En Route to The Great Barrier Reef...

May 20th-25th

Byron Bay to Fraser Island

Once again, it was time to hit the road.  I was heading north from Byron Bay to Hervey Bay which is located a bit North of Brisbane.  After a few hours on the Greyhound, our driver made the announcement that we were picking up some Passengers at Steve Irwin's " The Crocodile Hunter" Zoo.  It was dark and the zoo was closed, but I held a moment of silence for one of my fallen heroes.  

Once the bus got going again, that's when things got fantastic.  Our driver announced he was putting in a VHS and treating us to a movie!  Feel The Rhythm, Feel The Rhyme, It's Jamaican Bobsled Time!  Yup, It was incredible.  Ron our driver hit play and put Cool Runnings on the big (little) screen!  Incredible selection as far as I am concerned.  Oh, but there was more.  Because we had a million hours on the bus, we were treated to a double feature!! Anyone want to guess what the back end of the double header was??  " Now he is kissing her on the lips.  She's a Ho.  My dad has been captured by a Ho.  What am I going to do?"  I skipped the sappy quotes and went for the one that made me LOL and had everyone on the bus looking at me.  I had never seen Sleepless In Seattle in my life.  Loved it.  To answer the lingering question that is no doubt building up  in the minds of all you ladies out there… Yes, I'd be happy to bring the Sleepless VHS over and watch the film with you anytime.  Just say when.  Maybe if I have watch this flick about 20 times, some of Tom Hanks' and his sons' moves with the ladies will rub off on me.  I need all the help I can get.

When I arrived at my hostel in Hervey Bay, it was super late.  When I opened the door to my room, there was a 6ft Swedish model on the other side!  Miriam was her name.  Hatchy Matchy.  (2 days Later, I was walking out on a cliff over the ocean on Fraser Island and who showed up?? Miriam again! What are the chances? I think she likes me.)

After a few hours of listening to a crowd of Germans play techno beats until 4am, I grabbed a quick shower on no sleep and headed to the docks to catch my ferry to Fraser Island!  I decided to do a 3 day Safari of the only Sub Tropical Rain Forest on earth that is located on an island created completely out of sand!  Did you follow? This place is ridiculous!

Since being here, I have inadvertently swam with sharks!  no cage.  oops.  I have also trucked it through the rain forest, hiked across a desert, exfoliated my skin with the silica sand surrounding pristine fresh water lakes, and came nose to nose with a dingo.  Can someone please help me out and tell me where the following phrase came from?  " The Dingo Ate My Baby"  I have had this stuck in my head since arriving on island and have no clue what/where it is from.

If I was stuck on a tropical island and I could only have one thing with me, what would it be?  Not food.  Not water. I'd pick Elsa.  What's Elsa you ask?  Well, The Netherlands strikes again.  First in Costa Rica.  Now in Australia.  I have spent the last three days with another knockout from The Netherlands.  She came to nanny in Australia and is now stuck on an island with me.  Yes!  Lord knows she is probably complaining.  Lord knows I am not. 

During my final day on the island, I went for a few more hikes, explored a shipwreck from 1935, and sadly sad good bye to those that I did my exploring with.  I didn't want to leave.  Great times and great folks.

12 hours on the Greyhound later, I have arrived to Airlie Beach.  This is where I am scheduled to catch a catamaran of some sorts.  This skipper is going to live out at sea for the next few days.  I plan to tack and Jib?? (Frank/Butch/Broome etc) my way around the Whitsunday Islands.  Google this place.  It's amazing.  At least I know port, starboard, bow, and stern from my Clemson Crew days.  That should do the trick.  I am not worried.  All kidding aside, I'm fairly certain I will be fed to the sharks in no time.  I hope to at least scuba dive and snorkel a bit around the reefs before the Captain throws me overboard.

Time to hit you with some pictures.  Lets hope the internet that I am borrowing from the hostel I am NOT staying at, works.  

Cheers,

Mark/Chops

The Future Is No Place To Place Your Better Days.

Indian Head Lookout.  Fraser Island, Australia

Last Byron Bay Sunrise

Mrs. McInnes aka MAD DOG has a Surf Shop in Australia!  Hi Mrs. M!

This is a fresh water lake in the middle of a desert, in the middle of a rain forest, in the middle of an island off the coast of Australia.  Fraser Island!

Hot Sand.  Hot. Hot.  

Check out the three colors of the water!  So Cool.  I drank some.

Shipwreck on Fraser Island.  I forget the name of the boat but it was said to be the safest ship in the world until the Titanic.  Seems like this world needs better boat builders!

Trucking through the Rain Forest on Fraser Island

Holy Tree!

Fraser Island Sunset.

On Shark lookout 250 feet above the ocean!  The Frenchman who took my picture wouldn't get any closer to take the picture.  :( 

I was swimming here the day before.  Oops!  15 Feet from shore!

Looking for Anacondas. No Big Deal!