Hello everybody!

Sorry we have been out of touch for a while, we have been busy trying to fix David who has been very poorly for the past few days with a very nasty cold/cough/sore throat. However he seems to be on the mend now although it has meant we have had to change many of our plans recently!

We arrived in Airlie Beach last Sunday (we think....all the days are blurring into one!) and enjoyed a night in a hostel after a long coach trip and 5 nights in a tent! The town of Airlie Beach seemed nice, very touristy and completely geared towards the islands. Lots going on! The next morning we found ourselves at Flametree campsite where the ground was much lumpier than in Mission Beach much to Jo's discomfort that night! The nights here were also much colder than in Mission Beach (which had been quite cold enough!) and so it was little surprise when David caught a cold. We tried to cure him by spending the day by the lagoon on the foreshore, soaking up the sun, but while this was very relaxing the next morning he was feeling even worse. But he was very brave and we dosed him up with paracetamol and throat sweets and headed off to the Whitsundays.

We chose a three-island one day tour, including Whitehaven Beach which Dave was most keen to compare to his hometown! Firstly we visited Daydream Island where we enjoyed wandering round and playing crazy golf. Next stop was Whitehaven Beach which was absolutley stunning. We spent an hour here just sitting on the soft sand soaking in the views. After a buffet lunch on board the boat we headed to Hook Island where we fed the fish and went for a ride in a semi-submersible boat over the fringing coral reef which was good.

Once back in Airlie Beach Jo took the executive decision that Dave was too poorly to spend another night in the cold cold tent and so booked us into a hostel. This meant that we used up the money saved for a trip to Fraser Island later that week but it was worth it to see David live. He felt a little better the next morning so we returned to the campsite to pack up and fetch the tent. We then had an overnight coach trip to Hervey Bay, probably not the best conditions for Dave at that point but it was pre-booked and we had to do it at some point! Apart from the coach breaking down twice, therefore delaying by 4 hours and resulting in 2 coach changes, overnight travelling was fine!! We made it to our hostel in Hervey Bay and David went straight to bed where he remained for the rest of the day! But bed-rest worked a treat and he is feeling much better today!

As a result of this inconvenient illness we have been unable to do anything (i.e. a Fraser Island trip) here and are merely spending 2 nights here to fully cure Dave before heading to Brisbane a day early. However, we shall make up for it as we get paid very soon :-) And of course, his health is the most important thing! So thats our little bit of drama for the trip, and hopefully all will go swimmingly from now on....and hopefully Jo has not caught the germs!

But we are still happy and having fun. We have become very good at being cheap and have started to live off tins and noodles, filling our evenings with highly competative card games. Sorry we have fewer pictures this time but hope you enjoy them.

Love to everyone, hope all is well. We will write next from Brisbane, we are looking forward to being back in a big city!

Tra for now!

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P.s. David would like to point out that his illness was not as bad as Jo has made out, I think she has just dramatised to make the blog sound better.

P.p.s. Jo has never seen David so ill before, nor felt someone's skin burn like that! So she was justifiably worried she feels and so now justifiably releived! Also, there is nothing wrong with making a good story even better with a bit of drama ;-)