Chelsea’s RTW Travel Log

Ahh… where to begin?  I suppose the kangaroo dancing video is a good place to start (see below).

We showed up somewhere above Noosa Heads, as we got lost in the middle of the night and ended up on a ferry to some remote island. We followed our Camps 4 guidebook to this campground that was completely deserted, yet full of roos! The campground made my skin crawl…It was pitch dark with hundreds of sites, one occupant, and kangeroos amongst the shadows… kind of cool and creepy at the same time.

We went to check-in at the ‘resort’ counter a kilometer up the road. There we found we could rent a dorm style accommodation with bunks and a kitchen. Since the place was virtually empty, we got our own cabin. I eventually found the kangeroos to be quite docile. They’re pretty tame in areas where they’re used to people. In fact, I saw a toddler go up to one and whack it upside the head… The roo did nothing.

One morning in our dorm, when I was trying to get Justin to dance to some hip hop with me, I had an unlikely dance partner. A kangeroo came straight up to the sliding glass door and watched me make a fool of myself. Now, you can too!  Check out my dancing debut:

 

The following day, we went horseback riding on the beach, an idyllic experience everyone should enjoy.

A couple days later, we arrived at Rainbow Beach, which is the cheapest place to catch the ferry to Fraser Island. We priced all of our options. At first, we were tempted by the $150 self drive for 3 days/2 nights with everything included. That is, until we discovered that we’d have to ride with 9 other hostelers in a Toyota Troop Carrier. In case you weren’t paying attention, that’s 11 people in an SUV 4×4 not much bigger than a Toyota Landcruiser.

Instead, we hired (rented) our own Troop Carrier for $145 a day from Greg and his sister, Jessica over at Adventure 4wd Centre. They were really courteous and helpful in helping us plan an itinerary and gave us all of the info we needed to camp on the beach and in the jungle. They even let us borrow a table and an esky (ice chest).

Away we went. Here are some of the photos

It doesn’t get much better than this… Champagne Pools, Fraser Island. A great spot for a quick dip.

Our Truck

Dingo - wild dog that roams the island

Lake Mckenzie

Up next, we headed to Airlie Beach, the gateway to the Whitsundays.  The Whitsundays are a group of 74 islands, which provide incredible scenery and diving opportunities. Way over budget already, we opted for the 3 day, 2 night dive boat trip with everything, but diving included. I’ve always wanted to go diving, but the bends and the possibility of an exploding lung have kept me snorkeling.

On the trip, there were 9 other passengers and 4 crew members. Justin and I got our own private room (ahem, bed) for $320 per person on yacht called Powerplay. The boat was a nice size for our group, had a hot tub, and a full time cook preparing all of our meals. The food was outstanding. It tasted like home. The thing is, they serve ‘chips’ with everything in Australia. So, you end up with french fries all the time, even with dinner entrees. Lola made everything from scratch… we had bbq chicken, veggie wraps, fish, nachos, sandwiches, and cheese plates. Obviously, it wasn’t anything fancy, but the food was better anything than anything we’ve had since we arrived.

Anyway, enough about the food.  I finally went scuba diving! It was awesome. I really trusted our dive instructor, Ricky, as he seemed confident he could keep us completely safe. It’s easy to dive in Australia since you don’t have to be open water certified. You can dive up to a depth of 15 meters as long as you’re with a PADI certified dive instructor. Justin and I went diving once, but quit after that because we’re heading to the Great Barrier Reef to some even clearer water.

Here are some pictures of our dive boat trip. The group was a great bunch. We had four Canadians, two girls from Eugene, OR (totally random) a couple Irish girls (yes, they got burnt), and an Italian bloke.

Today, we’re headed to Cairns, which is pronounced ‘Cans.’ We’re renting a room for a week or two at Abbey House, depending upon how we like the accommodation. It’s nice to be able to stay in one place longer than a few days, as it saves money and gives us time to catch up on blogs and do some work.

After Cairns, we’re flying to Bali on September 23rd. I am really excited about staying amongst the rice fields in Ubud, an artist community where sculptors and painters dwell. I am hoping to find some art to ship back to the States.

Oh, one last thing… WAHOOO for the U.S. Yesterday, we raided the ATM machines and cashed out at $1.23 AU per $1.00 US. That’s a 14% increase since we arrived.