The Whitsunday Islands and Heron Island.

So, quite a bit to catch up on. We now have an internet connection for the next few days so I'll try to make the most of it.

After leaving Port Douglas at that crazy hour we did quite a bit of travelling. Bus to Cairns, flight to Sydney, flight back up the coast nearly as far as Cairns but landing on Hamilton Island, boat to Airlie beach where we finally got to have a nap before hitting the town for the evening. It did not stop pouring with rain the entire time we were in Airlie. The next morning we hopped on a tall ship which we would call home for the next 3 days.

There were 15 guests and 3 staff on board so it was quite a small gathering meaning that we got to know everyone. Not too much privacy in those kind of conditions!! It was really good fun. Of the 15 guests, there were 5 brits and the rest were germans. Luckily they all spoke very good english so i didn't have to try out my very rusty german phrases! We got to help putting the sails up which was fun (but also made me realise how unfit I'd become).

So we cruised around the islands, stopping off for snorkelling expeditions and beach excursions. Luckily the weather was fantastic. At the risk of making you all green with envy we were sunbathing and snorkelling on the beach before getting back on the boat back to Airlie. But 10 minutes later we found ourselves in the middle of a storm which continued all the way back so it wasn't all plain sailing. (No pun intended). We made it safely back to harbour though and finally dried out.

From Airlie Beach we took the Sunlander overnight train to Gladstone. We did just manage to get off in time. I had sent Colin on a mission to get coffee just before a little man came round to say we'd be shortly arriving at our destination. So, panicking just a little (that he might not have got the same warning, I dragged 2 (almost packed) suitcases, 1 holdall and 2 rucksacks to the door of the train, fearing I may never see my lovely Colin again (but at least I'd have more luggage space!) but then there he was waiting at the carriage door with coffee and ham and cheese croissants. Really, a girl can't ask for more than that, can she? If truth be told, this was not the first time me demanding coffee has nearly made us miss transport but that's another tale!

From Gladstone, a town we now know a surprising amount of trivia about (courtesy of our bus driver, a proud local), we went to Heron Island on a boat. We stayed for 4 days and had 1 .5 days of nice weather. The rest of the time it poured with rain. We got to do a lot of reading! It was relaxing. Did a little snorkelling but the visibility was very poor compared to our previous outings. I think we'd been previously spoilt. At least Colin finally got to swim with a turtle. He had swum away from me when i saw one in the Whitsundays so he'd missed out then. Bad snorkel buddy!! The island is a nesting ground for turtles. It is currently their nesting season, so every night we could see them crawling up the beach to dig big holes and lay their eggs.

Last night we flew into Brisbane before setting off today in our final hire car of the big trip. We had intended to head down to Byron bay for some more beachy stuff, but on hearing that it was going to be full of school leavers who've just finished their exams we decided to pass on that and went to the Hinterland instead. It seems we made an excellent choice as it's beautiful and rainforesty with fantastic walks around. We managed to get a great deal on a retreat place here and we are sitting in the library by an open fire thinking of you all back home. I hear snow is forecast for you? Ahhh!

Funny, it's the first place we've been where christmas decorations are up and suddenly we're reminded that it's not so far away. When you're in a sunny rainforest in Oz, however, it somehow feels a million miles away!