When I was in Coffs Harbour I had planned to go to Byron Bay but with the Blues Festival on it was impossible to get accommodation. With time running out I decided to head for Brisbane. Luckily for me an Aussie guy who I house shared with in Cambridge, David, is living there and he has offered me a room to stay, can't refuse that, a double bed and a room all to myself...makes a change to staying in hostels! Not alone that he has a snooker table, a swimming pool and he has even offered me the use of his car...a 3.5ltr V6 Mitsubishi, happy days!
A trip to Brisbane wouldn't be complete without a visit to Australia Zoo. Some of you may know of it, if not then you will definitely know its owner, Steve Irwin.
Since the crazy Croc fighter passed away the place is now run by his wife & two children. His daughter Bindi now seems to be taking off where he left, shes really outspoken, she even has her own tv show. I have to say although the Zoo is small enough by some standards it probably one of the best I've been to. The highlight of the place is the Crocodile & Snake show the put on. Here they tempt & tease the Crocs with bait as they swim through a pool of water then eventually throwing them the bait. When the Croc's get the bait they don't mess around, its dragged into the water and they do their usual cork screw as if killing it, its impressive to watch. Even Bindi gets in on the act.
On the Sunday Dave has lined me up for some surf lessons from his nephew down in Surfers Paradise. Now it looks easy but ask anyone who has tried they will tell you how hard it is. Its not just the difficulty of getting up on the board its also having to contend with the currents, getting out to the waves is hard enough! Anyway after several attempts I manage to get up on the board and catch a wave for all of 5 seconds. After several more attempts, suffering a few cuts and bruises we decide to call it a day after a 3hrs...I'm wrecked at the end of it!For the next couple of days I decide to take the car down to Byron to see what all the fuss is. Its a sleepy little town packed with hippies, surfers...and wannabe surfers! It's a surf by day & party by night place. Just about an 1hrs drive from Byron is a place called Nimbin. This the ultimate hippy town/village, you have to see the place to believe it. Before I venture back to Brisbane I decide to take a trip out there for the day and its like stepping back in time. The people, the shops, the dealers...the smell make this place feel like you are in a different world altogether. Its certainly worth a look but just remember to catch the bus out of there or you could end up spending a week there without knowing it.
With my time in OZ soon coming to an end I decide to go straight to Cairns for my last week.My Aussie mate Dave, who I was staying with in Brisbane, is originally from there and he plans to come up for a weekend to show me around. He has convinced me to do some white water rafting down the Tully river which looks mad! Have a look at the clip below.
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