Brisbane to Cairns

Once again we have to head out of town to pick up our campervan. We accidentally take the wrong exit out of the train station and the walk (in the boiling hot sun, with all our bags) takes roughly 4 longer. We get to the place on time, but end up sticking around for about 2 hours whilst they get the camper ready. At midday, we’re finally on the road again. What we have this time is the Hippie Drift, which is a very compact, bare bones camper. It is easier to park, though. I name her Giselle, after a character from My Dad Wrote a Porno (although we later find out she already had a name – Regina). We drive a few hours to get to Noosa and pay for quite an expensive camp site just outside of town. We have lunch, then relax in the sun before having a quick dip in their quite cold pool.

The next day is an early start as we a doing a day trip of Frasier Island – the world’s largest sand Island.  We make our way to the jetty and are picked up by the 4WD – it looks like a converted rubbish truck. We meet our guide for the day and head to 40 mile beach, which is still on the mainland. Driving on the beach is a unique experience, as our guide needs to stay close the sea to drive on the harder sand without actually touching the water, which requires a bit of weaving around the waves. Shortly after this it turns out our vehicle has a radiator leak and we have to go back a short way to get on another truck.
Following the switch we head to rainbow beach, named because of the different colours and sand and rock. Shortly after this we reach the barge. There’s a large truck that’s apparently stuck on the barge with a flat battery, so they simply reverse the barge and practically ram it into the beach, giving the truck some momentum that it can be kick started. It works, the truck is off and we get on. When we get to the Island, we have another bumpy but fun drive down the beach and we get a sense of the scale of Frasier – its huge. We’re told to look out for dingos on our left and whales on our left – we see neither (though we do see a rather large dead turtle on the beach) We eventually head inland to Lake McKenzie, the water of which is meant to have healing powers. Intrigued, I drive straight in to the freezing cold water. The sun goes in, the wind picks up and...I don’t spend much time healing. After lunch we go for a rainforest walk, following a creek. Driving out, the truck gets bogged in the sand and we have to get out and push. No, really. When we get back to the barge we finally see a single dingo mooching about. We get back later after a long, but pretty great, day on the truck.

Damn, you a sexy beach

The next day we get out of expensive Noosa and head north to a small town called Bunderberg. After 30 minutes of driving, we realise that I left various clothes on the drying line back in at the campsite. We decide to press on. Bunderberg is famous for it’s rum and ginger beer (the latter of which I had a fair few of back in New Zealand). We only have a quick wander and but a few clothes. We stay in a free campsite in a place called Sharon Gorge, which has a nice little walk to the river.

The next stop is Agnes Water and the Town of 1770. We go up to 1770 first which is a pleasant coastal place with a lookout to sea. We go up there, where we’re told by not one but two people that they’ve seen whales, dolphins and turtles from the lookout. We spend quite a bit of time staring out to sea but don’t see anything. It’s still fun clambering about the rocks though. We drive back though Agnes to get to our campsite. After parking up, a gent (possibly the manager) tells us about a family parked next to us, who have a child known round the campsite as ‘Bam-Bam’ on account of the racket he makes. We get the shuttle back to town and chill at the beach all afternoon.

The Reef 2 Beach Surf school in Agnes water prides itself on being perhaps the cheapest surf school in New Zealand. As it’s so cheap, I’ve decided to opt in for the 3 hour lesson (for $13). We start on the beach learning the basics and at this point I’m feeling relatively confident. But when we get into the water I can’t seem to get the hang of the movements. For the last 90 minutes, I just get my ass kicked by the waves. After a group photo, we’re told we all passed the class and we can pick up our certificates, but I feel doing this would make a mockery of the entire Australian certification system so I don’t bother. At least I didn’t pay $50.

I get dry and we drive through the afternoon to a pleasant campsite on Calliope River. As we head to the toilets to brush our teeth, a man walking his two pitbulls was walking the same way. Without as much as a ‘good evening’ he gestured to the animals and said in a gruff voice: “These are real fucking dogs...not like those fluffy c*nts over there. These would have them for breakfast.” And so on. Heidi and I can barely contain ourselves at this Australian who couldn’t be more proud of his ultraviolent pets.

It’s hard to put into words the experience of doing a road trip in the campervan. We (I) did a lot of driving each day, and really didn’t do much else some days. But it was still a hell of a lot of fun. We spend the next 2 days popping into places for drinks and walks that would be tedious to list (not to mention read) on this blog. We started our last full day in Mission Beach, where we got up early to watch the sunrise over the ocean (not a disappointment) and because we were so close to Cairns we were able to do a lot of driving around and exploring around the Atherton Tablelands region, checking out a number of waterfalls and Lake Echam, which has it’s own rarely-seen crocodile.

We didn't see him...what a croc!

Sunrise over Mission Beach

The day after arriving in Cairns and returning Giselle, we have our trip out to the reef. A bus picks us up and takes us to our boat where we spend roughly 2 hours getting out to the reef. We’re snorkeling at two stops and I’m doing an introductory scuba dive. As soon as I (Heidi didn’t join me at first, as she was suffering from mal de mer) jumped in the water I was surrounded by fish and coral. The colours and patterns of ocean life always amazes me, and being this up close and personal makes it even more mesmerising. Whilst filming some colourful fish, a white-tipped shark passes by. After 30 mins of snorkeling (Heidi did jump in, in the end) it’s time for my first dive. I get my gear on and submerge. I have real trouble getting my ears to pop, which we all need to do a couple of times before getting to the level at which we’ll be swimming. In truth I get more freaked out than I thought I would, I even think about bailing and returning to the surface. But I press on, and try to relax. I get more used to it after a few minutes, but really we don’t see as much as we did snorkeling. The dive lasts roughly 20 minutes.

Under the seeeea

Many fishes

I’d never heard of parrotfish before, but they were definitely the weirdest fish we saw. The algae they eat is trapped in the coral so they have developed a beak (instead of a taste for anything else) which gives them their imaginative name. On our second spot I follow a school of huge buckhead parrotfish, which is like something out of the film Avatar. Truly weird.

Sqwuak

We spend the next few days in Cairns planning the rest of our trip, and unfortunately don’t make it out to the rainforest or any further north. Our camper was more expensive than planned, so we need to save for the next 3 months!

Next time – Bali, and probably Cambodia!

Sydney to Brisbane

We’ve got a another relocation deal, but rather than a camper we have a rather nice Toyota Camri (which Heidi names Trixy). We get totally lost coming out of Sydney, going the back south before heading north and losing an hour. We need to get a move on because driving at night is not advised on account of kangaroos jumping out in front of cars. Quite a few hours of driving later we arrive at Coffs Harbour. Tonight we’re staying with Heidi’s second cousin Vaughan and his wife Julie. They welcome us into their beautiful home with as much warmth as wine (i.e. a lot) and provide us with our best meal in a long while. Vaughan tells us a bit about the local wildlife, such as the geckos that prowl on the roof and a python that once meandered into his study.

The next day Julie takes on a tour of Coffs harbour. We go down to the jetty and climb a small mountain, mount Coramba, for a stunning view of Coffs and the coastline. Julie then takes us to a small residential area on the off chance we’ll see some kangaroos up close. There are dozens, milling about people’s gardens and the sides of the road. We even get close to one with a little joey in its pouch.

We head back to the house and Vaughan tells us the python has been back. We wonder round the garden trying to find him but no luck. Vaughan takes us round his front garden where his daughter is getting married next year. It’s something he’s very proud of, and with good reason. We pack up the car and are just about to get going when we hear Julie – the python’s been spotted! I get the camera out and begin taking pictures and a bit of filming. Vaughan then decides to do his best Steve Irwin and grabs the snake by the tale to get a bit of a reaction out of him. It works, and he slithers off. What a place to live.

Slippery...like an eel

After about 30 mins of leaving Coffs Harbour we realise we’ve left both our headphones at the house. We’d only just bought them in Sydney so we turn around to get them. We’re not having much luck in Trixy.

We arrive in Byron Bay just after sunset, without hitting any wildlife. We spend the next day wondering about town. Byron is a hippie/surfer centre and every other shop demonstrates this. As Heidi shops for a bikini I grab a smoothie to get into the vibe. After checking out the town we head to the beach where people are walking their dogs or doing yoga. At one point two newly-met dogs begin scrapping and, totally unaware of their surroundings, continue their squabble over Heidi kicking sand over her towel. I attempt a swim in the sea but it’s far too cold.

At sunset we take trixy up to Cape Byron lighthouse. This is known for being Austrailia’s most easterly point, as well as for having some amazing sunsets. We drive up but we’re a few minutes later, there’s no where to park. We catch the sunset drive-by style then head back to the hostel for dinner.

Can't imagine why this was so popular

We’re on a tight schedule out of Byron as Trixy needs to be returned to Brisbane by 10am. Luckily we get her there in time,  and as we arrive it begins to pour down with rain. We get the train into town and find our hostel for the night. The rain seems to have stopped so we walk down the very pleasant South Bank which gives a great view of the city skyline up close. We then catch the free ferry into the city centre, and walk about for a bit. I didn’t know anything about Brisbane before, but it’s actually a pretty cool city. When we get back to the hostel and get into our room, the rain is back and thunder has come as well. We settle in for the night.

We’ve had to become quite picky with what activities and museums we pay for do to the large expense of travelling by car (we’ve now booked a full price camper for the rest of the trip). However, when we found out the Gallery of Modern Art in Brisbane is doing an exhibition of the Marvel Studios films, I deem it an absolute necessity. It’s a short walk from our hostel, so we wonder over and decide to do a free tour. This turns out to be a mistake as our tour guide, whilst a lovely seeming lady, doesn’t seem to know much about the films or characters. After the tour we go through the exhibition again, really having a good look at the actual costumes and props from the movies. Much like the Weta Cave in Wellington, the attention to detail in these artefacts is pretty amazing. There’s also a section at the end dedicated to the special effects of the films. Despite the disappointing tour it was well worth the price of admission.

Suit up

We go back to the hostel and do a bit of planning before it’s time to head out again. Whilst in Coffs Harbour Vaughan put us in touch with his son Scott, who lives in Brisbane and has offered for us to stay over the weekend. We catch the metro out to get to Fortitude Valley where we, quite literally, bump into Scott. We drop off our bags in the flat then make our way back to the Valley as we’ve been invited to a leaving party. We go to a bar called the Coop and have a beer with Scott outside whilst its still warm. We’re shortly joined by his girlfriend Jay. There’s been a bit of a misunderstanding as to where the leaving party is, so we stay at the Coop and drink more beer and eat a whole lot of fried chicken. We get some more drink on the way back to the flat and end up watching youtube videos for another hour. We’ve already got to know each other pretty well by this point.

The next day Heidi and I go explore Brisbane once again. We opt to check out the clock tower which you can take the 1930s lift up for free. Like Sydney and Melbourne, Brisbane is a city that has kept a lot of 17/1800s architecture and built it’s modern skyscapers around them, and the clock tower is somewhat boxed in by the taller buildings. Still an impressive view. In the same building as the tower is the museum of Brisbane which we also check out because it’s free. They have a temporary exhibition on food (bit leftfield, nothing amazing) and one about the history of the city. We then head to the Botanic gardens for a read in the sun. The gardens are surprisingly quiet considering they are right in the middle of the city. Eventually the ants annoy us too much and we return to the flat. Scott and Jay introduce us to the podcast “My dad wrote a porno” which I had heard of but never listened to – it’s pretty hilarious. We finish off the drinks from the previous night.

We don’t really have any plans for Sunday so we end up watching Scott and Jay play Xcom2 on the Playstation. They’ve decided to record the gameplay and we’re guests. It’s pretty big fun. To round off our Brisbane stay the two of us go out to the cinema to see The Dark Tower (3/10). The next morning Jay takes us to a nice little cafe for some breakfast before saying our goodbyes. Scott and Jay have been great hosts and a lot of fun to be around, but we’ve a campervan to pick up!

Melbourne to Sydney

Our first flight of the year ends with a bumpy landing – it’s seriously windy in Melbourne. We take the  bus to the train station, then hop on the free tram to near our hostel. We’re given a free drink voucher on arrival so we use it on a coffee and plan our day. We spend the first day getting our bearings and understanding how the free tram works (i.e. really well, it’s super useful). We wander down the main streets, Federation square and a few of the street art laden alleys.

Hoiser Lane

The next day we head to the State Library. There’s a few exhibitions in here, including a permeant fixture dedicated to infamous bushranger Ned Kelly. It includes his actual armour he was wearing when he was shot and captured, complete with bullet holes. We play some chess in the main room of the library. Melbourne’s IMAX claims to be the largest cinema screen in the world (Google seems to agree) so we feel obliged to go and see Dunkirk there, even though we saw it back in Wellington. It’s worth it though, as it improves the experience tenfold. As we walk back I notice something moving in the trees, but it’s too dark to see. Further down the path, one of the critters steps towards a street light. We later identify our first run in with Australia’s varied wildlife as a Possum, who run rampage around the park at night.

Saturday is an early start as we have a bus tour booked for the Great Ocean road. This starts a little to the South West of Melbourne, so it made sense to do a tour rather than drive there and back. We drive for a few hours until we reach Torquay, birthplace of the surfing brand Ripcurl, where we have morning tea and watch the surfers from the beach. Next stop is the gateway which marks the start of the Great Ocean Road, which as the name suggests is a stunning trip between ocean and cliff. We stop for lunch at a holiday park where we also walk around spotting parakeets and koalas. Being nocturnal, the koalas are asleep in the trees but I did spot one being rudely awoken by a bird. We stop for a rainforest walk before heading to the highlights of the GOR.

Seconds from disaster

When we reach the iconic 12 apostles, it begins pouring it down with rain. It’s a bit of a shame not only because we get wet but because the scenery isn’t quite as picturesque in the grey. Still pretty impressive, mind. Also we spot our first Wallaby on the way. No-one can quite agree how many apostles there actually are, just that there arn’t 12. Next is Loch Ard Gorge, which I think outshines 12 apostles, and Gibson steps. At the bottom of the steps is a beach and caves complete with Stagmalites, etc. It’s a long journey back and a late night.

A number of Apostles

We have to change hostel the next day as we have now booked our first campervan. It’s a relocation deal between Melbourne and Sydney at a reduced price, but we have to pick it up Tuesday. It’s not really an issue because there’s plenty to do in Melbourne. We start the day at the Queen Victoria Markets – the worlds largest open air market. We mooch about, not really planning on buying anything and have a bit of lunch. We then head to the ACMI. We do the permenant free exhibition, a history of film and moving image which dips into Austrailia’s contribution. I play on an original NES for the first time. We see our second Academy Award of our trip (the first being in the Roxy in Wellington, this one Cate Blancett’s from The Aviator). It’s certainly my kind of museum. We walk across town back to the library where we start a free walking tour, but a couple of stops in it’s clear Heidi isn’t feeling well so we stop. I drop her off at the hostel and go for a walk down by the river taking pictures. That night the hostel manager has bought pizza for everyone, and we watch the first Harry Potter with some great commentary from our fellow patrons.

We take it fairly easy the next day and head out a bit later for a river cruise. This tkes us out of Melbourne and to the nearby Williamstown. Here we grab a map and give ourselves a self guided tour. It’s pleasant but very sleepy. We have coffee and cake for lunch. When we get back to Melbourne we head back to the ACMI for another free exhibition – this one about women in the videogame industry. It’s essentially pods where you can play games with a bit of a bio next to it. Heidi and I play a game called Tricky Towers for a time probably pushing acceptable boundaries. That night we go to a rooftop bar for a quick drink and grab a gourmet doughnut on our way back.

I don't know what this is

Melbourne by sunset

It’s time to pick up the camper. We head out of town to an inductrial district not far from the airport and see her for the first time – and she is massive. I’ve never driven a campervan before, and this is a 4-birth, more of an RV than campervan. But I can’t back out now. Luckily, it’s easy to get on the main road from the rental place and within 30 minutes, I’m fairly comfortable. “Punch it Chewie!” I say to Heidi, but she ignores me.

We take Felicity (the campervan, my naming) the long way round to Sydney, through what is sometimes affectionately known as the coastal route (you see the sea two, maybe three times). Shortly after we leave we pass a place called ‘Cannibal Creek’. I ask Heidi if she wants to stop there for lunch but she says no, which I thought was super weird. Instead we opted to have lunch in a shopping centre car park after a few hours of driving. It’s only after this that I realise I should be waving at every campervan coming towards us in the other lane. When the other driver waves back, it gives me a joy I can’t begin to put into words.

We head to a place called Lakes Entrance, which seems like a nice place but we don’t really a have a chance to explore. Its getting dark and starting to drizzle so we attempt to cook our first meal in the camper. But we can’t figure out the gas, so we give up and go to McDonalds. The next morning I figure out the gas (an extra secret valve I wasn’t told about) and we cook up some sausages for breakfast. I am already loving camping.

Camperman

The next day we drive for a few hours until we reach Ben Boyd national park for lunch and a little walk around the forest. We don’t see any wildlife  but there is a lookout over the dramatic cliffs that meet the sea. After this, somehow I miss the turning to stay on the main road and we end up in a place called Pambula Beach where we see a large mob of kangeroos chilling in a fenced area. After finding the main road we continue until we find our first free campsite – one in a forest. The only facilities here are a toilet and running water. We agree that we probably can’t do consecutive nights at free camp sites, as we wouldn’t be able to shower (plus you usually need power to charge the fridge). I do a bit of star gazing and I’m pretty sure I see a shooting star.

Into the wild

The next day we arrive in Sydney. Once again it’s an industrial district out of town so we have to find the metro and get that to get into the centre. Fortunately our hostel for the night is not too far from the station. We stay in ‘The Pod’ which is like a hostel except the bunk beds are more like boxes with a curtain, giving you a bit more privacy. There’s a bit of a mix up at check in, we appear to have booked the both of us into one bed and so as a result we end up in separate rooms.  I go out just to check out the immediate surroundings, but we’re both pretty knackered so we have a chilled evening.

On our first full day in Sydney, we head for another ‘free’ (read: pay what you want) walking tour. We walk around the old colonial buildings and get quite the history lesson of Sydney. The tour ends by the harbour where we get our first glimpse of the iconic Opera House and bridge opposite. On walking back, Heidi spots a Guylian chocolate cafe which seems like a one-off (actually a large chain in Australia) and we have lunch and a coffee (mocha, obviously).

Bird cages

After our second night we have to change hostel again – we opt for a 4 bed dorm and when we get in it appears the two girls in there have spread their stuff out all over the room (it later transpires that only one was the real culprit). We spend a bit of time shopping for necessities, then we have lunch in the Domain. We walk through the Botanic gardens back to the Opera House. Heidi spots rugby referee Wayne Barnes. Given that the Wallabies are playing the All Blacks tonight in Sydney, we guess he must be reffing. We continue on to the opera house and get a few snaps up close. On our way back into town Heidi tries and fails to get my attention, as she’s spotted another recognisable face – actor Jason Momoa. I turn back and indeed see a tall man with dreadlocks surrounded by bodyguards. As Heidi’s a big fan I take her word for it. When we go back to town we catch a dance that is performed on the side of a tall building.

Extreme Ballet

Silly pose next to iconic building

That night we head to a pub to watch the rugby. We speak to a nice couple (she from New Zealand, he from Scotland), then watch the All Blacks dominate as they do. I have my first beer in a while.

Something of a travel hack for you – Sydney’s transport system is usually capped at $15 dollars a day but on Sunday this cap is reduced to the odd figure of $2.65. We take advantage of this and head inland to the Blue Mountains (a 4 hour round trip). We opt for a hop-on hop-off bus tour which we later find out you don’t really need, though we did have a nice walk down to a waterfall we wouldn’t have otherwise. The main lookout is called Echo Point given you a full 180 degrees view of the mountains which are stunning, as well as the ‘three sisters’ – giant stone structures. We have a little walk and I go down some very steep steps to reach one of the three sisters, except it’s seriously crowded. I think we both fall asleep on the train ride back, and once again opt for a an early night.

Gordon Falls

At Echo Point

Next time – Syndey to Brisbane!