Back on the mainland, now in Sydney

Just got into Sydney late last night after a flight from Gladstone to Brisbane, and the flight into Sydney. We got a hot dinner on the flight to Sydney, even though it was a less than two hour flight. Pretty nice, huh?

So the 3 nights on Heron Island were pretty amazing. Like all their literature says, it's a very small island, and we walked around most of it in about 20 minutes, going at a very leisurely pace. 

The helicopter ride over was really cool. Turned out no one else was flying that day (the cost is quite steep), so we got a private, VIP heli ride. First you see the loading docks, and very industrial look of Gladstone harbour, and eventually you head out to sea. Flying over Facing Island, you end up over open water. Helicopter flights are much calmer than I expected, and it's much smoother than a plane ride.

Eventually (not that long after, since it's only a 30 minute heli ride), you start going over small islands and reefs. The waters over the shallow areas are a very light blue, aquamarine color, and really nice. Heron island itself is surrounded by reefs and corals.

After we got in, we checked into the room. The room is quite simple, given the price. But our room had a view of the ocean that you could see through a few plants. Easy access to the beach. 

Later that first afternoon, we went for the first of our 5 dives. Summarizing up all the dives -- they were really amazing. We saw sea turtles, sharks (white tip reef sharks and a wobbegong shark), manta rays (which are HUGE, by the way), nudibranchs, tiny colorful flat worms, and tons of coral. Endless fish of all different colors and sizes. It really was amazing. Tons of pictures, a few of which will probably eventually get uploaded here.

The rest of the place was nice, too. Did some snorkeling. You just hop right into the water from the beach, and you're floating over coral and fish. The restaurant (there was one on the island) served buffet meals all the time. They supposedly usually do table service dinners, but one of their chefs was out of commission, so they were doing buffets all the time. 

After 4 short days, it was time to head back. We got on the boat, and back to Gladstone. What a great trip it was!

Now, it's time to explore Sydney today. Hopefully get to cross or at least sea the Sydney Harbour Bridge, and wander around before the wedding tomorrow afternoon. First things first, time for brekkie!