November 1998

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Sunday 1 November 1998

Monday 2 November 1998

Tuesday 3 November 1998

Wednesday 4 November 1998

Thursday 5 November 1998

Friday 6 November 1998

Although the Berry Street Tavern was on the official plan, a splinter group formed (of which I was part) and went straight to The Commodore for the kick off. Pretty cool place on Blues Point Road which would have been excellent in the sun as it has a nice outside seating area, still at least the rain that had been falling most of the day had gone and the weather was now only a little overcast.

After a relaxing few bevies here, caught the ferry to Balmain from Blues Point, jumped on the waiting bus to take us to the Monkey Bar.

EDS PC IV delegates... at the Milsons Point wharf.

Had a food break before entering the Monkey bar at somewhere other than Macca's (wow - another PC first!) and sampled the excellent burgers at Fundamental Food (yum!). Kim showed up to join the crawl here, before we moved on to the Exchange and then Lime bar.

In the Lime Bar, another drunken photo opportunity.

Now... by this point in the proceedings (2am) most people begin to wonder off and the plan usually falls apart - not tonight though, or at least for the determined few. Steve, Winston and I were the last survivors making it all the way to La Campana (Latin American/Spanish type of club in the city) after the other's dropped by the wayside and Kim ended up staggering off home to stay at Scott and Rachel's.

It was a little unfortunate that we didn't actually stay here that long, but it was good to complete the course for once.

Saturday 7 November 1998

Sunday 8 November 1998

Monday 9 November 1998

Tuesday 10 - Thursday 12 November 1998

Friday 13 November 1998

We sat outside and watched lightning strike to the west (unusual as it was still daylight, but this looked pretty cool against the blue sky behind) as we ate. Luckily the rain didn't get as far as North Sydney and we didn't need to cover we were seated under. Can't say I was that impressed with the grub here though as we ate from the banquet menu, and although it was tasty enough I don't think there was really the quantity we deserved.

Wondered back to the Berry with John (Egan) to meet up with a couple of his pals (and take in more drinks) before moving to the City. Made a b-line for the CBD, and then moved on to the Slip Inn. A bit disappointed not to find anyone else (who, it turns out were having a really good time in Legends) finished up around midnight and headed home. Just as well really, as by then the mixture of beer, cocktails, bourbon, beer, wine, bourbon and more beer was beginning to make itself felt.

Saturday 14 November 1998

Did a bit of shopping, played squash and then had a leisurely evening at home to rest up for Sunday's activities.

Sunday 15 November 1998

The competition was meant to be between five sides, but luckily (lucky, as I think one more game would have been the end of all concerned) only four ended up playing in the round robin phase. The end of this saw the Optus Account team floundering in third place, despite the two wins and only one loss. If only we'd realised the female rule - include a girlie in your side and receive a one goal adjustment to your score. Pah... and hence we're third.

Without the female rule we'd have been playing the number one team for outright honours, but as things stood the final match was between third and fourth, for the wooden spoon. Obviously not too bothered about this we took it easy (or was this due to the total exhaustion of the previous games - all played in a full size pitch, albeit for just 20 minutes a side?) and left the field triumphant winners of the spoon!

Very tired so got a ride home then went over to the park and relaxed in the sun for a while before crashing out early due to all the exertion.

Monday 16 - Thursday 19 November 1998

	At last... the weather in Sydney started to improve. The sight from our unit over to Milsons Park was very nice, due to all the Jacaranda trees blooming down there. This shot of them was taken from down in the park as I walked to work (don't normally go this way, but seemed like a nice detour to take).
	Another shot taken in Milsons Park at this colourful time of year.

Did absolutely nothing this week, however when Thursday came round it was time for another game of squash...

C10 quarter finals at Totem Squash, against Riverview again. We took a commanding lead to leave me (playing last as usual, and starting around 11pm) requiring just one game to go through to the next round. It was all over after I won the first, but finished the match to take a 3-1 victory. Feels good, but the shame is I shall be away for the next two weeks so will miss the semi and grand final.

Friday 20 November 1998

Damn... having decided that there was no more drinking to be had tonight, found myself in the 3am zone (no cabs to be found - shift changeover) and having to walk home - again! Lucky it was a nice night at it only takes half an hour tops.

Saturday 21 November 1998

Didn't do much in the evening though, as rest for the upcoming trip was required, and the relaxing afternoon had sort of lulled us into a sleepy mood.

Sunday 22 November 1998

Well, it was a pretty standard machine really, but bigger than I'm used to driving. This was a very basic model Toyota Landcruiser, but not many Ks on the clock and Britz (the rental agency) were willing to let us take it anywhere. Strange as it may seem this was pretty hard to find as most firms would not let you take their 4WD vehicles to Fraser Island, onto beaches, or off road. This begs the question, what the hell do they think you were hiring one for!?

We could tell the Palace was going to be a bit wild when first entering the bar at 5pm. Lured initially by the for $5 BBQ, but also the cheap beer it was hard not to be put off by the smell of chunder lingering from the previous night. Those in the know though, realise this means a wild night ahead (like, bars with this smell are rarely quiet, are they?)! Had some beers with our BBQ then wondered round town for a while visiting Gilhooly's, Her Majesty's (where we arranged to meet Yvette, but was actually closed), O'Mally's (yet another Irish bar where we did meet Yvette in the end), the Treasury Casino and The Victory (very cool place, with a pretty decedent band playing to boot).

The pubs came thick and fast on our whistle stop tour, but in we had to draw the drinking to a close (for now) after being refused entry to the Adrenaline Bar & PJ's. What? They thought we looked too much like backpackers or something! Still, Yvette was undeterred and took us on a midnight driving tour of her fair city - up to the lookout, past the XXXX brewery, through The Valley (Brisbane's red light zone) and past her place.

After all this it was back to the hostel and the dodgy chunder bar where things were getting a bit lively, well, until 2am when they closed and we got thrown out anyhow.

Monday 23 November 1998

Being a bit sluggish from the previous night we took quiet a while to get organised. The information desk in the Palace was very useful and booked us up some accommodation on Fraser Island, was also handy to find that the government place to get permits to drive there was just across the road. Picked that up and took in some of the sights of Brisbane while on the way to collect the car from it's overnight parking location.

	Brisbane Town Hall, in George Square. A very pleasant place and was even pretty quiet in the Monday morning rush hour (rush? what rush?) at around 9am when this shot was taken.
	Some of the bronze (I think ) figures found in George Square, Brisbane. I don't quiet know the significance of these (the mix of human and animals) but that doesn't matter - very decorative anyhow.
	A small church is another of the older buildings dwarfed by the modern office blocks that surround George Square in central Brisbane.

Everything sorted we headed off to Rainbow beach. After asking advice at another very friendly information desk we decided not to drive on the beach here (save that for Fraser) so had time to take in a relaxing lunch at Archie's Cafe. After lunch took a short (600m) walk through the bush to check out the Carlo Sandblow.

This huge swath of sand appears to be slowly eating the coastal bush. Stepping out of the shade onto it was like suddenly being thrust into the middle of a desert. On the end near the beach this was very windy, which is maybe why this is apparently a top place for gliding from.

	Rainbow Beach and Tin Can bay, as seen from the Carlo Sandblow. Looking North we can also see Fraser Island in the distance.
	Looking out to sea from the bottom of the Carlo Sandblow (well... you could go further down towards the beach, but you'd need mountaineering equipment!). We see Wide Bay from here, the point in distance being Double Island Point, just south of which the wreck of the Cherry Venture lies.

Next stop was the ferry crossing to Fraser Island from Inskip Point. Had an excellent time driving up the beach and then on some inland roads to visit Lake Boomanjin.

	Driving along Seventy Five mile beach, Fraser Island. Lonely Planet describes this as, '...a lawless eight lane highway...', which isn't far from the truth as you can drive just about wherever you like, at whatever speed you fancy - just look out for those streams running down to the sea. The middle section of this beach, near Eurong is also used as an airstrip!
	Lake Boomanjin is the worlds largest perched lake. Some spiel from the information sheet: Perched lakes get their name by being perched above the water table. This is possible as they have a 'hard pan' of organic debris, sand and peat which forms a depression between dunes in which water collects.

The lake was pretty shallow - we waded out a 100 metres or so and still only had water up to the thighs. Apparently this is because these lakes (the perched ones) rely on tropical storms that come through every few years to be filled, and such a storm has not passed by for a while.

	Me looking rugged (well, that's how one very charitable person described this look) sat on the bull bar of the 4WD. Shame about all those Britz stickers (and the sun being in my eyes).
	Me again, taking a walk on Seventy Five Mile Beach, Fraser Island. Shame is, you can't swim here due to strong currents and sharks (apparently).

Back on the coastal beach we drove a little further to the Eurong Beach Resort. Comfortable triple room was a bargain, right next to the beach and not far from the Resort bars and pools (two of each). Had some nice seafood here for dinner followed by a few drinks in the very quiet bar.

The whole place shut down at 11pm (huh!), and I mean totally shut down - they turned off the generator which powered the whole place! Was great to be able to sit on the beach in the middle of the night though, and check out the celestial view. Miles from the lights of any big city this was an outstanding sight on this very clear night.

Tuesday 24 November 1998

We decided to drive north along the beach before heading inland to check out lake Garawongera which was very pleasant with clear, shallow waters and a few reed beds (but not half as nice as what was to come).

	Lake Garawongera (who thinks of these names?), another of Fraser Island's excellent inland lakes. Very clear water and soft white sand on the shores... ah... Oh, but that blot on the landscape is Iain (sorry mate).
	Here's an example of the sort of track you'll find on Fraser Island. Like they say, you won't get far in a conventional vehicle here (there is actually nothing stopping you trying to drive on the island in one), just miles of tracks in this soft white sand mean a 4WD is the only way to go.

More inland driving brought us back to Happy Valley where we took a short break and I had a much required Weiss bar (frozen fruit bar - yum), it being very hot by now.

We then took to the beach once more, driving past the wreck of the Maheno, The Pinnacles (coloured sand formation) and more of Cathedral beach.

	The wreck of the Maheno. This passenger ship was grounded in a cyclone in 1935 while being taken to Japan to be scrapped. Quiet ironic really.
	The Pinnacles are one of the larger examples of coloured sand dunes that this part of Fraser Island (Cathedral Beach) is famous for.

It's a pity the map we had, which was quiet detailed omitted one important piece of info - you can only drive up to Indian Head (where we wanted to see the basalt rock formations) two hours either side of low tide, which was another few hours away - doh!

Drove back to Lake Wabby (another beautiful inland lake), but decided the 45 minute walk down was a bit too long. Very lazy really, as we could see people lazing in the lake and by it's shore and this looked to be a great place to relax. Still, time was not on our side so we decided to move on to the apparently more popular Lake McKenzie.

Lake Wabby is slowly being engulfed by a huge sandblow. To give an idea of scale, this was taken from above (a 45 minute walk away), and those specks down there in the sand are people sunbathing, just a couple of them anyhow.

So glad we did this too, as Lake McKenzie was absolutely perfect -surrounded by totally white sane and with crystal clear waters, you can see why so many people rave about the place. There were quiet a few tour groups here too, the most people we'd seen in one place since on Fraser Island.

No photo can really do justice to the sight that greets you when first emerging from the bush, onto the soft white sand by Lake McKenzie. There's no wonder this is also known as the Window Lake (due to the water's amazing clarity).

After baking in the sun and swimming at Lake McKenzie we continued to drive west and on to the Kingfisher Bay Resort. Very nice place, but not exactly within the average backpacker's budget (no - this is most defiantly not a backpacker's resort). Had a quick jog round the resort and out to the jetty followed by a dip in one of the excellent pools, before dining in The Sand Bar. This was supposedly one of the more lively bars here, but was actually very empty - I think we were the only people there except a single tour group and a few staff on their night off. I stayed for a few more drinks and played pool with the staff as Iain and Adrian piked early.

Wednesday 25 November 1998

How driving times go on Fraser - it took 40 minutes to drive the main (if you can call it that) 18km west - east track back to 75 mile beach, then only another half an hour or so to do the 35k (ish) blast down the beach to Hook Point. In total we travelled 271kms on Fraser and used a full tank (90 litres) of diesel - not the most efficient driving terrain, but defiantly great fun.

	Another example of a 'road' on Fraser Island. This one is the main thoroughfare travelling through thick rainforest between Kingfisher Bay and Eurong.
	Walk just a short distance off the road in Fraser Island you'll see how thick the rainforest is here.

The stupid part of all this was that heading north we passed the turnoff to Hervy Bay (were the Kingfisher Bay Ferry would have taken us) around 1pm - all that extra trouble for a saving of half an hour or so.

Couldn't decided where to stay as we headed north to Rockhampton, but decided on Yeppoon as it would be close enough to take a trip to Great Keppel island in the morning if we chose.

Erm... strange lot up here. Rear window stickers spotted in Rockhampton.

There was no sightseeing today but killed many Ks. Stayed in the basic, but very friendly Barrier Reef Backpackers hostel. Also had an excellent meal at Ayutthaya Thai as recommended by the hostel owners, which was also very friendly.

Went back to the hostel and partook in a few (erm... half a case) of beers and played some pool with the other hostel guests until around 1:30.

Thursday 26 November 1998

Around 100km inland, at end of 35km dirt road, 2km walk and 240 steps the patient traveller is rewarded by the amazingly beautiful sight of Rainbow Falls, which cascade down to the gorge floor through lush rainforest. This looks like a pretty good place to have a swim, but didn't really have time, which was a shame and is a reoccurring problem on this trip.

	Above the main Rainbow Falls, there are several smaller cascades, and a number of swimming holes - just like this one.
	Rainbow falls nestles is a gorge on the Blackdown Tableland, surrounded by tropical plant and wildlife it's a beautiful natural setting.
	Walk further down into the gorge here at Rainbow Falls and the scene just gets better and better.

We were told by a local there were other walks which were better even than this, particularly the Stony Creek trail. These must really be something. There was also a wonderful view over the plane below from just off road, the official lookout (Horseshoe Lookout) was unfortunately closed, undergoing work, but just about anywhere on the plateau would do I'm sure.

Pull off the road on the way up to the Blackdown Tableland and take in this awesome view over the plane, some 600m below.

Made good time on drive down the Fitzroy Developmental Road (an inland road of single and twin lane mix with a couple of flooded crossings) to Airlie beach, but still arrived a bit later for most places and booked into Magnums (Whitsunday Village Resort). This place has a mad reputation and is very basic - but is cheap and does the job.

Had dinner at Beaches but (shocking as it in Airlie) went to bed early (around midnight) as a boat trip the next day was a must and this had to be sorted out early.

Friday 27 November 1998

Sit back and relax as we cruise with Reef Express through the Whitsundays.

After a couple of relaxing hours and some lunch at Whitehaven we left for Mantaray Bay at the north end of Hook Island. Pretty cool place to visit with some good snorkelling (well - not that I'd know as this as the first time for me, but I was quiet impressed) and friendly fish. Actually, I got a bit of a shock when one of the Maori Wrasse first brushed past me. I soon got used to the fish, especially when the cruise hostess threw a load of bread at me as I was in the water preparing to board the boat and was suddenly surrounded by hundreds of 'em (Blue Fusiliers?), a great experience.

	Me on Whitehaven Beach, Whitsunday Island. With perfect silica sand and azure blue waters this is quiet rightly one of the most famous Queensland beaches.
	Shute Harbour, the gateway to the Whitsundays is apparently the busiest port on Australia's East coast (by number of vessels or something like that).

We returned to the shore after this impressive trip around 4:30 and headed straight for the bar, 'just for a quick one' to quench the thirst we'd built up on this oh, so stressful (not!) day. Hmmm... nice plan, but poorly executed and turned into a 13 hour session, taking in drinks at Magnums, some nice food in the imaginatively named Airlie Thai, then more drinks in Magnums before strolling between the main two cubs here (Tricks and Stingers) several times.

After eventually settling at Stingers which seamed to be more popular, ended up leaving at 5:30am - damn, missed the sunrise which is apparently quiet nice here!

Saturday 28 November 1998

Stayed at the excellent Scotty's Beachhouse and had a great meal from the attached bistro. Absolutely dead from the previous night I had to go to bed early, but this proved a bad move, and got up again for an hour or so around 2am, unable to sleep. Still, not too bad a place to do this as sitting by the pool and chatting to some of the other residents was good.

Sunday 29 November 1998

Scotty's Beachhouse in Mission Beach. Very cool and laid back joint, definitely worth a visit for those on the backpacker's trail.

Took the easy route up the coast with only a slight detour to Josephene Falls. This is an excellent place with some nice falls, but the main attractions are the swimming holes, and the natural slide that falls into one - great fun and a good spot to take a cooling break from the hot and humid weather. Spotted a snake like thing (it had some tiny legs, but who know around here?) in the water, but kept it to myself as Iain and Adrian are easily freaked out by such sightings.

	The main swimming hole at Josephine Falls. On a hot and humid day this is well worth a dip in, and we see a natural slide down the smooth rocks to the left - great fun.
	I have several shots of myself coming down this natural slide, but stuck with this one for aesthetic reasons (well - you try and look good while bouncing down a waterfall!).
	Further up from the main pool at Josephine Falls is a smaller one, that the main torrent spills into. Swimming here is not recommended (and is illegal) as it would be easy to get caught in the current generated as all this water passes through a narrow channel and over jagged rocks down to lower pool.

Arriving in Cairns, we checked into the Up Top Down Under hostel on Spence Street (as recommended at the last place). Very nice with good facilities and a decent size pool, which we made immediate use of.

Took the courtesy bus (which run regularly throughout the day and night) into town and wondered around trying to orientate ourselves. Not too hard - Cairns city centre isn't exactly huge, with most things within a few minutes walk of the Esplanade (sea front - but no beach here, which is basically a mud flat!).

Had drinks at Rattle and Hum, and then ate in a close by seafood restaurant (Kini's). Iain and Adrian had an outrageous meal of local delicacies (bugs - big shrimp like things, and crocodile) followed by one and a half lobsters between them, while I stuck with a very nice reef and beef dish.

Although small, the nightlife in Cairns is pretty good (well, for a visitor of a few nights anyhow). Went to the slightly disappointing foam party at Beaches (should have known better really), then visited the Woolshed where we used our free meal vouchers to negotiate entry (apparently most hostels here supply vouchers for free food at the Woolshed). Finding this place actually played decent music (shock! first time this trip) made the most of it and danced around like maniacs. Very much like the bar at Backpackers Palace in Brisbane, but busier, very busy in fact with people dancing all over the bench tables. Didn't partake in this, sticking to the designated dance floor until leaving 3am, with the place still jumping.

Monday 30 November 1998

Doesn't take a genius to work out why (OK - for those who can't, seems her room mate and mine wanted to be alone), and I think I can safely say that this was far better anyhow, as she was a jolly nice lass, supplied some nice cold drinks (lifesaver!) and was very apologetic about the whole situation. Can't think why - like, she thinks I'd prefer some paddy bloke snoring away next to me!

Feeling a bit fragile, took it easy and paid a visit to Palm Cove just half an hour or so north. Really nice place, and very quiet - maybe because we're slightly out of season and the weather was a bit overcast. This was probably for the best though as there was only a tiny bit of the water protected by the stinger net that we would all have had to squeeze into to cool down.

Back in Cairns for dinner, having braved the 'rush' hour drive back (erm... well, it was 5pm, but I can't say I noticed any real change in the traffic) we met up with Richard, Tony and friend in The Underdog for drinks. Wasn't a late night though as first day of my dive course beckoned in the morning.