Queensland: On to Brisbane

Agra is believed to have been founded on the site of an ancient Hindu Kingdom, but the city

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December 13, 2004:
I am nearly done with my queensland drive. I head to Brisbane tomorrow (6hr drive) and then the next day I go to the red center. Thus far the trip has been pretty good. On the first day, after I talked to you, I took the scenic route to Townsville. I went to see a giant curtain fig which is like a banyan tree except that it is a parasite. The seed deposits itself on an existing tree and then strangles it. Yikes... nature is cruel. I also saw a couple of unimpressive waterfalls... probably because it is the dry season in the rainforest.

Journal Continued:
Once in townsville, I was so exhausted I only had time for a quick meal and drink and then I slept like a log. Of course, In the morning I went to magnetic island to wander around. I didn't have any energy so I just lounged and read mostly on this very pretty set of beaches and finally in the evening, I started on my drive to destination #2-- Airlie Beach. It was about a 3.5 hour drive and I started around 7... so I got there just in time to go to sleep again. When I woke up, I felt so much better—totally refreshed. I decided to take the boat out to the white sand beaches of the whitsundays and I am really glad I did, as they are the most beautiful beaches I have seen in ages. I took this ocean rafting boat that went super fast and I sat on the inflated edges and bounced all around. It was like a rollercoaster ride.

Journal Continued:
On some of the islands, I stopped and went snorkeling and hiking. Near the beaches, in the shallow waters, you could see stingray. I had to wear this full body swimsuit because of the stinging jellyfish, some of which are potentially fatal. Australia is a wild place. The nice thing about the suit, is you don't have to worry about the sun.

After the ride, I got cleaned up as fast as I could, cus I still had a 5 hour drive ahead of me... It was nice starting out before dark, cus I got to see some nice scenery too. I try to take a few pics of the drives... the best ones at least. The times that I think...this is a special scene that i want josh to see. This was far too much driving... the sydney - melbourne trip will be far less driving... I think that I planned that a little better. Still, I am having fun as I go, so that is ok.

December 14th, 2005:
How are you? I am so tired from my drive today. I started relatively early and took the meandering tour from rockhampton to Brisbane. In rockhampton, which I think is the beef capital of Queensland or something (there are statues of bulls all over the place and signs for stud farms), there was this "heritage village" which was a recreation of a pioneer town I guess. The cool thing was that families from all over donated their actual pioneer homes that were in their family or something like that. I wandered around and it felt like the outback because it was about 100 degrees and 100% humidity. Each house had a little family history in addition to the usual house accoutrements that a place ought to have.

Above: The beach near the town of 1770. Due to stinging jellies, you have to swim in the netted section of the beach or wear special swimmers. Surfing is a big pasttime here. But I didn't see any waves.

Left: Cows in a field, as curious about my activities as I was about the scenery.

Journal Continued:
From there, I headed south to the town of 1770. Named for the year that Capt James cook landed there. It was described as a cute little beach town and I assumed that included an old town center that had buildings circa 1770, so I went at least 45 min out of my way to go and have a bite to eat at one of the little cafes or something. To my dismay, there was almost nothing there, apart from beautiful blue water and waves for the surfing community.

Starving, and desperate at this point to eat... I pulled into the one and only place to eat and had a burger. Of course, I couldn't finish it. Burgers in Oz each weigh about 15 lbs. Still, I felt much better after that.

Journal Continued:
Then I had to head south again. I decided not to swerve from the path too far after the other 1770 disaster... and headed straight for Brisbane... which was enough. It was a mellow enough drive most of the way... with the occassional amazing expansive view that reminded me of Texas.. huge skies, open spaces, and hot hot hot hot hot weather. Driving in I saw some gorgeous sunsets as well... which was pleasant-- and marked my entrance into the city.

Now having a car can be nice... and it can also be a severe problem. I found myself there at the edge of the city and I had no idea how to get to where I needed to stay for the night. I did my best, drove by instinct, and amazingly found my way, but in the future... I don't think that I want to have a car in the city itself... plus you have to deal with parking. Just thinking about it makes me tired. It was so stressful driving around with no map larger than my little lonely planet map and on the left side of the road and dealing with the different street signs and signals. Anyway, by the time that I got here, I was completely exhausted. AND I have to find my way to the airport again in the am... very early --- like 4am. Hopefully there won't be too much traffic on the road at that time.

Above: A colorful bird in the Koala sanctuary.

Right: The road to Brisbane.

Below: a young, sleepy Koala bear in a rehabilitation zoo near magnetic island. The fur of the koala bear is like sheep's wool. You pet the koala with the back of your hand, or not at all. Their immune system is very fragile and they catch illness easily from people.

Journal Continued:
Now having a car can be nice... and it can also be a severe problem. I found myself there at the edge of the city and I had no idea how to get to where I needed to stay for the night. I did my best, drove by instinct, and amazingly found my way, but in the future... I don't think that I want to have a car in the city itself... plus you have to deal with parking. Just thinking about it makes me tired. It was so stressful driving around with no map larger than my little lonely planet map and on the left side of the road and dealing with the different street signs and signals. Anyway, by the time that I got here, I was completely exhausted. AND I have to find my way to the airport again in the am... very early --- like 4am. Hopefully there won't be too much traffic on the road at that time.

Journal Continued:
Now off to the center. I bet it is gonna be VERY VERY hot in the center. After today, I am sort of wishing I hadn't planned it. I was so hot wandering around in the rockhampton heritage village.

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