Byron is a very relaxed and chilled out place. Spent some time on the beach, where lots of surfers showed off their moves. Took a walk up to the lighthouse where we got great views and spotted some dolphins in the waves below. Went on a day trip to Nimbin, home of the hippies.

Arrived in Surfer's Paradise just in time for the birth of Brayden Michael King, the newest member of the family. Weighing in at a massive 9lbs 8oz he is absolutely gorgeous (see photo). After all the oohing and aahing we headed off to Movieworld for some hair-raising rides and good shows. We also made time to wander along the main beach at Surfers, although we didn't spot anybody actually surfing. It was great to enjoy some home comforts for a couple of days be...

Did some cultural things in Brisbane including the museum, art gallery and Kylie Minogue exhibit! Also wandered along the waterfront through the Southbank Parklands. We took the bus up to Mount Coot-tha which gave us beautiful views of the city, then wandered along the bush walking trail down to the botanical gardens. At Maureen's insistence got up at 5am(!) to watch the Celtic v Rangers game in a suprisingly full Irish pub. That night we met up with Jennifer wh...

Sunshine coast is false advertising! Unfortunately it rained half the time we were in Noosa, the other half was beautiful though. The plan was to try surfing but the waves were terrifying so we put it off. We did go on a coastal walk but it rained the whole way around so we didn't get the best views. Noosa was good for a night out, might as well be in the pub if not on the beach! We also went to Australia Zoo (home of Steve Irwin, Crocodile Hunter) where we cudd...

Arrived in Hervey Bay, where the main attraction is whale watching so we booked a trip although it was end of season and we would be lucky to see any whales. We were fortunate enough to spot a mother and calf swimming along, amazing to see. On the way back we saw a pod of dolphins and some turtles. We then headed out to Fraser Island, the largest sand island in the world. There were 11 people in our self drive 4WD tour. It was lots of fun driving along the sand ...