The unthinkable happened in Queensland recently. No, it didn't rain non-stop for a week, nor did a bar full of Australians ask me to relay their best wishes to the England rugby team.
Even more incredible than that...I discovered a sand-based sport that's more exciting to watch than women's beach volleyball, even when the Brazilian team is on court.
It's called sand tobogganing and like so many things in this straight-talking, no-nonsense nation, it's precisely that.
And if you think it's fun to watch, try doing it yourself. Imagine throwing yourself off the top of a 300ft sand dune on a biscuit-tin lid and you're halfway there.
The dunes are located in the Tangalooma Desert on Moreton Island, a 75-minute catamaran ride from Brisbane. Sand tobogganing is the highlight of a desert safari run by the island's only tourist complex, Tangalooma Wild Dolphin Resort.
Most tourists come here to see a family of wild bottlenose dolphins that are hand-fed along the resort's shoreline each evening. But the tobogganing probably runs a close second.
As it's possible to reach speeds of 30mph-plus, sand tobogganing is classified as a high-speed sport and inevitably there's an insurance waiver form. We signed this on the 15-minute drive to the desert along a bouncy sand track. Even though the transport was 4WD, the ride was so bumpy that most signatures resembled Arabic script.
A former naval base, between 1952 and 1962 Tangalooma became the biggest whaling station in the southern hemisphere, processing more than 6,000 humpback whales.
Then, in 1963, it was developed into a holiday resort, and now the only blubber on show is on generously framed tourists such as me. Apart from three tiny townships and the Tangalooma complex, the island remains a national park. As for the desert, well it's actually not a desert at all - just a huge sand blow 104 acres in size.
We piled out of the bus as soon as we reached the desert and stood around while a guide delivered a short geology lesson about the different coloured sands.
This was the educational part of the safari tour and felt like a school field trip. This feeling intensified when I noticed how few people were listening. Instead they were restless and itching to hit the dunes nearby. The guide was acutely aware of this so kept the chat to a minimum.
Another short drive and we bundled off the bus again. We quickly collected our toboggan boards and trekked to the summit of the dunes. The boards were little more than pieces of Masonite hardboard, and simply greasing the smooth side with candle wax helped attain better speed.
At the top I was met by an amazing vista. The sunlight was dazzling and golden sand met a sky dotted with cotton-wool clouds. Ahead of me was a queue of happy holidaymakers: mostly noisy, excitable Taiwanese but a few Australians, Americans and Brits.
On the ridge we lined up for our descents, clutching our boards like surfers waiting for a wave.
I asked the guide if extra weight contributed to the speed you went downhill. Presumably the heavier you were, the faster you travelled? Nope, it made no difference, he said. Shame. For days I had thrown myself into a serious carbohydratefest just to gain some extra yards on the sand.
Soon it was my turn. Once I was in position, the 300ft drop looked more daunting than I imagined. I crouched, gripped the front of the board and, before I could cross myself, a gentle shove from the guide sent me flying.
I was hurtling down the dunes at about 25mph, although it felt twice that. What a rush. I didn't know whether to laugh or be scared. Most things were a blur. Just when I didn't want the dunes to end, they levelled out and all too soon I came to a halt at the bottom.
Unusually for me, I got it right first time. I lifted the board up so it was almost touching my chin and kept my feet up at the back. The basic technique is the higher you bend the front of the board away from the sand, the further you're likely to go.
Tourists who failed to grasp this concept were soon covered in sand near the top. It was hilarious to watch them get it wrong so quickly - almost as much fun as a descent itself.
Of course, to come down the dunes you must go up, but the trek to the top is the only moderately strenuous part of sand tobogganing. And at least now I know the Taiwanese phrase for 'How far to the top, Dad?' It took three to four minutes to walk up and less than ten seconds to descend, but if you think this is a bad return on an investment, think again.
No specific clothing is required for sand tobogganing, but leave your Armani suit or Manolo Blahnik shoes for another time, otherwise you'll be dusting sand off them for weeks.
Barefoot is best and sunglasses advisable. Some Taiwanese tourists preferred to wear swimming goggles, unaware of how amusing they looked. My good-natured attempt to communicate this sentiment to them failed spectacularly.
There were more opportunities to dive down the dunes than I expected. Depending on the size of the group, you can have four or five goes. I had two perfect downhills, but on my third attempt I became complacent.
Two-thirds of the way down I relaxed my arms and was soon immersed in sand, sparking flashbacks of being buried on childhood beach holidays. Sand and perspiration are never a great mix.
All in all it was gripping stuff, an exhilarating reversion to childhood. It sure beat the Tangalooma quadbiking excursion the previous day. The brochures showed quad bikers riding on golden dunes, but our route took us past the resort's sewage works and rubbish dump. Nice.
The tobogganing was a thrill I'll remember for years to come. Grown-ups seem to enjoy it as much as their children. The only real difference is that it takes us oldies longer to climb the dunes. I returned to my hotel room exhausted but still sporting a wide smile, like a kid with a full cookie jar.
Several days later I was still finding sand in my ears and trouser pockets, and that was after a couple of showers each day. No worries, souvenirs come in all manner of guises.
Travel Facts
Sand tobogganing, part of a 90-minute Desert Safari tour to the Tangalooma Desert, costs £8 for adults and £5 for children.
A one-night package at the Tangalooma Wild Dolphin Resort for two adults and two children costs £190,including return catamaran fares, accommodation, breakfast,dolphin-feeding tokens and use of resort facilities.E-mail: bookings@tangalooma.com or visit www.tangalooma.com.Qantas (08457 747 767, www.qantas.co.uk ) flies daily from London to Brisbane from £639.
Also visit www.australia.com and for a free Travellers' Guide call Tourism Australia on 09068 633235 (60p per minute).
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