March 11 - Australia: Brisbane, Queensland
Waddy Point
Today was a beautiful day, and the sun hit our tent around 7:30. So we got up and began to pack up our stuff. We decided - given the truck's injuries - we would make our way back to the west side of the island where our barge dropped us off and make reservations for the first barge out tomorrow morning. Tonight, we'd camp at the nearest campsite and not do any new exploring. Since most of the drive is on the beach, we should be OK.
But before we left, we decided to have breakfast on the beach. So I took my bowl of Special K and Jon took his Pop-Tarts, and we ate on the short walk out to the beach.
Waddy Point - The View from our Campsite
Then we made our way up to the main campsite where we found out about today's tides and called the barge company. Then we were on our way back across Indian Head and to 75-Mile Beach. When we got to the sandy bit where we were stuck yesterday, my heart jumped to my throat and I crossed my fingers and said a quick prayer. But we made it through OK, if you ignore the terrible clanging noise that caused the whole truck to shudder. Once we were back on the beach, we drove for a while with the car still in 4WD. But we soon realized that the clanging wasn't just happening on turns, but rather when we slowed down to 1000RPM. So Jon put the truck into two wheel drive and we continued on our way. Our biggest concern was the low pressure in the tires, but as long as we drove nice and easy it shouldn't be a problem.
We've definitely lost our bravado from yesterday. Gone were our lively expressions and excited faces. Our driving was slow and cautious, and we purposely tried to avoid any potential hazardous areas. We saw other trucks race by us and were so jealous that we couldn't join in the fun.
A Friendly Neighborhood Ranger
We stopped at Cathedral Beach to refill the diesel tank. In order to get there, we had to re-engage 4WD to drive up the roads. When we got to the little fuel pump, Jon disengaged and the truck made a horrible grinding noise. One of the rangers who worked there heard the noise and - while he said he wasn't a mechanic - he "reckoned" that it might be the differential. Now, as I've never owned a car I have no idea what a differential is. But the look on Jon's face said it all: damn.
Our friendly ranger recommended that we not put the truck into 4WD again, and instead of going across island to the western barge, that we drive straight down the beach to the barge on the southern tip of the island. We didn't even think of that, and thought it sounded like a fine idea. In fact, the barge at the southern tip would put us about an hour closer to Brisbane than the western barge. Pretty brilliant, actually. So we called the barge company and re-arranged our schedule.
We continued on our safe and defensive drive south on the island. Most of the rest of the drive was past things we'd already seen: the Maheno Wreck, The Pinnacles, Eli Creek, etc. But once we got to the southern end of the island it was new territory. Parts of the southern tip are "impassable during high tide" which was obviously when we got there. Even in the low tide we were driving in, parts were under water. And there were quite a few obstacles along the way. It was clear that this part of the island is less traveled.
Rough Passage in Some Spots
But we finally go there and waited for our barge - the Rainbow Venture - to make its way across the channel. The barge we took yesterday was reservation-only, but this one is on-demand. So all we had to do was to wait for it to slide up to the shore and drop its plank for us. No worries.
Rainbow Venture Barge
In ten minutes, we were across the channel and on our way to Rainbow Beach. The first thing on the agenda was to fill the tires with air. This was a new necessity for me - the non-driving-city-girl I am. I had no idea that tires with exceptionally low pressure were at risk for coming off their rims. Of course, it makes perfect sense, but I can't say that I'd previously spent much time pondering it. Now I'm wise to the ways of four-wheeling. (Sort of). After we (well, Jon) filled the tires, we followed the signs to an "Underbody Car Wash". The truck was covered in sand, and, in the interior, we were carrying around a small beach of our own. So we decided to spend some quality time cleaning the poor thing.
Jon Cleaning His Baby
The underbody wash was pretty cool. It was a nine-minute wash that included a light oil coating. It sounds nice, and if I were a car I think I'd like it. We figured it was the least we could do considering the bad clanking noise (which we hadn't heard since the last time we shifted into four wheel drive). We also vacuumed the small beach out of the inside and went through a quick high-pressure hose down.
Then we were on our way to Brisbane, a four-hour drive away. On the way there, we passed another "odd crossing" sign. This one was in front of a group of eucalyptus trees.
Koala Crossing!
We had lunch on the road without stopping. This included me having to turn around multiple times to get stuff out of the cooler and our various supply containers. But I successfully made two turkey wraps with babaganoush for Jon , and a chicken wrap with hummus for me. This all appealed to Jon's efficient side, and he was very impressed that we were able to both make and eat lunch on the road without stopping.
Well, that is until I dropped the cutting board out the window when I tried to "wash" it off. He claimed I ruined his efficient streak.
The Ginger Factory
Before stopping in Brisbane, we pulled over to Yarbine to see the "Ginger Factory". We figured this was a good place to make a pit stop, call our friends Darren and Michelle, and get a little culture as well. I caught Michelle on her mobile at the mall, and the reception was a bit rough. So I told her I'd ring her back after we got to Brisbane and got settled. While I was doing this, Jon found a "History of Ginger" video in one of the rooms, so we sat for a while and watched the production process of ginger. Cool stuff, but it's too bad I'm not a big fan of ginger!
Brisbane
Then we made our way into Brisbane around 6:00 or so - rush hour! Brisbane is much larger than we were expecting, probably because we've become used to the smaller towns along the way. So we suddenly felt a bit out of place amidst the freeways and concrete barricades. Funny how that works, isn't it?
We found a some self-contained apartments in an area called New Farm just outside the city. We're staying at the "South Pacific Apartments" in a cute residential neighborhood with San Francisco-like hills and outdoor cafes. We unpacked the truck and settled in for the night. The big excitement of the evening is that our Aussie ISP (myaccess.com.au) has a local Brisbane dial-up so we can access our email!
I hung out and chatted with Darren on the phone for a while. Darren and Michelle were two of our favorite people from the China trip, and we hope to see them while we're in town. We made plans to see them tomorrow night for dinner after their Mandarin lessons. We're going out for Chinese. How cute is that?!?!?