Best Pics by James

For the best pictures of the Outback trip check out James' website:
http://jamesonhamo.com/

P.S.: Another fun thing we did before boarding the plane back to Brisbane was the 'Hard Times Mine Tour' in Mount Isa. We tried out a drill etc. Unfortunately we could not take any photos, but we got one before we went down under(ground) :-)

Outback Queensland III: Boodjamulla

Boodjamulla is the Aboriginal name for the Lawn Hill National Park located just a couple of kilometres from Adel's Grove. Having seen the sandstone rocks the day before, we were eager to experience what was hidden behind them. The canoe seemed the best way to travel! For me it was the first time that I was sitting and paddling in a canoe, consequently James stored his camera gear in a waterproof canister. The scenery was beautiful, you really do have the best view from the canoe: calm waters, blue sky and 60 metres red sandstone walls rising up in front of you. I had to pause to take in the scenery, which made it a little tougher on James. Sorry mate!

Rod, our host and tour guide, made us aware of some Aboriginal rock art. We also saw all kinds of birds, lizards and fish, but the animal that excited me the most was a wallaroo with her little one, who was observing us curiously and let us come pretty close to the edge with our canoes. Matt and Rod were a little ahead of us and claimed to have seen the tail of a crocodile disappear into the water. Too bad we didn't, but maybe that is what kept us at ease when we took a swim in the river later on.

Then we arrived at Lawn Hill's Indarri Falls, crystal clear waterfalls dividing the Upper Gorge from the lower. An oasis surrounded by palm trees! We got out of our canoes to carry them over to the Upper Gorge, but not without taking a break. Which is, as I mentioned earlier, a typical custom in the Outback. We took a hike up the red sandrocks to get a bird's eye view. A painting in lush green, blue and red colors was unfolding in front of our eyes! The best part was when we took a dive into the fresh waters and every one of us got a personal back massage by the Indarri Falls!



In the evening Rod surprised us with a scenic flight over the national park and the highlights of the day. The perfect way to end our stay at Adel's Grove! The next day it was time to say 'Goodbye'. And it really wasn't easy! The place and especially the people had grown on me. I will never forget my time there and am so thankful to the people that made it so special!
Thank you Adel's Grove, Michelle and Rod!

Outback Queensland II: Adel's Grove

At Adel's Grove I really loved waking up in the morning, opening my tent and right away having this beautiful view out on Lawn Hill Creek. Did I already mention that we had real beds in our tents and every tent had a veranda? It feels like a little house in the middle of nature. Of course they also have the real camping ground, where everybody can set up their own tent etc.

After having a nice freshly prepared breakfast Rod, our host and an accredited Savannah Guide, took us for a ride through the red desert. There was hardly any desert though, it had been raining and the desert was flourishing: Grass sprouting, birds (due to the bloom more and more birds are arriving daily) and the permanent residents the termites. Their mounds picked up the vivid red color of the soil and the rocks.

Rod took us to Riversleigh Fossil Fields, one of five World Hertitage listed spots in Queensland! It was enscribed in 1994 for representing a major stage of Earth's evolutionary history and especially its outstanding the evolution of Australian mammals. The fossils are are up to 25 million years old and they found two species of weird pouched mammals there whose relationship to other mammals is a mystery as well as what they ate or how they lived. It is hard to believe that this site was once a rainforest filled with lakes, rivers and creeks. But with Rod explaining the development, the limestones and other evidence, it is not hard to see. The traces are everywhere!

Even though we were in the middle of the desert, we did not have to drive far to get to an oasis of palm trees. At the Gregory River in Riversleigh we had our tea and cookies while watching a bus driving along the street that ran directly through the river. This how you spend your time in the Outback! There is a lot to see and experience but there is always the time for a rest, a break to take in everything that is around you. It is a great trick to make people fall in love with this remote place! It definitely worked on me! Later that day we hiked to a cave and got a peek at the Lawn Hill National Park. We got to see its great red rock formations and just the next day we would also experience what lies behind them.

The day had a perfect ending! With the Adel's Grove bus we went on the Sunset tour. We were really lucky, as once a month on full moon you can see the sun setting and the moon rising at the same time. What a spectacle! Up on Harry's Hill we had wine and appetizer while sharing this experience not only with a group of nice people but also the termite mounds that looked like
the apostles witnessing a miracle.

The Outback of Queensland I

Tourism Queensland was so nice to spoil every unsuccessful candidate with an extended itinerary. James and me were lucky to get the trip to the Outback of Queensland. The desert and red rocks are just as much a trademark of Queensland as are its sunny beaches.


We took a plane from Brisbane to Mount Isa and Matt from the „Outback“ department of Tourism Queensland picked us up. Mount Isa is a down-to-earth mining town in North Western Queensland. It was quite a difference from the Whitsunday Islands. Instead of ordering prawns at a resort, we were now stuck in a snack bar ordering a sandwich. We had our meal at the nearby lake called Moondarra. As we looked out at the water, the red rocks, the diversely shaped termite mounds and the kites floating through the sky, we just smiled at each other. We listened and both heard the very same thing: Silence. That was just what we needed.



Westwings Charterflights took us from Mount Isa to Adel's Grove. As soon as we were 8000 feet high I realized the never ending vastness, this borderless outback that offers its horizon to you no matter which direction you look. I really started falling for this place. Thank God our pilot Sally didn't and we arrived safe and sound at Adel's Grove.

Lawn Hill Creek runs along Adel's Grove and right away we went there to cool off a little. As you can see we had some good times there. Nothing better on a hot day than diving into fresh water and having a cold beer.

The evening ended with some excitement. Our host and guide Rod found a little baby python and I hit it off with her right away. We cuddled for quite some time. James was a little uncomfortable about that. But considering that he is scared of snakes he was doing pretty well, I'd say!

Thanks for supporting me on this journey

While I am still on Hamilton Island and I have not had time for a lot of reflection, I just wanted to express my gratitude to everyone who was part of making this experience so unique and wonderful, from Tourism Queensland, the other candidates and random Aussies I have met on the way to my family, friends and supporters back home, who have given me tremendous support.


Now, I can be sure that Hamilton Island and the Great Barrier Reef will be in good hands with Ben and think he has been an outstanding candidate, he is a unique and fun character and has tons of experience as sportsman, traveller, tour guide, blogger and photographer. Congratulations, Ben! Who knows, perhaps I will have a chance to drop by at some point in those 6 months?

Besides the beauty of the islands, I will also miss the company of the other candidates, as the shared experience really brought us closer together.

More details on my experience are still to follow once I actually will have free time and internet access, but since I am going on another Tourism Queensland-organized and sponsored tour of Queensland's Outback next with fellow candidate James, it may be a few days before I get to this...

I hope you enjoyed reading my blog so far, thank you and bye bye!

My May 5 Blog Entry: A Rainy Day in Paradise

This morning it started to rain and we had to make a change of plan. Originally we wanted to sail around Daydream Island, which is surrounded by coral reefs. Of course, there was some disappointment, but the day turned out to be just as memorable. We ended up spending our whole day at the Daydream Island Resort and Spa. As soon as we arrived there, we were all supplied with huge umbrellas and Pina Coladas served in coconuts. Although it was a rainy autumn day, we still had 25C degrees and the warm welcoming right away promised a great day ahead.

The sun came out again and again, so we enjoyed a stroll around the resort over to one of their living reefs. I knew in advance that we will get the chance to feed some fish, but I was thinking of little colorful ones. You can imagine my surprise as we were faced with stingrays and sharks! I was introduced to a huge brown stingray called Pancake, a white-spotted stinger called Discus and a small banana tail ray called Eric. Bravely I moved to the edge of the water and held out my hand to feed them. It was a very funny feeling; they turned out to be really endearing and sensitive animals. Eric became my favorite! He had a hard time though with all his big fellows snatching all the food away from him. As soon as I gave him a prawn separately from the others, Discus went on top of him and tried to force him to give up his meal. Of course, I couldn’t let that happen! So I gave Discus a prod and told him “Bad boy!” That is usually how I teach dogs good manners, but I would have never guessed that the very same thing works with stingrays! Discus actually listened to me and let little Eric go! I kid you not, I honestly had the feeling Discus was upset with me after the incident. Later on I wanted to make friends with him again and he just shyly took the food and went off right away. He was really upset at me! But don’t go out in the open waters now to train wild stingrays, you guys! They might react a little different when they get upset in comparison to the ones at Daydream Island Resort and Spa.

After the fish got fed, we also got our share of seafood. Some of the best prawns I ever tasted! As you can see I really did fill up that plate, but I also emptied it.

The rest of the day, I got a botanical rejuvenation treatment at the spa. I really enjoyed being pampered and spoiled for once with an aromatherapy, steam bath and massage. You have to try for yourself! There is nothing better you can do on a rainy day in paradise!

My May 4 Blog Entry: Another World

Since the first day that mankind got its footsteps on the moon, people wonder and dream about flying to the moon, to a different planet, exploring another world. Today I did explore another world, a precious and wondrous world! Neither did I have to be an astronaut nor travel through space. I just took a boat off Hamilton Island and got into the water at the Great Barrier Reef. What a colorful and exciting world is waiting there to be experienced! I saw blue-green chromsis that change their color from blue to green and green to blue – the name gave that away, didn’t it. But not only did I see fish in all imaginable colors, I also admired corals in the most funny and beautiful shapes.

Let’s throw in some numbers here: 1.500 species of fish, 400 species of corals, 4.000 species of invertebrate and six of the worldwide seven kind of sea turtles have their home at the Great Barrier Reef. It is the world’s largest living eco-system and – as we were talking about out of space earlier – you can actually see it from out of space. Time went by so fast and seriously, I cannot believe that it is autumn here at the Whitsunday islands, the water was so warm. What impressed me the most at Fantasea Reefworld, which is the company that took us out there and is operating the platform by the reef, was that it really is a trip for the whole family.

If somebody is inexperienced in snorkeling or gets distracted from all the magnificent under water world like me, there are ropes placed in the water that help you find your way. At the same time you can have a great time on the platform and feed the fish. The semi-submersible is not only great for grandmothers and little kids to look at the reef without getting wet, we were all so excited when we saw giant trevallies and floated along the wall of the reef.

After a great morning of snorkeling and getting our footsteps – or should I say flippers – in another world, we took a sea plane to take a bird’s eye view of what we saw earlier. Our plane took us over the Great Barrier Reef, now we could see the different coral colonies and how huge it really is. The pictures give a good idea of what I saw from out of the plane, but I also want to call out some numbers again. I know that is sometimes boring, but not if they are as impressive as these: the Great Barrier Reef stretches 2300km along the north-east coast of Australia and it is 348,700 km² big.

But our trip did not end there. The water plane took us right to Hayman Island, a private island destination situated in the magnificent Great Barrier Reef. We had a stroll on the beach and tried the en

tire world’s food at the resort, which has everything to offer up to a pool that fits as much water as seven Olympic-sized swimming-pools.

All of us had such an awe-inspiring day that the trip on the boat back to our hotel on Hamilton Island was filled with showing each other the pictures we took, being excited about all the different fish we saw or just enjoying the breeze and the memories we all were so lucky to put in our personal jewelry boxes.