We enjoyed the En Suites (private bathroom with shower) which Fantasy provides next to our camp site at the last several camp grounds but this blog entry is not about creature comfort. This blog entry is about people. 
Yesterday we visited Fraser Island (optional tour) and had the opportunity to meet an Australian Family (man, wife and 3 young daughters) who joined our tour of the island. After 15 years working, he received 5 months of paid vacation which he elected to use taking his family on a caravan (Australian RV) tour of their homeland. For me, watching the girls enjoy their father and having fun, was a reminder of what was really important in life.
Another learning experience had by one of our couples on a tour which they shared with us was that they were enjoying some quiet time listening to music while taking a short break from the day’s driving when they encountered a local Aussie, exchanged smiles and were invited to his place for lunch. With some trepidation, they agreed and were rewarded by not just lunch but an opportunity to meet an electricity) home and who was also a self-taught artist. This was a life enriching experience for them and well worth missing the opportunity to buy Opals.
The rest of our group did stop at the Opal store where the women enjoyed shopping for Opals while the men sat outside talking and enjoying coffee and biscuits. It was interesting watching the interactions between husbands and wives as the women came to the door beckoning their husbands to come inside to see what they had found. The learning experience for me was that the really important things in life are more than our material possessions and personal wealth but rather relationships between the people important to you and/or have an opportunity to meet on your journeys through life. This enriching Australia and New Zealand tour has not only provided us the opportunity to meet and befriend some very special people but also has given us the opportunity to better understand each other, other cultures, enjoy the adventure with a significant other and strengthen a marital relationship.
