Day 11 – Airlie Beach to Magnetic Island

We ended our stay at Arlie beach by renting one of the two seat, three wheeled bikes that they have at the resort. Wyatt was so happy I thought his head would pop off. He had been asking to get one since we arrived and he saw other kids using them.

As we walked to reception today to get our special surprise I asked him what he thought it might be. He replied “Daddy, everytime I ask you to get me a yellow bicycle you say no and it makes me sad. Today you should say yes. I want to get a yellow bicycle, that would make me happy. “

We rode it around the caravan park for an hour with various combinations aboard including at one point Me with Wyatt on my lap steering, and Mel in the passenger seat with Cooper and Maddy on her lap. Cadel Evans has nothing on me !

We departed the park with sad faces and headed for Townsville about 250km to the North on highway A1. We stopped in Ayr for lunch at the local Macker’s ( McDonalds ). The kids love the playgrounds and they are hard to find on the road without the McDonalds attached to them.

We made it to Townsville just in time to catch our 2:30 ferry to Magnetic Island. Magnetic Island is a fairly large Island with a few roads on it so you can take your non 4 wheel drives across. The ride across took about 35 minutes and then we made our way across the islands only road to Horseshoe bay and our room for the next two nights. It was overcast at this point so the initial impressions were a bit muted, but the views are breathtaking.

Since the kids were off schedule and didn’t have an afternoon nap we decided to put them in the strollers and go for a short walk. We went up and down the strip along the beach and then Mel suggested we go check out the local Koala sanctuary / Backpacker hostel. It was only a short 5 minute walk back up the main road . They have guided 2 hour walks through the sanctuary where you can hold a koala, snake, and crocodile. We had missed the last walk but signed up to take one tomorrow. They did however suggest that we stick around to witness the bird feeding. Seemed harmless enough so we decided to wait a few minuted for the 4:30 feeding.

We walked out behind the reception building to find a large tree filled with green and blue and red parrots. And by filled I mean hundreds of them…they were almost deafening. After a few minutes the guide came out from the reception building with a tuperware of food…she was covered in parrots ! Immediately the birds started landing on anything and everything that might have food…heads, shoulders, hands, Maddy’s head !

People started grabbing handfuls of food and holding their arms out so the birds could eat. You would end up with 4 or 5 birds on your arm all at once ! And perhaps even one on your head ! It was crazy ! People were laughing , some were screaming ! Wyatt thought it was great…he was trying to touch them and catch them…Maddy was all smiles until one dared to land on her hat. She was not impressed ! Cooper was fine and acting like it was an every day appearance until one landed on his head. At this point he lost it and I had to retreat with him to a safe distance to calm him down.

So yet again an unplanned event stole the show for us !

p.s. Also updated posts for Days 1 - 6 with pictures. For more pictures see our flickr site as we can't post them all here.

Day 10 – Whitsunday Islands

The day started early as Mel and I had to be at the front gates of the caravan park at 6:55 to be picked up by the tour company shuttle bus. The bus was on time and we were at the marina ready to cruise by 7:15….unfortunately the boat was not set to sail until around 8 am. So, we walked around the marina and checked out some of the amazing boats. Very impressive stuff…exactly what you would expect to see in a marina in one of the worlds best boating locations. A quick look at the adds posted in the windows of the marina’s boat dealer ended my dreams of owning my own yacht. Prices ranges from 500,000 for a 25 foot cruiser to well over 2,000,000 for a 50 foot cruiser.

My dreams crushed, we got in line to board the catamaran and found some good seats. Yes, the boat is purple…I talked to the skipper who has been captaining the boat since it was new and he explained that it is purely for marketing purposes and that it works quite well. If people like it and want to tell their friends about it all they have to do is remember it was purple as it is the only purple catamaran in the world. He admitted the colour made him sick when he first saw it, but now doesn’t mind it so much.

Pier at daydream island

Anyway, we headed out for our first stop at Daydream island to pick up some more passengers…I never counted all the people on board but there must have been about 60 or so. The boat is 85 feet long so there was lots of room. It was a nice sunny day with no clouds and sadly no wind either. They put up the mail sail on the way out but the motor was doing all the work.

Snorkelling location

After stoping at Daydream island we headed off to a smaller island off to the left of Whitsunday Island. I forget it’s name…anyway, once there they provided us with wetsuits and snorkel gear and we got to snorkel on a small reef for almost an hour. The reef was amazing, much better than anything I’ve seen in the Caribbean. The fish were more plentiful and the coral was much more colourful . We didn’t see anything big, but what we did see was great. We were even treated to another tour operator feeding the fish while we were there…You are swimming and completely surrounded by colourful fish in a feeding frenzy…very surreal !

After the snorkel we were given morning tea and then headed to Whitehaven Beach on Whitsundsy Island…considered by man y to be one of the best beaches anywhere in the world. The sand in 98% silica and is so pure that is exceeds standards for polishing jewelry or optical lenses. The beach is about 15 km long and there are no resorts on it. Very isolated and private. We spent about an hour there before being herded back onto the boat for lunch.

Lunch was a BBQ and then we were back underway to finish circumnavigating Whitsunday island. At one point Mel spotted a whale off the side of the boat and everyone was treated to watching it come up for air while swimming for a few minutes before it swam out of sight. She has the eyes of an eagle ! We stopped again at Daydream island to let people off and then headed for home. There was a bit more wind heading back so they put up the spinnaker as well and we did about 12 knots under sail power only. They claim they can do 30 knots but obviously it was far too calm.

View of Airlie Beach as we returned

The skipper must be able to speak about 10 languages. I head him speak English, French, German, Dutch, and Italian. He also claimed to speak Japanese and Chinese but there was no one there to call him out on that.

Skipper is on the right behind the wheel

It would have been nice to do some actual sailing but obviously that was out of anyone’s control. In hind sight a power boat tour would have allowed us to see a lot more or spend more time where we stopped. But the allure of sailing in this environment is powerful.

Day 9 - Arlie Beach

For our first full day here we headed to the town in the bay. Drive in is very pretty with the tree covered hills meeting the scenic bay with turquouis water filled with shiny white boats. Best place to see so far.


Since the water here is filled with nasty thngs the town has built a lagoon right off the beach for kids and adults to swim..its basically just a huge swimming pool but it was great for the kids and us. There is also a playground. We swam and played all morning and then bought some sandwichs from a local cafe and had a picnic lunch.



Back at the resort in the afternoon I found myself alone with all three kids when Mel and Julia went off to do some shopping in Airlie beach and the kids decided to have very short naps. I took them all down to the park. I had a quick look at the mini putt course and when I realized it was completed fenced in and no one was using it I quickly herded the kids into it. Turned out to be a great idea. They loved just running around and standing or sitting on all the little obstacles. Wyatt was trying to read all the numbers and kept asking me for a golf ball.


Mel and i booked a full day cruise on a catamaran tomorrow to go around some of the islands...the boat is called the Camira if you want to look it up. So, we gave Julia the day off to shop around the town and prepare herself mentally for a long day withall three kid tomorrow. I'm sure she will be fine, she is very good at handling the kids.

Weather here is pefect. Hot and sunny...no one got burned, yet.

We also moved from a 2 bedroom villa to a 3 bedroom unit...more space here so twins have thier own room agan. Plus, we got our own BBQ so we were alble to make our own dinner which covers the extra cost of the 3rd bedroom.

We really like this place...if we were to plan the trip agan i think we would cut out some of the stuff we did south of here and stay here for a week or so. Definitely a place we would not hesitate to come back to should the opportunity present itself. Lots of stuff to do here and in town and tons of families and kids.

Time is up on the kiosk....update you again tomorrow

Day 8 - Airlie Beach

big drive today...Rockhampton to Airlie beach...almost 500 km.

I am typing this from an outdoor internet kiosk with a strange rubber keyboard and i am on the clock so please excuse the typos.

drive was scenic but long....we met a couple from Slovania with a girl Wyatt's age at a truck stop and they played soccer together for a while. It was neat to see the way they interacted once they realized the spoke different languages...lots of pointing and mimicking, but no talking.

We arrived at the Big 4 adventure campground and caravan park around 3 pm and pulled in right behind the people we had seen at the truck stop. Small world ! This place looked great on the internet and didn't disappoint us. It's a camper (or caravan) park and it also has 20 or so villa/cottages. There is a massive pool with water slides and sprinklers, a large new playground, an air filled bouncy trampoline thingy, pedal driven cars for kids (and adults), an outdoor theater, and even mini put golf. We sampled all of the above today except the mini golf.


The cottage is great too. A huge spa tub, multiple flat screen tvs mounted on the walls, and lots and lots of space ! Tonight they had a pizza and movie night so we signed up and had all you can eat pizza hile watching "high school musical" on an outdoor screen. Julia was in heaven ! This trip just keeps getting better as far as she is concerned.

We are debating what cruises and what islands to see while here at the gateway to the Whitsunday islands. Should have an update for you on that tomorrow.

Guess that is it for this update.

Weather here is great.. Highs of around 25 today, tomorrow and the next day...I've already lost track of what day of the week it is . Now I am really on vacation.

Day 7 - Rockhampton

We packed up our stuff and hit the road for a big travel day today. We had almost 500 km to cover to get from Hervey Bay to Rockhampton. The highway runs through the country side and not along the coast but was still very scenic. Lots of hills and mountains, plains, forests, rivers, lakes...just about everything. The day was pretty cloudy but was clearing up as the day when by.

We ended up stopping in a tiny little town for lunch and to let the kids play in a fairly new park for an hour or so. We then hit the road again and made it to Rockhampton by around 2:30 or so. Our plan was to go straight to the local water park and Wyatt was quite hyped up for it...sadly it was closed for the winter. Hmm, 25 degrees....guess we should shut the water park down..way too cold to swim ! Wyatt was not impressed.

Instead we checked in to our hotel ( just a run of the mill travel lodge overlooking a big river ) . The poeple at the desk gave us directions to a nearby park and we hoped it would fill in for the water park and keep the kids happy. Well, it turned out the be one of the best parks we have seen...here or in Melbourne ! All sorts of new things that we had not seen before ! and full of kids !! It kept the kids and adults entertained for a few hours.

Mel talked to one of the locals and got directions to a restaurant called Sizzlers. We debated just walking and finding something on our own instead of getting back in the van, but decided to try Sizzlers instead.

It was the right choice. Sizzlers is basically an Australian version of ponderossa. All you can eat salad bar and desert bar plus steack or sea food main course. Plus kids under 4 eat free. Why didn't we think of this before ? The kids actually ate the food we served them for a change ! Wyatt was thrilled by the chance to pick his own dinner from the salad bar ! Once we finished our dinner it was time for the desert bar ! I'm not sure who was more into it..the kids or Julia. Afterwards Julia declared that it was something that she would see if and when her life every flashed before her eyes.

Tomorrow we have another big drive from here to Airlie beach. It's funny how we can plan and plan and have the actual outcome not quite measure up to the expectations you have for it...and then you can have a day liek this where we really just plan to drive and sleep and have it turn out to be one of the best days on the trip so far ! Hopefully tomorrow can work out just as well.

Day 6 - Frazier Island

Julia and I had to be at the Tour company office for 8 AM today. Luckily it was right beside our resort so we didn't have to get up too early.

We helped Mel get the kids changed and breakfast started then we wished her luck, thanked her in advance and left before she changed her mind.

The tour company put us on a ferry to take passengers and vehicles over to the island. It takes about an hour to get there. Only 4 wheel drive vehicles are allowed on the island as the island is comprised of only sand. There is a mix of traditional 4 wheel drives and tour operator vehicles. These can be small 4 wheel drives up to 40 seat behemoth 4 wheel drive buses like we were going to be on. Very cool !

When the ferry gets to the island it just pulls right up to the beach and puts down it's gate. No pier or wharf, just a sandy beach. All the trucks drive up the beach to a small parking area and then the people are allowed to walk off.

We boarded our bus and then started our one day tour. Richard was our tour guide and proved to be quite skilled at driving a 40 passendger bus down a sandy, bumpy, twisty one vehicle wide track through the forest. Not for the feint of heart or queasy ! It took about 45 minutes to cross most of the island and reach our first stop...a small fresh water lake on top of sand. Basically it is a depression in the sand where enough dead plant matter has accumulated to cover the sand and stop the water from draining into the sand. Some of these are huge, but this one was faily small. It was a little too cold to swim but we waded around a little bit and took it all in.



Then back on the bus and on to the next stop which was lunch at thier lodge. Just off the beach the company has a lodge with a restaurant, bar, and shop. The also have some cottages and dorms for backpackers and tourist who want to do more than a one day tour.

After lunch the bus headed onto the western beach known as the 75 mile beach. It is also the main highway on the island. The speed limit is 80 km/hour. Keep in mind that you have huge waves crashing over the beach and wash outs caused by fresh water creeks running onto the beach. It's amazing there aren't accidents everywhere. We drove down to a large fersh water creek where the water is crystal clear and drinkable. You're supposed to walk up the creek on a path and then float out to the beach, but again it was a bit cold for that.

Next stop was an area where the sand had formed a cliff that had been eroded by the weather and looks a bit like something from the Grand Canyon. Very pretty, but not all that exciting.

The final stop on the beach is an old ship wreck from the 1930's. It was a cruise ship that was being towed to Japan to be dismantled but was lost in a cyclone and washed asore. The owners couldnt get it unstuck so instead just sold everything they could remove from it on the beach. It was very erie but made for some good pictures.

Back on the bus and a quick stop at the lodge for afternoon tea then back through the island to get back on the ferry by 4:30. The route back took us through one of the sub-tropical rain forests on the island. It was by far the best part of the tour. Huge 50 meter high trees and palms all growing on sand ! The bus dropped us off and then took off up the road about a kilometer so we could just walk up the road in silence. Julia and I agreed it was the highlight of the trip.

We made if back to the room by 6 pm and were greated by 4 smiling faces which was a great way to end the day. Mel took all the kids to the local target and bought some groceries and toys. She also spent time at the pool with all three, very brave !!

Day 5 - Hervey Bay

We woke up to the sight and sound of rain and overcast skies. Our plan had been to stay around Noosa for the morning and drive to Hervey Bay in the afternoon. However with the weather being bad we decided to leave as early as possible and go the Hervey Bay in the morning.

We packed up and hit the road before 9 am. However, there were no less than 22 traffic circles between us and the highway so it took almost an hour to get out of Noosa ! If a hurricane or cyclone hits this place and carries it away we won’t be too shook up over it. All the cicles make navigating almost impossible and being a passenger is torture.

Anyway, once on the road we headed up the A1 highway and stopped for lunch in Marybourough. We stopped at a MacDonalds with a play land so the kids could get some energy out which was overdue at this point. Then we hit the road again.

It was at this point that Wyatt started complaining that he felt sick. He had been up last night with a fever so it wasn’t a total surprise to here him say he didn’t feel well. About a half hour after leaving Marybourough we arrived in Hervey Bay. The place we are staying here is called ??? ???? Great Sandy Straights. Mel got out to register at reception and I got Wyatt out so he could get some fresh air. I made it about 10 steps before he puked several times next to the reception building. He claimed to be feeling much better afterwards but the fever stayed with him for the rest of the day.

Our room is a 3 bedroom apartment overlooking the ocean, or bay in this case. The view is amazing !



We unloaded our stuff and when for a walk along the bike path that runs along the bay. We walked out along a pier that must be a kilometer long ( actually found out it is 800 meters long. It was apparently 1100 meters long and was used for unloading ships, however when it was no longer needed they removed the business end of it and left if for tourists and fishing ). Tons of men and kids fishing along the pier. Even that far out the water could not of been more than 4 or 5 feet deep.

After the walk we checked out the pool, playground, and beach at our hotel and then ordered some dinner to our room.

The big attracting in Hervey Bay is Fazier Island. The world largest sand island. There are no paved roads on the island, just dirt tracks and beaches so the only way to get around in by 4 wheel drive. The island in supposed to be breath taking with sand dunes, clear fresh water lakes and unique wildlife. Mel did a 3 or 4 day camping trip on the island when she was here the first time so she has been singing the praises of the island since we started planning this trip. However the shortest trip to the island is a full day and we didn’t want to leave Mel with all the kids for a whole day.

However, it looks like each of the three of us will likely have a day where we look after all three kids while the other two go off to do something cool. So Julia and I have signed up for a 1 day trip tomorrow and Mel gets to watch all the kids. Wish her luck !

Day 4 - The Australia Zoo

We had a quick breakfast and then headed out to the Australia Zoo along the Bruce Highway. This is not small feat as you need to negotiate at least 15 or 20 traffic circles to get out of Nossa. We get lost at least twice everytime we come or go from our hotel.

The day was overcast and a little drizzly so the drive was not as scenic as it could have been, but it was still pretty cool. Lots of hills and cliffs, thick jungle like forests, and lots and lots of 4 wheel drives on the road.

It took us about 45 minutes to get to the Zoo which is located on a scenic highway through the Glass House mountains. The road has been renamed to Steve Irwin Way since his death.

The Zoo itself is pretty big, at least as big as any other Zoo I’ve ever been to. The central and oldest part of the zoo is pretty much devoted to Crocs. This makes sense as from what I’ve ready it was originally just a croc farm / zoo. This part is surrounded by the newer sections for Kangaroos, Koalas, Snakes, and other Australian wildlife. There is also a new Asian section with elephants and tigers.

The biggest difference between this zoo and others is that it is supposed to be a very hands on experience.


For example we were letting the kids play on the free rides and trampolines in the kids area when we noticed them setting up a large area for something…we walked over and realized it was the setup for the elephant feeding.


Mel and Wyatt were fist in line to feed Bimbo the elephant. They walked right up in front of her and fed her a piece of melon and a piece of cucumber right out of their hands. Pretty cool…I later got a turn of my own.



Another example would be the kangaroo enclosure where you are free to walk up to the Roos and feed them by hand. Wyatt and the kids really enjoyed this part. I think it was the first time that Wyatt has been more interested in an animal than in the trucks and tractors at the zoo. He fed a bunch of different Kangaroos and even struck up a conversation with one while opening up the Zoo map and asking him repeatedly where the Playground was. When the Kangaroo seemed dumbfounded by the question , Wyatt went so far as to show the Kangaroo where exactly the Kangaroo park was on the map.




Other noteable activities were petting a Koala and watching the crocodile show run by Terri ( Steve Irwin’s widow ) in the Crocoseum.

I would say overall it was one of the better Zoo experiences I have had. They do not try to fool you into thinking that the animals are wild animals living in a perfectly reconstructed replica of their natural habitat. They are up front about the animals being tame and sometimes even trained. The premise they have is that if they can make you an animal lover by getting you up close to animals you might be moved to do something to help the conservation effort. Seems like a good idea.

The only bad part about the place is the fact that the Crocodile hunter is dead. It’s a little hard to walk around the place with his picture being everywhere and not feel sad for the guy. He made himself into a world wide phenomenon, built his own amusement park, started a young family, and then died. I got the feeling that his family was really trying to honour his memory by keeping things going but I fear that they might be trying just a little too hard to be like him.

After the Zoo we returned to Noosa along the SunCoast highway to see what things were like along that road. The scenery was much the same but there were some great views of the ocean once we got close to Noosa.

The traffic circles almost claimed Maddie and Julia but we stopped just in time and averted any potential disasters.

After dinner Julia and I headed out for a quick walk to check out some of Noosa. It seems to be the place to go if you are a well to do Australian in need of a second or third home and a place to store your boat. The shops and restaurants are all very nice but the prices were somewhat out of our league. When you look at a map it seems that they really have designed the city more for boats then for cars with canals and rivers everywhere so that almost every development has it’s own waterfront and marina.