5th, Dec, Easy living... again, Noosa

Thank God its not as hot as yesterday, still hot, but its not quite getting there but as soon as the sun hits the tent, it feels like we're trying to sleep in an oven, (so much for a lay in).
We didn't shop yesterday so we ain't even got milk for a cupper. Lin rakes round in the food box and comes up with a diddy carton of long life milk we nicked from some guest house or other bout five or six months ago, so we get a hot drink to start the day, (notice I didn't say coffee or tea, that's cos it didn't taste like either).

The camp is sited at the mouth of an estuary, the name of the river, for the life of me, I really can't remember, but the waters crystal clear with a sandy bottom and beaches. That does it for Lin and straight away she wants to go for a swim. Who am I to argue? so down to the water we trot. I'm not used to this any more, the waters sodding cold and its got a fair bit of a current, so it turns out, I dig me heels in and Lin hangs on to me neck..... (yea, I keep checking the grip). Ten minutes of this and me voice has gone falsetto, bits are getting sucked back into me body and I recon its time to get out....

This is looking up from our campsite and the water we are now swimming in...

The shops are supposed to be local, so we shake off the fogg of the morning and the remnants of yesterdays bike ride, sort ourselves out and go for a walk, heading (or so my navigator tells me) towards the shops. After twenty or so minutes, we arrive at the shops, well in this case a business centre, but its nearly the same thing, so who cares. Theres a restaurant and a newsagent, so its bloody close. After a quick look round, its back to the tent, pick up the bike and drive down to the Esplanade, about four streets the other way. The Esplanade is one of them boutique sort of places, where theres plenty of shops selling stuff ya don't really want at a price ya cant really afford with the odd cafe' thrown in for good measure...... After a wander from one end to the other, I hear a voice I know call out "I'm hungry", Its lunch time, so remembering the board outside the restaurant at the shopping/ business centre, offering garlic prawns on a bed of spaghetti and other good stuff that I cant spell and all for twelve bucks a pop, we're on the bike and heading back. It was worth the trip, huge, juicy, melt in the mouth prawns, spaghetti done just right and the good stuff was....... well, good. Lin asks for a sweet menu and for the first time ever, I hear her ask how big the portions are..... (gonna have to keep an eye on her, make sure she ain't using a finger to scratch her bum)...
 Anyway, after going with the waitress and checking the portion size, she ends up with a warm muffin of some sort, fresh cream and fruit compot, which I'm assured was just the nuts.

The local ferry trots by as we swim...causes a few waves.. but never mind the water is lovely..

Hahaha, these two chaps were near the restaurant we ate in today yumyum... and I could't resist getting my picture taken with them...dont think they have faired to well in the heat though...

We're going on a river cruise tonight, so we pick up some Turkish bread, salami and other stuff to make up and take with us. The boats got a bar, but don't do food..... (go figure) The allotted time comes round and we make our way down to the boat. Its a nice evening with a warm breeze blowing. The river is like a millpond  and we do a slow chug along it down to Lake Coorummba.  We munch down on the food and sip lemonade from the bar as we drift past Richard Bransons, Make-peace Island and on to watch the sunset over the lake, which was one of those sunsets ya just don't forget.... ever. A slow turn on the lake and a leisurely float back the way we came. what a lovely way to end a day.

 All chilled out and waiting to sail up to Coorummba Lake..
..

And the Captains wife took this piccie of us....happy..happy...happy... (which is un-ususal for me being as I was on a boat at the time...)

Richard Bransons make-peace Island. Apparently you can rent the island and its staff for $30,000 per day, thats £20,000 to you and I !!!!!!!

The sun sets....ahhh

We chugg back in to the now lit up Noosa Marina... very pretty..

The end to a very nice day...love to the kids.. we miss you xx

4th, Dec, The deep fried Smiths, Noosa

We're moving on today, not going too far, only a couple hundred kilometres. So its up at a decent time to pack up. Strange ain't it, we've been here a few days now, but its only as we pack up people want to come over and have a chat. Some strange guy by the name of Wayne is trying to give Lin advice on how to get cheap flights to Phuket and telling us he can hook us up with a bloke who can sort out cheap transport when we come back to Oz...... (All we bloody need). Seems we're getting lots of chat done and not too much packing and it ain't till gone ten that we finaly get on the road.

Well we've had a really nice week here, so we are all packed up and ready to hit the road... as you can see the Pilot is waiting for his passenger...lol..

Yes, you will see these all over the roads in Australia....there is a definite need to keep you awake...

The sun's well up by now and its starting to get more than a little warm. First stop, tank up and a bottle of water, its now more than warm, its sodding hot. On through the roadworks for another forty odd minutes and we pull into a garage. Its now really hot so we take a bit of a break and more water. When we get back on the road, we can really feel the heat and these roadworks ain't helping. At least when we're moving theres a breeze, when we stop..... we just cook.

After a while Lin tells me to find a garage and I can feel her starting to wobble and I ain't feeling to good me self, Kentucky??? that'll do and in we go. Lin takes off her helmet and shes red as a beetroot, no messing, straight in the loo to dunk her head under the cold tap, leaving me to wander round the counter looking like I'm waiting for me mum. When she comes out again, she sounds much better and after a bottle of water we decide to eat. Since we've been away, we've had two pi** poor meals, this was the second and both were Kentucky so unless we need more water, I don't think we'll be back. We only have another sixty k to go and no point in diddling about, so its back on the road. It didn't take to long before we were pulling into the information centre at Noosa, but believe me, the heat made it feel much longer.

We pulled up opposite a children's splash park and Lin took one look and her helmet was off and she was in there, much to the surprise of the mums, dads and me. I used a little more decorum and just stuck me head under the pre swimming shower, everyone looks, no one says a thing. Now we've got the body temperature down to just under simmer, its off to the information office. The people in there were really helpful and didn't even mention the pair of us dripping all over the place, so with lots of finger pointing and a free street map we head for the door. We open the door to leave when theres a crash from behind the counter, me and Lin both rush over to see whats going on and theres the woman that just helped us, lying on her back, legs in the air and arms all over the place. Through all this, she's managed to keep the phone to her ear and is apologising to the person on the other end that she didn't hear the last bit cos she just fell off the chair....this woman was a real pro. Lin took one look, did a quick bye, turned and shot out the door, just in time too, cos from the back it looked like she was doing a Ted Heath impression, must admit I wasn't far behind, mean I know, but so bloody funny.

We clam down, get back on the bike, find the site and start putting up the tent. Christ its hot and we find we're doing a bit, sticking our heads under the tap, doing a bit more, back to the tap and so on. Finally the tents up and it really seemed like hard work. Ain't gonna cook tonight, its too hot and we both cant be bothered, so after showers we take a walk down the road and into a backpackers hostel.  Now I don't normally drink, but I had two beers and they didn't touch the sides. Lin stuck to her usual lemonade and with her rallying cry of "I'm hungry" ordered up wedges. After chatting to the locals, it seems the temp, has touched forty four today, no wonder the hairs on me legs have gone all crispy, the've been fryed from the heat coming off the road, (and I thought me legs caught fire). Lin and me are both drained, so its off to bed for an early night and we'll see what tomorrow brings..


We pass through so much dried land on our way to Noosa, which is no surprise...considering the heat..

And here we are at Noosa River Caravan Park... all set up.

Yepppp.... our site was on the end of a row and did look like a little piece of forgotten land... but it was better than setting up in amongst 40 other backpacker tents all ready in place...(no disrespect to back packers...)....this bit of land is costing us £33 ($41) a night though !!! so John is not impressed...

3rd Dec, Duh, Hervey Bay

I've been racking me brains as to what to write for today and still came up with nothing, now that may be because I ain't go too many brains to rack, or sod all happend that may be of any interest. Personally, I'd like to think its the latter, though the jurys still out on that one.

Anyway, Im gonna leave all this space blank so Lin can fill it up with loads of photos.....

Nope nothing doing today... as I did't take any photos...

Love to all, take care xxxx

2nd, Dec, Fishy tales and bat wings ......Hervey Bay

Its another Sunday, don't look like we're gonna get a roast this week, I can do many things on a barbie, but a Sunday roast just ain't one of them.

We're getting into a bit of a routine here, up late, swim, shower and breakfast and the mornings gone.

I got talking to the guy in the next tent and he recons "try fishing from the pier", well the luck I've been having lately, anythings an improvement, so once again, squid and rod get stuffed onto the bike and away we go, (must remember to clean that side pannier out, Lin keeps asking were the smells coming from). I forgot its Sunday and about every kid in the area is trying their luck on the pier, sodding great. I manage to find a spot between two snotty little Herbert's and give it a go. While the two kids on either side keep pulling up fish, I pull up an empty hook........ right, use bigger hook. No luck and the fish either side keep coming, OK smaller hook, that seemed to do the job and fish of all types are coming my way, some with spots, stripes and colours, plenty of fish now and if I'm here for another couple of hours I'll have enough for a sandwich, but at least the kids on either side wont be showing me up.

Fishing done (I don't think I'll have another go here) and its back to the tent to cook tea, one of Lin's favourites, chicken stuff and as soon as I stick me head in the tent I get Lin's rallying cry, "I'm hungry", so up to the hot plate for a bit of slice and dice and away we go. Its a team effort and while I do the chicken stuff, Lin does the rice, in no time at all, its not only cooked, but eaten. Sod the fish, gimme chicken stuff any time.

Day time on the pier...give it five and this will be dotted with fisher men........

No not lots of birds (although there are hundreds living in the trees at night on this site... these are bats.. and it like being in Gotham city about 6.30pm every night as hundreds of bats (John says they are fruit bats..) swoop in big groups up the high road and land themselves on a section of trees in the centre of the site.  For about half an hour the noise from the birds and the bats is almost deafening.... but them silence until about 5.30am when the swoop out of the trees starts again and they all leave just before sunrise...

1st Dec. Such a hard Life.....Scarness Beach, Hervey Bay

Another lay in, I'm starting to like this, just shows ya how comfy the ground is when ya get used to it. We ain't rushing, not one bit. We start the day with a walk down to the beach (a whole ten yards away) and take a swim the warm waters that lap onto the white sand and think of life back home....... then do some more swimming. Brekki next and its bacon sarnies with the bacon cooked on the Barbie, (I'm getting to be a dab hand on the barbie and can flip a shrimp with the best of um). Showers next, then reading while Lin plays with the net.

Lunch time comes round and its a stroll over to the local bakers for much needed coffees and cakes/chicken pie (makes ya hungry all this reading). Right, time to get me rod out, no more mucking about, so with me prawn in hand, I'm off down the pier. OK so now I'm really pulling um out, must have caught about ten/ fifteen, now all I need is a bit of toast to put em on....

Scarness Beach about 4pm.., where we are staying in Hervey Bay...to the right..

  and to the left...

Thats all for today... love to all, we miss you lots x

30th Nov, No stiff bits and a good bid, Hervey bay

We had a bit of a lay in today, not that we were asleep, just that we're so sore we couldn't move. All good things must come to an end and we finally roll out of bed, seeing as we're sleeping on the floor, this ain't a bad thing, it just makes crawling to the loo a lot easier...... Got to say, since we've been on the floor again, all the aches and pains that came from sleeping in a bed have now vanished, now we've just got to put up with the ones that come from riding round in a monster 4x4 with the driver from hell.

Yer can just tell by the start of the day its gonna be a slow one. No one wants to cook breakfast, so its a toast day and if we'd had cereals, it would have been that. Its around mid day when we get dressed and that's only cos we need to go to the shopping centre to stock up on grub, well that and a bit of retail therapy for Lin. Hey, result, we found an Aldi, first one we've spotted since we got out here, same stuff as back home just new names on the products, strange!!!

So with the bike loaded up with goodies, its back to the tent to unload. Right, I'm off fishing for a couple of hours while Lin gets on the net looking for a car for Roxanne, (some git bashed her old one).
For the next four hours, I'm up to me knees in sea water and I've had this bit of bait so long, I'm thinking of giving it a name.

I've had enough...... so off back to the tent where Lin's been busy and found a nice little motor on Ebay. Thing is, she wants me to do the bidding and the sodding auction don't end till eleven thirty. Eleven twenty five and  lots of coffee later, at last the final seconds tic down. Ten seconds to go and the bid go's on. Looks like Roxanne's got a new motor and at last we can go to bed.

Yes... when we say a lazy day we mean a lazy day xx

We are living under this tree.. its soo pretty.....

Nothing else for today... love to all...

29th Nov,The bouncer, the wreck, and the waters.... Hervey Bay

This travelling lark ain't for the faint hearted. Up at the crack of dawn yet again, this time we're booked in for a tour to Fraser Island. So its a round of toast and off to meet the coach outside the gates of the camp. Even at seven thirty in the morning, the air con's fighting the heat in the coach and is only just winning. We chug along the coast, stopping every two minutes to pick up other travellers. Eight thirty and we finally arrive at Riverhead, where we're all ushered off the coach and onto the barge, (looked like a ferry to me, but hay ho, we're in Oz).

All passengers loaded, all private 4x4's loaded, we set sail for Fraser Island. Not to much of a sailing trip, well, bit like the Woolich ferry really. The sea is like a mill pond with hardly a ripple, so Lin don't start feeling sick till we're almost there. Now when we got on, things looked a bit rough, not much more than a wide boat ramp coming out a car park, now we've got to the other side, things take a bit of a dive and the barge/ferry lowers its tail gate onto two sets of metal grids that are only half as wide. Still, I'm not worried, we're walking off, some poor buggers got to back a 4x4 off. We get ashore and are assigned to various monster 4x4 fifty seat coaches. Seems theres no roads on the Island.

Fraser Island is the biggest sand Island in the world (Ozzie bragging again....) and they haven't bothered to change it. All aboard and off we go. Now, this driver is either running late or trying to scare the crap out of us (and succeeding) or got a death wish cos he goes charging out the carpark like he owes someone money. As fresh air comes between bums and seats, the driver comes over the tanoy to mention things might get a little bumpy.... (see, some of these Ozzies can make jokes). The tracks are all sand, the ruts in it are about two feet deep and the dips and holes are a dam site sodding deeper and this joker's trying to break the land speed record all while attempting to give us a running commentary.

Most of this leg of the trips a bit of a blur, yer can't take in to much when yer trying to get yer seat belt on, while nodding in every direction known to man. Just as I get the seatbelt to go "click", the bugger pulls up at our first stop, 'Central Station' forty two passengers stumble off the coach, while this cheerful chap worbbles on about flora, forner, logging camps and streams. All I wanna do is get me ar*e down somewere that don't move and have a fag. Central Station done, its back on the coach for the next round. I did notice the amount of seat belts going on even before the engine started....

We're off again at the same breakneck speed, but cos me bums now been superglued to the seat via the seat belt, I can concentrate a little on what the commentary's about, well try to anyway. The driver might have his foot hard on the accelerator, but he's hanging on to that wheel like Lin holds me wallet, he's out of breath and and when he talks, it sounds like he's gargling at the same time.

Next stop,    Mckensie Lake and if the driver haden't done it first, this place would take ya breath away. The waters fresh, crystal clear and cool, just right for a swim. Me and Lin dont need telling twice and in we go..... We've got forty five minutes here and spend most of it in the water. Time soon up and its back to the coach. We're heading for lunch now and I recon the drivers starving cos that foot still ain't coming off that peddle. Could be there ain't no peddle, just a stop/ go button....

Lunch comes with the tour, in an all you can eat buffet. As lunch's go, it was good... not one of the best but alright. Not going to go into detail cos I'll only make meself hungry. Needless to say, there was plenty there and after lunch we're driving along the beach, (nice and flat) so no need to hold back.
Lunch finished, its onto the coach and down to the beach. We're off to sea the wreck of the Mahahto ?......... and the beach has got a speed limit of eighty kmh, so that slowed the bugger down. The wreck was...... well a wreck. No matter what they do, thay ain't gonna get that thing to float again.

Next up, the coloured  sand, Interesting, but in the end, its just coloured sand. Last on the tour, Ellie Creek, fresh water filtered by the island. You've heared the phrase "cool as a mountain stream", well, this is it, with the beauty to match......

Tour over, its time to head back home, so once more into the coach, buckle up, grit ya teeth and off we go. By now, everyone seems to be used to being bounced round the coach and I can even understand what the drivers saying, so it seems that a good day was had by all.

Heading out across the bay to Fraser Island....

The Captain... he had a good sense of humour ! when the people in the cars that were driving onto the barge did not return to them to board quick enough, he sailed the barge out into the middle of the water to make his point.... and yep! that worked they all got in their cars very quick and got into a queue... he had made his point !!!

Coming into land at Fraser Island..

Strangely, they all had to reverse off off the barge !!

Yes the 4x4 truck bus was flippin big...and some of us needed a leg up to get on (say no more !!)

The virgin rain forest...on Fraser Island..there between 100-150 actual permanent residents on this island..and its owned by the Australian people as a national heritage site, so nothing except tourists can be taken off the island..

This is Mckenzie lake, its waters are said to be magical. They say if you use the fine sand to clean your jewellery it makes them sparkle.... I tried that ... It works!, They say if you wash your hair in its waters it will be soft and clean...I tried that.. It works !.. They say if you use the soft sands form the bottom of the lake and exfoliate your skin it will soft and fresh... I tried that.. It works.. They say after swimming in the lake you will look and feel younger... I tried that... well it worked for me cuz I now feel like I am 21 again... cant say the same for John as he only feel like hes 56 now lol...But honestly  this lake is and was beautiful.. and the time spent swimming in it was just not long enough...

Me and him at the magical Mckenzie lake...

Him diving for some soft sand to make us look younger lol...

Me waiting to become 18 again....
its probably gonna take a while...

 A view across the lake..

Ummmm Americans ????

This is the road leading down to the beach and that grey colour is not a road..its the ridges in the sand...good job we were in a 4x4 and it was a big one !  And this is the trucks that make the ridges in the sand...

Looking down to the beach...and the track marks

 This is 75 mile beach.. don't know why its called that because apparently its only 73 miles long ....You cant swim here because the sharks come right up and in to the shallow waters and the sea has some really strong rip currents.. so its quite dangerous..but very very beautiful..

This is the Mahito ship wreck...bought by the Japanese some years ago to sail back to Japan to cut up and use for salvage, but it got caught in a storm just off Fraser island and floated into shore there and was never able to be re-floated. So having spent millions of dollars buying it.. the Japanese lost there 'bootie' to the sea...

This is the Pinnicles of Fraser Island ( The coloured sands). It looks like rocks but there is only sand on Fraser Island... this is very hard sand and has accumulated over thousands of years...

This is one of several planes that use the beach as a landing strip and fly tourists around and over the island for a 15 minute flight that costs $75 (£50) per person...and yes i did take these...

More views of the Mahito

Whose that dodgy character looking out the ship porthole ???? lol .....

Bye for now... be back tomorrow... love to all xxx