Back to Civilisation

7th December - 12th December 2012

First night back in Cairns and I had to go out! It had been too long! So I went to have my free meal at the bar in Gilligans where I got chatting to some people and I hung out with them for the rest of the night. I hadn't been out in over 2 months and I definitely made up for it!

Gilligans outside bar

The Bristonian and the Kiwi

There was a live band on and when they played this song it absolutely made my day! Reminded me of home a lot!

I spent most of my time in Cairns just chilling by the lagoon or by the pool. I didn't really want to spend all my money that I had saved for the journey south and Sydney. Plus not knowing anyone it didn't seem worth splashing out too much. I went to the cinema to finally watch Skyfall and its an absoutely awesome film!

The pool at Gilligans

I happened to be walking around one day just after the sun when down which is when all the bats come out. There are shitloads of bats in Cairns and it was quite cool to watch them.

I went for another wander one night and stumbled accross some sort of Christmas festival. There were hundreds of people there and lots of performers on stage singing various Christmas songs. I sat and watched as I had nothing better to do. I think there was a guy from Australian X factor there as the host mentioned it a few times. The host asked this older woman, who was also performing, what she thought of talent shows like the X factor. She started slagging it off saying amature artists are shot to fame meaning that the professionals like herself get left out. She then proceeded to sing her song with the lyrics on a piece of paper in her hand. Hmm professional then! There was a fireworks show at the end which was cool. Hardly Sydney Harbour Bridge though.

The Christmas tree near the lagoon

Christmas party!

Woman singing with lyrics in hand

Fireworks!

oooo aaahhh woooo

When I was walking back to the hostel I came across this street performer. He was quite good working the crowd before he started doing his show. He climbed up the pole and did a few aerobatics like sliding down the pole using only his legs to stop himself by gripping the pole again. The best bit was when he put his hat at the bottom of the pole, climbed to the top and facing downwards, arms outstretched he loosened his grip on the poll and when plummeting towards the ground towards his hat. A couple of people screamed and the guy next to me full on shat himself but the guy stopped about half a metre of the ground.

Street performer dude

Sliding down the poll

I left Cairns a couple of days later in a campervan bound for Sydney. I quite like Cairns so I hope I get chance to come back again.

More stories from The Den

15th November - 7th December 2012

One last slog at the Den before I finished for Christmas.

I went for a walk to Black Mountain on one of my days off. It was about a 2 hour walk and it was bloody hot especially when walking on black tarmac! Black Mountain is a really weird mountain that has a lot of theories about its origin and all kinds of rumours and superstitions about it. It supposedly formed by a mass of magma solidified below ground before being pushed up slowly over time. As it became exposed to the elements the water dissolved the minerals in the granite allowing it to slowly brake apart. This was enhanced when a layer of lichen which was black covered the rocks so that when they expand and contract in the heat they explode apart. It is said that these fractures in the rocks can be heard for miles around.

Black Mountain

Planes avoid flying over it as there's a strange magnetic energy that interferes with their systems. Lots of people have gone missing whilst climbing it as they fall between the rocks into vast caves underneath. There's even  species of geckos and snakes that have adapted to the conditions that are unique to this mountain.

The aboriginals who used to own the land in the area have their own story about it:

The story has it that Kalkajaka (Black Mountain) is the site of a struggle between two brothers of the Rock Wallaby totem, who both wanted to marry the same girl of the Rock Python totem. They decided whoever built the largest mount, using the huge black rocks which were laying around, could have her. While the brothers were building their two mounds, with the girl looking on, none of them noticed the approach of a cyclone. It blew the two brothers into the cracks of their boulder mounds and drowned the girl.

The aboriginals have some really cheery stories!

View from the lookout

I ate my packed lunch I had made and set off back. Faith saw me walking back and gave me a lift the rest of the way which was helpful as I'd run out of water already.

The following week I went for a walk up to nearby Mungumby Lodge which was about an hour and half walk. From there there is a path to a waterfall. I say path. There were lots of pink ribbons tied to trees that make the way to the waterfall and whilst it started out like a path it wasn't long before I was climbing over rocks in the river and crawling under fallen trees. It was a proper outback adventure and I really enjoyed it until I walked face first into a spider web.

the 'path'

climbing up this

I found my way to the waterfall and it was all definitely worth it. I went for a swim in the small pool at the bottom of the waterfall and after trekking and climbing my way here it was very refreshing. I had another pack lunch and walked all the way back to the Lions Den.

Pool at the bottom of the waterfall

Laura wanted me to take a picture of her with the thing I would remember most about her. This would be the bottle of Jim Bean that so often she was drunk on.

Laura and her addiction to Jim Bean

Local John

This is John, one of the locals. I got to know most of them. Jack, Col, Daryl, Donna, Lyn, Jamie, Barramundi Charile, Miss Margie the teacher and loads more that I've already forgotten the names of. Most of the locals were alright but there was one that took a dislike to me from day 1, Mitch. We had a full blown argument one day and he really pissed me off. If it wasn't for the fact that he was a local and a friend of Max and Faith then I would have told him to get lost which is probably what I should have done anyway. He asked Max a few days later whether or not he should apologise and Max said if you have to ask then your clearly not sorry. He did apologise in the end though. Not that it was much of one. No other morons apart from him though.

Christmas lights

We decorated for Christmas in the first week of December. Faith did most of the tree but let us do the rest which was fun. I put me at the top of the tree as a joke but when it was still there a couple of days later I took it down!

Amanda artistically putting tinsel on the tree

Im in angel!

Xmas decorations!

Posing

A crown for the lion

Festive

I left my camera on the bar on the last couple of days to get a few photos of people and stuff but one day when I was cleaning the kitchen Sam and Amanda had a wrestle in the bar while Laura took pictures. Max came out and bollocked Sam coz he was supposed to be working and he was making Amanda "scream like a hyena!" I found these photos on my camera the next day.

Sam and Amanda

Fight!

The pub had been getting quieter and quieter as the weeks went on and it got further into the supposed 'wet' season but it had rained like twice by the time I left. So the shifts were getting more and more boring as their was less to do and I think me and Amanda cracked one day when we started saying things in various accents like saying "you like ma donkey dick" in a Scottish accent. You had to be there! Then we started talking about crazy religious people. The kind you get in America with all the gospel songs and screaming things like "I believe!". Again you had to be there but it was a fun shift!

Amanda wearing some decorations

Festiveness!

A couple of days before I finished work I left my message on the roof behind the bar which is full of names of people that had been working there.

Writing my message

The stickers we sell in the shop

My message. tis funny, no?

My replacement arrived 2 days before I left, a Canadian called Stu and what an absolute mong he is. Before I left you could tell he was a bit lazy and he just stayed in his room when he wasn't working. He was late for his first few shifts aswel and didn't seem all that bothered by it. I've heard since that he keeps sneaking off and hiding when he's working and he's been found just sat in the cooler doing nothing.

My last shift arrived and it was time for a few drinks. I was doing the close on my own so I had a bit of a free reign but I tried to be sensible. I didn't start drinking till 9 and tried not to put the music on too loud. There was a bit of party going on outside with a group of army lads anyway. Max and Faith came onto the bar about 10.30 for some drinks. They'd been having their own party in there tent I think coz we could hear their music. Max said all he could here from the bar some guy laughing and then he started doing this manic laugh imitating him. I didn't expect him to come out with a noise like that and he had us all in stitches! They must have realised I'd been drinking too but they didn't say anything.

They went to bed and Amanda demanded shots so we did a few of them aswel before Amanda starting dancing about on the bar and whipping her hair around. Quite random! Surprisingly I managed to do everything properly when I closed.

feck awf!

SHOTS SHOTS SHOTS SHOTS

I stayed another day before I got the bus back to Cairns the following day. It was an interesting experience working at the Lions Den and it was mostly enjoyable. Easy way to save money as there is absolutely nothing to spend it on. Im gonna keep in touch with Laura and Amanda but Sam isn't on facebook so that's a bit too difficult. But its on to my next adventure

Total Eclipse

13th - 14th November 2012

I managed to get a day and a half off work to go down and see the total eclipse but it was far from simple. I had booked a bus to take me down to Cape Tribulation but when the driver arrived at the Lions Den he told me that due to the extra high tide he wouldn't be able to drive down the coastal road meaning that I wouldn't be able to go to Cape Trib. He was going to take the inland road and would take me to Port Douglas instead. This was a bit of a dilemma as i had nowhere to stay in Port Doug and I thought everywhere would be full with it being the busiest far north Queensland had been in decades. The driver said he might be able to find a way to get me to Cape Trib so I got on the bus.

We got to Port Doug and it quickly became apparent that I would be stuck there and what was worse it was raining and it looked very unlikely it would clear up by the next day. I managed to find some accomadation though with the help of a woman at the infomation centre. I couldn't check in till later so I went for a walk to explore Port Douglas. I wanted to come to Port Douglas at some point anyway so it was nice to explore it and the driver said it was unlikely to any clearer up at Cape Trib so I just crossed my fingers that we would have clear skies.

The beach at Port Douglas

Its a really nice place with some expensive looking houses. Especially up on the hill looking out to sea. I saw a man tight rope walking which was random and some old looking trees.

Just a normal afternoon for this guy

Big Tree

I went back to check into my tent that I had now booked at Dougies Backpackers. The place where they recently filmed a bunch of episodes of neighbours! I asked and apparently they used room 12. I vaguely recognized it but not enough for me to take many pictures of it. They have rooms but also a load of tents out the back that you can hire. They are just small 2 man tents but they have small camp bed type things so it was still comfortable but I was just glad to have somewhere to stay. Plus the sky was slowly clearing so i was getting hopeful.

Dougies

I went for another walk in the evening and i came accross a small town festival going on by the marina. They and loads of market stalls, a bar and live bands playing so i stayed and watched. They were quite good actually and it only rained for 5 minuites! They had little side shows going on aswell. There was a clown who would have been quite good if it wasnt for the kids trying to wreck his show constantly and a couple of guys playing with fire who where impressive but had no showmanship.

Live Band

The church next door

Dude juggling fire

Cyberman dude

A guy dressed up as the eclipse. The moon rotated around his head!

When I got back to the backpackers I bumped into Chelsea from the Orignial Oak in Leeds! The smallest world ever moment. And she was in the tent right next to mine! She'd been there for a few months working so knew loads of people and they were getting up early for a breakfast before the eclipse and invited me.

Look who i found!

Pet bandicoot

I got up at 3.30am! and I barely slept coz everytime i woke up i looked outside to see it there were clear skies or not. We went for a bacon butty at a place where one of chelsea's friends work and then we head to the beach to watch the sunrise.

About 10 minutes after sunrise the moon started to move across. It kept going behind the clouds so it was gonna be hit or miss to weather we were actually going to see it. Then it started getting dark. It was so surreal.

Just as it went total there was a small cloud over it. It was so dark. You could see stars and the lights of a cruise ship near by. Then in the second minute the cloud moved and you could see the whole thing. It was absolutely amazing. The most spectacular thing I think I've ever seen.

You could see the corona around this white ring. Then the ring suddenly turned pink and a second later the sun peaked out from a corner and we all put our glasses back on. There was a massive cheer and applause. It was weird to be applauding objects but I joined in coz it was so god dam amazing! It was over so quickly though. Only 2 minutes and 3 seconds and there was too much to take it in such a small amount of time. I need to see another one!

We were a little bit unsure of what to do after. We just sort of hung around for a bit then went back to the hostel. I think the others drank the rest of the day but I needed to catch the bus back to Cooktown as I had work later. But before I went I saw my first huge Australian spider. It was about the size of my hand but it was supposedly friendly. I certainly wouldn't be touching it though!

Golden Orb Spider!

The bus was another farce. First he was an hour late and then as the river was still impassible he drove all the way up to Cape Trib and then drove all the way around. So what should have been a 4 hour journey took over 7 and i was 2 hours late for work! Faith was alright about it though and didn't dock me any wages.