Lagoon-a-Matata

Travelling from Sydney to Cairns up east coast Australia hitting the famous hippy Byron Bay where we did yoga on the beach at sunrise and I tried my hand at surfing, proudly succeeding at standing up on a wave like a pro!

We had an eventful time on the world's largest sand island, Fraser Island, bombing around the beaches in 4x4's and running from wild dingo's. On our first night a few car malfunctions meant a late return to the campsite and we ended up fighting against the wind and the rain, darkness setting in, Led Zepplin blaring and our best drivers stepping up to the challenge as we struggled in convoy to get through the incoming tide to the safety of the toasty campfire!

The beachtown of 1770, named after it's founding year, brought more surfing and a day of zipping around on scooters, looking the part adorned in biker leathers and a long forgotten favourite - transfer tattoos! It was also here that we stepped aboard a tiny tin plane and were flown to a desert island to fend for ourselves for the night! Bruce The Pilot thought it was hilarious to dip and tip the plane the whole way and after this horrific ordeal expected my vote for him as Town Mayor. Not this year Brucey....

Further north and we were sailing the beautiful Whitsunday Islands, visiting the pristine Whitehaven Beach and swimming with sea turtles.

My fingers are scrambling over the keyboard because all I want to do is write about The Great Barrier Reef! After my pool and classroom dive training we were soon out on the reef, living aboard 'Scubapro' for three days. Scuba diving would be amazing even if there was just sand down there. You feel like a gravity-free, underwater-breathing superhero on expeditions into the deep. Navigating dive co-ordinates, checking depth and oxygen levels and more importantly, perfecting the slow motion back flip. So add to that sharks, sting rays, clown fish, eels and HUGE turtles and I can't think of anything better.

I am now a PADI Certified diver and can heartily say it is the best thing I have done in our 6 months away :)