Waking up on Fitzroy Island at 6am was beautiful. Poor Ty though apparently woke up at 5 and decided to go for a hike. He got some amazing pictures, plenty of bug bites, and a blister from his flip flops.
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We lazed around that morning. Made some oatmeal and tea. The kids listened to Harry Potter while Ty napped, Nana read and I started the book, Wonder. Found it in the hotel library. We finally got moving about 9:30 because we had to check out by 10.
Saw a bit of wildlife on our way to the hotel lobby. Apparently his name is Russel because of the sound he makes in the leaves.
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After checking out and storing our luggage we headed to Nudey Beach. Rated the second best beach in all of Australia. They say it takes about 40 mins to walk there but it seems a bit of an exaggeration. Especially since we have a senior citizen and two toddlers in our group. We weren’t exactly racing that path. It was a beautiful blue sky day and hot!
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When we made it to the beach we found ourselves a bit of shade and started exploring. I’m not sure I’ve ever been on a beach made of coral before.
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We lounged a bit and I read Wonder out loud to the kids. Then we all headed into the water. It was incredible! After a few feet the initial coral sand gives way to just smooth sand. No rocks, no seaweed beneath your feet! As a fussy swimmer I was in heaven.
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We saw a few fish but the highlight was coming across a green sea turtle that was swimming close to shore. So amazing!!
We headed back to the hotel about noon in order to have lunch and make our time slot at the Cairns Turtle Rehab Center .
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It was really interesting to learn about the issues the sea turtles were having and how they’re working to help them. The employee said this was basically a fat farm and they’re trying to get these turtles beefed up for release.
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We spent the next few hours at the pool, trying not to burn any further. Taking turns reading and splashing with the kiddos. They’ve turned into total fish this trip! We caught our return boat about 4:30 and headed for Cairns.
A fairly uneventful but full boat ride back in which I finished reading Wonder out loud to the kids. A good story and family friendly. The kids were able to help clean off our ship upon arrival. 😉
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We were really impressed with the crew on the Sunlover.
A quick pizza/pasta dinner in Cairns and we headed home, exhausted and a bit crispy from our days in the sun.
