Chasing Amy-Lou

My time in Australia came to an end a month ago…a whole month (pass me the gun), so it’s probably only right that I actually write a little something about the places I visited in the ten months I was there. Most of my blogs recently have been about my own emotional and psychological development but the next few will hopefully give you an insight into where I went, where I stayed and my physical encounters with life down under.

The East Coast

After a leisurely month and a half of taking in the sights and sounds of Melbourne, Perth, Darwin and Bali, where I met some incredible people; spoke to funny, inquisitive and genuine locals; happened upon new and exciting opportunities (good Karma!), surveyed some wonderful landscapes, hot-bedded from coffee shop to coffee shop; and probably made some real, genuine friends, I landed in Cairns to begin the last leg of my Australian Adventure.

What followed was a whistle-stop, two-week tour down the East Coast, with the final destination being Brisbane – to say I’d come full circle was a bit of an understatement.

Arriving at my hostel (Njoy Travellers Resort) early on Friday 26th June, suffering from slight gastro (don’t drink the water in Bali, folks, or eat your own body-weight in ginger-laden Indonesian food; it doesn’t end well), I made plans to meet up with my step-sister and go up to Port Douglas the following day. I’d heard a lot about this little idyllic haven, the millionaires playground, favoured by the successful and affluent, and sunshine-seeking celebrities; so naturally I had to check it out.

The coastal drive from Cairns to Port Douglas took us almost an hour, the views from the car making the journey a breathtakingly enjoyable one – mountains and rainforests all visible through the window pane. Although small, Port Douglas doesn’t lack for much in terms of your high-end holiday destinations – it’s quaint, has a lot of boutique shops, many bars and cafes, backpacker resorts and heaps of swanky-looking hotels. The beach is great and it’s the perfect place to unwind.

Returning to Cairns, an early night ensued as the following day marked the official beginning of my East Coast tour (booked through Backpackers World Travel who I couldn’t recommend highly enough – if booking online, ask for Nadine Gray, she was mint).

Boarding a small sailing vessel at Cairns Marina on Sunday morning, I embarked on a day of snorkelling and diving in the waters that are home to the Great Barrier Reef. Shitting myself a little about my first ever dive, and not feeling too steady after a bumpy sail, the crew and instructors couldn’t have been more helpful and reassuring.

Although only diving to a maximum of eight metres, it was still an incredible experience; I saw giant clams and clown fish, rays and coral, and even a great white shark….nah, just kidding. Even though the coral wasn’t as vibrant as we’re led to believe (human destruction and pollution the main cause), diving the Great Barrier Reef is something I’d urge anyone who visits Australia to do; it’s one of the Seven Wonders of the World for God Sake! I took the tour with Ocean Freedom – look them up, they’re pretty good.

On the Monday I was booked onto a Rainforest and Waterfalls trip which I was quite looking forward to (getting to recreate the Herbal Essences advert at Millaa Millaa Falls, anyone?). However, in true winter-in-Tropical-North-Queensland style – it was pissing it down. And freezing. Wearing shorts and ripped, weathered converse was probably not the best idea I ever had but in saying that, had the sun come out, the tour would’ve been ten times better than my drab, hypothermia-inducing experience; although come to think of it the frost-bite could’ve been something to do with swimming in a Waterfall in arctic temperatures. Oops. We did stop at On The Wallaby Lodge on the way back though and got to drink hot chocolate in front of a roaring fire – yes, you heard right – A FIRE. It was 22 degrees…

Leaving Cairns behind, my next stop was Magnetic Island. Situated a twenty minute ferry ride from Townsville, in Cleveland Bay, this mountainous island was perhaps one of my favourite places along the East Coast – tranquil and half-deserted, just what I was after. Although a popular holiday destination it also has a number of permanent residents who enjoy being a little secluded from the mainland but still benefit from being part of Townsville Council.

I stayed on the Nelly Bay side of the island for the two days I was there, as being on a limited budget I was not able to justify the price of a bus journey round to Horseshoe Bay on the opposite side (although expensive cocktails and a fancy meal were in my budget – priorities you see) which I’ve heard is well worth a visit, regardless of my lack of intent to go there. Refusing to use any form of transport during my stay, apart from the bus to and from the hostel, I elected to walk everywhere….and made it as far as Picnic Bay (just round the corner from where I was staying at X Base Hostel), where I spent a fantastic afternoon, alone, in solitude, on a beach, reading. Perfect! Picnic Bay was wonderful and if you’re after desertion and tranquillity then this is the place. I also walked the several kilometres to Nelly Bay Harbour, along a road with no pavement. The looks I got from passing drivers were priceless…apparently tourists and visitors don’t actually know what legs were made for 😛

As well as wonderful beaches, Magnetic Island has a National Park that covers 27 square KM, that’s 54% of the island’s surface size. There are plenty of walks for intrepid trekkers to take and an abundance of wildlife to boot – in 2013, the estimated number of Koalas on the island was 800; chlamydia must be rife!

Next stop after Magnetic Island was Airlie Beach – the gateway to the Whitsunday Islands and pretty much the sole reason I was staying there. Airlie beach was simply divine to be honest; I hadn’t expected much from the place as I’d heard it was relatively small but I was left pleasantly surprised. The lagoon and surrounding park-like area was a beautiful sun-trap and resting place for tourists, locals and holiday makers alike; never once did I see it empty during the day as swimmers and sun bathers flocked to enjoy the weather. And this is in winter!

The abundance of bars, restaurants and cafés also made it a perfect little getaway place, with plenty of things to busy yourself with during your stay – think boat cruises, diving, snorkelling: people don’t visit Airlie Beach solely for the lagoon, you know.

My Whitsundays Sailing Adventure began on the Friday afternoon and lasted until Sunday morning. I took the tour with a company called Wings and the boat was called, wait for it…Wings II. The whole weekend and also the Sunday evening that followed was the best fun I’d had along the East Coast and this was mainly down to the group of people I met on board.

A while back I wrote a blog about ‘People’, what I’d learned about them and how I viewed them; this trip cemented a lot of the feelings I expressed in that blog and made me so appreciative and grateful to be surrounded by such like-minded, interesting, varied human beings. I made some really great connections over that weekend; found some people I hoped to stay in contact with and shared some brilliant memories. Guys, you know who you are!

The trip itself was excellent – from snorkelling at Hayman Island to taking hilarious photos on the breathtaking Whitehaven beach; every minute was perfect. The crew on Wings II were possibly the best tour guides I’ve had in recent times; the food was filling and in no short supply, and the intimate space we shared over that weekend created a familiar, family-like atmosphere; just like being on holiday with a group of close mates.

Whitsunday Island and Whitehaven Beach were truly magnificent and I can now appreciate why it’s the most popular stop on trips such as this. I have never seen sand as white and water as blue. Something not to be missed.

Returning to Airlie Beach, a little tired and still with our sea legs firmly attached, a group of us arranged to meet up that evening for catch-up drinks, food and a wee boogie. Sincerely great times!

Leaving Airlie Beach on Monday, aboard my first night bus of this trip (hellish by the way – take a pillow and don’t expect to get much sleep, even if you are capable of counting Z’s through an atomic bomb detonation), I arrived in Agnes Water at 2:30am completely fecked and in need of a warm bed.

Upon first, bleary-eyed inspection, Southern Cross Backpackers looked quiet and deserted; sparse, and in the middle of bloody nowhere. However, looks and first perceptions can often be deceiving as I found the next day, to my delight, that this backpackers was the perfect little home from home.

The grounds were spacious with a huge pond and plenty of green space that assisted with the self-sufficient, sustainable way the hostel was run. There were lots of activities going on during the day to keep you occupied and if these didn’t take your fancy, a shuttle bus ran from the hostel to Agnes Water itself where you could walk the short distance to the beautiful beach or hop on another shuttle to go to the town of 1770 – a popular surfing spot.

I stayed here for two nights and on the Wednesday afternoon I took part in the hostel’s very own Scooteroo – a self-driven ride around 1770 and Agnes Water on scooters that are made to look like Harleys. Although it was a very enjoyable experience, I would advise any kind of motorbike enthusiast to avoid this tour – even though you can pretend you’re in the Hell’s Angel’s (fake tattoos, what what?!), the speeds at which you go are not exactly rapid. That said, the instructors were great and for beginners like myself it was pretty liberating (but not as liberating as hiring a moped in Bali, where clearly, they’ve never heard of health and safety regulations. Ever).

Thursday saw me take the second and final night bus (thank god) of my East Coast tour, down to a place called Noosa, my penultimate destination. Knowing how uncomfortable I was on the previous night bus, I attempted to get as drunk as I could in order to pass out and hopefully sleep through the nine hour journey, waking up just as the bus pulled into the depot. No such luck. First of all, one bottle of wine clearly isn’t enough to send me over the edge anymore, and secondly, the driver insisted on waking everyone up at 4:30am to get off the bus for a scheduled rest break. His rest break. Why he couldn’t have let those who were comatose stay like that, I’ll never know.

I arrived at Halse Lodge YHA in Noosa, grumpy and pissed off. However, and I say this with full enthusiasm, I was quickly brightened-up when, upon having to wait until 2pm to check-in, I went for a walk around the area of Noosa Heads, taking in the popular Hastings Street and of course, the beach. I was not disappointed. Noosa is really, really beautiful. There’s a huge national park and plenty of opportunity to shop, eat, drink, relax and take in the wonderful things that this part of Queensland has to offer.

I was only in Noosa for two full days and I really wish I’d had longer as the area is deceptively big and warrants more exploration than I could manage in my short stay. The one tour I was booked onto was a one-day canoeing trip down the Everglades. I don’t know what it is with me and trips that require negotiating water but yet again, the heavens opened and pneumonia-inducing weather accompanied us while we paddled our way down the river, trying not to let the torrential water dampen our hearty spirits.

The Everglades tour was top, despite the monsoon. And even though I’d contemplated giving the whole canoeing-in-the-rain thing a miss (I know what you’re thinking, I’m English, I should be able to handle rain, right? WRONG! It’s shit), I’m really, really glad I didn’t.

As my East Coast trip drew to an end, with one final stop (Brisbane) left before I was due to fly back to sunny, sunny Manchester (oh the sarcasm), I couldn’t help but think how lucky I was to have experienced so much in such a short space of time. The East Coast is truly beautiful; incredibly breath-taking and perfectly varied. It has ecosystems to delight any avid nature lover/green supporter/advocate of all things proper good, and it’s full of weird and wonderful places; places I didn’t even manage to step foot in. If the last two weeks hadn’t cemented just how amazing a country Australia is, then what I saw on my final day in Noosa topped it off.

On my last morning workout in Australia, as I was running along the beach, I noticed a group of people pointing and staring out at the ocean. I stopped running and walked over to join them, asking what it was they were looking at. To my sheer delight, just on the periphery of the beach nets that run along the shore, I saw it – a magnificent whale, splashing and swimming along, tail bobbing in and out of the water, without a care in the world. I was in gleeful awe.

I don’t think I’d ever seen a whale in the wild before, and despite still having old friends to visit in Brisbane and family to see on The Gold Coast, I couldn’t help but feel that witnessing that jaw-dropping natural occurrence was perhaps the perfect ending to what had been a rollercoaster journey; an amazingly thrilling, breathtakingly fabulous, eye-opening adventure.