Halfway through already

Arrived safe & sound 10th Jan.
Stayed with Philippa, Claudia's aunt. in Terragal.
Their house is absolutely stunning - set in 17 acres, overlooking the sea.
Solar heated pool and open plan spacious rooms.

Met up with Laura the next day in Sydney and explored Darling Harbour. The weather was glorious, unbroken sunshine, around 36 degrees! Took a small boat ride all round the harbour - saw the Opera House, Sydney bridge and much more.

On dry land again the harbour was bustling with people and activities. We watched a street performer with a great patter. Juggling was his forte, including a chainsaw - We just couldn't watch! Later on had a lovely meal at the harbour front. Great views at night with everything lit up. Stayed overnight and the next day hit the shops. Poor Clive was feeling rather crook so it was us two girlies.The pedestrian crossings here are funny. When you press the button they beep at you and when you can cross they make the mosy extraordinary noise. Sort of like a kookaburra.

Friday 14th set off in hire car to spend a few days travelling up the coast, ending up in Brisbane for our flight up to Cairns. Stayed one night in Port Macquarie, stopped off in Coffs Harbour,visited The Big Banana then on to Byron Bay. Coastline is wonderful. Byron Bay very hippie centre, lots of alternative therapies etc. Drove up to the lighthouse which gave fantastic views over the sea. Dolphins spotted briefly. Went down on to the beach and sat a while watching the surfers. Sand is wonderful here - soft and almost white.

On to Brisbane to catch flight to Cairns. Bus to Port Douglas. From here visited Cape Tribulation, Rain Forest, had boat trip on Daintree river. Saw two crocs, many species of birds and plant life. Some has been around for millions of years! Our guides were terrific and passionate about conservation. Tasted delicious ice cream home made; mango etc. Also Daintree tea as plantations here.

Bus to Cairns and into town for a talk on the Great Barrier Reef the evening before our day out scuba diving. Speaker was Paddy an irishman also very passionate about his work and highly entertaining.

Next day boarded The Poseidon, a catamaran, which took us out to the reef. Sea was pretty bouncy that day. Clive snorkelled and did three dives, Claudia just two. It was an unforgetable experience and we were able to recognise many living things. Could have stayed down much longer! We took many photos and hope to download these soon.

Next day took trip out to Atherton Tablelands with Uncle Brian's bus. Not to be missed! A great day with a lovely bunch of people even though it rained the entire time. We hadn't realised it was the rainy season in Cairns! Saw stunning waterfalls and rapids. Able to swim at different locations. Watched turtles, fish, dragon lizards. One large fella tried to crawl up Claudia's leg. He was after the doughnuts we reckon. On the way back, sang songs of many nationalities and had a lot of fun all round.