Well, this part of Oz is definitely sugar cane country. Since taking the Bundaberg Distillery tour we have just seen fields and fields of cane growing, and seen cane train after cane train. In Sarina we also did a tour showing us the whole process from harvest to sugar, or rum!! It's such a big part of life here, and so interesting, that Bob is going to do a separate blog on it.

We decided to head inland for a day to get a change of scenery, and headed for Eungella National Park. I had read about Finch Hatton Gorge, but wished I hadn't when the road ran out and we were on a bumpy dirt track crossing creek after creek. I was for turning back while we still could - a 24 foot Winnie is not the easiest of vans to do a 3-point turn with on a narrow road - but Bob carried on. At the end of the 'road' was a walking track through the rainforest. Off we headed, picnic in hand, and were rewarded with a magnificent view of a waterfall. It was quite beautiful and worth the drive. We also saw a kookaburra! On the way back, I waded through one of the creeks to video Bob driving Winnie through. It was COLD!

Phew, I was glad we were back on the main road, that is until we were nearly at the town of Eungella. A sign warned of a VERY steep hill for 4.5km, and forbade caravans, big lorries and oil-tankers from even attempting it. Apart from the one gravel hill, on the Emu Park site, Winnie had made it up all the other steep hills so Bob went for it. Well, I was literally clinging to my seat with fear!! The road ascended the escarpment at an angle of nearly 45 degrees in places, with hairpin bends and sheer drops with no crash barriers. Mirrors were strategically placed on corners so that you could see what was coming down, or rather I hoped they'd see us and give way. If we had stopped I don't think we would have got going again! With Winnie dropping through the gears at a rate of knots, I had visions of us grinding to a halt and having to reverse, or worse, attempt to turn around to get back down. I think even Bob was worried, judging by his hunched posture over the wheel, and his sigh of relief when we finally made it to the top! The views from the lookout at the top were, however, staggering with views back out 50 miles to the sea, but you could also hear the struggling engines of other vehicles trying to make the climb. Going back down was equally as scary, with the smell of brakes prevalent in the air!!

We then headed to Airlie Beach and the Whitsunday Islands. We decided to treat ourselves to a scenic plane flight out over the Great Barrier Reef, which is over 80kms offshore. I have to admit being relieved when we were escorted to the slightly larger plane - a 14 seater as opposed to an 8 seater! The take-off and landing over the hills was bumpy but, once out over the sea, it was fine. We flew over the inner reef islands of Hook and Hayman, then headed out to sea. The sea was a stunning turquoise and there were amazing patterns and colours in the water. We flew over Heart Reef, Hill Inlet and Whitehaven Beach, seeing 4 whales as well. Wow, one of those moments that you dream of, words just cannot describe the beauty of the Reef. The next day we were off to Whitehaven Beach on a boat trip. I'm not good on boats, but it was fast and seemed to skim the waves so I was ok. First stop was a short climb to a lookout point where we could see the swirling sands of Hill Inlet. It was awesome, especially as the tide was different to when we had flown over, so the colours and patterns were different. Then to Whitehaven Beach where the sand is almost pure silica, very fine and white, in fact it squeaks when you walk on it. After a swim and lunch, watching the seaplanes come and go, we went on to the snorkelling part of the trip. As you may know from a previous blog, I have only snorkelled once before, in water where I could stand up!! This was from a dinghy, in deep water. I was very unsure, but the staff were great and let me take my time. They kept checking on me and I felt quite safe until the end. I had been following everyone along the reef, and was amazed at the corals and fish. And then I started to think - fatal, panic set in and I wanted to get out of the water! Immediately one staff member was there with her surfboard for me to hold onto, and within minutes, the dinghy was there for me to clamber into. I was annoyed with myself that I had panicked but then, when I saw how far I had snorkelled and that I was very near to the end anyway, a sense of achievement and relief kicked in!

And so, to yesterday, when we were still at Airlie Beach - this wasn't the plan, we were going to keep moving north. However, we both needed a 'holiday' from our holiday, and this was a lovely, relaxed place to be. I know that must sound very weird, but we just needed time to stay in one place to catch up with ourselves - file photos, do the laundry, write blogs, sort emails, phone family etc. It has also been great to laze by a pool, have a swim or cycle along the boardwalk and not have to worry about packing up and moving on. Bob has also been suffering from a cold, so it was a good time to rest up!! Oh, and he loved the bird-feeding at 4 o'clock each day - lorikeets and whistler ducks - and the bush-stone curlews that stalked our van each evening!

However, today we have been on the move again. We have headed north and are stopping on a working cane farm. Tonight we have been invited to watch a cane burn so that will complete our sugar cane story. Watch out for Bob's blog!!