Australia – week 1

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Australia – week 1

Australia, 2011

I left the UK on 28th December after a great Xmas with the family.  We thoroughly enjoyed the snow despite the chaos that it brought and I was glad that my flight got away unaffected.  
Having made this journey many times now, I wasn’t too stressed by the many thousands of miles ahead of me.  I flew Emirates, not lucky enough to be a business class customer I settled in and enjoyed the use of the in seat entertainment which kept me occupied the whole journey. Emirates have great seats and flights so it was an incident-free journey which saw three approximate 7 hour flights, Birmingham – Dubai, Dubai – Singapore, Singapore – Brisbane.   This was probably the easiest trip over I have had and it certainly didn’t feel like a full 24+ hr journey.

I was collected off the flight by Sam Hussey of MyVision Productions. Sam will be accompanying me for the first half of the tour, documenting the trip and the gigs and was responsible for hooking up the Full Moon Party.  We spent a few days at his beautiful house on the Gold Coast before meeting up with Holly and Adrian of The Arcade Creative group who were putting on the party.  We took the 2 hour flight up to Townsville and a short ferry across to Magnetic Island.  The area, and several others, are currently in the grips of huge rainfalls which I have been told are world-wide news due to the flooding.  Fortunately our journey wasn’t affected and Magnetic Island prepared for the NYE Full Moon Party.

Having played this event last year, I was fully prepared for what was about to take place.  Over 2500 people going crazy in a tropical paradise, metres from the beach and underneath the incessant rainfall, it definitely was a great party.  I was happy to play an earlier set, 9 – 11pm, the crowd was definitely a mixed bunch so I had to play wisely but I was happy with how my set was received considering I didn’t bang it out too much.  The night continued with Billy the Kid & Lucid, while Kid Kenobi & MC Sureshock dropped their take on drum n bass and dubstep.  While it wasn’t exactly to my liking (having witnessed some of the greats of the genre do it many times better) the crowd lapped it all up.  Finishing up with a reel deep/tougher sound was Patrick from M.A.N.D.Y, all in all the night was a resounding success.   You can see the official photo album here

Myself and Sam remained on the XBase Backpackers site for the next few days while Sam took his training and became a certified scuba diver (I have been an advanced diver for many years now).  Sam also perfected his table dancing skills (not lap dancing, thank God !) with several messy nights with the other guests and staff.  I was still struggling with jet lag so happily retired early most nights back to our amazing bungalow on the water’s edge.  Basic accommodation but amazing views, I don’t have many photos to share at the moment but a full visual back up of the tour will be coming soon.

On Tue 4th we took the ferry across to Townsville and boarded the Sea Esta, our home for the next 3 nights and days as we embarked on a live aboard dive trip out to the Great Barrier Reef with Adrenaline Dives.  I strongly recommend this company if you ever have the opportunity to head up there.  We visited several sites on the Reef, seeing almost everything you can imagine from huge sharks to tiny shrimps, just another of the awesome memories I carry with me thanks to you guys and your support.  The final day saw us dive on one of the world’s top 10 sites, the S.S Yongala.  Click the photo for a full run down on this ship and the entire excursion.

The final night back on Magnetic Island saw an impromptu party in full swing with myself joined on the decks by That Ginger Boy and Will Gregg.  We had a great time with those guys and their hospitality was second to none, I hope to catch up with them in the not too distant future.  I also want to thank Adrian, Holly and all the guys we hung out with up there from Arcade Creative.

Breaking down on the highway in Sam’s car on the way home, we were rescued by Brett J & Zach Salar of NightVision.  The obligatory big night out in Brisbane on Saturday ensued, but I’ll leave the details of that for my week 2 review next Monday.

As I write this, the rain here is as bad, if not worse, than up on Magnetic and hasn’t stopped since I arrived.  Watching the local news it is apparent just how bad it all has affected several areas and I hope everyone is able to get back to normal soon.

A chilled week beacons as I prepare for a BIG weekend here in ‘Brizzy’, with two great gigs lined up thanks to my good friends here.  I am looking forward to a NO COMPROMISE music policy all weekend, hanging with these guys is a party in itself so make sure you check back for the full run down soon.

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2 Comments

  1. Glad to hear your time on the other side of the world is a positive one.
    Happy New Year, enjoy the rest of the time away and “mash it up” at the rest of the your gigs!!! 🙂
    Hopefully the positivity that the New Year brings runs true throughout.

  2. Good talking to ya this morning mate.
    Good to hear you are being looked after.
    I would be lying if i didnt feel a little twinge in my heart hearing of all of the festivities without me but then again you cant be everywhere in the world.
    I am working on Singapore for you so fingers crossed !! Lets focus our thoughts, as thoughts become things….I am envisaging a messy night in Stereolab !!

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