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6 December 2004

We were scheduled to arrive at Melbourne at about 20h30, but because of a massive storm over Melbourne we were redirected to Sydney. We stayed there for just over an hour before flying back to Melbourne. We arrived there at midnight. Hardy and Jarad were there to pick up.

We all got to bed quite late (03h00).

7 December 2004

After getting up quite late Mom went shopping with Kelsay while Dad, Hardy, Heidi, Jarad and I went for a walk down to the local park. It was nice to be able to run around and play in a playground after the last few days where we haven't had much opportunity to just run around.

We had an Australian style barbeque for lunch, and then we all went swimming.

In the afternoon I played with Heidi (it is really nice to have a friend my age to play with), whilst Dad and Jarad went for a long cycle on one of the cycle tracks.

8 December 2004

We were meant to go off to the beach today but it was drizzling again so we decided not to go. Dad, Hardy, Heidi and I went off into Melbourne to find a Harley shop so Dad could buy another t-shirt. Melbourne is a really nice city, with lots of parks all around, and lots of cycling and walking tracks. It is also really clean. We went to the beach for a coffee, but because it was drizzling (again) we couldn't go onto the beach.

In the afternoon we went for a drive around part of the bay.

9 December 2004

When we woke up the weather looked like it was clearing so we decided to go down to Wilsons Prom, the southern most point on mainland Australia. It was quite a long drive (three and a half hours). By the time we got there the wind was really blowing, and the weather was overcast. Wilsons Prom looks really nice but because of the wind we couldn't go onto the beaches without being stung by the sand so we had a picnic under one of the shelters.

They have quite a lot of amazing coloured birds here, and they are quite friendly, they even tried to steal food out of Jade's hand (see pictures).

We then went for a long walk through some of the local forests before getting to a rain forest. You had to walk on a boardwalk around the rainforest because it was so damp, and also to protect the environment.

On the way back home it rained again.

10 December 2004

It was raining again today. We went off to the airport to catch our flight to Brisbane. Gail met us at the airport (it was still pouring with rain here).

We spent the afternoon catching up on stories with Gail and Donald.

11 December 2004

Having spoken to quite a few people about New Zealand we decided we had better try and book accommodation there as apparently it gets really busy there in January so we went off to Flight Centre. They really struggled to find us accommodation but said that we should come back later. We then went off to the Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary to see kangaroos, koalas, dingoes, wombats and other Australian animals (see pictures). We even fed the kangaroos, and Jade chased a few small ones.

12 December 2004

Went up to Mount Coot-tha where you get amazing views over Brisbane, we then went off to South Bank, we got there by City Cat which is a large catamaran that taxis people up and down the Brisbane River. There was a large flea market, one of the stalls had really nice costumes for me and Jade so Mom and dad bought us each one. They had some clothes here that looked like they were from Thailand, and they were twice the price of what we had paid.

13 December 2004

We went to Kenmore Village shopping centre where Flight Centre was to see whether they had managed to sort out our New Zealand accommodation, but they were struggling because most of the places were full. We met Jean and Trevor there, and they gave us a lift to their house where we will be staying for the next few days. On the way home there was a massive thunderstorm, and only afterwards did we hear that it caused about A$5m worth of damage, trees were uprooted, roofs blown off houses, and sailing boats overturned in the harbour. It seems that us encountering storms is starting to become a bit of a precedent (a storm delayed our arrival in Melbourne). After the weather had cleared we went for a walk around golf course, saw kangaroos, and then had a barbeque in the evening.

14 December 2004

We needed to do some shopping and thereafter went off to the Brisbane Botanical Gardens. The gardens were really lovely. The weather at the moment is stinking hot (about 38') and really humid. Grant (Dad's cousin) came around in the evening, Dad says he last saw Grant 30 years ago.

15 December 2004

Today we went off to Dreamworld which is an amusement park on the Gold Coast. Linda (Dad's cousin) and her kids joined us for the day, it was really nice to meet them after only having seen photos. There we went on all sorts of rides, roller coasters, spinning tops, space ships, airplanes. It was really fun. Jade found a fountain where water was spurting out of the ground and so we spent quite a lot of time playing there trying to cool down.

16 December 2004

Mom's birthday. Today we caught a train to Cleveland on the coast. There were amazing houses right on the marina, with huge yachts parked outside. Dad said that this is his kind of place (except that he can't afford it). In the evening we went out to an indian restaurant but the food was a little too spicy so we went home for ice cream.

17 December 2004

We picked up our hire car from the airport and headed north up to Jacquie and Alan. They have a lovely house right on the edge of a forest. We all had a swim in the pool and fed the kookabura's - they sit on the railing waiting for food - they eat meat !!! In the afternoon we went down to the Maloolaba Beach for a swim, it was really nice. Jade collapsed and had a snooze on the beach.

We all had a great dinner, wine and all and got to bed very late.

18 December 2004

We went off to the Australia Zoo, Mom was hoping to see Steve Irwin but he wasn't there. We first watched the tiger, snake, bird and then croc show. We saw lots of crocodiles, and some brave men actually fed the crocodiles right inside their cages. Some of the crocs were really big. We also saw dingoes, tasmanian devils, koala bears, huge tortoises, a camel, and a few lizards.

19 December 2004 - 21 December 2004

Mom and Dad went off to look around the area whilst I stayed and played with Dean and Lisa. In the afternoon we met up with Hardy and Kelsay and headed up the cost on our way to Long Island.

The next day was spent travelling up the coast. Heidi, Jade and I watched DVD's in the back of the car on Hardy's laptop, it certainly made the trip go a lot faster.

We finally arrived in Airlie Beach and caught the ferry across to Club Croc on Long Island. There are a whole series of islands all around, and the water is quite clear and calm making the scenery quite stunning.

22 December 2004 - 25 December 2004

Most of the time was spent playing, swimming or snorkelling and a couple of walks. Heidi and I are getting quite good at throwong the frisby. Dad and Hardy went sailing and kayaking although they were not allowed to go that far. We all went on a snorkelling safari and saw lots of brightly coloured coral, and some big fish. The water is not as clear as it was in Thailand, and there were not as many fish, but the coral was certainly better.

We had a quiet but pleasant day. Father Xmas arrived on a jet ski and handed out presents which was nice.

26 December 2004

After catching the ferry back to Airlie Beach we headed up the coast to Haryey Bay. On the way we heard the devastating news about the tsunami. Whilst we are really glad that we were not there, our hearts go out to the people there, they were such friendly people and to think that their homes, livelihoods and perhaps even loved ones have been lost is really quite sad.

27 December 2004

We arrived in Cairns, we are actually staying about 22 kms north of Cairns in the Billabong Caravan Park (we are staying in bungalows). The rooms are quite nice and spacious but we are a little disappointed that we are not right on the beach. As it turned out the weather has been quite lousy and so this was really such a big issue.

We spent the evening watching the news about the tsunamis and trying to get information about Phi Phi island.

28 December 2004

We went off to Cairns to have a look around. There is a large pool right on the beach front so we spent some time swimming there. After that we took a walk around the town, it is a nice little town, there are lots of shops and restaurants on the beach front, as well as a nice long boardwalk. Whilst walking along the boardwalk we saw a really large stingray right underneath.

29 December 2004 - 2 January 2005

We had a relaxing time touring around some of the tourist sites around Cairns, we visited the Skyrail Rainforest (we travelled by cable car for 7,5kms above a rain forest), we visited the Cairns Tropical Zoo, we saw a fireworks display on New Years Eve, and we also spent some time swimming on the beach. The beaches are stunning, but there are quite a few stingers (jelly fish and blue bottles) so you can only swim in specially designed cages on the beach, and there is also the threat of salties (salt water crocodiles) so you can't just swim anywhere. The weather has been overcast and drizzly but in some respects this has suited us because it has meant that the days are not overly hot (although it is humid).

We also went out snorkelling at the Great Barrier Reef . The water was crystal clear, and the coral was truly amazing. Dad did some scuba diving (we actually saw him from the underwater observatory). The day was spoilt by the fact that in the afternoon some blue bottles were blown into the area and I as well as a whole lot of other people got stung, so we all got out of the water.

I have really enjoyed playing with Heidi, and I think Dad has enjoyed seeing Hardy again.

3 January 2005

Today we are off to New Zealand. We only just managed to get onto the flight because of a really long queue at the check in, and then once on the plane the flight was delayed by about an hour because of some problem with the airplanes hydraulics.

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