The heat woke us up at 9am. The more north we are getting the more unbearable the heat is. We spent four hours on a really crap computer updating our blog and also had to phone Barclays for the fourth time in a month because they keep stopping my bank card.
We took a drive to Eungella which turned into a very steep and bendy road and it was advised that caravans shouldn't attempt this drive. We booked into a place called Eungella Caravan Park which was right at the top of the valley and the views were amazing. We were so high up. You could park anywhere you wanted so we decided to park near the edge. Because we live on the edge. Even though it was only $16, the facilities were pretty poor. For the ladies there was only one shower and two toilets and the same for the men. Also the laundry was really expensive. They could get away with charging $22 for the night though because the views are great.
We sat under the light chatting when all of a sudden this huge thing landed on my back and was flapping so of course I jumped off my seat and started flapping around the table. A couple of minutes later this thing decided to let go of me and sat on the floor. I thought it was a bat or a large cricket of some kind but it happened to be this cute little bird which was trying to go to sleep in the hood of my cardigan. I did feel really guilty. We noticed a green tree frog in the gents toilet. I don't make a habit of going in men's toilets because they disgusting and always smell really bad but I had to take a picture because they're so cute. There was also a redback in the toilet so we decided not to get too close.
Tuesday 13 March:
We had a massive downpour last night and it went on for hours. We headed to Finch Hatton Gorge where we walked to Araluen Falls and saw the best fall and rock pool so far I think. The walk itself was nice and flat and felt as if we were in a jungle.
After here we drove to Airlie Beach which is the gateway to the Whitsundays. We stayed at Adventure Whitsunday Resort Caravan Park which is undoubtedly one of the best sites we have stayed at so far. Each plot is divided by trees so you have a fair bit of privacy. They must know on their computer system that we have stayed at quite a few Big 4 parks now so we get a discount. In the caravan park leaflet it says that if you catch a cane toad you have to wrap it up and take it to reception for disposal. We won't be doing that even though we understand they are a major problem. We went shopping and bought an extension lead so that we could use a lamp for the evening and also a fan in the night. The powered sites are sometimes the same price as an unpowered site so it made sense to use the power. It's been over a month and we've only just thought about doing this. The pool here is great. It's 32m long and has two waterslides. It's also like bath water. During the evening we had a fair big of lightening and thunder but luckily it passed over without us getting drenched. We saw a possum climbing up the tree next to our van but the flash on my camera still didn't work so I didn't manage to take a picture. Carl later had a look and the flash was set to off so now the flash problem has been resolved. We can all sleep sound tonight. I telephoned mum and she said that she had received my postcard from Melbourne. I did start writing it on 5 February but I only finished writing it last week and also posted it last week.
Wednesday 14 March:
Finally caught up on the blog. In case you are wondering why this blog is always written by me it's because Carl has nominated himself to upload the pictures so I have to do the boring stuff. I am actually writing this on Wednesday 14 March, which has never happened before. This morning we were given two wine glasses by a Dutch couple who we were chatting to last night. They felt sorry for us because we were drinking our wine out of small plastic cups.
We haven't any plans for today. We are going to have a look at another waterfall (yawn) and then we're going to hire out some quad bikes and kick ass in the rainforest.
I am now writing this part a few weeks later. I've slipped back again.
We didn't manage to hire out the quad bikes. We went to have a look but the road wasn't finished. We could have drove down but Gert is too old and she's been on too many bad tracks already. In the evening we decided on what trips we were going to be doing over the next three days.
Thursday 15 March:
Thank god we didn't book any trips for today. It had been hammering it down all night and all through the day. We felt sorry for our Dutch friends, Martin and Berthya. They had booked a boat trip so stuck on the boat for two days. All we did today was sit in the kitchen reading our books. We had not choice but to do this in the evening as well because it was still raining heavily. Carl's lips were finally back to normal for the first time in god knows how long so we puckered up.
Friday 16 March - See skydive link
Saturday 17 March:
We took a boat out to Reef World at Hardy Reef on the Great Barrier Reef where we would spend 4 hours. I accidentally left our beach towels outside the camper van which Carl reminded me of all day. We thought it was strange that the crew were offering free sea sickness tablets before we set off. You could pay $3 for some special medical tablets but we thought that we would stick with the free ones. All was going well until we stopped briefly at Daydream Island and Hamilton Island to pick up more passengers. The sea became more and more choppy and the staff handed out sick bags. One by one people disappeared outside to get some fresh air and it wasn't long before we joined them. People were being sick overboard and in the corner of the boat. It was disgusting and made us feel worse. Carl was trying to have a conversation with me but I was too scared to talk. It was impossible for me to talk at this point without being sick. The rough sea went on for about 50 minutes and 10 minutes after that everyone started to take their seats back in the boat. Eventually we arrived at Reef World which is a platform above the coral. It offers snorkelling, diving, submarines and an upper level where you could just sunbathe. It is also the home to a 3 foot fish called Groper and you can view him from a special chamber. He's well fed so he just hangs around. We went to the underwater viewing chamber and saw Wally. Another hugh fish who hung around because he liked being fed.
We were going to do a dive but we fell asleep on the boat while the safety presentation took place so were weren't allowed to dive. We had to dress in stinger suits which also had a hood. We looked very sexy. The photographer made us pose for pictures with our snorkelling gear on and the hood pulled up. The pictures of this you will never see even though they are online somewhere. While we were snorkelling we managed to see plenty of colourful fish but it was like rush hour in the water. Everyone was bumping into each other so we decided to call it a day after about an hour before I ended up 'accidentally' knocking someone who bashed into me. We had lunch which the boat crew provided and then sunbathed on the upper deck for a short while and managed to catch the last submarine. What a load of crap. It took no more than 15 minutes and I would have seen a lot more by looking in my own fish tank.
On the boat ride back we paid $3 for the sea sickness tablets and just wished the journey was all over. The sea was just as rough but no one went outside for fresh air. They must have all paid the $3. We were even brave enough to have a beer. And then the nasty crew started showing the pictures that the photographer had taken by putting them on the TV for all to see. We sank in our seats and cringed.
When we returned to the campsite we asked reception how long the Germans would be staying because they had completely taken over our kitchen where Martin, Berthya, Carl and I used to sit. I'm a territorial old hag. And they were so loud last night. All 26 of them. They would be checking out the next day so we moved Gert into a quieter spot by our very own kitchen.
Sunday 18 March:
We got picked up at 9.15am to go ocean rafting. We sat on the right hand side of the raft at the back which was a great place to sit if you wanted to get soaked. We got absolutely drenched. Our first stop was to Nara to see an Aboriginal cave which was ok. The highlight was seeing a snake on the way back down but unfortunately it was Carl holding the camera so we have no proof. We then rafted along to Whitehaven Beach where we had to leave our shoes in the boat. No shoes are allowed on this beach, not even flip flops. The beach was so long and the white sand and torquoise sea made it a postcard picture. We had lunch here but didn't stay too long. We got back on the raft and sat in the place of some Japanese people right at the front of the boat which were the most exciting seats. They had been sitting there for half the day so it was only fair that we got a chance. It was fandabbadoosie. We were getting chucked all over the place and it was really bumpy. So much fun. We went snorkelling at Wendy Bay and got dressed up in our snazzy stinger suits again.
We had chosen the Southern trip and when we got back we heard that the Northern trip managed to see sharks and dolphins. The reason why we chose the Southern trip was because of the Aboriginal caves but they weren't all that. I'd definitely chose the Northern next time.
When we returned back to camp Carl took the piss because he noticed that I had a huge tan mark from where my snorkelling mask had been. We had only snorkelled for an hour.
Monday 19 March:
This was the final day in our most favourite campsite and also our final trip to the Whitsundays. We have stayed here for a week now and didn't really intend to stay this long. We booked on the three islands tour which took us to Daydream Island, Long Island and South Molle Island. It took about 30 minutes to reach Daydream Island. This was the island I was most excited about because the main resort had a great pampering complex. Our tour guide was really great. It took a while to get used to him because he was so full of energy and unfunny stories. At the resort they have a living reef coral lagoon which was great and it was actually growing very slowly. It was home to plenty of colourful fish, crabs, stingray, sharks, etc. I think I had expected this island to be a lot nicer though.
Our next stop was Long Island which was our longest stay. It was more beautiful than Daydream Island. We managed to drink beers and sunbathe by the pool. We were completely relaxed.
Our last stop was South Molle Island which we thought was the most beautiful. By day it is a totally relaxed island but my night the locals come on their boats to the hotel's bar/nightclub and mingle with the backpackers. There is also karaoke. Carl and I went with the tour guide to feed the Lorikeets. He said that for the last two weeks he had been coming to feed them but they hadn't showed up. He came out with a big fruit bowl and when one appeared they all appeared. I held the fruit bowl and then seven of them flew onto the bowl, about three on my arm and one on my hat. Their claws really hurt. Carl had a few on him and so did the guide - both also with bloody marks on their arms. There must have been about thirty altogether. The one on my hat also pooed all down my top.
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