Dear All! Well, for me it seems like it has been a while since I last let you all know what I have been up to. Certainly a great deal has been frantically going on around me for the last couple of weeks, and I have just been trying to keep up. Last week (I think), Cat and I headed up to Cape tribulation. This is in Far North Queenslnd and quite a trek from anywhere (like Cairns which is 4 hrs south!). I now fully understand why rainforest is called RAIN-forest. Lets just say, you'd never get confused and call it dry forest. We stayed up in a Backpackers Village type comlex which was in all honesty a set of elevated Marquees right in the middle of the forest, there was also a small restaurant and kitchen. The 5 nights I spent there were heaven, The east coast could be considered to be another Ibiza, with just hundreds of 18 year old brits waiting to go to uni and practising drinking and partying as much as possible. Infact it is really quite hard to find an Aussie around hear since all the shop staff, hostel owners and bar staff are all British as well! Of course no Brit 18 Year Old in their right mind would want to retreat to a rain forest where there was just peace and quite and lots of "wholesome Activities" to do! - Well there were a few and they were all realy great fun! The first day in Cape Trib was spent horse riding in the middel of the rain forest and over the tree plantations. It is soooo un-English. In Oz they expect you to really push yourself in outdoor activities so by the end of the 3hrs half the group have pretty much got the hang of a riding trot and can also produce quite a competent canter. I also undertook a self guided rainforest walk, which has in turn destroyed one of my T-shirts due to the sheer volume of mud. Other activities at the Cape included a trip to a rainforest info centre (much better than a self guided walk) and a trip to some very isolated beaches where the forest literally reaches the sand. On the walk down Cat and I have to cross a river (our sadly mistaken hostel owner said it was only knee deep. She was very wrong (unless of course you are, Sid, or Andreas!). On my last day at the Cape I bit the financial bullet and decided to finally take to the Great Barrier reef on the Jungel Diver. The best way to describe it is: If your going to overshoot you budget in one day by 100%, it was the best way to do it. The coral was brilliant and interesting but marred by a lack of sun. The fish on the other hand were outstanding. Among the highlights were; turtles, blue spotted rays, angel fish, butterfly fish, parrot fish..... the list is endless. Further down the coast I made it out to Magnetic Is. (No Dan it is not really magnetic!). This was another sterling deal on the off season front (winter at the mo!). The days were easilty passed just relaxing in the sun and exploring a very rugged looking granite island. On our last day Cat and I took our second horse ride. This time galloping along the beach on brilliant yellow sand right on the waters edge in the glistening morning sun! After that we also got to ride our horses in the water (bareback) I cheekily also got my horse to trot bare back along the beach - lads, really don't try this unless the choir is short of a tenor! Off Magnetic Is. and a mad dash down to the WhitSundays where yesterday we took a day trip out on "On the Edge" - the fastest Catermeran on the Coral Sea. Well it would have been if it wasn't the hotest calmest day in the history of the Whitsundays. Fortunately the boat had a motor as well. This was my second trip out to the reef. The coral here was much more dramtic and called for snorkeling with a weight belt in order to get down to the bottom quickly. The fish here were not as interesting as in Cape trib though. From the day trip Cat and I jumped on the overnight bus to Hervey bay - where I am now). Tomorrow we head off for a 3 day self drive 4WD tour of the island - I can't wait! Anyway that is about it. Just 12 days left in Oz before we hit NZ! I hope all of you are well Rich