Not a bird or a turtle not even a ray or a shark but a human of note.

She lurched towards the empty seat and asked if she could sit down. There was an open stretch of water to Heron which was a bit choppy and she was feeling it. We very quickly got chatting and exchanged life stories. Hers was my best of this adventure. Jo was visiting the island with her family.

She and her husband, both professionals in their own right, had decided to take the year out with their family of three children, jump into a caravan and travel around Australia.

She told me how supportive the school had been of their plan and they are home schooled along the way but much more importantly these children, 10, 8 and 6 were spending a year with their parents exploring their world in ways which books and lessons might not offer.

We bumped into them on the island, well that wasn’t hard it was so small, but we would always sit and chat and explore yet another time in our respective lives and our mutual interests.

One morning the children were in the Information Centre, the eldest writing a piece on rays and the younger two researching the life cycles of turtles. That was school work for the day.

The parents split their time with the children so each had time to do things that interested them.

Often however they were all together and we found them snorkelling around the island telling us what they had seen. The children were excited, engaged and wide eyed and the parents were caring, explaining and nurturing. I loved meeting them and will keep in touch.

An education of a different kind but one which I suspect the children, and their parents will never forget.