Conferring Down Under
Martyn Wakeman
If someone offered you the chance of a conference down under, would you only go to give the paper? No, thought not, or at least I hope! Well, my thoughts were, excellent – the chance for a nice restful summer holiday, to make a change from charging up snowy spikes in the Alps. Just the job to recover from a PhD.
So I have just returned from four weeks in Queensland. The conference was at Surfers Paradise – a metropolis by the sea. The sky scrappers and high apartments shade the beach by mid-afternoon, but the sea was warm (for us Brits), thundering surf and excellent food. It was a good conference as well! (I have to put in that bit!)
A coach to Hervey Bay and Fraser Island was the start of the real fun. Upon leaving the coach I expected to walk to the nearest YHA to find a doss for the night – being a “backpacker” rather than rich suitcase tourist. Well, down under things were a little different. Six minibuses were waiting for the coach touting for business. It turned out that they even took you to Woolworths (a supermarket in Aussie), the bar, etc. free!
Fraser Island is world heritage territory and consists of an island composed entirely of sand covered in sub-tropical rainforest. It has several perched lakes – fresh water lakes above sea level – which made for excellent swimming. You are not allowed to wear sun tan lotion and swim or use soap or bicarbonate of soda tooth paste at the campsite as it will damage the environment.
Most folk tear around the island in hired 4x4s. For half the price I jumped into a six-seater aircraft and was flown to the 75 mile-long shark-infested surf beach, never mind the jellyfish! Off I set down the “path” towards the first perched lake where the 4x4s had parked up. After this I didn’t see anyone for nearly 19km. The rainforest is a place to be respected, and I treated the faint path as a walkway with glass walls between the jungle. Local wildlife has a different idea and goes where they will. So upon meeting a Brown Snake (one of the worlds most poisonous) it was off the path to leave snaky basking.
Other interesting beasties were the indigenous dogs called Dingoes. They like human food and decided to rip open the inner of an Aussie couples Quasar. They were the only other walkers on the island so the next three days were bliss, exploring the lakes, and sleeping under the stars. Tropical hardwood fires were enjoyed each evening with this Aussie couple & tails of endeavour in the outdoors exchanged. The other interesting creature was a Goanna lizard about four feet long wandering through the woods. These eat snakes and were therefore friends! Jurassic Park eat your heart out!
From here I flew north to Cairns, which is above the Tropic of Capricorn, currently in the dry season, that means about 27°C, relatively dry, no box jelly fish and a lack of flies. Cairns was a tourist mecca, so I used it as a base from which to organise tours, etc.
The Great Barrier Reef is one of the wonders of the world, so this was a must. Swimming with the fishes was like being in a different world, a myriad of colour and texture totally alien to the surface. Not just the occasional fish, but shoals of them in vivid colours and bizarre shapes. Giant clams and sea turtles were also enjoying the warm winter water at 22°C. Thankfully no sharks or sea snakes!
It was then onto Cape Tribulation and a YHA in the middle of the tropical rainforest. Buildings were on stilts and covered in mesh and canvas. Wild boar rummaged around looking for roots. Birds sang and the stars shone. Once the generator went off it was as dark as a cave and I truly “Couldn’t even see my hand in front of me”. Here I joined two guided walks, a night walk, and another in the light of day. A lesson in flora and fauna that I will never forget. Ever heard of Jack and the bean stalk? Well, a bean grows in the forest up from the floor about as thick as a skinny leg to the canopy. Here it travels for 1km before returning to earth! Well, it impressed me.
After spotting some crocs in a creek on another tour it was back to Cairns to plan the last week. I had had enough rainforest so joined up on a 4×4 safari into Cape York. This is the area of the UK with the population of Beeston plus loads of crocs! Roads were dirt tracks and it was a days drive to Cooktown were Lieutenant Cook landed. We then headed 100km in land to the outback. Here rainfall is ½m rather than 10m in the forest. A dry place covered in termite mounds and Eucalyptus trees (from which the didgeridoo is made). Swamps, like those in the film “Crocodile Dundee” have fantastic bird life, with birds of amazing colour and variety, and mad cows bathing in croc infested waters.
The bush camp was one of the highlights of the trip. Food and water heated over fires, loads of scrumptious Aussie beef, and the milky way wafting across the sky. The remainder of the trip was a couple of bush walks visiting Aborigine rock art sites before driving back via the in land route – dirt roads again.
To finish off the holiday a visit to an island seemed in order, so the ferry to Fitzroy was joined where an enjoyable two days were had ambling around and swimming amongst the rocks. Backpacking in Aussie could be done with a suitcase – only the adventurous need bother with a rucksac! A chilled out and stress-free place, friendly people and an amazing variety of nature – a must for those who can find an excuse to go! All in all it’s a shame to be back!