G’day from Australia! (Part II)
Updated January 2nd, 2001
At long last and only a month overdue, here’s the second part of our Australian adventure…
Upon our return from Cape Trib, we had enough time to dry off and get a few hours of sleep before we had to be on the boat for our trip to the Great Barrier Reef. As had become the norm, we awoke to torrents of rain.
Disenchanted and ready to climb back into bed, we reluctantly headed for the marina. The cheery faces of the crew did little to renew our dampened spirits. "We’re tired of doing things in the rain," was our somewhat harsh greeting. They tried to reassure us that the weather definitely could be better on the reef, but they of course couldn’t make any promises. After some discussion, we decided to stick it out and try our luck.
Thankfully, it worked out in our favor. The skies parted and the sun broke through the cloud ceiling just before we reached the first snorkelling spot. We spent most of the day with our heads in the water, observing the magnificence of the underwater scenery. The numbers and colors of the fish were incredible, and the coral at the second spot was equally as spectacular.
On the trip home we were coaxed into the "boom net" with the majority of our fellow passengers. As the boat pulled a sort of cargo net attached at the bow, we all kept one hand on the rope (to keep from drowning) and one hand on our suits (to keep from exposing too much) as buckets of water doused us from all directions – all in the name of fun! After drying off and recovering, we enjoyed a leisurely ride back to port.
We left Cairns several days later on a night bus headed for Airlie Beach, the gateway for sailing trips through the Whitsunday Islands. Bags under our eyes and more than groggy from a fitful night on the bus, we arrived in Airlie, again greeted by pouring rain.
We tried to keep our spirits up, but our efforts were quickly thwarted when we found out that the boat that we had booked was awaiting a part that wouldn’t arrive in time. Consequently, our trip was cancelled. Rather than take the best of the worst and run the risk of having a rainy three days at sea, we decided to abandon the whole thing altogether and head for Great Keppel Island the next morning.
After some deliberation, we ultimately decided to go with the package offered by the Yeppoon Backpackers, which includes ferry transfers to and from the island and two nights at the Great Keppel Island Backpackers for only AUD$80 (roughly US$50). It was definitely worth every penny.
The trip began with the potential for another dismally rainy three days, as it poured on the entire ferry ride to the island, but fortunately Mother Nature took pity on us this time. At about noon on our first day, the thick overcast cleared and the sun broke through. We spent three gloriously sunny and pleasantly warm days on the island.
Great Keppel, a huge sand island, sits just above the Tropic of Capricorn at the very southern tip of the Reef and is fringed by coral around its circumference. We were told that it has some of the best snorkelling in Australia. The water was a bit too brisk for me, but Henry braved the cold and agreed that the fish were much more abundant and colorful than what we had seen on the Reef.
The other draw on the island is the ease of access to many secluded, white sand beaches. And that’s how we spent most of our time – on beaches by ourselves, relaxing, reading, snorkelling, and soaking up the sun that we had been missing so desperately.
From Great Keppel, we braved another night bus to Hervey Bay, the gateway to Fraser Island, the largest sand island in the world. Only 4WD vehicles can travel on the island’s roads, which are mostly just the beaches, so the best way to see it is with an organized tour.
We chose a "you drive, we guide" tour with Fraser Escape! because it allowed us to have the fun of driving without all of the hassle of trying to see the island at the mercy of the decisions of an unguided group, plus it saved us the expense of renting our own 4WD vehicle. We would highly recommend this company to anyone headed to Fraser. Tons of fun and very economical.
We were to meet up with our tour group as soon as we arrived in Hervey Bay. The bus ride was shorter and much more trying than the others. We had seats that barely reclined, two snorers in the seats across the aisle (they seemed to take cues from one another), a driver that took the bends like he was Mario Andretti, and a breakfast stop only three hours after we boarded. Definitely not conducive to a good night’s sleep. By the time we arrived, neither one of us was sure that we would make it through the day.
As soon as we met our guide, things began to look much brighter. "Pommie" John, a Yorkshire-born and bred Aussie, made himself known right away. Cracking jokes most of the time, but serious when he needed to be, he was always puffing on a smoke and rarely wore shoes. We also got to know our group pretty quickly, as we were stuck in a 4WD truck with troop seats – four on each side and very cozy in the back, and two squished in the front with John. Obviously, any awkwardness disappeared almost immediately.
The first day was only mildly eventful. We spent the morning at Central Station, attempting to digest all of the information about the resident flora and fauna on the island.
We went for our first chilly swim (of which I politely bowed out) at Basin Lake, a seemingly interminable 40-minute walk from Central Station. After the swim, while eating lunch we encountered a nasty little kookaburra who was determined to eat as much of our food as he could get his sharp little beak on. He would swoop down from his perch and divebomb for the food on the table or the sandwiches in our hands. He certainly provided some comic relief.
to Sydney.