G'day mates!! I've had an absolutely amazing day, but I'll start off with my last day in Rainbow Beach and fill you all in from there!

My last day of Rainbow Beach I lazed in the morning then decided to go on Matt Mudcrabs bush walk! A definite must for anyone going to Rainbow and staying in Frasers!! It was amazing! We walked through the sleepy suburbs on our way to the Carlo Sandblow, stopping along the way to sample some genuine bush tucker: nectar, berries, seeds, and flowers! Then it was a short walk through some National Parkland forest to the base of the sandblow! From there it was a gruelling 40m walk up the sandblow! I wouldn't be surprised if the angle was more than 45 degrees!! Once I finally made it up there (yep I did it!) we rested as Matt told us the history of the area! Then it was off across the sand blow to find some spectacular views and coloured sands! The colours were amazing, 74 in total so the selection we got was just a taster! After that we walked (backwards, it was easier) to the top of the sandblow again to watch the sunset! A big storm had passed through earlier so there were a few clouds in the sky, making the sunset spectacular! I'm so glad I decided to go on the walk! Afterwards, I drank my 2 free drinks I had earned by answering questions, then went for pizza! Yummy! After that I just relaxed and packed up ready to leave in the morning!

Tuesday morning we set off for Brisbane! I was very excited as it brought me one step closer to Australia Zoo and to family! Our first stop of the day was Noosa, and we got to walk around the small town and the famous Noosa Beach! It was pretty spectacular, a real Aussie beach! Then a short drive took us to Brissie!! My excitement soon turned to nerves as I realised just how big this place is! So I got myself checked in then went exploring! On my first attempt I found the main shopping area! Mum, you wud love the shopping here, its fantastic!! So many shops to choose from! So I chilled and dandered around.

I pretty much did the same yesterday, only I walked along the riverfront and found myself in Southbank, the arty district and a really nice place, plus home to Streets Beach, the only beach in Brisbane! Then I went to Queensland Museum and was lucky enough to find myself in the middle of the Zoo Museum exhibition so a whole floor was dedicated to animals! Fair dinkum I reckon!! Too easy!

Today, Australia Zoo.... FANTASTIC!! It was well worth the early start and long journey! I was so excited on the train that I almost let out a little squeak or two along the way! I finally got there and the emotion just welled up! I was finally at the home of the Crocodile Hunter, something that is very important to me! I'm glad I got my ticket at the train station coz I couldn't speak! Steve Irwin lives through the zoo still. His pictures and sayings are found all over the place, he's on every TV screen, and just the atmosphere tells you that he's there! Anyway, enough of the sentiment, I made my way through the zoo ending up at the wonderful Tiger Temple! 11 tigers in the zoo are on a rotation for access to the public enclosure, a very good idea as big cats generally don't do well without a lot of privacy! So wen I first got there the 3 Bengal cubs were at play and it was amazing to see tigers displaying natural active behaviour! And the enclosure was huge, more than enough room! So I was very happy, the first zoo I've ever been at where I've been happy with the big cat enclosures! So after spending a lot of time at the tigers I made my way through Roo Heaven to the world famous Crocoseum, where Steve did his thing with the crocs. There was a memorial site there and as I walked around reading all the notes I nearly busrt into tears, I had to pull myself together!! I went to a Croc show at the Crocoseum and it was brilliant, I got shivers just imagining Steve there back in the day!! I also got a chance to cuddle a koala and got my picture taken with it too! So I was well chuffed, a real hands-on experience, just as Steve meant it to be! I ended up buying a book about him by Terri, a hoodie, and a postcard, well why not, its a very special place for me!

And that brings me up to now... I'm still on a high from today and will definitely contact Australia Zoo about coming to join their team, though I will have to get my emotions in check if that's to happen!! Tomorrow I'm off to Surfer's Paradise for a couple of days, and get to try my hand at zorbing along the way!!! Should be fun!!

Love and miss you all xxx