Hervey Bay whale watching trip - one breached -slow digital camera missed him clear out of the water!

We left Hervey Bay marina with warnings of rough water with swells of one and half meters and strong winds.. but most had taken pills to prevent motion sickness and enjoyed the rough travel - rather like riding one wave after another in the surf! One really had to hold on very hard to all rails to walk when the boat was under way - it stopped when whales came near.

Travel Queensland : Rainbow beach

Rainbow Beach was once only a place where sand mining operated until 1976 and gets its name from Coloured Sands. Other close points of interest are the Carlo Sand Blow, Double Island Point and Inskip Point, the launching point for Fraser Island barges. There seems to be no buildings over 3 storeys high and most seem to be very new.

This is not the place for cosmopolitan-style pleasures - more for the eco-conscious folk.

TRAVEL in QUEENSLAND: GYMPIE, BEACHES DOPLPHINS WHALES, SUNSHINE & FRAZER COASTS

Gympie, built on the banks of the Mary River, 170km north of Brisbane, was a booming gold mining town after the discovery of alluvial gold there in 1967. The mining boom lead to an era of excellent architecture - some shown here.

TRAVEL in QUEENSLAND: BEACHES DOPLPHINS WHALES, SUNSHINE & FRAZER COASTS

Tin Can Bay is the best place to feed friendly, wild river dolphins for a gold coin donation! You cannot touch the dolphins but they come very close to see you!

They are worth all the travel to see!

PINE PLANTATIONS SURROUND TIN CAN BAY AND RAINBOW BEACHES - LABELED FORESTS ON MAP... DEVOID OF BIRDS AND NATIVE ANIMALS EXCEPT A FEW KANGAROOS AND WILD HORSES - WARNING ROAD SIGN. The road from Gympie to Tin Can Bay takes about 35 minutes and is amost 50 km. Gympie is 92 km from Mooloolaba beach and is supposed to take one hour 3 minutes according to Whereis... but there are road works all along the Bruce Highway and slow trucks that hold you up...allow 2 hours.

Swanston street, Melbourne Town Hall south to Flinders street station and Federation square with busker