20.49S; 149.17E WHITSUNDAY ISLANDS

Around the world with the Aqualunies
Jonathan & Gabrielle Lyne
Tue 24 Aug 2010 08:08
24TH AUGUST, 2010

Donald Hughes left us yesterday to go to HK on his way back to the UK.  It was so sad saying good-bye to him he has become such a dear friend on the yacht and we all got on very well together we will miss him.
We said our 'good-byes' to the remaining Blue Water Rally fleet this morning and have motored up to the Whitsundays to Brampton Island for the night.  There is quite a cool wind blowing although it is lovely and sunny.  We had to motor as the wind is coming from the North at the moment.  It feels very strange leaving the BWR after 8 months together helping each other through any problems and enjoying social life with them, we will definitely miss them but at the same time it is never really 'good-bye' as I expect we will meet up again on the high seas or even at a BWR reunion.

Tomorrow we set sail for Hook Island where we hope to meet up again with David de Kantzow and Malcolm and Glynis Gibson who will have arrived from HK.  Maggie Crichton has just returned to Sydney from Singapore and called and wants to come and join us as well for a few days, so should be a lot of fun.

We have had some fun over the last few days besides sorting out the yacht.  We rented a car and drove up into the mountains and did a lovely walk through tropical rain forest, such beautiful flora and fauna, so green, tropical and lush with huge fern trees.  Unfortunately both 'the boys' managed to pick up leaches on their legs so they had to be removed leaving lots of lovely blood behind. I had some on my shoes but they never made it to my legs.  We sat quietly by the river later in the afternoon but never managed to see Duck Billed Platypus, we discovered after we got back that they are seen more often in a pool further down river from where we were, never mind, another day.  There were lots of wild Forest Turkeys running around nothing like the turkeys you have in the UK, see photo.  Whilst we were on Platypus watch hundreds of Cockatoos were roosting and making a hell of a noise.  The birds are amazing so many varieties and the bird song is superb.





Tree trunk

 



Wallaby

 



Hillsbourgh Peninsular beach

 



Gabbie's rally T shirt.

 



Fungi on tree trunk in Eungella park

 



Forest wild turkey

 



Jonathan in Eungella National Park, Mackay, Aus'

 



Cockatoo

 



David de Kantzow on his boat