Here we are at gate 53 of Sydney International Airport, awaiting our 16 hour return flight to USA and guess what?  IT'S RAINING!!!  We cannot believe how the past 4 months has flown by.  I think it was a good omen, we saw a kangaroo hopping right parallel to our car a couple of days ago as if to say Gidday Mate, thanks for coming.  Then yesterday we say another koala snoozing soundly in a tree at Northern Brother Lookout.

We love this country and the people who live here!  The beaches are among the best we have ever seen, the rain forests are amazing (and believe me, we know why) and it is still a country you feel pretty safe travelling.  Having said that, it appears biker wars have started here over the past few weeks and you hear of daily shootings in the streets of Sydney, something that is extremely rare.  Welcome to our world in North America!  You rarely see any vandalism or graffiti, the likes you would see at home.  You have probably heard me go on about stainless steel gas bbq's at virtually every park, large and small, in some of the most remote areas of the country.  Sad to say, if we tried to do this at home, I'm sure they would be destroyed in days, if not hours!  These people appear to possess a genuine pride of their country, appreciating the natural beauty and offering their citizens the amenities that are greatly appreciated and respected by all.

You may have heard me complain about the lack of technology, shitty television programming and a government that appears to be pretty large for such a small population.  In spite of the few negative comments, this country is probably the envy of the world in many respects.  If it wasn't so far away from everywhere, the population would probably be over a billion!  It is one of the best kept secrets in the world.

Leslie and I are both looking forward to being back home and spending time with the kids and especially the grandchildren.

After two marathon days of driving, we are back at our favourite spot in Alexandra Headlands.  Our friend Mandy even saved our old apartment for us and it is beginning to feel like home.  Just think, a week today, at this very time, we will be clearing security at the Sydney Airport in preparation for our 16 hour return flight to North America.  We both cannot believe how quickly the past 4 months have flown by.  We are really starting to fall in love with this country.  Having said that, we cannot wait to get back home and see our boys and girls of course!!

April 17/12

RAIN! RAIN! & MORE RAIN!!!  I think the Ozzie's are beginning to think Leslie and I are a dark cloud where ever we go in this country!

Our good buddy Colin Campbell ended his battle with cancer yesterday.  Our hearts go out to Iris and her family during this extremely difficult time.  Iris, you are a very special person and an amazing friend!

http://www.castanet.net/obituaries/CAMPBELL,_Colin_Lee/

Up at the crack of dawn and heading to Port Douglas via Palm Cove.  I love Palm Cove but Leslie was not too excited about the place.  This is a very upscale little enclave but not a whole lot shaking!  Reminds me very much of The Hamptons or Hilton Head.  No neon signs, no Macker's (McDonalds or any other fast food chain), just a lot of high priced restaurants, shopping and accommodation.  Once again, no swimming at the beaches (which were beautiful) unless you like swimming with croc's and box jellies!!  You are right in the heart of the tropical rain forest so large gum trees make canopies of the main streets...PRETTY COOL!   We spent a couple of ours walking along the boardwalk and then decided to head to Port Douglas.  People we met in the Blue Mountains stayed at the Ramada and said it was very nice and we were all about to check in when I noticed a Rydges.  The resort appeared to be undergoing some major renovations but still looked pretty opulent.  Andrew, the G.M. explained that they were converting this property to their new Q1 5 Star flagship and if we wanted to stay with them, he would definitely make it worth our while.  He offered us one of their two luxury, one bedroom suites for the duration of our stay.  The unit was awesome with two flat screen TV's, a large private deck with our own hot tub.  The grounds were beautiful with a large pool with swim up bar.  To top it off, he included their amazing buffet breakfast.

With the monsoon rains and cyclone they recently experienced, there was an infestation of what looked like water beetles by the 1000's everywhere you look, including the room.  Leslie quickly dubbed me the "Beetle Hunter", it really freaked her out!!  Welcome to the tropics honey.  The first day the weather was great and we spent our time by the pool.  The resort was full of young families, celebrating the Easter Holiday and school break.  The next day the monsoons came again and continued for the next few days.  Our intention was to possibly spend a week before barrelling it back to Sydney for our return flight, a total of 3700 kms.  After another 2 days of rain, we decided to revert to our original plan and head back to our favourite apartment at the Sunshine Coast.  Although there appeared to be rain along the entire east coast, the weather looked most promising at this location.  The drive to Cairns from here would be approximately 1200 kms, very do-able in two days. 

A special thanks to Ben at Ace Car Rentals & Matt at Rydges Tradewinds in Cairns.  Both you guys made our trip to Cairns one to remember.  The views from our hotel balcony were absolutely stunning!  Doesn't get much better then waking up to a panoramic view of the aqua blue waters of the Pacific Ocean.  It was Easter Weekend and the place was bustling.  I have to say Cairns was not my favourite spot.  Due to jelly fish and crocodiles, it is not recommended your swim at the beaches, notwithstanding that the beaches are more of a mud bog in this area.  The place is a total tourist trap and much of the retail and restaurant business is owned and operated by Asians.  Not much to do in Cairns other than it is the main departure point to the Great Barrier Reef. 

We had a fantastic reef experience with Daytripper Tours.  Mark, Derek & Iris were awesome hosts and guides.  Mark is the owner of the company and captain of the cat.  Derek & Iris geared up and toured us around the reef for the entire excursion, which was a real bonus.  This is something we have never experienced in our other snorkelling tours and it certainly gave everybody and opportunity to see things we normally wouldn't have noticed.  We took a break at noon for a buffet lunch and then right back in the waters.  We would highly recommend Daytripper!

Only one word can describe today's experience...AMAZING!!!  The day started at 8:45 am when the shuttle driver came to pick us up at the resort for a day of Ocean Rafting and snorkelling.  We checked in, picked up our beautiful spandex looking "Stinger Suits" to protect us from the deadly jelly fish in the waters.  Can you imagine me in full length spandex??  It was a site to behold!  The ride is wild and not designed for the faint hearted.  If you susceptible to sea sickness, have a weak heart, bad back or neck problems, this may be an adventure to take a pass on!  We had a blast.  There are 75 islands off the coast of Airlie Beach, only 3 are inhabited, the rest are national parks.  They are absolutely stunning, with pure white sand beaches and amazing snorkelling.  Hamilton Island is noted for being one of the most exclusive and expensive islands in the region.  We stopped to pickup a family at Daydream Island which is owned by a wealthy Australian Tycoon.  It too looked like a playground for the rich & famous.  Our first destination stop was White Haven Beach where we hiked to the summit for a panoramic view of the ocean & bay from three directions.  The white silica sand beaches and emerald blue waters made it a postcard picture!  We walked the beaches for 45 minutes and then had a lovely lunch buffet on the beach before heading to our first snorkel stop at Cook Island.  The water was crystal clear with exotic colored fish everywhere.  From Cook Island we cruised to another gorgeous stretch of beach and snorkelling that was exclusive to our tour boat.  We then enjoyed some cocktails on the boat (BYOB) and slowly made our way back to Airlie Beach.  This had to be the highlight of our trip so far!

We left Alexandra Headlands on April 1 on the long anticipated drive to Cairns.  Our first stop was Hervey Bay which appeared rather boring.  From there we headed inland to the village of 1770.  Another wasted trip!  Arrived in Gladstone at 6 pm and the place was a dingy industrial city, busting at the seams.  Hotels/Motels were packed.  Some of the worst shitters I have ever seen were getting $250 per night.  One we checked was asking $375.  Made Motel 6 look like the Hilton.  It seems so hit and miss in this country!  To think we stayed at an ocean front apartment on the Sunshine Coast for $100/nt and these guys are getting more than the Hilton in Sydney.  Just doe/sn't make sense!  We drove on to Rockhampton and by this time it was dark and driving was not fun.  Once again, it was apparent this was a working man's town and accommodations were shabby at best.  Most hotel/motel operations close the reception at 6 pm.  A lot hang out the No Vacancy signs so not to be disturbed.  Strange way of doing business.  We found the last available motel that would offer us a room and at $127/nt, it was highway robbery.  The place looked like it should have been rented by the hour.  Quite funny because the next morning I went to the reception and the first sign I saw stated..."It is a criminal offence to conduct business in the rooms and subject to a $3500 fine".  The manager did not have to spend too much time explaining what the offense was!  The best thing about the place was free internet.

The small city of Rockhampton looked much better in daylight.  It is a river city that experience record flooding over the past month and it was very evident.  The beautiful waterfront was now a sea of mud.  City workers were everywhere shovelling mud and debris from the flower beds and lawn.  You could see the river was once the pride of the city but now the paved paths and walkways were now buried.  We left Rock Hampton at noon and didn't expect to see much.  The drive was actually quite scenic.  Our days are never uneventful and this would be no exception.  I think I have had three flat tires in my lifetime and two have occured in Australia.  Not too sure if it is the bad roads or luck of the draw.  We arrived in Airlie Beach around 6:30 pm and once again, the accommodations were disappointing.  We have learned not to put too much credence in the reviews from the booking sites or company websites but we have found Tripadvisor to be pretty accurate.  The next morning I went downstairs to speak with the manager Peter and explained we were a little disappointed in the room.  Without hesitation, he offered us a poolside 1 bedroom suite at no extra charge,  Just another example of a person who is genuinely concerned about customer service.  Tomorrow we are off on a snorkel/island pontoon cruise which is supposed to be quite a thrilling experience.  There are a total of 75 island within very close proximatey and most are uninhabited.  Unfortunately, we only get to see a few.  This area calls itself the gateway to the reef and we have had some pretty good reports.  It will be interesting to compare the reef at Cairns and here.

We had a wonderful and busy day again today, touring the local village of Airlie & Whitsunday.  There is a fabulous walking trail along the coast taking you to the various harbours and yacht clubs.  We stopped for lunch at one of the yacht clubs and met a couple from Mackay, a fairly large city we passed on the way here.  He is an Ozzie who married an American girl from Washington State many years ago.  She has lived in Australia for 43 years and absolutely loves it!  Hates the cold weather and snow and we can totally sympathize with that point of view.