Day 20, Tuesday 14/1/2014, Freycinet

No sleep-in for me. I was up by 0700hrs. There were some loud annoying neighbours with a teenage girl that wouldn't stop wining. I have a splitting headache, aching muscles and feel really down about not climbing Mount Amos with the others. Hours went by with me just reading and swatting at mosquitos and generally feeling sorry for myself. Leah had gone to the beach with her girls and the teens were just hanging around doing their own thing. I didn't feel well enough to go to the beach, but probably should have. I needed a good cold water dunking.

Finally we all went out for lunch at Freycinet Marine Farm, firstly stopping on the way to visit the shortest lighthouse in Australia. You had to drive up a Jurassic style mountain. There were great views across all the mountain peaks. Amazing landscape!

Yum! Col and I had half a crayfish, and oysters with salmon and brie. Jordan and Jack went with salmon steaks. It's another 35 degree day. After lunch Col and I sat in our chairs in the shade and read until our planned 1700hr paddle.

Our paddle today was superb! Around rocks, beside mountains, crystal clear aqua water and great lighting pre sunset. It was a leisurely cruise around the shoreline ending with a choppy paddle straight back across the bay into the wind. Fiona didn't come because of a sore hand and went for a walk with Jess instead, so an excited Jack took her kayak. I had offered mine to Jordan but she didn't want it, said she was too tired and stayed at camp. It was 1900hrs when we were packing up our kayaks.

After a quick spaghetti bolognaise we went down to join the others for party food and drinks. Poor Leah had to walk her girls to the toilet so much that she really didn't get to chat with everyone.

Day 19, Monday 13/1/2014, Freycinet

Col, Bruce, Fiona and I went out for a paddle in Coles Bay at 0700hrs. First we circumnavigated the little island just in front where Fiona saw a guy in a sleeping bag. The view back from here, and south into the next bay is spectacular. Five mountains, the Hazard Mountain Range, is lining the southern edge. From there we headed north to check out Simon and Lisa's resort, Sapphire Freycinet, having to paddle into the wind the whole way. It looked so posh that we half expected guards to come down and shoo us away. Such a leisurely paddle back following the coastline south with the wind behind us. Col and Bruce then wanted to go around the next point to the south. I definitely didn't want to finish into the wind so I got out and Fiona followed suit.

There was enough time for a coffee and bacon roll before Simon and Lisa arrived with their 2 gorgeous dogs. Hugs all round. It's lovely to see family at the ends of the earth (of Australia anyway). We discussed how sad it was that Lisa, Stuart, Michael and Jamie weren't there to see them, their jobs at the resort and great local things to do. The rest of the group came down to meet them and hang out.

After a bit of a play on the beach with the dogs, Lisa and Simon left to meet with other friends so the rest of us went for a bit of an adventure to the south end of Friendly Beach on a 4WD track Simon had told us about. Morgans spread between the three 4WDs. It was a pretty easy track but 4WD was required for a rocky creek crossing which Jordan enjoyed. It was very windy and wild at the beach which kept the temperature down nicely while we hiked around the point rock hopping. Such beautiful rocks with lovely orange lichen and granite that would look great as my kitchen bench.

Lunch was at our cars overlooking the beach, before heading back to the peninsula and as far south as you can drive to hike up a mountain to view Wineglass Bay. It was really hot now, 35 degrees C at 1500hrs. It was a hard slog for me up many steps, but Fiona and Leah nicely hung back with me for my "photography" breaks, making them perfect models.

It was so much more spectacular than you see in brochures, and there were some great boulders and tunnels that Jack was playing in. There was even an Easter Island head! After a decent rest a photoshoot and lots of water, Jack finally managed to talk Fiona, Leah and I into exploring and climbing. So much fun and it was about 10 degrees cooler in there.

Back at camp we had a cool shower, relaxed and read for a bit, then Col cooked sausages. The vegetables had gone bad so I chucked them and sent the kids down to the bistro to get some takeaway caesar salad to go with the snags.

I told everyone I was planning to walk around to the south bay to get some sunset shots with the awesome mountain backdrop but didn't get any takers. I headed off on my own, enjoyed chatting to a fisherman and got some pretty shots.

Col, Bruce, Fiona and Gary plan to hike up Mount Amos in the morning. I struggled today, so I know I won't manage 2 days in a row. My legs are jelly, feeling very sad. Col was all excited about the mountain climb tomorrow and was packing a little snack box of nuts and lollies. Jordan and Jack started singing at the tops of their voices "Bohemian Rhapsody" with a group singing nearby. I read pretty late with a plan to sleep in tomorrow.