Cairns Part 2

     Day 3 we headed out to the Great Barrier Reef to do some more snorkeling while Dave and Kat went scuba diving. The last time we were at the Great Barrier Reef it was at the southern end at the The Whit Sundays and this time it was on the North end.
     This trip out was completely different from the first. The boat was huge with air conditioning, scuba dive deck, buffet, and an upper platform as a viewing deck. It was staffed by 10 crew members to take car of your every need so that you could get in and look at the reef without having to worry about your equipment.
     The reef was SO much better than the first. We saw so many different types of fish and coral. The water color was so clear and blue and warm that we were literally the last ones of our group to get out of the water. We even saw a shark and blow fish which even for the reef are pretty rare.
     The next day we did a day trip to a Crocodile farm that was amazing! Our tour guide was so hilarious that there is not enough room to tell you the stories he told and his insanely, and sometimes crude, humor. We saw enormous crocs and even got to feed them.
     After that we lounged around the city relaxing by the pool, shopping for friends and family, and eating at some really great restaurants. As our time in Australia was drawing to a close, we said our goodbyes to Dave and Kat as they headed back to the states.
     Our next stop: Bali, Indonesia.

 Beautiful waterfall near Cairns

 Tree Kangaroo - Never even knew they existed

 Insane tropical flowers are everywhere

Flock of bats at dusk

Boarding our dive/snorkel boat

Dave & Kat going diving

 Clown fish

 Fish of some sort lol

 Scuba Diver instructor blowing air rings

 Fresh Water crocs at the croc farm

This was Erica feeding the croc

Cairns Part 1

     The drive to Cairns was long; about 9 hours. And, once again, we did it driving in the night preventing a wasted travel day. We checked in at our hotel at 3 am and crashed.
     The first day we took it easy and just motored around town to get our bearings. The second day was great where we ventured just North of Cairns for a day trip into the Daintree Rain forest and Mossman Gorge. The rain forest was definitely awesome, just like a scene out of the movies. There were huge vines wrapped around trees that both clambered for sunshine. Many different varieties of Mushrooms sprouted here and there bringing colors from browns to reds to bright yellows. There were many spiders, literally the size of an adult male palm, littering trees and vines hoping to catch there next big meal. Small bridges crossed over streams that brought life to the parched ground where 98% of all rainwater is captured by the giant trees, vines, and palms. One stream we found had pooled into a small pond where we found several big fish, and to our astonishment, a freshwater eel!
     After that we headed back to our hotel for an awesome dinner on the beach overlooking the jellyfish infested waters of beautiful Cairns. Days 1 & 2 were complete and they were awesome.

 Rhinoceros Beetle we found near the Rain Forest

 Looking up at the trees towards the sky

Pond where we found the freshwater eel

 Dave and Brandon taking a ride down the fresh water rain forest river at Mossman Gorge

Vines climbing a rain forest tree

Panorama of the Cairns Beach Road

   

Whit Sundays

The drive to the Whit Sundays was long and tiring. We started the drive around 5 pm and ended up in Aerie Beach just before 8 in the morning having driven all night. We (meaning the boys; the girls slept in the back) took shifts driving in some of the sketchiest, narrowest roads that were never divided, had steep drop offs everywhere (the roads are elevated to keep the rain water from flooding it), and wildlife crossing the road constantly. Through the night we saw bats, frogs, kangaroo’s, and wallabies (and of course a lot of unidentifiable road kill).

                That morning after a quick 10 minute snooze for the boys, we chartered a boat to the Whit Sunday islands. Not sure which islands we went to as the Whit Sundays are composed of 74. As we cruised out from the port in our retired Coast Guard inflatable rescue boat that measured 32 feet in length, the twin engines were slammed into full throttle as we sped towards our first destination.

                When we pulled up to the first of three islands we were to visit, our mouths went slack jawed. The water was such an incredible clear, aqua-blue that words and images fail to capture or describe what the eye was so happily burning into our retina and memory. We have images, such as below, but it can only truly be appreciated in person. Later that day as we sat on the beach, we looked at each other and couldn't believe that we were actually there seeing such a magnificent beauty that only attests to a truly wonderful and loving Creator.

                We hiked on one of the islands that took us to a lookout point; the expanse and panoramic view of rich blues against white sands was truly breathtaking (literally breathtaking; the sweltering 90 degree heat and 90% humidity made it a tough going, but where do we get off complaining? lol). After that we went snorkeling at the only island I can remember: Honeymoon Island. There was our first real look at the Great Barrier Reef. It was beautiful with tons of coral and fish! We had to enter the water in these crazy anti-jellyfish suits that made us look absolutely ridiculous. They were so bad that we just figured we would model them off and maybe, just maybe, they would become the latest rage in swimwear back in the U.S., but I really doubt it. The reason for wearing them was because it was Jellyfish season, YAY! The guide with us said there were approximately 180 jellyfish species floating in and around Australia including the infamous Box Jellyfish, Irukandji, and Portuguese Man-O-War (the Box Jellyfish is the most venomous animal known to man so we didn't put up too much of a fight, the fashion police be darned). We rounded out the rest of the day lounging on the beach, soaking up the rays pouring in through the gaping O-Zone layer over Australia and took probably the most beautiful beaches we've ever seen.

                We headed back to port that evening, grabbed some food, and headed out for our last and final destination in Australia: Cairns. It was going to be another long……long…..drive.

Dave driving at the wee hours of the morning

That morning's sunrise

Aerie Beach 

Erica Looking hot as usual

Who said white people can't jump?

 White Sundays lookout

Insane beach

Rainbow Beach & Fraser Island

     We left the Ring's house with a huge smile on our faces and again headed North for a four hour drive to Rainbow Beach and Fraser Island. Rainbow Beach was really cool where they don't have assigned camping spots; it's every man (or woman) for himself. We backed our camper van down to a little bay where Erica and Kat cooked an amazing Garlic Prawn dinner, Sausage and Peppers, and some of the best bread we've had in a while. We then laid out under the stars talking to the locals about the extreme tides (the water line had receded over 100 yards out to sea in only a matter of a few hours). Also, a local and his son told us all about the local fishing there and showed us a giant Mud Crab that he had caught; was totally awesome and freaky (needless to say that the girls liked theirs dead and smothered in butter as opposed to very alive and willing to bite).
     The next morning we picked up our 4x4 Toyota Land Cruiser and headed to the barge where it would take us across the small water straight to Fraser Island. This was definitely one of the highlights of the trip for the boys as we got to romp around the island in some of the softest purest sand that only the mightiest of 4x4's could handle. Over the course of the two days we were there we saw several vehicles get stuck but our Land Cruiser was a total champ tackling things we thought we were definitely going to need help getting out of.
     It was completely beautiful as we drove for over two hours on the sandy beaches towards our first destination at the Champagne pools. There the surf would pound against natural tide pools spilling frothy waves into sun-heated pools of glassy clear water that made you feel like you were inside of France's finest Champagne. After lounging around there, we headed down the coast to the gnarliest road we'd ever seen. It was the road inland the center of the island where we were to make camp for the night. We were bouncing around and had all four wheels spinning at max velocity as we passed vehicles breaking down left and right. It was completely awesome!
     That night we made camp in an area surrounded by a anti-dingo electrified fence that we overheard someone saying wasn't even effective. Apparently earlier in the year a Dingo had entered the area and taken a small child with him :(  It was a bit scary because by the time we reached our camp site it was complete dark and we were setting up in pitch blackness only lit by our 4x4 headlights. We also had Kangaroo burgers for dinner that were really tasty; however, we felt bad for having fed them just a few days earlier. That night camping was both awesome and horrendous. Awesome because we heard and saw awesome animals like cockatoo's and bats. The bats were so loud flapping their wings that it sounded like to huge pieces of leather slapping together. Horrendous because we were literally eaten alive by Mosquitoes. On ONE foot, not leg, Brandon had 22 Mosquito bites. He lost count of his bites the next day after 60 had been found on his entire body. Yeah, 60!
     The next day we packed up camp and headed towards lakes Mackenzie and Wabby. Both were insanely beautiful with water so crystal clear you see practically infinitely underwater. We also floated down Eli Creek where the water came from a fresh, naturally bubbling spring that the water temp had dropped from the ocean temp of 79 to the fresh water temp of a brisk 59. On the way to our next destination, we saw a plane take off from the beach (so weird). Our next destination was a ship wreck on the island where an old steam ship named the Maheno had beached itself during the thirties or forties.
     Taking a few pictures, we then headed back towards the barge to leave Fraser Island and drive to our next major destination in Australia: The Whit Sundays. This would be the most grueling of drives: 13 hours in one sitting. Yeah, it was going to be a nightmare.

 Erica modeling our 4x4

 Beach cruise

 after some debate, we finally broke down and had Kangaroo hamburgers (quite good, but felt a little bad)

Maheno ship wreck on Fraser

 Erica and Brandon through a port hole window of the Maheno ship wreck

 McKenzie Lake

Erica & Brandon enjoying a Champagne pool

Champagne Pools

4x4 GoPro Water Video

Maheno Ship Wreck and Drinking Pit Stop

Mari's and Grants house

 So we made it to Mari and Grant Ring's house just outside of Brisbane having now driven a total of 1200 km since Sydney (equivalent of 745 miles). They have an awesome 5 bedroom house complete with one baby, a cat named Baxter, Vegemite,  and Air Conditioning (oh how we miss air conditioning). First off, they are some of the most hospitable people we've ever met. They immediately came out to greet us, showed us our rooms, and then while we we're getting unpacked and showered from our long drive, she cooked home-made Lasagna. It was good catching up because we hadn't seen Mari in 5 years and only had the chance to meet Grant once. We took to Grant fast as his generosity, humor, and willingness to help with our travel plans greatly helped out in our adventures.

     Grant and Mari had suggested we go to the Koala Sanctuary close to their house. They even were kind enough to take off work and bring along their beautiful new 3 month old baby to help play tour guides. The Koala park didn't disappoint with hundred's of Koala's to see from the young ones in the "Kindergarten" or the older ones in the "Retirement Home". The park also had Tasmanian Devils, Dingo's  Kangaroos, Wallabies, Emus, Crocodiles, Monitor Lizards, Falcons, Owls, and Duckbill Platypus' . The Kangaroos were awesome as we could literally lay with them as we fed them. We also were able to hold Koala's and we managed to hunt down a pretty good size lizard that was on the property as well. All in all, it was a great day and truly unique!

     The next day we went down to the Gold Coast and laid out on the beach, or at least tried to. The winds were so heavy that we couldn't stay long because not only was our stuff blowing away but it was basically a sand storm rivaling the Sahara. From there we went and shopped, ate, and got ice cream in Surfer's Paradise in downtown Gold Coast. After dinner, Brandon took a night swim where the water temp had cooled from 75 to a chilly 73.

     Unfortunately, the next morning we had to say goodbye to the Ring's as we ventured once more North. We'll never forget their graciousness and we hope to see them soon! And Grant, if you ever read this, have a Scotch for us and make sure to stay away from Subway! Next stop, Rainbow Beach and Fraser Island!

 Trying Vegemite for the first and ONLY time :)

 

 No, this isn't photo-shopped lol

 Ultra tiny Gecko 

A massive two foot lizard that I later picked up

Lizard Hunter

Erica and her new best friend 

 Cassowarrie

 Erica's second new best friend

Wallabie

 Lounging around 

Erica getting jealous :)

Dangerous surf and jelly advisory

Erica with Sadie, Mari & Grant's 3-month old

Mari, Grant, & Sadie

    Gold Coast Panorama 

    
    
    

Byron Bay

Ever been to Byron Bay? If you haven't it's totally worth it! It is bustling with people and has great, white-sandy beaches. The water, as you can see, is beautifully clear. Doesn't hurt either that the water temp is around 75 degrees and the air 85. Just outside of the downtown area, a local pub bartender told us about a man-made lake to swim in that was a must see and that all the locals went there. Turns out it was an abandoned rock quarry that had filled with water and sported 35-50 foot rock jumps. We of course had to do the jumps and they didn't disappoint! Except for the small hematoma on Kat's leg ( yeah right, the bruise was huge and stretched the length of her thigh), everything was awesome! Our next stop is Mari's house just outside of Brisbane where her and her family graciously offered to put us up for a few days; we'll check in later to tell you how it goes!

 Byron Bay's beautiful waves

 Byron Bay Lighthouse

Rock Quarry outside of Byron Bay

Lennox Head, Australia

On our way up the coast from Crescent Head, we stopped off in a town called Lennox Head where friends of ours told us to meet up with friends of theirs. We ended up meeting Lee and Amanda and their there three kids. They had us and several of their friends over for a pool party/ BBQ. We had a lot of fun meeting different ones, swapping stories, and eating the best lamb hot dog and beef-beet-pineapple-Canadian bacon-burger I've ever had. To finish it off Lee took us on a little hike to Lennox Head Point where we enjoyed the moody sunset, good conversation, a bit of tropical rain, and a bottle of Pinot Noir. After many thanks for their insane hospitality, we left and headed towards Byron Bay just up the coast for our next stop.

 Shrimp on the Barbie!

 Lee and Amanda

 Lee's famous burgers!

 My beautiful wife

 Looking like tourists

Dave and I looking "manly" while we search the tide pool for rays