Hong Kong & Australia 2006 (6/6)
2006 found us on a big trip to Hong Kong and Australia. I say "big" because we took 3 weeks instead of our normal 2 and we had a lot of flights getting from A to B to C etc. We had help with the booking this year in the form of Karen and team at Bon Voyage. Our itinerary was:
Red Centre
Port Douglas & Barrier Reef
QLD - North of Port Douglas
QLD - South of Port Douglas
Because there are so many photos, each of the above is on a separate page - please click on the one you'd like to visit. This section is repeated on each page so it's easy to get from one to the other.
2 days of heavy driving were needed to get us from Port Douglas to Hervey Bay where we were due on Wednesday. We did most of the driving (c.1,100 kms, c.14.5 hours) on Day 1 so a very long and tiring day. A man in one of the service stations we stopped at told Jonathon he had the wrong accent for a long haul - apparently only Aussies do them! Having done a long haul and had Pie for dinner en route, we feel like true Aussies.
We got up at 5 a.m. to set off but were rewarded with a stunning sunrise over the sea on the way.
Most of the journey was not particularly interesting with plenty of long road stretches ahead and not a single vehicle in sight. There were a lot of roadworks so we saw other vehicles as we queued for those and we got stuck behind the odd caravan or two.
We drove past millions of trees, acres of sugar cane (even had to stop for a cane train now and then) and the occasional banana plantation, mango plantation, sugar mill and cattle herd. Most of the time we had vast space on either side - very different to our crowded island.
It's hard to believe that it could rain after such a beautiful sunrise but soon after breakfast it threw it down. The sun came out again later and it "turned out nice" after all.
We finally arrived at the Tropical Wanderer Resort in Rockhampton, having driven past Cairns, Innisfail, Cardwell (breakfast) Townsville, Ayr (dinner), Bowen, Mackay and Sarina (tea), and collapsed into sleep.
A more civilised start to the day (time wise) on Day 2 and the sun had well and truly risen before we hit the road. First stop was Benaraby Hill Top Motel where they kindly prepared brunch for us (even though the kitchen was officially closed). Next stop (for pudding) was Laurel Tree Cottage Country Kitchen in Childers. We can recommend both these places if you're travelling on that stretch of the A1 (Bruce Highway).
Finally we arrived at Hervey Bay where we're staying at the Beachside Motor Inn. Lisa and Mark are both really friendly and helpful and this is another place we can recommend.
Having got settled in we went for a wander on the beach to watch another spectacular sunset (this was getting to be a very pleasant habit).
The colours changed quite dramatically as the sun went down ...
... and we were pleased to see a couple of pelicans on the sea (bit far away for photos but this is the best I could do!)
Our main purpose for staying at Hervey Bay was to go whale watching. We'd booked a trip on the Blue Dolphin, a 10.7m catamaran with space for only 20 people so not too crowded.
It was a beautiful morning, the sun was shining and the sea was calm - perfect conditions for whale watching. Pete (boss man) gave us an interesting talk about whales and other marine life in the area so we could appreciate what we were seeing better and Ingrid made us morning tea. I could get used to this life.
We saw loads of whales and had a show of breaching, rolling, splashing and fluking. There were a few pods of Mum and Calf and some of Mum, Calf and Escort. We even enjoyed watching one male chase off another although it was a bit worrying for the calf until order was restored.
Before we left Hervey Bay we visited Arkarra Lagoon - a lovely place to enjoy peace and quiet together and admire pretty scenery, plenty of water birds and turtles before sitting in one of the Balinese Tea Huts to savour their wide range of teas, coffees and home made food.
Our final destination was Deception Bay, near Brisbane, to see Rod, Rhondda and Dean then home to the UK - 3 weeks can seem so short sometimes.
The best laid plans can sometimes go wrong, particularly when there is a mechanical fault on the plane and you end up with no flight.
BA put us up in the Wahroonga Spanish Motel for the evening and, whilst the delay was inconvenient, it did mean that Jonathon could see a little bit of Sydney as we drove to and back from the hotel. (I know Sydney is not in Queensland but didn't think it deserved a page of its own for the short period of time we were there!)
Finally we arrived back in London with lots of memories to cherish
and a target to save up enough money and holiday days to return before too long!
THE END!