Fraser Island

Fraser Island is the world's largest sand island. It is just off the coast of Australia and is 120 km long by 15 km wide. It is a World Heritage site. It has very diverse vegetation and also interesting wildlife. We packed up our snorkels and swim kit and headed off for the 3 hour drive up the coast.

I finally decided to read the guidebook on the journey up. Hmm...Deadly Dingoes - In 2001, a 9 year old was eaten by a dingo on the island. Always walk in pairs, never feed the dingoes, maintain eye contact. Next bit in the book said, "Swimming in the sea is deadly." Sounding less appealing by the moment. Between the strong undertoe and the sharks, never go in the ocean. So much for our snorkels. But at that point, it was too late to turn back.

We had signed up for a whale watching day. I had visions of being sick for 3 hours and not seeing a whale. I have heard some stories - one man was so ill he lost his dentures as he threw up overboard. Armed with ginger tablets, we set off. The day was perfectly calm and sunny. Because we were on the Western side of the island, it is quite sheltered. The Humpback whales that migrate to Antartica stop in the bay with their young. The use the time at Fraser Island to relax and teach their calves some tricks - like tail flapping, pectoral slapping and also breaching. The whales uses these noises to communicate with other whales, but also they seem to do them just because it's fun. The breaching was spectacular - the whale launches most of her body out of the water and then comes crashing down. Also, we saw a wonderful display where a mother was tail slapping. After a few minutes, the baby was giving it a go. Then the two of them tail slapped together for several minutes. It was a great day out and no sea sickness!

The other spectacular wildlife on the island however, remained elusive. When we went out for a night walk, we didn't see a thing for about an hour and a half. A snail was the most interesting - I missed seeing a cane toad (quick - pass me a shovel...) But finally we did see a Sugar Glider that leapt from one tree to another in full flight. That is a very strange little creature that has webbing between the front and back legs - so it can "fly" up to 120 metres. We never did see a dingo, but that's probably just as well.

One of pictures I will post show's Elliott swimming in one of the lakes on the island. The lakes are very clear and even more important - safe to swim in. It was a bit chilly and windy, so only a few people braved

getting in. We went on a tour of the island. I was glad we did because the driving looked a bit nerve wracking. You need a 4 wheel drive and the sand tracks are very rough. I would have been biting my nails all day had Tim been driving, and I didn't fancy the idea of shovelling out a bogged car. There was some lovely section of beach driving where you can drive along the beach for about 65 km. There are no rules about which side of the beach to be on - just look out for sunbathers!

First Annual Green Bridge Run

Earlier this month, we signed up to do a run to celebrate the new "Green Bridge" that opened at University of Queensland this year. I think I have mentioned the bridge before, but in case I didn't - it is a bridge that goes over the Brisbane River joining part of the city and UQ. It isn't really the color green, but it's green in the sense only buses, bikes and pedestrians can use it.

There was the choice of an 8 km run or a 4 km run. I thought 4 km would be plenty for us all as I had asked some friends to join us and they have a 5 year old. Tim and Elliott were up to the challenge and set off at a torrid pace. I don't seem to be much of a runner anymore - feeling a bit too old these days. So I walked with my friend and her son. It was a lovely spring morning and the course was a beautiful loop along the river and over the bridge.

Tim and Elliott both managed to finish 4th place in their age groups. I sqeaked in just ahead of a very old golden retriever with hip dysplasia. UQ then had an open day where everyone could use the facilities for free. It is a lovely place in a fantastic setting. We went for a swim. Elliott talked Tim into going on the bouncy slide in the pool. It was funny to watch adults trying to manage it. The lifeguard said adults are always trying to "help" the little ones and end up wiping out. We are already looking forward to the 2nd annual run!

Politics and Comedy

Australia has just finished hosting the APEC summit. I think that means Asian Pacific Economic Conference or some such. It seems to be like a G8 meeting, but focusing on this region. Australia spent 250 million dollars on security for the event. A giant steel wall was erected around the Central Business District of Sydney to make sure the protesters wouldn't cause too much trouble. Most presidents and premiers arrived on various commercial airlines with little fanfare. However, George Bush's arrival was much more elaborate. Air Force One with all the trimmings, the armored car, the snipers on the roof tops. There was a huge to - do about his safety.

The APEC summit had George Bush a little on the back foot because he is very unpopular about Iraq here. Also, he was a bit defensive about the role of China in the region. As the US has focused on Iraq, China has gone from strength to strength. The Chinese signed a 45 billion dollar deal with Australia for Liquified Natural Gas and have now become the largest trading partner of Australia.

But the funniest event was when a famous comedian dressed up as Osama Bin Laden and managed to get thru 2 checkpoints and arrive within 10 metres of Bush's Hotel. There is a show called "The Chaser's War on Everything." It is a mixture of politics and silly antics - a cross between Dom Jolly and The Daily Show. The guys put together a motorcade of Black SUV's with Canadian flags on them and bluffed their way into the secure zone. When they had almost arrived at Bush's hotel, they had to get out of the car because someone finally realized the guy was dressed up as Osama Bin Laden. The whole episode was rather hilarious and made a mockery of the 250 million dollar security system. You can view the whole thing on You Tube - of course. I think the guys are lucky a zealous Secret Security agent didn't kill them.

Also in the news, our state of Queensland will have a new Premier. The current one, Peter Beattie, is stepping down. There will be a new one in his place - for the first time there will be a female premier here, Anna Bligh.

Not much new on personal level. Tim was away alot during the past month. Elliott and I have been holding the fort. One more week of school term before a little break.