It's been so long since I updated this blog that I'm beginning to forget everything that we've been up to as we zoom up the East Coast... So, we are in Town of 1770/Agnes Water at the moment (a tiny village with two names - rather odd...) - the most northerly surf beach, staying at a hostel called Cool Bananas. On the way here, we stopped in Brisbane, where we hand fed kangaroos and stroked koalas in the Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary, and looked out over the city at night from Mount Coot-tha. Next up was Noosa, where we dodged the tropical rains and went for a coastal rainforest walk, stopping off at gorgeous secluded bays and being serenaded by the chirps and whistles of the birds. We then found oursevles in Rainbow Beach for a night, and I went for a walk to the Carlo Sandblow which was pretty impressive and had great views of the rainbow cliffs that give the beach its name, and of Tin Can Bay and Fraser Island to the North. The next day saw us arriving at Hervey Bay, in preparation for our Fraser Island adventure. After a long briefing about the island and safe driving, we arrived at our hostel in the dark and attempted to pack all the essentials into small bags (no room for luxury in our 4x4!), before collapsing into bed.

A misty early morning wake-up, and we were off to Fraser Island for our 2 night camping and off-road experience. Fortunately the sun made an appearance as we waited for the ferry, which we took as a very positive omen. Upon landing on Fraser, we were immediately immersed in the rainforest, carrering into massive puddles and potholes. We emerged from the shade of the rainforest on to the dazzlingly white sand shore of Lake Mckenzie (we were there the day before it was closed to self-drive tours - good timing!), and immediately waded into the beautifully turqouise waters. After our picnic lunch, we were back on the bumpy rainforest roads, and eventually made it to the other side of the island, and the Sand Highway (also known as the beach), where we zoomed up to the Maheno shipwreck without a pothole in sight. The wreck's ability to remain in one piece whilst the Australian airforce used it for bombing practice for six months is admirable, and it was interesting, but the wreck wasn't as marvellous as it is made out to be - it seemed rather small! After a rather large detour, we found our campsite and got to work setting up the tents and finding the cooking equipment before the boys went walking, leaving the girls to cook the enormous amount of meat we had brought with us. At least they did the washing up! With nightfall at around 6, we had little to do so we were all tucked up in bed quite early... The next day was very action-packed as we scaled Indian Heads to look out for sharks (apparently the surrounding sea is infested with them, but we could spot no signs of life), and then for a dip in Champagne Falls. A long drive and a spot of lunch later, we took the scenic route to our campsite via Lake Birrabeen, which was just as beautiful as Lake Mckenzie but much quieter, and another lake with red water, which puzzled us greatly. Another early dinner and early night later, and we were off early to trek across the sand dunes to Lake Wabby, which was very green and very peaceful, and full of catfish! After our walk back to the 4x4, we were back into the rainforest and bumping along to the ferry terminal, our Fraser adventure over...

A night in a hostel bed and a hot shower, and we were fully restored to normality, before we boarded the bus to Agnes Water/Town of 1770, which is a tiny little place (well, two very tiny places that seem to have merged into one) and boasts the most northerly surf beach. I have spent most of our time in 1770 relaxing on the beach and bodyboarding (my surfing skills aren't great), and having a bit of a walk around. Not very exciting, but a couple of slow days were definitely required after the frentic pace of Fraser!