Today I spent my post-lecture leisure avoiding responsibility and hammering out my dive trip to the SS Yongala. So many dive options, so little time! I should be working on homework for class, grad school hunting, GRE preparation, and especially data entry for my summer's research so that I can yield a crop out of the seeds I'd sown. I'm not going into detail about the Yongala; I'll do that after the trip. For now I'll tell you I've settled on a plan through one company (out of five options, yikes) - and got the most satisfying rate; the best dives for the money. The trip is a two day two night live-aboard trip to one of the world's best wrecks. Food, lodging/transport (boat, duh), gear - all included for the price. Seven dives are to be completed, five of which are training for Advanced Open Water certification that allows me access to more dives around the world. Three dives are on the wreck (and it's humpback season so they may swim by for a visit), and four are on lower reefs of the Great Barrier Reef. The price comes out to $850. The cheapest option to get the Advanced Open Water certification (needed to dive the Yongala wreck) on the Yongala wreck would be $500, for five dives, with only one on the wreck, without food or gear provided (an extra $150), and dives inshore not on the barrier reef. Good deal for the $850!
Dive Company Info!
(I'll tell you about the history of the Yongala later in all my loquacity, but there are some pages on this site that summarize the ship's history, too)
(Editor's note: I may have just recently found a nearly identical trip for $200 cheaper and one less dive on the wreck.)
Also, some friends and I are speaking about hiring a 4WD and driving 14 hrs south to Fraser Island, a big sand island with a wreck to explore and tons of other stuff to do, more details when I get them but I want to go - it works out to like $200 for the weekend for each of us. Check Google maps for where Fraser Island is. We'd also drive past Bundaberg, the location for the country's rum company - Bundaberg Rum, or "Bundy." And there's a lot of places along the way too, like Airlie Beach and Mackay.
Fraser Island Info!
Finally, I'm working hard tonight to hammer out the details for this weekend's trip - going out five hours to the Outback - Hughenden, Queensland (Google map it!). There is an "Arid Lands Festival" this weekend, with the $50,000 grand prize camel race as the main event on saturday. Sunday we'll drive further North to explore Porcupine Gorge, known (for tourism's sake, perhaps) as the Little Grand Canyon. I'm working hard because the logistics of this trip are tricky, and the whole area may be more of a tourist trap. We'll see... details upon completion of adventures.
Camel Races Info!
Porcupine Gorge Info!
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