Erik and Erin in Australia

The Whitsunday Islands sailing trip was absolutely wonderful. It was so fun and relaxing to be cruising around tropical islands on a boat. The weather was perfect, and the islands, beaches, and snorkeling were fantastic. The only problem with our nice sunny weather was that there wasn't a whole lot of wind for sailing. The captain did put the sails out on the last day as we were heading toward harbor, just for show. It was a great experience, even if we did depend on the engines instead of the wind on our "sailing" trip.

Next we headed south for Fraiser island, with a brief stop in Bundaberg for some rum. Fraiser island is the worlds largest sand island, and a very cool place. All the vehicles on the island have to be 4 wheel drive as the only paved roads are in one of the resort towns. The main highway on the island is down 65 miles of beach. It's actually an official Australian highway as well. The island trip was another wonderful two days of beaches, lakes, and impressive forests. The traveling life sure is tough.

Brisbane is a cool city that we visited for a couple of days. Here our car died on us (again), so we replaced the transmission (again). For some reason, my road trips often seem to involve transmission disaster. From Brisbane we drove to Surfers Paradise, which is a horribly tacky and overdeveloped stretch of beach with a name that draws loads of people. Byron Bay, a small surfing town just down the coast, was much much nicer. I can see the surfing lifestyle being appealing. I haven't tried it yet but I intend to.

Now we are in Sydney and Kim has safely returned to Canada. I am taking a break from my job hunt to write this update. I've worked for a few days as a labourer at a construction site, but I'm hoping for something easier and more consistent. Wish me luck!