Will update the previous days at some point. Suffice it to say that they were interesting. We booked a trip to the Reef today. 1.75 hours later we arrived on the reef. Weatger was perfect and the water was warm. We opted for wetsuits to start but by the afternoon I decided to swim without one. Saw tonnes of fish, manta rays and a sea turtle. Interesting part of the trip so far is the relative lack of foreign tourists here compared to what we saw in Europe....

A travel day. Hung around the pool (freezing cold) until about 2:00( and left for the airport for a 2:30 flight to Cairns. Gradually saw the landscape change from desert to rainforest. Very cloudy and misty upon arrival in Cairns. Crocodiles are now a concern!

The day involved hiking around the base of Uluru, about 12km. Learned of the importance of the rock in Aboriginee lives and the stories they told. All the markings on the rock face and caves related to the stories. Bought a small book that details all of this. While warm, it wasn't overly hot so the walk was enjoyable. Our guide named Leeroy was very good and kept things interesting. Upon return to the compound, we headed off to the sounds of silence dinne...

Left Sydney and headed for Uluru, about a 4 hr flight. It was very bizarre flying over the middle of Australia. You go from lush forests, the ocean and beaches to desert, little or no vegetation, dry salt lake beds and roads that seem to go no where. After landing and getting checked in we grabbed our tour to visit Kata Juta. This is another area similar to Uluru but is a mens business area for the aboriginee and a sacred site. We did a 1.3 km hike into the p...

Got up and grabbed the tour bus to the Blue Mountains at 7:30. It was cooa nd a bit rainy so not the most enjoyable buut the hikes and views were incredible. Walked the first tour by 5 waterfalls in was was forest similar to the feel you would get in BC. A second part for the day was a hike (down about 1000 stairs) around the Three Sisters. I will post pictures eventually but needless to say we were very high up at various points overlooking an endless canopy of ...