For years we had been wanting to go to Australia but work commitments always meant we couldn't have more than 2 weeks away so we had to bide our time. So when we sold our family business we decided to go to the East Coast as a starter. I wasn't keen on the package holidays offered so booked everything individually which was quite a task. We flew to Sydney and then a domestic flight to Cairns where we had booked an appartment for a week - went to the Great Barrier Reef , the huge rain forest and had a helicopter trip over the reef where we saw all the sharks swimming. Flew down to Brisbane and spent a few days , then to Coffs Harbour before heading for Melbourne. Our last few days were spent in Sydney but we ran out of time so had planned to go back at a later date when we could maybe spend maybe 2 months there. One of John's 'passions' was driving and he loved driving in Oz (lucky for me) If we had had more time , John would have loved to drive and not fly to the places but wwe would have needed a year to be able to do that! At every stop, we mixed with the locals and had an amazing time - outdoor cooking all the way. The great thing about Australia is that they have public bbq's everywhere with excellent toilets and showers etc - very much family orientated. What I wouldn't give to go back there with you John xxxxxx