says- I guess I can work with your technique!)

The night went quickly, anyway, so on to the next stop... The Whitsundays...

Fraser Island....

Fraser Island photos....

1. the red rocks created from too much rust stuff (what is that called again) and creating these amazing red cliffs.. these are a part of the Cathedrals.

2. a dingo.. look like the mutts in town, but not too nice

3. Lake Wabby - an inland lake being taken over by the blowing sands- funnily called sand blows!

4. after a hike to swim in Lake Wabby we walked across the sand which felt like a desert) to get to the other beach

5. a stick bug- it has beautiful wings that it splays when it it scared

6. this is the only official sand beach highway in the world - 75 miles long on the east side of Fraser Island. Cars cruise along at 100 km/hr!

7. got to jump on a plane for 15-minutes to tour part of the 15,000 hectare (i think) island

8. a view of 75 mile beach from the air

9. the Maheno (?) shipwreck. Stuck on the beach fading away... been there since the 1930's

10. little old me on the Indian Head cliffs.. beautiful views from here! (I slipped and cut open my toe though.. all is well now)

11. Basin Lake.. Looks dark and creep, but the water was warm and clear- You could swim in the ocean because of the undertoes and sharks and things, so the inland lakes is where all the swimming takes place

12. walking through the rain forest. amazingly huge trees up to 3 metres in diameter. Logging was a major industry on the island for a while.

13. me at Lake Mackenzie.. the largest inland lake on the Island... HUGE.. white soft sand, clear warm waters..

14. part of the Fraser Island crew.. Loads of fun.. lots of great people...

15. another sand blow... taking over part of the island the sand is...

I have more, but this is a good representation...

Okay, I realize that it has been awhile since the updates (good to know people are following along..) But I have been out in the middle of no where basically for the last week.. I'll start with the Fraser Island trip..

Fraser Island is a sand Island, that is green as green can be with the whitest softest sand and the clearest pure water one has ever seen. I will try to get a load of photos as they are so much better than I can describe. I did buy a book though that is a great resource for why it exists and what exists on it...

Ultimately over the last 20,000 years (or so) the sand have been flowing up the coast from Sydney and settling behind some volcanic rocks. Then the waters underneath have been pushing up through the layers of sand and creating pure spring water, flowing as clear as ever, is some places it looks like the streams are dry beds the water is so clear. then there are rain forests on the island, created by the incredibly high trees blocking the sun from the lower trees and creating the rain forest.

The weather had its good and bad moments, but there was only one shower where we almost didn't make it back on the bus.

really spectacular it all is... borrow my book when I get home.

We had a great group and an fantastic guide... he loves his job and went above and beyond for us.. we stayed at a hostel type place and sat on the deck and had a couple of drinks each night. then got together for supper upon the return back to Hervey Bay (where the hostel was crappy)..

I'll do more later... off to meet the boat crew... miss y'all..

PS.. the OZexperience bus has been great.. right on schedule (you know me and schedules), great recommendations, and a great way of meeting people from one place to the next.. a girl from Noosa is on the computer behind me and there were four girls from the bus on the boat, all is good!

Photos from Noosa

That was a quick upload! So I can probably catch up on photos!

I realized I don't have too many grans photos of Noosa, but trust me it is pretty and like a big town.. The beach is beautiful (of course) and just comfy... the first photo is of the beach and the second is from a hike I took... (have I even told you about that?) through the ocean views, rain forest and eucalyptus trees...
The third photo is of the hostel I stayed at.. Like an old country plantation house with shutter windows and wrap around outer decks.. very nice..
Then me in front of the Australian Zoo sign and an up close and personal picture of a koala. they are sooooo soft, I got to touch one... there weer a ton of kangaroos lazing around all day as well!

Noosa

Well really if I was a billionaire I would buy my beach property here in Noosa.. It is a quaint little place with a beautiful beach and lots to do. A little on the pricey side, but the whole East coast has been that way.

I arrived at noonish and after checking in went for a walk in the Noosa National Park. I walked 4 different paths following the coast, the rain forest, the Eucalyptus trees and a pine forest that reminded me of home. I walked through the town after and fell in love with an artists work. Again if I was a billionaire!

The hostel had a welcoming free drink in the evening, so I went (of course free drinks!) and ended up chatting with a few English folks (they are everywhere)! We stayed and had a few drinks for the rest of the evening.

On Tuesday I went to the Australian zoo, home of the Crocodile Hunter. It was pretty cool. much like any other zoo but a ton of crocs, koalas and other Australian animals (including about 20 poisonous snakes...) there was a show and some feedings and you got to pet koalas and kangaroos. They were all about..

I was relaxed in Noosa for sure.. Had a rain storm this morning but it passed.

Nothing to grand to report.. off 4x4 ing tomorrow for a couple of days.. that should be fun... I could have camped on the sand island (Fraser Island), but opted for the resort! Then I am looking to the 2 nights on a tall ship early next week (man I really don;t even know what day it is anymore!

take care..
s.

again I tried photos, but didn't work will try later..

photos from Brisbane

So this is a sample from Brisbane... a lovely city. Lots of green spaces and old buildings... a nice place to spend a few days.

the photos are of the old Treasury building which is now the Casino in Brisbane.

the city photo is from the Southbank Parklands (which was where the Expo 88 was held)

the belt buckle had BHP on it so I thought that was neat. It was in the Queensland Museum in the mining section.

The fire "cycle" was an original response vehicle before vehicles were invented. They hauled the water and the hoses on the 4 bikes.

the last photo is the Citycat ferry, that I got a free ride on from the hop on hop off bus.

S.

Byron Bay photos

Man that took forever.. so these photos are from Byron Bay..

A beautiful beach shot. I seem to be getting a lot of those.. then the most easterly point of the Main land of Australia.. the Julien Rocks where I went snorkeling with the turtles. And the lighthouse that I biked up to.

will try some more..

Brisbane

So I love Brisbane... beats Sydney for sure.. I'd say it is up there in my top 10 places... yup..

So, yesterday I did the hop-on hop-off bus tour for 3 hours and wow, really this is a beautiful place. Settled in the early 1820's as a penal colony, it has grown into the 3rd largest city in Australia.. It is incredibly spread out, but accessible through the train and bus system. Mount Coot-Tha has a spectacular view of the city. There are river ways that run through it that sparkle in the sun.

They have a cemetery here that is huge and of course dates back to the 1800's. The interesting thing about it was that people were buried divided by race, religion, and class as well as their status at the time they dies.. segregation even in death.. AND further, if you were Asian and had a plot that someone else wanted, you were dug up and moved and the new people got your space!! Crazy!

There is a Casino here. Held were the Treasury office used to be in a huge stone building.. no I did not go in.... money is way too precious!

This is a great area for doing almost any kind of activity you want. Today I checked out three different museums (including and Andy Warhol exhibit- he is weird) and the South bank parklands. After they hosted Expo '88 they converted the ground and now it is a bustling place of little markets and on weekends music, buskers, and tents of sellers of all kinds of goods.. It was an enjoyable way to spend the day..

As part of the bus tour I got to ride on the Brisbane River on the CityCats ferry. That was a nice way to end the day...

Jodie and John were great hosts, giving me a bed and meals... and I got to do my stinky laundry! Yippee!! We shall meet again along the line somewhere!

Tomorrow is an early morning, so I am off to get supper and breakfast for tomorrow.. I am off to Noosa, home of Steve Irwin.. I'll be checking out his zoo in a couple of days.

I will upload some more pictures, if the damn computer will let me, at the next stop..

later,
s.

moving on up.. (the east coast, that is)

Hi all,

Just a quick update for today.

Last night I went and watched the "Bucket List", I thought that it would be funny funny funny, but it was funny, sad , sad.. still good though.

Today I woke up and checked out of the hostel and borrowed a bike to ride up to the Byron Bay Lighthouse. It was about 2 KM and mostly up hill but WOW what a sight when you got to the top. I will get some photos on later.

Then I cruised down the hill and sat on the beach and read for a bit, the headed back to the hostel to wait for the bus.

After a short bus ride (3 hours) I am in Brisbane and staying at a friends place with her family. I met Jodie when I went through Ireland about 5 years ago. We kept in touch with the occasional e-mail and updates and now I am here. We were just trying to figure out what to do in Brisbane for a couple of days. She doesn't think there is anything to do (she is a Sydney gal) but there is always something to do. She lives about 20 minutes from the city, so I will wake up and figure something out tomorrow..

I hope everyone is doing well... miss ya...

swimming with turtles/ Blue Mountain additions

So swimming with the turtles wasn't as grand as I thought it was going to be.. the waves were rather large and I am still (5 hours later) feeling like I am floating up and down in the water... My stomach couldn't handle it after 40 minutes and I fed the fishes some of my ingested food.. hope they like me for it!

So I did see a turtle (well maybe two but they both looked alike) one was at the bottom, so 4-5 meters away and the other was only about 3-4 meters away, but in some of the crashing waves, so I didn't get a great pic.. (Yup, I bought an underwater camera). I guess it is the same turtle as Nemo's friend in "finding Nemo". I also could say I swam with a shark! A leopard shark.. and he was much closer than the turtle got... a little scary, but they don't bother humans if humans don't bother them... and they may not even have teeth... hmmmm...

I will get the underwater photos on another day. I still had 10 shots left I will use at the Great Barrier reef in a couple of weeks...

That is about all I did all day.. Waited to go, went, felt crappy, had a shower and a nap.. and now I type.. I think I will catch a movie in a bit... went out for a bit last night an realized I am 15 years older than many of the girls I am traveling with... seriously I am old.. I have been seriously thinking this may be the last back packer tour I do, but we shall see when it is all done.

So to give some updates for the blue mountains: on the way there we stopped at a kangaroo sanctuary. That is where the Kangaroo pictures came from. there are 8/10 most poisonous spiders in Australia and our guide was nice enough to tell us ALL about them.. scary, they have vipers and stuff. their webs are hard core, like thick pieces of string and they build them one after another so if someone runs or bikes through one likely he will run through 4 or 5 and then they attack! They create these little holes to hide out in during the day and come out at night or when they are bothered.. I was really freaked out.

The Blue Mountains are called the Blue Mountains because of the haze that is created by the gas release by the Eucalyptus plants.. there is a haze in the photos and they are not clouds! There is also wild lemon, sandalwood and another kind of tea tree oil plants. We got to smell them and the more they are rubbed into the hands the stronger the scent. Pretty neat.

Ohh yes, the Blue Mountains are not 250 metres as I previously stated... they are closer to 1100 metres and I read somewhere they are more defined as rolling hills than actual Mountains.. either way they were very pretty.

that was that I think...

So tomorrow I head off to Brisbane and spend 3 nights with a girl I met when I went through Ireland a few years ago. She is married and has a 2 year old, so it should be a relaxing time.

I hope you are all doing well and miss me terribly! JK. Miss y'all and thanks for the updates from home. I feel like I have already been gone for months!

Blue Mountain photos

Let's try this again...

There are a couple of Pictures of the Three Sisters Rock Formation, a kangaroo, me in the Blue Mountains and the "steepest railway in the world"! It was very steep and rather scary!

I'll post more later!