Farm life part 1

Fields of grapevines around every corner. Some lush and green, some dry and withered. Where there are no grapes there is nothing. Just outback. Tall grass, fading grey/green shrubbery with the occasional gumtree breaking the monotonous view. Long straight roads divide it al in blocks like a chessboard. The river Murray the only oasis in this modified desert. These are my surroundings for the next month and a half.

When working on the reef I had a conversation with one of my students whom I just took for a first time scuba dive. 2 months later I arrive in South Merbein in the north west of Victoria to work on the farm of his parents.

I live in a caravan on the property of the Hudson family. My view consists of red dirt, some shrubs and a collection of close to 60 junked cars steadily rusting away. I’m employed by Andrew and Roslyn. A lovely couple who are straight forward (what you see is what you get) and one of the most hospitable people I’ve ever met. Their 22 year old son Luke, who has Down syndrome lives with them on the farm. Luke is quite good for a Downer and is very independent and coherent. He helps out on the farm and has a part time job in the neighboring town. The 13 year old sheep dog named Gipsy completes the family.

Dried fruit is their business. Several varieties of currants are grown, harvested and dried for the dried fruit industry. Not all the work they have for me is paid work, but since I have to do farm work in order to be eligible for a second year visa I’m happy with just signing off the days. I don’t spend any money. Breakfast lunch and dinner are all taken care off and staying in the 80’s orange/brown interior caravan is free of charge.

I work on week days and am off in the weekend. Although there is always a job to do and I prefer that to be honest. Life here is quite boring, so working makes the time go by a lot quicker and helps occupy my mind. My days off I fill with, reading, watching movies and learning Spanish. Or I go pick some fruit form the apple, pear or peach tree they have for personal use. I’m also eyeballing the pistachio tree next to my home on wheels, but they won’t be ready before I leave here.

Work consist of picking currants, trimming the vines and summer pruning. We start early and stop early. Most days the temperature reaches 40 degrees centigrade before noon. So pacing yourself, drinking lots and sufficient sun protection is paramount.

The most fun is the transportation. In order to go back and forth between the blocks (grapevine patches) and the farm I get to use a quad bike. It is a heavy duty one, fit for heavy duty farm work and it goes. Gipsy loves the bike. She barks at them and bites at the tires to get you to chase her. And she is tireless. You’d almost forget she is 13 years old.

I found that it is a very close nit community. Everyone knows everyone and looks out for each other. It does seem to be a slowly aging community. I see elderly folks and families with young children, but hardly anyone in their twenties.

On the 26^th of January Australia Day is celebrated. They celebrate that on that day the British landed on the east coast and dubbed the land Terra Australia (southern Land). I joined my temporary family at a community BBQ. With me being there I think the age average dropped by 20 years. It was a very quiet, relaxed gathering of the mostly elderly townsfolk. Two typical grannies where sitting in folding chairs waving an Australian flag with their shaky hands to the beat of the tunes of a local cover song artist. It was adorable in a way and for me the most entertaining thing on a, for me boring event. This day however is not just about celebrating Australia’s birthday but more so about being grateful for and appreciative of the freedoms, rights and comfort of living they have here Down Under. I found that quite refreshing, since back home we take everything we have for granted and just complain about what we don’t have instead of being grateful for what we do have.

Other than being a proud Australian, the topic is water. Since there is a limited amount and you have to buy your water for irrigation it is what everyone is talking about most of the time. They talk about ‘megs’. Meaning mega liters, meaning a million liters of water. The Hudsons have a 157 ‘megs’ to use for their crops this year. I have no idea if this is a lot. In mostly 40 degree weather, with fire bans (to prevent bush fires) in the entire state and backs and brows with copious amounts of sweat that dries instantly I would say maybe. A 157 million liters of water sounds like a lot, but the desert makes it disappear like Copperfield does trains and elephants.

I’m enjoying this experience in rural Australia. Living in a bubble. Meeting others then young German backpackers. Although life is quite monotonous, I am sure there will be little endeavors that will count as adventures. so there will be more to come.

Melbourne at first glance

 If Sydney is suit and tie, business first and scotch on the rocks. Melbourne is casual Friday and a cocktail with an umbrella. The city breaths creativity, quirkiness and a laid back multi-cultural atmosphere.

I stayed in St Kilda, a suburb in the south of the city right on the beach. My friend Helen was so kind to offer me a place to stay for as long as I needed. She made me feel very welcome in her house and in Melbourne. On the first day she gave me a guided tour of the city. Her enthusiasm and love for Melbourne is very contagious and definitely got to see why she liked the place where she lived so much.

Coming from Europe nothing in Australia is really old or breathes history. But I did get that feeling a little bit in Melbourne. The city is a mix of older buildings and architecture mixed with modern and progressive. The old shot museum in Melbourne central is a perfect example. The old shot factory is the center of a modern mall that has been built around the tall brick chimney covered by a giant glass cone. It illustrates how Melbourne is a modern progressive city without losing sight of their heritage or losing that old atmosphere.

That atmosphere is also found in the little lanes that run in between the big streets in the city center. Small graffiti covered alleyways are the home of cozy coffee bars and artsy restaurants. The hippest clubs are found in places where you would expect dirty needles and the ever present smell of urine. And it is not even the bars or little shops that are the hidden prizes. It is discovering them in the most unlikely places what makes it so interesting. The rooftop bar is a great example. Helen showed on the first day. We walked up to the 6^th floor following a grimy looking stairwell. Faded posters and graffiti covered the walls. The floors we passed held award winning restaurants and at the top we found the proverbial cherry. A small bar to the right, fake grass with chairs and tables, a food corner and a DJ booth to the left. And all around the tall buildings of Melbourne CBD. Old school hiphop pumping through the speakers as people enjoyed a beer in the open private space in the middle of town. An absolute gem.

What caught my eye and I feel illustrates how Melbourne is way more laid back than Sydney is the way the council warn for trams/metro trains. In Sydney it would be a sign saying to PAY ATTENTION! in a stern way. In Melbourne they opted for a picture of a Rhino on a skateboard. It brings the message across in a funny, friendly and yet very effective way. I thought it was genius.

Just cruising through the city there is a lot of art in the street to enjoy. Wire figures crossing a bridge. Bronze people waiting at the bus stop, a big bow on top of a bridge with one of the pylons of that same bridge transformed into a cocktail bar. Big pillars that shoot 5 meters tall flames in a rhythm. All along the banks of the Yarra River that snakes through the city you can find artsy and quirky things like that. But also the biggest casino in the Southern hemisphere. It took me about 15 minutes to walk from one to the other end and I still hadn’t seen everything.

Continuing my exploration of Melbourne enjoying street artists and musicians performing show their skills on every corner, I found heaps of good sushi places to satisfy my sushi addiction. There is a large population of Asians living in Melbourne. Ranging from Malaysian to Japanese. But the biggest group are the Chinese. There is even a Chinatown district in the city. Helen wanted to show me a restaurant where she and her boyfriend like to go and get dumplings. It was god food, but I will never eat there again, since they had shark fin soup on the menu. That really made me angry. I understand that it is normal in their culture, but that this is not China. And I was surprised that Australia would allow those backwards practices within their borders.

When I had enough of the city, I would read a book in the botanical gardens or take the tram back to St. Kilda and relax on the beach watching kite surfers fly by skimming the waves. The skyline of Melbourne in the background with small yachts and their colorful spinnakers engaged in a weekend race. Or just stroll along the Esplanade past Luna Park, where kids have a ball riding almost antique rollercoasters and other rides. And past the many bakeries with their windows full of sweets and pastry.   

As you can tell I really like Melbourne and would like to come back there. The only thing that u tem off a little was the weather. The first couple of days it was not very warm and they can have all seasons in one day. But I guess that fits this city, divers in every way.

A Sydney NYE

It was around 1 pm when we left Byron Bay. A German guy named Tony, who I’d met in Cairns. Jamie, a guy from San Fransico, and myself in a red Holden commodore station wagon with all or belongings stuffed in the back. Our destination: Sydney. Our goal: watching the world famous fireworks which they ignite form the Sydney Harbor Bridge.

Since we left a bit late in the day, due to Tony’s talent of being unorganized which turned out to be a source of annoyance throughout our trip, we decided not to drive the 768 km in one go. We stopped for the night just past Port Macquirie in a little town called Lake Cathie. We bought some bread, cheese and cold cut meat to whip up a travelers dinner and drove down to the beach. At a beautiful spot in a nature reserve overlooking the beach next to a sign that said NO CAMPING, we pitched our tent and turned in for the night. Tony and I both had a tent to ourselves and Jamie slept in the car. It had been several years that I had camped and I got reminded why I don’t do it more often. I woke up with an aching back and ants crawling over my face.

But we did get greeted by an amazing sunrise. The sun hidden behind a slither of clouds, its golden rays creeping towards the beach over the blue gray water of the Pacific Ocean. Waves crashing on a small cluster of boulders shimmering like opals as the sunlight bounced of reflected by the water running off its sides.

Camping illegally and with the town waking up slowly we didn’t linger long, packed up our stuff and left for Sydney. Since we woke up quite early, we arrived in Sydney at around 11 am.

 The first day and night we spend with Slim and Stav, two of Jamies friends, who lived in the North part of the city. We played some footy in the park and went out for some drinks in the afternoon. Jamie would stay with his buddies for a few days, but Tony and I only had the one night we could stay there. So as soon as we arrived in Sydney, our main goal for the day was finding a place to stay for the coming night. And somehow we managed.

Tony knew some girls he had met on Fraser Island that lived in Clovelly, a suburb in the south eastern part of town, close to the famous Bondi Beach. We stayed there for a few nights, chilled on the beach and went out in Bondi. 

The funny thing about traveling in Australia is that you keep bumping into people you’ve met briefly at the other side of the country. I met Kyle, a Canadian guy who I did a pub crawl with in Cairns. Irene and Norman who I’d met in Byron Bay 6 months ago. And Jossline, my French, who Tony and I shared a room with in the hostel we worked at in Cairns.

The 31^st of December arrived. Time for the big party we came here for and it seemed like the entire city was full of anticipation. All over town where parties and events for New Year’s Eve. All of which you had to pay a lot of money for to stand in a too crowded area paying too much money for too little drink.

Stav and Slim had invited a bunch of people to an old BP site near Balls Head Point on the north side the Bridge.

A big circular area, with a tall 10 mtr high crescent shaped cliff of brown and red colored rock at the back and an amazing view of the Harbor Bridge and the city in the front. A group of 15 to 20 people where there to come watch the fire works together. Of course there were more people there but it never got crowded. In an attempt to keep most of the crowd out we had put up some red/white danger tape and a cardboard sign that said ‘Private Function’. It did not look official at all and was meant more as a joke than a as a serious barrier, but it worked! Lot of people walked up to it, read the sign, saw a rowdy bunch of tipsy people playing music and acting a fool and walked on.

All of the public space in Sydney had become an alcohol free zone for the New Year’s celebrations. The police came by twice in force to confiscate any alcohol. I didn’t mind since I disguised my vodka as apple juice and the police did not take it. There was a cute police officer amongst them and Tony and I took the opportunity to chat her up. We asked her if she could meet us after her shift with the bottles that they had taken. She seemed inclined until her sergeant gave her shit for chatting with us. It was all very funny.

The moment we had waited for was upon us. Midnight and the start of one of the biggest and most well-known fire work shows in the world. With cameras at the ready and drinks in hand we counted down and let the spectacle wash over us. It was an impressive show that lasted for 12 minutes. Fireworks were ignited form the bridge but also from several barges that were spread out over the harbor. All beautifully orchestrated, timed and color coordinated. 

After the fireworks most of the crowd dispersed and head for home. As did we. Tony and I accompanied Dan, one of Jamies friends who lived in Sydney, to his place in Kirribilli. Right next the house of the prime minister of Australia. I was so tired that I crashed on the couch and fell asleep right away.

The next morning was again all about finding a new place to stay and doing that with a hang over is not advisable. But we did manage. We moved to the house of girl I’d met in Cairns. The last spot was located in West Pymble, a suburb so far out of town it was almost not a part of Sydney anymore. She lived with her parents, who were incredibly friendly and hospitable. They really made us feel at home, although they didn’t know us and I only had a drunken conversation with their daughter in bar 3 months ago. We stayed for 2 more days, visited a fancy night club in the city center and chilled on the beach with friends for Tony his 24^th birthday on the 3^rd of Jan. 

A week after Tony and I arrived we left Sydney. He had found a farm to work on, to acquire his 2^nd year visa, near Melbourne and I decided to tag along and check out another city.

I had a good time in Sydney, met some cool people and made new friends, but I do not really like the city. It feels a bit un-personal, uptight and pretentious. It is see and be seen. Fancy shoes and button up shirts. Egos bumping heads. No room for humor. Rules and regulations for everything. I’m sure not everyone will agree, but this is my take on the city and was happy to leave. To continue my adventure in a place where I feel more at ease. Where they are a bit more laid back, where they don’t take life that serious and therefor get more out of life.

Xmas down under

Christmas is a time to come together with your family, sit around a Christmas tree, stuff your face with copious amounts of food and hope that it starts snowing so we can all have that magical white holiday every one is always raving about.

In Australia it is no different. Replace the snow with a golden beach and the pine tree for a palm tree and the Christmas spirit is all around you.

Although my ‘real’ family is on the other side of the world I feel very lucky to have found good friends here in Oz to call family too and they have made this Christmas the memorable success that is has been. I was lucky enough to have three dinners in the company of old and new friends.

The first one was an early one. On Saturday the 21^st of December I was invited to attend a dinner at Emily and Pierre their house. Two good friends I’ve met in Byron Bay 4 months ago. Maya, Hannah, Stephen, Megan and mixmeister Sam where also there. I helped Emily and Peirre prepare the food during the day before the others arrived. That was good fun. I had never prepared a full Christmas dinner before and neither had Pierre or Emily. So with each other’s help and that of google we slaved in the kitchen to make something beautiful. With a cold beer in hand and good music playing in the back ground Pierre and I focused on the mean course, while Emily was building an awesome 4 tier cake. And running around stressed out making sure that everything was ready and how she wanted it before the first guest arrived.

We made Turkey, oven baked stuffing balls, a glazed ham, sprouts with bacon, roast veggies, roast potatoes, cauliflower with a cheese sauce. We reduced red cabbage with red onions to make a deliciously sweet as a replacement for the cranberry sauce, Yorkshire puddings with gravy. And to top it off Emily presented her 4 tier, chocolate, cheese cake, banana cake cake. It all turned out amazing.

To quench our thirst mixmeister Sam, who is a bar tender and cocktail magician, made an amazing Christmas punch with rum and fresh fruit to wash down the feast.

The little ‘resort’ where Pierre and Emily lived was lit up completely. All the house where beautifully decorated. The one had more lights and propped up Santas than the other. That really topped of an amazing evening and made the Christmas feeling almost palpable. We ate and drank and laughed until we could eat and drink and laugh no more and went to sleep. An amazing kick off to the holiday season.

Two days later I had a Christmas eve’s eve dinner with some peeps from the dive shop. Colin, Becky, Matt Glenn and I where invited for dinner at Gemma’s place. I hadn’t seen most of them for 4 months and it was good to catch up. Gemma had made pigs in blankets, roast veggies and potatoes, Yorkshire pudding with beef and gravy and mince fruit pies with chocolate ice cream. Again a delicious meal. Instead of the punch we drank wine and listened to all the classic Christmas songs. Chris Rea, Mariah Carey, Wham!, the whole shebang. It was a lovely, low key dinner and a reminder to me how much I like hanging out with the people from the dive shop.

And then Christmas day came. The day of the big dinner at the dive shop with 13 people. Most of them new interns for their divemaster course from all over the world. By the time I arrived the preparation where in full swing. Colin was the chef and I the sous chef. Veggie where being cut, stuffing made, birds stuffed, salads prepared. It all ran very smoothly. Since we did not have an oven at the dive shop and we had two birds to cook, we used two ovens in two different houses spread across town. Christmas day is also about relaxing and having a few drinks during the day, so I sacrificed myself to be the designated driver and drive back and forth between ovens and dive shop to check on the turkeys. No drinks for me until the turkeys were done at the car safely parked back at the house. But Colin hooked me up and was waiting for me with a nice rum and coke so I could catch up with the rest.

We definitely had too much food. For some reason it always turns out like that when we make dinner at the dive shop. We had two stuffed turkeys, a honey glazed ham, roast potatoes, parsnips, pumpkin and carrots. Steamed broccoli, a spinach tomato feta cheese salad and pigs in blankets. To make it a real Aussie xmas, we had 3 kilos of shrimp for on the Barbie. It was nothing less then a feast. As desert there was pavlova topped with strawberries and blue berries. Becky had decorated the table and we had bonbons (crackers you pull apart with small toys and jokes inside).

After everyone was stuffed like the birds we just devoured, cleaned up and head upstairs for some good old drinking games. We drank and joked and laughed. It was an absolute success.

Since I am continuing my travels through Oz on the 27^th it was good to have these evenings and dinners with the people that are a travelers family. I’ll miss them, but I’ll be back in Byron Bay to have some more party and QT with these beautiful people I am pleased to call my friends.

Cairns Adventures

On the 25^th of August I arrived in Cairns to pursue a career in diving and escape the relative ‘cold’ winter in Byron Bay. It is the 17^th of December now and once again I’m on the move. This time to pursue my 2^nd year visa in the form of farm work and escape the hot, sticky and wet raining season of Far North Queensland. A new adventure lies ahead still to be experienced and written. This story tells the tale of my stay, adventures and shenanigans in Cairns.

When I first arrived in Cairns I had no job and little money. I stayed in a hostel named Globe trotters international for the first week. Apparently the hostel was popular amongst Germans, since they where coming out of the woodworks here and I decided not to linger there very long. I moved to Nomads Serpents bar in North Cairns and worked for my accommodation and meager meals as housekeeping at first and later as the shuttle bus driver. It was fun being in a hostel for a while. I’ve met many new people and had a few crazy nights out in town. But sharing your room with 3 others, sleeping in bunk beds and being kept awake by the noise at the bar outside my window grew quite dreary quick enough.

With only $70 in my bank account and not a real lead on a job I got a call from Seastar Cruises. A small (35pax max) boat that goes out to the reef every day. I did two trial days and became the new scuba instructor on Seastar. Every day I would go out to Michealmas Cay, a sandbar on steroids inhabited by 20.000 odd birds. They are noisy and with a strong easterly wind also very unpleasant on the nose. Luckily I spend most my time under water, leading introductory divers around in the magical world called Ocean. The magic did fade after a while. Doing the same little circuit around the same bommies for the 100 time gets a bit old. Check out the giant clam here, say hi to Nemo there, pet the sea cucumber behind this rock. You catch my drift.

The second location we would go however did not get old. Hastings reef is a mini wall formation just covered in corals. At this site I also did over a 100 dives, but there was always something new. Cool swim throughs, cuttle fish, colorful hard and soft corals, a black sea cucumber named Bob, reef sharks. Especially with good visibility the site was an absolute pleasure to dive. Even with retarded ‘I can’t swim but still sign up for scuba anyways’-intros on my tail.

Shortly after getting the job on Seastar I moved from the hostel into a share house. Ian the land lord is by far the most relaxed landlord I’ve ever met. The only two rules in the house where: pay rent (not necessarily on time) and find someone to take your room when you leave. Too easy. The people in the house where awesome too. Froya a gorgeous, super cool, half Norwegian/half English girl that also worked on Seastar. Ash and Shona, a crazy couple from New Zealand that worked for Mike Ball (the best and fanciest live aboard in Australia). Dave, an Aussie bloke who embodies the definition of chilled out. Rasmus, a bloke form Estonia who loved to complain about the weather. Bryce, a dude from Melbourne and the first and only assistant instructor I’ve ever met and Corrine, a young gullible German girl with a wicked fear of cockroaches. 

Since I’m naming the people I’ve met and lived with I feel compelled to try to name them all. I will drop the description although a few do deserve special mention.

My captain Anthony, a 20 year old Aussie bloke, who became my singing buddy over the radios we used on the boat. Vinnie, a Brazilian divemaster, who is nothing less than an absolute legend. And Ellen a cute Aussie girl which I had the pleasure of getting to know a little bit better.

And then the rest: Pieter, Kiana, Tina, David, Steve, Spencer, Tony, Siabhon, Emanuel, Molly, May, Danny, Leigh, Clem, Paul, Rens, Shane, Mel, Klaas, Chanti and I’m sure I’m still forgetting a few.

We had many fun evenings at the Pier Bar, which was located at the Marina and thus a perfect local watering hole for all the people who worked on the day boats. We would start the evening there with 2for1 drinks, $5 pizzas and bowls of Cajun wedges. Only to end up at PJ’s the Irish pub or the good old Woolshed where people dance on the tables and act a fool. Or we would have a BBQ or birthday party at some ones house and slay bottles of Captain Morgan and The Glenlivet.

I’m not saying we went out and got drunk every single night. We all had responsible jobs and worked 11 hour days so often enough I passed out on my bed before 9pm, but we had our fair share of party and laughs.

This story I’ve put a bit more emphasize on the people I’ve met. It is always the people that make travelling interesting or special, how beautiful or ugly the place where you are may be. In almost 4 months’ time I’ve done a lot of cool stuff and can’t remember as much details as I would like to write about it. I did get a bit lazy in that sense. So instead I’ll try to summarize some of the things I’ve done in Cairns and surroundings.

I did over a 100 dives on the Great Barrier Reef, went down to Ayr to dive the famous shipwreck Yongala. I did a road trip to Mossman Gorge with my good friend Maya, went four wheel driving through the mountains and got lost in the rainforest only to find our way a few hours later. I did 2 midnight Halloween bungie jumps. Visited the Atherton Tablelands where I chilled underneath a beautiful waterfall in the middle of the rainforest. I ate croc and Kangaroo, learned that Indian people should not sign up for scuba diving EVER. Swam in a crater lake, touched a seas snake, raced shopping trollies, won at beer pong, played pub golf, learned to ride a long board, got attacked by a bird while riding one, got introduced to amazing new music (katchafire, six60, spoonbill, hilltop hoods), burned 50% of my legs and left with a brand new octopus inked into my shoulder.

I will definitely go back to Cairns. I’m not done diving the GBR. I aspire to get a job with Mike Ball diving expeditions. That company goes to Coral Sea and ribbon reefs, the Codhole and osprey reef. All dive sites that will blow your and my mind. 4 of my (now former) house mates work on that boat and the landlord knows everyone in the Cairns diving circles, so I’m confident to get a job after I have secured my 2^nd year visa.

The tropical temperatures are also a big plus. At the moment I’m waiting at Coolangatta airport for a bus to take me to Byron Bay and for the first time in 4 months I’m wearing a jacket and shoes. It is that I hate rain more than cold or else I would jump on a plane back to where the warmth is (read: over 25 degrees).

I will spend the holidays with friends in Byron Bay and then I’m off to a yet to be determined location for some back breaking ‘regional work’ so I can stay and have more adventures. Life should be a big adventure and I’m definitely in one!

Diving the SS Yongala

 The SS Yongala is a 109 mtr long steam ship that sank under still mysterious circumstances in 1911. All 121 souls on board perished with the ship. In the late 1950’s the wreck was discovered of the coast of Ayr and is now one of the best dives to do in Australia.

The ride down

Me and my buddy Danny rented a car and drove down from Cairns to Ayr. Being from the Netherlands I still greatly underestimate the vastness of this country. On the map it looks quite close, but it turned out to be a 5 hour drive to cover the roughly 450 km stretch. Since the car was hired on my name and Danny doesn’t have a license I was the designated driver. There was not much to see since it was dark so we cranked up the radio and introducing each other to our favorite songs we kept ourselves occupied. After about 4 hours we passed Townsville. I remembered that that was quite close to Ayr and was looking forward to finally arrive. But again the size of the country caught me unawares and we still had another 110 km to go. During the last 50 km there were heaps of Wallabies grazing on the side of the road. ‘They are going to get themselves killed’, I thought by myself. The next day I would find out it was right or not.

I was getting tired and wasn’t paying as much attention as I should to road signs and speed limits. As we pulled into Ayr the flashing lights of a police car helped remind me. We got pulled over and the police officer informed me that I was doing a 103 km/h in an 80km/h zone. This would have been a hefty fine but since I hadn’t been drinking (I got breathalised) and we were just 15km from our destination they let us go with a warning. Awake from the adrenaline we continued and a short 10 minutes later we arrived at the dive shop and lodge. We found the key in a hidden spot as directed by the dive shop, went into our room, crawled into our bunk beds and passed out immediately. Dreaming of the wreck we would go visit the next morning.

The Dive 

We had set our alarms for 7am, since check in at the dive shop was due at 7.30am. Even before our alarms went off to announce a new day of adventure the ridiculously loud footsteps of an obese Canadian named Tom brought us back from our dream world. After freshening up we had breakfast served by divemaster Roberto from Italy. The dive shop (http://www.yongaladive.com.au) was an old Queenslander house surrounded by a tropical garden with the lodge, holding two dorm rooms, 1 private room 2 lounge areas and a kitchen on the top floor. Where the office, little shop, beach café and gear room were located on the ground floor. After checking in and setting up our equipment we listened to the dive briefing by Instructor Aeron, aka Aza. Who was cracking jokes like: “How do Aussies find Dugongs in the mangroves?” Anwser: “Really appealing”. That set the tone and we loaded up in the back of a truck to drive down to the beach.

The 10mtr long super Rhib (rigid bottom inflatable boat) was already waiting for us. With just 12 guests on board we had plenty room and the promise of a relaxed not crowded dive site. It took about half an hour of flying over the waves, which were very small since the conditions were superb, to get to the dive site. There was hardly any wind and the visibility on the wreck about 15 to 20 mtrs. Danny and I buddies up, back rolled into the blue and followed Divemaster Roberto, nicknamed Super Mario, down a line to the wreck to let the adventure begin. 

The wreck lies on its starboard side in about 30 mtrs of water with nothing but flat sandy bottom for miles in every direction. This makes the SS Yongala an artificial reef and an oasis to hundreds of fish. We started at the stern and slowly made our way to the bow. Big schools of thousands of silversides (little bait fish) swarm the wreck being bombarded with attacks from giant trevally, snappers and red and spangled emperors. Sixbanded angel fish forage inside the wreck and one big male maori wrasse swims around checking on the many females.

I was taking pictures of the many soft corals and sea whips that cover the wreck when Danny pointed out a tawny nurse shark on the bottom.

 Right after I swam down to take a picture an enormous marble ray with a span of at least 2 mtrs passed by. Flying graciously through the water followed by some fish waiting to pick up the scraps the ray would leave behind.

It is not allowed to enter the wreck since it is been classified as a grave site and to prevent the further deterioration of the structure by the bubbles of the scuba divers. Sometimes it was hard to look inside because of all the fish that are in the way, blocking your view. Half way down the wreck the chimney sticks out like the barrel of a cannon. You can hardly make out the shape anymore because of the corals that cover it and changed its appearance.

As Danny and I made it to the bow we looked back over the entire length of the ship. The sharps ‘knife’ like bow sticking out giving the front a sleek and slender look. Some of the portholes still had the glass in it. The name of the Yongala on the bow was all but gone. Worn away by time and coral growth.

Danny was running a bit low on air so we made our way back to the aft of the wreck. Underway we encountered a 2mtr long guitar shark.

I’d never seen a shark like this before and the weird looking creature was absolutely beautiful. Slowly swimming in the opposite direction just a few mtrs below us. Danny went back up with Super Mario and I buddied up with someone else to stay a bit longer. I cruised around the back of the wreck a bit enjoying a few big great barracudas as they passed by in the endless blue.

After a few minutes I decided to go back up too and spotted a sea snake going up for some air. Back on the boat I was smiling from ear to ear. What an amazing dive.

We enjoyed a simple lunch of sandwiches, tea and fruit provided by Yongala Dive while Aza enlightened us with the history of the wreck, who it supposedly sank and how it was found. You’ll have to go do the dive to hear that story for yourself. He is very knowledgeable about the Yongala and it was a most interesting surface interval before we went down to do the second dive.

On this second dive, Danny and I decided not to follow Super Mario and explore the wreck on our own. We found an iron bathtub and the toilets, which were visible through holes and cracks in the wreck. The current had picked up a bit and we slowly made our way to the bow along the bottom of the ship to let the current take us back while hovering on the other side over the deck. We did not see any big animals on the second dive. But the red bass and giant trevallies made for a good show hunting for the little bait fish. We spend a bit more time taking picture of ourselves doing silly stuff than on the first dive. Just before we decided to go up Danny pointed out a sea snake and I swam down to take a closer look. You could clearly see the green scales on the snake and it ‘accidentally’ swam into my hands before taking off onto the wreck. That was personal highlight on this second dive.

Back on the boat we talked about all the cool stuff we saw and both were very happy that we had taken the time and effort to drive down and visit this amazing place.

On the way back to the dive shop the skipper and operations manager Tony hinted, not too subtle, that they needed a new instructor in a few months and that I might be able to get the job. That definitely is some food for thought. Being able to work and only teach advanced courses or higher on one of the best dive sites in the country.

The ride home

 After a nice steak sandwich provided by the dive shop we hopped back into the car to drive back to Cairns. It was still light out and my suspicions about all those wallabies getting themselves killed on the side of the road turned out to be correct. On the way back we counted 41 road kills (wallabies, possums, rats and birds) of which 29 of them in the first 100 km between Ayr and Townsville. Quite as sad sight, but it made for a fun game on the way up. 

A few hours and about 250 km later we stopped in Caldwell for some food. We saw a big sign saying ‘Country Fried Chicken’ and we made a U-turn to check it out. It turned out to be a quite disappointing trucker café with not very appetizing food in a hot box. Instead we went to a restaurant 1 block down which had a giant mud crab on its roof.

We opted for the fresh catch, which was red emperor. Danny, being from Scotland, had its fair share of fish and chips and he rated this the best fish and chips he had in Australia so far. The freshly fried battered fish, the fries and a carton of chocolate milk had revived me and we smashed the last 200km back to Cairns. Definitely making sure I did not break the speed limit again because you’ll never get away with speeding twice in two days.

I dropped of Danny at his place and thanked him for an awesome trip and new adventure to add to my list. Coming home I passed out almost immediately, dreaming of guitar sharks and giant marble rays. What a trip, what a dive, what an exhausting yet exhilarating two days. Now off to find the motivation for towing around Asians in 5 mtrs of water over a sandy bottom. It might be time for a change.  

The life of a scuba instructor on the GBR

 In my job as scuba instructor on Seastar I get to go out to the Great Barrier Reef (GBR) almost every day. Off course that is great and I’m enjoying every minute of it. And yes, you can already feel it coming there is a but. The only thing I do is introductory dives with first time divers. I’m especially fond of Chinese or Indian guests who can’t swim, but all sign up for scuba. They’re not comfortable on top of the water let alone under the water. And most Chinese guests can hardly understand me or have trouble following instructions. I absolutely love those days (these last sentences are covered with sarcasm if you haven’t understood that already). But sometimes the day is just perfect and I get reminded why I love this job and diving so much.

Last Thursday I had only one person sighed up for scuba. He was absolutely perfect in the water. It was like having a certified divers with me. To be honest, I’ve seen certified divers that weren’t even close to this guy’s skills in the water. We did the first dive at Mickelmas Cay, which was nice but nothing special. And a second dive at Hastings reef. This dive was off the hook. It is by far the most enjoyable and one of the best dives I’ve done in Australia.

It was a calm day and the visibility was endless. We slowly went down the mooring line to a sandy patch in around 8 meters of water. We swam by this huge anemone occupied by some orange anemone fish. I come her more often to show my students and then turn back to go a shallow area called the ‘fish bowl’. Not today. I spotted a narrow trench and decided to check it out. It turned out to be a wicked swim through. High walls on either side covered in lunar and plate corals. The soft elephant ear coral lined the edges at the top. It was so narrow I could barely fit through. My student swam through like a seasoned pro and absolutely loved it. The trench led to a wall an about 15 meter high wall which we followed for a while.
Once in a while I turned on my back to looked up to just marvel at the site of a big rock outcropping sticking out above us. The sun beating down on the clear light blue water, showing the silhouette of feather stars and sea fans.
The wall ran wasn’t straight. It ran in and out. Creating little grottos and dead end trenches. The ever colorful parrot fish, bird wrasse and angel fish patrolling there territories. Butterfly fish and foxface rabbit fish cruising the reef in pairs as couples in love strolling through a beautiful park. The bigger sweet lips and red bass hiding underneath big plate corals, looking at us wearily.

I can go on for pages and pages using adjective after adjective and still not capture the beauty and serenity that emits from the reef. You’re in wonderland and in that moment there is nothing else in the world but you and a weightless world of unparalleled diversity, ingenuity and wonder. It was a short dive but absolutely amazing. More please…