The generator started at 5:30, which woke the whole boat. The three of us got up and went up on deck. Andy was preparing breakfast, we could smell the toast. We had cereal, fruit and toast for breakfast. Then everyone started to prepare themselves for their dive. The first was at 7am, which was the Belgium, then 4 French, 3 Canadians and then Hannah and Emma around 9am. Hannah was glad it was just her and Emma, as Emma was pooing her pants a little (Hannah a little too).
I went out snorkeling before the girls as they prepared themselves. Brent picked the girls up in the dingy and dropped them off near me for a bit of snorkeling before their dive. At first the girls didn't want to get in. Brent kept a check on us to make sure we were OK. Then in, we saw lots of different corals: marsh mellow, brain and fan, a blue spotted lagoon ray and lots of different coloured fish. No Nemo yet!
Brent came back to collect us after about 20 minutes. The girls put on their tanks and stuff and off they went after a few tests. They got off the dingy in shallow waters but Hannah said she didn't want to roll off backwards. She was told to breath slow and then back she went. Her mask came off. she swallowed loads of water, a bit of a bad start. They did some tests in the shallow water and she went under water and said she started to panic. They were on there knees with Dave and one of the tests was to take their regulators out of their mouths, fill their mouth with water and then put the regulators back in and blow the water out. While under water Emma went to the surface to get water out of her mask as she had let water fill it. Hannah surfaced as she was a little scared. They were both having a few problem with the breathing through a regulator. Dave was really good and talked the m through what they had to do. He talked to them about what to do if they had problems and off they went for a scuba-snorkel. He held their hands as he took them, they saw lots of coral and fish. When it was time to surface Hannah didn't want to as she was having too much fun. Brent through them a line then had to hold as he dragged them back to the boat, the girls swallowed yet more sea.
The girls said it was good to be back on the boat and said they would stick to snorkeling, as they preferred that. But they did say they had a fantastic time and with a little more time would try it again.
After some cake and a cup of tea we sailed out to the Outer Reef, our land mark "Bait Reef". It was a beautiful day, the sun was out and the sea was still. After lunch we were all talking and Hannah saw a whale. She shouted out as Brent had told us to if we saw one, but when everyone looked it had gone. Then two hump back whales swam right in front of the boat ( about 15meters away). You could see them really well, but by the time we all had cameras out the photo didn't do it justice. We saw loads of whales during the day, we arrived at the reef and got ready for a snorkel. As we were just about to jump in the water, Albert a great tully fish swam around the back of the boat. It was about 1 meter long, blue with big blue eyes. Andy told us to stroke it as he liked it, but the girls were too scared. The girls got in to the water and held hands as they swam, I joined them, we saw a trumpet fish, like the one in Finding Nemo. I saw a turtle. We all got back to the boat and Hannah and I went out again in the dingy. Brent dropped us off and we let the current take us back to the boat. We saw some really bright big fish, a blue sea star, huge clams about a meter wide and lots of different coral. The most amazing bit was listening to the whales talking under the water. As we got back to the boat we could see Albert swimming around the boat. Hannah said she saw a shark and Brent told her it was a "white tip" not a shark, but there was two of them.
We chilled out and had beer, with spag bol and garlic bread for dinner. After dinner we watched the sun set over the water. As the sun was on the horizon, two whales were splashing around and swam just in front of the sunset (beautiful) Brent said it looked like mum and baby. It was amazing to watch as they swam along the rim of the reef in front of us. That night we watched more photos of the day. Then we saw a boat pull up in the darkness. Brent went over to investigate in the dingy and it looked like they were fishing. This is not allowed in this area of the reef. Brent said he was going to keep a check on them all night and report them if it carried on. We sat and had a few beers, talked about the stars, had a chat with Andy and Brent, then went to bed for an early start tomorrow.
Wednesday 29 August 2007
Start of the Whitsundays 27th July 2007
Jason took us to the harbour and showed us where to wait for our crew for our 3 day and 2 nights at sea. We were met by Diver Dave and taken to the boat. Then met our captain, Brent and our chef, Andy. Then we met the owners of the boat, who told us a few things about their boat. Things to do and not to do. After the safety briefing and shown to our dunks, we set sail.
The weather wasn't the best for sailing, but it was warm and the sun kept peeking through the clouds. We went through a few things for our free dive, which we were doing the next morning. I spoke with Dave about diving and again found due to my asthma i couldn't dive, but i new this already. So the girls would do it for me and let me know how it was. I planned on doing a lot of snorkeling over the next couple of days anyway.
We sat and relaxed and had a great lunch on the boat, before stopping at Whitsunday island. We got in the dingy and we taken to WhiteHaven Beach. The was beautiful, the water was crystal clear and the sand was the softest we ever felt, anywhere. It was like paradise, in every way, shape and form. The sun came out as we relaxed on the beach. Dave started getting us all up for photos and taking some funny ones, for a CD of our trip. We walked up to the look out called Hill Inlet, which had great views looking over the bay. We walked back down to a different beach (this one had pebbles and rocks) and waited for the dingy to collect us and take us back to the boat. When we got back there was a big plate of nibbles waiting for us and a barrel which was steaming a special surprise for dinner.
We sailed around to a place called Caterang Bay this is where we moored the boat and will be snorkeling tomorrow. We sorted out our wetsuits, stinger suits and snorkeling gear.
We had a great dinner with lots of veg that had been steamed with a huge amount of Lamb. The boat should have had 14 people but there was only 12 of us but with enough food for a full house. After dinner we watched a slide show of all the photo's that had been taken that day. We had a few beers, but when it got to 9pm everyone was getting ready for bed. We didn't feel ready to go to bed but felt we had to. We shared the back of the boat with a French couple and Emma.
The weather wasn't the best for sailing, but it was warm and the sun kept peeking through the clouds. We went through a few things for our free dive, which we were doing the next morning. I spoke with Dave about diving and again found due to my asthma i couldn't dive, but i new this already. So the girls would do it for me and let me know how it was. I planned on doing a lot of snorkeling over the next couple of days anyway.
We sat and relaxed and had a great lunch on the boat, before stopping at Whitsunday island. We got in the dingy and we taken to WhiteHaven Beach. The was beautiful, the water was crystal clear and the sand was the softest we ever felt, anywhere. It was like paradise, in every way, shape and form. The sun came out as we relaxed on the beach. Dave started getting us all up for photos and taking some funny ones, for a CD of our trip. We walked up to the look out called Hill Inlet, which had great views looking over the bay. We walked back down to a different beach (this one had pebbles and rocks) and waited for the dingy to collect us and take us back to the boat. When we got back there was a big plate of nibbles waiting for us and a barrel which was steaming a special surprise for dinner.
We sailed around to a place called Caterang Bay this is where we moored the boat and will be snorkeling tomorrow. We sorted out our wetsuits, stinger suits and snorkeling gear.
We had a great dinner with lots of veg that had been steamed with a huge amount of Lamb. The boat should have had 14 people but there was only 12 of us but with enough food for a full house. After dinner we watched a slide show of all the photo's that had been taken that day. We had a few beers, but when it got to 9pm everyone was getting ready for bed. We didn't feel ready to go to bed but felt we had to. We shared the back of the boat with a French couple and Emma.
Arrival in Airlie Beach 26th July 2007
We talked last night about our plans and decided we would come back to Mission Beach to to the Tully river rafting. So off to Airlie beach. We were all looking forward to Sailing the Whitsundays, just as we were about to set off, Hannah and I smelt burn. In the back of the camper the light was smoking so we ran and turned of the power and the light switch. We found that the bulb had cracked and caused a small fire in the light ( Fantastic!).
We played games along the way, like the name game (we spent over 3 hours playing it). We topped for beers along the way and arrived in Airlie Beach at about 6pm, where meet Jason and Dad at Flametree Camp site (they were the owners). We talked to them about sailing around the islands and they asked us what we were looking for. After ages of um's and r's we picked the Kiana, which had a free drive, sailed the island and out to the outer reef. It was a smaller boat with only 14 people, which is why we chose this one.
After dinner and a beer we were all excited about the morning and went to bed, as we had to be up at 6:15am. We had to be on the boat for 7:30am.
We played games along the way, like the name game (we spent over 3 hours playing it). We topped for beers along the way and arrived in Airlie Beach at about 6pm, where meet Jason and Dad at Flametree Camp site (they were the owners). We talked to them about sailing around the islands and they asked us what we were looking for. After ages of um's and r's we picked the Kiana, which had a free drive, sailed the island and out to the outer reef. It was a smaller boat with only 14 people, which is why we chose this one.
After dinner and a beer we were all excited about the morning and went to bed, as we had to be up at 6:15am. We had to be on the boat for 7:30am.
Collect our camper 25th July 2007
We got up early to take the car back for 08:30. When we got there we had forgot to fill up the tank. So off we went in search of a petrol station. When we got back it was a different guy, not the owner. We told him about the crack and he had a look. We told him that it wasn't our fault and the chip was there when we picked the car up, even though it wasn't. Our excess was 500$, but with our magic we ended up only paying 100$. Fantastic!!
We checked out of the backpackers and rang about picking up our camper. They said it wouldn't be ready until about 2pm. so we had to hang out at the backpackers pool and TV area. We rang and sorted out our insurance, which we think was pretty cheap compared with the UK. We collected the camper and went food shopping. Spent over 150$ on the things we needed and off we went on our first big drive.
Our plan was to reach Airlie Beach, but because of the late start, we only got to Mission Beach. We arrived after 6pm and most of the camp sites were closed. We found one in South mission and hooked up the power for our first night. We got chatting to our neighbours that were really nice and maybe a little drunk. We tried to cook our first meal and the man who had sold the camper didn't tell us we had no gas. So our neighbours told us about the camp kitchen with all the things we needed. So Hannah cooked her special Hannah surprise ( a really nice Thai style curry).
We checked out of the backpackers and rang about picking up our camper. They said it wouldn't be ready until about 2pm. so we had to hang out at the backpackers pool and TV area. We rang and sorted out our insurance, which we think was pretty cheap compared with the UK. We collected the camper and went food shopping. Spent over 150$ on the things we needed and off we went on our first big drive.
Our plan was to reach Airlie Beach, but because of the late start, we only got to Mission Beach. We arrived after 6pm and most of the camp sites were closed. We found one in South mission and hooked up the power for our first night. We got chatting to our neighbours that were really nice and maybe a little drunk. We tried to cook our first meal and the man who had sold the camper didn't tell us we had no gas. So our neighbours told us about the camp kitchen with all the things we needed. So Hannah cooked her special Hannah surprise ( a really nice Thai style curry).
Tuesday 28 August 2007
Lazy day 24th July 2007
We walked into Cairns and got rained on and went in search of UGG boats for Emma. We had some lunch and then went back to the hostel. Hannah had a little sleep, Emma did some sunbathing and I went f or a swim in the pool. We got dressed and went out for some cheap food, as the hostel was having a Christmas party (how strange in the middle of July) we didn't feel very festive so went into Cairns and had Chinese and a stroll around the night market. We had all eaten too much but could just fit a a little ice cream or sorbet. It was yummy!!! We called it a night and went to bed.
Pivate beach and Kuranda 23rd July 2007
We drove from Port Douglas a little way and found a stretch of empty beach. We decided to get some colour and parked the car. The beach stretched for miles and with the sun shining, it was perfect. The girls sunbathed and I went for a walk. The girls got smaller and smaller as I walked. I found some cliffs and caves on the beach. Got some shells and walked back to the girls. Later on I found out they had been a bit worried at one point because they couldn't see me and I 'd been gone ages. As I got to the spot where they were sunbathing the weather changed in a split of a second and rain hammered down, sand blew into our faces and stuck to us everywhere. We ran to the car and when we reached it, the rain stopped and the sun came back out (that's the tropics for you).
We drove up to Kuranda in search of pie (guide book says this is the best place in Queensland for pies). We arrived late in the afternoon and ran to the pie shop because we were starving. We had a look around the shops, they were like market stalls with loads of different stuff. Then we drove a little further along through a small rain forest and walked along to a lookout of Barron Gorge. The view was amazing the river was crashing down to the bottom, it was a real wow factor thing. We watched as the train came in and saw millions of Japanese run off with the cameras to get the photo of the gorge before the train left with them again. As this happened it started to rain again, so we moved back to the car. The crack in the windscreen had grown some more, it was about 15cm long. No need to worry we have a plan. Drove back to Cairns and ended up staying in the same backpackers as before.
We drove up to Kuranda in search of pie (guide book says this is the best place in Queensland for pies). We arrived late in the afternoon and ran to the pie shop because we were starving. We had a look around the shops, they were like market stalls with loads of different stuff. Then we drove a little further along through a small rain forest and walked along to a lookout of Barron Gorge. The view was amazing the river was crashing down to the bottom, it was a real wow factor thing. We watched as the train came in and saw millions of Japanese run off with the cameras to get the photo of the gorge before the train left with them again. As this happened it started to rain again, so we moved back to the car. The crack in the windscreen had grown some more, it was about 15cm long. No need to worry we have a plan. Drove back to Cairns and ended up staying in the same backpackers as before.
Tree top rain forest walk and Mossman Gorge 22nd July 2007
Had breakfast on the balcony this morning, nice and relaxing in the forest. We got to the Tree top rain forest walk soon after. This is where you walk and follow a board walk path on the ground and climb steps and walk above the tree. There are information points and guide books to tell you, everything you were looking at and how old they are or what kind of animals are round. We learnt about Cassowaries, Crocs, Spiders and snakes(those to stay away from). We started to play in the forest winding each other up. I was throwing stones into the bushes in front of the girls and saying its an animal or something. Then Hannah and Emma joined in by making one another jump.
We stopped at Mossman gorge, had an ice cream and walked to the swimming area were there was a lot of families swimming. We walked to the suspension bridge and into the forest. We climbed rocks next to the river and took some good and funny photos of each other.
The afternoon we spent in Port Douglas and had a late lunch before finding somewhere to stay. We stayed in a backpackers called the "ParrotFish", walked round town and looked at the beach. In our room were 2 bunks and bathroom. One bed was already taken, their stuff was there but they weren't. We wanted to know who it was, it could have been a crazy person or a weirdo or something. So Emma decided to look at the tags on the luggage to give us an idea. It said Tamoko, we decided they were male and from Japan.
We had a beer at the backpackers and decided to go out on the town. It was a public holiday but only in Port Douglas and nowhere else in Oz (really strange that). Port Douglas was busy we stopped at a bar with a musician/singer. Which was really good. Then on to an Irish bar. In there I got a beer and the girls got a bottle of wine. We sat at a table and we started playing board games that we next to us. Feeling a little drunk we started home. By the pool we had a few more beers. The girls found a hamac and climbed in. Hannah first then Emma. Got some nice photos and we chatted about anything and everything, then went to the room still no room mate. Emma didn't want to go to bed as she thought there were 300 people downstairs in the bar (More like 3 people). See sat on Hannah bed, after wanting to stay up partying and within minutes she was asleep.
Middle of the morning: Hannah wakes me up and said "he's having a shower". It turned out that Tamoko had got back woke Hannah up coming back. Then he decided to have a shower, its about 4am(how rude is this guy). Emma didn't hear a thing. We got our own back the next morning as we got up and got ready to leave. We woke him up and he didn't look too happy as it was 8am. (ha ha)
We stopped at Mossman gorge, had an ice cream and walked to the swimming area were there was a lot of families swimming. We walked to the suspension bridge and into the forest. We climbed rocks next to the river and took some good and funny photos of each other.
The afternoon we spent in Port Douglas and had a late lunch before finding somewhere to stay. We stayed in a backpackers called the "ParrotFish", walked round town and looked at the beach. In our room were 2 bunks and bathroom. One bed was already taken, their stuff was there but they weren't. We wanted to know who it was, it could have been a crazy person or a weirdo or something. So Emma decided to look at the tags on the luggage to give us an idea. It said Tamoko, we decided they were male and from Japan.
We had a beer at the backpackers and decided to go out on the town. It was a public holiday but only in Port Douglas and nowhere else in Oz (really strange that). Port Douglas was busy we stopped at a bar with a musician/singer. Which was really good. Then on to an Irish bar. In there I got a beer and the girls got a bottle of wine. We sat at a table and we started playing board games that we next to us. Feeling a little drunk we started home. By the pool we had a few more beers. The girls found a hamac and climbed in. Hannah first then Emma. Got some nice photos and we chatted about anything and everything, then went to the room still no room mate. Emma didn't want to go to bed as she thought there were 300 people downstairs in the bar (More like 3 people). See sat on Hannah bed, after wanting to stay up partying and within minutes she was asleep.
Middle of the morning: Hannah wakes me up and said "he's having a shower". It turned out that Tamoko had got back woke Hannah up coming back. Then he decided to have a shower, its about 4am(how rude is this guy). Emma didn't hear a thing. We got our own back the next morning as we got up and got ready to leave. We woke him up and he didn't look too happy as it was 8am. (ha ha)
To Daintree and Cape Tribulation 21st July 2007
We got up, got ready and had some breakfast and headed out towards the Daintree. We we're all excited and the car was full of stuff. About 2 hours into our journey we heard a loud bang on the windscreen as a camper van coming the other way had thrown a stone up from its wheels. When we stopped Hannah saw a crack in the windscreen about 4cm in legth. So a good start to our adventures in to the rainforest. We got a ferry over a river to get to Cape Tribulation, its was exciting and took about 5 minutes and then there we were in the oldest rainforest in the world. It was spectacular and we spent the afternoon looking aroiund and trying to find somewhere to stay.
One looked like shed in the forest and you shared the showers with bugs and anything else out there. We decided to get out of there as soon possible. We found a place called Deep Forest Lodge and its looked great. We had our own balcony, BBQ and porch swing. It was a self contained cottage type place in the middle of the rain forest. So we decided to have a BBQ for our dinner that night and of course a few beers.
We went for a walk along the beach, where the forest meets the sea, we started looking for coconuts, but couldn't find any.
At our lodge we put the BBQ on and drank some beers and the girls chilled out on the porch swing. We sat there all night chatting, eating and drinking. The barbie was good and later when it was dark the neighbours came home and Emma saw a black and white possum in the bushes in front of us!! A little later the neighbours puppy escape and came to say hello and Emma thought it was the possum, but Hannah said it was a puppy and we laugh coz that must have been what Emma saw earlier. (the puppy was small and black and white). We planned to going walking in the forest after a few beers, but when we turned the lights off, it was pitch black. The blackest we ever seen, we couldn't even see each other. So we decided not to go and had another beer.
One looked like shed in the forest and you shared the showers with bugs and anything else out there. We decided to get out of there as soon possible. We found a place called Deep Forest Lodge and its looked great. We had our own balcony, BBQ and porch swing. It was a self contained cottage type place in the middle of the rain forest. So we decided to have a BBQ for our dinner that night and of course a few beers.
We went for a walk along the beach, where the forest meets the sea, we started looking for coconuts, but couldn't find any.
At our lodge we put the BBQ on and drank some beers and the girls chilled out on the porch swing. We sat there all night chatting, eating and drinking. The barbie was good and later when it was dark the neighbours came home and Emma saw a black and white possum in the bushes in front of us!! A little later the neighbours puppy escape and came to say hello and Emma thought it was the possum, but Hannah said it was a puppy and we laugh coz that must have been what Emma saw earlier. (the puppy was small and black and white). We planned to going walking in the forest after a few beers, but when we turned the lights off, it was pitch black. The blackest we ever seen, we couldn't even see each other. So we decided not to go and had another beer.
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