Ready to board the Reef Magic ferry for the trip out to the Great Barrier Reef

Farewell Sydney and on to some reef magic!

There were no Friday 13^th mishaps as we said farewell to our hosts at Barker College and transferred to Sydney airport for the next leg of the tour, which will include a visit to one of Australia's greatest tourist attractions.

After a three hour flight, we touched down in Cairns, in Northern Queensland, where a coach was waiting to take us to the Lakes Resort and Spa, our base for the next three days. Some R&R was followed by an early dinner and an early night ready for the great adventure tomorrow.

Everyone was fresh and raring to go at 8 am on Saturday morning, boarding the coach clutching towels, bathing suits, and with a keen sense of anticipation for our visit to the fabled Great Barrier Reef. Today was dedicated to the culture and nature of Australia - and Australia did not disappoint!

Arriving at the Cairns port, we boarded a Reef Magic ferry, destination the Reef Magic Pontoon for a day of fun.

Surprisingly, many of the girls took advantage of the opportunity to learn how to scuba dive. Donning our ever-so-flattering wetsuits, we strapped on our goggles and fins and took to the water. Some of the more experienced scuba divers, like Jules Ariel, Yas El-Sayeed, Emily Field and Jenny Waterman, were joined by first timers including Caitlin Keep, Fliss Beckett, Milla Green and Emma Albon. For others, sunbathing and semi-submersive boating were popular options.

After a fabulous buffet lunch, we boarded a glass-bottomed boat to see numerous loveable creatures like Wally the famous Maori wrasse, angelfish, clownfish, barracuda, parrotfish, reef sharks...and pretty much everything else destined to become dinner one day.

Words used to describe today's experience included: "unforgettable" (Coimhe Murdock); "motion-on-the-ocean" (Harriet Skan); "mental" (Becky Todd); "incredible" (Maddy Billings); and "diverse" (a clearly excited Mrs Woolmer).

Mrs Irvine and Mrs Drinkall craftily tried to escape the group by taking a helicopter ride, but unfortunately for them their moments of peace were shortlived as they were only in the air for 10 minutes!

The group was thoroughly glowing by the end of the day on the Reef Magic Pontoon - and ready for a relaxed night in Cairns.