The Huge Australia

Sydney

I arrived in Sydney after a brief stop in Melbourne in a state of utter shock. Culture shock. I had been whisked back into the the busy, advanced, expensive and cold western world. I called on Stu on my arrival who so kindly offered his sofa to accomodate me until I made a plan.

I decided to spend a few days in Sydney before making my way north back to the warmth of the tropics. Whilst in Sydney I made sure I took in all the sights and sounds my budget would allow. The price hike between Asia and Australia was a real strain on my funds from the outset. Everything was expensive.



I walked for hours and hours every day. No longer could I afford to get a taxi let-alone hire a motorbike! I saw Darling Harbour, The Opera House, Circular Quay, The Harbour Bridge amongst other top local sights. Stu was living right in the centre of town which was a big bonus for me. This is a view of the business district taken from the opera house.



I was quite surprised when I arrived in Circular Quay to find the arrangement of the Opera House and the bridge weren't as I had imagined them, at all. All the photos I'd seen in the past gave me a very different perspective to what stood before my eyes. This is a statutory shot of the Opera House, recognisable the world over, I imagine.

I also visited the Sydney Aquarium. I was in Australia, I wanted to see sharks! Thankfully my prayers were answered in stlye. The shark tank was awesome. It housed quite a few different species; Nurse sharks, Black Tips, White Tips, Lemon, and Grey Reef Sharks. I was well satisfied with the array of these underwater stalkers.




Stu was great. He asked his parents to put me up along my route north. His mum and sister were living in Gosford and Terrigal, respectively. I spent a couple of nights in Terrigal hanging out with his sister, Sarah. My first encounter with the wild wildlife of Australia.



Then it was back on the train to Newcastle to spend a couple of nights with Stu's dad, Trevor, before flying off to Brisbane. This is a shot of The Knobbys at the foreshore in Newcastle

Quick Stop In Brisbane

As soon as I arrived in Brisbane I got in touch with Marc (red top), a good friend of my bro's (Tom). He was in 'Brissie', hanging out at the Central Palace Backpackers.

The weather improved a little with my movement towards the tropics, but I was still unhappy about the drop in temps from my time in Aisa. I needed to continue north.

I spent only a few nights at the hostel before Marc and I headed for Coomera. Marc had hooked us up a unique/different job with the Carnival. Little did we know what was to unfold.

The Unfunfair

Marc and I took the train west to Coomera, a small countryside town 2 hours from Brisbane. We were met by Malcolm, a red-neck kiwi who personified the term 'Ferrel'. We were whisked away to a warehouse where we checked into our accomodation for the next 5 weeks, a filthy trailer home. Our first few days were spent at the 'base' where we carried out various tasks such as screwing hundred of light bulbs into batons, like the one pictured above.

Our tour began at Rockhampton. We travelled in a convoy of trucks overnight arriving in the farming town of 'Rocky' the following morning. We set up our 2 rides, The Haunted Mansion and the Mega Drop over the following 8 hours. The rides fold out of 3 truck trailers in a very labour intensive manner. Between 70 and 80 man-hours per ride. The sun was hot and the work was hard going. This was my first job in over 6 months, and one I wouldn't forget.


We did 5 shows in total. After 'Rocky' we headed for Mckay, Bowen, Ayr and finally Townsville. The work rate didn't let up, one work day lasting 22 hours.

Cairns Solace

After a sour end to our Carnival job we took the bus to Cairns from Townsville. We arrived in Cairns looking for a new start. We checked into a Hostel on the Esplanade and relaxed for a week or so before beginning the hunt for more work. Myself, Marc and Shaun signed up with a job agancy and began working as waiters at the local Casino and Restaurants. My patience didn't last very long before turning up late for a shift and not being offered work again.

Cairns' Marina

My next venture was aboard Ocean Quest. I signed up as a Deckhand on a liveaboard dive vessel. A fantastic opportunity to eat, sleep and dive for free in return for a little painting and carpet laying.

Ex-Prawn Trawler, Ocean Quest

I managed to notch up over 50 dives on the Great Barrier Reef without spending a cent. It was also a great opportunity to test out my camera underwater with my underwater housing.

An Adult Bat Fish on The Great Barrier Reef

I've a total of 64 dives on the Barrier Reef, each one tells a different stroy. The Great Barrier reef was a little disspointing for me. I was expecting diving like I've never seen it before. Out of this world marine life and visibility. I think I spoiled myself by diving on the Similan Islands in Thailand, which were so spectacular. However, in its defence the Great Barrier Reef is stunningly massive. It's area far greater than that of England.

I've swam Sharks (Black and White Tip Reef Sharks), Turtles, Clownfish, Angelfish, Batfish amongst all the other scores of marine organisms. When I arrived in Cairns it was Mid-Winter, the air temperatures dropped as low as 20 degrees C at night. This meant colder waters and I felt the bite instantly. I had been used to diving in bath-warm waters around the 30 degrees C mark. They were around 23 degrees here, sounds alright but the 7 degree drop is quite a shock.