So, our last two destinations in Australia were Mission Beach and Cairns before we flew to Singapore. After the hectic week or so we had had visiting Fraser Island and Whitsundays we wanted to chill out an relax a bit so we headed for Mission beach.
We stayed at Absolute Backpackers and it is definitely one of the nicest hostels we have stayed in. The rooms were really clean and there was a swimming pool which was a bonus. We had a relaxing few days which included a mini beach and rain forest walk where I was told I would see loads of turtles, but did I? No!! I think they just don't want to be seen by me!!We also had a resident frog outside our room which would appear at night and freak me out because I thought he was going to jump on me when I went to the toilet. Needless to say he didn't though! Another bonus to the hostel was that they did a free BBQ on the Saturday night which was nice as it meant we got speaking to quite a few people and free food when you are a backpacker is always a good thing. One of the days we went for a walk along the 15k beach and saw a baby shark washed up on the shore and also a lifeguard had caught a box jelly fish (one of the most poisonous jellyfish in the world) and he let me touch it, obviously not his tentacles!, so this was quite cool! We were also told by the hostel where we could see wild wallabies nearby, so we went on the hunt and managed to find some!
Our last stop in Australia was Cairns and after we had enjoyed the snorkeling on Whitsundays so much we could hardly come here and not snorkel on the great barrier reef! We went with a boat called Passion and there was probably about another 50 people on the boat with us but you can't really find a smaller boat to take you there as so many people visit the reef it is not cost effective for the tour companies! We chose to pay a little more for our trip and go to some of areas of the reef that were less visited as the coral is supposedly less damaged and you are likely to see more fish! We were also going to one of the parts of the reef that you are most likely to see a turtle and I was sure that the Great Barrier Reef was not going to let me down!
Once again we had to slip into some lovely stinger suits and this time to make it worse they were bright blue so you look like a smurf!! The first area we went to was known as Paradise Reef and to be honest when we arrived there, it did live up to the name. The water looked so inviting, even if you are literally in the middle of the ocean, a fact that James was well aware of! I'm still sure he thought he was going to be eaten by a shark!
We had to get a smaller boat to take us out to the island and then from the island you could get in the water. I think James was relieved that there was a bit of land there which meant if there was a shark in the water he could quickly jump out!! He kept saying that as long as there was other people in the water it was okay because it meant that the shark had plenty of people to chose from! It was literally like a postcard setting, white sandy beach island and crystal clear water. Underwater was even more amazing with loads of fish and great colourful coral. It sounds really naff but it really is like being in another world and if you have never snorkeled before then give it a go if you can! Paradise Reef was the place where I was almost guaranteed to see a turtle but yep you have guessed it, not today! I couldn't believe it, I was gutted!
Our next destination after lunch was literally in the middle of the ocean with no land to be seen for miles! Again we saw some great fish and coral and this was also really good because you could see the ledge where the reef ended and it just disappears into darkness. That was a bit weird and eerie actually but I still managed to swim over the ledge (only a bit though). The best bit about this snorkel was that I swan with a turtle. I had finally found one!! They are so graceful in the water and I was mesmerized by it! I must have followed it for about 20 minutes! That definitely made my day and because of the turtle I would have to say that I preferred the snorkeling at the Barrier Reef to the Whitsundays although they were both incredible and one of the best things we have both done so far! When we had got back out of the water and were on the boat I also saw another turtle come up for air so now I was just being spoilt!
On the boat on the way back James and I tried crocodile meat for the first time. One of the crew offered it to us but we thought it was just chicken and he was winding us up. Turns out it was crocodile though as we saw the packet afterwards, we only tried a little, but don't tell Steve Irwin! It doesn't really taste of much and I don't think they should be killed for their meat so I won't be eating it again!
Our last night in Australia was a good one and we spent it with some of the lovely people we had met over the last couple of weeks! We really enjoyed our time in Australia, we did some great things and met some great people. If I ever go there again I would like to head a little further inland to see some of what the rest of Australia has to offer. The only slightly negative thing I would say about Australia at the moment is that it is just soo expensive, especially for a traveler!
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