Eleven months in Australasia

Layers

2006-08-10T13:28:00.001+01:00

Layers
Originally uploaded by Toytown Mafia.

At King's Canyon

Alone

2006-08-10T13:28:00.000+01:00

Alone
Originally uploaded by Toytown Mafia.

At King's Canyon

Watering Hole

2006-08-10T13:27:00.000+01:00

Watering Hole
Originally uploaded by Toytown Mafia.

At King's Canyon

Dead ripples

2006-08-10T13:25:00.000+01:00

Dead ripples
Originally uploaded by Toytown Mafia.

Fossilised sand at King's Canyon

King's Canyon

2006-08-10T13:02:00.000+01:00

King's Canyon
Originally uploaded by Toytown Mafia.

At King's Canyon

Adventure Tours day six - King's Canyon

2006-08-10T12:50:00.000+01:00

On 31st May, we rejoined Adventure Tours on a new six day tour from Alice Springs to Adelaide. Since reaching Alice, the temperature had made a notable decline and it was back to wearing trousers and jumpers. It might seem strange, but the desert is a place of extremes and this was winter; 20C during the day, 2C at night.

For the first two days of our new tour, a two-day and our six-day group were combined, so we had a full bus as we drove south out of Alice Springs in the early hours of the morning. King's Canyon is part of the Watarrka National Park and was several hours away so we got there at about 8:30am.

Two walks were available at the Canyon, but almost all of us chose to do the 6km rim walk, taking us all the way around in a loop. King's Canyon is actually far more dangerous than the Uluru climb - over 30 people have died on the walk - but since it was winter we were perfectly safe unless we walked too close to the edge! The first part of the hike is an ascent up 'Heart Attack Hill', so called because it's the hardest part of the walk and claims the most casualties. We got up there without much hassle and from there you begin to appreciate how stunning the Canyon really is. Sheer cliffs rise from a inconceivably placed forest called 'The Garden of Eden' rich in plants and animals that seem so out of place in the desert.

The walk was excellent and we were introduced to the area's geological past as well as its stunning views. The was once an inland sea in Australia and you can still see fossilised ripples in sand at King's Canyon. After our hike, we had lunch at the campsite in King's Canyon Resort, then headed south to Uluru that afternoon. After a lengthy drive, we arrived at Yulara (the Ayer's Rock Resort town) after sunset and stayed the night at the campsite there, sleeping around the camp fire under the stars in swags.

The School of the Air

2006-08-05T17:56:00.000+01:00

The School of the Air
Originally uploaded by Toytown Mafia.

In Alice Springs

The Royal Flying Doctors Service

2006-08-05T17:53:00.000+01:00

The Royal Flying Doctors Service
Originally uploaded by Toytown Mafia.

In Alice Springs

Alice Springs

2006-08-05T17:46:00.000+01:00

On May 29th, I had the first of a two free days in Alice Springs. After going on the Internet, Alex, Nina (the two German girls who were doing much of the same tour as me) and I went to the Royal Flying Doctors' Service with Andy, another guy on our tour.

Throughout the Outback there are people whose only link to medical services are by plane, some still up to two hours away. The Flying Doctors' basically acts like your GP and ambulance for thousands of people who wouldn't otherwise be able to have access to a hospital. After a look around the museum there, we saw a short film on the role of the Service and then were taken to see the control room by a guide. The whole thing was pretty informative and well worth a look, since it's so different to our health system at home whose transport problems are tiny compared to what these guys have to deal with.

We went up to Anzac Hill that evening to see the sunset and then went out to a couple of bars after dinner to meet up with a few others from our tour.

The next day we went for a walk down the (dry) river to the Telegraph Station before heading to the School of the Air. As you can imagine, it's not practical for a lot of children to commute to school each day because of the immense distances in the Outback, so kids have to remote learn over radio and the Internet. You'd think that the quality of education would be less by learning like that, but they actually get some of the best school results in the country, probably because the pupils aren't distracted so much. Once they get to secondary school, they have to go to a boarding school, so they don't miss out completely on social skills and the like. We had a short tour all to ourselves, so got the chance to have a really good look around and ask any questions we liked. It was all fairly impressive and informative, much more so than I expected.

The tropic of capricorn

2006-08-02T06:32:00.000+01:00

The tropic of capricorn
Originally uploaded by Toytown Mafia.

The tropic of capricorn

Barrow Creek Telegraph Station

2006-08-02T06:30:00.000+01:00

Barrow Creek Telegraph Station
Originally uploaded by Toytown Mafia.

Barrow Creek Telegraph Station

Wycliffe Well

2006-08-02T06:29:00.000+01:00

Wycliffe Well
Originally uploaded by Toytown Mafia.

Australia's Roswell

A field of marbles

2006-08-02T06:27:00.000+01:00

A field of marbles
Originally uploaded by Toytown Mafia.

At the Devil's Marbles

The Devil's Marbles

2006-08-02T06:26:00.000+01:00

The Devil's Marbles
Originally uploaded by Toytown Mafia.

One of the marbles

Adventure Tours day five - The Devil's Marbles and on to Alice

2006-08-02T06:03:00.000+01:00

On May 28th, we got up early and continued south along the Stuart Highway towards Alice Springs. Our first stop of the day was at The Devil's Marbles, a strange rock formation in the middle of the desert. Formed by millions of years of weathering, the field of 'marbles' stretches as far as the eye can see. After plenty of photo opportunities, we were back on the road until we got to the Wycliffe Well roadhouse - Australia's UFO capital - a bizarre little place full of extra-terrestrial memorabilia.

After that, it was on to Barrow Creek Telegraph Station, an example of what made the Stuart Highway as important as it was. Before Adelaide was linked with Darwin, messages took weeks to be delivered back to Britain, but with the telegraph line that joined the north and south of the country, this was reduced to days. Every few hundred miles, a telegraph station was built next to the line as a repeater station, with a few men manning and maintaining each. The sheer isolation and dangers of such a job must have been incredible.

Back on the bus, our driver spotted a parked road train, so we promptly pulled over and jumped out to take a few photos. It's pretty rare to see them stopped anywhere because it takes them half an hour to get back up to speed again, so we were especially lucky. Road trains are usually preferred to the rail link that now runs from Adelaide to Darwin because they can transport goods by road along the same route faster than by rail. Whether it's a job that any of us would contemplate doing is another matter!

Lunch was at an art gallery in Ti Tree, not far north of Alice. Although it seems like another little settlement on the never-ending Stuart Highway, this one has a somewhat infamous past. It was where Peter Falconio and his girlfriend were attacked in 2001, leading to his death while she escaped, with the killer recently put away for 28 years. We only found that out after we'd left town!

Our penultimate stop of the day was at the Tropic of Capricorn, before we arrived in Alice Springs at about 6pm that evening. A few of us checked into the YHA there and we met up later for a few drinks to end our Darwin to Alice trip.

Warning

2006-06-25T09:32:00.000+01:00

Warning
Originally uploaded by Toytown Mafia.

You won't find a sign like this at home, that's for sure!

Bearded dragon

2006-06-25T09:30:00.001+01:00

Bearded dragon
Originally uploaded by Toytown Mafia.

A bearded dragon

Windmill

2006-06-25T09:30:00.000+01:00

Windmill
Originally uploaded by Toytown Mafia.

A windmill on a cattle station

Adventure Tours day four - on to Juno Farm

2006-06-24T03:03:00.000+01:00

On the 27th, we set off south again down the Stuart Highway, covering much of the same ground we had seen on the Desert Venturer trip days before. Our first stop was at Mataranka, where we went for a swim in the thermal pools, before continuing on to Daly Waters for a barbecue lunch. Our next break after that was at a roadhouse where we got to handle a few snakes and lizards, including a bearded dragon which was quite cool in both senses of the word (they're cold-blooded). Our overnight stay was at Juno horse farm, where Adventure Tours have another private permanent campsite. We slept in 'swags' that night, which are basically canvas sleeping bags with a mattress sewn into them. You sleep under the stars, inside your sleeping bag and swag, hoping not to wake up with a dangerous animal crawling all over you!

Southern Rock Hole

2006-06-23T09:27:00.000+01:00

Southern Rock Hole
Originally uploaded by Toytown Mafia.

Where we went for a swim

Katherine Gorge

2006-06-23T07:57:00.000+01:00

Katherine Gorge
Originally uploaded by Toytown Mafia.

The Katherine Gorge

Adventure Tours day three - Katherine

2006-06-23T07:56:00.000+01:00

On Friday the 26th (of May), I had a now usual early start to join a new three day tour from Darwin to Alice Springs. Although it was a completley new tour, I already knew a couple of girls - Alex and Nina - in the group who had the same national pass as me and who had been on my buses since Mission Beach and would be on all my tours down to Adelaide. You're generally quite lucky if someone's on two of your tours, so getting people who are on half of them is even better. When you're backpacking, you're meeting and leaving people so often that it's nice to have some continuity and not have to start again from scratch every time.

So after meeting our new guide - Ryan - and assistant trainee guide - Travis - at the hostel, we boarded the bus and headed south, stopping first at the Adelaide River roadhouse (where we'd been days before on Desert Venturer) for breakfast. After three hours of driving, we got to Katherine Gorge and then had the oppurtunity to do a helicopter ride, a cruise or a walk. All but two of our group chose to do the free walk, so we set off on the 8km hike after lunch.

After a steep climb up the side of the Gorge, we had a lengthy walk through the bush at the top of it, ending up at a secluded waterfall called Southern Rock Hole. We had a relaxing swim around for about half an hour, then headed back the way we came to the bus. We stayed at an Adventure Tours purpose built permenant campsite that evening, one of several they have through the centre of the country.

Gunlom

2006-06-23T02:39:00.000+01:00

Gunlom
Originally uploaded by Toytown Mafia.

The view from the top of the Gunlom waterfall, where we went for a swim.

Waterfall pool

2006-06-23T02:38:00.001+01:00

Waterfall pool
Originally uploaded by Toytown Mafia.

At the top of Gunlom waterfall in Kakadu

Escarpment country

2006-06-23T02:38:00.000+01:00

Escarpment country
Originally uploaded by Toytown Mafia.

In Kakadu

Adventure Tours day two - around Kakadu

2006-06-23T02:33:00.000+01:00

On Thursday (May 25th), we drove back into Kakadu and went straight to Gunlom Falls in the south of the park, another backdrop for the film Cocodile Dundee. After walking around the base of the pool at the bottom, we set off to climb up to the top of the waterfall. Once up there the view was fantastic, but even better was that we had the pools to ourselves. Most of us went for a swim around and it was surprisingly warm for 9:30 in the morning!

From there we went to Boulder Creek for another relaxing swim amongst the waterfalls. The water was a bit colder, but then how often do you get to swim in a place like that? After a quick picnic lunch, we had enough time to go and check out another Aboriginal art site and a lookout over some escarpment country before we made our way back into Darwin for the night.

Kakadu habitats

2006-06-22T03:45:00.001+01:00

Kakadu habitats
Originally uploaded by Toytown Mafia.

Just a glimpse of the variety Kakadu holds

Kakadu

2006-06-22T03:45:00.000+01:00

Kakadu
Originally uploaded by Toytown Mafia.

The view from Ubirr Rock

Aboriginal art

2006-06-22T03:44:00.001+01:00

Aboriginal art
Originally uploaded by Toytown Mafia.

Aboriginal art at Ubirr Rock

Sea eagle

2006-06-22T03:44:00.000+01:00

Sea eagle
Originally uploaded by Toytown Mafia.

In the Mary River Wetlands

Jabiru

2006-06-22T03:43:00.000+01:00

Jabiru
Originally uploaded by Toytown Mafia.

In the Mary River Wetlands

Adventure Tours day one - into Kakadu

2006-06-22T02:36:00.000+01:00

So just to recap, I booked a bus tour which loops around Australia, starting from Sydney then heading north to Cairns, then across to Darwin and Kakadu, then south to Adelaide through the red centre, then back to Sydney via Melbourne. By this stage (May 24th), I had done the tour to Cairns run by Oz Experience and the tour from there to Darwin by Desert Venturer. The remainder of my trip all the way back to Sydney would be on Adventure Tours and although this second half of my loop wasn't one large continuous tour (more like five), I'll bundle them all together under one heading because they're run by the same company. Still following what I'm saying? Awesome!

After spending the night in Darwin, I departed on a two day tour of Kakadu with Adventure Tours. It was another early start to meet the bus, this time a small 4x4 vehicle and my new driver guide, Celia. Our first stop on the way to Kakadu was in the Mary River Wetlands, where we went on a two hour cruise in a small motorboat. Here you'll find the highest concentration of crocodiles in Australia, if not the world. Although Cyclone Monica had been through not long ago, there was still plenty of wildlife to see including sea eagles, jabirus (a stork-like bird) and of course crocodiles. The cruise was a bit quiet at some points, but it was enjoyable nonetheless and we got to see animals that you're very unlikely to spot on land or on your own.

After lunch, we headed east into the main park. Kakadu National Park has a double World Heritage listing - only Uluru and Kakadu have two in Australia - and covers 19,804 km² which is the same size as Switzerland. It's one of the country's most important habitats for wildlife and we headed straight for its eastermost border.

Our main stop for the day was at Ubirr Rock which we climbed, looking at the Aboriginal art there on the way up. A lot of the art is used for teaching kids about laws, morals and wildlife. Kakadu has a huge variety of wildlife and this is reflected in the art, showing the different types of animals, which can be caught and when (even the Aboriginals regulate hunting to seasons). On top of Ubirr Rock, you're greeted with some of the best views to be found in the park. The sheer diversity is most apparent here, with escarpment, forest and wetlands on display in all their glory. It's here that one of the scenes in Crocodile Dundee was filmed and you can see why; it's the perfect place to show off the wonders of Kakadu.

From there, we headed south west to a hostel where we would stay the night. We were originally meant to camp in Kakadu, but because of Cyclone Monica, the campsites were still closed. We were also meant to go to Jim Jim Falls for a swim, but that was closed as well for good reason; they pulled a 4m crocodile out of it the next day!

Our Desert Venturer group

2006-06-22T02:29:00.000+01:00

Our Desert Venturer group
Originally uploaded by Toytown Mafia.

Our group photo :)

Daly Waters pub

2006-06-22T02:28:00.000+01:00

Daly Waters pub
Originally uploaded by Toytown Mafia.

On the Stuart Highway

Desert Venturer day four - to Darwin

2006-06-22T01:39:00.000+01:00

On Tuesday (May 23rd), we set off from the Heartbreak Hotel at Cape Crawford towards Darwin. It was another long day of driving and our first stop was when we reached the Stuart Highway at Daly Waters. The Stuart Highway connects the country through the centre, running from Adelaide in the south to Darwin in the north. Daly Waters is a small roadhouse on the highway famous for well, just being famous. We stopped there for about half an hour, enough time to look around at the insane collection of memorabilia from around the world. I added my name to one of the Union Jacks before we left Daly Waters and headed north.

Our next stop was for lunch at Mataranka, where we there was also a natural hot pool and a walk through the forest. I didn't opt to go for a swim (we'd be coming back in a few days anyway) so went for a walk down to the river instead. Back on the road, our next stop was for a quick break at Katherine, the largest town south of Darwin for a long way.

The final stop of the day before Darwin was at the Adelaide River roadhouse, home to 'Charlie the water buffalo' from the film Crocodile Dundee. Our driver, who's a bit of a joker, made us believe that he was still alive, so we were a bit surpired and got a few weird looks when we rushed in to find him stuffed and standing on the bar!

We got into Darwin at about 6pm, ending the second major section of my trip. We finished the four day trip with a meal at the Vic Hotel to say goodbye and go our seperate ways.

Barkly Tablelands

2006-06-20T05:01:00.001+01:00

Barkly Tablelands
Originally uploaded by Toytown Mafia.

A whole lot of nothing (except a few cows!)

The middle of nowhere

2006-06-20T05:01:00.000+01:00

The middle of nowhere
Originally uploaded by Toytown Mafia.

Stopping for a look at the sights!

Watch out

2006-06-20T05:00:00.000+01:00

Watch out
Originally uploaded by Toytown Mafia.

Just before we crossed over into the Northern Territory.

Riversleigh

2006-06-20T04:24:00.000+01:00

Riversleigh
Originally uploaded by Toytown Mafia.

The World Heritage listed fossil site

Desert Venturer day three - to Cape Crawford

2006-06-20T02:57:00.000+01:00

On the 22nd (of May), we had an early start as usual to set off on our longest day of driving yet. Because of a flood, we would have to take a longer route than normal and would cover over 900km in a single day.

Our first stop was the World Heritage listed fossil site at Riversleigh. Here scientists have found the remains of a huge number of exstinct animals including giant kangaroos and other fossils unique to the Australian continent. We didn't get time to walk all the way around it, but it was interesting nonetheless.

We continued north west and into the Northern Territory, going along some of Australia’s most remote roads. The folra and fauna got gradually less distinct until we got to the Barlay Tablelands, where it was almost completely flat. It was here that our driver had to stop for his logbook and we got a chance to go for a walk in, almost literally, the middle of nowhere. Everywhere around you, all the way to the horizon it was dead flat and the only objects to stick out were the odd sign or cow. I don't know how far you'd have to go from home to get a similar view, but it would certainly be a long way!

Most of the rest of the day was spent driving, apart from a stop at Hells Gate Roadhouse before we reached our destination for the day, the Heartbreak Hotel at Cape Crawford.

Watering hole

2006-06-19T05:23:00.000+01:00

Watering hole
Originally uploaded by Toytown Mafia.

At Lawn Hill NP

Lawn Hill NP

2006-06-19T05:21:00.000+01:00

Lawn Hill NP
Originally uploaded by Toytown Mafia.

A walking track in Lawn Hill National Park

Welcome to the Outback

2006-06-19T05:14:00.000+01:00

Welcome to the Outback
Originally uploaded by Toytown Mafia.

A long road to nowhere...

Close up

2006-06-19T05:10:00.000+01:00

Close up
Originally uploaded by Toytown Mafia.

A termite mound

Termite mounds

2006-06-19T05:08:00.000+01:00

Termite mounds
Originally uploaded by Toytown Mafia.

In Outback Queensland

Desert Venturer day two - Lawn Hill

2006-06-19T04:51:00.000+01:00

On the 21st, we had another early start and continued driving west on the Matilda Highway. After a stop at the Burke and Wills Roadhouse, we joined the Wills Development Road before arriving at Gregory River for lunch. We stopped at a field full of termite mounds shortly after to take a look at one of the Outback's trademark features. Made by colonies of ant-like creatures, you find them all over the Northern Territory and Outback Queensland, up to four metres high in places. Some termites burrow into trees - that's how didgeridoos are made - while others build mounds above the ground. They may just look like plies of dried mud, but when you think of how small these insects are then their mounds are nothing but impressive.

We arrived at Lawn Hill National Park in the early afternoon and it was here that we would spend the most time. We had the oppurtunity to do kayaking or walking and I chose the latter, opting for a 10km walk around the walls to a watering hole. The scenery wasn't spectacular in its scale, but it certainly was beautiful. The grasses in Australia always seem to have an unreal quality to them, like someone's airbrushed them into the landscape. After our hike aroundthe park, it was back to the nearby Adel's Grove campsite for the evening, where we could relax and play a few games of cards as the sun went down.

Sunset at Lake Belmore

2006-06-19T04:44:00.000+01:00

Sunset at Lake Belmore
Originally uploaded by Toytown Mafia.

Just outside of Croydon

Racing into the Outback

2006-06-19T04:42:00.000+01:00

Racing into the Outback
Originally uploaded by Toytown Mafia.

Yes, the blurring was deliberate!

A pyton and I

2006-06-19T04:38:00.000+01:00

A pyton and I
Originally uploaded by Toytown Mafia.

My new best friend (just as long as I can give him back!)

Desert Venturer day one - to Croydon

2006-06-19T03:34:00.000+01:00

On Saturday the 20th (of May), I had another 5.30am start to join a Desert Venturer four day bus tour from Cairns to Darwin. It was part of my Oz Experience pass that would take me all the way around Australia in a big loop and this section is run by Desert Venturer.

A bus met us at our respective hostels and took everyone to the bus that we'd be travelling on in the next four days. The first thing that struck me was the size and quality of the vehicle. Instead of the normal coaches or extended minibuses, the coach we would be in was similar to a standard lorry, but with 4-wheel-drive and only 25 seats. There was a huge amount of legroom, a plasma TV, a decent sound system and plenty of space to store your luggage. It was like having a first class seat for the price of an economy ticket.

We set off westwards, first passing through the cyclone damaged Atherton Tablelands and then stopping for a brief walk down to Millstream Falls. Soon after, the rainforest disappeared and the Outback beckoned. The change was gradual, but definitely noticeable. The lack of traffic, buildings and infrastructure gives you an ever increasing sense that you're venturing into the middle of nowhere.

We got to Mount Surprise at midday and stopped at the town there for lunch. Of course, the word 'town' is a bit misleading because Australians only use 'town' then 'city', whereas in Britain you have 'hamlet', 'village', 'town' and 'city'. So an Aussie town might have about five people living there, whereas a UK town would have at least 10,000.

After lunch we were introduced to a local who would give us a snake demonstration. This guy, whose name I forget (probably Bruce), had just about every native Australian snake in his barn. We got to handle a few of them, mainly pythons and see feeding time, where he put a live mouse into a cage with a snake and well, 'let them get on with it'. It was a pretty interesting stop though and a useful insight into how snakes work, even if it was a bit gruesome at times! Australia contains the vast majority of the world's most deadly snakes, not least the Black Headed Taipan, whose bite can kill 200 grown men. That's something you don't want to step on!

We drove on, passing into what increasingly looked like savannah. The rest of the day was spent driving and after a brief trip to Lake Belmore for sunset, we arrived in Croydon (no, not the one in London) at about 6pm. To give you an idea of what it was like, we stayed in the only two-storey building in town!

The dive deck

2006-06-18T10:27:00.000+01:00

The dive deck
Originally uploaded by Toytown Mafia.

Again, on the dive boat.

On the sun-deck

2006-06-18T10:25:00.000+01:00

On the sun-deck
Originally uploaded by Toytown Mafia.

On the MV Kangaroo Explorer

Cairns Dive Centre trip day three

2006-06-18T09:57:00.000+01:00

It was another early start on the 19th with our first dive of the day at 06:30. Frank and I went down to 18m at a bommie (that's a collection of coral) at the rear of the boat, but light and visibility wasn't ideal so I couldn't take many photos. After breakfast, we did a combined boat and fish identification speciality dive, whereby we were dropped off by a small boat to a bommie, rolling backwards into the water off the side of the hull.

I got a fair number of decent photos this time around, catching all sorts of fish. Photography is completely different underwater and it's like learning it from scratch. There are so many new issues with light, colour and being quick enough that it makes getting a good photo very tricky.

My final dive of the trip was at 11am that day and I chose to have it guided to make the most of it. Benny showed us plenty of wildlife, from giant clams and sea stars to pufferfish and angelfish. It was a great end to an excellent trip.

After lunch we moved back to the East Timor site and a number of us left the Kangaroo Explorer for Cairns. We got the Sunlover cruise back and arrived in town at about 6pm. By sheer chance, I met up with two people who I already knew at the hostel I was staying in, so we went to the Woolshed (a bar), where I also met at least five other people who I also had been travelling with on Oz Experience. It's always nice to bump into people like that and catch up on journeys past.

A green turtle surfacing

2006-06-18T09:52:00.000+01:00

A green turtle surfacing
Originally uploaded by Toytown Mafia.

A green turtle coming up for a breath in the rain

Down the stairs

2006-06-18T09:50:00.000+01:00

Down the stairs
Originally uploaded by Toytown Mafia.

Aboard the MV Kangaroo Explorer

Carins Dive Centre trip day two

2006-06-18T07:46:00.000+01:00

On the 18th (of May), we got up early at 5.30am and went for our first dive at 6, just as the sun was rising. Jillian, Gary and I went with Annika - a German instructor - do do our speciality deep dive. As a general rule, you always do your deepest dive of the day first, then do progressively shallower ones. If you have what's called a 'reverse profile' where you do a deeper dive than the last, then they can suspend you from your next dive to allow excess nitrogren to filter out of your body.

Ideally, you should descend to just above 30m because nitrogen narcosis - the same effect as being drunk but induced naturally by pressurised nitrogen in your body - starts to kick in there, but we could only find 22m. Annika did a few demonstrations like releasing an egg yolk into the water - where the pressure suspends it in a ball - before we ascended again. Her compass reading was altered by accident during our dive, so we came up to surface about 100m away from the ship and had to get towed back by the motor dingy, which was a bit of added excitement.

After breakfast, we went down again at 10:30 to do our navigation speciality dive. It wasn't particularly difficult - just using a compass to do circuits - but it gave me an idea of how to find my was around underwater. Usually you don't need a compass when diving, but should I need to I now know how. I said goodbye to Jillian and Gary after that dive as they were only doing a one night stay, then went for another dive at 4 with my new French buddy, Frank. We went down to about 12m as I did my photography speciality dive, which didn't need to be guided. In fact, it was my first dive where I was the most experienced diver, so I got to lead it in the sense of making sure we weren't lost and knew where the boat was. It's no formality, but usually the more experienced diver keeps an eye on the state of the dive as you're going along.

I had my second night dive that evening and chose to go guided just so that I'd see more. We only went down to 10 metres, but Benny - our Dutch guide - found us all sorts of wildlife, including a pufferfish, an amusing creature which looks like an overinflated balloon with fins.

Dive schedule

2006-06-18T07:41:00.000+01:00

Dive schedule
Originally uploaded by Toytown Mafia.

Our CDC liveaboard ship timetable

Cairns Dive Centre trip day one

2006-06-18T07:04:00.000+01:00

So, on the 17th of May (yes, I'm a bit behind with writing this up!), I got up early to meet the shuttle bus for Cairns Dive Centre. I had booked a liveaboard dive trip which would take me out on the Reef for ten dives over three days. Now that I had my dive certification which I earned on Magnetic Island, I could go diving without an instructor and put my skills and knowledge to the test.

After a brief at the Carins Dive Centre office, we were driven down to the marina and boarded the Sunlover cruise to Moore Reef. Normally CDC have their own boat which takes you out to their liveaboard boat, but it was being serviced so we got a more comfortable ride on this other operator's ship. It was packed with tourists who didn't exactly look prepared for the rough ride to the Reef, but it got us there without any of us throwing up. From the Sunlover pontoon, we had a short ride over to the Kangaroo Explorer, our home for the next three days.

After a safety and site briefing, we got straight down to business and went for our first dive of the day. Since I had done my dive course only a matter of days previously, it was all very farmiliar to me and I had no problems getting into it all. Your first dive had to be a guided one and so my buddies Jillian and Gary set off with one of the instructors - Benny - at a dive site called East Timor. Whilst the visibility wasn't as good as it was on Heron Island, it sure was a lot better than Magnetic Island!

With our first dive done, we had a buffet lunch in the canteen onboard. The food was actually pretty good, probably better than I had expected given the price of the trip ($450 for ten dives all inclusive). After lunch we had a short break before going for our second dive at 4pm. Jillian (a Sydney-based solicitor), Gary (an Irish computer programmer) and I went on our own this time, heading down to 12m. As well as seeing numerous fish and coral, we found a series of caves in the coral which we could swim through, something that would prove to be the highlight of the trip.

Orignally, I had intended just to do ten recreational dives, but I learnt that for $60 more, I could gain my Advanced Speciality certification onboard by doing a few guided dives that focused on certain specialities of diving. It made a lot of sense to go and do this because you got guided dives on the cheap and the tasks you had to do were pretty simple.

Our night dive that evening became my first speciality dive and I went guided, as I would have had to anyway because it's my first night dive. Diving is slightly different at night because you have to learn a few new procedures to account for the changing conditions. As well as carrying torches, there are different signals which are used at night to communicate between your buddies, yourself and the boat. We didn't see a great deal of exciting wildlife on that first night dive, but it was enjoyable nonetheless.

The Curtain Fig Tree

2006-06-18T06:59:00.000+01:00

The Curtain Fig Tree
Originally uploaded by Toytown Mafia.

In the Atherton Tablelands

A saltwater crocodile

2006-06-18T06:54:00.000+01:00

A saltwater crocodile
Originally uploaded by Toytown Mafia.

Something you don't want to find in your swimming pool...

Feeding time

2006-06-18T06:46:00.000+01:00

Feeding time
Originally uploaded by Toytown Mafia.

Again, at the croc farm

A few crocs

2006-06-18T06:40:00.000+01:00

A few crocs
Originally uploaded by Toytown Mafia.

At the Innisfail crocodile farm

Oz Experience day ten - on to Cairns

2006-06-18T05:29:00.000+01:00

The next day, we set off on the final day of the Oz Experience part of my trip towards Cairns. One of our first stops was in Innisfail, where the centre of Cyclone Larry had hit the mainland. Apart from the obvious damage to the rainforest and crops, there were still plenty of roofs with tarpaulins on them to keep the rain out and a number of buildings that had evidently been abandoned because they were so badly damaged.

We weren't able to go to one of the walks in the Atherton Tablelands because it was still closed, so we went instead to the crocodile farm in Innisfail. We had a guided tour around the working farm at feeding time, getting a good look at both saltwater and freshwater crocodiles. The freshwater ones can grow up to about 3 or 4 metres and attack people unless you provoke them, but the saltwater crocodiles are the ones to watch out for; they grow up to 7m long, weigh up to 1000kg and see you as just another source of food.

Crocodiles are the longest surviving relatives of the dinosaurs and look the part to match. As the world's largest reptiles, they hunt using stealth but not so frequently as they can survive months without food. Left alone in the wild, crocodiles can easily live up to 100 years old.

After the tour, we had the chance to handle a snake, a baby crocodile and a blue-tongued lizard, which I had a go at. Snakes aren't as slimy as you might think and feel like one giant leather muscle, which I guess they are in a sense. The baby crocodile had its mouth taped shut, but even though it was small you wouldn't want to get in its way!

We drove to a lake for lunch and had a look around before driving further north towards Cairns. On the way, we stopped briefly at a waterfall in the Atherton Tablelands and the Curtain Fig Tree, a huge and unique plant formed from the freak collision of two fig trees. Our penultimate stop of the day was at the A.J. Hackett bungy jump site, the only one in Australia. I didn't opt to do a bungy because I think it's overpriced and not as good as the ones in New Zealand, but several of the group did and seemed to enjoy the thrill a great deal. We finished the day by driving into Cairns and then went out that evening for our farewell dinner at The Woolshed.

Rainforest devestation

2006-06-07T14:07:00.000+01:00

Rainforest devestation
Originally uploaded by Toytown Mafia.

The rainforest near Mission Beach after Cyclone Larry

Oz Experience day nine - Mission Beach

2006-06-07T13:35:00.000+01:00

On Monday (the 15th) I got back on the Oz Experience bus and left Magnetic Island at midday after a relaxed morning as we headed north out of Townsville. Our new driver Tanya would take us to Mission Beach as we entered land affected by the recent hurricane.

Cyclone Larry hit the Queensland coast on March 20th at a rating of catagory five, the highest possible. No-one was killed, but it caused a lot of structural damage and destroyed much of the agricultural and native vegetation in the area.

Even though it was nearly two months after the cyclone hit, as we drove north it was obvious that it had been through. We didn't see the worst of it as we only got to Mission Beach that day, but it was certainly evident everywhere you looked.

We went on a walk through the rainforest which had just been re-opened that day and the damage to the vegetation there was somewhat shocking. Before the cyclone, 90% of the forest floor was in shadow, but now it was more like 10%. The rainforest has been completely gutted, with trees lying all over the place and foliage ripped down from the canopy, leaving it open to the sky above. It's certainly a sad sight and it'll take 50 years until the forest recovers.

We got into Mission Beach late that afternoon and stayed at Scotty's Backpackers, which must have been one of the best hostels that I've stayed in. After months of travelling, you can spot the good ones from that bad in an instant and this one was right at the top of the pile, so to speak. We even got a free fire show thrown in, a spectacular display before our final Oz Experience trip the next day.

Now where does this go...

2006-06-07T13:28:00.000+01:00

Now where does this go...
Originally uploaded by Toytown Mafia.

Alison and I on our SCUBA course

Underwater pool theory

2006-06-07T13:25:00.000+01:00

Underwater pool theory
Originally uploaded by Toytown Mafia.

Taking off and putting my equipment back on

Reef Safari Open Water SCUBA diving course

2006-06-07T12:27:00.000+01:00

I stayed on MAgnetic Island for five nights in total to allow myself time to do my SSI Open Water SCUBA diving course. I've never really been into diving, but since I've been on Heron Island it had interested me and I even got one dive in there. The course that I did on Magnetic Island allowed me to go SCUBA diving on my own without an instructor giving me a helping hand, and that's I spent those four days doing.

We had Thursday (the 11th) morning off, so Alison - another trainee diver - and I went down to the supermarket in the island's town to buy some food. I haven't really been cooking much since I've been away, but it makes a lot of sense when you stay anywhere for more than a couple of nights. The kitchen at Base Backpackers was pretty, well, basic, but it did us well for the time that we were there.

So that afternoon we went to the pool and met each other, with there being eight of us in total. I was the only guy there which I found a bit suprising, but that's something I don't really mind! After a few introductions we went through a bit of theory - most of which I'd covered at Heron Island - and then went into the pool for the first of our two 'confined water' sessions. I found it pretty easy to begin with because I'd already done several of the skills, but it was nice to go over them again.

Taking it in turns, we showed our instructor Scott that we could take of our mask, replace it and then clear it, become neutrally bouyant and so on. It was a lot of fun, but of course nothing like 'the real thing' out in the ocean where there are sea conditions and wildlife waiting for you.

On Friday we had a full day ahead of us, first starting with the rest of our theory, covering emergency procedures and the effects of going deep underwater on our body, amongst other things. We then got back in the pool for our final theory pool session, practicing various skills including emergency ascents, diver tows and taking our equipment off before putting it back on. We finished up the day with a written exam, which everyone passed since it was common sense once you'd read the reference material that we were given the previous day.

The next day we had the first two of our ocean dives, which involved doing exactly the same skills that we'd done in the pool, but out at sea. The visibility was pretty shocking, but we coped with it and if you can dive in that, you can dive in anything!

On Sunday we had our third and fourth ocean dives in the morning, again repeating skills in sea conditions, this time with even worse visibility. It certainly was an 'interesting' experience; not being able to see everyone in your group as you swim around holding a rope so that you don't disappear into the murky unknown!

Once those two final dives were completed, we became qualified SSI Open Water SCUBA divers, allowing us to dive anywhere in the world down to a depth of 18 metres. Those four days were a great experience and one that I'll be sure to remember. It was like going back to school, having to learn bits and pieces of physics although it was more applied this time around. I'm definitely glad I did the course, because I could now go and see the Great Barrier Reef how it's meant to be seen and explore an underwater world that most people never see.

The forts

2006-05-30T04:27:00.000+01:00

The forts
Originally uploaded by Toytown Mafia.

One of the forts on Magnetic Island and the mainland in the background

Oz Experience day eight - Magnetic Island

2006-05-30T04:03:00.000+01:00

On Wednesday we had a thankfully short amount of driving to do, heading north from Airlie Beach and arriving in Townsville at lunchtime. We got the ferry over to Magnetic Island, so called by Captain Cook because his compass acted strangely when he passed it. It turns out that the island doesn't actually have much of a magnetic field at all even though it has a huge granite core, so he must have just had a faulty compass.

Once we had checked into Base Backpackers, we headed out on a walk around the hills on the island. The 'forts' on top of the island's hills were used in World War 2 to observe and defend the coastline and the passage between the island and the mainland. The forts are meant to be one of the best place to spot koalas in the wild in the country, but being shy and reclusive creatures, we didn't manage to spot any.

So after a nice, relaxing day, we settled down in the evening and I got ready for my four day Open Water SCUBA diving course that would start the next day.

Oz Experience day seven - on to Airlie Beach

2006-05-30T03:53:00.000+01:00

Tuesday (the 9th that is) was our longest day of driving yet, with about nine hours in the bus in total. We drove first back to the coast, then headed north to Raglan, where we picked up our lunch for the day. We then continued to Rockhampton and then on to Sarina for an afternoon session of lawn bowls. It might seem a strange thing to do on a backpackers'bus, but it broke up the day nicely and gave us something to try which many of us hadn't done before. After that break, we were off to Airlie Beach, arriving at about 7.30pm. It certainly wasn't the most exciting day, but at least it was a rare one in the sense that it included so much driving.

Goat mustering

2006-05-30T03:51:00.000+01:00

Goat mustering
Originally uploaded by Toytown Mafia.

At Kroombit cattle station

Oz Experience day six - Kroombit

2006-05-30T03:49:00.000+01:00

On Monday we left Hervey Bay and headed up the coast to the town of 1770, where we picked up ten people before moving inland to Kroombit cattle station. This was to be our first experience of the Outback and its culture, which is so very different from the commercial coastal towns. After a fairly long drive, we reached the station in the late afternoon, where we would also stay the night.

Australia is the world's largest exporter of beef and its cattle stations are what makes that possible. To compensate for the often less than ideal land, these farms need to be enormous and the average size of a station is a million acres. Many stations just leave their stock to run wild for most of the year, mustering them into a holding area to sort them and move them off once a year. To round up all this cattle, they have to use helicopters and teams of station hands on the ground on motorbikes. Not all of the cattle can be rounded up every time, so you get some animals which won't see a human being or even a fence for months or years at a time.

At Kroombit, one of the activities we got to have a go at was goat mustering on horseback. I hadn't ever riden a horse before and mustering seemeed to be more worthwhile than a simple ride, so I signed up and had a go at it. About eight of us headed out into the paddocks, guided by one of the station hands, looking for goats. Once we found them, we had to ride our horses around them so that they were always in front of us and we could then move them down the hill towards their pen. It was a lot of fun and even though I seemed to have the laziest horse in the world, we got the job done just as the sun set.

Now that we had the goats secured, we were given the chance to take part in a goat rodeo, which involved three of us running around an enclosure to catch and brand it (although not with a hot iron, just a cold one). Goats aren't the most agile animals, so it was fairly easy to corner them but it was enjoyable nonetheless.

After dinner we were invited to try a bucking bronco, which is one of those mechanical games where you have to sit on the 'bull'for the longest amount of time before you're thrown off. Most of the time they start really slowly and build up to higher speeds, but as we found out this one seemed to be set to 'hard' so almost everyone was thrown off within about two seconds. It was entertaining nonetheless and a good end to an enjoyable day.

The Glasshouse Mountains

2006-05-29T04:51:00.000+01:00

The Glasshouse Mountains
Originally uploaded by Toytown Mafia.

The Glasshouse Mountains

Oz Experience day five - Brisbane to Hervey Bay

2006-05-29T04:16:00.000+01:00

On Sunday (the 7th), we left Brisbane in the morning and drove up the East Coast, first stopping at the Glasshouse Mountains, named by Captain Cook for their appearance. It was a short walk to a lookout, where Jane, our guide told us the creation story for the area.

I'm not sure I've elaborated on this before, but the Aboriginal people believe that the world was once flat and that all of the geological features on it were created by spirits. So every river, mountain, lake and so on has its own little story behind its appearance on the landscape and although we only get the basics of the story, it's an interesting insight into their culture. The Glasshouse Mountains, for istance are a family fleeing from a flood. Don't quote me on that, but that's the general outline. It's the same everywhere else in the country. Rivers might be the tears of an animal and boulders might be an animal's eggs. Whatever the story behind them, they always have a moral which is used to educate each other and pass down a code of laws and values.

So after our stop at the Glasshouse Mountains, we proceeded onto Noosa, where almost all of the people on our bus got off and we picked up an equal amount for the journey North. We only stayed there for about an hour, but I was in for a surprise nonetheless. Getting on our bus was Nicky, one of the English waitresses from Heron Island, who I didn't even know was doing Oz Experience. I had worked with her for over two months and she left the island a couple of days before me, but I had no idea where she was travelling to next. So we caught up on what we had been doing and although she was only travelling as far as Rainbow Beach, a couple of hours away, it was good to see such a farmiliar face on a day when people were coming and going without much of a chance to get to know them.

When we got to Rainbow Beach, we had the chance to play around with a didgeridoo, a few boomerangs and a spear. It wasn't much of a cultural talk but more of something to break up the day's travelling, but it was fun to try out things that you see so often in shops but so rarely used. After that, we went for a walk along Rainbow Beach itself and then I said goodbye to Nicky as the rest of us headed to Hervey Bay where we would stay the night.

Nimbin

2006-05-29T04:14:00.000+01:00

Nimbin
Originally uploaded by Toytown Mafia.

An appropriate piece of artwork at Nimbin

Jesus Wore Hemp

2006-05-29T04:09:00.000+01:00

Jesus Wore Hemp
Originally uploaded by Toytown Mafia.

Apparently so...

From Nimbin, of course.

Happy High Herbs

2006-05-29T04:03:00.000+01:00

Happy High Herbs
Originally uploaded by Toytown Mafia.

Just a sign in Nimbin

Oz Experience day four - Brisbane via Nimbin

2006-05-11T11:07:00.000+01:00

On Saturday morning we left Byron Bay and drove inland for an hour to the small village of Nimbin. In the early 70s, a few students came up from Sydney to this out of the way corner of New South Wales and organised the Aquarius Festival and they never left.

Nimbin is essentially the Amsterdam of Australia; an outpost of hippydom caught in a timewarp where it's still the 70s. The one road village is covered from end to end in colourful facades and is partly dedicated to the campaign to legalise marijuana.

We were really lucky with our timing because we arrived in the middle of the yearly Mardi Grass (yes, you read that right) festival. All of the hippies in the country meet up to protest against the drug laws, turning the normally sleepy village into a hive of activity. Usually the village is pretty dead, but on Saturday it was in full swing with all sorts of market stalls and many times the normal population.

One of the main attractions in town is the Hemp Embassy, a mixture of shop and museum which is the base for the town's movement against the country's drug laws. Inside a couple of old hippes were running it and it smelt like, well, I'm sure you can guess! Aside from recreational purposes, the owners and their campaign pointed out the other uses for hemp, from clothing (Jesus wore it apparently) to fuel and food. MardiGrass may have seemed like a 70s reunion, but the was at least a serious motive behind it.

Our hour-long stop at Nimbin was amusing to say the least and we were extremely lucky to go there for MardiGrass. It's just one of those odd places that you can't quite imagine existing in a largely conservative country like Australia.

From Nimbin we continued to Surfers' Paradise on the Gold Coast. A huge resort town, it's got all the novelty and lack of personality that you expect, although it was certainly larger that I anticipated. We picked up a few passengers there, before moving off to go Zorbing up the road.

Zorbing is essentially where you and up to two others are put inside a large plastic ball with some water and rolled down a hill. There's not much more to it and it's a lot of fun, like an amusement park ride. It was an included activity on our tour, so most of us did it before we hopped back on the bus as we finished our day's travels by arriving in Brisbane.

Brisbane is Queensland's capital, a city of about 1.5 million and one that I didn't get to see a great deal of, staying there for just a night. From a brief evening walk, it seemed very pleasant though and I'm sure it would have enough to occupy anyone if they had the time.

Byron Bay

2006-05-06T11:02:00.000+01:00

Byron Bay
Originally uploaded by Toytown Mafia.

Looking over towards Byron Bay just after sunset

Oz Experience day three - Byron Bay

2006-05-06T11:00:00.000+01:00

So on Thursday after we left Surf Camp we took to the road again, heading north up the coast towards Byron Bay. We stopped at a highly recommended pie shop for lunch which sold pretty much every type of pie you could think of, including a few 'native' ones. I chose crocodile. I guess it tastes a bit like chicken. Oh, and lemon meringue, but that's not quite as exotic, is it?

Onward we progressed into sugar cane country, arriving in the small resort town of Byron Bay at about 6. We checked into a backpackers and then went for a big night out at the bar across the road, finishing up in the early hours of the morning around 3. Most of us had the next day there including me, so we could afford a late night. I also stayed an extra night so that I could keep the same driver guide. Ours, Jane, is really good and once you've got a decent guide you should make sure you keep them. The route may be the same, but it's the guide that can make your trip that extra bit better.

After a late start on Friday, I went on the Internet in town to check my emails and update this, then headed down to the beach. I had lunch there before meeting up with some fellow backpackers off of the bus. We spent a good few hours lazing around before heading back to our hostel. Before dinner, I went shopping with Susie and Alix and I actually ended up buying something and one of them didn't get anything, which doesn't really do much for that stereotype. Anyway, we cooked ourselves a meal and then went out again, although just until midnight as we had to get the bus at 8 the next day.

Byron Bay itself is a small town dependant almost entirely on tourism and is home to one of the best surfing beaches on the east coast; its arc ensures that there's a decent amount of surf on most days even if the wind blows in all sorts of different directions. It's got a fairly laid-back feel to it and the council is trying to keep it that way with no traffic lights or MacDonald's, but the amount of travel agents and bars seem to be pulling it away from its past self. Nevertheless, it's a nice little party town and one that you're sure to find great if you're into surfing, shopping or the nightlife.

Surf Camp

2006-05-06T10:55:00.000+01:00

Surf Camp
Originally uploaded by Toytown Mafia.

The Mojo Surf Camp at Crescent Head

Oz Experience day two - Surf Camp

2006-05-06T10:39:00.000+01:00

On Wednesday we left Barrington and headed back towards the coast to Crescent Head, where we would spend the afternoon and next morning at a secluded surf camp. After stopping for lunch at Port Macquarie, we arrived at the Mojo Surf Camp at about 3. The purpose-built beach house that we stayed in was pretty modern and just a walk away from the sea.

After a quick briefing on the basics of surfing and its culture, we got suited up and headed down to the beach. It turned out that we were the only people there, so there wasn't anyone apart from ourselves to see how bad we would be!

The instructors gave us a demonstration and then it was up to us to learn the skills over the next two lessons. Essentially, all you have to do it wait for a wave to come along, then paddle quickly to 'catch' it so that you're on the front of the wave. Then you've got the hard bit, jumping up to your feet whilst keeping your balance. Once you're standing up it's fairly simple, but to get there you've got to keep your movements quick and smooth.

By the end of our first lesson, most of us had been able to stand up, even if it was just for a second. It seemed that as we got the hang of the basics, we ran out of energy and time. As we walked back across the beach as the sun set, we were all reasonably confident that we could improve and be able to surf properly the next day.

So on Thursday morning we got up early and headed down to the beach again after breakfast. The conditions were perfect and the waves were higher and more consistent than the previous day. I'm pretty sure everyone was able to stand up on their board and surf for a few seconds, including me! I only managed to do it properly a few times, but it was great fun when I did. After I'd done it for myself, I can appreciate surfing more and why it appeals to people so much. I'm not sure I'd do it again without being prompted, but it was definitely a lot of fun.

Night kayaking

2006-05-06T10:26:00.000+01:00

Night kayaking
Originally uploaded by Toytown Mafia.

Guess who?!?

Barrington

2006-05-06T10:16:00.000+01:00

Barrington
Originally uploaded by Toytown Mafia.

The Barrington River

Oz Experience day one - Barrington

2006-05-05T02:37:00.000+01:00

My trip on Oz Experience began on Tuesday with an early start to meet the tour bus outside my hostel in Sydney at 6.30am. Out of a maximum of 25, there were 15 of us travelling on it, mostly Brits with a few Germans and Swedes. After stopping off at the Oz Experience office on George St., we left the city and headed north to Barrington.

Barrington is about 100km inland and 200km north of Sydney and lies in prime agricultural and gold mining country. It looks a bit like parts of New Zealand or Britain, except with more gum trees and wallabies. Our destination was a small backpackers on the Barrington river, just over the hill from the adjacent national park. It's got a great atmosphere to it, with all the buildings built by hand from local materials by the guys who run it.

Various activities were on offer, with absieling and horse riding, but almost everyone opted for the most interesting of them; white water kayaking... at night! The Barrington river has rapids of grades 1, 2 and 3, which are used by the Australian Olympic team to train on, but they don't go on them in the dark as we did. It sounds like a crazy thing to do and it probably is; this is the only place you can do it in the country.

After a BBQ lunch and a quick practice session on the river, we had a homemade pizza dinner and then headed off to be kitted-up. With wetsuits, helmets, fleeces, life jackets and torches all on, we were ready to go and jumped in the bus to make our way upstream.

Instead of using normal solid kayaks, we had inflatable ones which are more suits to this sort of trip. After hauling them down to the river bank from the bus, we got into the water and were off. You're meant to stay in single file and follow the exact path of the guide in front, but it's practically impossible as people get stuck on rocks and you lose sight of the guide. If you're at the front, you could stay out of trouble, but further back it turned into a guessing game of where the rocks would be and if you could get through.

It was great fun and all but two people managed to stay in their kayaks, even with several collisions and near-misses. Doing it in the day would have been just as good, but the uncertainty added by the night made it that bit more exciting. Even better was the hot tub that you could jump into afterwards!

Back to Sydney and off again

2006-05-01T01:46:00.000+01:00

Last Tuesday I flew back to Sydney, going from Gladstone to Brisbane and then from there to Sydney. The first leg was typical for a small domestic airport; no security or ID checks whatsoever and a tiny plane that you're only meant to take 4kg of hand luggage in (I don't know how I got away with over double that!). Once I got to Brisbane normal service was resumed and I arrived in Sydney at about 3pm. I got the train into the city centre and checked into Base Backpackers, where I had stayed before.

The next day I checked out and went to the Work and Travel Company office around the corner to spend much of the day organising everything. They've got free broadband Internet access there for members, so you can imagine how good it must have been after being stuck with dial-up on the island for 3 months.

After checking my email and a few other bits on the Internet, I went to the in-house travel agent and booked my bus tour. I'm going with Oz Experience, who are one of the few bus companies in Australia to have passes that cover more than one state or region. As opposed to coach transport, this is a small guided tour, going to places that aren't neccessarily on the tourist trail, although you do end up at the most obvious spots like Uluru.

My tour takes a minimum of 30 days to complete and you can jump off and on it whenever you like within a 6 month period. It'll take me from Sydney, up the east coast to Cairns, then west across to Darwin, then south through the red centre to Uluru, on to Adelaide, before sweeping back eastwards to Sydney via Melbourne. All in all, that's over 6000 miles on the road!

I'll probably stop at Magnetic Island on the east coast to do a scuba diving course to get my license, and might also have breaks of a few days at Cairns, Adelaide and Melbourne. I did a similar trip in New Zealand in 28 days, but I can see this one being a bit more tiring because of the distances you've got to travel.

Sydney has turned out to be my 'base' in Australia like Auckland was in New Zealand. This is the second time I've been here and I'll be back twice again; when I finish my tour and just before I go home. However farmiliar the city is, some things still keep their novelty. The Opera House, for instance, doesn't seem to lose any of its imposing sense of grandeur. It's impressive and iconic when you first see it and it still gives you that impression when you return to see it again.

Apart from my first night here, I've been staying with Vanessa and Brian (plus their excitable dog Bentley) who are friends of mine in Sydney and who I met up with when I first got here three months ago. Vanessa's parents live next door to us back at home and they've been our neighbours for all the time we've lived there (which is all of my life). Vanessa and Brian live in the northern half of the city and run a business together from home. Talking of home, it seems like such a long time since I've been away - nearly seven months now - so it's nice to stay with friends in a comfortable and homely environment for a while. I do miss home, but I'm not quite finished out here yet; I've got Australia to see!

Goodbye Heron

2006-05-01T01:42:00.000+01:00

Goodbye Heron
Originally uploaded by Toytown Mafia.

Leaving Heron Island on the ferry

Heron Island week thirteen

2006-04-27T13:05:00.000+01:00

"It's the final countdown!" was the song that was going through my head all through my last week on Heron. I enjoyed my time on the island a great deal and probably a lot more than I expected to, but to think that you're not going to have to get up and go to work is a great feeling that you can't help but be excited about.

On Wednesday I got my echocardiogram results through from the hospital and they were fine, so I could go scuba diving! It may have been too late to do the Open Water course, but at least I could go out for a dive in my remaining four days on Heron and enjoy the reef from a different perspective.

I planned to go diving on Thursday, but the boat was full because of the Easter rush (we were at 265 out of a max of 280 guests at one point), so Ben - my instructor - and I went the next morning.

Well, what can I say, it was amazing. Although I had a bit of problem sinking and staying at the bottom, even with no air in my BCD and with weights on, everything else went according to plan. I could equalise my ears (very important for diving) unlike my previous attempt at diving, and the whole experience was simply breathtaking. Snorkelling is one thing, but being submerged in this other world with huge turtles swimming past and a wall of coral beside you is something else. I found scuba diving a bit disorientating to begin with and let my instructor look after my air level and our direction, but I hope to go on and do a course somewhere else to get my license. I would have never even thought of going diving before I came to Heron, but now I've got the bug, I'll have to go again and take it a step further.

Saturday was my last day at work and even though it was a tough day, we got out at a reasonable time. I started to pack the next day and went through my paperwork to weed out all the stuff that I'd been carrying around for no particular reason. I went fishing that afternoon, but didn't catch anything that was both edible and to size, although it was an enjoyable trip.

Monday (the 24th) was my last day on the island, and one that I spent most of chasing around trying to get all the different managers to sign my exit form to say that I'd handed back all my resort property, cleaned my room and so on. I packed everything up, ready to live out of a bag again, and then said goodbye to everyone that was around. I went down to the bar with my roommate Steve for a final drink and then it was off down to the jetty to board my ferry to Gladstone.

I was glad to leave the island, but at the same time I'm extrememly pleased that I went to work there. I think I got the most out of the oppurtunity; I went on about ten fishing trips, numerous snorkels and made sure I got the odd dive in there too. There are people there who have literally done none of the activites, but I think they must be mad because you can't stop yourself (or at least I couldn't) when it's all so cheap or free. A lot of tourists spend a day or two on the reef, but I got to live there for three months. How cool is that?

A first taste of the water

2006-04-27T13:02:00.000+01:00

A first taste of the water
Originally uploaded by Toytown Mafia.

The Green Turtle hatchling reaches the sea

Green Turtle hatchling

2006-04-27T12:59:00.000+01:00

Green Turtle hatchling
Originally uploaded by Toytown Mafia.

On his way to the water...

Catching a leopard shark

2006-04-27T12:56:00.000+01:00

Catching a leopard shark
Originally uploaded by Toytown Mafia.

More than someone bargained for!

Heron Island week twelve

2006-04-27T12:34:00.000+01:00

As the end of my time at Heron Island approached, work got just a little bit easier every day. Things were being fixed, I had more and more easier shifts and we had a good team of stewards. Outside of work, I had a pretty good week too. I had Thursday and Friday off, so went out fishing on Thursday afternoon. It wasn't as lively as it has been, but Cam (one of the boat staff) caught a leopard shark - as you can see - and even managed to get it up on to the rear of the boat and then lift it up for a photo (which unfortunately I don't have!). They're not something you'd exactly play with, but once out of the water they're usually stunned enough to move around safely. Of course, he pushed it back into the water for another day!

On the Friday, I went for a walk down to the beach to take some photos and as luck would have it, a lone green turtle hatchling was making its way down the beach. For it to be out in the middle of the day was rare enough, but this late in the season made it even more so. They're so cute and great fun to watch, even if one in a thousand survive to adulthood.

Heron Island week eleven

2006-04-27T12:21:00.000+01:00

As my eleventh week on the island unfolded, work got a lot easier as one of our stewards had been dismissed a fortnight before (for not doing particularly intelligent things - I'll leave it at that!) and the two new stewards were really getting into their stride. We got out on time most nights and I also got a few 10-6.30 shifts, which are by far the easiest.

On Tuesday I went over to Gladstone in the afternoon on the ferry, as I had my echocardiogram heart scan the next day. I booked my flights to Sydney and went to the library once I was over there, then went to the hospital the next morning. The scan on Thursday was similar to the one that pregnant women have, with a triangular black and white ultrasound image on the screen of your heart. The doctor didn't comment on it at the time and just went about measuring this and that from various different angles. It took about half and hour I guess, but I would have to wait "up to two weeks" for hte results. Not a lot of use, but what can you do?

Coral

2006-04-27T10:17:00.000+01:00

Coral
Originally uploaded by Toytown Mafia.

Just some coral out on the reef edge.

Fusilier

2006-04-27T10:12:00.000+01:00

Fusilier
Originally uploaded by Toytown Mafia.

A fusilier fish (if I'm not mistaken)

In amongst the coral

2006-04-27T10:03:00.000+01:00

In amongst the coral
Originally uploaded by Toytown Mafia.

I'm not sure what type of fish this is, but it looks similar to a boxfish.

Off for a snorkel

2006-04-27T09:59:00.000+01:00

Off for a snorkel
Originally uploaded by Toytown Mafia.

Snorkelling out at the Protector on Heron Island

Heron Island week ten

2006-04-27T09:35:00.000+01:00

My tenth week on Heron wasn't exactly the most eventful one, with mostly morning shifts and a single afternoon shift, but I did get to go out on the reef with an underwater camera. My (SLR) camera isn't very useful for using underwater because the cases you need are expensive and a lot bigger than those for smaller compacts. After asking around though, I found out that Mel - one of the waitresses I worked with - had a digital compact camera and the underwater case to go with it.

So on Thursday morning, Mel, Nikki (another waitress) and I went out for a snorkel around the Protector wreck with the camera and I went out again the next day to the reef edge, where the better coral is to be found. Even with a screen on the back of the camera, it's still extremely difficult to compose shots and I occasionally resorted to using the camera's video function to capture the reef instead. Amongst the countless blurry images, there are a few decent ones though and I hope they provide some idea of what it's like down there.

Heron Island week nine

2006-04-26T09:46:00.000+01:00

Cyclone Larry hit the Northern Queensland coast as my ninth week on the island opened, reaching the highest catagory of five as it came inland. Two island resorts north of us - Dunk and Bedarra - which are owned by the same company as Heron were hit full on by the cyclone and had to be evacuated. They're still closed at the moment and won't re-open until June. We were lucky to be out of the main path of the storm and only had higher seas and wind speeds.

We had a new kitchen steward arrive on the Monday, then another on Wednesday. It wasn't the most ideal time to turn up though, with the list of things that were broken in the kitchen quickly mounting. At one point we didn't have any hot water or hoses that worked; things that we use just about all the time!

Thursday marked the completion of two months on Heron Island and also played host to a bit of a scare. A second cyclone, Wati, was out to sea and could have turned to hit us, but ended up travelling south east and missing Australia. It undoubtedly caused a bit of excitement though and something to discuss at breaks, even if it didn't end up being a serious threat.

I had Friday and Saturday off, so went fishing on the former and then didn't do much on the latter. Saturday is our busiest day, so it's quite unusual to get it off, so I had time to go to the staff BBQ for more than 30 mins and just enjoy the evening.