WEEK 4 Gold Coast to Fraser Island

After leaving the Gold Coast we meandered up the inside waterways to Russell Island with the hope of catching up with Laurie and Kay, our "old" (only you Laurie) boating mates from our trip up here in 1994 and 95 when their little Tony was about 2.  Great to see little Tony again, now over 6ft and 21 and not forgetting dear little Jane (also not so little now) The always welcoming Griffins picked us up and took us back to their home for dinner where we met a lovely lady called Sue who lives on her beautiful boat in Malaysia, actually in Kota Kinabalu where we spent a week once on the way to England. We were telling her how a movie scene was being shot at the time we were there, in the hotel we were staying in. Starring Danny Glover and Gene Hackman, we still have photos of Danny in the pool with his arm around Grant who was about 10 at the time. Not to be outdone, I have a photo of me with the lovely Gene Hackman, it was very exciting at the time but the movies "Bat 21" was a bit of a fizzer.  It was nice to have a KK connection and hear of Sue's boating adventures in Asia. She travels home to Australia a few times a year and it was lovely to meet her and we had a great night, and a  great dinner with great friends.

After an IGA visit at Russell we again took off along the waterways heading towards Brisbane and had a night just off the beach at Peel Island.  Same again the next day, spending the night out on the point of Bribie Island ready for an early take off for Mooloolaba.  We passed Caloundra and did a left hand turn at the Mooloolaba breakwall.  Gave Grant Kenny a wave as we passed his mansion (sad Lisa's gone) and had a lovely free tie up on a private pontoon thanks to Bill & Jill who we met and became friends with while boating up to the reef in '94.  They were a wonderful help, getting Col to Whitworths for a new marine radio (other one sort of died on us) as well as having a hot yummy roast lamb dinner ready for us. Again, sadly, just like the Gold Coast we have to leave straight away and head for Wide Bay Bar and Fraser Island. (Your fault Trude, (only joking) it's foot down on the pedal as we zoom up to the Whitsundays ready for your visit onboard) It's at this stage that we start to relax a bit more with the worst behind us (we hope). From now on right up to Cooktown, Lizard Island etc. there are 100's of little islands & reef to hide behind if we have to.

I have to say that at this stage fabulous Qld is not living up to it's reputation of "beautiful one day, perfect the next".  It's more like "grey, cold and drizzle one day, greyer. colder and more drizzle the next".  To top it off, strong winds are on their way.