Australia - Great Barrier Reef

Before leaving Airlie Beach I visit the medical centre to undergo a check up to assertain if I am medically (not mentally!) fit for diving. The tests turn out positive and I am given a certificate to prove it. I can dive! Additionally I learn that my blood pressure is the lowest it's ever been! Just need to find out how to travel for a living to keep it that way ;) Anyway we leave Airlie and drive about 5 hours north, still on the Bruce Highway, and arrive in Townsville. It's pretty uneventful there and we just catch up on some sleep and some washing.

The next morning it's time to push on again and we drive another 5 hours to Cairns in tropical north Queensland. There is a torrential downpour most of the way up so progress is slightly slower than expected. We roll into cairns mid afternoon and check into Gilligans backpackers, quite a plush establishment. I go down to the Pro Dive shop to register for my 5 day PADI dive course starting the following day. We leave the rental car back at the depot, with an extra 2200km on the clock. Rhian and Peter go to organise their activities for the coming days. They spend 1 day out on the Great Barrier Reef where Peter does 3 dives. Then it's up to Cape Tribrulation for them for a couple of days in the rainforest, and back to Cairns for a bungee jump. Talk about packing things in! I just have to get up at 5am every day to go diving....

The course starts at the dive centre in Cairns with 1 day in the classroom learning about the theory and doing an exam, and 1 day pool training learing to do all the things we will later have to do in the open water. Our dive instructor is Oscar, a huge Kiwi ex rugby player who had played against Ulster in the early '90's, and a very cool guy. The course goes really well and I pass the exam. The only problem is that from time to time I experience difficulty equalising the pressure in my ears, making deeper descent impossible due to the pain. A problem that will reoccur until I get the hang of it through practice over the coming days. The course teaches us about the scuba equipment and all the safety aspects of diving. You always dive with a buddy. There were 5 people on our course: Kristian and Rune from Denmark, Emma from the UK and Kelly from the US. We were paired up on an ad hoc basis to practice in the pool. I won't go ionto the details, but it bascically has to do with learning the proceedure if 1 person gets into difficulty or runs out of air. There is a whole technique behind diving and all of the things you learn could save your life one day.

After the 2 days training in Cairns we are ready to head out to the Great Barrier Reef. The next

3 days and 2 nights will be spent on a dive boat 3

hours off the coast of Queensland on the Barrier Reef. This is known as a "liveaboard" and the boat provides accomodation and food and a steady supply of airtanks for the 25 divers on board. I share a room with Jerry, an accomplished diver from Northern Ireland but who has been living in New Zealand. He gives me plenty of tips. Anyway, the first 4 dives are with the instructor in order to go through the routines we learned in the pool and become competent at doing them in the open ocean. I have trouble equalising on the first dive and have to return to the boat, absolutely raging with myself. However the instructor takes me down again and I am able to catch up with the group for the remaining dives. On my second dive I see my first shark up close while I am actually in the water. Only a 2m Silvertip reef shark which poses no great threat, but still enough to make your heart skip a beat. We complete the other dives successfully and become qualified scuba divers on the second day. This gives us free reign to complete another 4 dives with a buddy, and without instructor. Thyese go remarkably well and an entire new underwater world has been opened up to me. It's fascinating and I can't believe what I've been missing out on... The only thing left to do with the instructor is a night dive. We get suited up and I am nervous as hell. From the flood lights on the bottom of the boat we can already see several large sharks swimming just a few metres below the surface. I think to myself "this is completely crazy - isn't nighttime feeding time?". Apparently we are not on the foodlist, so it should be ok... Well, that's not completely reassuring, so I make sure I go in near the end of the queue jumping into the water. Armed with my scuba gear and a powerful flashlight, we jump in and go under to explore the reef at night. Once I settle down it is one of the most beautiful experiences I have ever had. We swim around at about 16m below the surface and explore for about half an our. As we wait under the water at a depth of 5m for a compulsory 3 minute safety stop before surfacing, the sharks are circling us. However, at this stage I am totally relaxed and just enjoying this amazing encounter with nature. In total we complete 9 dives over the 3 days and return to Cairns tired but incredibly happy.

I meet up with Rhian and Peter again. We have a big party night out in Cairns and meet up with loads of people from the dive school, one of whom Rhian coincidently knew from University. Small world again! Also we meet up with the Derry girls again and bumped into Thomas from Germany. Mad! The next day we got up and went white water rafting for the afternoon. I have no pictures of that, so will write about it another time. Rhian and Peter left on the 31st May to fly down to Sydney for a few days before travelling back to Belfast. We had a fantastic time together. I was very happy that they came out to travel with me and very sad to see them go...

I stayed another day chilling out in Cairns and catching up on some sleep, before it was time for me to leave as well.

Australia - Whitsunday Islands

After a good nights sleep in a bed again, we left Hervey Bay early in the morning to drive 900km up the coast to Airlie Beach. There wasn't really that much to do in between Fraser and Airlie, so we decided to move on up without stopping. It was a long drive but Peter and I took turns so it wasn't so bad. We arrived in Airlie Beach around 21h and checked into a backpackers resort at the far end of the beach.

The next morning we registered for a 3 day Whitsunday Islands sailing tour. At lunctime we went down to the marina to board our vessel the "Broomstick", an ex-racing sailboat. We brought the necessary supplies which mainly consisted of beer, goon and water... The next 3 days and 2 nights were spent on board the boat with about 25 other people from various parts of the globe. During the daytime we sailed around the islands and stopped to do some snorkelling around the reef. The visibilty was fairly good and we could see many brightly coloured fish and turtles. I saw one shark, but luckily 5 minutes after we had got back on the boat. Before entering the water we had to put on "stinger suits", a full body lycra outfit resembling a thin wetsuit. The reason for this is that the water contains box jellyfish, whose sting can be lethal, so the suits were for our protection. On the second day we anchored and took the zodiac ashore. From here we walked over the headland to Whitehaven beach, a white silica sand beach said to be one of the most beautiful in Australia. We were not dissapointed, it was absolutely stunning. The sun was blazing down as we lazed around on the sand, and the factor 30 sun screen was applied every 20 minutes to avoid severe sunburn. Unfortunately we couldn't really cool off in the clear turquiose water due to the jellyfish. However we did wade around up to our knees, with stingrays gliding past only a few metres away. After a lazy afternoon we returned to the sail boat and continued on. In the evening we had a barbeque and a party to finish off the goon in style. The last day was fairly overcast and the wind picked up to make for ideal sailing condidtions. The skipper unfurled the sails and we speed off very fast in the direction of Airlie beach. Everyone was sitting high along the left side of the vessel as it tilted into the water. the right side was submerged almost to the railings and a few times it was pretty scary. We were convinced it could capsize at any moment, but I guess the skipper knew what he was doing because we got back safe and probably in record time.

After we got back to the mainland we spent a while wobbling around on our "sea legs" before going to lunch with some of the group. As we were having lunch outside we bumped into Maria, Paula and Thomas who had been with us on the Fraser Island trip some days previous. Small world, but that happens a lot going up the east coast of Australia. Indeed it has happened to me in every country i have travelled in so far on this trip. I keep bumping into the same people...

Australia - Fraser Island

From Noosa we get back onto the Bruce Highway and continue north about 3 hours to Hervey Bay. This is the jump off point for tours of Fraser Island, the largest sand island in the world. We have booked a self drive 3 day tour of the island in a 4 wheel drive Land Rover. When we arrive we receive a general briefing about the island, the vehicles we will be using and potential dangers. For example, it is not advised to swim in the ocean as it is the largest breeding ground for Tiger sharks in the world, a species known to attack humans. Additionally there are wild dingoes roaming the island, who will continually search the campsites for food not locked away in the vehicles at night. Now we are aware of what we are getting ourselves into! After the briefing we are divided into groups. There are 4 groups with between 9-11 people per group. In our group there are 9 of us: myself, Rhian, Peter, Maria and Paula also from NI, Ben from France, Sam from England and Thomas and Cleo from Germany. We introduce ourselves to each other and then go to the supermarket and bottle shop to stock up on supplies for the next three days. We buy plenty of food and lots of beer and "goon" (cheap and nasty Australian wine in a bag). It gets dark around 17.30h, so we knew there would not be much else to do.

The next morning we get up at 6am to pack our things, store our luggage, check the equipment and pack the landrovers. This has to be done in a certain way so as not to injure the passengers inside once driving on all terrain roads. We set off around 9am to get the barge over to Fraser Island, a journey of only 30 minutes. Peter is elected to drive and he secretly enjoys that kind of stuff, so was very happy about that. We drive off the barge and set out to explore the island. We have a full tank of gas and almost 3 days to do it. We firstly cross through lush rainforest and stop at Central Station for a break. The dirt tracks are tough going and we have to navigate our way through the bumpy terrain. The first real stop is at Lake Birrabeen, where we walk down through the forest and onto pristine white sand, before jumping in the crystal clear water. After a refreshing swim we drive further onto the other side of the island and the beach. Once on the beach we can speed up a bit and make more progress. There are other vehicles using the beach and normal road rules apply. It is also an airstrip if need be, and we actually drive past a small plane that has just touched down. After a while we reach Eli Creek and dip our feet in the cool water. Shortly afterwards we reach the Maheno shipwreck, a rusted old ship blown ashore in 1935 and partly buried in the sand. The light starts to fade so we drive on up the beach to the campsite. After setting up the tents we cook a fabulous dinner, put on some music, have a few drinks and the craic, all under a sky filled with stars. The other landrovers park and camp on the same stretch and there is a "goon" fuelled party.

The next day we awake again around 6am as it was a relatively early previous night. Also, once the sun is up it becomes unbearably hot in the tents. We are not allowed to drtive on the beach before 11am, so the mnorning is spent having a long breakfast and relaxing. Then we set off up the beach again and reach Indian head. From here it is a short climb up from the beach to the vantage point on the cliffs above. From here we see sharks, stingrays and turtles in the clear waters 50m below. After admiring the beauty of the place, we walk back down and along another beach, where our vehicles are not allowed. After almost 2km we reach the "champagne pools". This is the only safe spot to bathe in the saltwater. There are secluded pools where the waves break over the rocks and fill them with the foam of the breaking wave. Hence the name. It's nice there, but after a while we get bored and walk back down the beach to the landrover. We drive around 40km down the beach to our next campsite. Tonight we camp alone and are not near the other groups. Once we started cooking the dingoes arrived and circled the camp for a while. We had to go to the toilet in pairs, just in case. There was a small party for the 9 of us and another great night's banter.

We awake to our final day on the island. It's really only a half day as we have to get the barge back to the mainland. We set off early to get to Lake Wabby, an inland lake filled with catfish. From where we leave the landrover we walk about 1.5km down through the forest and onto the sand. There are steep dunes leading down to the lake, which is a murky green colour. Some of us swim across to the other side and back for some early morning exercise. From here we move on to our final stop and one of the nicest places on the island, Lake McKenzie. The beautiful white silica sand stretches around the clearest blue water lake I have ever come across. It is just incredible to swim there and so refreshing. A very memorable last stop on Fraser. Soon it's time to make our way over the bumpy tracks, bouncing all over the place, to get the ferry. Peter did a great job of keeping it all under control though. After 360km around the island in a 4x4 and sleeping on the sand, we are pretty sore though.

Australia - Gold Coast

Surfers Paradise

We leave Byron Bay and get the coach 2 hours north to Surfers Paradise, crossing from New South Wales into Queensland. The name sounds enticing, but in reality Surfers is a huge dissapointment. High rise buildings dominate the entire length of the beachfront, and what may have once been a paradise for surfets has turned into a tourist and commercial centre. Even the rips were too dangerous to surf down at the beach and the lifeguards had closed it. What a dissapointment! Anyway, we spend the night there and head out on the town to check it out. Surfers has a reputation as a party town, but as it was Sunday not too much was happening. Eager to get on the road again, the next day we hire a car to continue the journey up the coast to Cairns at our own pace.


Australia Zoo


After skirting around Brisbane we head up through the Glass House mountains to Beerwah and Australia Zoo, made famous by the late Crocodile Hunter Steve Irwin. Quite expensive to get in, but well worth it to see the crocodiles, aligators, venemous snakes, kangaroos etc. We even manage to take in a crocodile feeding session, which was very impressive. The tributes to Steve were emotional and as an avid watcher of his television shows, I was very glad I came.


Noosa

Another short drive by Australian standards brings us to Noosa and the last chance to surf the west coast, as the Great Barrier Reef protects the northern beaches and there are no surf breaks. We spend a few days in this small laid back coastal resort and get in one last surf on Sunshine Beach, after a night of partying with a mix of backpachers and locals. Peter manages to break his finger after wiping out on a particularly large wave and we seek assistance from the lifeguards. He pulls it back into position and they tape it up, advising him to get a cold beer to numb the pain. On the way back we head up onto the hill to the lookout and watch the sunset, before getting an early night.

Australia - Byron Bay

I flew up to Ballina on a cheap Jetstar flight from Sydney on Wed 9th May. From there I took a shuttle bus about half an hour to the coastal town of Byron Bay. Byron is a real alternative, hippy, surfer chill out kind of town. Excellent! I checked into the Arts Factory Lodge, and stayed in a surf schack (www.artsfactory.com.au). The plan was to hang around until my sister Rhian and her other half, Peter, arrived to meet me. The waves in Byron are perfect for surfing, so I went and hired a board and shortie wetsuit. Due to the strong rips, potential shark threat and heavy break, I decided to go with a group rather than on my own. After about 4 hours in the water I had caught a few good waves, but the rips were so strong that we had to keep getting out and walking back up the beach to start again. Exhausted, I called it a day and went back to the accomodation. Rhian and Peter arrived in the evening after a mammoth 29 hour journey from Belfast to Sydney, and then on to Byron. We spent the evening in the Arts factory bar catching up and having a few beers ;) It was great to see them and I couldn't believe how strange it was to see them, so far away from home.

The next day Peter and myself both went down and hired out the surf boards and wetsuits and again went with the group. The same thing happened as the previous day, but with sorer muscles for me! Later that day the entire afternoon was spent organising the trip up the coast to Cairns.

Australia - Sydney

Sydney

After the Blue Mountains I was ready for the city again so headed back on the train from Katoomba to Sydney central on Friday. My plan was to stay there until Wednesday and then catch a flight up the coast to Ballina. Luckily I knew a few people in Sydney and between meeting up with them and seeing the city I knew the time would fly in...

Firstly I headed out to the southern suburbs and met up with Barbara (FYI - the sister of my brothers' girlfriend). We met some of her friends and went on a boozy night out in Coogee. That was really great as I needed a bit of party atmosphere. The next day wasn't too constructive but Barbara kindly drove me into the city so I didn't have to deal with public transport. I checked into the YHA and dumped my bags. Then it was off down to Circular Quay and the Opera House to watch the sun go down. No better place to do this than in the Opera Bar, an obvious tourist trap that just had to be visited! There I had arranged to meet Steve and Liz whom I hiked the Inca trail with in Peru at the start of March (see older posts). In the meantime they had made it back to Sydney, so it was an excellent opportunity to meet up again. They explained a lot about the city, gave me tips on what to see in my time here, which was a great help. We went out and had a meal in Chinatown and then a beer in a dodgy Irish bar called Scruffy Murphy's. The next day I also managed to meet up with Juliana, a Brazilian girl living in Sydney, and who I knew from my time in Sao Paulo 2 years ago. So it was amazing to meet up with people that I knew from before. Thanks to all of you for making my time in Sydney so enjoyable, it was great to see you again.

The next few days were spent walking around the city and exploring and area called The Rocks, where the first British colony was set up in 1788. My self designed walking tour took me across the Harbour Bridge, around the Opera House, through the Botanical Gardens into the Central Business District and up to Kings Cross, which is fairly seedy but is worth a walk around. Another day was used to take the ferry out to Watson's Bay for outstanding views of the city skyline and all around the harbour. Apparently the best fish and chips as well. I took a walk around the headland to the lighthouse and back in the scorching sun. It had been unusually hot in the Sydney area for this time of year. Another trip took me out to Coogee again and I walked along the coast to Bondi beach, a beautiful coastal walk of 1.5 hours.


Harbour Bridge Climb

Apart from meeting everyone, the highlight of my trip to Sydney was climbing up an over the harbour bridge. This tourist attraction is expensive but very well organised and guaranteed to thrill. A guide takes a group up through the vast steel construction to the top and down the other side, providing informative radio commentary. In total there are 1439 steps to climb and some parts are quite airy so there is a good amount of adrenalin pumping. I decided to start the climb at dusk in order to be there when it got dark and the city lights went on. The tour itself takes around 3.5 hours from start to finish. When we arrived at the top the views of the city and the Opera House were just fantastic. Strangely enough, the height of the top of the bridge from the water is 134m, exactly the same height of the Bungy jump in Queenstown. Looking down, I was glad no one had a bungy cord set up there ;)

Australia - Blue Mountains

Blue Mountains

After spending another few days sightseeing around Melbourne it was time to hit the road again. On Monday 30th April I got a bus ticket and took the night bus to Sydney, a journey of 12 hours. Arriving in Sydney central in the early hours I waited around for the Thai embassy to open in order to get my visa processed. I left my passport there as it takes a few days and made my way back to the train station. Destination Katoomba and the Blue Mountains, 2 hours inland. Katoomba is a nice quiet place and just the ticket to relax. It is situated on top of a plateau, so strangely all the walks start going downhill into the valleys below, via steep steps cut into the cliff face. I went on a few day hikes and saw the "Three Sisters", a famous rock formation that everyones goes there to see. Unfortunately on the second day my knee gave way and I had to hobble back to base after several hours. I limped most of the way back to Katoomba and in a momentary lapse of concentration I fell down over some loose rocks, cutting and bruising my arms and legs. A bit shaken and fed up at that stage... Spent the remainder of the time there resting up and letting the knee heal. Took a train back into Sydney on Friday lunchtime to check out the city for a long weekend...