21st MarchWell it's certainly been a novel Easter for us.The last few days have, in the words of Steve Irwin, been a right ripper!After the fascinating turtle experience in Bundaberg we continued north to Mackay and straight into a good deal of rain.This part of Australia is just coming to the end of the rainy season, having had colossal amounts of rain over the last couple of months including cyclones and severe flooding.The Mackay campground was still showing signs of this as the ground was saturated and even a shower left great pond like puddles until the earth gradually soaked it up.The climate has certainly changed in other ways as well and it makes sense now as to why so much of Australia's true rain forest is in Northern Queensland.The humidity is high and makes for quite stifling nights, although I don't think we've hit the worst of it yet.We've got passable air con in the van but it can only be used when we are hooked up to the electricity so the nights in national parks and by the side of the roads are not the most comfortable but it's all part of the experience - we couldn't do it all the time though for certain.

After one night in Mackay we headed inland to EungellaNational Park to experience 'Forest Flying'.Eungella NP has the largest expanse of continuous rainforest in Australia, and we headed for a small section called Finch Hatton Gorge in the PioneerValley.Our approach saw the ever present sugar cane fields and sugar mills until we were right into the valley and then it broke into steep sided, forest covered mountains.We headed of up a side road to the Gorge and then the tarmac became dirt road.We have become accustomed to getting the van up unsealed roads to access campgrounds but this was a different dirt road all together.We got her (the van) through two open creeks (fiords) of fast flowing water, through some fairly sticky mud and up an very steep hill to find ourselves in the middle of the forest.Our normal approach to these adventures in uncertain environments is that if Michele thinks I'm not concerned or anxious about what we are doing then she's happy.Well I kept my mouth shut and figured if we got the van in then we'll get her out!The 'Forest Fly' is a small business set up by a couple from England who have built a course which allows you to hang from a cable and travel through the rainforest at treetop height to see things from a different perspective.It was certainly worth the journey.All of us except Meg could take part and we swapped round to look after her.The children loved the harnesses and having done a few high ropes courses before, took to it straight away.We had control of our own speed and could stop whenever we wanted just to marvel at the views across the forest canopy or straight down to the creek below.The highlight was the final stretch when we were eye level with several hundred fruit bats which had colonized the area.Although we'd seen them in the Botanical Gardens in Sydney, it was from the ground and being able to just hang in mid air and watch them cackle and squawk at each other and clamber around the branches like old men climbing a tricky staircase was a sight to behold.We saw some amazing butterflies including the Ulysses which is as big as Rosie's hands and a vivid blue colour.The chap in charge got us trying some real bush tucker as well, including wild mulberries and wild figs - Mulberries were great, but Figs we'll leave to the bats!

For a lunch spot we headed further up the Gorge, through a couple more fiords to a trail head which leads up into the National park.We ate while watching a Kookaburra in a tree close by, and a3 ft Goanna patrolled nearby, both after scraps of food no doubt.We'd recently watched a Steve Irwin DVD in the van and I was desperate to try and pick one of these big lizards up but resisted the temptation in the name of setting a good example.Rosie is always keen to get as close to the wild life as possible and is extremely patient.She too would love to hold one of the smaller lizards but they are a bit quick.It's one of the things we all love about Australia - the prolific wild life.Everyday there is something to see, even if we are doing a big driving day and just stop at a rest stop for a lunch there will be lizards, brush turkeys and many birds to excite us. A trip to the toilet block at the campgrounds in the evening presents the chance to see geckos of all sizes, the biggest crickets (as long as your hand) and moths that could pass for a small bat!If you don't actually see much then you certainly hear it.

After lunch we walked into the forest and up to a creek which had been publicised as having a swimming hole of which we took full advantage to cool down in the heat of the rainforest.The swimming hole had a beautiful water fall as a backdrop and steep rock sides.The water was pretty chilly so we didn't hang around for long.Isla was the first in, as is so often the case with these adventures.Connie will normally do things if she see the others doing it, Rosie is a tad more cautious but she loved the swim when she'd got used to the chill and Meg approached it with her usual bravadobefore backing out swiftly after she'd gone up to her knees!After the swim we got the van all the way back out the gorge and on to the tarmac without any significant incident and headed further up the valley to where we hoped to camp in the National park.As it happened the site we were headed for was a walk in tent site, so we parked the van up in a car park close by and settled in for the night.Before the end of the day we had one more treat in store.

Nearby was a river and viewing platform to enable people to try and spot a Duckbilled Platypus (or just Platypus as they are known here).We thought we wouldn't stand a chance as you have to be very quiet (not a regular occurrence in our household) and the likelihood of seeing one anyway is fairly slim.Well guess what - we did!We watched as the Platypus came up to the surface and re-dived several times before it got too dark to see any more.They are amazing creatures and you can see why they were thought of as a hoax when specimens were first examined.We had seen one in the reptile park near Sydney but to see them in the wild was just 'too cool' as Rosie said.We were ecstatic and it finished off a fantastic day in a very special way.

The next stop after driving out of Eungella NP was back to the coast and on to Airlie beach.The area we arrived in is the gateway to the WhitsundayIsland and also one of many jump off points for the Great Barrier Reef.After finding a great little campsite Michele had a lengthy conversation with the site manager about our options for getting out on the water and beforeyou could say 'finding Nemo' we were booked onto a Reef trip for the following day.Now like most children who have seen Finding Nemo ours got very excited when we broke the news of what we were doing, which was great as they were able to picture in their heads what we might see and really look forward to it.Our day started early with our journey to the harbour, and we boarded the huge catamaran which would take us to the reef at 8.00 am.One of the saviours of the Great Barrier Reef is that it is a significant distance from mainland (2.5 hours in our case).If it was within a pootle of the mainland the human impact on it would have been significantly greater.The area we were headed for is very healthy and tourism well managed.The journey out through the Whitsunday islands was fascinating in itself and you got some idea of how the other half live.Huge yachts and ocean cruisers and 74 islands with perfect beaches and tree covered volcanic mountains.Once we left the islands behind us and headed out into open water the sea got quite choppy.The crew had warned us of this and Michele took some seasick pills to try and counteract this as she has not got great sea legs (perfect in every other way, obviously).I'm normally fine on the water but underestimated what 'moderate' seas were.Half an hour into the open sea and I was as green as an avocado!Each of the children commented on my changing colour, and Michele said afterwards that she was quite worried about me but I managed to keep my breakfast down and we arrived at 'Reefworld' very relieved.The next three and a half hours passed very quickly as there are many activities to do and lots to see.The pontoon we were at had a couple of semi submersible boats, so we were ale to see the reef from the boat through the glass hull.We did this first and it really wetted our appetite for the snorkeling.We got ourselves kitted out with the gear which includes a lycra, full body anti stinger suit as the jellies here are lethal.The suits were very fetching (see photos) and brought hilarity to the whole affair which eased any of the children's nervousness about jumping in the open sea.Rosie and Connie were like fish themselves and adjusted to the snorkeling immediately.Isla was much more cautious and took to dipping her head in from the semi submerged platform.Meg wasn't going in the water if you'd littered the surface with sweeties but enjoyed dressing up in the gear and splashing about with Isla.

Michele, Rosie and Connie went out first and came back jubilant at their first experience of seeing the vast numbers of fish and the stunning coral close up.I went in on my own for a bit while Michele got the children changed and soon realised how diving has become such a big sport over the years.The area we were snorkeling in straddled the edge of the reef so one minute you were two metres above the coral and the fish and the next you looked over the edge into the abyss where there are many different types of coral and some strange looking creatures.After lunch we did something we've never in our lives done before which was to put the children into a kids club that they had on board.Rosie stayed with us and the other three happily went off to play, create and watch a DVD.We headed out onto the reef again where we saw 'Wally' who is a local celebrity in the guise of a massive Maori Wrasse weighing about 70 pounds and had the freedom to swim about at our own pace and share some pretty special time with Rosie which I know she loved.The diversity of the reef is what really hit us with so many different types of coral, fish and shell fish all sharing the same home.The Great Barrier Reef is the only living thing visible from space and I think we were quite humbled by the whole experience.Rosie's comment in her trip book kind of summed it up in many ways - 'The best day of the trip so far'.The journey back was not as sickening as before as I took some pills at the lunch break - I don't know how they work but thank goodness for sea sick pills.During the final stages of the trip we sat up on the top deck and watched the sun go down as we dropped people off at a couple of islands.The GBR had always been on our list of 'must do's' for this trip and it really blew us away.Definitely on the list for another visit at some stage in the future.

Our last day at Airlie beach was spent food shopping and at the lagoon which has been created at the beach front.I think it's partly in response to this stretch of the Queensland coast having a real issue with the jelly fish.Unless you've got a stinger suit on, you are hopelessly vulnerable to getting stung and if the info boards at the beaches are anything to go by it's not pretty.The lagoon really epitomises Australian living and the emphasis on the outdoors.People are really encouraged to spend time outside ad together with excellent playgrounds, parks and facilities like Airlie beach where there were at least ten BBQs around the water which can be used for free, lifeguards on duty from 6 am until 9 pm and good amenities for looking after the kids.When I think of some of the facilities we've experienced by beach fronts in the UK there is no comparison.We BBQ'd our lunch, and the children swam and played until their skin wrinkled; we enjoyed watching, playing with them and just appreciating being able to be part of this culture for a while.

The next morning we set off up the coast towards Townsville which is the last big town before Cairns and our final destination in Australia.The route took us through more sugar cane fields and over many creeks and rivers.It is worth mentioning that the Aussies give a name to all water ways from full blown rivers to meandering creeks which spend many months of the year dried up.My conclusion is that because the distances between towns and civilisation can be quite huge it makes sense to have named places along the way to use a markers or landmarks for directions or for use by the emergency services.Some of the names are brilliant.Today we passed Bannister Bog, Didgeridoo Lagoon, Pink Lilly Gully Lagoon and Killymoon Creek.We stopped a few miles short of the town to stay at Bowling GreenBayNational Park, in an area called Alligator Creek.We'd been assured by a friendly visitor centre volunteer that the alligators are much further down the creek than we were staying, and that we could swim in the creek which sounded fairly reassuring, but Michele for one would need some more proof before we dipped our toes.The site was pleasant and we were greeted by the ever present brush turkeys and three or four what we thought were wallabies but are actually a bit smaller and known locally as Paddymellons, although we didn't find out why.The weather by this stage in the day was scorching and very humid so we set off to the creek to battle the 'gators and get some respite from the heat.Well the wild life didn't get any more vicious than some fresh water turtles and quite a few fish.It was clearly a very popular spot for people to visitand as it was Easter Sunday, there were lots of people enjoying the water, sun and rock pools.We made full use of our snorkels to watch the fish.Isla was priceless - she just squats in the shallows and waits for the fish to get used to her and swim closer.She's got a full face mask with a big dolphin over the top and must look terrifying to any fishy inquisitors that swim by.She kept saying "you have to wait till they like you, and then the fish come right up close!"

The night was hot and sweaty.We had no electric hookup so no air con and there was not a breath of air to get a draught going.Much hotter inside our tin can like van and we'd be in danger of actually cooking.In the morning the children were desperate to go back to the creek for more swimming and snorkelling and it was a gorgeous day so we delayed our departure for Townsville and spent the morning back in the water - oh we must treasure these last few days!As I write this we are on the cusp of our next adventure - out to Magnetic island for three days just off the coast near Townsville.