Start of the trip Down Under - Cairns, Australia
Cairns, Australia
As we touched down in Australia we were struck with a familiar feeling of home. Unfortunately it wasn't the mothers' roast cooking, family pets or other homely comforts.. Instead it was the freezing cold and bitter wind that took hold of us as soon as we stepped out of the airport. Luckily for us and for the readers of this blog we didn't have a terrible time in windy Australia as we had landed in Sydney for a connecting flight up to the much more favourably located Cairns. After touching down in the sufficiently warm city of Cairns we were whisked away to our hostel by an extremely friendly taxi driver who we had the good grace of tipping three dollars!
After a well rested nights sleep we had the simple task of wandering around the sights of the city and booking our entire Australian trip in the well recommended Peter Pans travel agency. After three hours of planning and a whole lot of money spent we had our next six weeks of travelling sorted! Content with our work for the day, we undertook some more blog writing which as you well know has not been going swiftly!
The following day we finalised our trip, lounged by the lagoon and had a free BBQ at the hostel. Simple as that really!
On our third day in Cairns it was finally time to do something! This was to be the first day of our two day trip up to the unique Daintree Rainforest, staying at Cape Tribulation. Our trip up was led by a wonderful lady with a nearly wonderful name of Abbey (so close to being perfect.) In our group of ten other travellers we were taken north up the Eastern Coast, witnessing some incredible beaches, islands and wildlife along the way. Upon arrival at the rainforest, we embarked upon a cruise along the Daintree river in search of Crocodiles! After a mere 2 minutes we had seen our first one, a 4.5 metre male by the name of Scarface. This 60 year old croc was to be the highlight with the rest of the trip spent staring at the Mangroves and spotting only a few other smaller crocs. From here we took a walk through the rainforest and were on our way to our accommodation for the night. After a quick walk along the beach in search of the strangely ever elusive turtles our day was at an end with another big one planned tomorrow.
After an early wake up and second wander along the beach (in the other direction this time) we were picked up by Abbey again and onto some ice cream tasting. With Josh going for a standard triple chocolate scoop, Abbie went for the very left field ginger and passionfruit. Despite her insistence it was extremely tasty the jury is still out! As if Abbie had angered the gods with her debatable choice in pudding cuisines, our next stop was the Mossman Gorge and a swim in the coldest water either of us have ever experienced. After a quick 'Aborigoni experience' where we learnt the fundamentals of the native Australians livelihood, it was time to swimsuit up and brave the cold. With Josh electing for the 'dive in and get it over with approach', Abbie went for the stand in the water waist deep screaming how cold it was. After five minutes we were both in the water and loving it! With that our trip in the only place in the world where a World Heritage Rainforest meets a World Heritage Reef was over.
On a roll with activities now our next day took us to the Great Barrier Reef for an incredible day out. Despite the cold of the open sea and choppy waters, Abbie took to her first scuba dive for six years with the gusto of a pro she is. She was rewarded with seeing a reef shark, nemos, pretty coral and the knowledge that she has now dived the Great Barrier Reef. Josh's first experience was not such a memorable one... Having to snorkel due to never been diving before, he spent the first fifteen minutes being buffeted by the waves, swallowing his body weight in water and cursing everyone from Posiden to his own irrational thoughts of Jaws. However as the sea calmed, so did the nerves and with Abbie finished diving we could both enjoy the lovely sights of the Great Barrier Reef and its marine life. After three dive sites and a number of photos later (which we have lost all hope of ever uploading) it was time to say goodbye to the reef, for now, and head on back to the mainland.
After spending all of Thursday 28th August waiting for our overnight bus we arrived in Townsville on the Friday bleary eyed and hopped straight onto our ferry across to Magnetic Island. This was our destination for the next two days. After a restful morning we took a walk around the island, where we witnessed some truly spectacular architecture.
The next day was spent in a much more productive fashion. Our first adventure took us to The Forts of the island, which were established during World War Two. Fortunately they never saw much action, with the only gun fired directed at an American ship that had failed to identify itself. On this four kilometre trek we were also fortunate enough to see wild Koalas, which was definitely a highlight of our stay! From here we unsuccessfully tried to snorkel in the ocean directly outside our hostel. However it was so murky that we could barely see more than one metre around us and so we swiftly gave up on that aquatic endeavour. Instead we settled for a sunset at the beautiful Horseshoe Bay. As the week drew to a close our time at Magnetic Island was at an end and it was time to move onto Airlie Beach and the famous Whitsunday Islands.
On Monday, 1st September, we boarded a Catamaran that was going to take us around the islands for the next three days. Upon boarding we were given a quick safety briefing by the three crew members and then immediately told to swimsuit up as it was nearly time for a snorkel. Content with scuba diving in Cairns, Abbie was happy with snorkeling and making sure Josh didn't try and drink half the Pacific again. Our latest trip into the sea was to prove potentially the best of our trip so far. Despite the cold, we were able to see the most untouched coral so far, some brilliantly colorful fish and even turtles! After this awesome experience it was time for dinner and we whiled away the night with some of the fantastic people we met on the boat.
The following day was an awfully early wake up, with one of the staff shaking Abbie's foot at 7am! However we were rewarded for our fantastic efforts of waking up at this hour with a delicious breakfast and before we knew it Whitehaven Beach. Now it is not an understatement to say that this is an absolutely unique wonder of the world. It's sand is nearly white in colour (hence the name) with many people remarking it's similarity to icing sugar. Such was its density of silicon the sand also squeaked when we walked on it! Combined with this, the ocean was the clearest of water, if not a little chilly. However a morning spent whiling the time away in this remarkable place was certainly a highlight of the trip so far. After not nearly long enough it was time to get back onto our boat, although we were treated to more sight of turtles, and we were onto another snorkel sight. Whilst this site was not as cool as the previous days we did manage to spot a reef shark! As we made our way to the next snorkel site, we experienced an unforgetable scene. Within forty metres of the boat was a humpback whale and what must be its newly born calf. This we were told on good authority from the crew! By the time we reached the second site Abbie had become too cold to even contemplate getting back in the water. However she took the motrorized boat out with those of us brave enough to get back into the water. As Josh went for another snorkel, keeping an eye out for the previously spotted whale, Abbie got taken for a spin on the boat. Clinging to the side of the boat as Clayton the driver performed a series of donuts in the water, it was clear she had far more fun than Josh did freezing in the water! As evening drew in we had another fantastic dinner and some drinks set against the backdrop of the six star Hayman Island Resort.
As our final day on the Whitsunday Islands dawned, it was a 6:30 wake up that we were subjected to this time! However the snorkel that followed sufficiently woke us up and before we were ready for it to end we were setting sail for Airlie Beach. The fun didn't end there though, with rough seas taking us back most of the boat began to feel pretty queasy. That didn't stop the deckhand Clay asking Josh to try his hand at some sailing and after pulling ropes when he was told and trying not to get thrown overboard, Josh had his first sailing experience. Safely back on land we had some downtime in Airlie beach and then met everyone on the boat for the afterparty!
Highlights of Aus thus far:
- The discovery of Goon (boxed wine).
- Whitehaven Beach - a truly unique and spectacular place (slightly ruined by the naked English lads in the sea).
- Snorkelling/diving in the Great Barrier Reef.
- All the wildlife seen - crocodiles, cassowaries (extremely rare, blue headed birds), wild Koalas, dolphins, whales, turtles and sharks.
- The stars visible from our boat on the Whitsundays (almost as good as Fiji's).
With a week relaxing and doing very little in Fiji, the beginning of Australia was certainly action packed. With one of Abbie's dreams of diving the Great Barrier Reef completed, it was time to move onto the next natural wonders of the trip; Fraser Island and the Noosa Everglades.
Lots of love, J&A xx