The Trip: Chapter 6 - End of Days

Waking up with the now ever present pain in my lower right side we somberly packed up and headed north once more. Fortunately it was a pleasingly short few hours to Townsville, a ridiculously hot place. Not much was done - we'd all managed to pretty much destroy ourselves chemically, mentally and physically in the last fortnight so we elected to float in the pool all afternoon. Next day we hopped over to Magnetic Island - a pretty yet quiet island a short ferry ride away. We made it less quiet by haring around the island on a Mini Moke we hired.

Within a few hours we'd exhausted all there was to do on the island, even after running in to heaps of folk from the Whitsundays boat. Returning to Townsville, Adam and Jeremy were still on "Detox" so sat in the pool complaining. Elz and I decided to go for a drink or seven. We forgot it was Valentines Day... Now most of you know the unbridled hatred I have for this day, but it was actually a funny night - everyone assumed we were a couple, netting us many free drinks and an eventual armful of roses for Elz.

End of the road was Cairns. Rainy rainy Cairns was where pretty much everyone from Fraser Island and the Whitsundays ended up. This meant of course the requisite partying...
...I was also pleased to catch up again with Emma, albeit briefly... We also did more wholesome things, including a trip up to the Rainforest (photos incoming). Also the required scuba diving on the barrier reef which was an err... interesting day...

After an rather epic last night out for Elz...Dinner! Buckets of Beer $15!!!
...we rocked up a the jetty at 7am in more than a little pain, only to be warned it might not be the best day for a 2 hour trip ot to sea - the weather was pretty bad and expected to get worse... I didn't give a monkeys - I don't get seasick, Adam was leaving the next day so had to go, and Jeremy was still too drunk to argue...

Yeah that was dumb, Jeremy spent the whole trip attempting to chunder over the back of the boat where space was at a premium, Adam meanwhile was steadfastly staring at the horizon and not moving. I spent my time flitting between the two, mocking them savagely. Then all of a sudden I felt a bit iffy, seconds later it became clear there was a gastric explosion imminent. I managed to get to the side of the boat to rid myself of the Captn' Crunch I'd had a few hours previously. A big moment for me. First seasickness in about 20 years.

Suitably refreshed I returned to mocking the others, we eventually arrived at the reef, the phrase choppy-o'clock isn't enough. It was ridiculously rough, there were waves breaking on the reef. Cursing that I didn't bring my board I jumped in to snorkel, finding that the coral was actually a bit of a letdown. Turns out that with the tourism impact, agricultual runoff and the more acidic seawater caused by global warming, the Great Barrier Reef is pretty much dead.

Still pretty cool though - saw a few clownfish, (Nemo!) and lots of other bits n' bobs... then it was time for my scuba dive, I've done quite a few before but you just need to dive the GBR when you go to Oz... The instructor was far to occupied tending to some petrified Japanese girls to keep an eye on me so I just followed the photographer around who had found a sea turtle, go go epic photo...
A few days later we had another high spirited outing when we discovered that renting scooters for a day cost a measly $30... well, the others got their scooters, I got a HOG.


Adam and I also went on an unlimited bungee jumping day...

The rest of our days in Cairns were spent sleeping, drinking, and going to KFC. (Jeremy continued this behaviour for a further three weeks after I left.) I was also trying (barely) to sell my damn car, which would allow me to then leave Cairns and fly back to Byron to see Emma again and also my parents who were making their way through Oz. This didn't happen. Mainly due to the fact that I didn't put much effort into the sale and my car was a heap of shit. It came to the point where I gave up and drove back south to Aerlie Beach to meet the folks who were doing there own Whitsundays trip.

It took a different tack to our previous hedonistic debaucle, I was kindly brought along as well on a recondictioned wooden square rigged ketch (A pirate ship you ignorant pigs). Frankly it was a much needed break, no goon, no touch the cup, no "pull my finger!", just calm, refined sailing around some beautiful islands for 3 nights. I'd left my camera somewhere, so no photos, but it was great, and it was also really good to see the folks.

Mum and Dad then flew south to Brisbane, I drove there in 2 days - go go 140kmph puncture...
...stopping via 1770 for a surf attempt, sadly longboards only that day but a very nice spot. I caught up with the folks again for a night out in Brisbane before my inevitable return to my home in this blessed country: Byron Bay.