Up super early, bit of a shock for the boys and a three hour flight from Sydney to Cairns and Queensland Australia. Should be sunny and hotter here than Sydney and whilst there are clouds it is for sure a few degrees warmer. The east coast is the home of many sights and beautiful beachy coastlines including the Fraser coast, the sunshine coast and the gold coast, to get a chance of the better weather we have flown up to cairns to work our way down to Brisbane then back to Sydney. All along this coastline lays the Great Barrier Reef, one of natures wonders, to make the most of it me and Freddie took a trip out to a platform at the edge of the reef for a day to remember, we both experienced something very very special, snorkelling amongst the coral and beautifully coloured fish, the waves were a bit rough and the water a bit cold but that did not distract from what was one of the best things I have done on my travels and a special shared experience with Freddie. After Cairns we drove down the coast to Mission Beach near to the Tully river famous for some of the best white water rafting on the planet so that's what we did a day on the river with a Dutch dad and son, a US lawyer and a young German backpacker, there was a reason we were all blokes in the same boat as we were put with 'Macca' a rough dirty joke telling Aussie guide who made our trip all the more enjoyable with his stories and jokes, all inappropriate and non PC! We jumped from high rocks, we swam over and through the rapids we fell out of the boat going through really rough rapids and stroked and balanced our way for five hours through some very turbulent and rough and then gentle and still waters, such a good and enjoyable day. The river and the valley looked superb and by the time the rain poured down we were too wet and having too much fun for that to matter, in fact it made the views along the river even more breathtaking. Mission beach is a very impressive, long stretch of sand just behind the hostel we stayed at, the boys played football with some French guys, Freddie wore his Palace shirt with pride, it was 3-3 so no anglo French bragging rights, met some cool people who worked at the hostel, restaurants and cafes locally and had a good night playing pool, listening to their stories and having a few drinks at the local bar. Then on to Airlie beach and the Whitsundays a set of islands off the coast, we set off to Hamilton Island and Whitehaven beach for a day trip, unfortunately the sun did not shine but the beach was still shining white with silica sand that you can clean your jewellery in, apparently, we played beach cricket and tried not to mention the ashes too many times as the aussies strolled passed and made comment. Hamilton Island is basically a resort with lots of money spending activities, we did go karting and Jake had the best fun ever driving around in a golf buggy, sometimes the simple things are the best things! Massive waves rocking our boat around on the way back making it a big thrill ride for the kids on board, Jake and Freddie loved it. Hervey Bay next and a trip to Fraser Islad, we had the company of Neils, an English guy in his early twenties who has been studying in Australia as part of his degree course, really good bloke and good company for the boys. Fraser island is the largest sand island in the world, a big 4by4 coach took us through the sandy roads, reminded me of some of the unmade bumpy roads in Cambodia, big holes and tracks through the sandy road made this as bumpy as the recent boat trips, although no sea sickness this time, the main road on the island is the long beach that runs the full length of the island on one side, it has all the regulations and rules of a road, the coach needed to dodge rocks and fishermen as it went. The beach also acts as a runway, aparently there are only two beach runways in the world, the other being in Scotland, took a flight over the island, along the beach and over the sea, spectacular in the clear blue sky, just the sun for company as we soared over the fertile forests, massive sand dunes and lakes, just brilliant. After a generous lunch we finished off with a dip in one of the lakes as the sun began to go down and the shade encroached on our swimming time. A beautiful sunset as we returned to the mainland through the calm still waters of the bay capped off a really good day. Then on to Brisbane with a short stop on the way to meet Andy, an old school friend who migrated out here many years ago, it was good to see him and chat about old times, he entertained the boys with stories of our trips to Cornwall many years ago. Seems weird to be back in a big city again after having quite a local feel for the last couple of weeks, Brisbane has the usual CBD Central Business District with large tower blocks and busy shopping malls and arcades, but it also has a great bike track all along the river which we did in the sunshine, since we got to the Sunshine Coast it has well, sunshined every day, it does what it says! A good way to finish the boys holiday, we have squeezed so much into the time they have been here and for me it has been another wonderful holiday in my travels, I am so pleased that Jake and Freddie have been able to come and visit me and experience the lifestyle, the sights and see what this part of Australia has to offer, we have some great shared experiences that will live long in our memories for ever. They are now off to London and I will not be far behind them.