G'day all. Sorry for the long delay in updating my blog, I have been super busy and away from Internet access for a while, but now that I am back in civilisation I will have a shot at bringing you up to speed - read on for a monster entry!

I left you all in Hervey Bay where I hopped aboard a 3 day action-packed 4WD trip over to Fraser Island. Fraser is the world's largest sand island but it was far from what I had expected - the island's interior is stunning, with dense rainforest, crystal-clear and dark green lakes, massive sand dunes and some of the most beautiful beaches I have seen with canyons and rock formations carved out by the wind and surf. Driving around was great fun, all the roads are 4WD and really really bumpy, one is called the rollercoaster and was that - literally! Out on the beaches the speed limit is 80km/h, so we zoomed along in a 4WD bus right beside the surf - I felt like I was in a Bond film! I was lucky to find a super bunch of people and we stayed in lodges over a hill from a posh resort where we would sneak to in the evening and slip into the pool and jacuzzi - wow! We did a long bush walk on Day One, around Basin Lake and then following Wanggoolba Creek, a magical sandy-bottomed stream, through eucalyptus, palm and gum trees, ending up at Pile Valley with some awesome 60m high timber trees. We paddled at Lake McKenzie after, which is Fraser's most famed sight and it really was beautiful - a blue lake ringed by white sand which was heavenly in the hot sun.

We weren't quite so lucky with the weather on Day Two, it was very soggy in fact. We drove a long way through bush, got bogged a couple of times and made several stops to clear trees from the track, before emerging onto Seventy-Five Mile Beach. It was pretty awesome - a motorway on sand! We stopped at several lookouts, climbed a muddy track up to Indian Head - a rocky outcrop with nice views, and watched some Osprey swopping about. And at last we saw saw some dingos on the beach. We stopped for a chilly dip in Champagne Pools (some bubbling rock pools), walked through the icy waters of Eli Creek and gawped at an awesome ship wreck called the Maheno, half-buried in the surf for 75 years - it was an incredible sight and one my most memorable of the island. The sun returned on Day 3 and it was the best of the lot. We drove to an immense sand blowout and swam in Lake Wabby, wedged in one corner of the dunes. It was really deep, green from the reflected eucalyptus, full of catfish and cold but stunning. We trecked over the dunes and then through bush to the other side of the island, stopped for bush-tucker en route, and then swam in another lake, equally freezing so I had no option but to leg it in and submerge myself - aaah!

We took a late ferry back over to the mainland on Wednesday evening and I spent Thursday in Maryborough, an old colonial town full of Queensland-style houses on stilts with large verandahs and the home of Mary Poppins and the muddy Mary River. I got a lift back to Brisbane later on with Tamara, a friend from the US, and despite circumnavigating Brisbane a few times we eventually found our way back.

I set off to North Stradbroke Island with Nicky & Brad on Friday and have since had some of the best few days of my travels! North Stradbroke is in Moreton Bay, a short way offshore from Brisbane and a world away from the hustle and bustle of the city. Like Fraser, the island is beautiful with endless sandy beaches, sparkling seas and a forested interior, but has a far more relaxed and Aussie feel to it. We took a barge over from the mainland and stayed in a super Queensland-style house with a wood burner which we successfully got roaring on the chilly nights. By day we went fishing off the beaches, I wouldn't call myself a professional yet but I am now a fishing fanatic - would you believe it! We drove out along the beaches each day, looking for guttys where the fish would be and parked up by the surf. Nicky showed me the basics and despite being useless at identifying fish and no catches, I have got better at throwing my line beyond the surf and detecting bites on the bait. Fishing is a lot more technical than I had imagined. We were after tailor and mullet in particular and used different hooks, bait, sinkers and rods for the different fish. We used pilchards and worms for bait, supplemented with bipees - shellfish which we dug up in the sand. I had a tasty 3-course feast stuffed onto the end of my line but no-one was interested :(. We saw shoals in the waves and it was pretty exciting starting out each days with the prospect of a monster catch. We ate fish too - some really good barramundi and I learnt how to shell prawns on the beach - you can't get more Aussie than that! The beaches were awesome and the weather great - sunny but windy and no rain!

We did plenty of driving, along 4WD tracks which again was great fun, down the beaches in a convoy, around some lakes a little inland and around the small towns on the island. Nicky, Rocky (the dog) & I walked about the coastline, saw some whales far offshore, a wild koala up a tree and two kangaroos along the roadside too - wow! Evenings were a laugh, we played boardgames, sat beside the fire and had a blast. And of course I must mention the World Cup! We had early starts at the weekend - England at 4am on Saturday and Australia vs Germany at 4am on Sunday - I must be mad! And there is a big rugby game on this evening too which I must catch! So I have had an amazing past few days and Stradbroke has given me a wonderful feel for Aussie life - I love it!

I hope you haven't all fallen asleep yet - sorry for the mammoth blog! I am flying from Brisbane up to the Whitsundays later today, where I'm hoping to go out to the Great Barrier Reef before heading up to Cairns from where I fly down to Perth a week today. I'll update soon, I promise!

Grace xx