After a long wait at the marina we boarded the Heron Islander catamaran for the 80km trip to Heron Island. Out of Gladstone Harbour (second largest in Australia for tonnage) past piles of bright orange bauxite then across the open ocean. Cautiously I had taken anti-seasickness medication & wore my sea bands so I didn't get nauseated but many others were sick. I spent most of the trip with my eyes closed as the waves crashing over the windows is quite frighten...

Flights from Canberra to Brisbane then on smaller plane to Gladstone were all uneventful & pleasant to arrive in warmer weather. Spent much of the afternoon walking in to Gladstone town centre from our hotel, wandering around a little then making our way back. There really wasn't much happening, few people & even fewer cars - it seems there's been quite a downturn is the economy with the demise of the mining boom! Found the house where Al lived in 1969 wh...

Another fabulous stay at the "Handford Hyatt" with Sarah & Chris was the perfect ending to our round the world trip & completed our circle back to Australia. We did some basics like catching up with the washing & helping out with a bit of housework, sorting photos & writing the last few blog posts but also had lots of enjoyable experiences. At short notice our dear friends Victoria & Julian were able to meet us for lunch at Sanctuary Cove so w...

After another overnight flight with virtually no sleep we've definitely decided NOT to do that again - it spoils at least the next 1 & a half days with feeling fuzzy or completely asleep. We might be getting too old for that caper!!! When we finally got around to enjoying our time in Singapore we did a few repeats of previous pleasures. Shopping at Bugis Junction & Dilip Textiles in Arab St is always good value. An afternoon in the beautiful Gardens By Th...

Thought we'd keep our feet on the ground today & explore the local region a little so we set off along the escarpment winding down to the tiny village of Gimmelwald. Macromum was in her element taking lots of photos of plants, flowers & scenery - all beautiful. Switzerland's Alps are scattered with tiny wooden & stone huts with stacks of wood tidily cut & stacked for the winter. They appear randomly on hillsides, in villages & even beside the ...