Our day at Great Keppel Island.

Hi everyone!

We've had a great day today, spent most of it at Great Keppel Island. The Island itself is rather run down, mainly due to the Government not letting the people who had the major resort on the island up-grade it once they closed it for the purpose of up-grading it. Bloody Peter Garret! We were told though that in time they think that something will happen because there has been so much pressure on the government to make it a great place to be again. In saying all this, there is some accom. there in the forms of cabins or self contained units. There was a souvenir shop, which mainly had rip curl supplies and not all that much in the way of GK merchandise! There was a Pizza restaurant also, but apparently the man there needs encouragement to open! We ate at the Great Keppel Bar and Bistro. They people there were friendly enough and happy to answer any questions we had. That's about all that we could find.
  We took the freedom fastcats boat over to the Island. It took about half hour to get over there. Once there we then got on a glass bottom boat and headed over to North Keppel Island. We saw lots of lovely coral and fish. We fed the fish and this made for some more fun activity under the water and above at times! The kids thought this was great, even Flick was impressed! Once off the glass bottom boat we had the rest of the day to do what we wanted on the Island. We sourced out our lunch as I explained earlier and then we spent some fun time at one of the many beaches at the Island. The water is so clear, really lovely. The kids had so much fun swimming in the water. Trent and I still thought it was a little cold, but managed to have a fun time with the kids. Maurice swam nude all afternoon, he didn't want to get into his togs! He had no care in the world what so ever, so we just let him go. Pheobe was just so happy to be in the water. Felicity is still getting use to the beach and the water going in and out (which makes you a little unstable at times), but she was happy to paddle along side us or clinging to us at times too!
 After everyone had finished swimming, we dried off and got dressed. We then headed back to the bar for a cool drink and then made our way back along the beach to have a look at where the resort once was. They just have a fence up all the way around it, such a shame that it's not being used. Back we then went to the beach where the boat was picking us up from and spent some time playing in the sand and just taking it all in before heading back home. The boat ride home was good, Flick slept in my arms, she was so exhausted after such a busy day.

Back at the van, we unloaded, then took the kids for a bath. Back to the Children's bathroom we went. Guess who was there? The Frog, so we took his picture this time and then Trent managed to get him out of the toilet and release him. So we hope that he's all good now. Had a BBQ and Salad for dinner. Kids are all in bed with no convincing, I've had a shower and feel much fresher without sand all over me! So, it will be a pretty early night considering. The wind is getting up tonight and they say that there is rain and storms to be expected, so we will do some driving around tomorrow and head into Rockhampton for a look around and I'm hoping to find the Great Western Hotel for perhaps lunch or something.
 Anyway, I've included some photos from today's events that I think you will all enjoy. Take care until we blog again, Love The Guye Gang! xoxoxoxoxo

The boat we went to Great Keppel Island on.

Krista, Pheobe & Felicity on the Glass Bottom Boat.

Maurice & Trent on the Glass Bottom Boat.

Pheobe holding some dried 'Brain' Coral.

Some coral looking through the glass bottom boat glass.

The Fish Feeding!

Pheobe swimming in the water.

Maurice swimming in the water!

Maurice showing his best side!

Trent, Pheobe, Maurice & Felicity enjoying the water.

Pheobe playing in the sand.

Krista, Trent & Felicity on the beach.

A view of one of the beaches on the Island.

Maurice soaking up the sun!

Pheobe soaking up the sunshine too!

As you can see, we have had a wonderful day playing in the sun, water and sand!

Lots of Love, Hugs and Kisses to everyone. xo

We have arrived at Yeppoon!

Hi everyone!

So we have arrived at Yeppoon, we are staying at a Big4 near Mulambin Beach. It's 8kms from Yeppoon, which is about 30kms from Rockhampton on the coast. We were recommended the area by the man who ran the park that we stayed at last night near 1770.
 The park was in the bush, we tried to get into every place near 1770 or even Agnes Waters but had no luck. We even checked out a free camp site but when Pheobe took it upon herself to chase the 'Big Lizard' or what most people call a Goanna, I said to Trent that I couldn't stay there! Anyway, we had some time to check out 1770 (where in May 1770 Captain Cook landed on Qld soil for the first time). It was a lovely place near great beaches and lookouts. Had some time for a play at the park and an icy pole each. We had dinner at the Agnes Waters Tavern which was good too.
 Before we left Bundaberg we did a tour of the rum distillery. It was really interesting and yes of course Trent and Krista did the taste test at the end! We could actually have 2 test tastes but because of driving we only had one each - Shame it was nice!  And yes Luke - Krista actually drank the RUM and enjoyed it!!! The kids thought it was fun to visit the place where they make the drink that Uncle Luke likes! Pheobe even pointed out all the collectable cans that she has seen at Luke's house!

This was the 1st Bundy bear that we came across. They sure know how to have a good time!

Pheobe, Maurice and Felicity in front of the Big Rum Bottle! One for your screen saver Luke!

Trent and Krista in front of the Big Rum Bottle.

The Caravan outside one of the sheds at the Rum Distillery.

Kids playing at the park at the town of 1770.

The view from the park at 1770. The tide is out as you can see.

Guess what they are doing here??? They all thought it would be funny to do!

This is what they were suppose to be doing with the icy poles!

Anyway, that's about all of the photo's we have for now. The place we are staying at is rather good. The kids flushed the toilet tonight and discovered a green frog coming out of the toilet, so that was a little crazy for them. Maurice said he isn't going to that toilet again!!! Pheobe just couldn't believe that it was in there! We are looking at going over to Great Keppel Island at some stage and we are also going to go back into Rockhampton for a look around and maybe a meal at the Great Western Hotel - Lee Kernaghan territory!!! We will be here for tonight, Sunday night and Monday night, so good time to explore and see the area.
  The weather seems to be getting warmer during the day time, but still rather cold at night. We are using a heater just to take the chill off most nights!

Best be going now for some sleep, Flick still hasn't got it right yet. She ended up in bed with us last night for at least half the night. I (being Krista) could really do with some sleep, it's getting to me now! I've cleaned up after our roast chicken and veg for dinner tonight, so it's time for some sleep.
Hope everyone is keeping well and enjoying the blog!
Oh, must say congrats to Kim and Grant on the arrival of their new baby girl Coco, we are so excited for you all and hope things are going well. And, a quick Happy Birthday to Grandma McCarthy for yesterday too.
Until the next blog, take care everyone!
Love & Friendship Always,
The Guye Gang!  TKPMF  xoxoxoxoxo

BUNDAGERG!

Well, we made it to Bundaberg yesterday! After finally finding some accom we checked in the van and got ourselves unpacked & organised. There is going to be an air show here over the weekend so there is a shortage in any type of accom. The park that we are staying at is close to a lot of things but it's not that exciting. It's rather close to a main road and noisy, you can hear the trains at night and it's kind of in the industrial area of town. In saying that, we are still able to do all that we need to do. I guess we can't expect it as good as we have been getting it all the time. I think if the air show wasn't going to be held in a day that we would of had more choice because there are a number of caravan parks here.

So, our first stop was at the info. centre to find out what else there was to do here except for the Bundaberg Rum Distillery of course! We were directed to a few things and we have done a few of them. We went to a place called Bargara which is about 10km's out of Bundaberg. Here, we went to a place called the Basin and we fed wild fish with some bread scraps! This town was rather lovely, right on the beach and somewhere we wished we had of heard of before check into the park in Bundaberg, as the caravan park there was pretty good in comparison. And, being near the water is appealing to us too!
 Last night I (Krista) was on a quest for a beer, it was rather warm and I hadn't had one for a while. Got that and also got takeaway for dinner, so no dishes was very exciting!!! Beer was great! Kids got into bed reasonably early and so did I. It was all to good to be true, all 3 were awake or up at some stage in the night. I think the noise of this place was a little disturbing to them. Flick in the end had a bottle, some panadol, a cuddle with Trent and I and then was happy to get into bed again. It was closer to the 7am mark before they all woke up which was good.

Today, we did another wash up of the clothes (it was cheaper here to do a load than anywhere else we have been, so I thought I'd take advantage of it!). We then went to the Bundaberg Ginger Beer factory. It was good to look around there, went on an interactive tour which included a tasting of all the drinks they produce at the factory. The kids enjoyed this bit! It was interesting to see how it all works and how it's produced. It's still a local family owned business which is great also. There seems to be an abundance of sugar cane plants around here and now we know why. We actually had to stop for a train carting the sugar cane into the factory on the main road. We collected our souvenirs after the tasting and took a few photo's then left.
 Back at the van we had some lunch and then I got a very tired Flick down for a sleep and Phe and Maurie had some down time too. Trent was busy on the net and I thought that because Flick was down I'd have a rest on the bed too. Got all the washing in and then once everyone was awake and ready we took another drive through the main street and CBD area of Bundaberg. Took the kids to a park for a while and then took a drive to a place called  Burnett Heads. Here we also discovered the Port of Bundaberg. This is where they ship the sugar out, or at least that's what we have come to decide is right. We didn't find any locals to speak to there to find out if we were right or not, but I think we were pretty right in our guess. After looking around there, we went to Mon Rocks. This is a conservation area where in the right season, Turtles come to lay and hatch their eggs. We went on to the beach where the turtles usually come because the gate was open for us to go through. We think that when its the right time for the turtles that they must close it off and then charge people to go and see them. From there we went back over to Bargara and had some burgers and chips for dinner. It was nice just to do something different.
 Back at the van now, showered and into bed for the kids and I'll keep my fingers crossed that they all sleep well over night. We are thinking that we might do a tour at the Bundy Rum factory tomorrow am and then head on to the next port of call - a place called 1770. This place is where Captain Cook landed on Queensland soil in the year of 1770. We were recommended to go and check it out, so we thought we'd take a look.
We both think Bundy is a huge town but don't understand the attraction. There are so many other lovely places to stay close by that we'd recommend those before Bundaberg its self. We also can't get over the how big all these other little towns that are close by are. It's almost as though they have been built for when they become really popular! or perhaps they are when the weather is warmer and we just don't know about it. We need to get more into before we leave so that all these questions are answered.

So, everyone is doing well. I have included some pic's for you all to check out. Until our next post, take care.

Pheobe, Maurice & Felicity with the Bundy Bear at the info. centre.

The train carting the sugar cane into the Bundaberg Ginger Beer Factory.

The small fish at the Basin in Bargara.

The Barrel - Bundaberg Ginger Beer Factory.

Pheobe & Maurice part of the interactive tour that we took.

The old Truck at the Factory. It's in a glass shed, so the photo isn't that great. Maurice got a collectable toy one of these as his souvenir.

At the park, Felicity & Maurice on the slide.

Pheobe at the park way up high on a climbing frame.

Maurice, Pheobe & Felicity at the Mon Rocks beach.

Krista & Trent at the Mon Rocks beach! Pheobe took this photo.

So, there you have it, the last two days in photo's. We hope to have some more for you soon.
Love to everyone,
The Guye Gang!  xoxoxoxoxo

An update at Hervey Bay before we move on.

Howdy all!

Just a quick update before we move on from Hervey Bay tomorrow. We have had yet another great day in the sun here. Managed some more washing to keep us going, a bike ride along the esplanade and Pheobe and Maurice a swim in the pool. It's really too cold the water but they seem to cope okay until their lips go blue and start chattering! It's really a great place to visit Hervey Bay, esp. when the whales are in. That's between 1st August through to the 31st of October every year. There is plenty of other things to do of course and it's a huge town with everything you could possibly want or need.
 Speaking of wanting or needing, yesterday when I was up dating you all with the Whale pic's, Trent and Pheobe took the car off to get a wheel alignment after or trip to Fraser Island. When they arrived back 2 hours later, the car had 4 new tyres! They also ordered another for the spare which was collected today and on the back of the car now. Just an expense we didn't think we'd have but apparently the man who did the tyres showed Trent everything and he was so surprised that we even made it through Fraser, let alone here to Hervey Bay, and particularly with the caravan on! So, I guess a good expense after all. The car is much smoother I must admit and no steering wheel shaking anymore!!!!

So, getting back to today, here are some pic's of what we got up to:

The kids getting ready to go on the ride!

Maurice and Felicity on the front as we were riding along!

Krista, Pheobe and Trent in the back! Trent and Krista were the ones that had to do all the hard work!

The Guye Gang on our ride along the esplanade in Hervey Bay.

Pheobe in the pool testing out her new snorkeling gear!

Maurice just cruising around in the pool too.

We had our mail delivered today! Thanks GD and Nannie Di for all your help with that. It was good to go through it all. Pheobe received her letter of acceptance into Clairvaux Catholic Primary School for next year, so we are very happy with that news. Only one Bill to pay, so we got through it pretty good.

We also spoke to Nannie Rose today and she told us that Mac and Mollie are having a good time on the farm while we are away, so that made us all happy too. We must also say thanks to Poppy for looking after them when Nannie and Papa were away. We spoke to Nannie Jac and Poppy yesterday and they both sounded well, just cold!!! We hope the weather improves for you all, but any time you want to visit us, there is room and we'd love to see any of you if you can make it!

Don't forget to join this site, we want as many followers signed up as we can. Once you sign up and join and follow us you can write comments back to us which we'd love to read also.

Well, that's all the news that we have for now. The kids are all in bed after a busy day. Pheobe was so hungry and exhausted tonight, even eating what Trent left of his dinner! I think the swimming has made her this way tonight. I've also told them that if they slept longer in the mornings, instead of getting up anywhere from 6am onwards, then they would have a lot more energy as well! I can only try I guess!!!!

Take care everyone and I will post another blog when I get a chance. We will most likely head to Bunderberg tomorrow - perhaps a place of interest for Uncle Sniffer!!!! If he's watching the blog at all.

Lots of Love to everyone,

The Guye Gang! xoxoxoxoxo

Whale Watching Pics

Hope you all enjoy the pics. They are all fairly obvious so I haven't gone through and explained each one - just enjoy.
Cheers,
Krista & the rest of the Guye Gang! xoxoxoxoxo

Hervey Bay!

Howdy Everyone!

So, we made it to Hervey Bay on Saturday. We finally managed to get into a Caravan Park, it's called Fraser Lodge Holiday Park. It is a Big 4 Park. We are in a great position, close to everything that we need to use, there is a family bathroom and of course a pool! The sun has been shining pretty much since we have been here, its so lovely.

Our Campsite at Hervey Bay.

Pheobe in the Pool.

 After getting ourselves organised and settled into camp, the kids all had a nap and then we had showers and got ourselves ready for dinner. We met up with one of Trent's friends Hutchie and his wife Linda for dinner, they stay here every year. It was great to see them and have a nice casual dinner with not too much trouble from the kids!!!

Pheobe took this photo of Trent and Hutchie when we were out at dinner!

So, Sunday we spent doing washing and grocery shopping. We also went to the farmers market and check all that out. We also purchased an old highchair from the market, great investment! Flick can now make as much mess as she likes when eating and we aren't having to clean up so much mess everywhere in the van! The chair folds up so we will be able to cart it around with us and when we are finished with it are happy to give it to the salvo's or something.

Today we went Whale Watching, aboard the boat called the Spirit of Hervey Bay. What a fantastic experience! We saw two pods of whales. The first pod played around the boat for at least 45minutes or so. They were almost touchable they were so close. Pheobe and Maurice were so excited by this because they could see them so closely. The second pod we saw from just a small distance because they were twisting and turning, flapping their HUGE fins into the water and then breaching! They were amazing to watch and again Pheobe and Maurice were very excited. Felicity was a little shocked when she saw the first pod so close, but she managed a sleep and missed out on the second pod. This was only a half day cruise that we took but you could spend all day watching these wonderful animals! Trent and I would love to come and see them again when we have no kids so that we don't have to watch the kids so closely for 'man over board'.

Anyway, it was a great time had by all of us and something that we will never forget.

I will post some pic's once I have downloaded them.

Hope you are all well,

Love the Guye Gang!

P.S. Happy Birthday to Aunty Mel. Hope you are having a great day!

Pic's from Fraser Island Trip.

This was taken as we were driving onto the Manta Ray Barge.

Pheobe, Maurice and Felicity in front of the Maheno Wreck.

The Jr. Guye Gang on the tail gate! It was snack time!

The Cruiser on one part of the 4WD track that we drove on.

Trent, Pheobe, Maurice and Felicity on the Cruiser on the East side beach of Fraser Island.

Krista, Pheobe, Maurice and Felicity on the Cruiser on the East Side beach that we drove along on Fraser Island. On our way back down the East side of the Island.

The Manta Ray Barge coming back from Inskip Point to pick us up from Fraser Island.

Pheobe and a pic of her name that she wrote in the Sand!

Felicity enjoying herself at on the Sand.

Great Pic of Trent and Maurice (Father & Son).

Hope you enjoy the photo's!

Love all the Guye Gang - from Fraser Island. xoxoxo