Been up to loads since we last spoke so we'll get straight into it...Left Hervey Bay for a 3 day 2 night tour of Fraser Island, a few geek tourist stats: largest sand island in the world, same size as Scotland, only one of two islands in world where they land planes on the beach, ok enough already but what an island, saw Lake Wabby which is basically a massive puddle slowly being eroded by the sand blows, freshwater spring of Eli Creek, Champagne Pools which are pools created in the rock by volcanic activity & great marinelife in there too.
Looked down over Indian Head where the land just gives away to the sea crashing below - spotted Giant Turtles swimming below, walked through the rainforest and then took a flight to fully appreciate the island and finally (my favourite) the shipwreck of the former luxury liner 'The Maheno' which was blown ashore by a cyclone in 1935, oh and we found time to get drunk too...
If that wasn't excitement enough we came back to Hervey Bay and the following day did a shark swim at the local aquarium, felt very vulnerable floating with my legs apart above a 6 foot shark but fortunately the sharks prefer larger bait than I had to offer as (trust me) the water was freezing...amazing getting head to head with a shark though, Headed down the coast to Noosa then on to the wonderfully named town of Mooloolaba (try saying that after 6 jugs of beer) before arriving in Brisbane.
The definiton of Brisbane would just have to be 'nice' - nice people, nice river running through it, nice combination of old & new buildings, we decided to liven it all up with a couple of messy nights...met up with an old mate Oli Newbury - the Northampton lads and lasses will remember him as the bloke that went out with Claire and also got into Louise and Annas rank mate Lindsey?? - after a messy night with Oli we followed it up by going to a night entitled "No Undies Mondays" at the bar, where - you've guessed it - if you exposed certain parts of your body at the bar you're rewarded with a free 'Cocksucking Cowboy' (I noticed a couple of lads were disappointed this turned out to be a drink), needless to say neither of us paid for many drinks that night...
Popped into the Australia Zoo where that nutter off the telly - Steve Irwin - hangs out, saw loads including the deadliest snakes in the world and koala's (Beth's favourite), also saw a gallery of photo's before Steve was famous and we instantly saw how the crocs took an early dislike to him as his 1986 mullet was a shocker...
Decided not to go to Surfers Paradise (or 'Sufferering Parasites' as it's more commonly known) and headed inland to the remarkable tiny village of Nimbin, where if we told you the highlight of their year was the "Mardi Grass" festival you'd get an idea of the people and their 'habits'. It's as though the last 30 years never happened but fair do's to them, complete contrast to the brashness of Surfer's a few miles away but the couple of hundred or so hippies that live here have got love and peace & that's all they want...
We're now in Byron Bay having left Queensland and heading down the coast to Coffs Harbour to chill for a week (and not spend any money!! hopefully...) before flying out on the 30th April from Sydney. We've got a couple of days in San Francisco and, providing they don't re-open Alacatraz for our benefit (finally tracked down for legging it from that meal in Rome??...), we should be back in (sunny??) blightly around 1:30 on Thursday.
Really sad to hear about that young girl that was murdered out here in Bundaberg, especially as we had only been in Bundaberg the week before, gather it's made headline news at home as well as out here.
Simon & Beth The Messy Travellers
