I got to Magnetic Island on Friday July 7th. Soon after I arrived I attempted to go sea kayaking. My kayak partner and I had a bit of trouble getting our kayak into the water. Just as it seemed that we got it, a big wave would push us back onto the sand. We gave up after about 5 attempts. Eventually I was willing to give it another go. It took a bit of effort but finally there we were paddling along. All went smoothly until we decided to come back to shore. We got out of the kayak and were trying to drag it up onto the beach but the waves kept knocking us over. At once point a big wave lifted the kayak into the air - which then came crashing down on top of our heads. Had a bit of a tender head for a couple of days but no serious damage.

The next day, a group of us went on a bush walk on the island looking for koalas. Whoo hoo...we found three! The first one was quite high up in the tree and had it's back to us so at first it looked more like a rock than anything else. But later we say two more that were in lower branches. One of them was quite animated and kept looking at us.

View of Magnetic Island - Overlooking Townsville

Koala

The next stop was Mission Beach. I arrived in the evening and left the next morning so there's nothing exciting to report about that trip. I  had though of spending a few days in Mission Beach but it's pretty ravaged at the moment thanks to Cyclone Larry which hit the region in March of this year. During the bus ride, the driver spotted a cassowary on the side of the road and stopped the bus so we could have a look and take photos. Spotting cassowaries in the wild is pretty rare so getting to see one was pretty cool.

Cassowary

So, the next stop was Cairns. On the way, we visited The Johnstone River Crocodile Farm where I finally got to see kangaroos. I was hoping to spot them out in the wild but this was the next best thing. Surprisingly, they're quite friendly. They'll come right up to you and let you pet them. I took photos which unfortunately are a little cloudy because moments earlier, a crocodile splashed water all over me and the lens of my camera go wet. (Camera's okay now though). I also held a baby crocodile (kind of cute actually) and a snake (decided I don't like holding snakes).

Kangaroo - and Joey

Crocodile

Baby Crocodile

Later we went for a walk through a rainforest which could have been really nice except that it too was affected by the cyclone and everything was a big mess. We then went to the AJ Hackett Bungy jump site and I watched some friends bungy jump. I still think bungy jumping is nuts. They also have an attraction called a Minjin Swing which a few people did - and said was a lot scarier than it looks.

For a Minjin Swing, you're attached to this contraption ina horizontal position. You are then hoisted up and then let go leaving you to swing back and forth at speeds of up to 120 km/hour. (The other night I won a free Minjin Swing during a game of bingo. I wanted to sell the prize - worth $45 but no one wanted to buy it - and I have no desire to do it myself.)

Anyhow...on Sunday I got to Cairns. That night a whole buch of us went to The Woolshed Tavern for dinner, drinks and some dancing. I had such a good time. (Apparantly The Woolshed is "the place to be" for backpackers). Felt like a kid again. On Tuesday I went on a two day/one night trip to Cape Tribulation. On the first day we to Mossman to visit Mossman Gorge, which is located within Daintree National Park. Much of Daintree National Park is covered by rainforest. The rainforest, which is estimated to be around 130 million years old - is the oldest in the world. We also went on a riverboat cruise on the Daintree River to spot crocodiles and snakes - which in fact we saw. In the afternoon, we arrived at the resort where we'd be spending the night.

Crocodile

I was looking forward to spending time relaxing by the pool or on the beach but it was raining. I still went for a walk on the beach but ended up having an early night because the rain was coming down too hard. The next day I sailed out to snorkel the Great Barrier Reef. It was still raining but I still had a good time - even if the views in the sea were not as spectacular as I'm sure they are on a clear day. It was my first time snorkelling and the crew of the boat were fantastic. It was a really great trip.

The trip back to Cairns took an hour longer than it should have because the rains had washed over one of the bridges on the road. There was a long delay as cars waited to be towed over the bridge. We were lucky though. We got through. The next day, more roads in the area were washed away and people ended up stuck in Cape Tribulation unable to go anywhere. The roads to many of the hostels/resorts in the area became inaccessible. All tours and trips to the area were cancelled until further notice. Glad I went when I did.

On Friday I went white water rafting on the Tully River. It was a full day trip and lots of fun - even though - once again - it was raining. Actually, it's been raining every day for the last week. I have nothing else planned until I fly back to New Zealand on Thursday so I was really hoping for some sunny weather so I can just relax. But oh well. I can still relax but instead of sitting on a beach or by a pool I'm relaxing in an internet cafe or in my hostel room reading a book.

So that's the update on my adventures in Australia.