We met up with the Jamroz clan as they were fresh off the boat from a snorkeling trip on the Great Barrier Reef. Adele and Brandt graciously invited us to join them on their last night up in the Daintree at a fantastic house they had rented for the week. We were really excited to spend a night with all the Jamrozes and to sleep in an actual house with all the wonderful amenities that go with it i.e. hot shower, laundry machine, and real beds. Adele showed us her pictures from their adventures in Oz on the enormous flat-screen TV, including some fantastic shots of Emily and the Jambros doing some wicked sand boarding. Corey made sure we all saw the play-by-play pictures of him eating it HARD on a jump they crafted out of sand and particleboard. It was really a lesson in physics – when a moving mass, in this case a mohawked-Corey, overcomes the sand’s coefficient of friction by way of board, and that board’s front lip catches the underside of a particleboard ramp whilst moving at significant velocity, the Corey mass will then proceed to jettison through the air in a flailing, somersaulting dugong manner, ultimately crashing to the ground at the mercy of gravity. After some manic repacking the next morning by Devin’s family, we were given a tearful goodbye. It was comforting to have some face-to-face parental sentiment before embarking on our trip; as well as to know that all our families would be behind us for our adventure westward. It was not so comforting when a few hours after their departure, Devin realized that the GPS he intended to bring with us was still in the glove box of his parent’s rental car, no doubt parked in a Budget rental parking lot now somewhere in Cairns. After a slightly stressed hour of cell reception searching, Devin was able to call Budget and find out that the device was currently being held in their lost and found at Cairns Airport. The next morning we packed up Alby once more, defying every possible space limitation in our little 4by, and headed out to Mossman Gorge. We took the heavily populated (unfortunately) walking track into the Rainforest on a 2km loop through incredible trees and vines. All the plant life was amazing, but the trees in particular had huge buttresses that wound around the ground like great snakes (real snakes were most likely hiding between them). The path was quite muddy and as several of us were in flip-flops we decided to walk it barefoot, which ended up being quite satisfyingly squishy. At the far end of the loop, we entered a small area with a beautiful crystal pool and waterfall complete with well-fed fishies.
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Waza the skipper underway We began our Whitsunday Pirate Sailing Adventure in the afternoon and boarded the Samurai with fifteen other young travelers and three crew. Meals were provided for our trip, however drinks were BYO and each passenger (including ourselves) hopped on with at least one sack of Goon. * Once on board we wrote our names on one foot and our country on the other to facilitate a meet and greet with backpackers from Canada, Ireland, Germany, and Sweden. Corey was very excited to meet the two Irish girls… The first night we anchored under the stars in a small inlet and much debauchery ensued (which of course was immediately regretted by all come morning, as the ship tossed and turned underway and the cabins below deck smelled faintly of diesel fuel…). This included a dance party to “All the Single Ladies” featuring the 6 girls on board and Corey, as well as a few games of Racehorse over which Devin and the Skipper bonded and entertained the rest of the international gang. Pirate Jambros On our first full day, our first stop was Whitehaven Beach, a pretty famous location and, as the name might suggest, was a large stretch of white, powdery sand in the middle of turquoise waters and lush green islands. Our group climbed barefoot to the top of the small “mountain” overlooking the beach and used the opportunity to take some tourist photos. Down on the beach, our skipper guided us out into the shallows where we suddenly found ourselves walking among leopard stingrays and small lemon sharks (don’t worry parentals, no teeth!). Devin actually managed to step on one of the rays after wandering a bit too close to the dark patches of sand, and jumped impressively high out of the water. Good on ya Dev J Ben in his Stinger Suit Night Masters The ship pressed on after that and moved to our final destination in Blue Pearl Bay, a cove off the most northeasterly island in the Whitsundays. Ben and the Jambros bravely ventured out for a night snorkel, doubling and tripling up on cold, clammy wetsuits for the excursion. They were each given a small torch (flashlight) for shining on fish and coral. Bioluminescent sea life was plentiful and the guys duck dove deeper into the water to view lobsters and other crustaceans under the rocks. Ben found it extremely creepy to only see a small disk of ocean floor at a time, but snorkeling under the stars was absolutely amazing. Ben shows off his frogman skills The next morning (our final day) the guys opted in for a last dive and I snorkeled around this new reef. This reef was even better than the first: the water less murky, a larger span of reef, bigger fish and larger schools, more varieties of fish, and just before I headed back to the boat, I spotted a brown sea turtle just two feet below me lazily snacking on the coral! Hooray for sea turtles! *In case we haven’t yet explained the phenomenon that is Goon, imagine a boxed wine akin to Franzia. Now imagine it 5x worse and note that on the ingredients listing, it says it contains traces of fish, dairy, and nuts. WTF? It's really goon that deserves a slapping, not Franzia. It’s the cheapest alcohol you can find in Australia, averaging $12 per box/bag. It does the trick but gives you a wicked morning after. What I don’t understand is why this is always the most available and affordable go-to alcoholic beverage when Australia is packed full of wineries with REAL wine?
Campside Lorikeet After saying goodbye to Blade the wonder dingo-mutt, we began our journey up the coast, breaking free of the tractor beam/black hole that is the Sunshine Coast (finally!). Since our stay at Gagaju had felt a bit luxurious, we decided to take advantage of the free roadside campsites dotted along the Bruce Highway. In Yaamba, we camped behind the local pub where we had a few beers to celebrate Erin’s first legal drink as a 19 year old. I think the barkeep took pity on our vagabond appearance and general lack of personal hygiene because he gave us a pile of day old meat pies and sausage rolls on the house. We were obviously thrilled to receive such a glorious bounty. Anyway, Marielle remembered hearing one of the Gagaju residents recommend another bush camp northwest of Mackay called Platypus, so we made it our next stop on the trip. Alby and Jucy at Platypus As we got closer to Platypus Bush Camp, located in the Finch Hatton Gorge of Eungella National Park, the landscape drastically changed from sparse scrubland with the occasional Eucalyptus forest to endless fields of sugarcane, encircled by misty mountains covered in lush rainforest vegetation. A few creek crossings later, we arrived at Platypus. The camp was set up as a half-camping area, half-jungle hut retreat. Nestled among the palm fronds were several open-air huts on 6 ft stilts. One of the coolest things at Platypus was the “jungle shower” – one-sided bamboo shower stalls open to the jungle elements. It’s a great idea if you’re comfortable being naked in the presence of a leaf-tailed gecko or 3 in. long huntsman spider. Australian Whistling Tarantula The camp was run by a small, very wrinkly, very beardy Aussie bushman in flip-flops and straw hat. He was really friendly and accommodating to us, right up until he thought we were trying to light his tiki-style dining area on fire when we were lighting a camp stove for dinner. Australians have the innate gift of profanity when the time is right, or when they’ve been drinking, or all the time. This was our first experience with real rainforest – dense, moist air, lush Kermit-green vegetation, and freaky looking insects. Did you know there’s such a thing as a crab spider? Spider that looks like a crab. Awesome. Our first night at Platypus we encountered the biggest spider Mar and I had ever seen – the Australian Whistling Tarantula. Don’t worry; I took about 300 pictures of it. This one was about as big as a grown man’s hand. Corey discovered it when it nearly ran over his foot. Needless to say, after a semester of entymology, he was pretty stoked by the find. I was less enthused when I saw how quickly the hairy monster scuttled across the ground when poked. Heebie. Jeebies. Ben, Erin, and Corey at first set of Pools 2 km up the dirt road from the camp was the Wheel of Fire hiking track in Eungella National Park. The track wound through the kind of rainforest that Fern Gully and biodomes aspire to be. We passed a 3 ft monitor lizard, some kookaburras looking for handouts, some skinks, and a small brown snake with a gold band across its forehead that Mar nearly squashed. The trail frequently ran alongside a series of mini waterfalls and beautiful rock pools. We of course took full advantage. We found the water cold enough to cause unintentional girlish screams, but definitely worth the chill. After Nimbin we returned to Brisbane to greet the Zinns and soon after parted ways with Emily and her parents. Ben and I and the Jambros (equipped with their own Jucy Campervan), ready for adventure, decided to stick together for awhile and head north. Our first few nights we spent at Gagaju Bush Camp, just north of Tewantin and Noosa. We happened upon it by accident, but were so glad we did, as it ended up being a beautiful, isolated slice of tropical rainforest living right next to the river out of Lake Cooroibah. The facilities were incredibly well-designed and eco-friendly. The picture at right shows the toothbrushing sink crafted out of an old tree and sourced with UV filtered rainwater. Other than the open air kitchen, lounge with hammocks, and fire pit, there was also an open air "gym" - a couple pieces of exercise equipment under a tarp. Jambros We spent two days and two nights there and on our first full day took a bush walk into the surrounding forest on a koala hunt with the camp owner's dog Blade (part dingo, part rottweiler, part mutt). We were hopeful as the owner had told us that there were a few koalas in the area and one had even walked (yes, walked) right through the TV area one night. The forest was full of eucalyptus trees, but no koalas were found on our venture (damn you elusive koalas!). The walk was absolutely beautiful nonetheless. Much to Corey's delight, many bugs and termite mounds were discovered, and Ben bonded with Blade. Fly-fishing and Mark Twain style pipe smoking ensued on the river and Blade bonded with us while we enjoyed the scenery. We cooked some great meals in the open air kitchen and lounge area, enjoyed the fire pit, and were quite sad to leave on our final morning. |
Marielle & BenWe're two people in the midst of severe quarter-life crises who decided to leave good jobs in a bad economy to travel to the other side of the world because, well, why not? Archives
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