Magnificent Fraser Island

Marie picked me up on Saturday 27th July in Indooroopilly and we drove up to Eumundi, where we collected Hester and Colin from the famed Saturday markets. We proceeded north through Gympie to Rainbow Beach; Marie continued up to Bundaberg while we checked into our hostel and visited the local beach. After an instructional safety video covering topics from wild dingos to beach driving we were pretty much ready to go to sleep, although Colin and I managed an undefeated pool run beforehand!

Rainbow Beach, trying to spot Fraser Island through the clouds

Rainbow at Rainbow Beach!

On Sunday morning, stocked up with provisions (for some reason Hester as a vegetarian seemed to be given double rations), we made an early start with our tour group for Fraser Island, the largest sand island in the world! First stop was lunch in an area enclosed by a dingo fence; although we had seen a beached turtle we were still eagerly anticipating our first dingo sighting. Following that we drove through rainforest to visit Lake McKenzie, where some people braved a swim while others opted for a little walk! As the tide came in the beach driving became a little rougher, sometimes requiring driving over or around jagged rocks in places where inexperienced drivers had managed to roll cars. In the faltering daylight we checked out the wreck of the Maheno before retiring to our campsite.

Driving over rocky beach

In front of the Maheno wreck with Colin and Hester

The weather was not looking perfect on Monday morning, so in an attempt to catch the best of it (Fraser Island apparently has its own weather systems) we drove up to Indian Head, the eastern-most point on the island, for some views along beaches as well as whale watching opportunities (sadly not much was seen on this occasion). This was followed by the Champagne Pools, again offering the chance for a refreshing swim! After this we took a rather bumpy trip inland to Lake Allom, packed full of turtles, before moving on to Eli Creek. This awesome flowing stream allows one to float along in the current, and is also known as hangover creek; our guide's original plan had been to first head to Eli Creek in the morning to ease away the after effects of the previous night. The sun was out in the afternoon and my first swim on Fraser Island was not too cold... It was time to return to camp and another round of making our dinners and witnessing various levels of drunken shenanigans. A group of us braved the trip outside the safety of the electric fences to head to the beach and watch the many shooting stars, although a dingo encounter (we had seen signs about an aggressive dingo recently spotted in the local area) freaked out many people and hastened our return to camp!

With Colin and Hester at Indian Head

Champagne Pools - it started raining

Hester floating down Eli Creek

Dangerous dingo

On Tuesday it was time to pack up and leave the campsite. I took first shift driving our vehicle, enjoying an easy drive down to and along the beach in the direction of Lake Wabby, reachable only by a walk through the forest and down a  sand dune. The last opportunity for a swim in freezing cold water had to be taken, and was made more bearable by the long overdue appearance of the sun. After this it was time to finish off our provisions for lunch and head back to the ferry. We were optimistic we may have to stay another night after our tour guide got stuck in sand; this idea was short-lived however when we managed to free the car using all our strength and another car. The evening saw me desperately seeking internet (having been deprived for several days), eating a far too large pizza, and demonstrating my table tennis abilities.

Lake Wabby

Vehicle stuck in the sand

Early in the morning we caught a coach back to Brisbane, where for a while we rambled around town towards Story Bridge. Getting tired carrying all our luggage across the river Hester and Colin caught a ferry (and were pleasantly surprised to learn that this little red boat is free!) along to Southbank while I walked to see the Kangaroo Point Cliffs up close. We then headed out to see Ralph; Hester and Colin cooked dinner and we played a few games of pool before an early night. Ralph drove Hester and Colin to the airport next morning to continue their adventures, after a delayed flight, in FNQ...

Matilda the giant kangaroo - currently in Gympie

This was my last planned escapade for now and I will be working instead. Well not quite, as I have yet to land a job! But I will probably skip those activities which are less memorable...

Irresistible Toowoomba

Next morning, Monday 22nd July, we caught the bus into town and had a short wander before seeing Hester and Colin off to Toowoomba by coach. I spent some more time sauntering around town and making use of free internet before returning to Marie's to catch up on some relaxation and have an early night.

With Sue, Colin, Hester and Jenny

On Tuesday morning I was picked up early by Bill for a lift over to Toowoomba; he had a 9 o'clock lecture to get to - fortunately he made it in spite of my frantic last minute packing of not quite dry clothes! I met up with Hester and Colin, and Jenny who had been taking care of them, and we had a look round the sights including Lake Annand and the Waterbird Habitat. We visited Jenny's sister Heather, and her husband Ossie for lunch, and later in the day we also met up with mum's friend Sue, and cousin Ruth.

Wth Ruth, Hester, Jenny and Colin

Wednesday morning we visited Highfields Pioneer village, having traditional billy tea and damper before trekking over to Crows Nest for a pleasant walk by the creek. Dinner was a return to Meringandan pub for another enormous dinner!

Hester on the creek walk

Hester and Colin had an early coach back to Brisbane on Thursday morning and I spent some time exploring the centre of town, including the mysterious train station - while locals insist service to Brisbane does not exist, it turns out it in fact runs 3 times a week! I caught my slow afternoon bus back to Brisbane and made my way back to Tony and Theresa's.

Toowoomba train station

I went for a walk along the river to University of Queensland on Friday morning, taking in the views along the river and getting re-accustomed to the high gradients in the area. In the evening I joined my host family in July Christmas traditions - to celebrate while it is not too hot and most like the expected Christmas temperature. Singing carols felt somewhat strange!

Bus bridge

New Arrivals

On Tuesday 16th July I was grateful for Marie taking me for morning tea at Max and Freda's house, so I could also pick up a couple of things, such as my rather neglected oboe! This was followed by a trip into town to see Toby and Rachael, and a new aboriginal exhibition at the Gallery of Modern Art (GOMA). For dinner we ate a tasty takeaway from Marie's local recommended Indian restaurant.

South Bank beach by night

The following day I relocated back to Ralph's abode in Boondall, ready to meet (and surprise!) sister Hester and her boyfriend, Colin, upon their early arrival the following morning. Ralph drove us around some local sights - Shorncliffe to see the sea and Tincha Tamba reserve to see wild kangaroos. Sadly the dreary weather did not make a great morning for walking, and it in no way compared with London's current heatwave... A stroll around town seemed a good idea as Hester and Colin were determined to remain awake longer than I had managed, in an attempt to offset the effects of jetlag. Soon after dark they were flagging and it was time to take them home.

Hester, Colin and kangaroo

On Friday I looked at some sights we had seen, as well as some new ones, with Hester and Colin - although their memory of the previous afternoon's walk was not great! In the evening we met up with Marie for dinner followed by a few drinks with Toby and Rachael.

Late walk around town to offset jetlag

The next day got off to a slow start and I went and watched Ralph's football team in the rain (very British); an excellent performance saw them beat the number one team in the league to take the top position. This was followed by a trip into town to meet up with Hester and Colin, where we picked up by Melinda and taken back to her house in Springwood. After tasty lamb shanks for dinner everyone was close to ready for bed, which came soon after watching the conclusion of Manchester United versus Sydney All-Stars.

Another awesome sunset on return from the footie

Sunday Melinda, partner Ryan, Hester, Colin and I left for a trip to North Stradbroke Island. It was still early when we got off the ferry and we drove north towards some beaches. We bumped into an orchestral group doing a photo shoot for the Stradbroke Chamber Music Festival the following weekend, but felt asking to borrow their instruments for our own pictures may be crossing a line! Back on the road again, we stopped when Hester spotted a koala - the first wild one I have seen! A local directed us to a tree where we could find another 2 koalas... Once we had seen our fill of koalas and beaches we carried on to Point Lookout for a scenic coastal walk, allowing us to spot dolphins and whales out at sea. The remainder of the daylight was spent by an ultra calm Brown Lake, and on an empty beach, before a trip to a pub to view the sunset. We were tired but thankfully in high spirits as we returned to the ferry - the lowest tide in a long time prevented the boat crossing on time. On our return to the mainland we went for dinner with Melinda's parents, Mark and Robin, where we stayed the night and were introduced to "All Aussie Adventures", watching several comic episodes!

Melinda, Ryan, Colin and Hester en route to Stradbroke Island

Home again, home again?

Thursday 11th July was another recovery and getting up to date day. I checked out the local area, and Marie took me and her brother Michael to 'the best Vietnamese restaurant in Brisbane' for dinner! The following morning I took another trip into the centre of town, checking out the West End on foot and making my way over to South Bank to have lunch with Mark (the first person I had stayed with in Brisbane) before he headed back up to Cairns for another 6 weeks of work!

Metal pelicans - you don't get them in London

On Saturday Marie took me to Sunnybank to sample yum cha, or morning tea. In this huge restaurant an assortment of dishes were brought around on trolleys, offering an amazing selection from which to choose! Pretty full up after this we continued walking around the local shopping centre and enjoyed some icecream in the winter sunshine. I also sampled the Dark 'N' Stormy cocktail, made using 'local' Bundaberg rum and ginger beer.

Yum Cha

Sunday morning I attended Marie's local church service before we travelled (just) out of Brisbane to meet Ros for lunch at a pub overlooking Redland Bay. I then returned to the centre of town to catch up with Geordie friend Anna, who I had met in Cairns and also bumped into in Airlie Beach, during her brief stay in Brisbane.

Marie and Ros at Redland Bay

The next day I finally saw Toby, from London, who had been travelling round Australia for a couple of weeks with his girlfriend Rachael. We went to Lone Pine Koala sanctuary with a couple of Rachael's friends where there was an abundance of native wildlife to behold. Activities included koala hugging (they reek of eucalyptus) and kangaroo and lorikeet feeding, and I made my first platypus and Tasmanian devil sightings!

Toby and Rachael

It's always sunny in Queensland

Monday 8th July we called in at Hervey Bay for morning tea before finally reaching the 'Sunshine' Coast. On this occasion the name did not seem quite appropriate however as we were greeted by rain and wind. We still made the most of time in Noosa, driving up a hill for a short elevated walk to an impressive 360 degree lookout, and wandering along the waterfront.

Noosa sunset

We had to bid Laura farewell the following morning, as she was catching a flight back home to Estonia in the afternoon. The remaining three of us ascended a hill in Noosa National Park and dared Hell's Gate, a windy coastal hilltop reminding me of similar childhood walks in Devon. We drove on along the coastal path with a couple of stops and retired for the evening near the Glasshouse mountains.

View back to Noosa from coastal path

On Wednesday morning it was grey and rainy again and the tops of the distinctive Glasshouse Mountains were not visible so we opted for a gentle walk through the forest with some nice vistas rather than an ascending hike. Following this we proceeded to central Brisbane. I said my goodbyes to my travel companions as they checked into a hostel while I looked round town until Marie, a family friend who has visited us in London on several occasions, kindly drove me to her home in Oxley.

Glasshouse Mountains in the clouds

The long and winding road

We made an early start on Wednesday 3rd July to allow plenty of time for a walk along the waterfront in Bowen and still reach Airlie Beach in time for a tour of the Whitsundays. The boat took us to South Molle Island, our base for the next couple of days. We strolled along the beach to see the sunset before dinner and a reasonably early night - the rooms seemed like luxury after the previous night's accommodation!

Whitsunday sunset

The next morning we sailed across to the main Whitsunday Island. We had a view over the famous Whitehaven Beach, and later headed over there for a spell of exfoliation using the beach's constituent bright white silica. Back at the hostel we tried our hand at opening coconuts using a spike on a pole - not easy but significantly less of a challenge than using a small knife had previously proved to be.

THE Whitsunday view

Friday morning allowed us some time to explore our island and check out the best island walk in Queensland - an ascent to a view over many of the Whitsunday islands. After some fish feeding it was time to return to the mainland. Not quite ready to move from this lovely area, we hung around the lagoon and stayed the night in Airlie Beach.

View over South Molle Island

Early Saturday morning meant time to return, well refreshed, to the road, with newly acquired travel mate Alex; he had also been on a Whitsunday tour and we were heading in the same direction. Our first stop was Mackay for breakfast and some quick explorations of the waterfront and botanical gardens, before continuing on to Yeppoon for the customary barbecue by the beach. The final leg for the day was to a campsite by the Boyne River, and right next to the highway, making it not the most peaceful night's sleep!

Waterfront at Mackay

Next day we took a short drive across to Tannum Sands to visit mum's cousin JoAnne, and husband Jeff. They treated us to a cooked breakfast which kept us going all day! A walk along the local beach was followed by a visit to the small towns of Agnes Water, for some swimming, and 1770 - so named because of James Cook's landing there in the same year. The penultimate stop of the day was a brief walk about in Bundaberg before relocating slightly south to a campsite for the night.

With Jeff and JoAnne