Gday everyone hope you are all well back at home.

We had great fun in the campervan travelling up the coast we left Byron Bay and headed for Steve Irwins zoo we pitched up on a campsite nearby and made our way early to the zoo. There is highway named after Steve and the zoo is on the highway I was really excited as I would see a Koala for the first time and the kangaroos! The zoo is mainly rescued animals and tries to teach kids about their backgrounds etc and the staff are walking rouund with some of the animals so that the kids can touch them. There are huge posters everywhere of Steve Irwin and huge shrines set up everywhere in the zoo signed shirts lined one corridor it was quite sad actually. His daughter now also works at the zoo and wanders round meeting the public. We saw the snakes and reptiles and hand fed the kangaroos, there was loads of different information shows going on throughout the day with the crocs etc. The Koalas are the cutiest animals I have ever seen even cuter than the pandas i fell in love with them, apparently they are going to be extinct in approx 3 years because of all the bush fires that happen in the summer months, when you are driving down the roads there are huge signs asking you to call if you see a koala as they are trying to protect them. Got some great photos and had a great day weather was fab also.

We then headed to a place called Mooloolaba as we had decided that instead of diving the reef we were going to do a wreck dive, there was a huge HMS Brisbaine ship that had been purposely sunk so that you can dive on it we booked to the dive a few days later!

We pitched up that night on a rest stop back on Steve Irwins way and at each rest stop they have barbies that anyone can use so we got some food to cook on the barbie and some wine (which is one thing thats really cheap over here 4 litres for 7 pounds 50 pence) and started cooking, another couple came over when we had finished and we got chatting to them, they were from down south and had sold up and bought a bus, converted it and were travelling round Oz indefinately! They told us they carried guns as they had a gun licence (hence the photo of us holding the rifles) we ended up having great fun with them and we spent the next few days with them just sightseeing and cooking at night on the barbie drinking wine etc. There is a famous film called "Wolf Creek" that is about a local guy who befriends backpackers and then tourtures them it's a true story that happened about 9 years ago we had never heard of the film so we ended up hiring it with Trev and Sandra and as they have a plazma sceen TV in their van and a generator and we bought the TV outside and watched it with popcorn! It was really scary you should never trust just anyone!!!

We had decided thats it was unrealistic to try to get to Cairns in the camper as we had to drop it back on the 18th so we had no plans which was great and meant we could spend some more time with the couple we had met. They had a phone call off another couple they had met a couple of weeks before that had apparently found a great spot and had pitched up they were heading down to camp with them for a while and invited us to go with them, the other couple are ex bikers and were also on the road indefinately, they had sold their house and were travelling round in a huge trailer. We decided to go with them as we still had a few days until we had booked to do the dive. We followed Trev and Sandras bus until we came to a huge forest trees for miles and we headed into the woods we must have been driving for about 15 minutes into this forest we were laughing saying we are following two people carrying rifles and going to meet two bikers in the middle of the bush we knew we were safe as we had spent so many days with this couple and we had got on like a house on fire. Anyway we eventually arrive at this spot and it was beautiful how on earth they ever found it I dont know. We met the other couple called Richard and Sharon they were older about 50ish i think and there was another guy also called Trev who had been travelling for 5 years! Richard and Sharon had some stories to tell from being in the biker gang for 30 years! We had such fun staying there we built a fire and cooked on it and they taught us how to make damper, you let the coals die down on the fire and then dig a hole put in the dough (made from just flour and water) inside a metal pot and then put the hot coals on top then cover with dirt leave for 40 minutes then you have the most fantasitc loaf of bread, they taught Joe how to fish and in the morning Trev knocked on with a huge fish for us to cook on the fire for breakfast. They taught us how to look for wiggety grubs and look for termites, we had to dig a hole if we needed the toilet behind a sheet! It was a little like celebrity get me out of here in the jungle, they saw carpet snakes and loads of other creatures while there. Sharon put crab pots into the river every morning to try and catch mud crabs to eat we had a ball!

We left on the morning that we were doing the dive an early start 6am, manged to find our way out of the forest and arranged to meet up again after the dive. We made our way to Mooloolaba where the boat took us out to do the dive we were both excited about diving on the wreck! We got all our equipment and headed out on a small speed boat there was approx 20 of us on the boat and we met the instructor we would be diving with and two more divers that would be in our group, the instructor was showing us the dive plan and I got slightly nervous to say the least when he said we would be diving up elevator shafts and through smalls spaces! Anyway we got to the dive site and looking into the sea I knew this was going to be different as the sea was really dark blue we have been used to diving in clear turquoise waters where you can see down quite deep! We got our equipment on and you should always turn your own air on and check each others equipment also, but the instructor who was to be staying on the boat turns both our tanks on and said get in the water i have turned your air on and your checks are all fine at this point we should have said no we are not getting in the water without checking each other but as he was an instructor we trusted him!! Big mistake! As we made our decent I knew this was going to be hard the water was really difficult to see in and there was a really strong current even under the water I know it's niave but i expected the water to be as clear as Thailand and Vietnam and to suddenly get to this lovely ship underwater! It definately was not like that it was sooo eerie i had to hold the instructors hand at one point as I could not see, we got to the ship just about to head inside and all of a sudden my air went i looked at my gauge and it was going all over the place panic oh my god i did not know what to do i grabbed the instructor and gave the sign for no air and he checked the gauge and it read it was full so he tried to put my regulator back in and thought i was just panicking, but i could not get any air at all and proceded to try to get to the top i was so scared and did not know what was happening the instructor was pulling me back down as it's dangerous to ascend too quickly and i was trying to get him off me it was horrific i thought i would not make it then i looked up and could see the top so kicked and got there soooo relieved! I could not breathe for a while and was pulled onto the boat my thoughts then turned to Joe who was still under if his air went and he was in the ship would he make it out, luckily he came up 10 minutes later. Turns out the instructor who put our air on had not turned it on fully so even though the gauge read full when you get down your air is resricted as its not on properly!! I decided not to do the next dive and Joe had major problems with his ears so could not get down properly either so all in all a bit of a disaster we laugh about it now but at the time it was scary and expensive 450 dollars fo the dive and a camera!!

Anyway we ended up meeting back up with Trev and Sandra the next day and did some sight seeing we had to head back into the bush as their van was still there and apparently someone had started a bush fire the fire brigade had put it out by the time we arrived and said it was safe to stay so they did not have to move their bus. We spent our last night in the van as it had to be back the next day we did not want to give it back it was great travelling in it so we were going to see if we could get another one when we arrived.

Next day we arrived with the van and unfortunately they had no more vans only a stationwagon that they needed relocating back to Sydney it was really cheap so we decided to take it and of we set it was a big car but automatic again so really easy to drive.

We headed To Surfers Paradise to find somewhere to stay for a few days!!

Love to all at home Gem & Joexxxxxx