It's a passe joke that everything in Australia is trying to kill you, but consider ...

I got sandals yesterday and within an hour was bitten by something VERY painful on my foot. No swelling or unusual aftereffects, but still. Our first stop on Straddie (N. Stradbroke Isl) was Amity Point, to catch the sunset. We parked right in front of a sign warning of Blue-ringed Octopus in the water. We turned our heads to see many silhouetted young folks leaping off a pier.

Relocated for the night to Lookout Point (for the Dawn, you see :) and finally got a real Pacific beach. HUGE breaks and a primeaval cove worthy of any pirate movie. Walked down into the cove at night barefoot and found a couple large spiders on the stairs. They stood their ground.

Went native for the morning: barefoot. Walked several miles on the beach. Lots of jelly parts washed up. After a while it was no harder to walk around than the sidewalk in Manhattan, albeit with greater consequences for a mistake.

There's lots of good diving on this point, but alas, none for us. Tuesday's the day and Tuesday they're off. Oh well. In anycase, they answered the big question incorrectly:

(The Rufus King is a US Destroyer sunk in WWII, just off-shore)

Us: "What condition is the Rufus King in?
Them: "Don know. We don't really go there."

The day was schizophrenic. The first half was unrelentingly sunny and swelteringly hot. I got my usual burn that will mutate into a tan. Justy just got browner. I will spend the next several days slathered in various moisturizing agents.

Then the tropical storm arrived. We hiked a scenic trail along a bluff overlooking the Pacific. The wind was terrific. Easily enough to bowl me over if I should become unbalanced (no jokes please!) Rain was minimal and irregular. The wind and the fury of the sea was awe-inspiring. The Pacific is truly ill-named.