Day 13: Sand Tobogganing, the Tasman Sea and Off to Cairns

Wow, she does look kinda waxy!

Today they take a coach from Shoal Bay back to the airport in Sydney.

They can fly to Cairns at 1:30 and arrive at 4:30 where tomorrow, they will snorkel in the Great Barrier Reef. I wasn't sure if they would hit the dunes yesterday or today but the itinerary said today. Turns out it was yesterday and Sheila posted a few great shots!

She also shared a few other photos from the last few days. From the climbing and repelling trip to the Antarctic Center and fireworks in Sydney. These kids are living large and will have stories to tell us through Christmas! They only have a few more days!

The photos below are Sheila's pics except the one I swiped from Eloise's Instagram on the right!

From the People to People Itinerary:

Welcome to Cairns, a coastal cosmopolitan city nestled in tropical northern Queensland amid two of Australia’s most treasured World Heritage destinations, the Wet Tropics Rainforest and the Great Barrier Reef.

• Challenge yourself to try sand boarding and race down the sand dunes that can be over 90 feet high!
• Travel back to Sydney to board your flight to Cairns this evening.
• Interact with local Aussie families over dinner and enjoy this unique opportunity to be immersed in local culture and learn about life in Australia. 

At the Dunes. Some of Mad Max was filmed here Sheila reports.

How fun is that!?!

At the Antarctic Center. 

Just before the repel down the mountain!

I have no idea where this is...

Fireworks over Sydney Harbor.

Day 12: Finding Nemo in Shoal Bay, Australia

I swiped Casey's pic off Instagram this morning because it was so good and I really loved the words she used to describe their experience: beautiful, amazing, bestexperience. What else could we want for them?

The kids are leaving Sydney this morning and heading the Port Stephens and the Shoal Bay Resort and Spa. (Again, really!?!)

Provided they have one ounce of time, the place looks fantastic with a pool and lots of areas to explore.

But first, they will check out the Port Stephens Harbor and learn about the environment. It looks like a place rich with sea life and incredible views. They will get to take a cruise to look for dolphins (I hope they see some) and other wildlife - maybe a whale or two? We are in Nemo Country folks!

They'll have wi-fi at the hotel tonight so hopefully we'll get some pictures and phone calls.

UPDATE: I got one tiny text from Katie at 2pm (this time I was out of range) and she said "Having breakfast, the Opera House was amazing!"

From the People to People Itinerary:

• Travel north to Port Stephens, a large natural harbor that is larger than Sydney Harbor, and learn about the complexity of managing this delicate environment.
• Take to the waters on a dolphin observation cruise and learn more about the fascinating local wildlife.

Shoal Bay - I think the resort is there in the center somewhere.

They start seeing critters today and have to big snorkel on the Barrier Reef in two more days!

Day 11: Dog-Tired, Today They Learn Football and Cricket and Visit the Sydney Opera House

Weird face. Casey looks happy!

Got a call from Katie a little after noon - morning her time - and she sounded wiped out! I guess they got sleep last night but the two nights before, not so much.

They toured the aquarium last night and she said, very deadpan, "Great. Fish." Of course that's the one thing we have plenty of around here.

The other thing she said was hard was the food. I guess they have all gained weight (so they think, their clothes aren't fitting all that well) because most of the meals have been fried food and dessert. She didn't complain about it being particularly bad food, just really fattening. I assured her vacation weight comes off pretty easily when she gets back home.

They got to see fireworks last night over the harbor. They look a lot better than the fireworks we saw on July 4th. She mentioned that first thing so it must have been exciting.

Today they are going to do "something sporty" she said with little enthusiasm. Did I mention how tired she sounded? Looks like its some Australian rules football (the ball is super weird - it's not like American football or soccer) and cricket. It says they will be playing with some Aussies. After the "big flirt" with the New Zealand boys, this could be good!

She was excited they end up today at the Opera House. It looks like a dinner cruise too. And then hopefully, another good night's sleep.

I think this is at the airport waiting to go to Sydney.

"Great. Fish."

From the People to People Itinerary:

1. Sport is an important aspect to the Australian culture and lifestyle. Today have the unique opportunity to learn about some of the most popular Australian sports; Aussie rules football and cricket. After learning the basics, you will have the chance to try and play them with some local Aussies!

• Examine and handle exquisite opal, Australia’s national gemstone, during a cutting and polishing demonstration at an opal establishment.
• Get a backstage pass to the world-famous Sydney Opera House. Enter areas that are not accessible to the public during an exclusive guided orientation of this iconic facility, a masterpiece of late-modern architecture.
• Enjoy a dinner cruise on the Harbour, with Sydney’s skyline as your spectacular backdrop.

This is pretty cool. This guy mines opals about five months out of the year. This is his camp. His blog is interesting and tells his story and has some examples of the opals he mines. Do you know what a Dunny is?