Gold Coast
To Byron Bay, not very far. But there were heavy traffic jams and slow driving, five lanes wide, for almost an hour. We decided to drive along the Gold Coast, Australia's top holiday destination. It might be a good idea to stop by...
Lars Idema
Brisbane
Hooray! Today is Arthur's birthday! In Brisbane! And he's got a whole day to explore the city and make the most of it. We're staying in a motel in a...
Australia Zoo
On to Brisbane, a few hours' drive away. At the suggestion of Sarah, the owner of the cottage, we make a stop at the Australia Zoo, a major attraction in Southern Queensland, near Beerwah. And rightly so, it's a huge zoo, a...
Coastal walk at Noosa Head
We're staying in Sunshine Beach, near Noosa National Park. Today we walked the coastal trail there, about 10 km long, to Noosa Head. It's a beautiful coastal walk. Sometimes it climbs along steep cliffs to the cape...
Towards Noosa
We checked out with the owner, who had helped us briefly last night. We probably messed with the toaster, because suddenly the power went out. She was an hour and a half away, but after that, it was quickly fixed.
K'gari Island
Today we're off to K'gari, "paradise," an island off the coast of Hervey Bay. Formerly called Fraser Island, it's the largest sand island in the world, over 100 km long. And there's sand! It's also a UNESCO World Heritage site. We got an early start...
To Hervey Bay via 1770
We left again today at 10 a.m. Although, on closer inspection (when we returned the key to reception), it was actually 9 a.m., as daylight saving time had started last night. But only in NSW/Sydney, as my phone and watch thought, and...
To Rockhampton
Next destination is a stopover: Rockhampton, about 500 km south, the second-largest city in the state of Queensland. I still managed to get there from ten to six. The speed limit on the highways is 110 km/h, and often 100 km/h. Good facilities, though...
Whitsunday Island
Today we took the boat to the Whitsunday Islands, a cluster of islands off the coast of Airlie Beach. We gathered early again. The boat was moving fast, 20 knots, to take us to the largest island. Unfortunately, those with heart conditions…
Airlie Beach, swimming
Today we mapped out the plan for the rest of the trip. We still have a fair distance to go, so we need to spread out the kilometers a bit, and there's a lot to see along the east coast. The weather is (again) 27°C, sunny, and…