SCUBA, SNORKLES AND SAILBOATS

After almost two weeks crossing the interior of Australia, we finally caught glimpse of the the South Pacific at Townsville where we spent on night before heading north to Cairns, where we stayed at a fabulous beach front apartment. The prospect of being in one place for a whole week was a welcome change from continual driving! .





Rory and David started their 4 day PADI diving course while the rest of us enjoyed the brilliant beach facilities, playgrounds, cycle paths just outside our front door. We all attended 'REEF TEACH' a two hour lecture on the flora and fauna of the Great Barrier Reef and more importantlt, its conservation. Even William and James were completely captivated by all the slides and pictures and were particularily interested in all things poisonous and deadly!



Whilst David and Rory were completing their course on an overnight trip on the dive boat, Alice, William and I took a 1 day snorkling excursion to Norman Reef. We were all suited up and thrown off the back of the boat on our arrival. This posed a little bit of a concern as Will and James also jumped in with little more than a foam "noodle" as a flotation device: James can barely swim! Bearing in mind that this adventure is in open water and the children are heading in every which direction I didn't get to see too much of the reef myself...that is until one of the guides observed my predicament and jumped in with a rope and had the boys hang on! I was then free to enjoy the spectacultar show of colour and movement that is The Great Barrier Reef.



With PADI certificates firmly under divebelts the next stop was the Whitsunday Islands and 1week Competant Crew course. We stayed for a few days in Airle Beach, the main yachting centre in the Whitsundays. Whilst David, Rory, Alice and William set off for their course, James and I enjoyed a splendid week on Daydream Island; a holiday resort that does exactly what it says on the box! It was lovely to spend this special time with James and he made a new friend called Brandon who lives in Sydney, and had lots of fun playing in the pool, in the fantastic playgrounds and petting the huge stingrays in the lagoon!