Robinsons at Christmas

Happy Christmas

This was our family room at 7am Christmas morning!! All the presents open and Christmas morning TV on.

Hope you all had a wonderful day.

Back to reality

Today we left Heron Island for our 2 hour launch back to Gladstone. We left Paradise behind. On arrival at Gladstone airport, we realised we had a 3 hour wait 'til our flight (I didn't book that very well did I??) It worked out fine though, as there were flights every half hour or so and we managed to get on an earlier one, giving us enough time to enjoy a hot chocolate at the airport before our 55 minute flight back to Brisbane. What a wonderful few days....now back to reality!

Going deeper.....

Today I did my first ever scuba dive along with Kev's Mum. It was awesome! I was really nervous about it having had a 3 hr build up with a video followed by a question session and a practice in the resort pool! At one point I really thought I'd have to wimp out, as I was so scared that I wouldn't be able to breathe. My instructor assured me that once we got down under the water (about 12 metres) that my breathing would just come naturally as I'd be so consumed by what I was seeing: well, she was right. What an amazing experience? I saw sharks, octopus, jelly fish, turtles and even more beautiful fish. It was incredible just floating along under water with nature. I want to do it again! Kevin's Mum was also in absolute awe. We both felt quite sick on the boat as it took us out to the reef's edge, but coming back in was a breeze! When we got off the boat we could see stingrays in the water beside the jetty.

Meet 'Stubby'

The girls getting ready for snorkelling today!!

The day ended with a sunset cruise for me and Kevin. We drank plenty of wine and met 'stubby' the seagull. (he has no feet!)

Another day in paradise....

This place is stunning: I feel like I'm on a film set! I have never been anywhere so beautiful in all my life! Today we got all the snorkel gear (including wet suits and fins) and swam in various spots around the island. The underwater world is amazing. There must be hundreds or maybe thousands of varieties of fish in all colours of the rainbow. I've also seen a turtle, sea cucumbers, and starfish.

Paradise

Today we took the two hour launch to Heron Island from Gladstone harbour having had two nights in Tannum Sands. It was an awesome sight as we cruised towards the island. In fact, it really was just like arriving in paradise! Very beautiful indeed.

We were met at the jetty with the other arrivals and taken to a room in the resort and given a quick talk about 'island life'. Amongst other things we were told that there were earplugs in each room as the mutton birds (which really do sound like a crying baby!!) were nesting and were very likely to disturb our sleep. We were also told that the island is a national park and that we weren't allowed to take shells off the beach as souvenirs!

Another holiday?

Today we travelled to Gladstone by air (otherwise it would be a good 7 hours in the car!!) to take a short holiday. Kev's Mum arrived in Brisbane 3 days ago, all the way from the UK, and is here with us for a month over Christmas. As a gift to us, she has paid for us all to come on holiday before all the Christmas celebrations get going. We are travelling to Heron Island in two days time, but thought we spend some time in Tannum Sands before we go. This is our beautiful villa (a home on stilts) for the next two nights.



This afternoon we spent some time on the beach and then headed for some food at a local hotel. We saw some galahs and lorikeets feeding on the waters edge outside the hotel. It was a lovely relaxing atmosphere.

The photo below is a typical scene in these parts of Queensland: what you can see is actually a coconut net on the tree. It stops the locals getting a headache everytime the coconuts fall!!

Dancing on the ceiling....all night long!

Last night Kevin and I went to the Brisbane Entertainment centre to see Lionel Richie in concert. He was awesome! The man is fantastic for his age (58!). Some of our friends here laughed at us, but he really is a great performer. Kevin and I first dated in the early 1990's when his 'Back to Front' album was very popular. Standing in the entertainment centre singing long to all those songs was great...a real feeling of nostalgia for Kev and I. We happened to be seated next to another English couple who have lived in Australia for the last few years also!