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Dear All,
Happy Easter to you all, albeit slightly belatedly. We flew down to Brisbane from Cairns as the drive would have taken us 3 days. Cairns was a cool place and the rain forest truly amazing. We took a river cruise up the Danetree River and saw 2 crocs just itching to get their teeth into some unsuspecting tourist. One was at least 4 metres long. We pulled off the main road and went on to the beach. We were the only people within 20 miles and South of Cape Tribulation. As we got on to the beach, we felt distinctly uncomfortable as the rainforest there meets the sea and the mangroves. The trees are all gnarled and the creepers gave us the creeps. I kept looking around and was waiting for something to crawl out of the forest and devour us. Having decided that we didn't want to become a food source, left rather rapidly.
Thought we'd stay overnight in the rainforest and looked for a motel/hotel. Let me tell this: when everyone you meet seems like he/she spends their day sitting on their verandah playing the banjo, it conjures up images of 'Deliverance' Aussie style!. We decided to take the ferry back to civilisation and stay in Port Douglas. To avoid duelling banjos's whole family, we drove across a flooded weir when the water was up to the car sills. Paul didn't fancy doing an impression of a screaming pig!
Moving on. Went to an Aborigine heritage centre and learnt about bushtucker and the didgeridoos. Couldn't see Rolf Harris though.
Flew down to Brisbane last Tuesday and booked a 3 day trip to Fraser Island, which is the largest sand island in the world. Went with a company called 'Cooldingos' and when we got there, we we the oldest people by at least 25 years. We stayed in a lodge with 5 other people in very basic accommodation but we were out all day on tour. It was 3 days of 'full on' adventure in a 16 ton 4 wheel drive truck. Swam in crystal clear lakes, walked through dense rain forest, saw dingos, eagles, kites, kookaburras, cane toads bigger than my thigh and spiders bigger than my hand. It got to the stage when we didn't bat an eyelid when we saw lizards and bats.
Fraser Island was great and the youngters we met all took to us and we even have some of their emails! They thought we were so 'cool' doing what we were doing.
Returned to the mainland last Saturday and drove to Calloundra, which is near Steve Irwin's Australia Zoo. We were there at opening time and spent the whole day looking at animals we would never normally see. Had our photo taken with a koala, fed kangaroos and watched the crocodile show, which is something else.
On the way back to Brisbane, we were stopped in a police road block and Paul was randomly breathtested. Negative, of course.
One thing baffles me about the last 3 weeks. Why is it that Japanese tourists all congregate in groups of 20 plus and why is it that every time I decide to video something, the Japanese tourists are joined by screaming kids? I swear, our video has a full length Japanese commentary with the occasional Aussie ankle biter screaming in the background.
Derek and Ray. This is for you. We see signs everywhere advertising 'VET' by the side of the road. I say to Marion "Are you a vet?" to which she says, "Am I a vet? I'm ****** soaked"
David. This is for you. Your decimal point is in the wrong place! Good luck in the Marathon anyway.
That's all folks.
Paul & Marion
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