Gympie is a big service town boasting a Coles, Woolies, Maccas and Bunnings, and even an Aldi. The only problem is it is very hilly with streets that sit at amazing angles. We parked the van on such an incline George was worried it may slip back. Kids learning to drive here would be very well versed in handbrake starts.

So we got a few things, had a nice coffee, and set off for Tin Can Bay. This was one of our favourite stops on our previous trip. It is a quiet little beach town / fishing village with a very long spit with a marina on one side and a tidal bay on the other.

Back in the 50s an injured dolphin had come into the bay and a fisherman there nursed it back to health. After that it came back and brought its family along. Since then a pod of dolphins comes in every day, now to the third and fourth generation, and some dedicated volunteers follow them up and feed them some fish. The dolphin feeding has now become Tin Can Bay's major claim to fame.

We got up early this morning and went down to the Barnacles Cafe where the volunteers gave us much useful information until two adult dolphins arrived with their cubs. It was very exciting to get so close to these magnificent creatures and have them eat out of our hands.

Next stop was Rainbow Beach, about 40 kms away, down a road that reminded me of the Big Dipper - very steep hills, crests, then long and windy descents. Rainbow Beach itself is a beautiful little town on a beach lined with cliffs of variegated coloured rocks, giving it its name. The beach was wide and open with expanses of soft sand. Not quite hot enough to swim, but in the low 20s with the sun peeping out now and then, it was a lovely beach walk. We also picked up a few rocks which had made their way down from the cliffs, showing the variegated colouring.

Rainbow Beach is also the best place to take a tour of Fraser Island, a short ferry ride frome Inskip Point just out of town. We had done this on our previous trip, so didn't bother again today.

Today we decided to indulge ourselves and had a wonderful lunch at the Surf club overlooking the water.

We rounded the day off with a sunset cruise of the waters around Tin Can Bay, Rainbow Beach and Carlo Point - somewhere in between. Seeing Tin Can Bay from the water and hearing some things from the locals gave me a very different perspective. Apparently it is not the sleepy little fishing village it appears to be. Houses here are one to two million dollars, and although they look quite humble from the street, from the water they each have a large jetty and a huge yacht attached.

Georgy's bit

After leaving Gympie with its almost vertical streets we checked in to Kingfisher caravan park for a couple of nights. Nice spot, a short walk to the Marina and the Dolphin Centre. Having coffee at the cafe these birds landed and were very keen on sharing food with patrons. We assumed they were Kingfishers, but then found out that they are Blue eyed Honey Eaters according to Google.

Next day planned activities were Dolphin feeding then Rainbow Beach then back for a sunset cruise. Got up at 6:00 and were lining up at 7:00 waiting for Dolphins to arrive at 8:00 depending on traffic in the canal.

The morning coffee at the newly refurbished Surf Lifesaving Club was supreme. As we hacked into the Chocolate cake it ended up looking like one of Victoria's Twelve Apostles and as I prepared to snap a photo it crumbled and fell just like the real one. Lunch at the same place was the best this town can offer.

The cruise was nice and the full moon was a reasonable substitute for the intended sunset. It also included a stop-over at Carlo Bay and a close view of the ex-Manly ferry getting ready to change its name to Lady Titanic or HMS Rust-Bucket.

The van is smelling fresh with the adding of a new product in the cassette toilet making its contents smell like strawberry. Why was that invented?