Spank me

We were told to check in at a travel shop at 8.30am for our boat trip so we got up early, showered, packed up and ate toast (finished the peanut butter off) before leaving our big luggage at the hostel. However, on arrival at the travel shop we were given a form to fill in and were told to be at Abell Point Marina at half 12. This meant we could have stayed in bed longer, ran over to the travel shop then gone back to the hostel to eat and pack up. It also meant that we had four hours to kill that we hadn't known about. So with our small rucksacks and our box of wine we walked round the lagoon several times, sat on a bench for a bit, looked in a book shop for a book on New Zealand, stopped at a cafe for tea and a scone (had the argument about how to pronounce scone), lay down on some grass and filled in our forms (if we die it isn't the travel agents fault) before buying some fresh strawberries and Greek yoghurt for our lunch. 

As you can probably tell from the name of this blog, the boat was called Spank Me which made us nervous and so when it was finally time to walk 20 minutes round the bay to Abell Point Marina we had a few butterflies in our bellies. On arrival we were given a good quality stinger suit (full length to keep us warm) and boarded the boat. The other 20 passengers seemed very friendly which calmed my nerves and the boat was fantastic. It had the highest sail in the whole of the Whitsundays (for boat people it was apparently an 82ft maxi, whatever that means) and was a proper sailing boat. The whole of the deck was open and underneath were the bunks surrounding the little galley (kitchen) and a central serving area. I've decided I like boats and I think my papa should teach me how to sail (dad, it would help if you won the lottery and bought a nice boat, maybe a catamaran). 

Once all passengers were sat on deck the three crew members introduced themselves and we were given a safety talk whilst the skipper drove the boat out of the marina (using the motor, not the sails). The safety talk was pretty long and went into a lot of detail when it came to the toilets. We were also told (and we already knew this) that this was not a party boat, no matter how dodgy the name was. This didn't bother me as I didn't want to be hungover when sailing or snorkelling and no one else seemed to be bothered either. We realised that all the bad reviews online were from people that thought Spank Me was a party boat and were then told off for getting too drunk and being rowdy. People die each year in the Whitsundays from getting drunk and falling overboard or doing other stupid things so I understood the rules perfectly. This didn't mean we weren't allowed any alcohol though. In fact we were encouraged to bring on goon (very cheap boxed wine) or beers and chill them in the cool box. 

When the talk was over and we'd all picked a bunk, a few of us volunteered to help get the sails up. Matt and I were assigned to a grinder and when told we either turned it to first gear or second gear (towards the back or front of the boat). It was great fun! The boat sailed on to our first stopping point next to Hook Island for some snorkelling. It was rather sunny but it wasn't warm so we reluctantly pulled on our wetsuits and took it in turns to climb in a small motor boat to be taken to the snorkel point around 50 metres from the boat. With my snorkel and mask on I jumped in and stupidly swallowed a load of sea water meaning I was coughing for the next 5 minutes. We'd been told that this spot wasn't great for snorkelling but we saw a few nice fish and some pretty reef as this was still part of the Great Barrier Reef. Before long everyone was getting picked up by the little boat and being brought back because we were all cold. However, back on the big boat we were able to make a nice hot cup of tea and sit with our towels round us. My towel is the smallest thing ever and both mine and Matt's had a lovely damp smell about them. I was very jealous of other people's big warm fluffy ones. 

When everyone was back on board we set off to our spot for the night which took a couple of hours. This meant we could warm up, eat some carrots and celery with dip and enjoy the beautiful sunset. I do like boats. Once anchored in we were told dinner was ready. The smells that had been protruding from under deck were amazing and we were all rather hungry. Matt and I giggled to ourselves when we realised it was bolognese (what we had last night) and Matt's eyes lit up when he saw the mass of spaghetti that was sitting in a large cauldron like pan. There was also some iceberg lettuce with cucumber and tomato and the choice of an Italian dressing but this healthiness was cancelled out by the delicious hot garlic bread that was crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. It wasn't gourmet food (the bolognese might have been from a jar and the garlic bread might have been bought) but it was comfort food and it tasted good, something we've missed. 

After tea it was time to open up our box of wine (which we drank in plastic mugs) and enjoy a few drinks (it wasn't that bad) whilst playing a few games. They were mainly games so everyone could get to know each other but they were rather amusing and we had a good laugh. We were the only English people on the boat (except the first hand who said he was from Essex but he's obviously lived in Australia a long time) which made it a lot more cultural and interesting. There were a couple of Northern Irish, a lot of Germans and quite a few French. There was also a Korean girl and a French Canadian girl. Everyone was super lovely and easy to chat to so I had an enjoyable evening before I called it a night at about 10pm. I wanted to get enough sleep so I was ready for all the exciting things that we were going to see tomorrow. 

Lazy lagoon life

I had volunteered last night to help sail this morning so when I heard the anchor being pulled up I waited for someone to call out for the volunteers. This call didn't come so after a while I went up to deck and discovered I was too late. They had just started and someone else had taken my place. This upset me rather a lot so I went and lay in my bed for a bit. I stayed there until until breakfast was called around 10 minutes later. Today I mixed things up so after my bowl of fruit salad I had a peanut butter and plum jam sandwich. Matt got jealous of my sandwich so I had to make him one too. We ate above deck as it was a nice looking day and we stayed there after breakfast as well, enjoying the morning sunshine and views. 

At around half 8 we docked back in Airlie Beach, all of us a little annoyed it was so early; we'd paid for two days and it hadnt been two full days. Nevertheless, we said our goodbyes and walked the 20 minute walk back to Airlie Beach centre. Once there we found a travel agent and used their computers to book a bus for that evening. We had already got another night at the same hostel as it was some kind of deal for two nights but the thought of staying in Airlie Beach for another day wasn't appealing. Don't get me wrong, it's a nice place but there's not a lot to do. 

After we'd booked the bus we sat by the lagoon and took it in turns to swim. The water was cold but it felt fresh and we hadn't showered in a while so this made us a little cleaner. I ended up having a little nap whilst Matt went to the supermarket and bought us some lunch. He came back with a whole cooked chicken, a pesto pasta salad and a couple of bananas. It was good but there was a lot of it. We ended up saving some so Matt could have it as a snack later on. We ate on a picnic bench by the lagoon and after stayed there to play a few card games. Once this got boring we sat by the lagoon again and after another swim we used the communal showers. These are just open so everyone can see you therefore I got some strange looks when I brought out my shampoo and shower gel. I'm guessing people don't normally do that. I must have looked homeless. 

When we'd both showered and dried off it was starting to get a little darker and the lagoon was emptying. We wanted to find somewhere to eat out (if it wasn't too pricey) so started walking down the main street, checking out prices. This is when we realised that we could have checked into the hostel (we'd already paid after all) earlier, used their showers and wifi and kitchen and then checked out just before the bus. We're foolish. Nevertheless, we found an Indian place with a deal on so had a vegetable rogan josh and tikka masala to share as well as rice and popadoms. They are no where near as good as curries you get in the UK. They didn't have that much flavour and didn't taste much different to each other. However, it filled a hole and we watched an interview with Stephen Fry from last year that was being played on a big screen in the restaurant area. I found his views on God very interesting. 

We wasted more time by playing a few more card games and eventually walked back to the hostel as we'd managed to leave our bags there all day. We picked them up, sorted ourselves out and went and sat at Macdonalds next door for half an hour or so. We bought sundaes (mcflurrys are well pricey over here) and attempted to use their wifi before our phones died. The sundaes are actually quite good. They use nice soft scoop ice cream and cover it with a sauce; I had caramel. Our bus wasn't until 11.55pm but at just gone 10 we walked over to the bus stop which was a 15 minute walk away. Once there I settled on a bench and had a little nap until the bus finally arrived. I sleepily boarded the bus and was unconscious again very quickly. I can sleep pretty much anywhere. 

Dude, I had a whale of a time

It was a good job I went to bed at a reasonable time (everyone else did as well) because the crew pulled up the anchor and turned on the motor at 6am. Unfortunately, it was very rainy and grey so we hid below deck and ate our breakfast. There was a lovely array of cereals and bread with loads of different spreads as well as fruit salad and tea and coffee. I had some Rice Krispies and a small bowl of fruit salad. 

The poor skipper had to stay on deck to drive the boat but he did have full waterproofs on. Luckily, we'd remembered our coats so when we arrived at Whitsunday island at around half 7 it didn't bother us too much to venture outside and be brought ashore by the little motor boat. A few of us took cover under trees until the rest of the group were ferried over. Once all on dry land we set off up a path, through the trees, experiencing more of a rainforest than a desert island. About halfway along this path the skipper stopped and invited us all to lick an ants bum. These ants were red with a green inside. The skipper held the ant by the head so it didn't bite us (or him) and touched the bum to our tongues. The reason for this was because it had a sour lime kind of taste. Odd but interesting. Makes you wonder who discovered this though. 

Finally at the top of the path we arrived at a view point that looked down onto Whithaven beach and the hill inlet. Even with the grey sky and drizzle this was the most amazing thing I have ever seen. It didn't look real. The turquoise water shone between the bright white sand and this continued up between two tree covered hills (the hill inlet). I would advise everyone to try and see this view at some point in their life (or just google it). Maybe it was because I wasn't really expecting it but I was rather blown away. We walked down onto the beach after and enjoyed being barefoot on the sand. We were told it wasn't actually sand but silica which was why it was so white (the whitest beach I've ever seen) and if rubbed on your skin it works as an excellent exfoliant and when rubbed on silver it cleans it beautifully. I tried cleaning my silver, even rubbing the sand on my earrings. I'll be honest, I didn't notice any difference but it was fun to try. After a stroll along the beach (the rain had stopped) we waded thigh deep into the clearest water I have ever seen and looked at some stingrays that seemed to be napping on the ocean floor. 

We had a couple of hours on the beach before climbing in the little boat and motoring back to our big boat. As I was in the first ferry back to the big boat I had some time to turtle watch. The bay that we were parked in was a known sea turtle breeding ground so I managed to see three pop their heads up from a distance and then one huge one swam right by the boat, almost parading himself in front of us. Sea turtles are super cute. They may be my favourite animal so I got very excited by all of this. 

When we were all back on board we set off for a snorkel spot, having lunch on the move. Lunch was pasta and potato salads with meat pies and coleslaw. It was heaven and I thought my papa would very much enjoy this trip, especially the food. I probably ate too much (we were taking advantage of all the food) so was happy that it would take us a couple of hours to get to the snorkel point. However, just after we'd eaten we stopped as we'd seen some whales! There was a mummy and a baby swimming around, throwing their whole body above the water and then slapping back down, making the biggest splash I've ever seen. They were quite far away from us but they were so big (they were humpback whales) that we could see their outlines very well. You could normally tell when they were about to surface as there would be this great big spray of water into the air which I thought looked like a puff of smoke. I've never seen whales before (or if I have I can't remember) so this was another incredible sight that I won't forget easily. 

We all had a little nap on deck after seeing the whales as it was getting a little warmer. Thank goodness it was getting warmer because I didn't fancy getting in the water if the weather had been like this morning. We were told this snorkel spot was a lot better than yesterday but it wasn't the best (we were going to the best after). After being ferried over I jumped in the water and had to swim a bit to warm up. Everyone was saying that the water was warm at 22 degrees but I know that swimming pools are at least 28 degrees and they feel cold! However, it felt warmer than yesterday and the fish here were way cooler. The first hand who was driving the little boat threw some bread into the water right beside me which created a fish frenzy. I was a little scared when dozens of fish swam right at me but it was amazing to have all the tropical fish swimming around me. They didn't seem bothered that we were snorkelling and so swam right along beside us, a huge one even swam right up to Matt and posed for him. 

Either we didn't snorkel for very long or the time went super quick. I must have been enjoying myself! Back on the big boat we had a cuppa and warmed up slightly before we arrived at the next place half an hour later. This place was part of a resort (although I saw no resort nearby, it looked like a deserted island) so for years the fish had been fed, meaning there were thousands of them. It was a small bay with a nice enough reef so when we'd been ferried across I was kept entertained with all the lovely fish. Somehow, Matt and I had separated from the group slightly (they were looking for Nemo but we'd seen him in the Philippines) and thank goodness we did. Right down below me as I was swimming was a sea turtle. It wasn't as big as the one we'd seen this morning but it was so close to me I could nearly touch it. I didn't want to scare it so after I'd got Matt's attention we swam along above it and managed to get the most incredible picture. If you're going snorkelling in a beautiful place you should invest in a waterproof camera. Seeing this amazing creature just made this boat trip all the better and it's a moment I will remember forever. Sea turtles are the coolest. Another girl had swam over to us (apparently she was swimming away from a shark) so she got to see the turtle too but I felt special because I was the one that spotted it first. 

We must have stayed at that spot for around half an hour before we were back on the boat and enjoying another cuppa with a biscuit. An amazing hawk flew over the boat so the first hand whistled to it for some reason. He then went below deck to get a sausage and came back up to whistle again with the sausage. The hawk came nearer but not too close. Alex, the first hand, through the sausage out to sea and the hawk dived ridiculously quickly, catching the sausage just before the sea. It then flew off with it, probably back to it's nest. I've never seen such amazing wildlife in one day!

Finally dry and changed we all chatted until we anchored not far from a bay and tea was finally ready. Tea for tonight was beef sausages in buns with cheesy onion mash as well as salad and veg and more coleslaw. The mash was super good and once I could no longer eat anymore I had a couple of glasses of wine and chatted some more. The people on the boat really were lovely and I've started to realise that the people are what make these tours better. I went to bed around 10pm, a little sad that the boat trip was almost over. 

Airlie beach

I started off my morning with a run along Horseshoe Bay. It was pretty slow but I didn't stop and kept going for half an hour so it's a start. It did make me feel refreshed and jolly though so after more peanut butter on toast we packed our bags and got a bus back down to the ferry terminal as we were leaving Magnetic Island. In Townsville we had a latte while we waited half an hour for a Greyhound bus to take us to Airlie beach. The bus took around four and a half hours so we got there at about 4pm. After a stroll into town (the bus station was a little out of town) we found our hostel and checked in. 

Travelling had taken up most of our day but we still managed to walk around the tiny town of Airlie beach, checking out the lagoon and small beach before feeling it necessary to buy a hoody. Australia is cold. We both purchased one for $20 (£10) before buying a box of wine for our two day cruise we would be embarking on tomorrow. Instead of going for the cheap $10 crap we went upmarket and bought some $14 box of Sauvignon blanc instead. It will probably taste crap. But happy with our purchases we headed to the big supermarket to buy our tea. We got ingredients to make spaghetti bolognese which we felt was fresher and better for us (we didn't buy a jar of bolognese sauce). It ended up being pretty good but it lacked the herbs and spices or secret ingredients that are normally added. It did have a red pepper and some spinach in though so we were getting at least one of our five a day! We finished off the meal with some tinned rice cream (it was just rice pudding) with chopped up banana that actually tasted really good. 

With our bellies full we headed to our room to pack our bags for our cruise and ended up having a lovely chat with a couple of Germans and a couple of Swedish guys. The Swedish guys have been around Airlie beach for a while so they reassured us that our boat was decent. If you knew the name of the boat you'd be concerned as well...

Cuddling koalas and walking with wallabies

I woke up feeling very refreshed having slept for a good ten hours or more (no more bags under my eyes!). We got up and had to walk down to the bay to buy some bread as we'd run out. We were right to buy food on the mainland yesterday as the cheapest bread we could buy was still very expensive. Nevertheless, back at the hostel we ate peanut butter on toast and prepared ourselves for our wildlife tour. As the tour was on the same site as our hostel we had to wait in reception for five minutes before being lead into the wildlife area. First off we saw some cute little turtles and got to hold one that had a permanent smile on its face. As there was such a large group (no booking is needed so group size can vary) it took a while until it was our turn to hold the turtle so the ranger lady showed us a beautiful bird while we waited. This bird was called shadow and if you put a seed between your lips he would take the seed with his beak, take off the outer layer and eat the inner. It looked like we were kissing a bird. We also were shown another beautiful tropical looking bird but this one was very shy so wasn't allowed to be touched. The final bird was called Charlie and she loved attention although only the ranger stroked her. Apparently, if this bird gets missed out on tours she'll shriek out because she's jealous. Even though she had attention she still got a little loud as we moved onto our next animal: the wombat. Wombats sleep all day so the ranger had to wake this one (named Harry). He was super cute, especially in his sleepy state, but didn't stay out for long, he just did his business and went back to bed. 

In a pen round the corner were a load of different lizards and then out of nowhere the ranger produced this baby croc (about 18 months old so tiny). This one didn't have tape round its mouth so we held it voluntarily. However, this crocodile was passed round about thirty people so I don't know how it dealt with this so calmly. I wouldn't want to be passed around that many people. This went for the koala as well which was our next animal. It cost extra to hold the koala and have your picture taken but as we'd got a package deal we got to hold the koala. I was first and was shocked how soft and cuddly it was. And how heavy it was! Pebbles the koala clung onto me tightly and we posed together before it was passed onto the next person and so on. I know they're very lazy creatures that sit around all day but surely they don't enjoy being passed about either. 

Before the end of the tour we were shown a big spider that was pretty gross but wasn't as big as I was expecting. This spider was poisonous so was kept in a box so no one could touch it. 

I'll admit that I thoroughly enjoyed the tour and learnt loads about the animals but I am a bit sceptical when it comes to handling animals. We discussed our views on the tour during our lunch of leftover pasta which we ate in the hostel kitchen area. We then had to think about what to do with the rest of our day. We had free snorkel hire but we didn't fancy snorkelling much as it wouldn't be as impressive as places we've already been. In the end, we chose to catch a bus to Geoffrey Bay, halfway between our hostel and the ferry terminal. When there we explored Geoffrey Bay and Alma Bay (they're right next to each other) before getting an ice cream tub to share. We chose vanilla and crushed donut which were both delicious! You could tell the vanilla was the proper stuff and the crushed donut really tasted like deep fried pastry. 

After our ice cream we sat in Alma Bay (the nicest of the two) and I had a little nap in the sunshine (it wasn't very warm). As it was only about 3pm at that point we felt we should be productive with our afternoon so walked around two kilometres uphill to the start of the forts walk. I should have researched what the forts were used for but the paths leading up to them and around them were fantastic. I think it's a national park so trees cover the area and it's really looked after. Also, as people only walk in this area it's full with wild koalas sitting in the trees and wallabies jumping across paths in front of you. Some of the koalas had little babies in their pouches but it was tricky to see as they were protecting them so well. This walk took around an hour and a half up to fantastic view points where we could see Horseshoe Bay and the whole of the national park area as well as bays over the other side of the island. We also entertained ourselves on this walk (when we weren't looking at wildlife) by having to name ten things in a category (like ten types of tree) and if you succeeded you'd get a snack. We had these strange salty nut things with us that we'd bought with our left over Indonesian money before we left Bali. They were actually really tasty and made the whole walk even more exciting. 

By the time we were back on the main road and heading towards our hostel it was half 6 and definitely time to make tea. For tonight's tea we had a pack of mushroom risotto which we added more courgette and onion toand a bit of ham too. However, we witnessed a guy fully gutting a fish which just made me jealous. Although the food wasn't that bad we agreed that we'd rather eat fresh stuff from now on. 

We'd been given a free drinks voucher when we checked in to the hostel so we traded it in for a beer. I then ended up getting involved in a game of pictionary while Matt tried to Skype home with his half an hour of Internet usage (Australians are stingy). I was teamed up with a strange drunk Australian for the game of pictionary so after the first round (we lost) I gave up and went to bed. It was still quite entertaining though. 

Magnetic Island

Our bus arrived at Townsville at quarter to 6 this morning but the ferry terminal didn't open until 6 and the first ferry wasn't until half 6. However, instead of getting the first ferry to Magnetic Island we thought it would be wise to buy our food for the next couple of days on the main land where it would be cheaper. This meant a nice half an hour walk to a big supermarket where we spent a total of $20 dollars for two lunches and two teas for both of us. Not bad. 

Back at the ferry terminal we had to wait another half an hour for the next ferry but arrived on the island at about half 9. It was a lovely sunny day so with our sunnies on we walked to the bus stop and managed to get on a bus immediately to Horseshoe Bay. We got off the bus just before the bay as that's where our hostel was and we checked in. This place was called Bungalow Bay and Koala Village. We slept in bungalows and they had a little wildlife area with koalas. However, when we got there we couldn't check in as it was still before 10am so instead we left our bags and headed to Horseshoe bay where we sat on the beach in some shade and had a little nap (we hadn't had our usual 8 hours sleep). 

It was nearly midday when we woke up and since we had our lunch with us we thought it would be nice to walk to the next bay along (the island has many bays) and eat our lunch. It was a bit of a trek up a big hill and then all the way down the other side but finally we reached Balding Bay (I hope Claire owns it). Maybe it was because the only way onto this beach was by foot or water but there seemed to be quite a few nudists displaying themselves to us. There was probably a total of ten people on the beach though, including the nudists, so it didn't matter to much and we just chose to look out to sea whilst eating our ham sandwiches. 

It was rather warm after we'd finished lunch so we had a quick swim in the sea but quickly got out as the water was rather cold. When we'd dried off we walked back up the big hill but had to go back to Horseshoe Bay rather than on to another place as we'd ran out of water and the nearest shops were in Horseshoe Bay. This was a little annoying but we bought a big bottle of water and a drink of milk (very refreshing) and set off for the second time up the big hill. It added an extra hour onto our walk but we finally made it past Balding Bay and onto Radical Bay. Again we swam in the sea but mainly because we'd got a little sweaty from our hike. The walls were rather lovely although there wasn't much greenery as it is the dry season at the moment. We clambered over rocks and walked along a well signposted path. 

We didn't stay long at Radical Bay as it was getting late in the afternoon and we wanted to see a couple of other bays before it got dark so next up was Florence Bay. To get to Florence Bay we had to simply walk along a road as Radical Bay onwards are accessible for vehicles. The road was only a single track though so we saw one car and got to enjoy the late afternoon sun. Florence Bay was nice but it was colder now so we didn't fancy swimming. Instead we quickly walked on to a viewpoint over looking the next bay: Arthur Bay. This was the last one on our walk but as we were worried it would get dark before we got back to the hostel we didn't walk onto the beach but made our way back to the main road and then from there to the hostel. We got back just before 6pm and showered before making our tea. We'd gone cheap by buying pasta and a carbonara sauce (I hate buying ready made sauces but sometimes it's easier and cheaper) but added fried onion and courgette to it so we felt a little healthier. There was lots leftover so we packed it in some boxes that we'd also purchased and had lunch prepared for tomorrow! 

After washing up we decided to have an early night. I fell asleep before 9. I'm hardcore. If anyone knows me well though they'll know that whenever I lie down I seem to fall asleep. 

Cape Trib and the Daintree forest

After a bad night sleep (apparently I was sleep talking saying 'I don't have to do anything' which I guessed had something to do with the tours) we came to the decision that we'd stick with all these tours apart from the free one that sounded pretty crap. So in better moods we ate our toast and peanut butter (we have to finish the peanut butter before we can have a different breakfast) at around half 6 and checked out of the hostel, leaving our bags there until this evening. Unfortunately, Matt had to deal with a very grumpy rude man at reception which affected his good mood and so when we were picked up just outside the hostel at 7.15 by our tour guide for today we weren't so jolly. Our tour guide introduced himself as George and shook both our hands. I felt like hugging him as he seemed so nice. He was probably about 60 and I think was a descendant of some aborigine people. We hopped on the minibus and had a little nap, occassionally waking to listen to facts or stories George was telling the rest of the bus. I wish I'd been awake for all of it as some of the stuff was fascinating. 

At just before 10 we stopped for coffee and Tim Tams at a little picnic area. Our group wasn't too big and was a mixture of English, German, Dutch, American and Swiss, all girls except for Matt and one other guy (all the girls were rather gorgeous too). Everyone seemed pleasant and I felt it was going to be a good day. 

We drove on further and entered the Daintree forest, stopping at around 11 to take a little stroll. George told us all about the different trees and birds that lived in the forest and how it's now protected. Many years ago loads of it was chopped down to build houses and such but in the last 40 years much of it has been replanted in order to get back the forest that there once was. The walk was on a wooden walkway so nothing strenuous but it was lovely seeing the different trees with their amazing roots and a cool dragon lizard jumping between branches. 

The next stop was Cape Tribulation beach, a beautiful quiet beach surrounded by forest. We stayed here for 45 minutes to eat lunch but being the fools that we are we thought lunch was included. It wasn't. We had some dates in our bag for snacks so had to eat a few of them to keep us going. It was nice to sit on the beach though as the temperature was very pleasant. Luckily, our next stop was for ice cream so we shared a tub with four different flavours (far too expensive for one each). Two of the flavours were something crazy that I can't remember but the other two were coconut and banana which tasted pretty good. 

George dropped us off at the edge of the Daintree river for a river cruise. This was no ordinary river cruise though, this was a croc cruise. The tour guide was brilliant and told us all sorts of facts about crocodiles like how they need to be protected as there aren't many of them left and they can slow down their heart rate to two beats a minute so they can survive under water for five hours at a time. They can also go for 12 months without food! We saw some osprey flying over us and the views down the river were quite lovely. The cruise finished off at the tour guide's farm like place where we had free coffee and biscuits and we could pay to have a picture with a baby croc. Both of us touched the croc but didn't pay for a picture as it had tape wrapped round it's mouth which looked a bit inhumane. George was waiting for us with the minibus when we got off the boat so when everyone was ready we set off to our next destination. 

We finished our day at Mossman gorge. We parked up and then got a shuttle bus to the gorge which took around 10 minutes. It was a pleasant walk along the path, stopping off at view points and some people swimming in the clear green water. It was late afternoon by this point and not very warm so both of us were chickens and chose to stay dry. I wasn't super impressed with the gorge though but maybe that's because I've seen some pretty spectacular things in the past 4 months. 

On our journey back to Cairns we drove through Port Douglas to check it out. It was a nice enough town, similar to Cairns just a bit more upmarket. George told us a few more stories on the drive and before we knew it we were back in Cairns. We quickly popped into the travel shop to cancel the free tour and sort out any other questions we had. Still concerned that we'd spent an awful lot of money we tried to put those thoughts to the back of our mind and got a pizza from the supermarket that was already cooked for us (just like you can get in Sainsbury's). It had beef and pepperoni and cheese and onions on it. The pizza wasn't bad for the price but it could have been cooked a little longer. The food isn't going to be exciting here as I don't have the budget for it. We also didn't have a kitchen to cook in so it wasn't a bad meal considering. The reason we didn't have a kitchen was because we were getting an over night bus to our next destination: Magnetic Island. The bus wasn't until midnight though so we retrieved our bags from the hostel luggage room and napped on the grass by the lagoon until it was time to board the bus. Thank goodness it wasn't raining but it was a tad chilly so I ended up with a pair of leggings under a pair of trousers and two jumpers on me. Luckily, the bus was warmer. 

Cairns sea

The peaceful beach

The Great Barrier Reef

After an early wake up and a breakfast of peanut butter on toast we headed down to the reef terminal to get on our tour boat. It wasn't the sunniest of days which made us a little worried about whether the day was going to be good. We stood in the longest queue in the terminal (our tour company must be good) before boarding the boat with a load of other people (maybe too many people). We collected our free coffee and biscuits before starting to worry that we'd been put in the wrong group. We'd been given a form for certified divers and both of us thought this was wrong but went along with it for a good 10 minutes. In the end I asked a girl and she put us in the correct group (intro divers and snorkellers) as we most definitely weren't certified divers. 

The boat set off and during the hour and a half rocky ride out to the reef (I felt pretty nauseous the whole way) we were given a general safety talk and then, as we had an intro dive as well, we got another safety talk on diving. The diving talk scared me a little and so I was rather nervous to dive. Luckily, we got to go snorkelling for 10 minutes first so after donning a wetsuit (it was bloody freezing) we used their exceptionally good snorkel and goggles to explore some of the reef. I had to teach Matt how to use flippers (I really just told him to kick) and had to remind him how to use a snorkel (he didn't enjoy snorkelling much in the Philippines as he couldn't get the hang of it). I didn't notice much of the reef or fish as I was still nervous about this dive. We headed back to the boat and weights were attached to us before the oxygen tank was strapped to our backs. It was all a lot easier than I thought although some people tried going under water and panicked so didn't do the dive. They didn't get a refund! Once in and used to the breathing (I didn't even think that I'd blow bubbles when breathing out so that was a real shock) we all linked arms and set off with the instructor. Linking arms was a little annoying as it was hard to kick (I kept kicking everyone) and I hadn't a clue where the instructor was directing us to. My goggles filled with water a little but it didn't bother me too much so I gave up trying to sort them out. It was a very strange sensation diving down to however many metres we went (maybe 8 or 10) and I don't think it's like anything I've done before. Luckily my ears didn't hurt at all (Matt's did a little) and so I got to enjoy the scenery. We'd dived in an area where there wasn't a lot of scenery but we did swim into some colourful fish and I saw a big giant clam like thing close up when we moved nearer. It was over rather quickly as the other two girls in our group had taken a while to get used to their gear before the dive down. I would have liked to have spent more time down there or maybe tried swimming alone (with an instructor in close proximity) but another dive cost an extra $45 and I'm pretty poor right now. I'd say the key to being able to dive is not to panic. I breathed slowly and got used to the gear quite quickly. I'll just have to dive again somewhere else and maybe bring my papa with me as apparently he used to do loads of diving! I'd say diving is rather fun, it just takes some getting used to. 

When we came back up from the dive there seemed to be no one in the water which surprised me as there were over 100 people on our boat. After looking at my watch I realised it was already lunch time (the time had flown by) and so we climbed out, pulled off our wetsuits and went to pile our plates up high. There was a lovely fried white fish (can't remember what it was), some big meaty prawns, a piece of beef (overdone but still tasty) and some big sausages topped off with various salads (pasta salad, potato salad, green salad, coleslaw). I was in heaven a little bit so obviously ate a lot and had to let my belly settle before going back in the water. When we'd eaten the boat moved to a different location and once I was warmer (I'd been shaking I was that cold) and less full I put my wetsuit back on and went snorkelling for an hour or so. This time I was far more relaxed and I also think the reef was more spectacular. The wetsuit helped me to float on the water so I barely had to kick my feet (flippers are the best) and I was sailing along slowly, head in the water checking out the fish the whole time. The fish were beautiful and because the reef was so shallow (I had to be careful I didn't scrape my belly) there were tonnes of fish to see. The big turquoise ones were my favourite. 

Back on the boat and out of the wetsuit I struggled to warm up again so went inside and ate some cheese and biscuits and a glass of wine (couldn't refuse all these free things). The boat set off back to Cairns but for our return trip we had some entertainment from one of the crew members. This Australian man (probably late 50s) played his electric guitar and sang songs that most people knew. I joined in a little, enjoying the cheesiness of it all. The staff had been super friendly all day making my impression of Australians change slightly. 

Off the boat we headed straight for the shopping mall to see if we could find a cheap hoody (Australia is cold). For some stupid reason the shops only seem to be selling summer clothes so there wasn't a hoody anywhere to be seen. A tad heartbroken we went into the supermarket and bought veg and fajitas (vegetable fajitas as meat is too expensive for us). Back at the hostel we whipped up our tasty tea (so much more exciting than yesterday) and checked through our itinerary for the rest of Australia. This was a bad idea as we realised maybe we shouldn't have booked all these big tours and maybe we could have done it cheaper. We also looked at reviews for one of them and decided that tomorrow we should cancel it (we were given it for free so it would be fine to cancel). This made us feel pretty shit and we realised we should never make decisions when tired and hungry. After doing washing we both went to bed feeling rather foolish.