I'm on a (sail)boat!

Tuesday:

Today I went to the lagoon and read a little before realizing I had forgot to put sunscreen on, an essential part of one’s daily routine in Oz, so I left to get it since it was hot and I felt as if I was being slowly roasted.

On my way back to the lagoon two people asked if I would join them and play volleyball with them. I had wanted to play beach volleyball in Cairns and had missed out, so this was perfect. As we played it turned out that I fit right in and helped to score heaps of points. As people walked by they started to join us, and soon enough we had a 5 on 5 game, girls vs. boys. The people to start the game were from YWAM, Youth With A Mission, an organization that I was familiar with back home.  (We take our summer campers to an YWAM ropes course location in Salem.) After the game (which unfortunately the boys lost) they invited me and another girl to come over later to their house to hang out. They said they lived just outside the city and that they would even pick us up/drop us back home after. With the chance to hang out with other like-minded folks I decided I would go and said I would see them later, as I headed to the lagoon for a swim.

I met Lara, a nice German girl from the volleyball game, near the taxi station where we were to be picked up. Within minutes our ride had arrived and took us back to their house, which was beautiful even in the night. Looking back down the road from the porch, it looked as if we were in the middle of a thick tropical jungle.  We hung out talking and then ended the night by playing a Mafia, oddly enough, a card game I play with our summer campers.

Then home to pack for my sailing trip!

Wednesday:

Even though my boat didn’t leave until 1pm today, I got up bright and early. I wanted to make sure my bag was all packed and that I had a chance to eat brekki before checking out of the hostel. After eating I headed up the street for coffee with a girl and then I went to PeterPan’s to Skype with a friend. After talking for a bit, e said our goodbyes, and then I headed to the boat!

The walk meandered along the waterfront, passed the lagoon. It was hot, walking in the mid-day heat, and not too long into the walk I wondered, just how far away the marina was. I arrived at the marina and checked in with my crew.  Upon checking in we were assigned a Stinger Suit number, and given our suit to carry on board. Because it was stinger season, we were required to wear the suits while in the water.  (which would protect us from the deadly “bluies” otherwise known as the Box Jellyfish.)

Our boat, the "broomstick" powered by our skipper, Pete & his crew, Linda & John

I was a little intimidated by the group boarding the boat, Everyone seemed to have company with them. I knew however in time I would meet them all and that the trip was going to be amazing…little did I know just how AMAZING it would be.

The first day we pushed out of the marina and then put up the sails and sailed into the great blue. With the breeze in our faces and the smell of the ocean, we were all in a heavenly bliss.

Quite the close up, but you didn't actually expect me to pose in my stinger suit, did you?

Not too long into the trip were we before stopping to go snorkeling at our first site. Apprehensive, even after going in Cairns, I slowly put on my stinger suit 9nicknamed our “sexy suits”, flippers and snorkel. Pete our skipper took us in the Dingy, from the boat closer to the shore to snorkel.  Jumping in the water it was quite brisk at first, but as I moved around it warmed up.

Below us lurked the southern area of the Great Barrier Reef, which was rich with colorful coral, fish, and heaps of other sea life. We snorkeled around for a good hour before rejoining the boat to dry off and warm up with some tea.

Sunset from the boat

Happy Sailor

My minds chasing pirates...or they are chasing us perhaps.

As our stomachs started to cry for food, the crew brought out some nibbles for us to snack on while we watched the sunset. After dinner (which was a lovely dinner of mashed potatoes, salad, bread, and chicken) we sat around on the boat talking and getting to know each other better. Al of a sudden life appeared at the back of the boat, dolphins. Most people have seen dolphins in the wild, and maybe swam with them, but this was the first time I had seen them, and thus, it was quite special.

Thursday:

The second day, I awoke early to sit up on the main level of the boat in solitude for some peace and quiet before the day began. It was a great feeling to be sitting on a boat, surrounded by the ocean, as the sun rose. There wasn’t much that could make me upset today, as today was my 27^th birthday! The day was surely to be a blast with snorkeling, a trip to Whitehaven Beach and Tongue Bay all planned.

After brekki we pulled the sails up, and sailed off to our first destination. I was part of the team of people that volunteered to help out the sails up this time, not knowing what I was getting into. Being deemed #1, on my sail, I started pulling the sail up first. People who had previously done it had struggled and made it look hard, and that was the same in my case.  I huffed and puffed and was practically hanging with my entire body weight on the line before we got the sail up in its entirety.

Whitehaven Beach...one of the Top 10 beaches in the WORLD

Then we traveled to Whitehaven Beach and to do a short hike to a lookout of the beach. Along our way, we spotted more sea turtles in the water that were coming up to the surface for air from time to time. However, they were so quick it was impossible to get a picture.

Now if you haven’t heard, Whitehaven Beach is a pretty big deal. It is a world heritage listed site, and has been named over and over again as one of the Top 10 Beaches in the World.

It is described as “7 Kilometers of cleanest white sand beach in one of the most isolated coast in the world” where sunglasses are a necessity…because the sand is truly white.”

We were taken aboard to the beach, and then hiked to the other side of the island.

And that is the truth. The sand is so fine, it has a tendency to get EVERYWHERE, so tourist are advised to zip away their cameras when they are not in use. The white color of the sand makes it nice and cool, while to water is warm enough to swim around and relax in. Pete told us that the sand was naturally exfoliating and that if the silica sand polished jewelry, making rings shine like never before, and that was the truth as well. Whitehaven Beach was hard to leave. It was that nice! We attempted to brush ALL sand off us before leaving the island, as it was illegal to bring any sand back with you from Whitehaven Beach with the saying, take only pictures, and leave only footprints…

Whitehaven Beach

Heaven on Earth?

The view from the lookout

Wading in the crystal clear water...stringer suit free

Leaving the island we ate lunch and then just like that were back in the water for another chance to snorkel. The clouds had covered the sun and I was tempted not to get in the water, but then I realized how many people would be dying to go and jumped in along with everyone else. I was in fact one of the last people to get out of the water this time, as I zoomed around cashing fish and snorkeling around, happy as ever.

Contemplative as we sailed the great ocean waters...

Another fantastic sunset from the boat...

Passonfruit Drink. On a Boat. At Sunset. Happy 27th!

Back on the boat we dried off and had tea, and then came a favorite, nachos for the sunset! It was a perfect ending to a great birthday…with a cake, the crew and fellow travels sang to me and then we had an Aussie BBQ for dinner with steak, veggies, salad, and rolls.

We sat around talking (and some drinking), and huddled together as the winds picked up. Everyone seemed to be getting along great and I was once again reassured that this had been a great idea, and well worth the splurge. Before bed, Pete showed me a few constellations that had appeared out of the clouds, including Scorpio, and Orion, the only constellation visible in both the northern and the southern hemisphere. I was truly a lucky girl today. Then it was bedtime.

Maori Wrasse Fish...on deception here, it is HUGE

We saw lots of these fish and a million others...

Friday:

We all rose up early this morning, despite the late night. Pete wanted to get a head start on the day spot that we would have plenty of time to snorkel at our last spot. So after brekki, some of us, still half asleep, pried on our stinger suits for the last time.  Pete told us that there was a 100% chance of us seeing a large Maori Wrasse Fish in the water that while harmless, was in fact VERY LARGE.  And again as the story goes, this was the truth. He was in the water alright, and he was HUGE alright. I couldn’t believe my eyes when I saw it. It was bigger than me in girth and pretty long as well. Once everyone was in the water, Pete stirred up the fish, by ding a feeding, which meant the fish circled the dingy. Within second ALL you could see where fish after fish around you in EVERY direction you looked. It was so neat. As I swam around, I found it impressed that even with fish everywhere that I never seemed to touch one. The coral was alive and brilliantly colored as before and the countless array of fishes passed by, one school at a time. This the BEST snorkeling I had ever done!

We returned to the boat, most of us against our wishes and then prepared to sail back to land. Dry and out of our swimmers for the first time in days, we all laid out on the boat soaking up the sun, and catching a little nap on our way home.  Back in the marina, we were sad to go, but said our goodbyes after thanking our skipper, and his crew (Linda, from Sweden, and John, from the UK.)

Luckily, the Aussie way to do things is to party with your crew after a multi-day tour, and thus we would all be meeting up later that evening for a fun evening.

At Beaches, we talked, and hung out, dancing, playing a game, against other groups just off a boat too.

Out at Beaches for the Broomstick After Party

Saturday:

Saturday I had all day to hang out and relax before loading an overnight bus to Rainbow Beach with Annette, from the Whitsundays Tour. We met up mid-day at the lagoon with a few others, including Cornélie Goedhart, from the trip! And then by nightfall, were on our way down the coast.

The 11th Hour

I finally made a decision leave Cairns and head down the east coast. I debated doing the Oz Experience, a hop on/hop off bus that includes some activities along the route and a few stopovers. It caters to solo backpackers and has a guide on the bus that talks about the area, etc along the way. However, I wasn’t sure I wanted to travel like that ALL the way down the coast with it being less flexible than the other options.  The Greyhound seemed to allow the same thing, without a guide and included or mandatory stops, so I sided with it and bought a pass valid from Cairns to Surfers Paradise/Gold Coast and booked a seat to Airlie Beach.

From the bus as it pushed onward through the countryside to Airlie Beach

I figured I’d skip Mission Beach (for now) since it recently flooded, and Townsville, in order to be able to relax and possibly meet up with some mates in Airlie Beach.

A Cassowary  (elusive bird) Statue in Mission Beach

Sunset from the petrol station...so romantic I know. yet, so captivating and pretty.

Marc appeared shortly after, and insisted that we immediately grab a drink. So we delighted in conversation over a few VB’s (Victoria Bitter brand beers) and then made plans to meet up in the morning after check-out.

Come morning, I went to check in at reception and pay for another night’s stay. Looked at tours to the Whitsundays. I debated a 3day/2night tour over a 1-day cruise. In the end it came down a small price difference for an incredible and new experience, so I went with the 3day adventure. Thursday was to be my birthday and so I figured what better way to spend it than on a boat, relaxing as we sailed, snorkeled, and hiked in the Whitsundays.

The view of the waterfront and esplanade from the hostel balcony

I pretty much explored the town briefly, buying some fresh baked bread from a local bakery (thanks to the tip from Marc and Carolien) and peanut butter from the supermarket before heading to the Lagoon. I met up with Marc and Carolien there and hung out with them there for the day. We relaxed in the sun, impressed by the beautiful views of the bay, and the brilliant blue color of the water.

Airlie Beach

The Beach Walk to the Lagoon

Airlie Beach's blue waters

Sunset at Airlie Beach

The bus left at 9am and would arrive at 8pm in Airlie Beach. 11hrs on a bus…I would decide after if it was a good idea or not. I was feeling better about having more of a plan for my travels. I liked Cairns but was ready to move on…

The bus ride was long indeed, even with built in stops for filling up on petrol (gas) and meals. But at last we arrived in Airlie Beach. I grabbed my bag and walked down the esplanade about 200m to my hostel. After checking in I ran into an old buddy of mine from Cairns, Emilio (the Chilean wind-surfer!). It was once again nice to see a familiar face. I then went downstairs to watch the end of “UP” that was being shown in the foyer before going to check my email. I was standing outside the Internet café, reading the sign about paying for it, when someone knocked on the door from the other side. I was completely confused by this, wondering, what the person wanted. Then the door opened to reveal my friend Carolien from Amsterdam (from the Rock Tour).  Her and her boyfriend, Marc had seen me walk by earlier with my bags and had tried to chase after me but I disappeared too quickly, so she was emailing me to say she saw me…again, a lovely face to see.

After dinner Marc and Carolien caught the bus to Rainbow Beach. It was sad to see them go, but ever so nice to have run into them and spend the day together. I can only hope they make their way to the States sometime in the future to hang out again! (Or I guess I could always visit them…)

Today to my delight, Libi also called me, a family friend of the Stucky Family that lives in Brisbane. I had emailed her about staying with her while I was in Brisbane for a week, in the coming days.

Along my travels I have met many other individuals traveling on a working holiday, most of who have been here for much longer than I. They ALL seemed to like it enough to stay and work and travel.  I hoped that would be my case as well.

Tropical Paradise

I wasn’t sure if I wanted to go to Cape Tribulation, until I saw pictures of it. Like most places here in Oz, it looked amazingly beautiful, so I signed up for a tour.

The tour would take us out of town a few hours south, to the Daintree River for a crocodile spotting cruise, Cape Tribulation for a hike along a boardwalk through the Rainforest, lunch at PK’s Jungle Resort in the heart of Cape Trib, on a hike to Mossom Gorge and to the resort town of Port Douglas. As you can tell this was a lot to pack into one day, and thus the early start to it all…

Banana trees and sugar cane lined the highway

The bus arrived at 7:40AM to collect me outside of my hostel. As it pulled over, a short tattooed guy with curly flowing hair called out my name, looking for me. I called back and loaded the bus, which was a smaller bus like the one we had in Alice Springs.  On our way out of town the guide pointed out a place on the side of the highway where a large group of wallabies were to be spotted, which was pretty neat, as I had only seen one at the Koala Conservation.

Crocodile!

Is he catching his breath OR getting hungry?

We winded around curvy bends in the road, which in turn made me feel sick, so I dosed off. I awoke at our first stop, the Daintree River. After a quick morning tea we loaded the boat for our cruise. I sat by the rail, ready to search the water and banks for “Saltys.” Soon enough our driver was pointing out a big one, a 4-meter croc that that was lazing on the left hand bank. We headed up the river further looking for crocs and within a few minutes came across a smaller one basking in the sun with it’s mouth open. I was surely glad that we ended up not encountering any crocs in the water…or at least, none that we saw.

The Strangler Tree

The bus then took us to a boardwalk that weaved through the rainforest. Our guide talked about the plants found in the rain forest as we walked along. Turning one corner we came to a stop. A girl with keen eyesight had pointed out a large spider off in the distance. It was massive. I was happy that it was a healthy distance away from us.

Next we headed to PK’s Jungle resort to drop off people staying in Cape Trib for the night and then we went to the beach. You weren’t allowed to swim at the beach because of the crocodiles in the water and because it was becoming stinger season, so I was okay with not being able to stay long at the beach.

Mossom Gorge

The bridge swayed as the water rushed below it...

After lunch we headed to Mossom Gorge. I had seen pictures on the brochure of here. It looked nice and green, and when we got there it was as pictured. The green plants reflected in the color of the water, making the water a nice brilliant color as well. They said you could swim in the gorge, yet signs warned against it. With only a half hour at the gorge we decided to skip swimming and to hike to the footbridge, crossing the river.  

View at the lookout

Along our way out of the rainforest to Port Douglas we stopped at a lookout that offered a fantastic view of the beaches below and then continued onward. When we got to Port Douglas we had some free time to explore the town. It reminded me of places along the Oregon Coast that offer nothing more than small souvenir shops. We walked to the beach where the wind was blowing so hard we had to shield our eyes with our sunglasses. Sign everywhere warned of the dangers of the water. One thing I learned was that if stung by a jellyfish you should pour vinegar on it.

These warnings are NO JOKE!

Tropical Paradise...plants in Port Douglas

And then we loaded the bus again for the last time and headed back to Cairns. That night I wandered around the esplanade at night, watching the heaps of bats flying overhead. They call the bats, “Boxes”. Some were quite big, stretching out the length of my arm! I then returned to my hostel where I hung out with new friends and went to bed. 

At one point the sky was black, with bats...

The Lagoon at night

Cairns at night (taken from the lagoon)

Finding Nemo

Fishy...yes I have no idea its true name. But there were heaps of them!

I woke up early this morning to head to the Reef Fleet Terminal to board the Ocean Freedom, for my trip to the Great Barrier Reef. I didn’t want to miss the boat, so I left the hostel at 6:30AM, to ensure I made it there before 7AM. The terminal was only a 5-minute walk from the hostel, so I made it to the boat with plenty of time to spare. On my way there, I ran into one of the girls I had met the previous evening at the Night Market. We talked and then went our separate ways. I also saw in the ticket area, the “Santiagos” (the Spanish couple from the Rock Tour). Once again, it was weird to see people I had met around the city, but it did however start to make me feel like I knew people and that I was less alone here in Oz.

Our boat...Ocean Freedom

Boarding the trip I met the skipper and the crew and quickly delighted in the breakfast offered. Fresh fruit was lacking in my diet, so it was nice to have it on board. As the boat filled with tourist, we pushed away from the marina.

On our way out to sea I sat on the upper deck of the boat. As Cairns seemed to disappear off in the distance, I drifted off for a little nap. I awoke to the beautiful sites of the Great Barrier Reef. From the boat all you could see was the brilliant blue/teal color of the water…the excitement came in what we all knew lurked below us.

The GREAT Barrier Reef

We all quickly put on our snorkeling gear and jumped overboard. For people wanting a little extra buoyancy in the water, they supplied life jackets on top of a snorkel and mask. I took them up on the offer, as I had never been out so deep into the open ocean water.  Some of the crew also offered guided snorkeling for those of us who had never been. I decided to go with one, as they would be able to take us where there was the best opportunity to see wildlife and they would be able to tell us what we where seeing too.

My picture of the turtle I saw...

And the professional one taken at the same spot, of the same turtle...

One of the first things we saw was a turtle! It was lying on the bottom of the reef, but it was pretty big. At that moment I had remembered where I was and became ever so giddy. To list everything I saw on my snorkeling adventure would take a while, partially because I saw so much, and partially because I’m not sure I would be able to identify everything I saw. But her are some highlights: a turtle, string ray, small reef shark, heaps of colorful fish, including a small clown fish, otherwise known as Nemo!

Nemo! or a tiny version of him...

Back on the boat we dried off before getting a tour of the reef in a glass bottom boat. It was pretty neat, as the driver of the boat was a marine biologist that talked about the reef and what we were seeing along the way. However, it didn’t take long for me to get nauseous on the boat. Returning back to the main boat I sat in the lower deck trying to recover.

Shortly after, a lunch buffet was served. There were large prawns, leeks, deli meats, pasta and potato salad, green salad, a veggie salad, bread, and grilled chicken wings. I slowly ate mine and by the end of lunch was feeling better. While most people went on another glass bottom boat cruise, I stayed behind, not wanting to get sick again. It was pretty neat to be on the boat with so few people because the crew still on board was really attentive and easier to get to know during this time.

Our 2nd snorkeling spot...we snorkeled off the island back to the main boat.

Then everyone came back to get their snorkeling gear to snorkel some more. This time I was feeling much braver and more comfortable in the water so I snorkeled about on my own for a bit. Then the guide said she knew where a shark lived so a few of us went with her to see it. I couldn’t dive down to see it as I was wearing a life vest, but the guide went down and it got nervous and swam out the other end where we were all snorkeling. It was only a meter or so, so it wasn’t too scary. It quickly swam away and was gone, just like that.

The reef shark we saw was 2 meters long!

The only picture I took that looks semi-good of a lonely starfish.

From the island that we snorkeled around we swam back to the boat.  The weather had started to change and with it sprinkling out, the water became cold, so we escaped back to the boat.

Onboard, most of us changed into dry clothes and then watched as we sailed away from the Great Barrier Reef. The crew came around with a fruit platter and asked each of us to initial by our names to make sure everyone was on board. (I guess they didn’t want to leave anyone behind like that boat did a while back.) Then we cruised onward, delighting in cheese and crackers and cake.

Upon hitting dry land, the crew thanked us, and just as the day started, we went our separate ways. One particularly funny scene was a man kissing the ground as he departed the boat. He had sat by the back of the boat the entire trip, obviously feeling much more seasick than I had.

I could easily go back to the reef and spend day after day there, snorkeling, no doubt about that. After a long day though, I was quiet tired and gave into one of the backpacker “deals” for a $10.

It had been a GREAT day. I guess that’s why they call it the GREAT Barrier Reef.

Queensland Sunshine

In Cairns I spent my time relaxing in the sun. The Lagoon, a large, free, outside public pool, was located just across the road from my hostel, so I went there to read and take a dip.  Fogarty Park, where the Lagoon was located was a unique park on the esplanade. It offered guests not only a great spot to swim, but BBQ areas open for anyone to use and fitness stations that had benches and bars to do all sorts of cardio and aerobic exercises, including pull-up bars and the like.  Each day of the week there were FREE Fun Fitness classes throughout the park. I was tempted to go to Yoga to see the crowds that turn out for it, but as it started at 6am, I did not make it to it. I also walked around to the open-air market, Rusty’s, and went to the marina.

The Tropical North! Hence the Palm Trees!

I was trying to decide what I wanted to do here and how I wanted to get down the coast.  So many decisions overwhelmed me. I went to the visitor’s center and then to a couple travel places but was just unable to make up my mind until I ran into Kelly, from the Rock Tour. She was a travel agent in Cairns and helped me get a great deal on a 2-day adventure package that included snorkeling at the Great Barrier Reef and hiking in the tropical rainforest of  Cape Tribulation.

I went to the other Nomads hostel in town, the Serpent Hostel for a free dinner and met a girl, Rosie from England traveling around. She took the bus with me back to the esplanade and we, along with two other girls went to the Night Market and browsed around. We enjoyed looking at all the crafts and artist and were tempted to get a massage (they were only $15/for 45 min!) We did a wine tasting that included fruity wines that were made just as traditional grape wine is, but with other fruits, than grapes. Passion fruit was my favorite while the banana was my least favorite.

The marina. Boats, boats, and more boats...

Cairns is a great place to hang out by the water, walk around the esplanade, and grab a bite to eat. Some places cater to backpackers offering deals during happy hour or later at night. A pizza that is $25, is often advertised as only $10 if you order it for take away. Regardless of deals, I am still finding Australia quite expensive. With the US dollar decreasing in value and the Aussie dollar becoming the strongest it has in a few years, even a good deal is still expensive in my mind.

Post Office

Kick Arts Center (had a nice printmaking exhibit)

City Council and Library

I also went to the Art Gallery, Post Office, and you guessed it, the Library in Cairns. Each of which offered me an escape from the heat, into an air-conditioned building and a chance to re-fill my water bottle with cold water.

A River Runs Through It

Still in Alice Springs, on the Rock Tour:

The rain persisted ALL night, as thus no sunrise was to be had either. However we all woke up early; most of us were wet, tired, and groggy.  We huddled around trying to warm up with tea and coffee and waded through the flooded campsite to get to the bathrooms.

Then we packed up and headed to Uluru. We were suppose to do a 10k hike around the entire base of the rock, but with the rain, that plan was thrown out the window. Now the plan was to drive around it, stopping at various points and offering those who were daring enough to run around in the rain, to get out and see the waterfalls pouring off the rock up close and personable.  I had packed my rain jumper with flip-flops on was ready to get wet. A handful of us raced to the end of the trail where the waterhole was and saw a huge waterfall flowing off the rock. Going to the second viewpoint of it, you could feel the midst of the waterfall instantaneously. Within second of standing there I was drenched.

Uluru perhaps at it's finest...a rare and very special site to see it like this!

The second stop more people got off as we raced to another waterhole. It was not quite as impressive, but nevertheless amazing to see. Not many people get to see Uluru the way we did that day…despite being wet and at times cold, we all realized how lucky we were.

We returned to the Cultural Center to warm up with a hot drink before making our way to the airport to drop two tour members off at the Ayers Rock Airport. We said our goodbyes to the “Santiagos” as we called the couple and headed back to Alice Springs. Most of us were wet and tired, and ended up falling asleep. As we drove the rain persisted and eventually we came to a point in the road where vehicles were stopped. Jared and Adam got out to see that the road was flooded and impassable for many low riding cars. Our bus was a smaller bus with the air filter sitting very low in it, so we were not able to brave the river.

The "river" running through the hwy

So we waited…and waited…and waited…5 hours passed as we sat wondering if we’d make it back to Alice or not. A couple trying to catch the Ghan (the train north) started to realize that they weren’t going to make their reservation and even a  few of us flying out of Alice the following day started to become worrisome.  With the rain letting up a  bit and the water receding we finally were able to cross the river by being towed by a larger tour companies’ bus. But we were not out of the woods yet…two other potential rivers may have flooded ahead and if the rain was this hard in Alice, those roads would be washed out as well.

Next phase was where a tow was not an option, so we got out and pushed the bus. Jared stayed in the bus to steer it while the rest of us, most of us barefoot, walked behind, pushing from the back of the trailer. The water had a strong current and was rushing between our feet and the road was very rocky, piercing our foot with each step we took, At times it was hard to keep up with the bus, but eventually I took my turn pushing.

Unable to judge distances, I asked someone how far we pushed the bus – they questioned their response but said it had to have been 200 meters or so. To me it felt like at least a mile.  But…we were not out of the woods yet…

Luckily the car started and we zoomed off, leaving many other buses behind. We were now on the road again, and all alone. That was until the next river crossing. It was dark now and we all dreaded having to get out into the water and push the bus again. Many cars we had seen earlier that day lined the shoulders. We all sat patiently wondering if this was where we were to stay for the night. This was where the police had closed the road.

Jared and Adam however were able to talk to the police and got them to tow us across the water. We were a bit scared to think we had made it after all that as we still had a hour or so to Alice, so we sat in quiet, most of us resting.

Finally approaching Alice, we knew we had survived the outback floods of 2010 and cheered. Each of us were dropped off at our hostels and could not be happier to be back.  We had planned on returning by 4:30PM, and then meeting up for dinner and drinks at the Roc Bar, but it was 10:30PM. Many of us however decided to shower quickly and meet up, despite the long day and late return, for we had something to celebrate!

At the bar only a few of us showed up, but it was still nice. Jared said that we were the only tour bus to make it back to Alice that night. I had indeed made the best decision booking with the Rock Tour and now I knew it.

What an adventure. What a story. Sorry if that seemed long and boring to you. Just ask anyone from that tour and they will say, the Outback is truly a wild, unforgiving, and a harsh land. Fear of dehydration is one thing in this area that all deal with, fear of floating away in a “river” is another…once every 7 or so years.

The once dry river in Alice is alive again with water flowing through it.

Friday I rested. After a long few days in the Outback I decided to take the day easy and to prepare for my flight to Cairns. I could of stayed longer in Alice, but most people were leaving and the price per the ticket was the best I’d be able to get for the next two weeks.

I took a taxi to the airport with a couple from the tour that were staying at my hostel. Kelly and her dad where also flying back to Cairns where Kelly worked. At the airport we saw a handful of other people from the tour. It was quite weird to see people you know in a foreign land.

Landing in Cairns I called my hostel for the free shuttle to come pick me up from the airport. I checked into my room and then went to wander down the esplanade before crashing early.