The Land of Oz- Christmas Day, Byron Bay and a Boxing Day shoot!

Shooting a gun for the first time!

It's cold in there thinks Amelia!

Relaxing with Amelia on Christmas Day

Christmas Day with the family

I returned to Melinda's north of Brisbane in time for the Christmas build up. After an early morning flight from Cairns, I did my Christmas shopping in a festive (although hot) Brisbane. The hussle and bussle and sound of carols made in seem like Christmas despite the heat and I managed a stop off at my favourite cafe (The Regent) - which reminded me of home with its dark and cool interior - for a pot of Earl Grey and a slice of Christmas cake!
The Christmas build up continued with a family party/ bbq in Brisbane on the day before Christmas Eve and listening to carols and making mulled wine alongside a Christmas eve supper of involtini and poached pears (cooked by yours truly) which added to the festive atmosphere. Amelia and I read lots of Christmas stories, including The Six White Boomers (based on a song by Rolf Harris) which replaces the reindeers with kangaroos! On Christmas Day itself we had an early start with the children (although Amelia had to be woken up!) and spent a lovely morning of unwrapping presents and  eating banana pancakes for breakfast whilst listening to the Christmas midnight mass on Radio 4! Then it was to family friend Paul's house (a beautiful wooden Queensland property with a garden to die for) for drinks and a prawn lunch in the sunshine. We had our Christmas dinner back at Melinda's in the evening (nut roast for me) and I was able (through the wonders of Skype) to watch Oscar opening his presents back in the UK. I have to admit I did miss my family enormously on Christmas Day but Melinda and her family were the best substitutes and it was a very special day.. Boxing Day too proved memorable in that I got to shoot a gun for the first time in a clay pigeon shoot at the house of James' brother and in the afternoon we drove to Charlie Moreland National Park and sat relaxing by the water at Sunday Creek with a picnic and Christmas Day leftovers!

I'm now in Byron Bay (saying goodbye to Melinda, James and the children was very emotional and there were tears on the station platform) and back to being a backpacker (for the first time here in Australia). The journey took me down the Gold Coast to places like Surfers Paradise and Currumbin before arriving at Byron. This town was originally a whaling station but is now a surfing mecca and since the 1960s a meeting place for alternative cultures. Today it caters for all from high end tourism to backpackers and everything in between. It was named by Captain Cook after the poet Byron's grandfather who sailed around the world in the 1760s. Byron Bay has two claims to fame- it is the most easterly point of mainland Australia (see picture) and also houses the most powerful lighthouse in the southern hemisphere. I walked to the lighthouse and the views, as you can see, are spectacular. I spent the afternoon at Watego's beach which is great for dolphin spotting and in the season some 4000 humpbacked whales pass this area. Just walking along the beach and watching the surfers (there are many) you realise what a great spot this is. I even managed a visit to the very cosy local cinema to see War Horse (I'd read the book and seen the play) and was very happy to find it was half price film night. Bargain.

Next stop: Sydney.




Melinda enjoys a cuppa and a piece of Christmas cake in Sunday Creek on Boxing Day



The scene on the Esplanade at sunset in Byron Bay




Speaks for itself

 



Byron Bay lighthouse- the most powerful in the southern hemisphere



Another amazing view...

  

The Land of Oz- a trip to Cairns

The pool on the Cairns Esplanade a few days before Christmas!

Cains Esplanade

One of many beautiful flowers, plants and trees at the Botanical Gardens

Cairns is in northern Queensland, a two hour flight from Brisbane. I decided to visit my friend Sarah who I had not seen for many years (neither of us could remember exactly how long!) and who had moved to Carns from Tasmania earlier this year. As soon as I got off the plane I could feel the heat and humidity, Cairns has a much more tropical climate and is firmly established as one of Astralia top travel destinations. It is famous as the gateway to the Great Barrier Reef and is surrounded by mountains and mangroves, making it very picturesque. Whilst there are no beaches in Cairns itself (mainly mudflats) you only need to go a few miles ot of the city to find long stretches of white sandy beach.

Sarah lives about 15 minutes out of Cairns in a small coastal town called Yorkeys Knob with its own Boat Club and Marina. A beautiful spot, I couldn't help be envious of her lifestyle living so close to the beach. Over the weekend we caught up over a long walk (on the beach, where else!) and did a trip to the Great Barrier Reef on the Sunday. It was pretty choppy but I managed to avoid being too sea sick. However, the snorkelling from the pontoon (fixed platfom from where you could dive, snorkel or just relax)  was unlike any I have ever done as you were being battered by swell and waves constantly. Apart from some amazingly colourful coral we saw blue rasp fish and even a reef shark. Sarah also cooked me dinner using fish she had caught herself. Sea fishing is very popular in this area.

I enjoyed relaxing in Cairns and did a long walk each morning. One day I went up the Knob (hill) which gave stunning views of the area (see picture) and otherwise was happy to enjoy the local beach which seemed deserted most of the time although at the end of the day was busy with people dog walking and exercising. Swimming was restricted to a safe area surrounded by nets as jelly fish are in the waters at this time of year. Yorkeys Knob is an area very popular with kite surfers too due to the windy conditions.
On my final day I went into Cairns and spent a few hours enjoying the plants at the beautiful botanical gardens before walking along the esplanade into the City. On our final evening we went to the Boat Club for dinner which was a fantastic spot overlooking the marina. I had a super time with Sarah in Cairns and look forward to returning the favour when she comes over to the UK next year.




Sarah with her 'crocodile' stick



Yorkeys Knob beach



Jelly fish alert

A parade in Cairns- with 6 white boomers!

The less said about this... snorkeling Aussie style!



A very choppy Great Barrier Reef



The view from Yorkeys Knob



The Land of Oz: Fraser Island

Fraser Island is a giant sandbar and the world’s largest sand island located off the coast of Queensland. Melinda dropped me in Noosa for the 2-3 hour journey via Rainbow beach. It measures 120km by 15km and was created over thousands of years of longshore drift .It has a variety of landscapes- vast rolling sand dunes (known as sandblows) to dense tropical rainforest to over 100 fresh water lakes (including the world famous Lake Mckenzie). It has been a world heritage site since 1993 and is home to 40 different mammal species including lizards, dingoes, turtles, sharks, whales, spiders, snakes and the giant cockroach. There are no paved roads on Fraser, this is 4WD territory!

Fraser Island from the bus

Collecting seafood

Fraser Island (as the rest of Australia too) was originally home to the Aborigines (Butchella) and was first ‘discovered’ by Captain Cook in 1770.The Aborigines  named it K’Gari (meaning paradise) but its name was changed in 1836 when Eliza Fraser was the only survivor of a shipwreck (and was subsequently looked after by the Aborigines). Eventually Europeans started to arrive in large numbers and the aboriginal population began to decline due to a lack of natural food and exposure to diseases such as measles and smallpox brought by the Europeans. This largely mirrors the story for the rest of Australia.

Our arrival, after a short ferry ride, was magical. The longest beach on the east coast of the island measures 75 miles and we drove along the edge of the sea in the Trailblazer bus to some appropriate sounds that made you feel like you were in the most special place on earth. The pictures don’t quite do it justice but the blue sky, beautiful clouds and a beach that stretches on for infinity in front of you with not another person or vehicle is sight…I’m sure you get the picture.
We did a short jungle trek (passing through the logging headquarters as Fraser has been exploited for its natural resources in the past, trees an sand although both practices have now ended) after settling in at Trailblazer base camp and ended up at the stunning Lake Birrabeen where we were able to swim and relax with the whole place to ourselves.This is a perfect example of a ‘perched lake’ composed entirely of rainwater with no connection to the ocean. It sits on organic matter which creates a seal so the rainwater can’t seep through. Our guide, Jacob, was so knowledgeable (as well as having a great taste in music) and pointed out lots of features and interesting pieces of information. We saw:- trees that shed their bark (see picture), the world’s oldest ferns (see picture) plants whose seeds turn into bread and a blue tongue lizard. We ended the day with a walk along the beach before a barbeque supper.

Indian Head on the eastern tip of the island

75 mile beach at dusk

Our second day saw an early start to watch the sunrise although a storm quickly ended our plans. After an early breakfast we made our way to Indian Head at the tip of the eastern side of the island (so called when Captain Cook saw the first Aborigines gazing out to sea as he approached). This is a sacred spot and it was easy to see why. We spent a couple of hours on the rocks which offered spectacular 360 degree views and gave us a platform to spot plenty of marine life. We saw tiger sharks (it’s too dangerous to swim around Fraser Island), manta rays and sea turles. After we drove to Eli Creek (the largest freshwater creek on the eastern side) which pours 8 million litres of  fresh water into the Pacific each day,  passing the Pinnacles, the multi coloured sand cliffs formed by rain blowing from the Pacific ocean, and the famous ‘Maheno’ shipwreck which ran aground after a cyclone in 1935 (see picture).

The Pinnacles

The Maheno shipwreck

Jacob relaxes at Eli Creek

Our final day took us to Lake Wabby, the only lake on the island that supports many different types of fish and was wonderful to swim across. On the way we saw a dingo at last and on the way home wild horses and a kangaroo bouncing along in the grass!

The stunning approach to Lake Wabby

Trees that shed their bark

Dingo alert!



On the shore of Lake Birrabeen



I thoroughly enjoyed this trip and would recommend Trailblazers to anyone who gets the opportunity to come to this part of Australia. The group and our guide made it a very memorable experience ( 3 English, 5 Germans and 12 Taiwanese!). It was pitched perfectly by our guide Jacob. A very  memorable experience.

Next stop: Cairns

The land of Oz- Brisbane, bouncy castles and a pink tongue skink!

I arrived in Australia from Bali at the beginning of December to be met by my oldest friend Melinda (we started secondary school together in the same form). We had not seen each other for about two and a half years when she and her daughter Amelia came for a visit to the UK. It was a wonderful reunion and I was soon to be with the whole family- her husband James, Amelia (now 3) and new addition Luke, born earlier in the year. Melinda and her family live in Maleny, Queensland, about an hour north of Brisbane. The drive was beautiful, skirting the Glasshouse mountains.We went for a wander into town which seemed very pleasant but spent most of the day in preparation for a trip to the Sunshine Coast.

Queensland is known as the 'Sunshine State' and we were heading for the Caloundra coast and a place called Currimundi. It is known for its fine surfing beaches and National parks. The house was amazing, perched on the coast and only a walk down some steps to the beach. For me who had been backpacking around Asia for the last 3 months it was an absolute dream. My own room, crisp bedding and fluffy towels, being able to use a hairdryer and enjoy a glass of wine- heaven! The house was large and spacious, plenty of room for the children to roam and with a view to die for. Although the beach itself was a little windy most days (and very cold on one day- the coldest summer day on record for decades!) just a few minutes walk away was Currimundi Lake which was secluded and a perfect place for children and families to enjoy shelter from the wind. Most days I would go for an early morning walk or run and then go and join the rest of them at the beach. We usually came back for lunch at the house and would have another session at the beach in the late afternoon. I balanced the time between reading, exploring the other local beaches (Moffat was a favourite) and spending time with Melinda and her family. At the end of the day it was wonderful to hop in the hot tub (often with Luke and Amelia) and enjoy the spectacular view whilst relaxing amongst the bubbles...

Our back garden-Amelia enjoys the bouncy castle with a view of the ocean in the background

Melinda, James, Amelia and Luke at the park in Maleny

Amelia and Luke travel to the beach in style

A ship wreck at Dicky Beach

A surf carnival where young people compete in a number of events including ocean swimming, surf rescue and iron man !

A pink tongue skink on our driveway

Melinda and I at Currimundi Lake

The lunar eclipse we stayed up to watch, the last one for 3 years

It was hard to leave the house after a magical week but all good things come to an end I suppose. Just being able to spend time with Melinda and her family was very special and for the weekend we were joined by James' mum, Joan, who invited me to go back to Brisbane with her for a couple of days. Brisbane is the capital of Queensland and Australia's third largest city. Joan took me on the very scenic drive to Mount Coot-tha which gives you stunning views of the city and this one at dusk looks particularly impressive.

A view of Brisbane by night

....and day

I travelled from Joan's suburb, Everton Park, into the city for a full day of sightseeing which took me from to Queen Street, the heart of the shopping district, past old buildings like the City Hall and Old Treasury building, across the Vitoria Bridge to the South Bank and along a modernist walkway to Paul's Breaka Beach (an odd sight in the middle of a city especially as it was named after a milk shake!). I t was close to 40 degrees that day so a dip in the pool was very welcome and made the sight of the huge Christmas tree even stranger! I managed to escape the heat by a visit to the Queensland Art Gallery which has an impressive permanent collection  of Australian and European art. And I also found time to meet up with Ronan who I had met earlier in my travels in Burma! We had a great catch up over a cuppa in an old Brisbane art deco building that is unfortunately about to be pulled down!

Next stop: Fraser Island

Paul's Breaka beach in central Brisbane! A great place to cool off...

Posing in front of Santa's mail box in Brisbane

Bali to Brisbane

A very cheeky monkey!

a view from the Ulu Watu temple at the southern tip of Bali

Worshippers at the Holy Spring Temple

The Elephant Cave

The beautiful Bali Buddha organic cafe

bali goods for sale at one of the many market stalls Ubud

Enjoying the sunset at Gili Air

The beautiful pool at Sejuks, Gili Air

As you know from my last post, I had an amazing time on the Gili Islands. I actually ended up spending way longer than I had planned (this happens) and even had a few days on the quieter Gili Air where I treated myself to a couple of nights at a place called Sejuks (a bit more classy than most places I've stayed with a lovely pool- see picture). On the day I left to return to Bali I was feeling under the weather again and the long journey back to Ubud left me feeling exhausted. I had to make a decision whether to go to Java and in the end the journey combined with the little time left before I flew to Australia meant that I would have to give it a miss.

I went to see a show of traditional Balinese dancing at the Ubud Palace

Bali is a big island and I felt I hadn't seen a great deal of it so after having a day to recover and wander around the streets of Ubud once more and do some last minute shopping at the market (discovered a wonderful organic cafe called Bali Buddha- see pictures), I decided to book a trip to see some of the senery and temples of Bali. It was a lovely day with good company ( a German couple and French guy) and we visited the Elephant cave temple, the Holy Spring temple and the biggest temple on Bali, as well as a coffee plantation and viewpoint of Bali's highest peak, Mount Agung.
Once again I was travelling with nice people ( a girl from Austria and Polish guy) and we decided to go to the beach for our last days in Bali. Wanting to avoid Kuta, we headed to Jimbaran Bay. This is a long crescent shaped beach of white sand and is famous for its fish restaurants, where people come from all over Bali to experience. We were no exception and enjoyed a meal of fresh seafood by candlelight whilst listening to the waves. Before this Janush and myself headed to the Ulu Watu temple for the famous sunset and met the monkeys famous for stealing glasses (luckily not mine!).

a fantastic view of Bali's majestic Mt Agung

Ulu Watu at sunset

The beach at Jimbaran Bay

 Before leaving Jimbaran Bay for the airport I had my last massage and walked along the beach reflecting on the last 3 months I had spent in South East Asia. I felt emotional as there are things about Asia that I love- the hectic traffic, the scooters, the street food, noise, craziness, heat, the people- there is something so special about it. Australia was going to be very different. I was excited  but sad at the same time. But I know I'll be back in Asia before too long...
I said goodbye to Janush and Tanja before making my way to the airport for my overnight flight to Australia. The next stage of my journey was about to begin.
Next stop: Brisbane.