With time running out, we've tried to fit in as much as possible in the time remaining. First stop after Byron Bay was the rather twee sounding Rainbow Beach and from there Fraser Island which - the literature tells me - is the largest sand island in the world. The guide was pretty useless if truth be told, grunting inaudibly, gesturing vaguely towards some dunes and then wandering off to sit by himself. Luckily everybody else in the tour group was really canny and met some really nice people. Of course, we had to pull together in order to combat the ever present threat of the dingo packs that live there. At one point I left the group to make use of the local amenities (Fraser Island being almost completely undeveloped it's advisable to take advantage of public loos and the like on the rare occasion that you come across them). Preoccupied as I was with my bladder I very, very nearly walked straight into a dingo which was idling on the path. There was a second of disconnect as it was kind of hard to reconcile the rather handsome dog in front of me with the very real danger these things can be. Thankfully it didn't seem particularly interested on eating my face and was content to let me shuffle off in the opposite direction. The island itself is very pretty and well worth seeing. True to form the second I tried to take a photo of something my camera lens jammed with sand and is now unusable.
After that we took the overnight bus up to Airlie Beach and then took a yacht out to the Whitsundays. For almost as long as I've known him, Bob has been going on about how he would love to own a boat, so this was a real high light for him. We weren't just sat there either, but were expected to participate in the hoisting, grinding, tying etc (I can now confirm that pulling up a 450kg sail is hard work. Who knew?). On the last day the weather turned and became blustery and choppy meaning that we pelted back to port, spray in our faces and the ship at a 75 degree tilt. Fantastic stuff, although because I can't resist the obvious reference, I did have the below song running through my head the entire time:
When we weren't boating around on the boat with all the boat people we were diving and snorkeling the great barrier reef (Well, I did. Because Bob had asthma as a child they wouldn't let him dive, which understandably narked him a bit). In the end I didn't punch a turtle. I was going to, I really was. While snorkeling I came across one asleep on the ocean floor. However my fists of fury were stayed by the fact that they are some of the most beautiful creatures I have ever seen. Plus they eat jellyfish, which I both hate and fear. So I left it be and instead paddled off to taunt some clown fish.
Was rather surprised when we returned to the Blue Parrot to find that there were people here that we actually know. I was also slightly surprised to find Ollie here, the lad who took over my job at DealBoard, and find that he'd quit after four weeks as he thought that the job was all kinds of bullshit. This was slightly gratifying as I did wonder if I was being slightly precious about the whole thing. Being back in Sydney meant that we were also able to meet up with Erin and Tia again, which I'm really glad for. There was also a guy named Jim there. I've not met him before, but he seemed canny.
There is, of course, a sadness in leaving, but there's a joy in returning home. Goodbye Australia. You are a beautiful country, filled with many beautiful people. I've had some hard times here, but they've been tempered by the good times, which will provide me with happy memories that will stay with me for the rest of my life. Your telly's a bit crap though.
Love and Fishes
Dave Denton
