Whitsundays via Airlie Beach!

I am re-blogging MAP C to show my current location, which is Airlie Beach! See the dot offshore that says "Whitsundays"? I am heading there tomorrow for a three-day, two-night sailing trip. You can also see I'm not that far off from Cairns! Which is my final destination on my east coast journey. Hope to blog about my sailing adventures in a few days time when I'm back on the mainland!

The Australian Outback

Beth and Pam. Yee haw!

Me on my horse while mustering goats.

All in the pen!

Me and Bob, my horse.

From 1770 I headed inland for a taste of the Australian Outback: a day on the Kroombit cattle station. While there, I rode a horse, mustered goats, learned how to crack a whip and lasso a goat, and unsuccessfully rode the mechanical bull. Oh and I tried goat, as well! Wasn't a fan.

Scooteroo

Not sure if I can pull off the biker-chick look.

There isn't much to do in the town of 1770, so we did a Scooteroo tour of the area. It's probably the closest I'll ever get to riding a motorcycle, and I don't think I'll ever go "scooterooing" again considering out of 60 people on the tour I was dead last.

Mammino Ice Cream

On our way to 1770 Agnus Waters we stopped at Mammino ice cream shop, the most delicious ice cream I have had since coming to Australia. Aside from devouring a scoop of coffee macadamia nut, I got to meet Teena Mammino, the owner and holder of her grandmother's secret recipe. Teena also showed us how to crack open macadamia nuts, which grow on the farm right beside the shop.

Beth cracking open a macadamia nut!

Brekkie!

Have I mentioned how insanely expensive the produce is in Australia? This is mainly due to the numerous natural disasters that have hit Queensland in the past month, so I was overjoyed to find pineapples on sale at the grocery store in Hervey Bay for 49 cents! Perhaps the best, and most nutritious breakfast I have had so far: muesli, yogurt, and fresh-cut pineapple.

Bundaberg Rum!

After Fraser Island I was desperate for a drink, so I headed to Bundaberg, where Australia's finest rum is produced. Queensland is very tropical and grows a number of crops, including pineapple, bananas, and sugar cane. The rum distillery in Bundaberg came about as a way to deal with the molasses after the sugar was extracted from the surrounding crops. Ever tried molasses? It happens to be extremely bitter. Touring the rum distillery I got to see the vats where the rum is stored for two years, along with the bottling factory. And, of course, took a few tastings to go.

S. S. Maheno

The S. S. Maheno shipwreck is the most photographed ship in Australia! I have a fear of shipwrecks, along with hundreds of other things, but this one was ok because when it beached on Fraser Island in July 1935 no people were onboard. Apparently three stories are buried underneath the sand!

Indian Head

Views of the Seventy-Five Mile Beach from Indian Head, the most easterly point on Fraser. You can see our four-wheel drives in the corner of the top photo. Unfortunately I only know how to drive an automatic (side note: a girl on my trip asked me if driving automatic was like driving a go kart), and all the cars were mechanical, so I didn't get to drive.

We found turtles swimming in one of the lakes on Fraser. How hilarious is my face? Quite unattractive, but needed proof so I can go home and tell people I held a "wild turtle".

Fraser Island

Lake McKenzie, one of many freshwater lakes on the island.

Rainforest.

A dingo, Australia'a native wild dog. They are not friendly, and will gladly rip your tent open, which I learned on my trip.

Champagne pools.

Seventy-Five Mile Beach.

So Fraser Island is the largest sand island in the world, home to unique and beautiful lakes, rainforest, animals, and vistas. However, the only way to experience Fraser Island is by camping (definition: tents, bugs, wilderness, bugs, peeing in the woods, bugs, and in Australia, wild dingos), and those close to me know very well I am not a fan of such overnight trips. Nevertheless, this journey is about embracing a new culture and putting myself - in this case - WAY out of my comfort zone, so I fought through the mosquitoes and greasy hair for three days to appreciate this natural wonder. 

As someone once eloquently put it "you can take the girl out of the city, but you can't take the city out of the girl". 

Update

MAP A

MAP B

MAP C

I had a personal request to publish some maps to give a better idea of where I am on this massive continent. So here are three maps, and I'll tell you what I know.

Map A shows the state boundaries. There are six states - Western Australia, South Australia, Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria, and Tasmania, and two territories, Northern Territory and Australian Capital Territory.

Map B highlights Queensland.

Map C is the route I am taking up the east coast from Sydney to Cairns on the Oz Experience, that big yellow bus I published a photo of a few weeks back.

So far in my travels I have spent time in Victoria (Melbourne and the Mornington Peninsula), NSW (Sydney, Hunter Valley, Byron Bay), and Queensland (Map B), where I have been for the past two weeks.

OK, enough geography for one day. On to the good stuff!

Beth and I at the sand dunes in Rainbow Beach at sunset after much jumping practice and about 15 photos, this is our best shot.

Sand Dunes!

Me taking the plunge!

Hiking the sand dunes at Rainbow Beach was incredible. I learned how to throw a boomerang, which was invented in Australia by aboriginals as a way to hunt food. Also got to boogie board down the dunes!

Rainbow Beach

I spent a day in Rainbow Beach, a small town of less than 1,000 residents on the east coast. It is named after an aboriginal legend and its stretch of beach has 74 different colors of sand.

The Glass House Mountains

Between Byron and Noosa we stopped to see the Glass House Mountains, which were once lava plugs within volcanic cones that have been eroded by wind and water for over 25 million years. They are called the Glass House Mountains because when James Cook sailed to Australia he thought the peaks resembled glass furnaces in his home in England.

Organic Foods

How cool is this? It's like the do-it-yourself nut aisle at Whole Foods, except with oils, vinegars, and dressing. These jugs were lining the wall at an organic food store in Byron. One was even filled with Tahini!

The most easterly point in Australia is...

Yesterday in Byron Bay I hiked to that lighthouse. One gorgeous view and one intense workout!

Pie time!

Meat pie is to Australia what grilled cheese is to the US. It is the quintessential staple lunch. Between Sydney and Spot X we stopped at Fredo's Pies, home of the famous crocodile pie. Camel for lunch, anyone?

My Oz Experience

For the next month I will be traveling up the east coast of Australia via this bright yellow bus. I have already taken it from Sydney Spot X, Spot X to Byron Bay, and Byron Bay to Noosa. The seats are relatively comfy, we take lots of bathroom stops along the way, and it's been an awesome way to meet people. Next stop: Rainbow Beach!

Glebe Markets

Now this is my kind of Sunday afternoon. The Glebe markets! Hundreds of vendors selling vintage goods, handmade jewelry, bags, T-shirts, old stamps and remodeled door frames, homemade cookies and soaps, and lots more.