Day 140 - Cairns

It is the end of the Oz Experience trip up the East coast now, in 3 days I fly out to New Zealand from Cairns airport.

I left Airlie on the 6th first thing in the morning, and travelled in the bus up to Magnetic Island, so called because when Captain Cook sailed past his compass went haywire. We had to get the ferry over from Townsville on the coast, and reached the Island about midday. I only planned to stay one night, so didn't get to do much. The further north we go the hotter it gets, so I spent most of the time in the pool cooling down. Afterward we all pulled out the double kayaks and paddled along to the next beach, where we mucked around and climbed the rocks.

The next day we got the ferry back and hopped back into the bus to carry on up north. We picked some people up from Mission Beach (where you go if you want to throw yourself out of a plane) and then went to visit a croc farm. When we arrived at the farm I was sitting in the seat right near the door minding my own business, when one of the croc keepers hopped on the bus and threw something in my lap. I looked down. It was a baby crocodile. The keeper grinned at me, waiting for the reaction. Meanwhile the guy in the next seat along let out a piercing scream and scrambled away as fast as he can. Luckily the croc had it's mouth cellotaped together, so couldn't bite me. I think the keeper was very disapointed I didn't join my neighbour cowering at the back of the bus ("bloody british").

We had a look around the farm - most amazing was the huge 5 metre long crocodile, cutest was a joey that the lady behind the counter had swaddled up like a baby ("for 10 bucks you can feed one to the crocs" - yuk). Passed up a job offer cutting the grass in the pens and cleaning the crocs teeth. Hugged a snake and a scaly lizard with a blue tongue. All in all an eventfull day.

The monster




Vicious croc



Baby crocs and baby croc food



Most vicious bird in the world; the Cassowary - piss him off and you get disembowelled (how I love Australia - even the birdies can kill you!)

Next we moved onto Cairns, our final destination. I booked into a cheap hostel ($20 a night, free meal) in order to save the pennies, and have spent most of the time here alternatively roasting in the stifling heat, or freezing in the overly air-conditioned library/internet cafes/shops. A mate Natalie, is staying in the hostel too, and I've met lots of nice people in my room/the communal kitchen, so I've always got someone I can drag with me to the Woolshed for the free meal (pasta or pasta - yahay!) and if I decide to blow some more of my (parents) hard earned cash I can pick between white water rafting, or an aerial slide over the rainforests in cape tribulation.