Manly and Morton Island

The suburb of Manly is on Morton Bay, to the south of the Brisbane River estuary. We are currently staying at Morton Bay Backpackers Lodge (above Celtic Corner Pub). The Above photo is of Manly beach which is very very small.

Looking out into Morton Bay

Adam trying to look Manly

Us Happy As Ever!

Morton Island - Extreme Package

The cruise across was very nice, however as we approached the island it started to rain. Our guide told us to change to our swim wear just as the rain came. I didn't want to go in but knew it would be good once we were in the water.

The Tagalooma wrecks (sunken barges) are used as a breakwater as well as creating a habitat for coral and tropical fish.

Just after our snorkelling WHICH WAS AMAZING!!!! I just wish we had an underwater camara!

The Wrecks

Adam and our guide Jeff

Guess Who

Adam and his sand board (plank of wood)

The Desert

Going down the dune, head first - closed mouth and sunglasses needed!

We have a funny video of Hannah going down tamdum with Jeff which we will upload soon.

Adam near the bottom of the dune

Hannah flying down. She got the furthest at the bottom so she has to take Jeff our for a Thai meal :)

Us and the Mullen family, who were also on the tour.

The Pacific Coast! East coast of Morton Island - can't swim due to the amount of bull sharks and the odd great white

Our tour van - there is so much off roading in the centre of the island. It was a very bumpy ride

Looking south to the Tangalooma Resort. The fishing on the west coast is really good hence all the boats dotted around the wrecks

First Ladies Sailing Club - Thats what the guide said :)

Boat trip to Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary

Just to start with we thought you would all like to know that Woolworths is HUGE in Australia, but not like home, it is a supermarket. They aren't like our supermarkets, just groceries, not even alcohol and they aren't trying to take over the world like esco and azda.

We took the boat to Lone Pine but the photos are at the bottom? Thats due to the stupid way the blog uploads the photos. So many of our blog entries are not in chronological order.


cute little koala bear sleeping with its joey.


some of the koalas finally waking up and eating but still many of them asleep.


they look so cool all curled up on a branch like this.


Koala's only eat 60 species of the 800 species of eucalyptus in Australia, as well as sniffing every leaf before eating it. I can't believe they are not extinct being this fussy. Worst than Marcus I would say............joke Sophie.....it was a joke.




Hannah was suprised to find a Koala in her hands?! and some how $16 had left her purse?! They can be quick and sneaky when they want to be :)



A Barking Owl which when mature makes a dog barking sound to communicate.



Found Buggies antipodean cousin.


A Common Wombat. Also the closest relative to the Koala.


Fresh Water Crocs




Hannah on the right, Kangaroo on the left



Kangaroo with Joey



It was just a field full of Kangaroo's. You could feed them out of your hand. Also you weren't supposed to touch them but everyone did. Also Korean kids just chased them everywhere so the woman in charge of the Kangaroo Enclosure wasn't happy. She ran after them with a joey in her shoulder bag.

This house won some architectural award in 2003 - 2008 (somewhere in those years, wasn't quite listening) Right on the bank of the Brisbane River

Colony of Fruit Bats (biggest bat in the world) - blinking noisy, but beautifully eerie


Looking back down the Brisbane River from our boat.

Roma city park, and a very old cinema.

Beautiful interior to the Regal Cinema in central Brisbane. We watched Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. $16 a ticket (approx £8)






The Botanical Gardens in Roma Street Parkland







A Flower






The Peloton of Peace. Most of the phone exchange boxes in Brisbane have been painted. This one was outside a roman catholic church we passed on our way to find Mt Coot-tha (which isn't a mountain and wasn't in the direction hannah thought it was) good 3hour walk in the baking sun. Mad dogs and englishmen, and all that