Hervey Bay & Fraser Island

....well we didn't go kayaking in the end as the group wasn't big enough so we chilled on the beach all afternoon- much more sensible!

Arrived in Hervey Bay on Thursday afternoon. Excellent YHA. Had cakes and juice on arrival. Nice swimming pool etc. Enjoyed a BBQ dinner in the evening.
Our 2 day 'Northern Adventure Tour' started the following morning. Got the ferry across to Fraser Island.
It is the largest sand island in the world so driving across it in our 4X4 was rather a bumpy ride!
Visited several places on our first day including Eli Creek, Indian Head and the Champagne Pools. It was great fun driving along the beach. Had a paddle in Eli Creek and a swim in the freezing Champagne Pools. The views from Indian Head were spectacular. We saw a group of whales- brilliant.
Headed back to our camp after a very busy day and enjoyed steak for dinner. Again- made some more friends. Slept really well in our tent- more comfortable than some of the YHAs we've stayed in!

Day 2 started with an early breakfast. We then headed along the beach to the Coloured Sands- layers of different coloured sands- a sacred Aboriginal site. Further along the beach we stopped at the SS Maheno shipwreck. The ship has been stranded on the sand since 1935.
We then did a very difficult 4K walk across the hot sand to Lake Wabby. Had a swim here to cool off.
Our final destination was 'Lake Birrabeen'. This was the best place of all. A freshwater lake- crystal clear waters and white sand- brilliant for exfoliating! Stayed here for a couple of hours before getting the ferry back across to Hervey Bay.

Met up with our friends last night and enjoyed a few glasses together. :-)
Moving on to Noosa Heads today.....

Love to everyone,

L & R x

Agnes Water/Town of 1770

Arrived in Agnes Water yesterday at about 10am. Settled into our twin room. The first hostel we've stayed in that's not YHA. A nice place.
Agnes Water and the Town of 1770 are next door to one another.
1770 was the first place which Captain Cook landed on in Australia on 24th May 1770- hence the name!
Agnes Water beach is only a short walk from our hostel- as are a few shops, post office, cafe etc.
Yesterday we did a 'Scooteroo Adventure'. This comprised of riding 50cc motorbikes customised as Harley Davidsons. Unfortunately, I didn't make it out of the drive way (!) so a very kind man let me ride on the back of his bike. Ruth was much braver and turned 'biker chick'- completing the 60K without damaging the bike or herself. It was great fun. On the way, we saw lots of wild kangaroos- awesome (as they say over here).
Towards the end of the tour we stopped at a pub and enjoyed wedges and a beer overlooking the sunset.

This afternoon, Ruth's trying to convince me to do a kayaking trip! I'll give it a go......

Love to everyone,

Scooteroo

Sunset over 1770 Beach

L & R x

Rocky Rockhampton

Had a short stay in Rockhampton to break up the journey from Airlie Beach to the Town of 1770.
Not a great deal to do in Rockhampton so we hired a car with a couple of Swedish girls and headed to Capricorn Caves. The caves were a nice break from beaches but not as spectacular as we hoped they would be.
The following morning we made the most of having 'Timothy the Toyota' and drove to Mount Archer (a place we obviously couldn't miss!) Did a short walk despite it being a bit overcast.
Up early yesterday morning and got the Greyhound bus to our next destination.......

Mount Archer

L & R x

Whitsunday Islands

Had a fantastic time sailing around the Whitsunday Islands!
Our ship was called the 'Solway Lass'. Beautiful tall ship.
The food was great.
Our twin cabin was small but comfortable.
On the first day we visited Whitehaven Beach. The best beach we have been to so far. Beautiful golden sand and blue sea.
On the second day we went snorkelling. The fish swam so close to us.
On the last day we did a short bush walk and then relaxed on the ship.
All met up on the final evening and enjoyed a few drinks in a bar in Airlie Beach.
Met some great people.

Got the Greyhound Bus to Rockhampton. Arrived here last night.
Will up-date blog in a few days.
Love to everyone,

L & R x

Whitehaven Beach

Solway Lass

Airlie Beach

G'day!
Hope everyone is well.
Ruth and I had a very relaxing time in Airlie Beach. YHA situated right in the heart of the town near all the restaurants and bars.
We spent some time relaxing near the lagoon. On Saturday morning we had a wander around the markets. We also did a 4K walk in Conway National Park. Weather was hot and sunny. Nice just to 'stop' for a few days.

L & R x

Airlie Beach

Magnetic Island

G'day!
Hope everyone is well.

Ruth and I had a lovely time on Magnetic Island. Our accommodation comprised of a twin log cabin which was great. The YHA was situated in a Koala Village and the wildlife was just amazing.
The possums joined us for dinner in the evenings outside the kitchen and the Kookaburras woke us up in the morning- at 5am!
On the first morning there we enjoyed a champagne breakfast and a guided tour around the wildlife park. I held a huge 2m Python, a blue-tongued lizard and a small crocodile! Brilliant.

We went on a couple of really good walks- both of them quite challenging- especially in the heat. The first one took us up into some old World War Two ruins (Forts Walk). The second walk incorporated three of the bays- Horseshoe, Balding and Radical. The views were stunning.

We arrived in Airlie Beach yesterday so will up-date blog with some more photos in a couple of days. (Luckily my photographer has returned from his travels!)

Love to all,

Horseshoe Bay

Python

Koala

L & R x

Paronella Park

As part of our stay in Mission Beach we decided to hire a car for the day and drive to 'Paronella Park'- a castle set in some beautiful grounds built by a very ambitious and hardworking man called Jose Paronella.
We picked up 'Delilah the Daihatsu' early last Friday morning and drove to Paronella.
First we were taken on a guided tour to find out about the history of the Park. The castle itself has been damaged in recent years by floods, cyclones and concrete cancer.
The Park grounds are beautiful. We fed the fish, eels and turtles and observed a huge colony of bats in the trees above us.

We made the most of having 'Delilah' and then drove through the Atherton Tablelands to 'Millaa Millaa' and visited 3 spectacular waterfalls.
A great day.

Waterfall at Paronella

Swimming Pool at Paronella

L & R x

The Treehouse in Mission Beach

The place to stay if you...
* smoke
* drink
* like spiders
* like GIANT moths sharing the toilet with you
* don't mind getting bitten
* enjoy listening to loud music (all night long)
* pick fruit for a living
* like to shower with beetles

- want to see some amazing forest views
- want to see some fantastic Australian birds
- want to relax and chill out for a few days

WE SURVIVED THE TREEHOUSE AT MISSION BEACH!!! :-)

Love it or hate it- it was a unique place to stay. We did some fabulous walks- totalling 16K, paddled in the warm, blue sea and enjoyed a secluded beach with soft, golden sand.
A place to remember for lots of different reasons. :-)

Bingil Bay

L & R x