Hi everyone, Well when we last left you we were in Hervie Bay a beautiful little seaside town and that was where we got our first real dose of rain. Squalls come in and just bucket for hours. After the rain the skies change quite a bit. The sky filled with HUGE fruit bats, kind of like watching the movie"The Birds" from a distance, you don't hear them you just see thousands. We have no idea where they head for but it seems to be a regular occurrance in the evenings along the coast. The next day was another beautiful hot & humid day so we decided to ride bikes along the beach boardwalk thinking the wind in our faces might cool us off-WRONG,we still needed showers to rinse off the humidity. Don is loving this heat but I feel like I'm melting alot of the time. Next day we headed off to Fraser Island in a "Hummmer" Talk about luxury!! After a short barge trip to the island we landed and travelled along the sand roads(only wide enough for 1 vehicle)kind of like a long ride at the PNE!!!We then travelled 35 km's along the beach-that's the main highway on Fraser and it can get pretty busy. Our driver stoppped along the way at a little creek and made us tea while we waded in the water. Further along we stopped at an old shipwreck(1935) that is just sitting there rusting & rotting.Back on the main highway(beach) to a little spot where our driver made us a lovely lunch/wine while we enjoyed a walk in the rainforest. just a beautiful spot-very humid though. Off to Lake Mackenzie where the water is crystal clear and as warm as a bath. Spent a few hours there enjoying the water and hoping to spot a dingo(apparently the island is loaded with them & wallabies) but we saw NONE.I guess we'll have to wait til we get to the Zoo. What a fabulous day it was-everyone should put this on their to-do list!!!. Next day we headed north stopping in Bundaberg & Rockhampton. Lots of roadkill along the way. Arrived in Airlie Beach-WOW what a great spot. Because this is "stinger"season we couldn't go in the ocean, but the city has built a HUGE lagoon surrounded by grass and man-made beach so we enjoyed a fabulous day there. These Aussies think of everything!!From Airlie beach we took a 23 meter catamaran over to 3 of the Whitsundy Islands.It was a full day tour stopping at Whitehaven beach-pure white sand. Put our stinger suits on and went for a swim. The suits are kind of like a wet-suit only lighter. Took a walk into the forest and saw a HUGE "guana"-finally live wildlife! Next stop was Hook Island (No captain there though)and enjoyed some snorkelling through the coral reefs. Pretty fish and the coral was so colorful. This island is the southern tip of the Great Barrier Reef. Last stop was at Daydream island where we walked into a beautiful resort and enjoyed a glass of wine before we headed back to Airlie beach. There was a large outdoor aquarium with sharks & manta rays here. What a fabulous day!!and quite the bargain as a lunch & snacks were included!So this is as far north as we will go. There has been tremendous rains further north so many roads are washed out and we won't take any chances. So we are now heading back down south towards Brisbane where we will probably take a short flight to Perth for a few days to see our friend Fiona and her husband. Along the way we stoppped at Noosa and spent a few days where this old knee of mine finally gave out and I have resorted to wlking with a walking stick to take the pressure off. I'm afraid it's put a bit of a damper on the trip.We still want to do more walking about but I'll have to keep it to a minimum. Thanks goodness we have a car so we can usually drive to where we want to go.Well friends, that's it for now. Sorry it's been a while since we last updated but everything shuts down so early in these little towns that by the time we finish enjoying the sights the shops are closed. Where does everyone go????We'll be in touch soon...hope you are all doing well.by the way, i'm sure you have heard about the terrible fires in Victoria stae-just devastating. There was a national day of mourning on Sunday and just when they seem to get the fires under control more fires start up. We won't be going as far as that on this trip as I'm sure it will be too devastating to see. The people of Australia have stepped up to help these poor people who have lost everything. Very sad.well take care everyone, we'll write again soon..love Pat & Don
