Lady Elliot Island, Great Barrier Reef

From the farm, we went to Lady Elliot Island -- a small coral cay off the coast of Queensland. It is one of the many islands/cays that make up the Great Barrier Reef. www.ladyelliot.com.au/

The Great Barrier Reef is the largest coral reef system in the world, composed of over 2,900 individual reefs and 900 islands stretching for 2,600 kilometres (1,600 mi). The Great Barrier Reef can be seen from outer space and is the world's biggest single structure made by living organisms.

This is information you hear repeated over and over again. Aussie's are very fond of the reef -- and well they should be. It was amazing snorkeling. We could just walk off the beach and start snorkeling. Daley and Sode were fairly experienced snorkelers from our previous trips to Hawaii (for their ages). But I don't think they "got" snorkeling until this trip. Every dunk under the water teemed with fish and coral of amazing variety and color. Even little Clint got to experience the fish -- he had a glass bottomed boogie board that we towed around with us.

It is turtle nesting season so we saw tons of turtles -- in the water as well as coming up on the beaches at night to lay eggs (Green Turtles and Loggerheads). They are amazing creatures -- and apparently love to be scratched on their backs.

The eco resort at Lady Elliot did an amazing job of providing educational activities including the "night stalker" walk where we watched the turtles, heard island ghost stories, and listened to a mutton bird which sounds eeriely like a child crying; the "tucker" tour (could you survive if you were shipwrecked on a coral cay?); and dangerous sea creatures slideshow including the inocuous looking cone shell (more on that later from Sode -- who did a report on it -- we're getting into this home schooling thing). (Room 13ers-- see who Sode is holding??)

On the final day we saw an enormous (to us) manta ray -- maybe 10 feet in wingspan. But our guides assured us that it was only a juvenile. After threefull days exploringthe reef we were all sad to leave and had to promise the kids that we'd be back.

Daley and Sode enjoying a mocktail on the beach. A turtled showed up to nest just behind where they are standing.

Queensland Farm Stay

After two days in Sydney, we hopped a plane to Brisbane, Queensland and went to a farm about 2 hours north west of Brisbane, just outside the town on Biggenden. The farm was fabulous -- quintessential landscapes of gum trees, rolling hills and large farms.

Our hosts, Jillanne and Rodney, purchased the farm in retirement so it wasn't a real working farm but had two horses, a bull, several chickens and a couple resident goannas. The kids loved feeding the horses, Striker and Stinger, and providing our compost to the bull -- who ate everything, including the top of a pineapple.

We went on an excellent hike up Mt. Walsh -- it was straight up but afforded us amazing views of the surrounding area and towns. Fortunately, the farm had a couple of dams (one, mostly mud) and a pool so we had our choice of how to cool off from the 90+ degrees. Daley, Sode and Clint N. are enjoying a quick dip in this photo.

Our host set us up on a 3 hour horse ride though temperate rainforest and bush. The girls loved it and were allowed to lead their own horses most of the way. We saw several goannas -- very large lizards -- two-three feet in length. They burrow at the base of trees and scamper up when they sense danger. For some cool info on goannas see: http://australian-animals.ne/goanna.htm

Sydney

It is hard to believe that we arrived in Australia just 11 days ago -- it feels like months. We've done/seen so much! We started out in Sydney, staying right at the "Rocks" with views of the Sydney Opera House and the Harbour Bridge. But the real highlight of our stay in Sydney was seeing our friends Elaine, Wil, Lauren and Sophie (and pup, Wags). Elaine is a high school friend of Clint's and Wil, an Aussie by birth. Their daughters are close in age to Daley and Sode so the girls had a great time playing, swimming and trampolining.

Daley and Sode at Manly Beach -- just arrived

Daley and Sode got to join Lauren in her year 4 (i.e. 4th grade) class. School started late that day as the teachers were on strike (for 2 hours). The girls participated in the class' writing assignment (where would you go if you could go anywhere in the world?). All the kids were wearing uniforms (though it is a public school) and of course, the obligatory sun hats (though it was raining). The students thought it was strange that two school age kids were not in uniform and kept asking Lauren why Daley and Sode were "mufti" (meaning civilian clothing).

While in Sydney we also got to see our babysitter Kitea's kids and grandson, which was loads of fun to put faces to names.

Clint and Sita (Kitea's grandson), Sydney