Day 26 - Rockhampton

Today the weather turned on a fabulous show and peak at 32 degrees! It was delicious!! With the sun following us we headed for a visit to the Capricorn Caves for a look and see. Payed up, we joined  another group of people and headed down the forest track towards the caves (with a tour guide). We entered the first room  to the cave called the Grand Entrance. Izabella turned on a fabulous show with screaming and yelling that we were asked to leave (just one of us)! She as so scared (but hey what is she not scared of??..) . With my tail between my legs , Bella and I headed for the exit and waited in the sun until Maciek and Krystian completed the tour. I did however receive a refund for my ticket (Bella was free which was nice).  Izabella was so quiet for about half an hour i truely think she was frightened. Anyway, about forty five minutes later, Maciek and Krystian returned and everyone was happy. Maciek tried to tape and photograph as much as he could but said that the Hastings Caves in southern Tasmania were much more beautiful.

After recovering from Bella's melt down, we hoped back in the car and whilst Bella slept, we went in search of Rockhampton's Big Bull (s). After finding, what we think is the biggest of them all, and doing two laps around the roundabout to try and get good photos (looking like complete loosers) we finally got what we wanted. 

Oh, and just like the big Ram, all of the Bulls come with testicles and all! 

After consuming some lunch, we headed for the Rockhampton zoo and Botanical Gardens. The zoo here is small ish but FREE and the Botanical Gardens are beautiful with a fabulous playground for the kids to play. We were lucky enough to see the Chimpanzees being fed. They are amazing creatures! The zoo keeper fed them yoghurt and they fed them selves from a bowl with a spoon. Never seen any thing like it considering the Chimps taught themselves this. totally totally amazing! we also got to pat a Koala, which Bella thought was fantastic! This was a nice way to chill out and spend the afternoon. 

After a frolic at the park and one lost boomerang thanks to me (wog) we decided to head home for a quick dip in the pool seeing as it was still some 28 degrees outside. After, we decided to head to Sizzler for dinner. Blonds been hanging out for this one. Once at Sizzler, we stuffed ourselves silly and spent the the next few hours trying not to be sick. Krystian consumed a bowl of pasta, a bowl of soup, one ice-cream cone, one mixed icream and then about a dozen drinks. I have never seen a kid eat as much as he did, which also explains the blank look he gave me when i asked him if he wanted more. Apparently he did not respond in fear of puking......The look on his face was priceless. It is safe to say Krystian has experienced his first Sizzler BLOW OUT.

Tomorrow sees us leave rocky for the Whitsundays, with some 480 km ahead and 5+ hours of driving. Tomorrow if going to be a LONG day so best we head to bed and see you all tomorrow.

Over and out

Day 25 - Rockhampton

Today was a whole new day and everyone awoke smiling!! (Thank the lord). I was very spoilt and got to sleep in till 8:30. (Wog, I let her sleep in almost every day, arnt I nice, partly because the tent turns into a sauna the minute the sun hits it.) We set off early in search of the Koorana Crocodile Farm. We had no idea where we were going, and could only find GPS coordinates that landed us in the middle of the sea LOL. Strangely, Maciek some how found the correct coordinates by fluke!  We set off in a cloud of dust to hunt down some crocs!

Holy Hell! I've never seen a real crocodile before (none of us had) and I 'm not so sure, after seeing these giant beasts that i would like to tackle one EVER!! They are HUGE. We had a fantastic time at the crocodile farm. We were even privileged enough to watch a baby crocodile hatching from its egg. So amazing!!

Moving on from this little fella, went went out and admired the BIG BOYS!! and fed them of course. Krystian was fascinated and Bella was scared and cried (as usual).  

We highly recommend this crocodile farm to anyone. It was well priced and offered all there is to offer around crocodiles. We got a quick lesson on crocodile safety and things to know when around crocodile country; We foud this very helpful , considering we are heading well into croc country.  To finish off a fantastic tour we were able to hold and feel a small infant crocodile. 

Everyone was so well behaved we thought we would treat the kiddies to a swim at a local water slide swim park, but of course it was CLOSED!! Instead we spent the remainder of the afternoon swimming in the pools at the caravan park. The kids would live in the pool if they could!

Today also saw us learning handy hint & lesson number three. Double check the places you want to visit as we have discovered the last few days that many places only run two tours per day; and they are always on at the same time. Disappointing for us. We wanted to take the kids to the Aboriginal dream time center to  introduce the Aboriginal history to them, but, we failed at checking tour times and days and missed out on this fun exercise due to them only being open 10 - 3 Mon to Friday.With tours being 10:30 and 1pm. It was currently 1:30 when discovering this mistake. Woops!! We are sure we will find plenty more cultural centers on our travels but this one caught our eye due to them teaching you how to throw a boomerang properly. 

Krystian purchased a boomerang and is desperate to learn how to use it (properly).  

Tomorrow sees us heading for the Capricorn Caves and the Rockhampton Zoo. Here's hoping for another fabulous 28 degree sunny day. 

Cheerio... 

Day 24 - Hervey Bay - Rockhampton

WOW! what a long drawn out day. From Hervey Bay to Rockhampton is 420kms and it took us 5.5 hours to get there (just of driving not including stopping time). We are all exhausted, but we have to say i think the kids have learned their lesson from yesterday. Today saw the kids behavior improve ten fold and really try to be at their best  for one of the Longest drives we have had to date. We were/are really impressed and VERy pleased with this change. There are so many road works on the highways/motor/freeways its incredible. I think the longest stretch was sign posted for roadworks for following 85kms! Crazy!!! Thank god for Bundaberg in the middle and for the Rum Distilery! Not only did the big kids enjoy it but so did our little ones. Krystian loved learning about how they make alcohol from Malasis (a sugar by-product).  We enjoyed the taste testing (little people got to have soft drink). We discovered different labels of Bundy that we didn't know existed. I don't even like or drink dark spirits but i really enjoyed the Bundaberg Rum red label (so did Maciek strangely!.......we never like anything the same!). More exciting was the fact that in your entry pass you were given two complimentary taste tests from their own bar. They were full sized nips of any of the Rum labels (except one). We enjoyed our first drinks and for my second i enjoyed a special Bundaberg Liquor! It was beautiful. Enjoyed with cream. Of course you can only purchase this liquor at the Bundaberg distilary so we had to buy one to take home with us and not forgetting to mention, was the fact that we were able to tick of another of the Australian "Big Things" today. The Big Rum Bottle!

Bella and her love for self portraits - looking rather "odd"!

Sugar Cane

....and Again! This one's for Lette!

Me and my liquor!

We are all shattered from our big day of driving and it was a matter of racing the light to set up the tent and cook dinner. Finally, at ten thirty at night and maciek and I are calling it a day. Night all xx

Day 23 - Hervey Bay

After such an awsome day yesterday the kids woke in fine form today! and therefore so were we. The amount of persuading and arguing that had to occur this morning for Krystian to do one hour of school work took us three hours, and by the end of it we were all fuming and flustered. This was no the best start to the day. We had planned to skip the opportunity for a day trip to Fraser Island and spend the day down at the free water park "Wet side". But because of the kids bad behaviour we ended up not going there either. So eventually we ended up driving to the next city called Maryborough. Charming little city (we had to do something for ourselves and be able to punish the kids at the same time). Maryborough has more to offer than first meets the eye. One of Queensland's oldest cities, with many traditional queenslander homes (many appear to need bulldozing) and interestingly the birth place of P L Travers, the author of the original Mary Poppins. I didn't even realise that Mary Poppins originated in Australia.

We had read about an amazing national trust museum (run by all volunteers) that is called Brennan & Geraghty's store museum. It is a general store that was established in 1890's till 1975. It contains the most amazing things i think i have ever seen. It contains many products that were sold in the store dating as far back as the 1890's. Truly, truly amazing! Worth the whole $13 it cost us to visit this place. This museum would be an amazing place for older people to reminisce on their childhood. Krystian had a fabulous time learning all about the past or the "olden days" as he likes to call it. He even had the cheek to tell us he had a great day and wasn't bored at all! LOL 

Seedlings from 1930

book keeping station (complete with receipts from 1890's)

Good old Arrnotts and Kellogs

The photos don't do the museum justice!  On the way home to the "tent" we headed back (just for one more time) to Hervey Bays Ice Creamery. This would have to be the BEST ICE CREAMERY IN AUSTRALIA!!!  YUM! YUM!!

Tomorrow sees us driving from Hervey Bay to Rockhampton.
Until then.............

Day 22 - Hervey Bay

What a difference the night makes. Today we woke up to wonderful sunshine and a 28 degree day. As we had no plans it was off to the beach for some long deserved swimming and sand castle building. Bella and Krystian had a great time whilst us, the parents, soaked up the rays. It was quite surprising how warm the water was, however, no matter how warm little miss would still not go in.

I wonder what the poor people are doing ??????????

 After the swim we headed back for a quick change and off to the local icreamary for a nice cool down. Blond and I had the BEST ice-cream EVER, the younger kids enjoyed themselves very much.....

In the afternoon it was time for a spot of fishing on the second longest pier is Australia at 868m long. (BTW it takes FOREVER to walk there with fishing gear in one hand and a little person in the other) We did not catch any big ones; but every cast was a fish of some sought, all under 20cm long and certainly no keepers. but we all had a blast simply being out and having fun.

Dady and baby girl hand in hand going fishing. "Bella not like fishy"

To top of the day, as the sun began to set, we were privileged to encounter one of the most amazing suns sets we have seen in a long time. The photo does not do it justice, but it did make us OLD farts feel rather nostalgic about just what we were doing on this trip.

So now as we sit here, looking up at the clear night sky, wandering why we would want to be anywhere else.......