Surfing Australia

Goin’ back to Sydney

Wind, Rain, Sand, and Frogs : 26 January 2004

We are slowly heading our way back down the coast to Sydney. we made it to Airlie Beach and decided to turn around there becuase of a few reasons. First of all it is soooo HOT. Our first night in Airlie Beach we were dying. It was about 95 degrees with 100% hunidity..this was at about 10:30 pm. We only had a little ceiling fan to keep us cool. Ha. Second, most of the beaches where closed due to the Box Jellyfish. On the way up here, we stayed in this tiny town called Emu Park. It was so tropical and hot. The place we stayed in was a joke. The guy told us that it was a cozy little room with a kitchenette, a dbl bed and a tv (whoa)..Well we got there and it was so..well, lets say it was not exactly cozy. It was dirty and had big levelor type windows with ratty little screens. It was pouring when we got there so everything was musty and damp. We where on the ground as well, in the bushes, opposed to every other house in the town that was on stilts. We just ignored the status of our room and went for an early dinner, knowing it was going to be a no liquid (as to avoid the trek to the toilet throught the bushes and rain) and an Ambien evening for me. We got home by like 8pm, perfect, get ready for bed and crash before I can see what was really living in the room with us. So I grabbed my toothbrush, my towel and the flashlight and head for the toilet. As I walked through the bathroom enrty, something flew past the front of my forehead...uh oh...great, I stepped back in a panic and froze as to not disturb whatever it was any further, I pointed my flashlight around to see about a dozen bright green frogs hanging out. They where sitting on top of the little toilet dividers staring. Some where clung to the walls. Another one jumped and clung to the wall. I just stood there stunned. I didn't quite know what to do. They where everywhere. I was scared to go to the bathroom because I thought for sure one would jump on my head. I was literally in there for like ten minutes just standing there looking really stupid with my towel wrapped around my head (like that was going to do something). Well, I finally went with caution then ran back to get Robin. I guess we should have known better since we hit one in mid hop with our car as we where coming home from dinner. Anyway, I took my Ambien and was asleep by about 10-10:30. Well, off course around 3am I had to pee. I woke Robin to get him to go with me but he was way too out of it. So I grabbed the flashlight, I turned it on while getting out of bed. The first thing I saw was a giant roach heading towards the bed. I got Robin up quickly...he stomped his foot (helpful) and scared the roach as it ran under the other bed that was in the room..the one with all our bags on it. Great, shit...Once again, I did not know what to do. At this point Robin had to go to the bathroom with me. As we head for our door we see a frog in the middle of the kithchen floor...hmmmm. Came back from the bathroom and there was a huge roach on the wall. I made Robin kill it twice...the frog was just hanging out ( I was okay with the frog). Obviously, sleep was not going to happen tonight. I tried to lay there and ignore the wierd noises coming from the kithchen (which is part of the bedroom), aaah, I had to look, so I flashed the flashlight over there again...just to check....yep, there was another big brown beauty on the wall. Shit.....Robin??? no answer....Robin??? He was awake...but he told me that I had to go get it. Shit...So I killed it, my first roach killing....with Robin's shoe (I wasn't going to use my shoe). I really hate those things. Anyway, Robin mumbled some wise ass remark about how it was good that I was going to be up killing off all the roaches, ha ha. I'm glad he slept in peace. So, needless to say, I was awake for hours. I was so happy when it started to get light out. I waited until about 8am then we where out of there. Anyway, we decided to spend a few days in Airlie beach. We moved to an air conditioned hotel with a beautiful ocean view. We scheduled ourselves for a helicoptr ride out to the reef for some diving and snorkeling and then the cruise boat back to shore. Well, off course that next morning everything was cancelled due to stormy weather. Well, this is no big surprise since the stormy weather seems to have the same itinerary as we do. No big deal, we went the next day, this time we took the boat out first. It was a two hour bumpy ride with 6ft swells. We loved it, but half of the boat was throwing up. Gross. By the time we got there Robin was prepped to go scuba diving, and I was rejected due to the past heart surgery...stupid rule. But we had a great time anyway. I snorkeled over Robin as he never looked up. Then after about two hours of snorkeling I dropped by brand new snorkel and mask into the ocean. I didn't know it could sink so fast. I was having a really great, but stupid day. About an hour or so later we jumped on a this little barge like thing with an engine that took us out to the helicopter. Our flight home was about 45 minutes long and all I can say is that I have never, ever seen anything more breathtaking that the Great barrier reef from above. It was amazing. The next day we got up bright and early and took a different kind of boat ride. This one was a crocodile Safari. We cruised up and down this murky estuary where we saw four crocs hanging out. They where hard to spot because the tide was coming in really fast and, off course, it started pouring. From there we jumped on this giant tractor type thing and drove around the rain forest. Our guide jumped out and pulled this giant piece of bark of a tree and handed it to Robin. Robin was casually trying to refuse it because it was full of spiders, lizards and god knows what else. It was pretty funny beacuse the guy kept trying to give it to Robin and Robin was trying to tell the guy the situation, but just like any typical Aussie bushman, he didn't seem to understand the problem, meanwhile everybody else was backing off. It was yet another great day and we have all the mossie bites to prove it. I was sad to leave Airlie beach, it was definately a cool little town and we had such a nice room. But off we went, back down to Rainbow Beach. Rainbow Beach is the main departure point for Fraser Island. We stayed at Rainbow Beach on the way up the coast and really liked it. It was cool because you we could drive the ute on the beach. We did this on our first visit. We found a cool little cove on the sand, pulled the truck in, opened up the back and pulled out the chairs. We had ourselves perfectly situated..then suddenly it got really dark and windy and started to pour. And when I say pour I mean just dumping buckets of rain. There is no such thing as a slight drizzle. So we gathered our stuff and sat in the car, you know, because we don't spend enough time there. Anyway, the second time around we planned on camping at Frazier Island. The only cars allowed on this Island are 4 wheel drive because it is an all sand Island. The world's largest all sand island. This time, we drove out to the beach, onto the sand and right onto a barge that took us over to the island. We drove around until we found our perfect little place to camp. It was great, we pitched our little tent on top of a sand dune about 30 feet from the water. We set up our table and chairs and relaxed as we watched a procession of 4 wheel drive vehicles go by. Oh and lets not forget the single engine plane that landed and took off on the sandy beach. It was great. unfortunately, as the sun dissapeared, the mosquitos, beatles and these giant flies that bite took over. We where being attacked! Of course, it probaly would have helped if we started a fire like normal campers, naaaa. Instead we hid in our tent. As we sat in our tent we could hear the crackling of the fire at the next camp site over. We actually saw them gathering branches earlier and thought "maybe we should do that". That was as far as that went. Our tent was nice and cozy. It had a vented mesh roof and windows and door. We layed in there and watched this beautiful strom off in the distance, the lightening was overwhelming. Thw whole sky lit up. Then suddenly we realized, hey this storm is getting closer, maybe we should put the tarp over the tent. After debating it a while, it was more out of laziness and not wanting to deal with the bugs, we decided we should, and a good thing we did because ust as Robin was getting back in the tent it started to rain. Now I know we say it rains alot..but this was unreal. We though the wind was literally going to blow us a way. The rain was actually blowing through the tent. We were so freaked out. We where like sitting ducks. I thought we where in a typhoon. The storm was directly overhead, lighting and thunder where happening at the same time. The thunder was SO loud, it would crack right next to us and Robin and I would both jump. I can genuinely say that we where both scared but at the same time we couldn't stop laughing. It was just so typical, and we probably looked so stupid as we pitched our little tent on top of the dune. Anyway, there we We where hudled in the center of the tent, both of us with our arms up trying to hold the tent up. The wind was pushing the tent to the side. The wind didn't come in gusts it was constant for about 45 minutes. Finally it passed. Very wierd. We were wet and sandy. But we managed to fall asleep. It was exhausting fighting that storm. what dorks! The next day, we drove around the island. It was beautiful. We went from ocean through rain forest to a beautiful lake. Unfortunately though we had to head back to the barge and move on. We both did so well 4 wheelin' across the sand until we actually got to the barge. Just as we where about to drive onto the barge I, like an idiot, slowed down in the soft sand and got us stuck. This couldn't have happen when we where out in the remote areas, no, this had to happen in front of everyone. For some reason though, whenever we do something stupid there is always some friendly helpful Aussie around to help us, and they don't really make us feel stupid, even though we know how stupid we look. Well, we successfully made it back to Rainbow Beach where we grabbed some food and headed out for Noosa Head. The road out from Rainbow Beach to the main highway is this winding, hilly road and I wanted to drive because I get nervous on those roads as a passenger. It was beautiful and sunny outside where we where but off in the distance we could see this awesome lightening storm. It was so impressive until suddenly we where getting closer and closer to it then BOOM! We where right in the middle of it, AGAIN. This was the most frightening thing I have experienced yet. The rain and hail, yes "Hail" was pounding on the windshield. I was clenching the steering wheel as I could feel the wind fighting with the car. I couldn't see a thing. No exaggeration, I was so scared, I needed to pull off the road but I couldn't see and I knew that the car behind me probably could see me so I was hesitant to just pull to the side. I was trying to stay calm then suddenly huge tree branches flew in front of me. There was so much going on at once and the sound of the hail hitting the windows was so loud that I thought the windshield wsa going to break. At this point I didn't even know it was hail, It was all just a big blur in front of me. In any case I finally found a road to turn off on, along with a bunch of other cars that where there and whol came in behind me to wait it out. As I stopped the car and released my fingernails from the steering wheel I realized just how scared I was. I could not stop trembling and my heart was pumping like crazy. I really did not like that. Robin was calm, which helped alot, but I think he was pretty freaked as well. About 30 minutes later the storm passed and it was beautiful and sunny and clear. We headed back out onto the road where there was now a traffic jam because of trees that had fallen across the road. I didn't mind, I could have sat there all day, I was just so happy to be able to see out the window and to be alive for that matter.

Replies: 2 comments

A gripping story, filled with passion, suspense and a happy ending! I give it 4 stars! Posted by Chris @ 01/27/2004 06:17 PM PST

I give it 5 stars! I've got an adrenaline rush... as I sit here in my insect-free bubble... Posted by Joana @ 02/14/2004 09:26 PM PST