Day 31 - Great Keppel Island, by Emmy

This morning, Tilly, Jess and I slept in to about 11, and we were woken up by the 2 little blond kids again and another adult, they shouted out hello but we didn’t think it was anyone in our yard. They ran around the yard looking for the goat and they found Bill laying down with it, they patted it and played with it. When they finally left they told us that they would be back later with their parents.

Us three eventually headed over to get breaky because there was 10 minutes until they finished. When we got there the others we sitting with some other people including Bec and her friend. Once we finished eating dad took Bec and her friend to go see the goat while Bill, Tilly and I went with Charlie (Pete’s wife) to go get the kayaks . The kayaks that we were going to use were Pete and Charlie’s and they said that we can use them for the day. We towed them down to the beach and took the wheels off. After we got the others and put our swimmers on we went in the water. Tilly and Bill went first and nearly went out to the other island and on the way back they saw a massive stingray we swapped people and we stalked the stingray until it got to far away. The tail on it would’ve been about a 1.5m so about as tall as Adelaide. We played on these for a while and then Dad decided to go hire to stand up paddle boards. We spent hours trying to tip each other off luckily the water was very clear and it only got up to half the size of the paddle. We saw heaps of fish and another stingray. Towards the end dad found a massive crab that was blue and purple and it only had 1claw. Dad chased it in to the sand and scooped it up with his paddle. People came over and took photos of it, then we watched run away.  

Stingray 

We started to head home and gave the kayaks back to Charlie and on our way we saw another echidna walking through our yard and outside it. Tilly and Bill followed it as it walked down the path. Tilly and I also played on the sand bags for a while.



When Dad and Adelaide were taking the paddle boards back they saw another stingray but it was much bigger than the other ones.The tail on this one would’ve been as tall as Bill.  After we showed Charlie the goat we went and had tea. 

We all watched the sunset and Bill and Paddy played footy while we waited for tea.

We ate tea and soon went to bed.

This is where Keppel, the goat, is sleeping so people can’t steal her or hear her. She is in a milk crate.

GOODNIGHT

Day 30 - Great Keppel Island by Bill

This morning I woke up about the same time as Mum while Dad was saying goodbye to his band because they were going on the 8 o’ clock ferry. Mum and I waited for hours for the others to wake up until they eventually did at 10 o’clock. We walked down to the hideaway and had breaky. Dad was there on a table talking with Dicko and a few other people. After breaky we decided to walk to the old homestead. When we finally got ready we started at where it says spit, then walked across Putney Beach, then across to Leeke’s beach, followed the second track to the right, followed it all the way to the homestead, saw the homestead, caught a goat and then walked all the way back past the first look out.

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It was a very long walk and it felt like we walked around whole island. That’s what Dad thought until he looked at the map anyway. 

(Putney Bay)

(Leeke’s Beach)

(Leeke’s Beach) 

(Leeke’s Beach)
We walked where Tilly and I ran the morning before so we knew where we were going. On the way there were heaps of boats and fish in the water. On the way we saw James Blundell and his dog Jed who took off with our footy. Along the way we saw a few goats too. Tilly also found a butterfly. We finally got to the homestead and it was pretty boring but there were peacocks and heaps of goats there. The homestead used to be a farm with goats then one day they opened the gates and let them all out. So now along the island there are hundreds of goats hanging around. Out the back of the homestead we saw about a hundred and fifty goats and people we were talking to yesterday said that a couple of years ago they caught a goat from here and took it back on the ferry and they still have it now. I went and caught a baby goat that looked like an orphan.

It was only Dad and I at that time so we surprised the girls with it. They thought it was lovely. We carried it the whole way home to look after it. Paddy walked the whole way and didn’t really sook too and only fell over three times. When we got back we put the goat in a little pen that we had near our cabin. Then we went and got a drink and lunch at the hideaway. After that us kids got our towels and layed on the beach for a bit. I forgot about the goat in that time and it was making goat noises really loud so other people could hear it. Some guy from another country who works on the island came into our cabin yard and pulled the goat out of the pen and tried to take it and call the place where goats are looked after. Mum came over and started talking to him and he said it was locked in the pen with no body there and it was eating the thorns. Mum rang Dad and Dad came to sort it out. By then all us kids were there too. Dad tried so hard to keep the goat and he told the guy that he’s alright and he’s going to take him home on the ferry tomorrow to take to the Yeppoon vet or something and he said it was laying down next to its dead Mum in the paddock so we decided to take it and get it some help. Anyway I think we still get to keep the goat but the guy thinks we’re taking it to Yeppoon for treatment or something. Dad told Mum he had to do a mix of being nice and being firm to keep the goat so far.





(Paddy is sucking his tummy in like Dad every time he gets photo taken)

(Keppel the Great locked in it’s pen)

Later on we watched the sunset just outside our cabin and we played long jump in the sand and James Blundell’s dog Jed came over for a play.

We then had tea and now we are going to bed.

Goodnight.

Day 29 - Great Keppel Island, by Tilly

Like most other weeks, Jess didn’t say much in her blog, so I feel like I should fill you in on yesterday as well. So yesterday, Bill and I woke up at 6:10 and we went for a run along the beach as the sun was rising. We didn’t realise that the sun rise was on the other side of the island, but we got a few good colours anyway. We got to the end and did some sit ups and push ups then ran back along to beach to our cabin.

(Sunrise on Putney Beach - the wrong one for a sunrise)

We got back and played a game of pool downstairs while the others were still waking up. We went for breaky and listened to the music, then Dad went on and I think that he was the crowds’ favourite. Everyone laughed at his jokes and he got a lot of compliments. I played ‘I’m Alright’ with him, which was pretty cool, and then James Blundell went up. So I’m 15 and can say that I played on the same stage as James Blundell and Keith Urban’s original band (which went on after James Blundell).

(Dad singing with James Blundell)

(Me playing ‘I’m Alright’ with Dad, and Paddy helping Dad sing)

Then we hung around and waited for Jed’s ferry to hurry up and come and take him away, so we could go to bed. The ferry was was delayed to 9:00, then 9:30, then 10:00. I feel sorry for Chris and Midge because they were on the same ferry. We found out today that someone punched Jed on the ferry.

And I thought that I’d just mention to annoy Jess (because she would never put it in her own blog), that I was trying to write in my journal, and this is what the others do when Mum sends us to bed and they know that I’m trying to concentrate:

(I don’t know)

Today… Bill and I got up early again, and this time went straight down the end of the beach and over a few rocks and a hill, then came out on the right side of the island to see the sunrise. It was a pretty eventful trip because the sunrise was really pretty and we kept stopping for photos. We also saw heaps of weird things, like a few goats on the side of cliffs, some broccoli, some random that had canoed his way on to the island (which we had a chat to), we found a spot that made us - on the beach look like we were on the highland, then found a homestead amongst the trees, and we came across a creek which we didn’t know was there - it looked very crocky. We did our push ups and sit ups near the creek then ran home again.

(Sunrise Over Leeke’s Beach)

(Sunrise while Bill watches the goats)


(One of the goats)


(Stepping over the sand dune made it look like the beach was the highland - and there’s the homestead)


(Leeke’s Creek - the one that looks very crocky)

(Coming down the steep rocks)

(Bill chasing a goat - he thinks if we all work together, they aren’t that fast so we can catch one and take it home on the ferry)

(Heading home)

When we came back, we played another game of pool and Dad was practising his songs because he was up again soon. He went down to have breakfast with the band, but they weren’t there so he sent them a whole lot of annoying text messages asking if they were awake - which woke them up, then they said they were awake and Dad told them that they should sleep in. Bill, Emily and I went down and had breakfast with him because we were the only ones awake, and the others came down later when they were all awake. While we were eating, we saw a possum running along the roof.

(Having breakfast)

(The possum in the roof)

By the time we were all finished, we turned around and Dad was on stage. He was in something called ‘writers in the round’, which is where people go on stage together and tell the stories as to how they got the ideas for their songs and what their songs are about. I think Dad was a hit for this too because he sang some of his new songs, which made everyone laugh.

(Dad, Matt Cornell, Brad Butcher and James Blundell in ‘Writers in the round’)

Peter Blundell came up to us kids and asked us if we’d packed our bags, we said not yet, but apparently they were sending a trailer to get our luggage because we had to move to a different cabin. He went and spoke to Mum, then we all went and packed our bags and waited for them to come and load them up. We were moving out of our 2 story, 8 bed mansion- like house, and we had downsized to a six bed house closer to where everyone else sleeps, but it’s still better than what everyone else gets. Once we were finished with that, us kids went down and had a look at the beach and the clear water. - Then we also found an echidna.

(Paddy bum-shuffling down the sand dune)

(The clear water)

(Everyone posing for a photo on the big sand bags as the tide was coming in)

(Emily, Addy and Paddy smiling for a photo)

(The echidna)

Dad was on again at 3:00, and we went and watched him play. James Blundell was after him, but he walked on stage and played the harmonica for one of Dads songs anyway. It was really cool.

(Dad and the band)

(James Blundell on the harmonica with Dad singing)

After playing on the beach, we went back up and listened to the the other people start to play. We found out that the ‘Country on Keppel’ merchandise got stolen last night. They think that it might’ve been someone coming in off a boat. We listened to the people play, spent a bit of time in the new cabin, and made it back just after the sunset:

(The sunset that I missed)

Dad also got up and sang with the band ‘Saltbushsix’, and some of them were in Keith Urban’s original band.

(Dad with Saltbushsix)

Standing next to us listening to him was Dicko - I can’t really remember what he’s famous for, but I know he’s famous and we’ve met him before. He was listening to Dad sing with them and seemed very happy. He later told dad his new fight song was the highlight of his weekend.

(Dicko and his wife Mel)

Then when it was all over, we were heading back up to the cabin, but we got talking to some people, and I didn’t know who they were, but as we walked away, Mum told us that he was Ben Hunt’s (played in the state of origin this year) Dad. While we were speaking to him, there was another guy playing a solo gig near the bar. Then we all headed back to the cabin and are ready for bed.

Goodnight,

Tilly