Saturday 25th September

Ferry from Magnetic Island to Townsville arrived at 10:30am and Amie managed to get us on the earlier greyhound to Airlie Beach. A 3hr+ journey through sugar cane plantations, fields of ripe tomatoes and very large fields of gum trees with the occasional cow or horse. There were also Large grey heron like birds with red heads and circling buzzards/eagles. The sun shone all the way.

We were deposited in Airlie beach and picked up by 'backpackers by the bay' where we are staying for 3 nights. It soon clouded over and started raining. We won the quiz night by a large margin and were rewarded with a bottle of rather poor quality sparkling wine. Poor quality or not - it helped me sleep very well through the night!

Sunday 26th September

Raining again! But we did our first load of washing by hand, it reminded me of watching my mother wash socks 55 years ago. The volume of sweat that I produced made me realise why people were a lot thinner then.

It brightened at midday and we swam in a man-made lagoon and beach at Airlie Beach, which was very refreshing. It's a popular place with locals and tourists with lifeguards. A free local amenity much like............nothing that exists in England!

The Australians much like the English are encourages to keep fit but don't have to pay a high price for it - with many free outside gyms.

Accommodation is good, double room with shared toilets and showers. Clean and friendly with a good kitchen but I'm sure the toilets must've 'fallen off the back of a lorry'. They were probably on their way to a new infant school or community centre for people with restricted growth. To put them to their intended use, you have to sit with your knees under your chin. The bowls are small and any movement causes your 'manhood' to brush disconcertingly against cold porcelain. I don't think this has ever happened to me before and I'm sure that my male friends at least, will appreciate the degree of trepidation I feel when 'nature calls'. Cos I'm sure it happens to everyone that uses them. I don't about washing your hands but you feel like a full shower afterwards or perhaps Australians are just built differently to us! (Amie - The women's toilets were perfectly fine and normal adult size!)

Monday 27th September

Watched in amazement while Amie booked greyhound trips up to the 11th Oct on the computer - thank heavens she knows what she's doing! Beautiful sunny day, had to go for a briefing for tomorrow's sailing. We were given a small bag for clothes - no room for suit and ball gown, so I guess we won't be dining at the captain's table.

Swam in the lagoon again. Small metallic coloured swift like birds drinking on the wing between the bathers. I had some money in my pocket which Amie had to spend on a raspberry and pineapple calippo ice lolly. Very nice she tells me.

Tuesday 28th September

Good morning. It's 6am and I'm not sorry to be leaving the hostel. We are off on a 3 day/2 night cruise on the 'DERWENT HUNTER' (google it!). It was highly recommended and we got good standby rates for the queen statesman room - best on the boat.

WOW! This is a fantastic 65 year old wooden hulled, 2 masted sailing boat. It's beautiful. After a bush walk you feel good to be returning to this boat. If this piece of paper washed up on the Whitsundays, it wasn't as good as I thought but the pride and confidence of the captain, deck hand and galley slave - Logon, Jason and Tanya - are enough to sail any storms.

We pay for our drinks with cinema tickets (Hil must have rolls of these and could make a fortune). $2 = 1 ticket that gets you water or a soft drink, 2 tickets gets a beer or wine. Jason said "There are no lines on the wine glasses, so fill em up from the goon". Wine box to you poms! So it's about $4 for half a pint of wine, bring it on.

Most of the passengers were Dutch or Austrian and keen to say they're not German and all have a healthy outlook on life. But to have got this far they can afford to have. The captain is a mid to early thirties New Zealander who has a passion for sailing and studies hard at night to get his navigational exams to pursue his passion.

The passengers we've spoken to, envy our life living near to London because of the culture and we get all the good bands. Imagine how impressed they were meeting someone who saw Hendrix. One girl said were you at Woodstock! Everyone over 15 loves Dylan, so once again Steve holds court.

We bush walked and walked with stingrays and '3 feet' baby sharks at Whitehaven beach. We then walked round to what Jason called 'Jason's beach', a small beach just around the corner from the main Whitehaven beach, which was beautiful and deserted. Our own piece of paradise, lovely white sand and clear blue sea! Amie polished her jewellery using the silica sand, and exfoliated with it too!

In the evening we moored in timber bay expecting storms. We watched a dolphin feeding on fish attracted by lights. So for that poor little gar fish, light pollution is more of a threat to his survival than nuclear power at Dungeness could ever be.

Wednesday 29th September

Snorkelled on the coral reef at Longford, beautiful coloured coral and even more stunning fish - swam with a turtle. In a stinger suit I felt a bit like Lloyd Bridges in 'sea hunt' a childhood hero, probably looked like a beached whale. Travelling between Longford and Baird point Maggie, an 8 year old on the boat, was explaining where her uncle Scott lived. As children do she was giving me directions "you turn right and then the second left and his is the 5th house on the left". She then said "if you take the next left and go to the top of the hill, there's a brick house where Nan and Granddad live". Anxious to get a word in edge ways, I told her that most houses in England were built with bricks and, quick as a flash, she said "that's because of the great fire of London". You learn something new every day or is that just child's logic?

The boat moored at Baird point and we were taken ashore 6 at a time in an inflatable with an outboard. Jason throws fish food in the water to attract the fish, quite a surprise when you're snorkelling in the vicinity! Amie was happier in the boat looking through the bathoscope. The weather was sunny and calm - ideal for snorkelling. In bed by 20:30.

Thursday 30th September

Up at 6:30am. It rained last night but clear blue skies now and the wind has picked up. Taken to Black Island for more snorkelling. Pair of Osprey had nested on the island with one young. It was fledging and still being fed by it's parents. I got within 18feet of one bird and the chick. They were perched within 2 trees and unperturbed by my presence. The young one was feeding on a fish caught by the adult, who sat "look out" while it fed. Sailed back to Airlie Beach in very rough seas, it was exciting but Amie suffered. We recovered at the lagoon and spent a pleasant evening in a loud bar with our new friends: Markus, Femke and the Reynolds, with food and plenty of beer - some free.

We strung out our time in the bar until about 11pm and then walked with Femke to the Greyhound bus stop, where we parted company. The Greyhound was due at 11:55pm but was about 30minutes late.