I think I might be getting a bit lazy. And to tell you the truth, 3 months of travelling is quite sufficient. We have seen and experienced so many things, it is going to take a long time to digest it all - my head is full!

Anyway, leaving Cooktown we discovered we had an extra passenger - a little native mouse had made our car its home. It was very cute, but not very practical driving along and suddenly having a mouse running up your leg. This is the first time in almost 20 years I have ever heard Paul scream - and I almost jumped out the door, while the car was still moving (slowly) - At this stage I didn't know what kind of animal we were dealing with - I automatically thought snake or spider! Anyway, we contacted the Queensland Park and Wildlife who loaned us a trap - we made a cocktail of peanut butter and rolled oats and within 2 hours we caught the little devil.

We stayed at Port Douglas for 3 nights.Spent a day swimming at Mossman Gorge; visited Hartley's Crocodile Farm and Emma and I enjoyed some of the local shops for the first time since leaving Melbourne. (Alice also had quite a variety).

On the day we left, it started raining quite heavily and it rained all the way to Townsville, so we didn't stop anywhere along the way.

Townsville is quite a pretty town - according to Paul, a bit like the Gold Coast 30 years ago, but without all those high-rises!. A nice waterfront with a great rock pool etc. We relaxed, went swimming both in the rock pool and on the beach, which had stinger nets. Went to the movies and saw the movie New Moon; Did a bit of Christmas shopping etc.

Paul decided to get a new exhaust pipe on the car (it was hanging on with chains and very much overdue) and also have the car serviced. The service place said that the way the exhaust pipe had been put on was illegal, which meant a trip back to the exhaust place. What is it with these Australian mechanics?

After four nights in Townsville we continued to Proserpine where Paul's cousin and her family lives. She was away on holidays but we had arranged to leave our caravan at her place. We continued on to Airlie Beach and caught the ferry to Hamilton Island.

Hamilton Island is one of the Whitsunday Islands -a group consisting of 74 Islands on the Great Barrier Reef. You can't bring your car or caravan - the only cars on the island are golf buggies, which you can hire if you don't like walking - or just for the fun of it. We are staying at the resort and have several great swimming pools to choose from. Ten years ago the island had quite a bad reputation, but in 2003 it was bought by Mr Oatly for about $179 million in cash, incl. the debt. He has turned it in to a family friendly place, where all kids under 12 eat and drink free (the rest of us pay extra every time we eat and drink though)

The weather is great, the water is beautiful and turquoise in colour and we are spoilt rotten. Friday morning Paul and I got up extra early and went for a hike to passage peak - the highest spot on the island - what a view. Yesterday we went on a cruise, snorkelling of Hook Island. It was beautiful, but not quite as colourful as Cape Tribulation - which was on the outer reef - both the corals and fish were different.On the way back we stopped at Henning Island for drinks and snacks.

Today we have spent all day at the beach and pool. Paul and Thomas went out sailing on a catamaran and had lots of fun. Tomorrow we are going on another cruise to Whitsunday Island and Whitehaven beach, which is said to be the most beautiful beach in the world - 90% silica sand - can't wait to see it!

Danish:

Hej igen

Jeg er ved at være lidt træt. 3 måneder er lang tid at rejse rundt i. Vi har set og oplevet så mange ting, - det vil tage lang tid at fordøje det hele - mit hoved er ved at sprænge.

Nå, men vi da vi forlod Cooktown opdagede vi, at vi havde en ekstra passager - en lille indfødte mus havde gjort vores bil til sit hjem. Den var meget sød, men det er ikke særlig praktisk at have en mus løbende rundt i bilen og op ad benene, når man kører bil. Det er første gang i næsten 20 år, jeg har hørt Paul skrige - og jeg sprang nærmest ud af bilen mens den stadig kørte (langsomt) - Jeg vidste ikke, på dette tidspunkt, hvilken slags dyr, vi havde at gøre med - men tænkte selvfølgelig slange eller edderkop. Vi kontaktede Queensland Park and Wildlife, der lånte os en fælde - vi lavet en cocktail af jordnøddesmør og havregryn og indenfor 2 timer havde vi fanget den lille djævel.

Vi boede i Port Douglas i 3 nætter. Vi tilbragte en dag med at svømme i Mossman Gorge; besøgte Hartleys krokodille Farm og Emma og jeg var ude at shoppe - første interessante butikker siden vi forlod Melbourne.
Den dag vi rejste, begyndte det at regne temmelig kraftigt og det regnede hele vejen til Townsville, så vistoppe ikke nogen steder undervejs

Townsville er en ganske smuk by.En flot strandpromenade med et stort havvands bassin. Vi slappede af og var ude at bade, både i havbassinet og på stranden. Gik i biografen og så filmen New Moon, har købt lidt julegaver m.m. Jeg kan sket ikke få mit hoved omkring jul - hvis ikke det var fordi butikkerne har pyntet op - ville jeg ikke tro på det.

Paul besluttede at få et nyt udstødningsrør på bilen (det gamle hang fast vha. kæder, så det var høje tid), og derudover få bilen serviceret. Serviceværkstedet gjorde ham opmærksom på, at den måde, udstødningsrøret var blevet monteret på, var ulovlig. Dagen gik derfor, for Pauls vedkommende med, først det ene værksted, så det andet og derefter det første igen. Vi har ikke været så heldige med de australske bilværksteder.

Efter fire nætter i Townsvillefortsatte vi til Proserpine hvor Paul's kusine og hendes familie bor. Hun var på ferie, men vi havde arrangeret at efterlade vores campingvogn hos dem. Vi fortsatte videre til Airlie Beach og tog færgen til Hamilton Island.

Hamilton Island er en ø i Whitsunday Islands øgruppen, bestående af 74 øer på The Great Barrier Reef (koralrevet). Man kan hverken medbringe bil eller campingvogn - de eneste biler på øen er golfbiler, som man kan leje, hvis man ikke kan lide at gå - eller bare for sjov skyld. Vi bor på hotel og har flere store swimming pools at vælge imellem. For ti år siden havde øen et dårligt ry, men i 2003 blev den købt af Hr. Oatly for omkring 179 millioner dollars kontant. Han har vendt den til et familievenligt sted, hvor alle børn under 12 år spiser og drikker gratis (resten af os betaler selvfølgelig mere hver gang vi spiser og drikker)

Vejret er godt, vandet er smukt og turkis farvet, og vi føler os meget forkælet. Fredag morgen stod Paul og jeg ekstra tidligt og gik en tur til øens højeste punkt. I går var vi ude at snorkle udfor Hook Island (en anden af de 74 øer). Det var smukt, men ikke helt så farverigt som Cape Tribulation - ved Cape Tribulation var vi på det ydre rev - både koraller og fisk var anderledes. På vejen tilbage lagde vi til ved Henning Island, hvor vi fik noget koldt at drikke og en lille snack.

I dag har vi brugt hele dagen på stranden og ved poolen. Paul og Thomas var ude at sejle på en 3-personers katamaran og havde det rigtig sjovt. I morgen tager vi endnu en sejltur, denne gang til Whitsunday Island og Whitehaven Beach, som siges at være den smukkeste strand i verden - 90% kvartssand - det bliver spændende!