There is a small zoo on the island that has a koala gallery where you can go to eat a buffet breakfast. It wasn't cheap so we only went once but breakfast was yummy and the whole experience was so fun for all 4 of us.
Right when we were finishing up, a man came out and offered the chance to hold and have your photo taken with a young koala. Couldn't pass that up!
So Tuesday was a day of relaxation. After breakfast, we needed a dip in the pool. It is winter here so the temps are cooler right now. The pools were cool, but tolerable. The kids were in and out but seemed to enjoy throwing the ball in to daddy as much as they did being in the water themselves.
Much of the developed part of the island is owned by a resort. But, anyone staying on the island can use any of the facilities. For example, the swimming pools, kid's club, babysitting services, bars, restaurants. This was great! We tried out 3 different swimming pools.
After our swim we drove up to have a look at the scenery.
D was on a hunt all week long for animals. She made up songs about Australian safaris. One day, on the way to the pool, she and T spotted a large lizard. But they didn't have the camera with them to prove it! We also had the most adorable possums the would visit us each night on our patio. They were very friendly and D was able to witness them a couple of times too. Much excitement.
Also relaxing were our massages! The relaxation centre on the island was lovely and we treated ourselves to 90 minute massages in the afternoon. Then, Tamsyn, our kindly babysitter arrived and took on the kids as T and I went out for a fantastic dinner at The Beach House. Gorgeous food and service, right beside ocean.
Wednesday was supposed to be our day on Whitehaven Beach. But the weather wasn't really nice enough to enjoy a day at the beach. So we changed our booking to Thursday and spent Wednesday doing other things. The morning was lazy, fish n' chips for lunch, and a hike in the afternoon. D had been begging to go spend time at the kids club so we booked her in for a few hours. C hasn't been in the backpack carrier, probably since our trip to Bali, but he still enjoyed the view from up there.
We hiked up to Passage Peak. I had no idea of the distance we would be hiking. It was a long way! And steep in some places.
But we made it, T carrying C the whole way. 
Even saw some wildlife!
So pretty! Totally worth the trek.
We arrived on a Saturday afternoon. We did some grocery shopping and then drove around to do some exploring. The island is small and most visitors get around in golf buggies. It worked out nicely that a golf buggy was included with our accomodation. Riding around the island on it was one of the highlights of the trip for both kids. 
C was singing some sea-faring song.
As you can imagine, a highlight for me was dining out! We loved the pizza and pasta at The Manta Ray Cafe. Right on the marina- beautiful, peaceful, and tasty!
Not knowing how the weather would be while we were there, we chose to do the most important excursion right away. So, we booked out trip out the the Great Barrier Reef for Monday morning. The company taking us out offers a great deal. The boat docks at a platform right beside a section of the reef. The platform has everything one needs for snorkeling, SCUBA diving, or just viewing the place and staying dry. And, they offer child care on the boat! A morning snack, lunch, and an afternoon snack are also provided. And it was delicious! 
After a great time in the water, I went up to get the kids. We had high hopes that D would be up for snorkeling as well. She's a heck of a swimmer and we really wanted her to have this opportunity. So, when T came up from his dive, we suited her up and took her out. 
There was a photographer on board as well as an underwater videographer so we purchased a DVD that had footage of all of us. T diving, myself and D snorkeling, and C pressing his face against the windows of the observatory, giving fish kisses.
Here's a pic of the islands on our way back to the marina.
On to one of the play areas. Kids love ball pits. And C, Finn, and Ollie are no exception!
The under 3's area was great fun for C and Finn. Cars to drive, another ball pit, all kinds of things that are just the right size.
We had lunch at the cafe a then, on to the disco. Everyone was ready to boogie!
D brought home 2 happy birthday stickers and a lovely birthday certificate. Happy girl.
Things settled down a bit for a couple of days and then it was time to host the birthday party! We chose to have the party mid-day at our neighborhood park and playground. I reserved it for a couple of hours and we rolled the BBQ down the street to grill some sausages. It was an absolutely beautiful day for a party in the park.
Our first game was a dinosaur dig in the sand. Prizes for the boy and girl with the most dinos!
Finally, a water relay. Began as a bit of a challenge, but they got the hang of it!
Prizes for everyone!!
T sizzled the sausages and everyone filled their bellies.
Then, CAKE TIME! D wanted a Barbie cake. I like doing ice cream cakes. So, we combined the two. D got her Barbie cake- vanilla cake with strawberry ice cream, and I made a chocolate cake with neopolitan ice cream. We ate every last piece! And, I was mindful of not setting Barbie's hair on fire, but her fingers were right in the way! Not much damage though.
