Hay all,
I can't believe I have to write this all over again. I spent 3 hours in an internet cafe yesterday evening updating the blog. When I went to view it I kinda deleted it instead.....stupid me....well here it I go again.
Brisbane - Hervey Bay
I left Brisbane last Tuesday after a mad week with Rory, was good to meet up with himself again. We had a few good sessions over the week to make up for all Rorys non-drinking days in Dundalk. On the Sunday we went for a morning cruise out on Morton Bay and got treated to a lovely BBQ breakie and Champagne, not bad for 9 o'clock in the morning. It was time for Rory to get back to work on Monday after taking a few days off to be my tour guide so I it was time for me to move on also. Next stop was Hervey Bay.
After my disaster of a train journey from Sydney to Brisbane I told myself that was it with Aussie trains...never again....but did I listen to myself. Of course not. I got the tilt train from Brisbane to Marybourgh west (just outside Hervey) The reason why I went back to the trains was due to the fact I would get up to Hervey in 3 hrs were as with the Bus it would of taking me 6hrs at the same price. Thankfully this journey was not as bad as my previous one but it did feel a bit weird, I felt like I was in the middle of a Senior Citizens party, I had a look around the carriage and I could'nt see any one that looked under 60. Ah well.
I can't write this without saying a bit about my hostle in Hervey Bay. It was class. The best hostel I have stayed in so far. It was right in the center of the town but you would swear you were in the middle of the country side. The rooms were split into 4 different buildings that were designed to look like forest cabins surrounded by ponds, tropical vegetation, palm trees and gum trees. Excellent.
Looking uo the garden of the Woolshed Backapackers in Hervey Bay
Apart from relaxing on the beach all week I also did a bit of cycling around the area, a bit of whale watching and a safari on Fraser Island. On the Thursday I went for a 27km cycle of Hervey bay, 27km and the name Colin Toner don't usually go well unless its in a motor propelled vehicle. Well I survived it, turned out to be quite enjoyable but my bloody legs (& bum bum!!) were in agony the following day, I did'nt mind that to much as it was a perfect excuse to lie on the beach all day. Is'nt life tough!!
I'm no Stephen Roche but I did good doing 27km in a few hours!!
Whale Watching
Saturday was Whale watching Day, now that was awsome!(now I sound like a yank). We spent about 2 hours out on the boat and it looked like it was a complete waste of time and a waste of $100, but just as we were about to head back to the harbour around 4 o'clock one if the customers spotted a few whales flapping their flippers. Within minutes we were over beside them, it was so cool been up so close to them, they got that close we were actually able to reach out and touch them. They put on a good show for us and it looked liked they did'nt want us to leave, they surrounded the boat for a good hour. Attention seekers.
A few photo's of the whales doing their thing.
Fraser Island
On Sunday I went on a one day safari of Fraser, I really should of doing a three day one but silly me booked the hostel and paid for the full week so i could'nt waste 2 nights I paid in the hostel. Still the one day safari was good craic and really enjoyable. Anyway Fraser Island is the biggest sand Island in the world at 1630 km². It is called K'Gari by the local Aborigines which means Paradise and that it certainly is.
As the island is all sand there are no roads and you have to use 4 wheel drive to get around. The highway is a beach called 75mile beach beacuse its 75miles long....makes sense! Its an offical highway, a beach oh and a Runway. Driving around Fraser is not the most comfortable way to travel, you really need to be fully strapped down to your seat. Don't do what I did and wait till you wollop your head of the bag rack before putting your seatbelt on.
We got to see a good few sights on the island in a short period of time. Starting off rallying up the highway to Eli Creek, this creek ushes out over 80million ltrs of fresh water daily. If you have water treating tablets you can drink as much of it as you want. After thatwe headed on up to the Maheno Wreck, stuck on the island since 1935 it is the main tourist attraction on the island. The ship is 3/4 covered in sand so basically what you see id the top deck of the ship. On up about 2 miles is the Pinnicles and the Coloured sands which are multicoloured cliffs of red, yellow, brown, yellow and orange sands is an array of spectacular colours. A great sight. After a bit of lunch (I now have a new found love for think pieces of cooked ham covered in salt...eeemm) we headed for a treck through one of the rain forests admiring the towering satinay and brush box trees, some over 1000 years old. Our final stop on the island was Lake McKenzie, the beach sand here is nearly pure silica and it is possible to wash hair, teeth, jewelry, and exfoliate the skin. So for one day on the Island we got around a fair bit but you would really need to spend a good few days on the island to really appreciate it.
The Highway - 75mile beach. Speed limit is 110km p/h [b]
[b]The maheno ship wreck. On the lsland since 1935.
Lake McKenzie, also know as a one stop beauty shop thanks to its pure silica sand.
Looking out towards the pacific ocean. Amazing sight.
Righty oh thats all for today. The plan for the rest of the week is to visit the Hunter Valley vineyards and then into the Blue Mountains for the weekend.
All the best
Colin.
32 °C
16 °C
