Fraser Island 4x4ing Trip

how are we doing today mate?

hope all is well at home. Ashton and I remain healthy and happy. we are still smiling from our trip to Fraser Island!! it was epic!

8 of us hopped into a 4 x 4 for a three day, two night execution on the undeveloped, untouched Island of paradise. we loaded up the 4 trucks at Arlie beach then took a ferry over to Fraser Island.

we lucked out with quite possibly the best group ever... a sweet Irish couple, (in the back seats),Tia, a soft-spoken Finish gal. Matt, a well travelled, guitar playing English guy (middle) and Gerry, a smart, hard living Irish dude... as well as Garth.. "cookie monster of the group". Garth, was hilarious, goofy, smart, kind, and full of everything good. actually, our whole group was just awesome. we drove the island with them, cooked meals together, watched sunsets together, played hours of volleyball, and partied together at night. I'm pretty sure I have more wrinkles and abs from all of the smiling and laughing I did.

Lake Wabby was our favourite. After a nice drive on the "highway" of pure sand and ocean, we walked up a 30 minute trail through forest. The top of the climb opened up to heaven. It was incredible.. we overlooked a valley of sand. Pure white sand as far as the eye could see.

 the sand was burning hot so we all ran down the sandy hill to the green clear water lake. Incredible!!

Along the way we spotted a 'dingo'. which look like underfed dogs. but don't be fooled. these animals live wild on the island and attack humans and wild life. we were warned to always travel in packs and be weary of these animals. never feed a dingo.(our campsite was fenced to keep dingos out). this dingo was spotted on the highway while we were safely in our truck.

.Maheno Shipwreck - washed ashore during a cyclone in 1935. It was once sold to Japan for spare parts, but a nasty storm brought it back to land where it remains. it once housed dolphins, sharks and fish, then it became target for military practice. and now it's an attraction full of history.

the first night was super fun. we played drinking games and chugged goon. (recall the boxed wine). followed by dancing at the wood shack, and a raving beach party. ohh fuun!

The next day we continued rocking out and singing along to tunes as we drove along the white sand highway, going 80 km and hour.

 

we chilled at Champagne Pools -bubbling ocean rock pools. they were refreshing and super neat. Matt had bought a ball and we played hours and hours of volleyball. 

Indian Head was a gorgeous look out point. (yes, the pictures are a bit illuminated), but they appear pretty accurate to real life colours. stunning views. despite the depressing history of this cliff, we enjoyed the views and even saw the shadow of a shark and of a sting ray.

Eli Creek - a great spot for a refreshing dip! Float down this fast-flowing freshwater creek - which pours out 80 megalitres of water daily - to the seaside

our second night was kick started by watched the sunset together on Valentines Day! aw!

  (I mean together, as in with our whole Fraser Island 'family')..an amazing aspect to Fraser Island is that there is No technology! which was super nice, as we entertained ourselves with music, volleyball, scenery, good food and excellent company.

the third day we encountered an area of high tide... but we trucked right on through. then we got off the sand highway and "off road-ed" through the forest and sand.

Final stop.. Lake McKenzie.  with its white sandy beaches and crystal clear waters, picture perfect Lake McKenzie is even prettier than the postcards.

 

In all, it was a fabulous trip. As you can see we had a superb time.

 

thanks for reading. hope our pictures bring you warmth !!

 

we are trekking onward and upward- to Arlie Beach for our Whitsunday Excursion. currently relaxing and checking out the sights in Agnes waters and 1770 (where and when Captain Cook first discovered Australia)

 

here is a quote to leave you with ;) 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Brisbane has the best Aussies ;)

Another rainy day in Byron bay.. Time To hit the road..onward and upward
Since we left early in the morning we had time to take a scenic detour and stopped to picnic and leisurely walk to the ocean in tweeds head.
Surfers paradise !

 A unique place...a nice strip of beach in front of a whack load of high risers. Unfortunately it was a windy cloudy day, so layin the beach wasn't really an option. We found the heart of surfers which is pretty much a low key Vegas. High rises, bars, clubs, restaurants, and tourist attractions. We could have kept busy but at a great price. Attractions here included.. Sea world, 7D cinemas, jet simulators, helicopter rides, sea do rentals, sky walk. Etc.. Pretty much overpriced touristy attractions that we can do at home, or any other place in the world. We soon discovered that Surfers is party central for 19 yr olds and Asians. Therefore we opted out of the walking pub crawls. Seems that backpackers either bypass surfers paradise or pay an expensive rate to stay in hostels and party at the clubs. Even the caravan site was overpriced. To much glitz and glam in this place. We ended up driving inland 20 minutes to a relaxing campsite on a creek,
We woke up to yet another cloudy day. Headed back into surfers .. stopping along the way at outlet stores. Brand name clothing half price. Seeing how Ashton's and I both overpacked, we have no room to buy more clothes. Ashton bought a pair of flip flops .
We headed into the central area and parked our van on a side street, then walked back to the "Vegas strip " to eat lunch and people watch.

Found an inland campsite at Jacobs well. A quant fisherman town. Our site was near the boat launch where all types of boats launched into the still water . We BBQ d up a feast and met our first possum. (Or according to the 3 yr old chasing it, it was a squirrel) ha ha.. A big squirrel
The next morning we treated ourselves to bacon and eegs for breaky. (After three weeks of muesli for breaky, it was a delicious change)

We hung out near the boat launch picnic tables and ended up visiting with a lady who's mom and dad lived in Moose Jaw. We traded stories and found out her phillipino husband lived in one oft he towns that we explored while in the phillipines. We had lots to talk about.

In the meantime Ashton was in contact with Anne and Sandy, Winnipeg friends. Anne is a nurse who is best friends with Marcella, Ashton's aunt. Anne is originally from Brisbane Australia so her and Sandy were here visiting her parents.

They graciously offered for us to come for a visit and a place to stay for the night.
We arrived at 2, perfect time for a visit and a swim. Then the neighbours came over and within no time, we had spent the day and evening visiting int he backyard,enjoying drinks and a delicious supper of steak,potatoes and salad. Good company. By night we had learned a lot about Brisbane,and Australia In General. From plants to fruits to animals and everything in between. We also heard many stories from the neighbours who had lived and worked in Dubai.

The next day we woke early to join Anne and Sandy on a walk through the are, then Sandy took us on a boat tour on the Brisbane river.really awesome day. Such nice people. If your reading this, thanks again. We are glad we met up with you and your parents. Great people.so generous and kind

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Byron Bay, Australia

Well hello hello friends and family.
How is home treating you? Thanks for reading our blog.
I know there's a lot of text and not a lot of pictures. (Sorry Jordan) hah a.. We've taken majority of pics on my camera so we can show you them when were home. For now you can google the places we've been and the sights we've seen. The only difference from google tour pics would be that Ashton and I are in each sight...and we look the same..maybe a bit chunkier and tanned, but your not missin much ;)



Alrighty, where were we.. Ah yes.. Coffs Harbour. Our last day was yet another hot, sunny day. A Sunday. Every Sunday there is a local market with live music, and booths set up. (Like the farmers market.. Even though I've never been to the farmers market in Saskatoon, I'm assuming they are the same)..our big purchases.. A large licorish (not grown, and not local,lol) but it went well with the local lemonade and ice tea. Then we walked down to the Jetty. (A Jetty is a big long dock for boats). At mid length of the jetty lots of kids were jumping off The sides, about a 5 metre height. Doesn't sound like much, but when your looking over the side into the ocean .. It is quite high. Jumping off the jetty is like the thing to do here. Your not cool until you make the big jump. Ashton went first and gave me the go ahead. I did it! It wasn't until after I jumped that Ashton said "wow, that was higher than I thought and quite an adrenaline rush".. No way that would be allowed at home. Hah a.. Needless to say I could not muster up the courage to jump again, after knowing how high it was and how much salt water gets up your nose. Ashton jumped a second time and was draining salt out of his nose a day later. Ha ha.. He had fun! And my jump was also fun.. So now we can save we have jumped off the jetty. We are cool now.
We spent the afternoon stand up paddle boarding on the creek. It was nice! SomewhAt challenging.. Some might even call it a work out ;)

Late afternoon we showered, ate and took off... On ward and upward.. Destination Byron bay.. Our plan was to drive until we needed a break. There were 4 campgrounds on our map between Coffs and Byron. Bbuuut due to the highway construction, these campgrounds were all unavailable.. It was getting dark and ashton was tired so we pulled over onto a rest stop on the side of the highway. Just before it started to pour. Good timing... The donkey kept us dry, while we enjoyed some cider. (We've decided to become cider drinkers when we get home..so yummy.) any hoodles we set up camp and decided to sleep and get up early to keep driving. Well it was loud night. Semis drove all night long= Chelsey no sleep.
Now it's Monday morning, Super Bowl morning. Ashton's mission- find a sports bar to watch the game. We made it to Byron bay 10 minutes after kick off and watched the game at 11 am ...the sports bar was displaying the game on three big screens and the place was packed with football fans.
After the game we went to a travel agent and booked two big exertions here in Australia... Fraser Island and white Sundays. I'll describe them when we actually do them In a week or so...should be a guaranteed amazingly time.
Then the lack of sleep caught up to me and I was out of commission. I spent the next couple hours with an ice towel on my head and a booming headache trying to sleep, while Ashton walked around Byron Bay finding us accommodation.
We parked at the arts factory hostel a short walk from the hub of Byron .. Super cool grounds. Google it.
Byron bay is a hippie town.. Full of restaurants, shops and beach. We should have ditched our sandals to fit in.



We sunbathed and swam as well as trekked 4 km to the Byron bay lighthouse. Nice hike. Along the way we stopped at the most eastern point of Australia. once we reached the top we had magnificent views. As exciting as light houses are we were quite intrigued so decided to take a tour.. We were 10 minutes too late. The tours had ended for the day. Back to the arts factory hostel we went. We made a feast and watched the weekly talent show. Amazing. From dancing to guitars to didgeridoo to beat boxing, we were fully entertained. Ashton even did a solo! ...just kiddin...

After waking up to a cloudy day we decided to limber up with a morning walk to the light house. Just as we made it to the top, it began to rain. We escaped the rain by taking a tour of the lighthouse. Guided by local volunteers. Basically three lighthouse keepers would rotate off with watching the waters. Family lived in a nearby house. Pretty lonely lifestyle as the keepers kept watched 24 7 and relied on incoming boats to bring their families Supplies to survive. If it was stormy and the boats
couldn't make it through the water, the family would have no food for the week. A tiny lightbulb was in the centre of a rotating glass that shone out to the ocean to lead ships inland and to alert sailors of rocks or dangers in the water. They would shine the red light which meant danger, redirect your boat or else....

After the tour we were caught up in the rain and time we walked the 2 km back to our hostel we looked like drowned rats. It was a warm rain, but still.. Very wet
Movie night! Our hostel was attached to the local Byron bay theatre.. 8 rows of pews and a big screen. We watched "the secret life of Walter minny'. An inspirational travel film.

Sydney & Coffs Harbour, Australia

G'day! How are ya going? (Yes,that's Aussies slang..and we're still not sure how to respond) Sorry to disappoint, but this blog is not nearly as entertaining as the last.  Currently we are enjoying a mid day break in the shade, sipping vanilla coke on a hot, (35*) sunny day. (Sidebar: Can we still buy vanilla cokes in stoon? Ohh remember the cherry cokes? Mmm ..) We are nicely settled into a hostel at Coffs Harbour, which is a really active little city. Our camper van is parked in the lot beside the "Aussitel" hostel. We pay half price to use all of the hostel facilities while continuing to sleep in the ole Donkey Van. This hostel is super cool, as it's small, Clean, comfortable and full of great people. It has a pool and a shed full of kayaks, canoes, boogie boards, surf boards , tennis rackets etc. that are rented out for free.

  A DRIVE-THRU liquor store??!!

Strolling around Coffs Harbour

Let's go back to where we left off... Bobs mansion..uh yes... We left Wollongong feeling refreshed and ready for the big city. thank goodness for gps which helped Ashton navigate around Sydney to the outskirts where we parked our van. To get to the Sydney opera house (in the central business area) It was a 10 minute walk from our site to the tram station, then 30 minutes on the tram to reach our final destination. The central harbour was our starting spot for our three days in Sydney.

  Day one we took extra time to figure out the tram station and waltz around the Sydney opera house taking in all the excitement. Three weddings were taking place, street performers were in full swing, tennis was playing on a jumbo tv, ferries, trams and buses were bustling, there were all kinds of people everywhere, restaurants and pubs lined the harbour and cameras were clickin away. We found the heart of Sydney and enjoyed people watching while sippin back a Beer on the harbour. Sydney is really spectacular. It is modern, clean, lively, wealthy and unique. From the sights to shops, to parks to clubs to beaches there's a little something for everyone.

Day two was Australia Day!!

January 26th. We were fortunate to be in Sydney onAustralia Day.it was crazy!!

We left our campsite on foot at 10 and didn't arrive home until 11 pm.. We watched Paratroopers, and a ship parade at the harbour. As well , we enjoyed a free BBQ and band. We took a break and laid in Hyde park, as well as took In the excitement on darling harbour and ate out at pub in the central business area. There were tons of people! And lots of kids partaking in the day. The best part of the day were the fireworks!!

By far the best light show/firework show I've ever seen. It was never ending and bright and loud and extreme style. Excellent way to end the day.

Day three we woke up with sore legs, hips, knees, wow we were pooped out, but the fun can't end. So we headed back into central Sydney and bought a transportation multipass to be used for ferry, tram, and bus all day anywhere in the city.

We ferried over to Manly. Which I really enjoyed. It was a tiny island that had two main beAches.. A wavy one and a calm one. We soaked up rays at both, then stopped in at an Iga to pick up picnic food. Later in the afternoon we went to the famous Bondi Beach.

 Defiantly the hot spot for hotties. ;) it was shoulder to shoulder packed on the beach, the waves were fun and the boardwalk behind the each led to shops and restaurants. There was also an outdoor gym full of boys pumping iron... (I'm slightly embarrassed because yes, I did take a couple glances their way, until I tripped on the pavement) smooth , hah a.. 

We bought a six pack and sat on the hill with a few locals to enjoy sunset. In all, Sydney was a super dynamic city and defiantly a cool place to live., lonely planet describes it as sun kissed, sophisticated and supremely self confident. however, being from small city Saskatoon, we began to find the amount of people and big city routine sort if overwhelming. The metro system was great, but I'd prefer to hop in my car and be across Saskatoon in 20 minutes ..hah a.. 

Onward and upward we go We decided to go inland to check out the famous blue mountain national park...

This is a region with gorges, valleys and mountains literally with a blue haze encircling them. The slate coloured haze comes from a fine mist of oil exuded by the huge eucalyptus gums that form a dense canopy across the landscape.

What a beautiful sight. Our pictures don't do it justice. ..

Also inland was the Hunter valleys, known for their wineries. ;) 150 wineries!

 So Ashton was my designated driver while I sampled out a few different wineries. Shiraz, Chardonnay and moscato are their top wines. Let's just say Aussies are generous with their wine sampling! Hah a.. Yum.. We ended up buying a bottle of moscato and some fine cheese to have our own picnic back at our campsite.

After sleeping in a grungy make shift campground, we got back on the road and headed for Coffs Harbour .
We are currently in Coffs and really enjoying it. Since being here we have taken out the kayak on the nearby river and strolled along ending in the ocean. Super nice, but as the tide rolled out the creek became even more shallow and we spent more time walking in the creek then kayaking the creek on the way home! Hah a.. Thank goodness we didn't meet any ill creatures in the creek. We also checked out the botanical gardens.. A relaxing and beautiful attraction... Saw lots of pretty flowers. Met a couple from Winnipeg. We asked if they knew any of our cousins/friends, but no luck,, In the evening we started drinking our box of wine and soon made friends with a couple from England& Scotland. People soon informed us we were drinking "posh goon"... Goon is what Aussies call the box of wine. And posh is actual expensive wine. ($14) hah a.. So we got a little "gooned", and headed out with a group of hostel workers and the Couple. We went to a sports bar which had a Live band rocking out. We danced, visited and had some good laughs. The bar had a built in breathalyzer and by 2 am the four of us were all deemed "dangerous and hazards to the road. " lol... Good thing we cabbed. Then we tried to hit up a dance club but arrived ten minutes after they shut the door. Here in Australia they have a law that all bars must shut their doors at midnight. They stay open until 2 or 3, but no one is allowed to enter past midnight. Good times The next day we rented boogie boards and hit up the waves in the ocean. Next step ..surfing.. But for now were ok with boogie boards. Lots of fun.  So that about sums it up for the past week.. Make sure to google some of the places we've mentioned to get a god visual. Hope all is good at home. Love ac zunti.hah a