Fraser Island and the Eco-resort at Kingfisher Bay were absolutely beautiful on the morning we left, with sun shining as we packed up our stuff. But the humidity, heat and mosquitoes were there too and the journey back to the mainland with a fresh breeze was a relief.Next planned highlight was the Whitsunday islands, an 860km drive which we intended to split up into two days. After driving for 5 hours in a blasting 35 degree heat, we passed a town called Rockhampton and decided we would stop at the next town. Little did we know that this was the last town for 250km! It reminded us how big a country Australia is, with incredible space in-between everything.
The journey was still enjoyable. It is unbelievable to think how dry and arid parts of the country are because it is incredibly lush and green on the East Coast at the moment. This is not always the case, it seems. As we drove, we listened to local radio on the way and heard a farmer explaining that usually the land behind his house is red dust and yet right now, after 10 times the normal rainfall in January, it is full of long, swaying green grass.We also got to see some kangaroos in the fields, hopping across the grassland. What an amazing sight!
By the time the next town appeared, we'd driven
700 km, and stayed in the first motel we saw. The following morning at a bottle shop – the supermarkets often don't sell alcohol and there is often a drive-in booze shop next door – we met a lovely girl who gave us recommendations to head for Airlie Beach and a nice motel to stay at. We've had mixed experiences with people's recommendations (e.g. two people recommending a hostel where the ceiling fell in on us...) but this 
one was perfect. Sunlit Waters is a lovely little motel, with studio rooms next to a pool and a view across the bay and yacht harbour. It's also one of the cheapest places we've found and the view treated us to yet another lovely sunset.In the last couple of days, we've hung around the pool and the town, and I rented a scooter to head out to Dingo Bay. It was such a nice feeling to ride a scooter for the first time in 4 months, and you can hear the sounds and feel the atmosphere so much
better than in the car. The long, lush landscapes spread out before me, with the weird-looking cow-breed that populates the land staring at me as I took their picture.The beach itself was deserted and gorgeous. Nevertheless, no matter how inviting it is to plunge in, the water is dangerous and unforgiving. I took a picture of the board at Airlie Beach with warnings and advice about the various jelly fish and similar dangers of swimming at this time of year. Under the symptoms of a Box-Jelly Fish sting, it mentions “Severe burning skin pain. Victim may stop breathing and rapidly lose consciousness.”
In that case, I prefer to have a good look from a safe distance!
