We were sooo lucky to spend a few days on Heron Island last week! This was our last hurrah Great Barrier Reef trip! We were also so lucky to have our next door neighbor/babysitter from Brisbane come join us as our island nanny. We love Imogen! Here we are chilling on the 2 hour boat ride.
Heron Island!
We came to the island with low expectations of the resort and were pleased. Our two rooms were just as shabby as I anticipated. Adequate, but poorly maintained (missing knobs, rusty nails, broken patio chairs). Imogen, Lydia and Evelyn shared a room upstairs while Alice, Bridget, Isaac, Mike and I had a room right below theirs. (These pictures were taken right before we left which is why there's stuff all over the place.) Imogen and Lydia on Imogen's bed.
Isaac and Bridget's twin beds in our room downstairs.
Mike and my queen sized bed and Alice's portacrib which doubled as a drying rack.
Mike organizing all our stuff.
So although the rooms were dreary, they did their jobs. After a good night's sleep (thanks to the beautifully efficient ceiling fans) we woke up at 4:30 am to look for turtles. We were handsomely rewarded as soon as we got to the beach!
It was pretty amazing. We saw LOTS of turtles!
They made such beautiful tracks and I loved putting my hand on their path after they made it to the water. I imagined I could feel the warmth of their bodies, but... they are reptiles which are cold blooded so... no warmth. But it was still a little magical.
The kids on a turtle. Waiting for breakfast to open at 7.
The food was quite good! After a hearty breakfast buffet we went reef walking in the low tide. We saw some fun fish, an epaulette shark, and some not so fun things like a cone snail (those bad boys can kill a human) and a jellyfish!! Eek! After the second jellyfish sighting I ran up to the information desk. "Oh, the orange and white ones? Those are comb jellies and they're harmless." BIG sigh of relief!! And good thing cuz they were everywhere!
The kids and Imogen created a hermit crab town.
I got to sit in the shade with a sleepy baby, her little feet floating in the water.
Did someone say sleep? After being awake since 4:30 we were all eager for a nap before lunch.
After a patio picnic of peanut butter and honey sandwiches we headed to the north shore to do some snorkeling at Shark Bay. We saw some turtles and rays (including a GIANT cow tail ray nestled in the sand), but ironically no sharks. This was Imogen's first time snorkeling and she thoroughly enjoyed herself! Lydia is a great snorkeler as well! Isaac gave it a go, but it's not his thing and that's okay. Atleast he tried.
On our way back to our rooms we stopped by the research center and listened to a little tour. We got to touch some fun things in the touch tank like sea cucumbers and starfish. Isaac holding a blue Linckia starfish.
The next morning we boarded a semi-submersible to cruise the reef. Everyone had so much fun!
One of those darn comb jellies.
We got to see some turtles and a reef shark and lots of colorful fish! Too bad all the pictures show up blue. There really was a lot of color!
After our dry underwater tour, Mike, Lydia and I hopped on a boat to do some deeper water snorkeling while Imogen watched the others. We look fabulous!
We saw turtles and a nice sized reef shark and lots of fish! Lydia's favorite was the unicorn fish. A good day under the water.
After lunch and another nap we went to the south shore to swim out to the shipwreck, an old WWII boat sunk to be a haven for fish.
Mike, Imogen, and Lydia head out for a turn.
Isaac happily doing some sort of super power sand force.
Cute girls playing in the water.
Then it was my turn to swim out to the ship wreck! I really wanted to go with Mike just because I'm not a super great swimmer and it was a bit of a trip. Plus it's nice to have a strong, handsome guy around. When we first headed out there was one of those darn comb jellies right in my face! I awkwardly maneuvered around it, but next thing I know I was swimming right through a cloud of them! Eee! It was so weird to feel them brush against your face and arms. Luckily we saw much more than just jellyfish! The sheer abundance of life on that swim was remarkable. So many fish! And so much color! We saw a huge humphead wrasse! And a little yellow box fish! We saw turtles and even got to touch one as it swam past! We saw a couple good sized reef sharks and four eagle nosed rays, so beautiful with their spots! It was a truly amazing swim! Best. Snorkeling. Ever.
Here are just some random photos from our last evening. Heading to dinner after showers. What a happy Alice!
We found Lydia's Year 5 teacher, Mrs Pacey, and her husband. I'd found out a couple weeks ago that our trip would overlap a day!
Bridget decided this was the book she wanted to bring on the trip. She was very attached to it, but did point out that there were no pictures.
After everyone went to bed that last night I took a quick trip to the boardwalk behind our room just to listen to the ocean. What I heard instead was even cooler! There in the dark, right beside me was a mother turtle digging her nest! I heard her digging and huffing, taking great pauses for rest. I only caught a glimpse of her outline in the faint lightning of a distant storm. It was neat to stand there and listen to her. The next morning I couldn't sleep past 5 am and quietly snuck out of our sleeping room. I wanted to go see if my turtle was still there! Unfortunately she'd already left, but I was rewarded to see a handful of stingrays in the water close to the shore. Even some shovel nosed rays which are crazy looking things!
And a little black tipped reef shark!
Isaac joined me, he is an early riser like his father. He pulled his pajama pants waaay up high.
Mike found me next. I was grateful to share such a beautiful morning with him. And it was fun to see the shock on his face that I was up before he was. Glamorous bed hair and pajamas. So romantic!
Our last breakfast.
Family photo as we left.
Imogen and the kids.
What a remarkable adventure! It is mind boggling to look across the surface of the ocean and see a quiet blue expanse, yet below the surface lies a world absolutely teeming with life! How blessed I feel to have seen a bit of that hidden world! In the Great Barrier Reef, no less! Lucky, lucky us!
And Bridget, who took some convincing to put it on. Eee, so cute!
And put on a Nativity play. Beautiful angels.
It was a beautiful Christmas! We are so grateful for friends and the faith that we share that makes them like family. We are grateful for our Savior Jesus Christ who came to earth and brought us hope and peace. Merry Christmas! 
