Heyy, Here is another update of our east coast so far....
Bryon Bay
So we arrived in Bryon after a 12 hour sleepless bus journey from terrigal after house sitting for a week. Arriving on Australia day probably wasn't our smartest move, very tired from the journey and then was thrown in the Australian day fun. It was a really good day, we had fun wearing silly hats and playing Aussie games! Byron town in itself is a really relaxed place. Pretty much the whole town walk around barefooted looking hippy like and surfing! Day one we were ambushed by an Aussie man trying to convince us to do a surf lesson for the day, after bartering with him for over an hour we gave in and got a good price. Surfing was so much fun, was a challenging to stay on the board...however, we was both successful standing and staying on the board. Our instructor was easy on the eye , which made motivation a lot easier. The following days we ached lots but was glad we had the opportunity to have a go...next stop Hawaii!. The following day, we took a trek up to the lighthouse to the most easterly point in Australia, it was a longggggg way but was well worth it to see the beautiful views, we stayed to watch the sun set. The rest of our time we visited the quarry, jumped off a few rope swings, had a swim and sun bathed. We also took a short trek along the beach to the tea tree lake, the lake is formed when Tea Tree plants grow beside a lake, as they do at Lake Ainsworth, their supernatural oil drips down into the water, creating something similar to a 'medical bath'. They also give the water a browny color and an almost oily looking layer on top of the water. It doesn't look very appetizing but the water is totally fresh and the tea tree oil works wonders on your skin. After a good long soaking you'll come out of the lake feeling fresh and revitalized!We both felt very nice after :).
Surfers Paradise
As some of you may know myself and Ashleigh work for the Grand Prix in the summer selling merchandise over at silverstone race track, Matt the Aussie that runs the stalls , offered for us to stay with him in his family home on the gold coast. Gold coast has also been know as 'Mini Miami' , its high rises, beaches and nightlife form this persona... very beautiful and full of big mansions and boats. Matt lived in a very nice house with a pool, his own pontoon, close to the main centre 'Surfers Paradise'. We had a great time and got treated with luxurious foods, clean washing, comfy beds and en suite ...we was in heaven. His family were very welcoming and we had lots of fun with his children! We tried bikrim yoga with his wife jenny-30 degree heat yoga in a room of 30 people. We was very duboius when asked to join her , when telling us how dizzy she felt, for those of you how don't know, its yoga in 40c heat. However, we really enjoyed it, feeling very refreshed and stretched- It was very amusing as myself and ashleigh spent most time trying not to laugh at the impossible yoga positions he was asking us to bend ourselves into. The following days we were there we went to the beach, sunbathed, enjoyed a couple of nights exploring the nightlife, had a few bbqs. All in all a very nice relaxing break to the normal hustle and bustle of traveling life.
Brisbane
After a short bus journey to from the gold coast, we headed to bunk backpackers- really good hostel, was attached to a bar, had its own pool, 20 bed dorms! We had lots of fun here, met lots of people. During our time here we visited south bank. This is the nicer end of town and has its own man made lagoon where we sunbathed and had a dip in the water. Most nights the hostel had activities going on and pool parties during the day so we weren't short of things to do. One of the days we got the citycat (ferry) to Australia Zoo. This was a fun day out, we went with a group of 15 from our hostel. We also took a walk to the botanical gardens for an ice cream. On our last night we went to see Ashleigh's friend Ryan who lives about 30km outside the city to have a BBQ with his flat mates and have a good catch up.
Gagaju bush camp
We was both a bit apprehensive of the highly known to travelers as the Gagaju bush camp, as we have heard so many different reviews. We got picked up from the bus station in a shack on wheels by a bush man called Jessie, he was hilarious, he took us to get some food and to a bottle shop to stock up on the famous 'Goon' ( cheap boxed wine...eww!!) He took us out in the middle of no where to a forest, where two big bunkers with hammock style bunk beds and 10 tents were scattered round. He shipped us off the shack to take us for a look around. The camp had its own man made kitchen area, pool table, ping pong table, camp fire, activity tables. Our first night was great, we had a group of 30 which was split into two for a scavenger hunt ( a race to provide a listed amount of items in the camp in the pitch black) lots of laughter some of the items on our list, group photo in the creek, picture of two team members kissing, picture of someone skinny dipping, cup of swamp mud, 3 cotton buds, left shoe, blue pillow case and pillow, phone charger, black pen etc...
We also played lots of team building games including race to fill up 2 large barrels , using some cups to fill them and only allowed to use the swamp water in the dark..we was covered in swamp mud and had great fun taking on the challenge..our team won. Despite of most team members being in fits of giggles. So..after a restless nights sleep in the bunkers ..listsening to rats, mice, spiders, running around we were woken up at 7am to take a 3mile trek up the river there and 3 miles back in an old riggity canoe . 3 people per boat we set off , it was hard work! we had wind and current againist us, despite having 5 hours of sleep between three of us..it was harder than it seemed. Anyway we headed of to a local swimming area long the river with rope swings and picnic areas where we had some lunch and had a swim with the fishes (massive fish) didnt tell Ashleigh though..shhhhh! she is still under the Illusion no fish were in the water.... After , we headed to a local pub on a beach for a much needed drink and rest..later we headed back slowly but surely.. 20 minutes into our return journey we was deep in conversation when a bull shark leaped out of the water about 2 ft in front of our boat and splashed back in the waster soaking us....I know, you can imagine the shear screems and terror of us trying not to capsize, paddling away and keeping Ashleigh calm- this was not an easy task as she was shouting SHARK and trying to leap out of the canoe. Day two we headed off on a another canoe trip- despite having to convience Ashleigh that ther shark was a large fish- just to get her back in the boat. We managed to head to a beautiful secluded beach area where we went for a swim in the sea and did some sun bathing... we was on our way back again, having a giglgle about the shark when we found ourselves stranded in shallow waters stuck in our canoes , we managed to push ourselves out. Once we had showered we had a lovely BBQ and sat by the fire till the early hours talking. Overall bush camp was both an experience and was fun, minus the sleeping arrangements- we had a great time.
Rainbow beach for Frazer island - which we will inform you all about in our next blog...way to much writing in one day! sorry!
15 hour bus journey later sat on a wheel arch clutching onto our seats for dear life we arrived in Airlee from Rainbow beach for our Whitsundays trip. We stayed in an 8 bed dorm in rainbow for 2 nights, Airlee is a small beach town, quite quiet, not much to see, wasn't much of a beach as it was more of a port for trip boats. It was nice to have a few chill out days from recent traveling and to prepare for the 2 nights 3 days on our Whitsunday trip we was about to embark on . During our time over the two days we sun bathed at the hand made lagoon, meet up with some friends from bush camp and Frazer island.
We headed to the docks at 2.30pm to have our briefing before boarding the Atlantic Clipper for Whitsundays; Whitsundays are made up of 74 islands of which most travellers book on to various different boats to visit all these islands- the boat we choose catered for 54 people! As we boarded we were sent upstairs for a briefing of the boat, we was introduced to the skipper and the crew of the boat, was informed of the basics of the boat we was traveling on, and the plan of the next two days, the most important bit obviously..when we was going to be fed. We was then put in 3's or 4's to be put into our rooms, we had some dinner ( still not sure how one guy in the smallest, hottest kitchen i have ever seen prepared for 54 people plus crew). The next few hours, were spent labeling our 'goon' to put in the freezers, we had a wonder round the boat and had a dip in the jacuzzi ( which was made up of sea water and was freezing), we were all given stinger suite as it was stinger season so the sea was filled with jellyfish ( not the most attractive attire but we rocked it of course) we threw ourselves down the water slide and jumped off the boat, we headed off to our docking point for the night. Later on in the evening we had a game of speed dating to introduce ourselves, mind you was it was a bit difficult as the ratio was 18: 36 ladies, we had fun and was an ice breaker to get to know each other...Then the karaoke came out...! Well ...it was poor but you think you should great after a few drinks!
6.30 wake up call of a local Fijian song and shouting, banging on the doors by the crew and the sound of the engine moving to our next reef point, we was summoned to the lounge for breakfast, after a few cups of coffee we got our stinger suits, snorkels and noodles ( flotation aids), the crew informed us of the safety gestures we needed to perform so the crew can indenitfy whether we want picking up, any bleeding, drowning or problems in the water. We headed out in groups on a smaller boat towards the reef to be plunged in to look at the coral and the beautiful marine life. I would like to add here, this was ashleigh's first time snorkelling ( as she's scared of fishes) very proud of her as she plunged herself in and tried to keep calm ( im not sure whether she plunged herself longing for the promise of her hangover to go ) The crew watched up from the smaller boats to keep an eye on us, they also brought fish food, to bring all the fish to the surface , i can't explain how many fish came to the surface, thousands all different shapes and sizes all diving in your hair, body, face etc but was great fun...ash was not so keen, however, she stuck it out and kept quite calm. we both really enjoyed it..! We also had opportunity to sunbathing on the decking, go down the slide and jump in the now heated jacuzzi!
That night we had a lovely buffet dinner, the crew put on some activity games ..and we had some drinks. The following day we headed to our next snorkelling point, this reef was a lot shallower and we got to see more of the different colours of the reef and go to meet Elvis (napoleon maori wrasse) He was huge, you could ride him! We got to feed him and stroke him, ash re framed from putting her head in the water in denial of his existence ...asking me to see if he was near her every 2 seconds, very proud of no screams or tears miss smith! . When all jumped back on board to head to whitehaven beach, one of the most photographed paces in Australia, famous for its aqua blue water and pristine sand, whitehaven stretches over seven kilometers along Whitsunday island, the largest of the 74 islands in the Whitsundays. Idyllic place, we were taken to an amazing 'look out' place to see the picturesque views (photos to follow) we had opportunity to explore the beach and have a dip in the sea!
The last day , the crew talked about the different islands, famous people who live, or travel the islands , about the route we took, depth of sea in different locations , the Atlantic clipper, past stories of travelers who have been on the boat etc.
The following day, we headed back to Arlie... sunbathing, sleeping and well earned rest, ready for the next bus to Cairns!!
We arrived in Cairns after a ten hour bus journey from Airlie beach! It was during the day from 9am until 7pm so very boring!! But they did play a few movies on the coach to pass the time.
Our first night in Cairns we checked into the notorious Gilligan's!! Biggest party hostel up the East Coast of Australia. The hostel is huge!! But really well layed out, probably the best one that we have stayed in as far as facilities etc. go! It has its own man made beach, bar and nightclub attached to it. We were pretty tired from the journey so didn't make it out that evening. But we did go downstairs for our 'free' backpackers meal! (after you've spent $6 on a drink) We were served vegetable curry (tomato puree and rice) and Chilli Con Carne (Mince and rice) ! Never the les for $6 we couldn't complain. We decided to get an early night as we had to be up at 7am for Uncle Brian's!
Uncle Brian's is a day trip that we were encouraged to do by most people we have met along the way.. The brochure doesn't do it any justice but everyone we spoken to assured us that this was a must do! So off we went..! We were greeted by 'Cousin Brad' on Uncle Brian's bus that morning outside the hostel. There were 21 of us, and he managed to remember all of names in one go after asking us just once when we got on the bus! Our first stop was the Rain Forest in Babinda. He drove up into the mountains and we had a chance to walk through the forest to a look out point. We saw some HUGE spiders in the trees and had the chance to wonder round and look for snakes (much to our dismay!) After our group had walked through the trail, everyone had the chance to swim in the lake and jump off the rocks into the water. It was freezing! But certainly was a good day to wake us up! Drinks and snacks were provided and then we headed off to the next spot! Next stop was Josephine Falls. This was one of the largest water falls that falls from the top of the mountains into a series of rock pools all the day down the a large one at the bottom. You are not allowed to swim at the top and the water current is too strong. We made our way to the large pool at the bottom. Along the side is a strong white water current rushing down into another smaller pool, we had to jump over the current and swim to the rock face. (Not as dangerous as it sounds mothers don't worry!!) Everyone climbed up the rocks and at the top there is a 'rockslide' This is just a smooth rock face with water cascading down it, you can sit yourself at the top and slide down into the pool! It was great fun. We did this several times! You'll see this In the pictures...After Josephine falls we made our way up to Inisfail to have some lunch. Everyone is taken to a little restaurant up in the mountains for lunch. We were served chicken, cous cous, salad and dessert! Backpackers heaven after our school dinner like meal the evening before. We stayed here for a while and Cousin Brad explained that next we would be going to Milla Milla Falls.. This is where Peter Andre filmed 'Mysterious girl' the one hit wonder. He told us that here we would be doing a 'photoshoot' everyone was to strike a 'sexy' pose and do a hair flick for the camera! I'm not sure the boys were to impressed with this. We made it down to Milla Milla falls, the water was sooo cold! But we dived straight in and swam to the back of the waterfall to sit on the rocks. Cousin Brad told us we had to all jump off and swim into the waterfall for our 'free massage' Thought I'm not so sure you could quite call it that... More like a pelting! You jumped off, swim under and are then crushed by the flow of water as you attempt in your out of breathe state to swim back round.. Nevertheless it was amusing. Then came the time for the 'photoshoot' He basically made us stand there and bend over to get our hair wet, we had to count down and flick our hair back on 3 to get the image effect of the water flicking! Ashleigh and I decided to try and do one together... This only took about 10 attempts! We all stayed here and swam around for a while and explored some more of the rain forest. From here Brad took us all to Malanda to swim in a Volcano! Upon arrival it just looks like a large lake, but it is actually formed over a volcano and is over 150metres deep. The water is a lot warmer here so we were happy to have this after the freezing waterfalls! We all made our way down to the deck that sits on the edge of the water and jumped in for a swim. The lake is beautiful and we enjoyed our time here. Next stop Gordonvale to try and find a platypus! They have a breeding ground here, we stopped for much needed hot chocolate and muffins, and then made our way to the look out point in search of a platypus! Everyone had to be very quiet in order to not scare them away, we had to wait quite a while but we managed to see a few swimming in the water! After Gordonvale it was nearly time to head back to Cairns, but not before heading back to Uncle Brian's lodge for a drink and a wonder round before making the long drive back. The lodge was in the middle of no where but really small and cosy. We wondered around had a drink and played with the didgeridoos until Cousin Brad announced it was time to leave. The journey home was hilarious, the most windy road we have ever seen. Our journey back consisted of us singing very loudly to Oasis and dancing the Macarena along with various other songs, and just generally being silly. Al in all we had a great day on Uncle Brian's and had a great group to do it with. We made our way back to our hostel, had some dinner and headed downstairs to the bar for a few drinks with some friends we met in Fraser Island.
The following day Ashleigh and myself spent the day trying to sort ourselves out! Boring chores like laundry and making sure all flight details etc were printed and ready for Bali on Friday!!! (Anyone would think were excited...) That evening we cooked dinner with some friends at the hostel and had quiet evening as we were due to get up early for a Scuba Diving tour in the morning.
Next stop...A date with Nemo on the Great Barrier Reef! This was a brilliant day we had so much fun. Ashleigh and I made our way down to the reef terminal in the morning to check in on our boat. A member of the crew asked us if we wanted to try a scuba dive... we were very apprehensive but he assured us that we could try to equipment on etc, complete the safety exercises in the water and then decide from there whether we could like to continue on with a dive, so we found ourselves agreeing and signing up! Once on the boat we had time for a tea and coffee before we were taking for our diving safety briefing.. we were put into the last group so we would be diving last. (Not sure whether this was good or not!) If you have your own SD card you can hire a good quality camera to take pictures under the water so we decided to do this! We had to have photos of Nemo of course!! We spent the morning snorkelling and trying to find ourselves a turtle/shark! It was great fun, the Barrier Reef is a lot larger and there are twice the amount of fish up here than there was in the Whitsundays. We managed to find Nemo and get some great photos in the water. One of the crew members dove down beneath us and took some great underwater pictures of us that you will see on the blog.. After snorkelling it was time for lunch so we made our way inside (we were the first ones up with our plates of course) We had lunch as the boat made its way to the next dive/snorkel location. The journey there was rough when you sat out on top deck and we found ourselves holding on the stay in place! Once we arrived at the next place it was our turn to dive! We heard our names being called and nervously made our way down to the back of the boat to get our kit on. We didn't realise just how heavy all the gear would be and found ourselves becoming increasingly nervous. We were told to sit on the platform on the back of the boat with our feet in the water. One by one we lowered ourselves in. Only to be yanked down by our ankles by a crew member! We had to take it in turns to show that we understood all the safety procedures under water. How to clear your mask of water, how to regulate your ears every metre on the way down, how to breathe properly, and how to take out our regulator and clear it of water. It seemed like so much to remember but we managed it and before we knew it we were diving down! The dive itself was amazing!! We saw two reef sharks, turtles, clown fish, and a huge fish called a Napoleon Marie Wrasse. Those are just the ones we can name... There were so many beautiful fish down there, the dive seemed to go so quickly and we would of loved to do it again. We are both so glad that we had the opportunity to do this.. How many times do you get the chance to scuba dive on the Great Barrier Reef... Once back on board it was time to head back to shore. One of the crew provided on board entertainment with his guitar and got everyone singing along to the likes of Bob Marley all the way home... The cheese and wine that was served made it even better. Overall we had a such brilliant day and wished we could of done it again.
That night we met up with a group of girls that we had met back in Noosa and some girls that we met on the Whitsundays. It was a great evening, we all met downstairs for dinner and headed out for some drinks in the club attached to our hostel. It was great to see everyone again and we had a really good night!
Today has been our last day in Cairns :( We can't believe that the East Coast has gone so quickly. It seems like yesterday that we were in Sydney booking It all. We have spent the day today exploring Cairns itself and headed down to the lagoon for a few hours in the Sun.. Tonight will be our last night with all the girls that we have met along the way so a glass of wine is in order to say our goodbyes!
Next stop BALI! We leave via airport shuttle at 4.55am tomorrow morning (ouch) We will be flying into Denpasar and then heading into Kuta for two days, then we will make our way up to Ubud,Padang Bai and then off to the Gilli Islands for the last 5 days of our trip... I'm not sure two girls could be more excited if they tried!!
Love always xxxxx
