After Australia Zoo we headed to Noosa, where we stopped for a couple of days, as we liked it. It was a bit classy, but with a laid back feel, just like us. There were lots of chic bars, restaurants and boutiques to keep those with dollar amused (not us). For those without dollar (us) there was a white, sandy beach, pretty river and national park. We camped by the river and watched beautiful sunsets, with huge pelicans resting at the shore and large flocks of silvery birds darting over the river looking for dinner. We went on ANOTHER fantasic coastal walk through Noosa National Park. T cooked up some left over lamb to perfection and we had the best lamb and tzatziki sandwiches ever, on a picnic, on a grassy clearing on top of the headland - bliss. We were just commenting that what would make it perfect would be spotting some dolphins; and there they were - 4 of them at the base of the cliff, surfing in on the waves. Part of the walk traversed a nudist beach. Z wanted to frolick in the waves with the middle aged fatties that gravity had been unkind to, but T wasn't having any of it (he said it was cold and the current was too strong). On our last night we treated ourselves to a seafood platter. We felt we owed it to the place, as it was so damned fresh, and we'd been really good, eating every night in the van (beans on toast and that - not really, the gourmet shit). The platter had every kind of seafood, including Moreton Bay Bugs which we tried for the first time. They were like lobsters whose heads had been flattened with a shovel and were really tasty.
We arrived at Rainbow Beach the next day, one of the jumping off points for Fraser Island. We booked ourselves on to a day tour (would have been great to hire a 4-WD for 3 days/2nights, but not enough time or money). The whole area is part of The Great Sandy National Park (which derives its name from the fact that it is a national park, which is big, oh, and sandy), and so 4-WDs are essential. One morning, we decided to check out some of the campsites in the national park. We ventured deeper into the forest and found a sandy path through the pine trees. Despite Z's protests that you can't drive a 2-WD campervan in sand, please stop, we've gone too far, we'll get stuck etc etc, T, with his sense of adventure and determination to find the perfect campsite, ploughed on. Predictably we got stuck in the sand.
Z was not happy, to say the least, AND had to come up with all the ideas to get them out, which unfortunately didn't work - old wood, big bits of cardboard, anything we could find to jam under the wheels, but to no avail. We tried to ring the ranger for help, but there was no reception. As the midday sun rose to its zenith, and with the heat convecting from Z's head, we were sweating profusely. It was like a bad story from Ray Mear's Extreme Survival. Not a soul in sight, Z was convinced they would find our charred remains in weeks to come. Thankfully, after a while, a young lad off fishing (sensibly in his 4-WD) passed by. We flagged him down and he was very helpful, towing us out the few metres we needed to get back onto terra firma. We waved our goodbyes and he sped off to do some fishing. We were so relieved, jumped in the van, hit the gas.....and got stuck again. T went chasing the young lad but he was nowhere to be found.
From this point on, the time spent stuck in this hell hole was directly proportional to the amount of screaming from Z, so T got off to see if he could get back to the main road and flag someone down. Eventually, a kindly old couple came by and managed to haul us all the way out. What a relief. And the moral of the story is... always listen to wifey, wifey's always (usually) right! Z had to concede that if it weren't for the adventurous nature of another Yorkshireman, Captain James Cook, they wouldn't have been there at all. Later that day we visited a huge sand blow (sand dune) called "Carlo's sandblow". It was immense - like something from star wars (with Z tootling along like R2-D2), and with the most specatacular views of the coastline below.
Our tour of Fraser Island was great fun. It is a huge sand bank 125x15 km, surrounded by wild, shark infested waters. There is an abundance of vegetation, with a tropical rainforest at the centre, 230m above sea level - crazy. There were many inland freshwater lakes, the largest of these being Lake Mackenzie, which has to be seen to be believed. Surrounded by the whitest sand, it had deep blue, crystal clear water and was amazing to swim in (and there was nothing dangerous swimming in there with you, for a change). We saw dingoes, a sea snake, sea eagles, eels, catfish, to name but a few. An imposing wreck of a 1920s cruise liner made for a good photo opportunity. On the way back, the driver made T feel loads better as he got the huge 4-WD bus we were on, carrying 40 people, stuck in the sand, and we had to be towed out! Ah, it happens to the best of us! All in all, an exciting stay in Rainbow Beach / Fraser Island (except that Z got her towel nicked on last day, which left a bit of bad feeling - ho hum).
Our onward journey took us through Bundaberg (Bundy - famous for its rum) to Mon Repos. This was a magical stop. The campsite was perfect - right on the beach, with loads of room and shady sites. Mon Repos is famous for its Loggerhead Turtles, and in the evening we went on a guided ranger walk to the beach, and were lucky enough to see a huge Loggerhead laying her eggs. The ranger thought this would be her last clutch of the season so we were very priveleged. We also saw hundreds of baby hatchlings emerging from the sand to make their mammoth journey to the sea. It was very special. When we got back, Z went for a shower and got a bit scared, after an encounter with some more wildlife. Not sure what it was - looked like a 2ft rat with a long snout and a long, bushy black tail, perched on the dividers between the showers. ? A bandicoot ? She retreated gracefully, although screaming inside, and had an uneasy night dreaming of giant vermin.
We had a lovely drive from Mon Repos to Town of 1770, and found yet another exceptional campsite. It was set in acres of tropical foliage and perched on top of a hill, with access to a surf beach down a winding path. There was a lovely pool which looked down onto more forest, and in the distance, Bustard Bay. It was fab watching the sunset while lounging in the pool. The only drawback was the huge Marchflies with evil green eyes, that bit you at every given opportunity. Clever buggers too, they sit and wait for you to open the van and all come in at once. Town of 1770 was our jumping off point for the Great Barrier Reef. We decided to check out the southern end of the reef as it was supposed to be cheaper, quieter and unspoiled by tourism. We arranged a day trip and 2 dives off Lady Musgrave island, a large coral cay, surrounded by lagoon and more reef.
On the boat to the island, despite 2 travel sickness pills, Z was really sick again, with vomitting and severe cramps in her hands and mouth, so the outward journey wasn't much fun. Unfortunately, the diving at the outer reef wall was also a little disappointing. Due to the strong currents, the visibility wasn't great and we were just getting swept along, so didn't get to see anything spectacular. However, the dive in the lagoon was much more interesting, with more wildlife and some colourful coral. The journey back to the mainland was much less choppy and more pleasant. Met a nice guy from Cornwall called Matt, so went for a few bevvies with him afterwards.
Spent the next day exploring Agnes Water and Town of 1770, and then hit the road again.Our next major stop was Eungella National Park, in search of the elusive platypus, but we made a couple of overnight stops on the way. First was at Rockhampton (Rocky, of course), the beef capital of Oz. It had a disproportionate number of 10 gallon hats and life sized cow models. We needed to stock up on supplies, but incredibly, all the shops were closed at 4.30 on a Saturday afternoon, with tumbleweed rolling through Woolworth's car park. What's that all about? Next overnight stop was at Mackay (Macky), via Emu Park (T saw 2 emus) and Yeppoon.
Finally got to Eungella National Park, which is supposed to be the most reliable place in Oz to see platypuses. Eungella is Aborigine for "Land of the Clouds", and that it was. After a beautiful drive through Pioneer Valley, passing through small townships and sugar cane country, the road started to wind steeply up towards Eungella (and the sky- we were that high there were clouds in the road). We reached Broken River, which is where the large billed ones are supposed to hang out, but unfortunately didn't see any. Apparently they only come out at dawn and dusk. We had a trek through the rainforest, and T nearly stood on a huge green snake, which was a bit scary as they can all kill you, but it made up for lack of platypii. There were jaw-dropping views of Pioneer Valley from Sky Window, a lookout perched high up in the sky, in the rainforest. Couldn't find a decent camping spot so headed off, and on our way out, took a detour to Finch Hatton Gorge. We had to make several creek crossings which apparently become impassable after rain, and travel on bumpy, unsealed roads, which we probably shouldn't have done without a 4-WD. It was dead exciting though so we carried on, despite worries we might get rained in. We reached the start of the walk to one of two waterfalls, but a little way on, a tree had fallen in the path. Z thought it was a sign we should go back (and didn't want to climb over it wit bare legs after the snake incident), but T was desperate to carry on. So they agreed that Z would go back to the van and T would go on to explore the great unknown (and be back in an hour). The path led through dense rainforest, with very little sound, apart from the screaming of the Cicadas, and no-one else for miles. It was all very eerie. After 25 minutes the path opened out onto a huge waterfall, crashing into a perfectly clear freshwater pool. So he quickly got his kit off and had a well needed wash.
Stayed the night in a tiny town called Mirani, in a lovely council run campsite, amongst fields of sugar cane, with the mountain range behind us (unfortunately loads of insects). There was a wicked 50m pool where all the locals, young and old were practicing their stroke. It was lovely to see the local folk all being active and social, and there were regular swim contests, even though it was such a tiny place. It's no wonder they can produce freakishly good athletes like "Thorpedo".
We'll continue the journey in the next entry- see you there. Don't be strangers..
