The kids forgot to mention that after we had dived and were on our way home, we saw a whale in the distance. We stopped the boat and waited but it disappeared out of sight. Then suddenly right in front of our boat a huge whale appeared and swimming alongside it was it’s baby. It was an amazing sight. They were so close you could see the shine on their skin. We were so lucky as the guys running the boat said it’s rare to see them this close. They were probably 10 metres from the boat and massive. We were all screaming and I was crying! The day on the reef was really good though. It cost over £500 but was worth it to see Jack diving with us.

hi ,is everyone ok. we went snorkling on monday and it was really cool, we saw loads of big  fish and we got to feed them prawns out of our hands and they were really cute. unfortunatly i didn’t get to go diving  but  i had fun snorkling.

ps if you are wondering why i am called pink fish it is because i got a new swimming costume and it is bright pink. see you soon xxx 

diving great in the sea everyone much better than a pool especailly on the great barrier reef.There is so many fish and coral and sea stuff. One woman saw a hammerhead shark but I didnt see it. I went for two dives and the first one was not as good because i had to hold on the the instructer but the next one was amazing you can sea so much. bad thing is I keep breathing to much air and nearly running out but other than that it was brilliant. see you soon everyone……..jack

it,s been hot very hot.Snorkelling was realy good we saw lot,s of turtles and fish but the best thing was the giant clams. We were on the water for about two hours and I didn,t get cold then we came back and got told one of the girls on our boat was Belle from home and away (not that i watch it).today we were in Cooktown and there was rays in the water and I made a spear to catch fish but wasnt lucky. see you soon……….jack

hi everyone. Today in cape tribulation we went snorklling and it was really cool.we saw lots of fish and massive clams and they were very colourful and the water was really clear and blue.we went for about 2 hours and the boat went really fast and it was cccoooooolll.missing you all hope you have a good summer see you soon xxx

We finally left Cape Tribulation after a fun day of snorkelling. We took the 4WD track up north to Cooktown. The road is very rough- corrigated mud all the way, though deep water creeks and 45 degree inclines. I drove this stretch and it was good fun if a little scary. It’s funny, at home you think about 4WDs being vehicles for jumped up posh housewifes. Here they are an essential part of life. It took us about three hours to get up to Cooktown, a non-descript ex gold mining town made famous for Captain Cook’s boat getting caught on the reef. It reminded me of a deserted wild west town. I probably would have thought the trip was a waste of time had it not been for the amazing free campsite we stayed at on the beach at a place called Archers Point, just outside of Cooktown. This place was amazing…secluded and beautiful with crystal clear waters. We saw stingray and mangroves and thousands of what I think are ghost crabs, all running down to the water at the same time. The pictures show these funny blue crabs. The sand balls next to them have been made by the crabs. They roll the sand up in their legs. There are billians of balls on the beach and several million crabs living under the sand. The other picture shows a bunch of them just after they jumped into the water. The big crab may not be that clear because it is under water. It was funny though. It kept trying to attack Jack’s spear. The attached picture shows the crab with it’s pincers in the attack position. If you click on the pics you get a better image.

The good thing about Australian campsites is that the more commercial ones have a camp kitchen. This is a godsend when the weather is bad as it’s the only dry place for miles. On a wet day the place is alive with the chatter of many different languages. Everyone is very friendly and we all compare trips and good places to visit. We have met backpackers here for a few months, retired wrinklies that have sold up and are travelling Australia, the odd hippy and a few holiday makers here for a precious few weeks waiting hopefully for the rain to stop. Until yesterday it had been raining for days and if it wasn’t for the campkitchen (see pic), spirits would be low. I sit in here as I type this, listening to Jack Johnson on someones stereo. M
arc, Jack’s new dutch friend is playing guitar in the background. Jack has made friends with a bunch of dutch teenagers. We all went kayaking this morning. It was too windy to catch any decent sea-life but we had fun kayaking through the big waves. The kayak picture was taken at a creek near to where we camp. It has a baby crocodile living in it so we can’t swim there.

Our campsite at Cape Tribulation is beautiful. Right on the classic Aussie Dream Beach. We have been swimming in the sea despite the rain as the water is like bath water. The mangroves here are amazing. Such strange and beautiful shapes. Many of the fish lay their eggs in the mangroves. The pictures show the mangrove roots, the crocodile creek and the kids playing footie on the sand in a snatched moment of sunshine.

First day we got here there was lots of coconuts on the beach. At first I wasn’t sure which ones were ripe but now i know. I collected seven and we cracked two open and ate them. I met some boys at the site and we’ve been climbing the trees to get them. A man at the site who did the kayak tours said if you can get the green ones they have bubble juce in and are really nice to drink. Missing you all,have a good summer……….Jack

hi we have found lots of coconuts on the beach and have been eating them and i now like them but jack will tell you more.Today we went kayaking and it was really fun because there were lots of big waves.i was with Robbie and he kept steering us into the rocks.we have played lots of cards because the weather has been so bad.