Day 10 - Lady Elliot Island

Friday 8 October 2010

Today  was our last full day on the island.  We went on the glass-bottomed boat trip which was fun, although we didn't see any manta rays or turtles.

Here are some photos:-

An anchor on the floor of the reef.

 Joe saw an anenome fish!

 This is a photo of the boys looking down into the glass-bottomed boat, taken by Joe under the boat.

After the boat trip we went to the pool, and we made a raft with noodles.  We tied it together with towels and rode on it.  It fell apart eventually.

Then we had a shower, lunch (a buffet - we had cheese and tomato sandwiches, and a milkshake) and then did some packing and watched a movie.  We got our ice creams (Mya's prize ice cream!) and then went to see the fish feeding at the fish pool.  Then Jane and Joe kept packing and tidying up, and we hung out with our friends in the Manta Lounge.

We went to bed after hearing the end of Matilda.  We were pretty tired. Tomorrow we go home to Sydney.  We are both looking forward to seeing our dogs - Zac and Gemma (Stella) and Crumbles (Mya), and of course Mya is looking forward to seeing her parents again.

Day 9 - Lady Elliot Island

Thursday 7 October 2010

Jane bought us some pet turtles! Stella's is named Coral and Mya's is named Seaweed.

Today  we went on the snorkel safari!  This is a boat which takes you out, then you snorkel and the boat follows you, and you get to snorkel at the best places.  Today was really cool because the manta rays were out, and the boat took us back to where the mantas were three times!

Here we are on the boat.

We got really close to the manta rays!

In the evening we were pretty tired, but it was Reef Bingo and we wanted to play.  So we went to the bar with Jane and Joe at 8 pm and we played two games of Reef Bingo, where you are given animals and places around Lady Elliot Island and you mark them off with bottle tops.  Mya won the second game!  Stella was the best at our table in the first game.  The prize was an ice cream the next day.

Day 8 - Lady Elliot Island

Wednesday 6 October 2010

After breakfast we went to Reef Rangers in the morning.  It was a lot of fun and we played with our friends. We had lunch with the family and in the afternoon we went swimming in the lagoon, and we saw a turtle which let us scratch her back!  Tassia had the camera so when we get photos from her we will put them here.

We saw other turtles too, but only one let us touch her.  She was very relaxed and was eating coral while we scratched her.

In the evening we watched Mr Bean's Holiday with our friends.  It was so funny!

Day 7 - Lady Elliot Island

Tuesday 5 October 2010

This morning we went back to Coral Gardens with the whole family.  We wanted to go to the Shark Pool, so we checked out where it was on the map and we found it!  We saw fourteen sharks.  They were mainly white-tipped or black-tipped reef sharks. Here are some pictures.

We also saw stingrays (blue spotted lagoon rays), an eagle ray, and some turtles, including a big male turtle, he was huge!

Here we are swimming at Coral Gardens.

We went back for lunch and in the afternoon we went to Reef Rangers. We made shark-net scarves.  We have made some friends, Annie and Elissa and Ella and Isabel and Vella.

It was a really fun day, the weather was beautiful and the sharks were awesome.

Day 6 - Lady Elliot Island

Monday 4 October 2010

This morning we had breakfast and headed off to the glass bottomed boat for a snorkel trip. The boys were coming too, but Tassia stayed behind. So there were six of us, and a lady from England named Sarah. We saw manta rays from the boat, and turtles being cleaned by fish, through the glass at the bottom of the boat.

Here is a picture of a manta ray:-

 and us on the boat.

Stella got a coral cut, but we saw turtles while we were swimming. It was really cool, and the boys went swimming too.

The boat dropped us off at Coral Gardens, so we stayed there.  We played on the coral flat, and then went snorkelling with Jane and we saw a ray, lots of big fish, a Moorish Idol, and ... a shark! It was a black-tipped reef shark and we had just given up looking for sharks and were on our way home, and then we saw it! It was very exciting.  Jane was too excited to take a good photo.  Here is one of a fish school we swam over.

We found a hermit crab we have named Little Dude.  We are keeping him in a bucket with coral and sea water for a few days, and will put him back tomorrow morning.

We had lunch and then went to Reef Rangers, where we made sea glass necklaces.

After that we had a snorkel in the lagoon, but it was high tide and so it was a bit difficult to get out of the waves.  We had a shower, then went to the rec room to watch a movie  before dinner. 

Mya’s comment on the day: I had lots of fun snorkelling in the morning.  It was probably the best snorkelling I have done. We saw three turtles, a ray and a shark. But at the end of the day I swallowed some water and couldn’t breathe for more than five seconds.

Stella’s comment on the day:  First we had breakfast, which I really liked, and then the most exciting bit of the day ... we ... went ... on ... a ... small ... boat!!!! (glass bottomed boat).

Days 4 and 5 - Lady Elliot Island

Saturday 2 October

Today we left Hervey Bay for Lady Elliot Island! We flew on a tiny plane which only took 10 passengers. 

We were right at the back!  The first plane we got on had a problem with a door alarm, and we had to change planes. But we were only a little bit late.  And we were still right at the back.

We got off the plane and learned about the dangerous creatures of the island, and then went exploring.  We had lunch (a buffet!) and had a snorkel lesson, then we had a snorkel in the lagoon.

Our snorkel lesson with Nikki ...

 

And getting our flippers on for snorkelling in the lagoon!

We went for Island Whispers which is where you get a fruity drink for the first night, and also spring rolls (every night).  We played pool with a girl called Vella and Stella ate SEVEN spring rolls!

After dinner we went on the Night Stalk with our torches.  We saw tree frogs, and heard some spooky stories of the island ghost.  There is a graveyard on the island, and a lighthouse, and also an area called the “Chinese Graveyard”.  SCARY!

We got to bed late but it was a fun day.

Here is our house (we have both halves because there are 7 of us)

 

Here is the view from the front:

and here is the view from our room! We think it is the nicest room in the house.

Sunday 3 October

We started the day with a buffet breakfast.  Our job was to go to to the restaurant and choose a nice table which wasn’t too windy and would seat us all.  We got a nice table!  We both had eggs and then a fruit danish. YUM.

After breakfast we went to Reef Rangers, the island kids’ club.  We did tie dye with Justine and made bandannas. We have Reef Rangers badges and activity books.

Then Jane picked us up and we went to lunch.  Mya had chicken nuggets and Stella had fish and chips, and we had a mango and coconut drink afterwards.

After lunch we were pretty tired, so Jane read us some chapters of Matilda and then we went swimming in the pool, where we played with squirt guns and noodles.  At 3pm we watched the fish being fed outside our cabin, and then we went back to the pool.  We are having so much fun swimming!

Here we are in the lagoon outside our house.

We saw some buff banded rail chicks – they are so CUTE.

Day 3, Hervey Bay

First thing in the morning ... we had a swim after breakfast!  (a long one).  Here we are on our way to the pool.

 

Here is the lovely pool, with a spa (view from our balcony).

After the pool, we had a snack, and then it was time to go to the dentist for Mya's split tooth.

Here we are, sitting outside the hotel waiting for the taxi.  Mya had her tooth extracted! It was a bit painful but she was very brave and her gum was numb.  Now it isn't numb but she only has a bit of pain.  It should be fine tomorrow.

After the dentist, we picked up an 8-seater bicycle buggy! Joe and Jane pedalled and everyone else was too short.  The boys were up the front, Jane and Joe were next, and Mya, Stella and Tassia had the back row to themselves.

We went in the buggy to a park where we had lunch, and then went swimming at the beach which had a pier with lots of teenagers hanging around.  We went to the souvenier shop where Mya bought a plastic echidna called Spiky.

Here we are swimming in the ocean.  It was fun.  It was fantastic!

Angus went swimming, then lay in the sand.  He looks like Angus Schnitzel.  (heheheheheheheeee)

We made a waterway in the sand. It had two tunnels but it didn't work, because we didn't have a bucket. It was still fun making it though.

After a few minutes, we finished.  This is what it looked like.

Then we pedalled back.  We got slushies! and got very very cold.  We got a taxi home, and got straight into the spa to warm up while Joe cooked dinner on the barbecue.

Mya turned into a bubble in the spa (with bubbles going up her rashie).

Stella's comment on the day:-  Um, um, um, ... um ... it was very exciting er ... and fun.  The best bit was watching Mya get her tooth pulled out.
Mya's comment on the day:  I had lots of fun, and one of the most exciting days I've had so far.  The best bit was getting my tooth pulled out.