1700 Kilometers in 7 Days

First of all, happy new year!

Eric and I arrived in Brisbane Australia on December 31st. We both had extremely high hopes for our new year's eve. Our hostel, The Bunk, had a connecting bar and all sorts of festivities planned. As it turns out was the lamest new year's celebration I have taken part in in 26 years. Around ten I began to run a fever and promptly went to bed. Eric stayed out about another hour before also giving up and returning to our room. We were woken up to a happy new year by our roomate peeing on the floor. Yay. Luckily the rest of the aussie experience got better.

New year's day I woke up feeling pretty crappy but was determined to see Brisbane. Eric and I climbed aboard a bus to the Lone Pine Nature Reserve where we were able to see all sorts of Australian wild life. We got to pet kangaroos, view bats, wallabies, tasmanian devils, and the highlight, hold a koala (sorry kangaroos you've been replaced).

Eric's new friend.

These were the laziest kangaroos I've ever seen. People feed them all day long and they just lounge around waiting for the next meal.

My new best friend. Koala's are actually pretty stinky animals. The eucalyptus leaves that they eat causes them to smell similar to molding mulch.

The rest of our days in Brisbane were spent exploring the quiet little city and celebrating our new year (just a few days late). Our hostel was located right in the night life district which made going out a little too convenient.

Now for the real adventure... our Wicked Camper. Eric and I rented a camper van and took off up the east coast of Australia. We spent seven nights driving, eating and living out of our stylish camper van.

Meet Wiki.

Of course no one informed us that the east coast's summer is very wet and full of cyclones. The journey was filled with lots of rain but it did not stop us from seeing the coast and the beautiful country. We made our way up the coast stopping each night in a new town. We camped in Hervey Bay, Rockhampton, Arlie Beach (for three days), Mission Beach, Port Douglas, and finally arrived in Cairns on the 11th of January.

The journey was sprinkled with day trips to the Great Barrier Reef, visits to gorges and caves, wildlife sightings, coffee fields, lots of rain, lots of pasta, and lots of great people. We both highly recommend the camper - it was great for making detours to small towns and snapping pictures of the beautiful scenery. It definitely wasn't the best sleep I've had in my life but it was worth every second.

Every night in Hervey Bay the bats come out to hunt. Almost the entire sky was filled with these creepy creatures.

Our visit to the Capricorn Caves, right outside of Rockhampton.

There is a huge chapel located inside the cave.

Just another night spent with Wiki. We became very good at cooking pasta in the dark.

We took a day trip from Arlie Beach out to the Great Barrier Reef. We spent the day on a pontoon boat snorkeling, viewing the sea from the glass bottom boat, and taking full advantage of the water slide.

We had to wear wet suits every time we entered the water because the marine stingers that are located in Queensland cause a few deaths a year. Luckily we escaped unharmed.

Best snorkeling ever!

Our second day in Arlie beach we took a sailboat out to the islands. Unfortunately it poured the entire day and was freezing. This family failed to notice the lack of sun for the day.

The rain paused long enough to allow Eric to take his first shot at Cricket.

Trying to make the best out of the rain while on a sailboat.

Enjoying my cappuccino at Jaques Coffee plantation outside of Mareeba.

Jaques had a map with push-pins of where everyone was from who visited the fields. I of course was not the first to place a pin from Atlanta.

Eric enjoying the sunshine. It probably rained about ten minutes later.

Apparently we were pretty lucky to see the endangered cassowary. I'm really glad we didn't hit him as he crossed the street.

Lesson learned. Don't take a hike without a raincoat.

Cairns was proven to be just like everyone said, nothing special but a good place to stop. Our hostel, Gilligan's, was more of a resort than a hostel and was a great way to catch up on some much needed sleep and sun. Eric got to enjoy some more of the Great Barrier Reef while I spent my day shopping and getting to know the city.

Eric learning to play the didgeridoo.

Diving the Great Barrier Reef off of Port Douglas.

From Cairns we had to take a six hour bus ride back down the coast to catch our flight from Townsville to Melbourne. Instead of staying in Townsville we took a ferry over to Magnetic Island for the night. Our hostel, Base, was located right on the coast with a fantastic view. Each room was a small hut that had eight beds. It had a great view and a great deck bar. We took part in some fun trivia and retired to our room fairly early for the night. The next morning we went on a two hour hike through a forest that had old war forts and koalas hiding in the trees. Of course, this was the highlight of Magnetic Island for me.

This baby koala was the cutest thing I have ever seen. He was making squacking noises and trying to climb out on the branches of the tree.

A quick stop while hiking to enjoy the view.

Another koala siting. This one had no problem posing for pictures.

The view from Base hostel. Not bad.

Later that afternoon we took the ferry back over to Townsville and set off for our next destination, Melbourne.