The day turned to night as Annette and Karen talked websites sharing their knowledge and experiences – lights finally out at 1.05am.The next day began with Karen up first at 6.30am and she headed off to Coles (with Caleb’s approval) only to have to wait at the door because they don’t open till 7.00am, we are in Queensland of course! I was up at 7.01am as Annette and Linda caught up on some extra sleep. Yes it’s the Fishing Fury, Ray, writing the blog today! I went for a bit of a stroll along the boardwalk, but the weather looked a bit ordinary because it was overcast and drizzling a bit. That soon cleared and the sunshine shone! The caravan was alive when I got back so everyone went for showers as we prepared to go to a few places we had discovered earlier in the week. The girls were excited when we were ready to leave the van and I told them sternly, to keep it down and think of others in the caravan park, otherwise we’d just have to stay home!

First stop was Cedar Falls. This is a picturesque scenic sight with a rushing waterfall complete with fresh water splash pool at the bottom. Karen had her “fandango” camera with her and took many shots of the falls, while Linda and Annette took photos of her taking photos! Don’t ask me why, I was only the guide and steadier for the short rock crossing over the little stream. The girls were “thankful” that their feet brought them back safely.

Next stop was our little paradise Gloucester Beach, which we stumbled across the other day. It’s a 30 minute drive via Proserpine heading towards Bowen. We drove through HIDEAWAY BAY (for some reason the writing on all the signs for this place are in CAPITALS, other places are in Upper and Lower case???) and stopped at the new local toilets at the tennis club because 3 women and a kid are not going to survive 1 ½ hours without a toilet. The bush toilet is not an option I’m told. We arrived at the beautiful little beach but had to share it with a couple and their 3 kids, one was a boy about Caleb’s age, so he was off for a play in about 2 minutes forgetting how hungry he was. We had a picnic lunch on the beach admiring the beautiful turquoise coloured water with the Whitsunday Islands in the background.

The area including the islands and magnificent beaches was named by Captain Cook in 1770 when he cruised past them 50 days after Passover (or Easter as we better know it). Karen and Linda had a little “Passout” of their own after lunch and took in the warm Queensland sun while Caleb explored the rocks and I dropped a handline in for a fish.

I soon had some decent bites and thought we may be in for a fish dinner. Unfortunately the fish had different ideas and after a big coral trout took my hook, line and sinker, we decided to pack up and head back to Airlie Beach for a stroll along the main street. We made a quick stop at our caravan park to book our Island Hopper Passes for tomorrow’s adventure, and then continued on to the carpark near the new Airlie Beach Lagoon. We stopped for a coffee/tea/milkshake in the heart of town as the sun began to fall amongst the clouds. Annette then found the ladies boutique clothing shop which she had wanted to browse and what better way to do it than with her 2 expert fashion gurus, Karen and Linda. Caleb sampled a New Zealand ice-cream as he and I waited patiently for the fashion judges to alight from the store (hopefully empty handed). Nothing caught their eyes, especially as Karen and Linda will soon be back in those freezing conditions of Melbourne’s winter and no summer clothes will be needed for at least 4 months.

We drove back to the caravan and enjoyed some local fish and chips (I still got my fish for dinner just had to pay for it though). The day had taken its toll on the travellers and it was time to wet the whistle with a drop or two of red and white and continue the never ending discussion of websites, blogs, Facebook and now TWITTER too (why not add this one in….). Memories were also shared of old times at school, weddings and even current issues of interest. Highlights included what Linda wore at Karen and Roys wedding, a younger Linda in her short white shorts revealing her legs and Annette as usual, remembering everything about what she wore to where and what others wore as well. Really riveting stuff for yours truly, hence me writing the blog today. An early start for us tomorrow because we need to be at the harbour at 7.45am for our Adventure Islands hopping day. Can’t wait.