Day 93 - The Whitsundays, Sunshine Coast, Brisbane and the Gold Coast

On our last entry we were just about to go on a sailing trip to the Whitsundays. We were not disappointed! We had two days sailing around the islands stopping at Whitehaven Bay and two reefs. When we left Airlie beach it was damp and overcast, however when we reached Whitehaven Bay the clouds parted and the view was stunning! The sand was perfectly white and the shallow waters were crystal clear. It was a true picture postcard view. The next day we sailed around a few coves and reefs where John got to chase thousands of fish whilst trying to get close enough to take a good photo. It took us a good few days of being on dry land before we stopped swaying but it was a fantastic trip.

After Airlie beach we headed along the Bruce (!) Highway stopping at Rockhampton and Mackay before arriving at Hervey Bay. We had lovely weather here and spent the day on the beach and eating ice cream whilst the rest of the state was flooding! A short drive south and we arrrived at Rainbow Beach, where we saw the Carlos point blow hole. This was a huge sand dune on top of the cliff overlooking the beach. It was probably one of the most beautiful places we have seen so far. Noosa was the next stop, it had a lovely beach and had a very relaxed atmosphere. We would have stayed here a few days except for the weather.

We went to Australia zoo (home of the former crocodile hunter) where we got to stroke a Koala and see lots of Aussie animals (we had only seen dead kangaroos by the side of the road until now!) We also watched the croc show, where they baited the crocs with fish to show how quick they are in the water. Luckily they are very slow on land so aren't likely to catch you!

We stopped in Brisbane for a couple of days, which is a great city. We wandered around the city and found some good farmers markets with plenty of free samples! We went to the Mount Coot-tha lookout which gave amazing views across the city and was well worth the tricky drive through the CBD to get there.

After Brisbane we drove down the Gold Coast, home to the famous surfers paradise. The beaches were lovely (and it was sunny!) but the town is very built up with skyscrapers and not what you would expect for a surf town.

We have now arrived in Byron Bay, which is a very relaxed town with great beaches. It is currently pouring with rain but when it stops we'll hopefully get out to the beach and try some surfing!

We've now only got one week left with our camper van before getting to Sydney, very exciting!!

Photos will be on their way soon!!

Love John and Lou xxxx