After a fantastic flight, and with my now customary post-flight thoughts of gratitude to Douglas Ord and Peter Hughes, I landed back in Australia for the third time, and 10 years almost to the day since my first visit. A landmark that at one time was impossible to envisage!
I liked Brisbane the first time I was here and I've enjoyed it again this time. The city straddles a winding river and is a nice mixture of tall modern tower-blocks and older traditional Queenslander buildings, so I spent a fair bit of time just wandering round the city and along the riverside. The Roma Street parklands were also great for meandering through. A mix of ponds, water cascades, bright floral gardens, ferns, lawn and kids playpark makes a wonderful little haven away from the bustle of the city.
Another day I caught the bus out to Mount Coot-tha and headed up the hill to the lookout point perched on the top. On a really clear day you can see right across the city to the coast, but that day was slightly overcast (a phenomenon I'm no longer accustomed to!) so you couldn't see much further than the city itself. Nevertheless you could still see for miles. From there I walked down the hill to the beautiful botanic gardens at the bottom and spent a good part of the day wandering round them. It is zoned into different areas and I loved the japanese garden. It has a little stream falling down over a little rock cascade and throuch a grassy area with stone edged paths and which is surrounded by colourful plants -azaleas maybe? You know my horticultural abilities so they were maybe something else but it was very pretty. Little wooden shady pavilions border the garden to so I sat admiring the views, having my picnic and people watching as folk passed through. It was obviously the season for school trips and a few different classes went by and the younger kids especially seemed to love the mix and having a bit of space to run around in so it was fun to listen to them giggling and playing. The other area I liked was the sub-tropical rainforest. So much dense greenery of all shades with little snatches of sunlight coming through some of the fronds of ferns and palms. There were lots of bush turkeys and water dragons scuttling through the bushes aswell which was great to see and hear. As I went to leave I discovered a "Wollmia Nobilis"!! Apparently its one of the rarest plants in the world and was thought to have died out until 38 specimens were rediscovered in 1994. Now there are 3 small populations of the Wollemi pine or dinasaur tree, as its known to its friends, and this one living in a cage in the garden. I can't honestly say it looked spectacular or particularly amazing but I'm sure some people think its great.
I suppose for someone without green fingers I spent a lot of time in parks and gardens but even with my limited expertise I could appreciate most of the planting.
The manager of my hostel in Brisbane lives out towards the coast and offered me a lift over if I was wanting to head in that direction next. With no definite plans I took up the offer and ended up having a fantastic time in Noosa - staying longer than originally planned. The area is really 3 small townships along the coast and river Noosa and backing on to an area of national park - very scenic, sporty and lively and a great place for holidays or day trippers to relax and have fun. The hostel there was good too and only 5 minutes walk from the shore - perfect for me. I got a surfing lesson booked and enjoyed it but don't think I'm a natural! It all started well enough with me managing to stand up first time but it was almost all under water from then on! When the instructor held my board and shouted to tell me when to go it was ok, but if I had to catch a wave myself, forget it. I either started paddling too late and was engulfed before I could even try to stand, or I was too early and by the time the wave caught me I was already landing on the shore! I think I should stick to body boarding or to the kayaking that I enjoyed later. I had a couple of hours paddling round the river and towards the river mouth. There was just me in a single kayak and another Japanese girl who was in a double boat with Stefan our guide. He was French but arrived in Oz via a spell working as a school book seller covering the area around Lossie, Inverness and up to Tain! We nosed up creeks and round sand bars before stopping in a sheltered little bay for a swim. It was just a nice temperature for swimming - both air and water- and there were a few fish swimming around aswell just to complete the picture. It was a real fun afternoon.
The next day I went walking in the national park and covered miles. I started off around the Coastal track. The sea was sparkling aquamarine and the surf was crashing pure white against the dark rocks and cliffs and into the sandy coves; the trees and bushes were dense green with just a few dashes of colour from the occasional flower along the edge of the path, It was wonderful and as I walked I passed various landmarks with names such as The Boiling Pot, Dolphin Point, Picnic Cove, Hells gates and Devil's Kitchen which should give you a clue to the fantastic scenery I was passing. (with the exception of dolphin point where there were none to be seen) Descending one hilly path I reached Alexandria Bay with a lovely sheltered sandy beach - it also transpired to be the local nudist beach! Not persuaded to join them, I carried on over the next set of cliffs and descended down a series of steep steps onto Sunshine beach(It stretched for miles with fantastic waves crashing onto it and overlooked by some lovely looking houses nestled into the hillside behind) and was rewarded with the altogether prettier sight of two humpbacked whales patrolling the shore! They zig-zagged back and fore, not breaching but surfacing regularly as the searched for food. It brought back great memories of my whale-watching trip in Canada. Eventually the whales disappeared and I continued up into the town and back along another track through woods and bushes. At one point I got the fright of my life as I almost stood on a bit of "log" only for it to scuttle off into the undergrowth and for me to realise it was actually a lizard of some kind! I continued through the increasingly dense rainforest heading back towards the rangers' hut searching for the Koalas which supposedly live in the park. I didn't see any but the ranger assured me one had been in the gum trees outside his hut not half an hour previously. Typical! I saw lots of marvelous wildlife (and some not so marvelous) of all sorts but no Koalas. I've never yet seen a wild one and am beginning to think I'm destined not to!
Finally deciding to leave the charms of Noosa I went up to Hervey Bay, a few hours up the coast, and organised a trip to Fraser Island. It is a world heritage site and is a sand island that is densely covered in rainforest, home to lots of wildlife, and blessed with several clear freshwater lakes. I joined a self-drive camping tour, and as such we had to sit through a couple of safety briefings and videos before heading down to the camp-shed to pick up all the gear we'd need for the 3 days we'd be away. Tents, cookers, food, sleeping bags, table, cutlery and crockery, water, luggage and people were finally packed neatly away and we could set off. I'm telling you, though, packing a rucksack with a year's stuff is childsplay in comparison to stuffing everything into a 4x4. I am glad there were just 6 of us in our car - its supposed to take up to 10 people but we managed to fill it pretty well, and over the trip we seemed to take up more and more space despite gradually using up our supplies! I definitely need a lesson in the from the Bayfield school of car-packers! Almost as soon as you leave the ferry the tarmac disappears and you start on the sand tracks which serve as roads when not just driving on the beach. They're deeply rutted soft sand and as we lurched about equipment clattering around in the storage shelf above our heads, I fully realised the importance of the pre-trip driving instruction we'd had and tried to remember exactly where my travel insurance policy was!! It was beautiful though as the pale golden sandtracks meandered through the rainforest with sun only periodically throwing flahes of light through the trees to highlight the many different shades of green around us. Stopping at a boardwalk along Wanggolba creek the water looked a pale murky colour util you realise the water is actually crystal clear and its just the sandy bed that's brown. We rounded a corner and a great big snake was curled up at the side of the path - sound asleep thankfully. I've no idea what kind it was (probably a harmless carpet snake) but was quite pleased that when it woke and looked up at us that it just, more or less, gave a sigh as if to say Oh god, not more tourists, and went back to sleep! Leaving there we headed onto the main highway on the island - The 75mile long Eastern beach. Its a road, a runway for planes, a path, wildlife haven and a leisure facility all in one which is a bit strange. Its odd seeing speed limits and road signs planted along the beach. We raced along to our campsite for the night, however, having to keep an eye on the incoming tide to make sure we reached it before the waves closed the road for the night.
Next morning the tide hadn't yet retreated enough to go further so we explored the wreck of the Maheno - a liner which was blown ashore during a cyclone in 1935 and which, although rapidly rusting and deteriorating now, still sits on the shore road after it was unable to be reloated. Its an eerie sight and quite amazing that so much of it still remains when you see the force of the waves crashing over it.
Eli Creek was the next stop - a real oasis. Again, the fresh water which twists its way down from the forest to the shore is crystal clear. With dense vegetation along the boarwdwalk bordering its banks the water is refreshingly cool and you can paddle and swim back down the creek and right towards the sea when the tide is in. As sea swimming off the island is essentially a no-no given all the nasties such as sharks, jellyfish and stingers, it was a great place to relax and cool off from the hot morning sun.
Later when we reached Indian Heads - a high cliff providing great views over the island and out to sea- we were able to watch stingrays at the foot of the cliffs and whales further out to sea as eagles soared overhead searching for prey. It was a real back to nature experience. The only thing we were missing were the dingos which are supposedly so prevalent on the island. However as we made our way to our evening camp we saw a young one playing in the sand. It had a lovely face and didn't look at all threatening - just like a daft puppy scuffling around. As we sat after our meal at night chatting and drinking another larger one came to the dunes above us and had a sniff and a stare. As soon as we went for our cameras, though, it scarpered. They certainly weren't living up to the billing they'd received as being dangerous wild animals to be avoided as much as possible!
The final day of the trip saw my two favourite attractions on the island: Lakes Wabby and Mckenzie. Lake Wabby is the deepest on the island and reaching the lookout above it the view was spectacular. The lake is a dark greeny colour thanks to the blue skies above and the buttermilk yellow sands which stretch back on three sides of the lake. On the fourth side the rainforest reaches right down the steep hillside and into the waters edge. Walking down a track (which is signed as being 1km on the way down and 1.2km on the way up - work that one out if you can) to the lake its even more spectacular from the bottom. The sand is really a series of steep sand cliffs encroaching slowly into the lake. It's soft aswell and your feet sink into the hot sand as you walk. Apparently it can get so hot in high summer that you can't actually walk barefoot on it without burning your feet. The sun shining into the bowl just acts as a big oven with no through air to provide any cooling. Lake Mckenzie on the other hand is wide and open and a magnificent aquamarine shade with gorgeous fine white sand beaches. The eucalypt trees predominating around it provide wonderful contrasts of shades of green blue and white to the panorama. The water was fantastic for swimming gently heated by the reflection of the sun on the white sand below. Just an idyllic place to spend our last few hours on the island.
On the ferry on the way back to the mainland some of us were befriended by the ship's cat. Called Butter (guess what colour she is!) she has only been on board a couple of weeks as the last cat was pinched! She was brought from a rescue centre and is meant to hunt and chase the birds that roost on the boat at night and create a mess. She is just an absolute softy however and spends her time walking from passenger to passenger climbing up on the lap of anyone who'll pay her any attention and purring loudly. They don't think she's even looked at a bird let alone chased one. I was thinking that we should maybe introduce her to Stella for a lesson or two!
From Hervey Bay I caught an overnight bus and came up to Airlie Beach for two days of sailing round the Whitsunday Islands. It was fantastic. Our boat was called Silent Night, was 50 foot long and had a lovely sleek looking dark blue hull. There were 11 passengers (of a variety of nationalities and a range of ages from 23 to 68) and 2 crew (Jack the deck-hand and Brendan the skipper) on the boat and everyone just seemed to get on together so that we had a fantastic couple of days. Not long after leaving the marina the sails were raised and we sped along passing some of the green banked islands, the sea having changed from the emerald green of the marina to the deep sparkling blue of the open water. With us perched along one side of the boat, feet dangling over the edge, sea spray occassionally splashing our feet, you didn't realise how much we were banking until you turned to look across the deck and saw the opposite rail not far above the waters surface. It was smooth and wonderfully enjoyable. Reaching an area called Caves Cove we got kitted out in the mandatory "stinger suits" to go snorkelling. Basically lycra wet suits you can just imagine how fetching we all looked. The only saving grace is that with everyone wearing them nobody has any room to laugh at anyone else! Leaving there we headed to our anchorage for the night at Maureen's cove. It was a lovely evening and a very quick setting sun gave way to a mass of stars. As we sat having a drink and chatting, Brendan turned on a mast light which seemed to instantly attract a dolphin to our boat. It surfed and swam around us for a while before diving and disappearing only to be replaced by a squid shining as if it had a little bulb inside it! A magical evening. Retiring to our bunks at night the gentle rocking of the boat had us all sleeping in no time - despite first having one of those times when the giggles took over the 4 of us in the central berths and us laughing riotously and nothing at all!
Shortly after breakfast the next morning we went snorkelling again and there was far more marine life to be seen than the day before, but nothing like we saw when we moved round to Mantaray Bay. There were lots of little fish and a couple of big Maori Wrass. Feeding them a little bread they darted around even faster - the little fish swimming right up to you until the bumped into your mask and body and you could reach out and touch them. brilliant. The coral, too, was more varied - more types and more colour. Setting off again from there we were soon able to raise the sails and I was able to help, fulfilling another long held desire, and it was great to enjoy the serenity of gently sailing along in sparkling waters under blue sky and hot sun. There were several other yachts around plotting a similar route to us but none were so close that it felt they were encroaching on "our" trip or that you were part of a parade of boats. As music quietly played, the water lapped against the hull. Idyllic! Later we reached Tongue bay and were tendered across to the shore for a couple of hours or so. A short woodland walk took us to the lookout point above Whitehaven Beach. Stunning is all I can say - exactly like pictures I've seen previously on calendars and postcards. Gorgeous white silica sands and emerald bluey-green waters. The sands are blown and rippled forming little lagoons, then further out on the beach edges the sea "proper" with a gentle white lapping of waves on the shore. Boats bobbed about in the bays and an occassional plane passed overhead. In the lagoons there were loads of stingrays sunning themselves and an occasional LITTLE shark darted about. Having come down from the lookout to the beach I paddled and sat trying to take in the beauty of my surroundings. On the way back for the lift back to the yacht I went back to the lookout and it was amazing how the picture had altered as the tide raced in. Still outstandingly beautiful but with the turquoise blue now predominating rather than the pearly white. Heading for our evening anchorage in Hook Passage I got to take the wheel for a little, but, going a little zig-zaggedly I tried to correct course only to throw my (thankfully half empty!) glass of wine over me and the deck. It just goes to prove you shouldn't drink and drive!! Fortunately Brendan was there to take over contol.
Heading back to port under sail the next morning (and with no wine in sight), several of us were able to have another shot at taking the wheel. It was daunting at first but the skipper was a good teacher and it gradually began to feel more natural - its amazing how responsive the boat is. It was a nice way to spend the morning but it also passed too quickly. We threatened a little mutiny to force Jack and Brendan to turn Silent Night around so we could continue but failed in our efforts. The appeal of time off being a stronger pull for them. All too soon we had to lower the sails and motor into the marina again. It was a fantastic couple of days: Jack looking after and feeding us well, and Brendan ensuring we had a fantastic sailing experience. I would definitely recommend a trip on Silent Night to anyone coming to the area. Back on dry land I could still feel the gentle swaying of the boat as I spent the afternoon back in picturesque little Airlie Beach. We met up for a couple of drinks at night before saying our final farewells.
My trip up the East coast has been brilliant. It's been everything I hoped for, but now I reckon its time to move on and I'm heading inland. Next stop will be the red centre, and Alice Springs. Who knows what lies in store there, but time will soon tell.
