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Just one more stop before I would hit my final destination in Australia; Mission beach. I stopped off at Mission Beach for one reason. It was the best place to do extreme white water rafting. Mission beach is arguable also the best place in Australia to Skydive from for the views of the Great Barrier Reef but I was saving this adrenaline hit for New Zealand.

As I checked into the luscious “Backpacker resort”, I realised this was the first time in a quite while I was on my own again. I would most likely be seeing Morten and Stein and Sarah and Harriot in Cairns but they were going straight there.

I didn’t really meet anyone in Mission beach, mostly because I didn’t make any kind of effort to. I endulged myself with with a delicious rare Kangaroo steak and then got an early night in anticipation of white water rafting the next day.

I not sure I was really in the right mindset for white-water rafting. It would certainly be a nice induction to the my forthcoming extreme adventures in New Zealand, but after being overwhealed by the natural beauties of Australia as I worked my way up the coast (I am of course referring to the lush landscapes and scenery, not just the women), white water rafting just seemed a bit too much like hard work.

Nevertheless it was a good day. I screamed like a girl as we made our way down some of the steeper rapids (grade 5 if that means anything to you) and as I’d chosen the “extreme” package, our group got thrown down a rapid WITHOUT a raft. I was submerged underwater for about 10 seconds which doesn’t sound like long, but when you can’t get your breath and your body is being constantly thrown against rocks, it feels like a lifetime. We also jumped off a 20’ rock which was scarier than it should have been.

From End of Aus

From End of Aus

After the rafting, I slipped the driver of the coach $10 to take me all the way to Cairns where I would spend my last 2 nights.

The Hostel that I was staying at in Cairns was probably the nicest I’d stayed at so far. I splashed out to treat myself to my own room, although needn’t had bothered as I spent so little time there. As chance would have it Morten and Stein checked in at the same time as me.

My time in Cairns was spent drinking, watching live music, chilling by the lagoon, getting my hair cut at a dodgy barbers and drinking copious amounts of coffee. I met up with Sarah and Harriot on the second night who had just come back from a 2 day cape tribulation tour.

I really wanted to head to Cape Tribulation and do some more diving on the Great Barrier Reef but alas, I had run out of time in Australia. I could have easily spent weeks longer.

And that brings me to the end of my adventures in Australia. If you missed it in my previous post, here is the video which shows some of the highlights of the trip.

I miss you all loads. Love the woz.