We set sail again on the Friday for Rooney Point at the northernmost tip of Fraser Island. A wonderful day for sailing – and again and again we are treated to turtles and dolphins, and the elegant humpback whales sharing the ocean with us.

The boys climbed sand dunes and played in the waves – we were all by ourselves but for the pelicans sitting at the water’s edge and whales gracefully passing by into the bay.

The boys have been brilliant. Happy and enthusiastic – and so reveling in time with their father, and in our time as a family. We have to take it in turns to see who sits next to daddy each mealtime. The loser gets the booby-prize..mum!! Gerhard looks relaxed and tanned …. and I look as if I’ve been let out on day-release from the leprosy colony! 🙂 The aftermath of the sand fly attack has 10 days later all but disappeared.

As we travelled to Lady Musgrave Island (a 4.30AM start and arriving just before sunset) there was no wind, so a tedious day of slowly motoring along – rolling with over the swell and Hugo lethargic with seasickness. Today’s sightings again included acrobatics by dolphins, whales, turtles, birds, marlin and some flying fish – much to Oscar’s delight. He sits out there at the front of the boat with his dad and chats about I’m not sure what – for hours.. 🙂

Lady Musgrave Island was stunning. Gerhard taught the boys to use their new snorkels and fins and off we went.
They took to it like…fish to water! Hugo dived down with his father and I tried to keep up with Oscar who was chasing after fish across the reef. What looked a small reef shark caught Oscar’s eye as well as a beautiful turtle swimming which we followed for a while. Both boys seem to manage to squeal and talk underwater…can’t imagine who they get that from!

With both boys safely back in the dinghy Gerhard and I snorkelled a little more. Gerhard came back and indicated that I get myself on board, and mouthed the word “shark”! He’d seen one on the edge of the bit of reef, about 5-6 feet long. His immediate thought was ‘how on earth are we going to get Gilli back into the dinghy quickly?’. He had been trying to work out whether to get in first and then drag me in (and how to explain to my mother that he’d left me in the water to be chewed on by a passing shark as my legs flailed in the water enticingly) or to be chivalrous and get me I first and then follow, but would we both be a lunchtime snack for the shark? My climbing into the dinghy from the water with snorkel, fins and wet suit has been less than nimble and the cause of great mirth (and on my part disbelief that I can be quite so hopeless) in honesty it makes no difference whether I’m kitted out for snorkelling or just in my swimmers, I’m still hopeless!

The sunsets at Lady Musgrave were delightful – which we enjoyed with the bottle of bubbly given to us by our estate agent on the completion of our house sale, and Foie Gras sent from my friend Wid.

Lady Musgrave Dinner

Early next morning we left for Kingfisher Resort further north but still on the west coast of Fraser Island and spent the day playing on the beach and chasing crabs, swimming in the clear blue water, as still as a mill pond, and chasing Daddy! Oscar spent hours sculpturing small rocks into ‘artefacts’ (like the aboriginals mum’). His plan is to sell them …not too sure about the chances of that happening.

As the wind came up we headed for the protected side of Woody Island – a quiet night with just turtles and dolphins for company. Next morning we sailed in to Urangan Marina/ Hervey Bay, ahead of a big wind. We were happily tied up by the time the wind hit us – sounded like something from Scott of the Antarctic blowing through the rigging, but clearly wasn’t given that we were still walking around in shorts and T-shirts!

The boys enjoyed the Wet Side Water park (I recommend that one), Gerhard worked and we restocked and refuelled the boat.