Bertha and Pat prepared a lovely breakfast on the beach for us. There is a community barbeque right on the beach nearby and we brought all the fixings down from the house. It was quite an experience.

After breakfast, we walked through the warm ocean water searching for starfish. There were stingers in the water, but we didn't have any problems at all with them since the water was so clear and calm.

Later that morning, Pat drove us out to Airlie Beach where we swam in the Lagoon, a large, stinger free, salt water chlorinated swimming pool seconds from the ocean and the stingers. It's one of Airlie Beach's most popular attractions. Barry and the kids had a great time while Margaret did some window-shopping in this quaint little beach town.

After our swim, we headed back to Pat and Bertha's where Pat built up the outdoor fire and got his home made rotisserie set up to cook up a couple of "chooks" on the spit. We'd never had chicken cooked this way and looked forward to the final result. While the fire burnt down to coals, Pat drove us up to a lovely lookout point across from Mount Bertha (we couldn't wait to ask her how she got so famous) overlooking some of the beautiful Whitsunday islands. Next we stopped at a nearby resort for a pint and a look around. The kids hopped into the pool and we got a chance to visit a little more with Pat and also with Zuang, who had come along for the ride.

That night, supper was once again superb and the chooks delicious. To top off the lovely meal, we got a second try at another Pavlova, which was even more magnificent than the night before. We felt very special getting this royal treatment and hoped that Pat and Bertha would one day come to Edmonton or Loon Lake so we can return the hospitality in fine form!

Besides our wonderful hosts, a possum that came down out of the tree in the backyard also entertained us. Pat was even able to hand-feed him a cracker so we got to enjoy yet another of Australia's strange but fascinating creatures up close.