Men’s Adventure Tour – Day 3

There’s nothing like saving up the adrenaline smashing activities until the last day is there! We’ve had a couple of days of really interesting things to do but nothing that really raises the heartbeat by more than about 20%.

Today however would be different. No more messing about, this is the stuff that sorts out the men from the boys – I mean it is supposed to be an adventure tour isn’t it!

First stop Skydiving. Skydive Cairns are to be our hosts for the stomach-churning adventure and we rock up to their office in the centre of Cairns for the pre-jump brief and to find out who we’ll be paired up with as our Jump Master.

My man of the morning is Max, a parachutist of 15 years who has made well over 15,000 jumps and obviously has an exemplary safety record (we just don’t talk about the five close shaves he’s also experienced!). He runs me through the procedures involved; how I should tuck my head back and my legs away when it’s our turn to sit in the door, when to spread-eagle in the air on the way down…and when it’s almost over – how to land.

I feel in a pretty privileged position really, having jumped a month ago with Skydive Airlie, but there’s a couple of pretty apprehensive faces wandering around the office!

We all get into our harnesses, sign our lives away and then make our way to the minibus waiting outside the office…sitting there like the vehicle which will take you to meet your maker!

As we pull onto the airfield our awaiting plane is already fired up and ready to go, there’s no going back now. I mean there’s pride at stake here. Forming an orderly, if bouncy-adrenaline-filled queue we await our fate…

One by one our Jump Masters load us into the plane, there are seven of us jumping so that’s 14 people in total. We clamber inside the plane and take our places between, the person in who our future now lies, thighs. This is all very cosy!

As we taxi down the runway some of the Korean media are talking to each other in Korean. I find out later that the editor of AB-ROAD magazine turned and told his cameraman “I love you!” Classic.

The scenery below is stunning as we make our way south-east, away from the city and out over the rainforest once more. We spot our some of our locations from the day before, landslides on the hills and churning waterfalls off in the distance. It’s a very different view to that of the Whitsundays, but equally as beautiful.

14,000 feet above the ground doesn’t take that long to get to and before we know it the roller door has been opened, the rush of the cold air fills the cabin and the first victim, sorry jumper, has their feet out of the door. Then before you can blink – GONE!

It’s surprisingly quick with these guys you know. No time to say you’re pulling out which is probably a damn good thing. I’m fourth up and before I can look down we’re falling down at terminal velocity towards the ground.

220 km/h of face distorting wind is rushing against my face and body and the only thing I can do is laugh and love it. The feeling never ever changes no matter how many times you do this – adrenaline is coursing through my veins and the natural high it causes is totally addictive.

This time there’s around a minute of freefall but it passes by oh so quickly when you’re tumbling at that speed. In fact it really does feel as though it’s over in a matter of seconds before that crutch-jerking tug on the harness and the entire freefall is over.

Once I’m hanging under canopy floating gently to the ground, Max offers me the controls of the parachute and I get a chance to steer this baby. Scary thought I know but it’s so cool being able to fly yourself down to the ground and towards the landing zone.

We pull full circles at speed and eventually come close to our landing site before Max takes over, gives the last instruction to lift my feet and with a fast approach we make it down onto terra firma once more.

Incredible – absolutely amazing – “can I go again please!”

Seeing the other guys come down to earth is wicked too, I can hear Juweon before I see his face – he’s had a great time too and shouts and screams as he approaches the ground.

The most incredible transformation has take place with another of the group too – Choong Keol Lee, the editor of GQ Korea, was a pretty quiet guy before this jump. This has brought him out of his shell totally. From total fear to total enjoyment and a huge number of very funny jokes too. I like this guy a lot.

Remember this is supposed to be an Adventure Tour so there’s no time for sitting about. No sooner are we through with our jump then it’s back to the office to collect our bags and onto the next activity…

Well strictly speaking we did have lunch first and it was back to one of my favourite haunts in the city, Café China and its ever-welcoming host Harry. Treated to his very special function room we all tucked in a spread worthy of the finest Chinese Emperor, finished off with a very different but tasty mango jelly. You have to try it!

With our final mouthful just about down the itinerary kicked in once more – we were off to the final installment. White-water Rafting.

Now I know it’s not the most impressive of all the rafting waters in Queensland, but with the rain the surrounding hills have had over the last few weeks, the Barron River is still putting down some serious white water. Enough to challenge those first time rafters amongst the group…and there are a few!

Raging Thunder are again our hosts for this our last adrenaline-filled activity and we jump in their minibus, complete with trailer and rafts, which takes us on the hour long drive up the valley.

The Korean media group all head off to one raft with their translator – there are certain things that you have to understand when rafting! I join up with another group of English speaking tourists led by Ash the guide. Once we’ve kitted ourselves out with lifejacket, helmet and slap on the sunscreen it’s down to the water’s edge to prove we can swim, float or at least not drown. The large yellow raft is big enough to fit eight paddlers and a guide in, there’s holes all over the bottom of it but fear not. They are there to let water out…not in.

The paddling drill is then given to us with a number of different instructions necessary to take on the rapids of varying intensity. They range from “paddle” to “PADDLE!!”, there’s “get down” and finally “GET DOWN, PADDLES UP”.

These are all in order of desperation as Ash our guide decides how we should be approaching, or attacking, the next rapid.

We do pretty well to start off with, riding the first and second of the falls with relative ease and then one of the big ones approaches – The Rooster Tail. So called when the water is flowing like it is, as the spouting water looks just like a chicken’s tail.

On approach it all looks pretty good, it’s only when we drop onto the beast that the raft is flung up in the air, all of us grab onto the centre ropes and get as low as possible. As we smash into the water below the raft almost flips but we just manage to hold on and save a wet ending happening.

Further downstream we’re not so lucky and get sucked back into one of the falls we’ve just dropped down. This is known as surfing! The raft is pulled right under the cascading water and immediately fills right up but these things are designed to do just that and instead of sinking, just sits there and with me being right at the front, I bear the brunt of the torrent!

We struggle to get free and in the end Ash has to jump out with a rope attached to him to act as a human-anchor, thereby giving enough resistance to pull the raft free from its temporary parking spot. No such luck.

So now it’s my turn to help out. In an effort to add more resistance Ash asks me to jump ship too, holding onto the line he’s clinging onto downstream. I take a leap of faith into the white water and join him gasping for breath 10 metres away on the end of the line. Eventually our efforts are rewarded as the raft breaks free from its watery pit-stop and we clamber back onboard.

Another fifteen minutes later and it’s all drawing to an end. The river levels out, the rapids disappear and we take the opportunity to bath in the waters, relaxing the tired muscles we’ve used all afternoon.

What a cracking way to finish the tour! It really was the activity I enjoyed the most and would love to do it all over again – but with some bigger rapids maybe!

The night was taken up with devouring one of the best steaks I’ve had in a long time courtesy of the Salt House Restaurant. Yum yum.

Let’s go sailing…

I must firstly offer my apologies for the fact that this blog has taken so long to get out. We took part in this fantastic day trip around the Whitsundays back in November but I’ve been waiting for some of the footage I have used in the blog to be released!

The Whitsundays – picture perfect location and a sailor’s dream for the weather. Add to the mix one of the most famous yachts in Australian maritime history and you’ve got the perfect ingredients for a superb day on the water.

It’s been a busy week, so far we’ve hosted media from three different countries and today is another one, not so bad when you think we’ll be out enjoying their company from the deck of an old time racing yacht.

We all make our way across the Whitsunday Passage onboard Fantasea’s fast boat. Arriving at Shute Harbour we disembark and make our way along the jetty to where Ragamuffin leaves from. As we arrive we spot her straight away, she’s an imposing figure in the marina and easily the largest of all the yachts moored here, measuring in at 24 metres long.

George the captain is equally as imposing – with a huge Merv Hughes-style moustache his tough exterior soon melts away as he welcomes us onboard. The rest of the crew run through the basics we all need to know, the shorelines are thrown off and we motor out into Shute Harbour ready for a day’s adventure.

With 25 other people on deck there’s load of room to enjoy the sunshine and the usual crew tasks are handed out to us. First thing and most important in order to propel us to our first destination of the day, is hauling up the sails and Cameron (the host of China’s Getaway holiday program) and I have been picked out as the likely candidates for bumping the sail.

On more modern racing yachts this operation is done using grinding winches to take up the slack of the sheets (ropes to the rest of us!) but here on Ragamuffin it’s those good old tools known as your own hands. We take it in turns to haul in as much as we can until the sail is right at the top of the mast and ready to fill with air. Now that’s one heck of a feeling – shoulders burning, heart racing and the satisfaction of providing the power for today’s sail. Well almost.

The sail across the Whitsunday Passage is awesome, the wind is right up, the sun is out and we are flying! Spray breaks over the bow of the boat and we’re heeling over dangling our feet over the side to provide ballast – just like every professional sailor does.

The wind is still pumping so we head to one of the more sheltered bays on the leeward side of Hook Island, the second largest of the Whitsundays, and drop anchor to check out the conditions. They’re virtually perfect.

Ragamuffin offers the chance to SCUBA dive, which is unique for a day trip sailing adventure out of the Whitsundays. We stop in Mackerel Bay and get dressed up ready to head overboard and down into the depths below. I’ve dived here before with Islandive and it’s a good introduction into what the fringing reef of these islands has on offer.

We spend 45 minutes filming for the Getaway program which is great, the idea of bringing the media out here is to showcase the spectacle that is the Whitsundays gaining publicity for the area and hopefully making people think about it a a holiday destination.

The afternoon draws to a close far too soon and before we know it the sail is flapping in the wind and our course has been set for home. The sound of the water lapping on the hull is one of those things that’s so perfect about sailing, a noisy diesel engine just doesn’t do the same for me!

Once we’re tied up at the marina we bid our farewells to the crew and thank the for a very memorable day out on the water. Time to head back to Hamilton Island.

Men’s Adventure Tour – Day 2

An early start in Cairns can only mean one thing…waking up on a park bench with a hangover after a BIG night (I saw a guy on the beach this morning doing exactly that!) or the other thing it means to me is HOT AIR BALLOONING!

The alarm call at 3.30am wasn’t the most welcome I’ve ever had but I dragged myself from my pit, met the Korean media guys and Michelle downstairs and staggered onto the Raging Thunder courtesy bus ready for the hour’s drive up to the Atherton Tablelands just inland from Cairns.

Dawn was yet to happen but the early signs of a colourful horizon were starting to appear out to the east as we arrived at Mareeba, the town close to the launch site for our trip up into the sky.

I’d been up to do this once before with my girlfriend Bre and we’d had the most incredible experience together as Jay our pilot flew us over the patchwork landscape of the area. To read about it click here.

This time I’m flying together with a few other people so the balloon is that much bigger – in fact it’s huge and to boot there’s a cute little Koala on the outside. As the ground crew prepare our balloon, filling it with fans and then eventually heat from the burners, our group desperately try to avoid the plagues of carnivorous mosquito’s hovering all around. This is a game in itself!

As the elegant balloon starts to fill it’s our time to go. There are three other balloons all launching from the same site and the sound of firing burners fills the otherwise quiet morning air. We clamber into our basket, take loads of photos of each other and wait…

One final burst on the gas and the basket starts to skip across the ground below – we’re off! The last of the tethering ropes are thrown clear and we gain height quickly as our super-warm ball of air heads up into the heavens above.

Below us the lay of the land becomes that much clearer, the swirling streams and rivers lined by their lush green banks of bushes and trees. The patchwork of agriculture disappears into the distance with crops and fields making up the bulk of the landscape. This is farming territory.

As the sun broke the horizon the light changed with warm orange and yellows beams thrown onto the other balloons, the clouds above us and the peaks of the surrounding hills. This is the way to witness sunrise.

Our pilot the told us it was time to find a suitable landing site, he’d spied one around half a kilometre away in some rough ground behind a residential block. The shifting winds at altitude can vary over the ascent/descent of just a few metres and it’s these that he used to bring us closer to the site. Until finally the basket dragged over a group of bushes, scraped along the wet grass for a few metres and unceremoniously popped us over on our side. All of us are now lying flat on our backs!

As we clambered out of the basket and swapped stories about how good it was, there was one more job to do – pack the entire balloon and basket back onto the trailer.

What a way to spend the very early hours of the day!

After a hearty breakfast back at the Heritage Museum we all jumped onto the courtesy bus back to the city and an hour later arrived at the car park of Skyrail.

Now Skyrail is something, which has intrigued me for months. I’ve been to a few awards ceremonies for the tourism industry and almost every time it’s the destination awarded the prize for ‘Sustainable Tourism’. I had to see this place…

Skyrail opened in 1995 and consists of 114 gondola cabins that travel along a cableway for 7.5kms, and is much like a ski lift, albeit over slightly warmer more tropical conditions! The cableway starts off at the base of the Red Peak Mountain and climbs up 545 metres to the first of the stations.

We’re lucky enough to have a special ride for our trip, there’s a ‘marketing cage’ that does away with the usual sides and roof and instead each rider wears a harness and is secured to the metal framework. It’s a little scarier travelling this way but for the sake of the unrestricted photos we can get it’s well worth it!

As we leave the lower station Skyway whisks us up and over Tjapukai Aboriginal Centre where I visited last year and steeply up the side of Red Peak – the start of the tropical rainforest.

It’s really quite beautiful travelling in near silence so close to the canopy of the forest. The sounds you’d expect from this sort of environment flood up to us and the humidity rising up from the trees below is really noticeable.

Over the last week there has been a serious amount of rain falling on this area but today we’re lucky to have blue skies and sunshine…what this does do though is evaporate the moisture from below and that’s what were feeling. Nature working!

We stop at Red Peak station and are met by Lance…the wealth of all knowledge here at Skyrail. He’s one of the rangers who takes groups around the boardwalk here, educating them about the rainforest and flora & fauna that call this place home. It’s one thing visiting somewhere like this and being amazed by the trees and landscape but I think it adds another element altogether when you’re actually learning loads about the whole eco-system too. The rangers who work here love what they do and you can tell by the way they present about it!

In the distance the Barron River cuts through the forest as it has been doing for thousands of years creating the steep sided gorge through which it runs. It’s really impressive seeing it from up high especially at this time of year as the recent cyclone that passed through dumped a good few inches on the surrounding mountains resulting in loads of water coming over the falls.

Once we’ve travelled along Skyrail to the next station at Barron Falls, it’s time to leave for the next destination…Rainforestation.

After wolfing down lunch (this is tiring you know moving about all of the time!) we had the time for a quick tour of what’s on offer here…and I wish we’d had more.

The whistle-stop tour introduced the Korean media to everything Australian in the hour we had. We held a koala and crocodile, learned how to play a didgeridoo, threw a boomerang, and tossed a spear. Once we’d cleared the animal park it was time to explore the rainforest from a very different angle…down on the floor!

The DUKW, or DUCK, is an ex-army amphibious vehicle that can move on both land and in the water. Rainforestation have a fleet of around 15 of them and they are so impressive.

A track runs from the centre out into the forest and Muzz our guide and driver talked to us all about the history of the forest and some of the interesting creatures and plants, which are found here.

My particular favourite (as it’s so horrible) is the Stinging Tree. Now it’s no a piddly little nettle which irritates the skin for a few minutes – this thing hurts and for ages! There are tiny spikes, almost like fibreglass, which are on every leaf and branch which should be avoided at all costs as the sting hurts like hell to start with and once that’s gone, irritates you for up to a year afterwards. Not very good!

Our tour takes us into the valley into a large wet area at the bottom…there’s no stopping this DUCK though, Muzz simply engages the propeller and our truck becomes a boat! We drive around the waterway seeing freshwater turtles and lizards on the banks that scurry away as we approach. We’re up close and personal with nature once more.

The clock is ticking on our afternoon and we have to make a rushed exit in time to catch our train from the town of Kuranda back to Cairns – we’re travelling Gold Class and it’d be terribly rude to turn up late you know.

Kuranda station has to be one of the most beautiful in the whole of Australia; the plants and flowers that fill the platform only add to the colonial feel, of this the last stop on the line.

We board our Gold Class cabin onboard the Kuranda Scenic Railway and settle in for a journey back down the dramatic valley the Barron River has carved out. Our Hostess Beth pampers us with drinks, nibbles as the commentary plays on the television screens mounted in the wall.

As we travel down the line we’re told stories of the construction back in 1891 when the early pioneers decided they needed a way of getting from the inland gold fields out to the coast. The line clings to the edge of the steep sided hills, with huge drop-offs, raging waterfalls and delicate-looking bridges built along its length.

My Mum and Dad would have loved this part of the adventure. It’s a very special way of seeing the gorge. We stop off at a couple of photo spots, both of which focus on the dramatic waterfalls that are full to capacity:

It’s been an exhausting but thoroughly entertaining day and as we make it back to the hotel, there are a few sleepy bodies waking up around me – and I’m one of them. It’s amazing how the heat takes it out of you!

We reconvene an hour later ready for dinner at another of Cairns famous eateries – Barnacle Bills Seafood Inn

. Owner Tony has been here for 27 years and loves what he does. Tonight he’s prepared a special menu for us – suits me as there’s no complicated choosing from the menu.

I love my seafood and am not disappointed; oysters, scallops, Moreton Bugs, prawns and Coral Trout grace the table and as ever I eat the very last one!

Waddling back to the hotel, much like a Moreton Bay Bug, I sleep particularly well.

Day Two of the adventure complete.

Men’s Adventure Tour, Cairns – Day 1

The title says it all – this was something I’d really been looking forward to and to add to the excitement Juweon, one of the Best Job in the World finalists, was flying out from Korea to join me for the experience!

Taking a week long break from his usual morning radio show Juweon has travelled out with some important people from the Korean media including:

• Mr Choong Keol Lee – editor of GQ Men’s magazine, Korea
• Mr Myung Hyo Chung – editor of AB-Road, one of Korea’s top travel magazines, and
• Hyun Woo Sun – a ‘power’ blogger from Korea

The aim of the trip is to introduce the adrenaline-filled adventures which are possible in tropical North Queensland to their markets and over the course of the next few days we’ll be lucky enough to trial some of the more exciting adventures out.

First stop however was to let the local press know our intentions so we met journalists from ABC Radio, Channel 7 News and The Cairns Post to give them a heads up of how our trip would inform the market back in Korea of the experiences which can be found here.

It was great to see Juweon again, I recently took part in an interview for him on his radio show and after chatting on the phone it was great to see him again in person.

No rest for the wicked though, this is going to be a seriously busy few days and our first appointment is with Sunlover Cruises, one of the tour operators who leave Cairns on a daily basis and head to the Great Barrier Reef to give holiday makers and tourists the experience of a lifetime. It doesn’t matter how many times I go out to enjoy the reef, I still get little butterflies of excitement in my stomach as I prepare to head out there. Today was no different!

We make our way down to the dock and after a few press photos make it onboard the custom built catamaran, which whisks us out to Moore Reef in just over 90 minutes. Sunlover are hugely popular with tourists from Korea, China and Japan and the entire boat is virtually full as it’s almost the Chinese New Year celebrations and lots of people visit Cairns at this time of year.

On the way out all of the options for things to do during the day are offered, accommodating all levels of experience and confidence in the water; there’s snorkelling, glass-bottom boat trips, touch-pools, underwater viewing chambers, SCUBA diving and the excellent Seawalker experience. It’s been nearly two months since I had my last dive on the reef and I’ve been missing it hugely. I think it’s one of those things that once you’ve tried it you just can’t stop wanting to do it – have I really become addicted to diving? There could be worse things I suppose…

As we arrive at the pontoon that the catamaran ties up against, the staff onboard go about their business looking after the excited customers all wanting to get off and get involved in their chosen activity. Most of the media crew I’m travelling with have never had the chance to dive before, so after very little persuasion they all decide to give it a go – bar the one unfortunate chap who can’t as he’s taking medication for high blood pressure. It’s good to see that the dive-master stops him from going due to the safety implications, much to his despair and infuriated protesting!

We make our way down to the pontoon and into the dive area, kit up and prepare to enter that hugely exciting underwater world once more. As I am the only certified diver onboard out of 243 passengers I get Vance, the dive master, all to myself! We make our way down the steps and into the warm (30 degrees C!!) tropical water. Cyclone Olga, which recently hit the coastline, came through this area only five days ago but there are no ill-effects visible on the reef, maybe the water has slightly less visibility than usual as the bottom’s been churned up, but there’s no damage to the coral or delicate sponges which are abundant here. It’s totally wicked getting back under the water again and within a few seconds I feel at home again, hovering above fish, watching Cleaner Wrasse at work and staring at the Anemone Fish close-up as they protect their bizarre stinging home.

After an hour of swimming around with my excellent divemaster Vance, we return to our entry point and surface on the steps of the pontoon. As ever I gush my story of what I’d seen to the nearest person – that being him. It’s the only disappointing thing to me about diving you know, not being able to speak to the person you’re down there with!

Meantime the Korean crew have been having some fun of their own, they’ve tried out SCUBA diving for themselves and spout their own reports of just how good it was. That’s the plan you see – tempt them with the good stuff so they return home and tell everyone about it.

We’ve all built up a bit of an appetite being part of the watery world below and head for the buffet to fill up on some food. The spread on offer is just what’s needed – pasta salads, cold meats, prawns and fresh fruit.

By the time 16:00hrs arrives we’re all ready to head home, the announcement comes over the speakers that were off and we bid farewell to the Sunlover pontoon. There are no Reef Rats living out here unlike the Fantasea one so all the staff who’ve become friends over the course of the day head home with us. We grab our photos from them and find a seat to fall asleep in. It’s been a long day…

Once we’ve had the chance to shower and freshen up the unrepentant itinerary kicks in again – this time with dinner at the Blue Sky Brewery just down the road. A short walk away we arrive at one of Cairns’ hotspots it seems as there’s loads going on!

The brewery was opened by a local Cairns family around two years ago and is one of the most successful micro-breweries in the country having scooped a handful of awards at the Australian Beer Awards in 2009. The bar and restaurant are wide, open and as you approach the bar a daunting line-up of barrels takes centre stage to greet you!

We all sat down and enjoyed a social dinner together and it was good to chat to another blogger, Mr Hyun, about his work, websites and interaction with social networking. Something that has become a big part of my job.

If the remaining three days of this adventure tour are anything to go by then we’re going to have an incredible time together – I just hope some others within the group have enough adrenaline reserves to get through it!

‘Best Job’ goes around the world, first stop the USA

I headed out of the Queensland summer on the 12th January aboard V Australia’s a flight from Brisbane to Los Angeles to start the first leg of my new role as the Global Ambassador representing the state of Queensland and the Islands of the Great Barrier Reef.

During the trip I’ll be making presentations to the travel industry and hopefully lots of excited customers all keen to find out more about the islands and the experiences I’ve had over the last few months. G’Day USA is an annual event introducing to Americans the experiences and everything that’s possible in Australia through trade and business. Tourism, being Queensland’s second biggest employer, is high on the agenda so together with Anna Bligh the Premier, we’ve been embarking on a media tour to tell New York, Los Angeles and beyond all about why Queensland is so good and discussing the options that are available for those people wishing to holiday in the state.

There are links below to the two appearances we’ve made on the Today Show and Fox & Friends, two of America’s biggest morning programmes.

I’ve since flown back to L.A. and over the weekend made a number of speeches to the public and representatives from the travel industry here, all about Queensland and the experiences I’ve had over the last few months as the Island Caretaker.

Having taken so many photos during that time it’s easy to choose the ones I need in order to make a good, light hearted presentation, and the reception I received was pretty good! Having a substantial prize to give away always helps to fill a room (not just the fact that I’m talking!) and Qantas had been kind enough to donate two return flights to Cairns as part of it along with two nights accommodation at Thala Beach Lodge, and a packed house awaited me in the theatre. The huge backdrop of the Great Barrier reef really enticed people to come and find out more about it and the children loved the touch pool with real life star fish in it!

Saturday night was The Gala Black Tie Dinner taking place at the Hollywood & Highland Grand Ballroom in Los Angeles, a celebration of all things Australian and what a fantastic night it was! With 900 people attending the room was filled with an electric atmosphere and kicked off with a presentation by the Qantas Children’s Choir with their rendition of “I still call Australia Home” – very uplifting and truly angelic voices all round.

The evening recognised and rewarded some of Australia’s best known Ambassadors who now live and work in the USA, Greg Norman was the first to be recognised and the speech presenting his award was made by none other than John Travolta! Wow I’m in the presence of greatness here!

As dinner was served the feeling across the room was one of expectation and excitement, what a start to the evening! The next award of the evening was to Simon Baker the actor who’s starred in movies such as The Devil wears Prada and the more recent CBS series The Mentalist, and the role-out of stars continued with Aussie legend Nicole Kidman giving the speech. Then when it couldn’t get any better she and her husband Keith Urban sang a ode to Simon himself….here it is below:

The final award of the night went to the actress Toni Collette whose movies include In Her Shoes and Little Miss Sunshine and the very amusing Cameron Diaz strutted on stage to make a very amusing speech and presentation. Things got even better for Toni last night as she collected a Golden Globe as the Best Actress in a Television Series for her role in United States of Tara. It appears the Aussies are taking the USA by storm right now!

After the awards had been made it was time to dive into the desserts and also time to take our chance socialising with the stars. Shana (Tourism Queensland’s US Director), Wendy (Tourism Queensland’s stand-in CEO) and I headed into the crowds to go and meet the celebs!

It may appear a huge amount of fun, and it was, but at the same time the event raises Australia’s profile in the US and opens lots of doors for trade and tourism alike. Please can I go back next year!?!

Falling into the Whitsundays…

Location: Whitsunday Airport, Queensland

Weather: Puffy white clouds and blue skies with sunshine. Let’s skydive!! 32c

Skydiving over the Whitsundays

This was the BIG ONE – the one I’d been dreading for ages and had tried to put off for as long as possible. Bre however has been nagging like an old fishwife every since the offer was made back in August. I’d managed to deflect her requests to throw myself out of a plane with excuses of ‘too much wind’ or ‘the cloud cover means they won’t be running today’ but the day had arrived when nothing would stick.

Now it’s not that I really can’t do heights at all, I mean I climb mountains and I did do the worlds highest bungee jump last year. It’s just I seem to develop Frozen-Leg-Syndrome when I go close to the edge of cliffs, on suspended walkways etc and Bre knows this.

My contact over the last few weeks had been Sooz, the girl who seems to do everything and run the operation, and as we stomped up the ramp off the Fantasea ferry she was here to take us the short ten minute drive to the airport. The big sign welcoming us to the Whitsunday Airport loomed large with the words ‘SKYDIVE’ emblazoned across it…well here we go then.

My jumpmaster was called ‘Dawsey’ – abbreviated in the traditional Aussie way of course! (shorten it and add an ‘ie’, ‘y’ or ‘o’ on the end) First job of course was to sign my life away, if it all ended in disaster I would have no one to blame but myself.

Next to don the sexy looking jump trousers and harness, ball jerkingly tight but better that than to fall out I suppose, and run through the briefing on how to fall out of the plane’s door once we hit the ‘dropzone’. I’ve always loved that phrase – it just sounds so totally rad man, very Point Break!

So far I’m doing ok, no nerves, just a gun’ho attitude which Bre seems to adopt and does here ok. Maybe I’m learning from the Master here? If I can take this on and do it, it’s another personal challenge out of the way. I have completed a parachute jump before but I was 16 and that’s a seriously long time ago now and it was a static line jump.

A little explanation:

Static line parachute jump – you jump yourself from the plane with your own parachute which is attached to a point inside the plane by a small cord. As you exit the door the cord pulls out your chute automatically deploying it. Usually from about 3,500ft.

Tandam freefall – you’re strapped to a jumpmaster who deploys the parachute for you both after freefalling through the heavens for about a minute. Takes place from 8000ft + and we jumped from 14,000ft. THE way to do it!

Bre and I clamber into the rear of the little plane with Dawsey and Matty, our jumpmasters, handing out the instructions. There was no going back now. Sat between their legs we taxied down the runway and the plane climbed above the Whitsundays giving a superb view through clear skies below.

We reached our jump altitude of 14,000ft ten minutes later and suddenly the time was upon us, no chickening out, just a mad adrenaline ride all the way to the ground.

Bre was first up, Matty and her slid there way into the door and five seconds later were gone!

Me next – well here goes nothing. Hanging out of the door, feet tucked under the plane, the overpowering sound of the wind racing past my face as we travelled at over 150km/h forwards…and then we were out, dropping at over 200km/h straight down!

The G-forces were biting at my face forcing a huge teeth-filled grin across my face as we dropped like a rock towards terra firma far below – in fact not that far! We fell and fell for what seems like no time at all, the ground racing to meet us as we dropped through light cloud – the light mist cooling our faces as we fell.

And with a snatch akin to a trouser jerking wedgie, suddenly we were hanging there underneath the now deployed canopy, floating 3000ft above the airfield below. The sound of the rushing wind gone, replaced by a serene congratulatory silence, broken occasionally by Dawsey talking to me.

That was nothing short of incredible!!! As we slowly dropped towards the landing zone I took hold of the controls and steered us down in big twisting turns assisted by Dawsey of course until he gave the command to lift my feet and legs up in preparation for landing.

A final approach towards the awaiting team and we’d done it – my first freefall jump over and I’d actually loved virtually every moment of it!

As I turned around on the runway Bre was about to make her landing and I could hear her almost before anything, WAHOOO’ing as only she can, arms flailing and legs out wide.

Once unhooked we made our way back to the office and traded stories about the experience, you know quite how amazing something is when you’re literally stumbling over each other to get your side of the story out!

I didn’t think I’d actually enjoy throwing myself out of a plane but it was flippin amazing and I’d go straight back tomorrow if the chance was there – thank you to all at Airlie Skydive especially Sooz for making it all happen.

End of day location: Right back where I started – terra firma

Distance travelled: 14,000ft straight down!

Life on the ocean wave…

• Between the Devil and the Deep – in wooden ships, the “devil” was the longest seam of the ship. It ran from the bow to the stern. When at sea and the “devil” had to be caulked, the sailor sat in a bo’sun’s chair to do so. He was suspended between the “devil” and the sea the “deep” a very precarious position, especially when the ship was underway.
• Starboard – The Vikings called the side of their ship its board, and they placed the steering oar, the “star” on the right side of the ship, thus that side became known as the “star board.” It’s been that way ever since.
• Three Sheets to the Wind – We use the term “three sheets to the wind” to describe someone who has too much to drink. As such, they are often bedraggled with perhaps shirttails out, clothes a mess. The reference is to a sailing ship in disarray, that is with sheets (lines not “ropes” that adjust the angle at which a sail is set in relation to the wind ) flapping loosely in the breeze.
• Took the wind out of his sails – Often we use “took the wind out of his sails” to describe getting the best of an opponent in an argument. Originally it described a battle maneuver of sailing ships. One ship would pass close to its adversary and on its windward side. The ship and sails would block the wind from the second vessel, causing it to lose headway. Losing motion meant losing maneuverability and the ability to carry on a fight.

Location: Hamilton Island

Weather: Very light winds, blue skies and a few puffy clouds – lets go sailing!!

Mum and Dad were visiting me for the last few days of the Best Job in the World experience and I’d been harping on about sailing around the Whitsundays and how damn amazing it was when I did it back in August during Race Week here on the island.

So there was no better way to demonstrate exactly what I’d been going on about than to actually get them out onto the water to try it for themselves. Mum is known for being a little bit prone to seasickness so I prayed hard the night before for a calm ocean and sunshine…

Result! Perfect conditions for sailing – a mirror like ocean greeted me from the balcony of the Blue Pearl with ‘Simpsons’ clouds punctuating the otherwise infinite blue skyscape. I’m going to miss this view you know – it’s the biggest and best TV screen I’ve ever had and so much more rewarding than sitting in front of an actual television!

We’d caught the first Fantasea ferry of the day across the Whitsunday Passage and Vanessa from Whitsunday Rent a Yacht was there to whisk us the incredibly short 750 metres around to their offices and pontoon where we’d depart from. I’ve cruised into Shute Harbour on countless occasions and dreamily gazed across to the fleet of modern looking yachts with their telltale blue and red ensigns wondering exactly what goes on there…we were about to find out.

Having just a smidgeon of experience on the water before really didn’t fill me with the overwhelming confidence I’d need to take out one of the yachts for an overnight cruise. So we’d been given the option of having a skipper come out with us so we’d have a more relaxing time – this was just what we needed. Think about it – me in charge of a $750,000 boat really wasn’t the sort of responsibility I needed just yet.

Mike and Nancy would be our impeccable hosts for our ‘far-too-short’ trip – usually you’d need around a week to explore all of the hidden gems around the 74 islands of the Whitsundays but with Christmas just around the corner we only had an overnight trip. Well Mum and Dad were chuffed just to be onboard.

‘Chantilly’ – the pride of the fleet would be our home for the next day, she’s a pretty stunning looking catamaran from the outside and that’s before even climbing the stairs up her hull and into the luxurious cockpit living area.

Being a Beneteau she’s kitted out for a very comfortable lifestyle with an outside hospitality area right next to where the captain sits and behind the extensive glass windows is the smartest lounge area I’ve seen on a sailing boat. Why tip over on a mono-hull when you can cruise level on a catamaran?

Downstairs the smart theme continues and there’s space for my family and loads more, in fact ‘Chantilly’ has space for ten people to stay and each of the rooms even has an ensuite bathroom with shower and more than enough room to swing a cat too.

I’ve always wondered who would be cruel enough to actually swing a cat around just to size a room – bizarre words and phrases we use aren’t they!?

Back on deck its all about relaxing this time around, previously I’d been learning about sheets, grinding, knots etc but Mike has everything under control and can literally sail the yacht sat in his chair. The electric winches, jammers etc operated by the flick of a switch all within easy reach. Amazing.

From the moment we got on board I knew food wasn’t going to be a problem here; Nancy has been furiously working away in the kitchen with the vast array of gorgeously palatable food that Whitsunday Provisions have supplied for our mini-expedition and round after round of cheese, fruit, cakes and chocolate keeps appearing from nowhere. The time to diet is in the New Year – not now.

As we head across the Whitsunday Passage the wind starts to pick up just enough to fill the mainsail and after an hour or so of moving under motor the sound of the engine goes quiet and we’re finally cruising by perfectly natural means…that of the wind.

It totally transforms the experience and for the first time in a few weeks I grab my book and head to the foredeck to catch up on some vital reading. It’s times like these that have been few and far between over the last few months and with the backdrop of the Whitsundays on offer it really does feel like a holiday at last.

Mum and Dad are in their element too. Dad has taken the wheel for the past hour and under the watchful eye of Mike is carefully steering us into one of the many sheltered channels around Hook Island in time for lunch – another meal already.

We spend the afternoon cruising around the picturesque islands and decide, with the northerly winds, to head to Tongue Bay just short of Hill Inlet and Whitehaven Beach – ready for an early morning assault on the tourist destination. Our dinner under the stars is superb, the BBQ is fired up and we watch the glowing fiery orange ball drop behind the horizon as dinner is served. There is nowhere I’d rather be in the world right now…

Mum and dad haven’t had the pleasure of seeing the iconic sight of Whitehaven Beach from the viewing platform by Hill Inlet and so Mike drops us off in the rubber duck and we prepare to climb over the crest of the hill. Seeing the white silica sands from up high gives you an idea of why so many people walk this route every day – 350 on average.

With the morning disappearing fast we get back on board and start the final cruise around the southern tip of Whitsunday Island before turning north towards Hamilton Island and home. It also gives us a chance to see Blue Pearl just one more time from the water as we cruise by slowly, struggling to make headway against the strong tide which rips through Fitzalan Passage.

Mooring up in Hamilton Island marina we clamber onto the pontoon after a perfectly relaxing couple of days with Mike and Nancy; the perfect hosts onboard a perfect yacht….if I use any more ‘perfects’ I’ll turn into a cat. What I’m trying to say is I actually relaxed for once and loved it!

Next time around my sailing skills will be adequate enough to take one of these beauties out for myself – maybe not around the world but definitely around the Islands of the Whitsundays. Why not try it yourself?

End of day location: Hamilton Island
Distance covered: 107kms on the water

Shhh, don’t tell anyone that Great Keppel is open and operating!!

Location: Yeppoon, Queensland

Weather: Light winds, scattered white clouds, warm ocean. As we finished the fishing trip the storm clouds gathered and the heavens opened! Rain at last! 32ºc

GREAT KEPPEL ISLAND HOLIDAY VILLAGE

“I’ve no idea what you’re going to do on Keppel Island – it closed down about three years ago” somebody told me on Moreton Island a few days before I arrived in Yepoon, the stepping off point for the Keppel Group of islands. So what on earth were Tourism Queensland doing sending me somewhere like this on my final Island Caretaker adventure?!

As I left the marina at Rosslyn Bay onboard the Freedom Fast Cats the distant outline of the island on the horizon beckoned and as we neared the coast the buildings high on the hill became more obvious – this must be the deserted resort I’d been told about. We pulled up onto the white sandy beach, stepped into the crystal clear water and approached the figure walking down the beach – Geoff Mercer from Great Keppel Island Holiday Village, a classic old-time surf dude, was here to meet us.

The wicked little battered Daihatsu powered up the beach across the soft sand and up the only road on the island – all 50 metres of it, to the back door of the camp. Laid out on a field full of sand were a number of safari-style tents, chalets and in the centre a communal toilet/shower block and kitchen. This was more like an African-esque backpackers than anything I’d witnessed here in Australia yet – and I loved it straight away!

I checked into my tent and sat out in the sunshine enjoying the comfort of one of the hammocks hanging in the garden (sand garden of course), this pretty much seems to be the pace of life around here – it’s pretty much the place to be doing very little apart from relaxing, socialising and catching up on oneself – and that’s it.

Since the main Keppel island resort closed down the other businesses on the island have suffered, negative press reports claiming ‘Keppel Island is dead’ have meant that the outside world has virtually forgotten about this once ‘Great’ destination but all the while the other smaller operators are still here seeking out a living on this little piece of paradise.

There’s plenty to do here still, Geoff the owner and Fergie, a friend of his, decided to buy the watersports centre on the main beach and try to make a go of it so there’s loads to do including waterskiing, wakeboarding, tubing, kayaking and snorkelling. The bay provides a safe sheltered environment and the beach hut makes the perfect place to watch the sunset.

Bre and I decide we’ll head off on a little mission as one of the islanders, Roger, has very kindly offered us the use of his ATV bike – there are 17 beaches on the island, 15 of which are easily accessible and we’re going to try and make it to as many as we can!

The broken sealed road heads out of the eastern end of the old resort and winds up the hill as it does the surface just disappears and becomes dust and dirt. Perfect for an off-road bike such as this. The next five hours of adventure take us over the island hitting all sides of it, going to the top of Mt Wyndham out to the lighthouse and to eight of the beaches. There’s noone else about for the entire duration of our mission, we’ve probably travelled 30kms along the sandy beaches, through the bush and up the hills.

The solitude of Wreck Beach at the far end of the island is amazing. There were huge shoals of baitfish in the shore break and as we walked out to them twelve little reef sharks darted amongst them scattering the black cloud in all directions as they hunted out their next meal. As we approached the high-tide line we spotted turtle tracks heading up the beach and went closer to investigate, unlike the one we had to relocate at Mon Repos, this turtle had climbed right up the sand dunes to lay it eggs and the only evidence was the scattered sand she had left behind. In a few weeks time the newly hatched baby turtles will make their break for freedom down the beach and into the water.

Our mission was to reach the lighthouse at the far end of the island, an automated unit perched high on the rocks offering great views back over the island. The track along the ridge was narrow and overgrown but we were on a real adventure here and nothing was going to stop us getting to our goal now. What a sight once we got there, a helipad marked the end of the trail and the views were superb looking back west over the island and onto the mainland in the distance.

As the sun dropped over the horizon signalling the end of another day Bre and I turned into the sandy entrance to the resort. We’d gone as far as was possible to discover the hidden Great Keppel that only a few people are lucky enough to get to see. As we returned the ATV to its rightful owner I told Roger what an incredible island he lives on and his return comment was “I know, now you write a blog but…shhhh don’t tell everyone about it!”

Mum and dad had been exploring too and as we told them all about our adventure the smell of the barbeque told us it was time to pack our stomachs full once more – Geoff had prepared a feast and we eagerly tucked in. Sleep was well overdue and after a quick burst on the blog I retired…exhausted. Now it’s not good protocol to feed the wild birds and animals but when there’s a one legged Curlew hopping around the rules can be bent a little…here’s the amusing sign from the communal eating area:

Staying in a tent doesn’t allow you to rest in bed when the sun starts to shine and it was a pretty good thing really as the next part of the Keppel adventure was about to commence – deep sea fishing!

KEPPEL BAY ESCAPES FISHING TRIP

Geoff grabbed the last of our baggage and us, bundled it all into his truck and drove us down to the beach where our new means of transport awaited – Keppel Bay Escapes had brought along two 11m Voyager Catamarans called Konomie Spirit and Konomie Dreaming. Identical in their appearance, one would be for Bre, Mum, Dad and I and the other for the Beyond TV crew who were travelling with us filming the final installment for the National Geographic program ‘Best Job in the World’ to be screened worldwide next year.

Now in the past few months I’ve had little tasters of what fishing in Australia is really like, but they have only been a few minutes here and there and so far I haven’t landed anything that’s been of legal size. This was my chance to catch something ready for the Christmas dinner table surely!

Graham the owner of the company had brought with him the ‘experts’, Lyle, Ralph and Fraser knew how to fish and with their help hopefully we’d have tight lines by the the end of the day and a cooler box with at least some fishy friends resting in it. Graham’s a bit of a legend when it comes to fishing and if there’s anything to know about the sport, the area and how to catch them – he’s the man.

We’re out for a couple of days and start the journey north towards his favoured hunting grounds, the weather is perfect with a light northerly wind giving a little respite from the humid Queensland day and we’re full of expectation. The area to the north of our starting point very quickly becomes military training grounds limiting the access from the mainland and, together with the distance we’re covering on the water, restricts the fishing to only the larger boats too = end result of waters which haven’t been plundered!

Two hours later we’ve arrived at our first spot, big fat X’s mark Graham’s secret fishing places on his GPS and as we arrive the fish finder indicates a good sized group of our potential friends sitting around the bottom. Lyle and Fraser have already rigged up our tackle, it’s just a case of putting a squid and pilchard on the hooks and away we go.

The reels whirr as we drop the lines over the sides of the boat, 35 metres of twine feed into the great nothingness below until eventually they hit bottom and slacken the tension on the rod tip. We’re in the spot, all we have to do is just wait…for nearly 20 seconds as suddenly the rod tip is twitching again, but this time the fish are biting!

Bre’s the first to strike home, battling with the unseen monster under the water, Graham cries out “it’s a Red Dew!”. How on earth somebody knows that from just seeing the rod tip move I don’t know it must be the years of experience he’s had out here on the ocean doing exactly this.

With the rod end dug into her waist, Bre cranks the rod up and down constantly taking line in so as not to let it go slack and loose her prize. Shoulders working hard, wrists working harder until finally we catch a glimpse of the red monster she’s been hauling in for the last few minutes. It’s a good size too, roughly 20kgs and definitely the biggest fish she’s ever caught. The joy in her face says it all – suddenly we have a new recruit to the very popular ‘Australian Sea Fishing Club’.

An hour later and we’ve all added to the esky, filling it with substantial Red Dew and Estuary Cod (the biggest of which Bre catches and weighs in at 25kgs) but only a few of each type. There are other operators out here who really plunder the shoals when they find them taking 200 fish at a time which leaves nothing on these hyper-sensitive areas of the reef. The fish we pull up are around 15 years old and are crucial at this age as they start to spawn producing future generations – to remove more than a few has a serious impact on the area and effects fish stocks along the coastline. It’s good to learn from the locals you know…

We continue our cruise up the coast until eventually we’re near the Warginburra Peninsula and in the sheltered waters around Dome Island. The landscape and the environment are stunning, the islands look somewhere between tropical and north American; the hoop pines mingle with palm trees, the rolling ocean surf crashes into the rocks adding white foam to the picture and we’re in the middle of it all. The photos hopefully do it some justice.

Graham sets us a challenge – to catch some smaller tastier fish ready for tonight’s barbeque. Again the game is on! Using the reef on the echo sounder brings up a whole new variety of fish, not so many of the big type instead more colourful and tasty specimens like Hussar, Sweetlip and even a Coral Trout. Perfect for our evening meal.

We anchor in the sheltered waters of Pearl Bay and watch another perfect sunset as the crew prepare the feast for the evening. Nothing too complicated here just well bread-crumbed pieces of gorgeous white fish lightly fried served with a dipping sauce and salad. What a feeling to have the fish we’d caught only a few hours previous served up for dinner!

The gentle rocking of the ocean sent me to sleep…

Day break is easy to achieve when you’re onboard, the boat sends me to sleep particularly well but also means I sleep lightly and as the first light of the day enters the bedroom I’m up and about – the smell of bacon cooking helps of course!

As we make our way back down the coast towards Yeppoon where we’re to be dropped off, we hit some more spots to try and catch a few more tasty morsels that we can take home to Hamilton Island ready for Christmas Day. You see, the traditional Queensland lunch on December 25^th is always seafood and fresh fruit – can you imagine slaving over a hot stove when the temperature is over 30 degrees outside. Exactly.

We try a couple of different locations but struggle to replicate the immediate success of the day before until suddenly my rod tip starts quivering, it’s a good size fish and puts up a huge fight and as I bring it towards the net realise it’s a different sort to that we’d been landing yesterday – this one’s a Trevally or a salt n pepper due to the distinctive black and white speckles along its side.

It’s also perfect for some fresh sashimi! Brilliant, so Graham gets out his sharpest knife and delicately slices a fillet from it, skins it and prepares some bite-sized pieces for us to try with some soy sauce and wasabi mustard. No more than half an hour after catching it – we’re eating it!

On the horizon the weather is starting to change with black clouds looming large over the interior of the mainland, so as a precaution we decide to head for the marina. We have a cooler box full of fish, our shoulders are aching after hauling in monsters from the deep and our bait supplies are low – I think we can call the entire trip a roaring success. Bre has pulled in more than everyone else and now can’t wait to go out again sometime soon.

It’s been a brilliant adventure and one we’ve been looking forward to for a long time but as with all these incredible experiences it has to come to an end. As we arrive back at the entrance to the marina the wind is picking up and the heavens are about to open…the timing couldn’t have been better!

We head back north to Airlie Beach early the next morning.

End of day location: Yeppoon, Queensland

Distance travelled: 545kms by road, 197kms by sea

GREAT KEPPEL ISLAND PICTURES

FISHING TRIP WITH KEPPEL BAY ESCAPES

Merry Christmas to you all from Hamilton Island!

As the weather headlines from around the world hit the news with tales of floods, humungous snow storms, travel delays and Eurostar blockages I would like to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas from here on Hamilton Island as we bask in the glorious summer weather of Queensland! Goodness that almost sounded horribly smug didn’t it, sorry.

Santa has been already – in fact this year I helped him to deliver his presents but we left the reindeer at home as you can see from the photo below:

After what has been a truly amazing 2009 working in the Islands of the Great Barrier Reef as the Island Caretaker, next year looks to be equally as exciting and challenging as I promote this great state around the world and also try and get further under the skin of Queensland.

The ISLANDREEFJOB.COM website will continue to be updated to cover these travels so stay tuned in!

Merry Christmas and a prosperous New Year from Ben, Bre and my Mum & Dad

The biggest sand island in the world…

Location: Hervey Bay, Queensland

Weather: Summer perfection, the suns out, there’s no clouds about and the temp is around 34ºc

“You’ve got too much luggage to take in the R44 heli” our pilot told us as Bre, the Beyond TV crew and I arrived at the Hervey Bay airport. Yep that’d be about right – we’re hauling around 200kgs of kit between us so M.I. Helicopters would have to take the larger Bell Ranger across to Fraser Island instead.

It’s a quick trip across the channel but throughout the flight looming large in the distance is Fraser Island stretching from horizon to horizon. 124kms long with around 40 freshwater lakes contained within its body it is the largest sand island in the world. There’s dense vegetation over the vast majority of it, rainforest in some sections and all along the eastern seaboard one of the largest beaches I’ve ever been on…sand as far as the eye can see!

We touch down on the helipad of Kingfisher Bay resort and meet the welcoming committee of Abbie from Aussie Trax and Damian from Fraser Coast Tourism who’ll be our guides over the next day. They arrive armed with two 4×4’s – the only way of getting about on the island as there’s no real roads, only sand tracks.

I have to say that this is massively exciting for me – after spending all of last year driving around Africa in a Land Rover battling the mud and sand roads there, the idea of taking on another 4WD challenge is just what I needed. But before we jump in the cars we cruise into the luxurious eco-surroundings of the Kingfisher Bay resort to a quick pit stop and drink, there’s nothing worse than getting caught out whilst on the road!

We depart and as soon as we’re out of the resort’s confines the road just disappears…well I say road I should have said slat-covered-track…the deep sand starts here so we engage 4WD and follow the deeply rutted tracks into the depths of the island.

These are actually the main roads here; the island is a national park and also listed as a World Heritage site which helps to maintain its beauty and unique features and attractions. The main road across the centre of the island has fairly large numbers of vehicles passing along it, mainly 4×4 rental cars with drivers experiencing sand driving for the first time.

It’s important to note to those visitors experiencing 4WD’ing for the first time should undertake the relevant training required before taking one of these cars out on Fraser Island’s sand roads.

Inevitably this does throw up a few issues within the first few kms of driving on the sand…stranded vehicles! It actually makes for quite a fun start to the journey as we have to leave the air-con comfort of Damian’s Pajero and head out to the front of the convoy that is stranded behind the unlucky bogged vehicle. This is where the fun really starts with the usual routine for extracting it from the sand – let some pressure out of the tyres, clear the four patched of sand from in front of them, back up a bit and…..HIT IT!!

Once we’ve coached the driver with some very basic skills they’re off blasting their way across the bumpy, sandy roads and it’s not long before the entire convoy is moving again – it’s amazing what a little bit of education will do.

The islands got some incredible rainforest and its amazing how it survives as sand isn’t the greatest retainer of water, but somehow it holds enough to maintain the life of a whole multitude of trees, bushes, plants and animals. A couple of hours later we’ve smashed and bashed our way across the centre of the island, rescued a few more tourists and slowly counted down the kilometre signs to Lake McKenzie – our stopping off point for a bite of lunch.

There are over forty freshwater lakes on Fraser and the one that everybody knows and wants to visit is Lake McKenzie. As I walk down the path that leads to its shores I can see why; the purest turquoise water surrounded by the whitest sand reminds me instantly of Whitehaven Beach back in the Whitsundays.

I take off down the beach like a madman, I love the water and this is heaven – not since I’d completed my dive qualification in Lake Malawi last year had I seen such perfect water. There’s a fair few other people here too, the backpacker community appear to have got here before us so there’s games of Frisbee, football and sunbaking going on all around.

Having a day to explore Fraser Island doesn’t leave anytime for exploring so we’re straight back in the vehicles and off again hitting the sand road due east all of the way to the coast…the massively long coast which stretches for nearly 120kms form north to south.

We drop onto the solid sand of the beach and join the highway; at least that’s what it felt like as there are so many 4×4’s doing exactly the same thing. Tyre tracks are everywhere and the rules of the highway really do apply here with speed limits and road signs very much the norm – this is the only way to head north from here.

Travelling on the hard sand, dodging the waves and avoiding the rocks requires lots of concentration and constant micro-adjustments to the steering wheel, so the sight of a huge wreck in the distance is a welcome relief from the road. The S.S. Maheno was originally built in 1905 in Scotland as a luxury passenger ship for trans-Tasman crossings. During the First World War the ship served as a hospital ship in the English Channel, before returning to a luxury liner. In 1935, the ship was declared outdated and on June 25, 1935 the ship was being towed from Melbourne when it was caught in a strong cyclone. A few days later, on July 9, 1935 she drifted ashore and was beached on Fraser Island. During the Second World War the Maheno served as target bombing practice for the RAAF. The ship has since become severely rusted, with almost three and a half storeys buried under the sand.

The sun is getting lower in the sky and time, as ever, is pushing on – there’s one more location to visit before heading to our camp for the night and that’s Indian Head at the very northern tip of this section of beach. We climb the rocky headland and get a superb view down the length of the beach as it disappears off in the distance. In the foreground there was a little more to focus on…just below where we stood the outline of tiger sharks were obvious patrolling the fish-filled waters for their next meal. I can now see why swimming isn’t recommended around the coast of Fraser island!

In the failing light we return south along the beach and stop briefly for a quick lesson in sand-worm hunting – an essential skill if you consider yourself a local fisherman around these parts. Talk about a knack to it – something neither Bre or I clearly possess as we struggle to catch anything…at least our lives don’t depend on it anyway!

It’s a pretty quick drive back to the dip in the dunes we’d passed earlier marking the entrance up the beach to our resting point for the night, Cathedral Beach. Its a peaceful, remote location which Shane runs and has all of the facilities to make this a great self-catering location for those with their own 4×4. Having camped on top of my Land Rover every day last year it was wicked to be doing the same again tonight – although the luxuriously fitted safari-style tents here offer much more comfort than my canvas house did.

There’s a meal fit for a king waiting but the welcome sight of the shower block comes first adding to the feel-good factor of the day especially after we’ve inhaled enough dust and sand to fill a small bucket. Shane runs the Fraser Island Company and has a few different options for people looking to spend a few days exploring this amazing environment here at Fraser, the camp we’re staying in tonight is setup for all manner of adventurous types who come to the island for their holidays. From the simplistic campsites to the type of tents we’re staying in through to the luxury chalets.

Staying out in the bush is a great way to immerse yourself in your surroundings; there’s huge toads hopping about, the sound of the night is all around and a dingo evens walks right past us as were bedding down for the night. Superb.

The feeling of sunshine warming the outer wall of the tent signals sunrise and the end of my sleep unfortunately – I was really enjoying that, but there’s work to do recording a script for Tourism Queensland and I can’t think of a better place to do it than on the beach.

Work done, breakfast consumed and before we know it our time on Fraser island is almost up – we’re leaving on a tiny little plane from Scenic Flights who operate from the main beach and make our way down to the waters edge where Dale is waiting by his machine. He’s great fun and once we’re on board throws the plane about so we can see the sharks in the water below, the huge sand dunes in the distance and eventually the runway out on front of us only 30 minutes later as we come into land at Hervey Bay airport back on the mainland.

Fraser Island has so much to it and deserves a couple of weeks to explore it properly in a vehicle, the fishing is supposed to be incredible and some of the wild bush camps in the middle of nowhere must be brilliant.

When I finally get my Land Rover over from the UK and have some time off I’ll be making the drive up here again to play in the sand and float in Lake McKenzie until my fingers are wrinkled…

End of day location: Hervey Bay

Distance travelled: 120kms by road on sand, and 25kms by air