Day 193 : Time For Lime / New Year's Eve

• Took a cookery class at Time For Lime. The Norwegian owner gave a good overview of Thai ingredients and cutting techniques and also what ingredients we could get or substitute in European supermarkets. The actual cooking was taught by a Thai – we made Tom Yam Gong (spicy, sweet and sour soup), stir fried prawns, fish with coconut red curry. Lots to take in but a really good day!
• In the evening we had cocktails on the beach for the last sunset of 2011 before heading back to Sonya’s for a few beers. We met a German couple, Annette and Stephan, with whom we saw in the new year down at another bar on the beach. Lots of small fireworks, lanterns and an open jam session at the bar.

Day 192 : Escaped!

• Got up early to search for some new accommodation after getting little sleep in our hovel due to the bar next door. Most places are fully booked for new year so we had a choice between a nice-looking but expensive (1200 THB) bungalow or a double bed in a dorm attached to a restaurant (250THB) – decided to go for the cheap option as people seemed very friendly and dorm nice enough although it’s lacking a bathroom our bed has only a thai-style roll-mat in place of a mattress.
• After moving we caught a tuk tuk to Lanta Animal Welfare, a volunteer-run centre that looks after stray cats and dogs on the island. The centre was set up by the owner of Time For Lime cookery school where we’re going tomorrow. One of the volunteers showed us around; the centre is really nice and much more spacious than anything we’ve seen in the UK. We took a couple of dogs out for a walk to the beach.
• Spent the evening in the restaurant by our dorm, “Sonya’s”, chatting to the other guests.

Day 191 : Koh Lanta

• Took another ridiculous minivan. Eventually got to Koh Lanta via 2 car ferries, 4 hours later than expected.
• Staying at Khlong Khong Bay Bungalows. Our bungalow right near the beach but it’s not very nice – window panes missing, room is dirty and bathroom smells like something died in it. It has a/c but the electricity isn’t reliable – the lights hardly work! Not much choice though as everything’s booked up for new year.
• Amazing sunset and nice meal at Lanta Pavillion resort.

Day 190 : Lazy day in Ao Nang

• Geeked and mooched in our apartment. Organised a load of stuff for India.
• Lovely Thai dinner at the restaurant next door in Ao Nang.

Day 189 : Rock climbing

• Spent the morning in the apartment organising and ‘geeking’.
• Took a minivan and longtail to Rai Lay. Very rainy so started on a cliff with a large overhang so was dry.
• Did a very high climb with an amazing view. I didn’t know my eyelids could sweat!
• Did another 4 climbs in different spots – some really pushing my ability but was really good fun. Felt I’d achieved something.
• Scary longtail ride home – had to wade through mud to get to the boat and then we almost capsized!
• Nice cheap meal in the evening. Loads of choice of good, cheap food here.

Day 188 : Island hopping

• Took a longtail boat trip to Rai Lay. Watched the climbers.
• Next stop was a busy island – not so nice. Swam in the big waves and had a picnic of Thai green curry.
• Visited Poda island – beautiful sandbar and swimming but ruined by the occasional bit of rubbish.
• Snorkelled near Chicken Island. Saw big schools of unknown stripy fish and parrot fish.
• Got completely soaked on the way home as the water was quite choppy.

Day 187 : Christmas!

• Opened our little presents (featuring toothpaste, shower gel, genuine Prada wallet, keyrings, waterproof bag, sweets).
• Went for a quick dip in the sea.
• Walked past a small carol service at a cafe.
• Christmas lunch in the Irish Rover pub.
• Skyped family and watched a film in the apartment.

Day 186 : Ao Nang

• Had a look around town and walked to the beach. It’s a bit chavvy and touristy but surrounded by stunning limestone cliffs and forest.
• Dramatic rocky islands visible from the beach.
• Did a mini Christmas shop for each other.
• Had a drink in the Irish pub where we’re having lunch tomorrow and watched an Irish folk singer.

Day 185 : Penang to Ao Nang

• Epic minivan journey via Hat Yai to Ao Nang in Krabi Province, Thailand. We weren’t sure how long the journey would be or aware that we would have to change minivans in Hat Yai. After two hours of driving we noticed we drove past our original pick up point – the driver had just been running errands around Hat Yai! He then got lost around Trang. Finally, after 12 hours in the minivan we arrived at Krabi and got a taxi to Ao Nang.
• Arrived at our beautiful apartment (our Christmas treat!).
• Got stuck at the Thai border because the Malaysian officials didn’t stamp our passports with the correct date – we had to walk half a mile back to Malaysia and then he just fudged it with a biro! Everybody else on our bus also had the wrong date but they all got through.

Day 184 : Another mansion and temples

• Went to another Peranakan mansion similar to the last one but full of random stuff from over the years. There was also a temple which had lots of little bats roosting across the walls.
• Had a wander around, went to a chinese temple.
• Had lunch in Old Town coffee house (Malaysian chain cafe).
• Had dinner in the Red Garden again had nice simple chicken, veg and rice for £1

Day 183 : The Blue Mansion and the Red Garden

• Went to the Cheong Fatt Ze Mansion (or Blue Mansion) - the biggest of its kind outside of China. Had a really good tour and learnt lots about traditional feng shui. There was so much intricate detail and hidden symbolism in all the shapes (like ying and yang in the wooden shutters) and animal decorations. The floor tiles were from Stoke on Trent and the iron pillars from Glasgow as it was only the best for him. (couldn't take photos inside).
• Had a cheap eat in an Indian cafe and chose from a vast array of cheap food in the Red Garden night market which is suitably adorned with fairy lights and Christmas music.

Day 182 : KL to Penang

Got a coach to Georgetown (the coaches are cheap as there is a lot of competition, they are luxury, wide seat coaches in various states of deterioration). Checked into our hostel on love lane which seems nice.

Day 181 : Batu caves, Luna bar and foot massage

• Took a bus to the Batu caves – a cave that is up a huge flight of stairs and contains Hindu temples. The statues and temples are beautiful and the limestone caves and cliffs amazing. One of the monkeys on the steps tried to steal our alcohol hand rub and hissed viciously!
• Went to Luna bar which is at the top of a hotel, looked at the amazing views and had happy hour beers. Had such a cool seat in a enclave jutting out over the view.
• Had an amazing foot massage in one of the many massage shops in town.
• Had some roti and dips at the hostel – the Indian cafe next door pass take away over the wall – amazing and cheap!

Day 180 : KL

• Up early to get a ticket for the Petronus Towers. They have a limited amount of tickets each day and we got there just in time – we were the last people before they closed the ticket queue and were allocated a slot at 1615.
• Took the train to the central market – walked around there and the nearby Dataran Merdeka (independence square). There was a drift racing event going on there so I guess it normally looks a bit different!
• Went up the KL Tower – the tallest observation deck in KL – fantastic views of the city and the Petronus Towers.
• Took the Monorail to Bukit Bintang and looked around the shops.
• Went up the Petronus Towers skydeck (halfway) and the observation deck at the top.
• Back to Bukit Bintang for an evening shop – picked up some clothes for Thailand (our current stuff is wearing out quickly!).
• Played with kittens at the hostel.

Day 179 : Melaka to Kuala Lumpur

Nice breakfast in the Voyage cafe near the hostel. Travelled to KL via local bus (took forever) –> bus –> train –> train; got there in the end! Staying in Red Palm hostel near Bukit Bintang – v friendly place and right in the middle of town. Explored the local area by foot – endless shopping malls and street stalls. Christmas decorations almost as good as Singapore! Watched Mission Impossible 4 at the cinema in the evening (with a very enthusiastic Malaysian audience!).

Day 178 : Melaka

Wandered around Melaka. Went in the maratime museum inside a replica Portuguese trade ship. Walked up the hill to the beautiful ruins of St Pauls (1521). Walked around the shopping mall then back to our dorm in China town. Melaka is a lovely place with a mish mash of Portuguese, Dutch and Asian influence.

Night market along Jonker Walk was cool, there was a random bans singing Elvis, Malaysian style.

Day 177 : Singapore to Melaka

• Both felt rough after too much wine – not so good in the heat and humidity!
• Got on a huge coach (only 2 other passengers) got off at immigration to leave Singapore then a bit further down the road have to get off the bus again to enter Malaysia!
• Checked into our hostel seems nice dorm room ok – nice and cheap
• Melaka is cool. I had a lovely dish in a restaurant with coconut rice and fried egg and nuts and spinach was £1 yum!
• The architecture is a lovely mix, it is quite a touristy place full of I’m assumming Malyasian and Singaporian tourists but has cool shops and markets and amazing disco trishaws!

Day 176 : Pretend Christmas

• Wandered some more around Singapore – Little India then back to the water front to see the amazing space age buildings. Visited the bubble tea shop again for bubble coffee.
• Made pass the parcel for Harvey and Alice for the Christmas dinner.
• Picked up the visas yey! But Claire got called later that evening to say that they had forgotten to sign our visas so we have to go back tomorrow!
• Enjoyed watching a tropical storm – being in the house with air con and lovely Christmas decorations it feels festive.
• Had an amazing Christmas dinner – turkey and all the trimmings (as the family are going away at Christmas so the kids opened some presents etc) it felt really festive, it was great fun!

Day 175 : Chinatown and Marina Bay

• This morning went to Thai embassy to get visas. After standing in the line for an hour we then had to leave and run around to find an internet cafe in order to book some bus tickets then get back in line. Despite having a flight booked out of Thailand which is in less than 60 days from now, we had to buy a ticket into Thailand to prove we would be there for less than 60 days!
• Walked around Chinatown, had lunch in the market food court – very cheap.
• Still can’t get over the amazing Christmas decorations around the shopping malls and streets they are incredible!
• Met Tony a Singaporean friend of Adams. He very kindly took us out for drinks (Singapore sling at Raffles) and for dinner at a Peranakan restaurant. Walked around the amazing water side development. Had some bubble tea – all the rage here, its tea (hundreds of flavours and colours!) with balls of starchy jelly stuff of different flavours. Much nicer than it sounds. 

Day 174 : Perth to Singapore

• Had a nice flight to Singapore watched some good films. Managed to through more stuff away in Perth so our backpacks are getting lighter and smaller (although we do need some new clothes).
• Arrived at Claire (Helen’s sister) Matt, Alice and Harvey’s house in Singapore. A lovely place, quite central to town. They have a real Christmas tree and lovely decorations up, feels much more festive than Perth.
• Went to a food court in Holland village. It’s funny to see Harvey and Alice ordering excotic food. Had a lovely dinner and some beers.
• Saw the beautiful Christmas lights on Orchard road – amazing!

Day 172 : Freo and Symphony in the City

• Took the train to Fremantle – walked around the old town. Took a really nice tour of the Little Creatures brewery.
• The sailing world championships happened to be on so we grabbed some fish and chips and watched some of the ladies windsurfing and men’s laser (Ben Ainslie was out there somewhere).
• In the evening watched the Western Australia Symphony Orchestra and chorus perform a free, “last night of the proms” style concert on the waterfront. Impressive 1812 overture with the bell tower and the army providing the cannons.
• Back at the hostel, watched a full lunar eclipse.

Day 171 : Scarborough and Christmas markets

• Went to the beach at Scarborough in the hope of finding some surf. No swell, but had a good swim.
• Walked into Perth centre for the evening Chistmas food market and brass band carols.

Day 169/170 : Little animals in the moonlight

Left the Denmark YHA on a windy and rainy day with a lack of direction having checked the surf it had (messy slop) we drove through random towns in the wheat belt. Stopped at a random restaurant / cafe called Henry Jones in Broomhill Tambellup and had a muffin, coffee and bought a $5 sale bottle of wine from their vinyard.
Ended up in Narrogin and booked onto a night tour of a nature reserve about an hours drive away. The only accomodation  in the area was $100+ so we decided we would sleep in our tiny car. Whiled away the afternoon in a garden centre cafe waiting for the tour.

Drove to Dryandra reserve (in a secret location – they only put the signs up at 7pm!) saw lots of kangaroos on the way. On the reserve we saw southern brown bandicoots, a bilby, rufous hair wallabies and borrowing bettongs it was cool. Parled up in an empty conservation camp and slept in the little car.

Up early at 5 as not that comfortable! Drove to Perth, checked in at the Witch's Hat hostel then dropped off the hire car. Used the free internet in the library and had a little wander around the centre. The mock tudor mall (c. 1920s) reminds me of the genuine thing in Gloucester.

Day 168 : Day of trees

Yesterday drove around looking for surf and surf hire around Margaret River. All the surf looked scary and most you had to paddle far over reef to get to it. Had a dip in the sea.

Today we drove from our hostel at Prevelly via the surf beaches and watched some big waves. Stopped in Pemberton and climbed the Gloucester Tree (it was free yay) - a fire tower tree with metal poles stuck in it like a spiral ladder made in the 1940s. To think there is nothing to stop you falling 58 metres down but your sweaty hands gripping hold of a thin metal rung! I hadn't really thought it would be scary until I thought about it and when I was about 10 metres up! Anyway we made it to the top viewing platform and the views were spectacular – we then climbed the long way down.

We drove on to the valley of the giants and a tree top walk. Prob not worth the $12 but you can see why it costs – it’s an amazing construction. It felt very high up but compared to the Gloucester tree it was only a mere 40 metres at its highest point. Walked among the ancient Karri trees that become hollow (but still alive) due to fires and infestations.

Drove on to Denmark and checked into a homely little YHA (had a twin room yey). Hired the last Harry Potter film which we finally watched - he didn’t really die now did he? Was preparing for him to die then he didn't (which I liked)!

Day 167 : Margaret River Wine Tour

Spent the day on a wine tour around the Margaret River region with Wine for Dudes. As a region MR produces a high end wine so the wineries are generally small, family run affairs. The area is also famous for its big wave surfing spots so a lot of the owners of the wineries are surfers / former surfers. This time, unlike our tour in Marlborough, we had a full mini bus so it was a bit more fun. We visited:

• Windance wines. Very nice unoaked Chardonnay and Cabernet Shiraz.
• Hay Shed Hill / Pitchfork – buffet lunch and experimented with mixing our own blends of Shiraz and Cabernet wine. Really liked the Semillon Sauvignon Blanc.
• Gabriel chocolate – quite similar to Haigh’s chocolates that we went around the other day but much smaller (almost a 1 man show). They are the only chocolate company in WA that imported cacao beans directly and does every part of the chocolate making process themselves. Bought ourselves a very tasty  bar of Ghanaian chocolate. Interesting to taste the cacao beans themselves.
• Margaret river dairy company – a cheese factory.
• The Grove / Margaret River distillery – tasted lots of different liqueurs. Favourite shooter was butterscotch / Turkish delight / cream mix.
• Saracen estates winery and brewery. Very nice Cab Sav but too pricey for us ($85 a bottle).

Day 166 : Margaret River / Prevelly

• Early flight to Perth from Adelaidge
• Picked up hire car (some kind of Australian Vauxhall thing) and headed south
• Drove through Dunsborough (not much there and sheltered beach so no surf) to Margaret River.
• Staying at a hostel on the beach in Prevelly, just down the road from MR. They had some serious bush fires here just last week and lots of the landscape is charred – the grass has burnt up to the door of our hostel room and it still smells of wood fire.

Day 165 : Adelaide

• Took advantage of the free cycle hire provided by the city to cycle along the Trorrens  river towards Adelaide Hills – lots of pretty parkland and a koala climbing a tree :-)
• Toured the Haigh chocolate factory (also free)
• Found screws and superglue and repaired the laptop – no more duct tape
• Evening trip with the hostel to the central markets / Chinatown - sampled some free food and wine

Day 164 : Port Elliot to Adelaide

• Drove along the Fleurieu Peninsula to Adelaide, stopping at Victor Harbour and Aldinga Beach for a swim. Lots of wineries and pretty towns.
• Checked into the YHA at Adelaide and dropped off the car. Adelaide seems to be sprawling, a bit like LA but nicer. The city centre seems quite regimented; a grid system with wide roads between the blocks.
• Walked around the centre of town for a bit, visiting the Art Gallery of South Australia and the state Museum.
• In the evening we went to a comedy night in a random basement / cafe near the hostel. I think we were the only people in the (small) audience not related to the performers! A fun night though.

Day 163 : Grampians to Port Elliot

• Spent the morning doing some short walks around the Grampians - visited MacKenzie Falls, Reeds Lookout and the Balconies. Spectacular views and saw a few black wallabies and kangaroos. Cold showers and a mountain breeze made it feel very wintery.
• Continued on to Horsham and through Victoria to the state border with South Australia. Scenery is very different and constantly changing. Generally feels a lot more rural and “outbacky”.
• Stopped for coffee at Bordertown.
• Caught the chain ferry at Wellington.
• Stopped at another YHA at Port Elliot. Hostel is another good one – an old, but recently converted hotel – bags of character and well kitted out. Treated ourselves to steak dinner (that we cooked ourselves!).

Day 162 : Great Ocean Road to the Grampians

Left Apollo Bay early and did a short walk at Maits Rest where we found the rare and carnivorous Otway Black Snail whilst walking along the rainforest boardwalk. We drove to the lighthouse at Cape Otway (the oldest in Australia) but the highlight was the many koalas along the road. Further along the GOR we stopped at the 12 Apostles, Loch Ard Gorge, Bay of Islands, Port Campbell, Tower Hill (a volcanic crater turned nature reserve – lots of emus, skink, lizards). Went for a swim at the beach in Port Fairy to wake ourselves up – fun bodysurfing waves but not worth hiring a surfboard.

We drove inland to Grampians, only just managing to avoid a suicidal black wallaby which jumped in front of us on the highway! Louise wants a special mention to go to the cake we had on the way – it was a yellow shortbread pastry thing with apple inside and icing on top. We’re staying at another great YHA at Halls Gap – very similar to the one at Apollo Bay. They even have chickens to provide us with free eggs in the morning :-)

We went for a glass of wine at a local bar and saw hundreds of kangaroos about – mostly munching the grass off the cricket pitch.

Day 161 : Melbourne to Apollo Bay

Left Tom and Narissa to pick up our rental car in the morning – this time a tiny Toyota Yaris. After a quick stop in Torquay we drive along the great ocean road to the famous Bells Beach; there was a tiny wave but nowhere to hire any boards so surfing not really an option. Continuing along the GOR we stopped at the Split Point Lighthouse (of “round the twist” fame), the memorial arch and Lorne and Kennett river (koala spotting).

We stopped for the night at a fantastic YHA in Apollo Bay and managed to get upgraded to a double room instead of the dorm. There’s not a whole lot in the town itself except for the beach and a few walks but we’ve got a lot of ground to cover tomorrow so don’t plan to hang around too much anyway.

Koala count: 1 walking along the side of the road, 1 barking at geese (see video), 1 eating, 1 sleeping

Day 257 to 260 : Melbourne

• Flew to Melbourne to stay with uncle Tom and Narissa
• Went out to dinner and then for cocktails in some cool pubs and bars in Northcote
• Had breakfast in a lovely cafe
• Went to the ACMI and then got arrested at old Melbourne Gaol
• Drank coffee in funky little cafes on Degraves street
• Went to the aquarium and identified lots of fish that we saw snorkelling
• Got our underwater films developed from Fiji, Whitsundays and Barrier reef
• Took the tram around town
• Walked around some of the parks and streets

Day 255 : Animals at Port Douglas

Today we went to the zoo and saw a tree kangaroo, koalas, fed some kangaroos and saw lots of cool birds.

Day 154 : Great barrier reef

• Took a day trip to the barrier reef on a luxurious boat (compared to "Spank Me"). We had delicious food, nice toilets and everything!
• Snorkelled at Agincourt, Helm's deep and Trigger fish reef. The water was so clear and there were so many fish. 
• We saw two white tipped sharks (one really big one), giant sea cucumbers, unicorn fish, clown fish, barracuda, crayfish whiskers, giant clams, parrot fish and peach cheek trigger fish guarding their nests. 
• Got 2 underwater films to develop now, hope some pics are good.

Day 153 : Port Douglas

Got a free transfer to the Port Douglas YHA. Didn't do much - it's very hot! Walked around the town, watched the hundreds of fruit bats in the evening and found a huge tree frog.

Day 152 : Kuranda railway and skyrail

Today we took the scenic railway through the hilly rainforest to Kuranda. The railway journey was spectacular but the town at the end of it was a little disappointing - full of tourist tat shops. We went for a nice walk in the rainforest before taking the "skyrail" gondola back down towards Cairns in the afternoon.

Day 151 : Maggie to Cairns

• Yesterday afternoon we fed the wild rainbow lorikeets at the YHA, they are amazing, so cute and noisy as they squabble. We were covered in them – on our head, all up our arms and shoulders. They are so gentle with they’re beaks but cling on with their claws!
• Saw 2 little possums last night they are so cute! I love this hostel every time you walk up the path you see a different type of animal.
• Took the ferry back to Townsville then the bus to Cairns. Came in along the seafront past a cruise ship and posh bars and shops.
• Checked in at the hostel then went to the night market. Had amazing ice-cream and then a plate of curry. Cairns has a colonial feel about it crossed with a shopping mall. It feels like we are in the big smoke after the past couple of weeks we’ve had!

Day 150 : Swimming with horses

• This morning we went swimming on horseback!
• Had a good canter through the bush at horseshoe bay
• Walked along the beach, took off the saddles, got into our stinger suits then rode bare back into the sea! It was amazing!
• Not sure what we are doing this afternoon – maybe snorkelling, walking or parakeet feeding

Day 149 : Magnetic Island

• Took a bus to Townsville then a ferry to Magnetic Island
• Checked in at the YHA which has A-frame bungalows in a tropical forest setting
• Fed the rock wallabies on the rocks by the beach, so cute!

Day 148 : Airlie Beach

• Went snorkelling in another bay saw amazing clams. Sailed very slowly home.
• Evening drinks at “Beaches” with the other people from our boat.

Day 147 : Whitehaven beach and diving

• Up at sunrise to go to Whitehaven beach which was amazing. Saw stingrays and lemon sharks in the shallow water and sand balls made by little crabs.
• Went scuba diving and snorkelling at Luncheon bay. Snorkelling was better to see fish – giant parrot fish, maori wrass and bat fish. Also saw a green turtle lift its head out of the water. Diving was better to see the coral.

Day 145-146 : Whitsunday Islands

• Arrived at Airlie beach.
• Checked in with our boat company - Oz Sail - and because we said it was our honeymoon we get a double instead of dorm room  for the same price at our hostel when we get back to dry land yey!
• Set sail on “Spank Me”, a slightly battered 82ft racing yacht. Had a nice group of 22 people on our boat plus 3 crew. Had a bed under one of the hatches so could look at the stars.
• Sailed to Hook island did some snorkelling saw some honeycomb stone cod.

Day 144 : Myella Farm and bumping into a friend

• Got picked up early from Rockhampton YHA to go to Myella farm stay in the outback
• Had some breakfast then collected eggs and cuddled chickens
• Learnt another style of riding similar to western (not that we needed to steer really) then went on a 2 hour ride on the farm. The landscape is beautiful. We saw lots of grey kangaroos and one with a large joey in its pouch so cute! Saw a dingo too
• Had lunch and met two birds - dirty harry a cockatoo with no feathers due to an illness and pink floyd the gala. Both birds landed in the farm injured and have adopted it as their home. They can talk and everything!
• Had a motorbike lesson, herded some horses (on the bikes) and went for a bike around the farm. The horses are gorgeous.
• Had a go at milking a cow. They are really tame and beautiful cows. They have a variety of fresians and jerseys etc but they are interbred with the brahman cow which comes from India so they are more suited to the conditions.
• Got back and the yha offered to drop people off at the rodeo practice at the great western in Rockhampton. We walked in and bumped into a good friend of mine from school - Lizzy Durman (and her husband James) who I’d not seen for about 10 years! It was the most random thing in the most random place! They were waiting for a greyhound night bus to travel south. Still cant believe it!

Thomas harassed by marsh fly at Lake McKenzie

Day 143 : Hervey Bay to Rockhampton

Spent the morning trying to use the internet in a McDonalds near the Hervey Bay Greyhound station. The laptop wouldn’t turn on so I had to dismantle it in McDonalds using a penknife screwdriver – turned out to be a loose cable but a bunch of screws were missing from the inside and after a sweaty run around the nearby shops I couldn’t locate any replacements. Sellotape had to do for now.

After a 6 hour bus journey along the Queensland coastal bush we arrived in Rockhampton; the meat capitol of Australia. We’re staying in the YHA for a couple of days. It’s pretty basic, but we were lucky to get an upgrade from our dorm to a double room because they were so busy. Tomorrow we’re going on a day trip to a farm in the outback, so another early start.

Day 142 : Fraser Island day 3

Not such an early start today as we managed to pack in so much in the previous two days that there wasn’t much more to see! After a breakfast of pancakes on the bbq we drove to a beach resort at Eurong – a large complex with a bakery, store and apartments. Rango showed us some of the private houses in Eurong as we drove up to Lake McKenzie and then had a few hours of swimming and relaxing on the beach.

In the afternoon we drove over to the Kingfisher resort on the other side of the island which is where our ferry back to the mainland departed. Before we left, we managed to have a cheeky swim in the pool and the cold(!) jacuzzi.

A lazy evening back at the hostel as people go their separate ways. Most of the group are in the hostel tonight and we’re off on a greyhound to Rockhampton around lunchtime tomorrow.

Day 141 : Fraser Island day 2

Another early start – we were up for sunrise over the beach at 0445 and then straight on the road (or rather, beach) after a quick breakfast. There are lots of marsh flies about around the camp so you don’t want to hang around!

First stop was the Kirrar sandblow or Rainbow Gorge – lots of multicoloured sand and sandblasted trees. We drove up to Eli creek and Rango arranged for us to go on a 20 minute flight on one of the 8 seater planes run by Air Fraser. It felt very similar to the plane we went skydiving from, but we didn’t go very high this time – we got some great views of the island and shipwreck further up the beach. After a quick dip in Eli creek, we drove up to the wreck of the Maheno and then on to the Pinnacles, Red canyon and all the way up to the Champagne Pools. I was driving the last part and, after 3 attempts, failed to get our land trooper through a large patch of soft sand, so we had to abandon it - our guide, Rango, obviously didn’t fancy his chances of taking it through either!

After a swim in the champagne pools, we walked up to Indian Head – one of the 3 rocky outcrops that caused Fraser Island to form. We saw some dolphins playing in the surf, a large turtle and huge manta rays from the cliff top. Heading back down the beach towards camp, we stopped over at Cathedral Beach for an ice cream at the petrol station / general store. We were stopped by a dingo running in front of the lead car to beg for food – it had a really bulky tracking collar which seemed a bit cruel.

We had a final wash at Eli creek (no showers / toilets at camp) and then another massive bbq back at the camp (we were a little overstocked with food!) with plenty of goon!

Day 140 : Fraser Island day 1

Up early to checkout of the hostel and pack the cars. As the group is so small, we only have two cars – an 8 seat Land Trooper and a 6 seat Land Cruiser which our guide, Rango, will be driving. Louise took the first driving shift to the ferry (only 3 of us in the group are used to driving on the left, the others didn’t want to take their chances on the mainland). We had to reverse onto the ferry – quite fun in a fully loaded Land Trooper without a functioning handbrake!

Once on the island, we had our first experience of the sandy tracks that snake along the rainforest. Louise drove us to our first stop, Central Station, a logging facility and village that was abandoned when the logging ceased in the 1990s. It was really good to have Rango to show us around – not only to tell us about the history, but also about the interesting ferns (tree ferns and giant king ferns), trees and wildlife. While the others walked through the rainforest in Pile Valley, Rango and I drove the cars around to the end of the trail. The “roads” on Fraser are just sand tracks and often very rough, so it’s pretty slow going but a lot of fun! Apparently they are extra soft at the moment de to the lack of rainfall. We drove to Lake Birrabeen and had a welcome swim – lots of tea trees around the shore, and the sand is very fine (apparently it was used to polish the lens for the Hubble telescope).

Next stop was the Lake Wabby lookout where you get a great view over a sandblow and the lake. In the carpark we came across a dead “Death Viper” or “50 minute snake” – hopefully we won’t see a live one! From the east beach we walked the 35 minute track to Lake Wabby. It was getting late so we didn’t swim because we needed to get to the camp and set up. The camp is just off the beach near Eurong and the tents were already pitched, so it was just a case of unloading our bags and food and enjoying a late bbq.

Day 139 : Hervey bay

Took the greyhound from Noosa to Hervey Bay – our base before we set off to Fraser Island tomorrow. The Palace hostel doesn’t live up to its name – pretty grim, but functional. Met up with our group for Fraser; there are 11 of us and our guide, Rango, so a nice small group. Went to the supermarket to stock up for the next 3 days on the island where we need to be self sufficient.  Early night because we have to be up at 5am to have a “driving on sand” briefing, load up our cars and catch the ferry at 0830.

Day 138 : Eumundi / Noosa

• Got up early to see if there was any surf – better than usual at a 1/2 to 1ft manage to catch a few little rides on the free softies from the hostel. Saw whatever we saw on the walk yesterday in the water about 50yards from us – still not convinced of what it is – dolphin / litle whale / shark? Seen so many dolphins would have thought I’d recognise one unless its a different species that moves in a different way. No lice today :- )
• Took the bus to Eumundi where there is a massive market. Picked up some new (non smelly) sandals for Will and grabbed some free tasters of everything from fried cinnamon macadamia to German sausage

Day 137 : Noosa

• Walked along the Noosa National park coast to “hell’s gate” and then inland through the park back to Noosa heads. Saw a black parrot with rosy yellow cheeks!?, little lizards and a pod of something – looked bigger than dolphins moving in a differetn way – not humpbacks that are migrating at the mo something smaller but not sure what…..
• Tried to surf on the free softies but no surf so practised paddling and standing on the boards whilst at standstill. Experienced sea lice for the first time – prickly!
• Went to Coles in Noosa junction