Christmas morning was a lazy one hanging out in the hostel. Then before noon I headed out to look for the Red Rock trail and Springs Beach. I figured the beach furthest away would be empty and it was. The trail was challenging because I was wearing flip flops. Plus I started on the rocks rather than the actual start of the trail which I found coming back. All 3 beaches on this trail was empty and spectacular. Perfect way to spend Christmas. Then the kangaroos arrived or Santa brought them. There were 4 of them through the trees and in the clearing. Then while walking back there was a huge kangaroo crossing the road. He saw me and crossed back. Then I visited Chinamens beach and the main beach and as I suspected it was very busy. I went back to the hostel for a shower and waited there until my greyhound at 9pm. Tonight I’ll be staying in Bundaberg for one night at the aptly named Bunk Inn hostel on Christmas day, in order to join the Lady Musgrave Experience tomorrow for my 50th birthday. Early next morning my ride arrived to take me to the meeting point in Bargara. The boat was huge with many people taking the same trip. I met Raul who just happened to be the guy I was sharing the room with. We ended up on different groups. I was sharks and we went to the island first which worked out better as we got to snorkel for 2 hours instead of 45 minutes if you did it in the morning. The nature walk was beautiful with all the birds. Saw Reef sharks from the beach and turtles in the glass bottom boat. Lunch was lovely with lots of prawns, too much for me especially as snorkeling was next. The water was warm and so clear. I love snorkeling. Then I got nicely brown on the top deck for 2 hours. My ride brought me back to my hostel and I hung out until my coach to Airlie Beach. We arrived at 7am and I left my bags at the bus stop knowing nobody would steal it. I headed straight to Magnums for breakfast and went shopping. Then it was back on the coach to Cairns. I was back in the same cheap resort hotel, even the same room. The next day it was my tour to Daintree National Park, Cape Tribulation and Mossman Gorge. The only place safe to swim was at Mossman Gorge. Every other Beach or bathing spot was full of crocodiles. The Rainforest was lush and beautiful but full of dangerous plants. One emits hydrogen cyanide when touched. Another releases spores with barbs that dig into your skin. The more you try to rub it off the more the barbs dig in and then you die in agony. On the river cruise we saw 3 crocodiles, one was a cute baby. Then we visited Port Douglas and then back to Cairns. The next day I hung out by the pool until my greyhound to Townsville. Uh the dreaded overnight in Townsville. The best thing about this trip was my first sighting of a cassowary. I missed the first one and five minutes later there’s another beautiful blue creature crossing the road. I can’t believe I didn’t see one in the Daintree Rainforest but two appears on the road to Townsville. For my next stop I didn’t book into any hostel to save $40 as I still had the codes for the last hostel. I prayed to god that the codes weren’t changed. I left my big bags at the port car park behind a bollard hoping it would still be there at 5am. In fact I didn’t need the codes as I just walked in as the doors were still open. I headed straight for the lounge and after a much needed shower I slept on the sofa. I was bitten by so many mosquitoes during the night and it was uncomfortable. I woke up early had a shower and walked back to the port car park. My stuff was still there and untouched by the rats. Then it was back on the Greyhound all the way to Tennant Creek and then Darwin. It was a long journey there and as usual it was a 1am stopover. Tennant Creek always looked scary and it hasn’t changed. Men hanging around, kids and teenagers messing around and drunk people and normally they’re all Aboriginal people. The coach to Darwin was a little late but hopefully we’ll make up the time.
It was great to be back in Darwin again. I really like it here even though it’s hot and humid. I used the same hotel still cheap price for new years eve. After resting for awhile after 3 days of traveling I ventured out to the waterfront to see what was going on tonight. I wasn’t disappointed at all. In fact it’s probably the best New Year’s Eve ever. It started with a gorgeous wet season sunset...impending rain and dark clouds. Then spotting a possum in the park. At the waterfront I was ready for the light show and managed to get front row as the crowds were minimal. It was a great show of lights, water and music. Then there was a concert in the park too with local bands singing classics. Finally the main event of great fireworks along with some cool tunes. The impending rain never came, flashes of thunder and lightning in the skies were like a show in itself. Everyone from families to couples to kids even the drunk Aboriginal people and homeless people all had good fun dancing and singing without incident. It was a brilliant night and I’m so glad I decided to spend new year here. Next destination is a new route on the Greyhound all the way to Broome. Nowhere to sleep as the hostel said no self check in after 4pm. They cancelled my booking which in hindsight be a good thing and saves me money. There’s an airport nearby to hang out until my bus back to Darwin.
The journey to Broome was long but comfortable enough. There was another stop in Katherine this time at sunset. What I noticed more now was that the Aboriginal people like this time and this is when they all come out. They seem to be nocturnal. Another stop which was really annoying was at 1am in Kunnumurra. The Roadhouse was window service only so I had to stand outside in the dark with all the bugs and mosquitoes. The reason for this as one local Aboriginal man told me was because of the kids. Then all of a sudden there they were. Boys and girls as young as 6 or 7 all around the Roadhouse forecourt causing mayhem. Screaming shouting generally being rowdy. The Roadhouse attendant who was from Indonesia said if it was open like it is during the day the Aboriginal people especially kids steal stuff. They don’t steal stuff because they need it but do it out of boredom because they smash up the things they steal. The police are called but they never come as there’s nothing they can do about the children. They left me alone but I was still concerned so I gave my bag and phone to the attendant to look after while the kids were around. They all left eventually leaving me thinking about where their parents were right now. The attendant said drunk or drugged up. This is the issue Australia faces, the kids running wild at night or later because no adults are there to look after them. On another stop in Fitzroy Crossing which was early morning, I witnessed again these children. A couple tried to enter the service station and the attendant told them not without adult supervision. This is the rule in most establishments as they try to discourage kids to enter places without their parents. This kid not more than 10 years old just went ballistic on the poor attendant calling her every name under the sun and throwing threats at her. About how he was going to shoot her or slit her throat and I was stunned into silence. The white guy in the store said nothing and the only other Aboriginal man said nothing until the boy said a racist slur at the attendant. That’s when he stepped in to speak to the boy. Even then he spoke to him nicely. Eventually the boy calmed down and came back into the shop to speak to the attendant and apologised. He even shook her hand and all was good again. Then a white women the kids obviously knew came in and bought the kids what they wanted as now she was the adult and they were able to enter the store. It seems a terrible situation that is occurring in Australia especially in the Northern Territory and states bordering it. Nobody seems to be able to control the kids who are literally running wild. I figured early on in the journey that the time taken to travel to Broome and back actually wasn’t worth the effort but to see first hand the experiences I’ve seen with the kids was actually invaluable. Hearing about these incidents isn’t enough so to actually experience it has brought a certain understanding of the situation I didn’t have before. Although I’m wondering what is anyone doing about the parents who are letting these kids roam free at all hours. Broome is still 3 hours away.
The most obvious thing to notice about this part of the Kimberly is the Boab trees and the red earth. This is apparent all the way from Derby to Broome. When I reached the city I realised I wasn’t going to see the dinosaur prints because of the tides. So I resigned to the fact that the beach, the walking trail and town is all I’ll be seeing. It was hot and humid. It’s wet season so all tours were closed. Usually you could kayak in the mangrove or take a boat trip. The beach with red sand was lovely but again no swimming allowed because of crocodiles and stingers. I saw a couple of different lizards and even a snake crossed my path while walking back into town. As the sun was setting I headed to the airport to spend the night as I thought it was the safest. Just before 8pm I was asked to leave by one of the staff as the airport was closing and being locked up. That was a slight problem so I figured McDonald’s would be my last option. Another lady Dolores asked where I was staying so I told her my plans and what happened with the hostel. She said she’d call another local hostel she knows. She found me a bed for $40. She said she’d drive me there too. When it was time to leave she said she looked up the hostel and saw the awful reviews about how dirty the place was. I jokingly said I’d give her the $40 to sit on her sofa. She and her colleague Joanna agreed that the hostel wasn’t a good idea. So Dolores said I could sleep on her sofa and Joanna said her shift starts at 5am and she would pick me up and drop me at the bus station. I couldn’t believe my luck that these two women were willing to help me like that. The bonus was Dolores having two gorgeous dogs to play with. They were so cute. Dolores had a son at home and we all chatted till nearly midnight. The next morning Joanna picked me up and brought me bacon sandwich and cappuccino for breakfast. They were unbelievably kind and that’s what I’ll remember about my visit to Broome.
Then it was a long trip back on the Greyhound back to Darwin with exactly the same stops but in reverse. Having to get off the bus after midnight is a pain in the arse especially when I know not all drivers do it only the arseholes on this trip. So once back in Darwin, I went back to my hotel to collect my bags and I hung out in their lobby until the bus to Katherine. As you know I’ve been to Katherine many times on the Greyhound stops but decided to stay this time. What I realised after booking my stay that everything closes during the wet season. The gorge was open but it would have cost an extra $160 just for the taxi ride to the national park for the boat tour which was another $120. Not really worth it so I spent my short stay looking for their amazing street art and walked their railway heritage trail. It was almost 40 degrees Celsius and my hotel pool was a welcome relief. My main observation during my stay in Katherine is the place seems to wake up at sunset. Not only are the sounds of the birds almost deafening but the Aboriginies seem to wake up too. During the day you can hear a pin drop. As soon as the sun is setting they appear from nowhere to congregate outside shopping malls, basically any shops that are open. From seeing one or two people on the streets suddenly there are 20. They are a noisy bunch and loud too especially the ladies. It’s probably the grog but this is their life now. I’m unsure as to how long it is sustainable both for the first nation people and the Australian government.
The next afternoon I was on another Greyhound, this time to Mount Isa. Then after connecting service in Tennant Creek which I’m not looking forward to as there’s fuck all to do from midnight to 3am in a servo with shitty temporary toilets filled with bugs. So I watched the night life. This always consisted of Aboriginal people, men, women and children mincing around the only place that is open which was the servo. Obviously the Aboriginals are nocturnal people, well these guys definitely are. Kids are alone, babies are awake and thankfully with a mum or dad in tow or at least in the vicinity at least. The adults not catching the bus are drunk on the forecourt or drunk and sitting on the grassy areas around the servo. Some kids coming in to steal stuff or be racists to the Indian guys working there. Tonight one older lady must have done something so bad that she was carted off in a police wagon and she didn’t go quietly. I’ve actually seen worse and no police anywhere and nothing was done. Still wondering what she did to deserve the arrest. As I think about it, they’re actually all the same people I’ve seen since October and it’s January now. Same kids, same adults, same babies, same servo attendants and even the same Greyhound drivers. This is Tennant Creek nightlife and strangely I will miss it.
Mount Isa is a working mining town, not as cool as Coober Pedy but it deserved a stay. Again I stopped here at least twice before on the Greyhound stops. Statistics say this town has the fastest growing youth crime rate where all the youths are Aboriginals. I didn’t see anything of the sort whilst I was staying but have heard about the curfews due to night time rampage. It seems the kids are out of control predominantly in towns bordering the Northern Territory. There is a new state law allowing the arrest of 10 year olds well I now know why. Wonder if this will be a deterrent. From Mount Isa it was my penultimate Greyhound trip and final overnight ride with Skippy and Andrea. It was definitely an eventful ride. Skippy nicknamed for killing a big red kangaroo on his first day at Greyhound and causing $14k worth of damage. Well the nickname stuck as he’s been doing it for 24 years. Just before midnight I heard a huge bang and a lot of crunch which Skippy confirmed was a huge kangaroo. It smashed up the plexiglass that protects the headlights. The other thing memorable about this ride was being able to visit the Crocodile Dundee Roadhouse in Walkabout Creek. It wasn’t an official stop but Andrea said I could go for a quick visit while she did her mail drop. I raced around the Roadhouse taking photos of all the familiar memorabilia. I love film locations.
I’m fast approaching the end of my Australian adventure. My last night was in Brisbane before getting my last and final coach to the Gold Coast airport. I had a bit of a hassle with jetstar app not being able to get a boarding pass so I headed to the airport early. I figured they needed to see documents as I’m entering New Zealand. I realised New Zealand wasn’t the problem but jetstar policy. It seems my transit visa which New Zealand issued me was accepted by Air New Zealand who gave me my boarding pass but jetstar refused. Apparently the attendant said nothing could be done to get a boarding pass as no overrides were available for my issue. He called the NZeTA about the visa and his operations teams. He said I had to apply for another visa which wasn’t transit. This made no sense to me as I had all flights showing I’m leaving New Zealand and if Air New Zealand issued me a boarding pass then jetstar should too. The answer was a big fat no. So reluctantly and under duress I applied and paid for a visiting visa that cost $117 on top of the original $17 transit visa. As soon as the application on the NZeTA was pending the jetstar system allowed for me to have a boarding pass. Because of all the hassle I asked for a window seat and the attendant gave me an exit window seat. After realising the boarding pass cost me nearly £60 I had to go and destress in the nearby hotel lounge where I left my bags in their lobby. Trying to outsmart jetstar I quickly froze my card and reported lost but unfortunately the transaction shows pending on my app. The NZeTA app also shows application as pending so hopefully my visa doesn’t get granted and I can get a refund for the pending transaction. Anyway after all this debacle I have my boarding pass which means I’m going to New Zealand and on my way to my Pacific islands adventure but not before a night in Auckland airport obviously
