Nine ambassadors from Mount Gambier and three from Melbourne left Melbourne in brilliant sunshine and arrived at the Sunshine Coast airport on a rainy afternoon in July. As we walked into the airport, we could see a small sea of white. It was the local FF members resplendent in their club shirts ready to welcome us with wide smiles and warm handshakes. We were taken to our hosts' homes to rest and freshen up before heading to president Gayle's home on the Mooroochy waterfront for a welcome dinner. The dinner was delicious, the view from the tenth floor penthouse was beautiful, and the rollicking singing session was great fun.

Next morning , in perfect weather, we boarded a small boat driven by FF member David who showed us the developments along the Noosa River. We marvelled at all the spectacular homes, watched a group of people standing on surf boards paddling carefully along, and enjoyed ginger cordial and cake supplied by ED Pam. We arrived back at noon just in time to have a hot meal at the Royal Mail Hotel on the beach at Tewantin. We met more Sunshine Coast members here as some day hosts joined us. That evening we were taken to members' homes for small group dinners. We enjoyed being shown around the retirement village where Helen lived beside the river in Mooloolaba. I think Glenys missed her chance to swim in the heated pool!

On Friday we went to the Mooroochy Botanical Gardens for a guided walk and picnic lunch. This special place has been designed and planted up by a group of volunteers including some FF members. It was wonderful walking through the tall trees and identifying the various native species. The sandstone sculptures further up the hill contributed to the tranquil setting. Our day hosts took us to see more interesting sights after lunch. Our host Pam showed us several beaches and we walked along newly made boardwalks.

Group dinners were organised for us on Friday night. Dinner hosts had invited several members and their guests to a meal and fellowship. Kaylene, Glenys, Judy and I were entertained at another beautiful waterfront home.

Saturday was listed as a leisure day. Our hosts, Gillian and John, drove us along the coast to Caloundra. We had a picnic and looked for crabs in the rock pools.

On Saturday night we attended a club auction in the Millwell Hall, which is their venue for club meetings. We met many more club members here as this was a special fundraiser for them. This was truly a "Trash and Treasure" event. Even some of our members couldn't resist a bargain. Taking their purchases home on the plane was a challenge though – eh Glenys?

On Sunday our hosts took us on a Hinterland bus trip. We travelled through bushland and farmland up and down hills and through small towns. We loved wandering around the shops in Montville which sold everything a tourist could wish for. – locally made chocolates, beautiful paintings, jewellery, homewards, clothing, etc. We had lunch in a restaurant overlooking the Glasshouse Mountains and then followed up with a walk in another forest area called Mary Cairncross Park.

Monday was another leisure day. Some chose a day trip to Australia Zoo, and others went to Fraser Island where Vicki even had a swim! Both groups thoroughly enjoyed their day out.

On Tuesday we participated in a tree planting ceremony to commemorate our visit.

After that, we went to the wharf at Mooloolaba to Spagalini's Restaurant for the farewell lunch. We thanked our hosts for a very well organised programme and the warmest of hostings.

We certainly picked the best week to visit as we had perfect weather all week, it started to rain as we left and the following week they had quite violent storms along the coast.