Mom, Grandma, Reefs, and Beaches

The following is a collection of photos from our various outings with my Mother and Grandma.

Thanksgiving Monday - Cedar Creek Falls, Conway Beach and more

On Thanksgiving Monday we rented a car and took Will's mom and grandma on a bit of a scenic, backroads tour of Airlie Beach and area. First stop we made was to Cedar Creek Falls, about 15 mins. outside of Airlie Beach. As you can see from the photos, the day we went it was "Cedar Creek No-Falls" but apparently from what the locals say and the photos we've seen, after a good few weeks of rain, it is transformed into something absolutely beautiful. I enjoyed the scenery anyway.

After Cedar Creek we decided just to drive down the road to see where it ended up. We discovered the tiny community of Conway Beach, and although the tide is out in these photos, it definitely was a cool little place, worth checking out again and one of the places no one had ever even mentioned that we visit. Bonus for us I think!

 

After making our way back to the major highway we took a quick tour over to Dingo Beach and Hydeaway Bay because no one had been there except for me. The views this time weren't as stunning but it was still worthwhile to tour along and see what we could see.

 

Finally we made our way into Bowen and arrived with enough time to take some stunning sunset photos off of Flagstaff Hill. No matter how many times I visit these places (every weekend it seems) I'm always taken with how beautiful the out-of-the-way places are in comparison to the over-hyped tourist traps.

Our trip to the Great Barrier Reef on Thanksgiving

I think on everyone's Australia "to-do" list, snorkelling, diving or even just visiting the Great Barrier Reef is a top priority. Will always wanted to dive the reef and I was content to snorkel but we weren't sure if we'd ever get the chance to get out on the water. As our luck would have it, Will's mom and grandmother were kind enough to send all of us out to Reef World this past Sunday. Reef World is a pontoon anchored right off the Great Barrier Reef and has all of the dive/snorkel gear, change rooms and even a gift shop. Here are just a few of our photos of the day, we hope you enjoy them as much as we did taking them.

Dingo Beach, Hydeaway Bay and Sunset Beach

This past weekend us girlies went out on a bit of a sight-see day while Will and his tempermental tummy stayed home to do some cleaning. We cruised north just shy of Bowen to Dingo Beach and Hydeaway Bay. Here is a shot of Cassie, Heidi, Katie and Tara at Dingo Beach. I'd heard so much about the beach here but was quite disappointed to find that it was a shallow beach and that you couldn't swim directly off the beach (see the swimming enclosure in the next picture). Not satisfied with the beaches at Dingo we moved on to Hydeaway Bay, just down the road. The views along this stretch of coastline were magnificent but we continued through town on a gravel track, in search of a beach to call our own. We finally found it at the end of the road at Sunset Beach (see below). The water was so still, warm and peaceful that we stayed for a swim and a bit of suntanning. Next we drove into Bowen so the British girls could get their picture with the "Big Mango". Australia has a love affair with all "big things" in small towns along major highways, much like you would encounter across Saskatchewan if you were doing a road-trip (think the "Big Grasshopper" in Wilkie or the "Big Santa" in Eston - I think). We had a great day, got a bit sunburned and sang our hearts out in Fanny, the British girls car. The girls have all secured positions on nearby Daydream Island so they will be moving out there this week. It has been so much fun to have a housefull all this time. But not to worry because as we lose them, we'll be gaining Will's family this Wednesday.