To Airlie Beach
We're leaving the island again, heading for Airlie Beach, 400 km further south (a short distance by Australian standards). At the ferry terminal on the mainland, we looked for the car again; it wasn't allowed on the ferry by the...
Lars Idema
Geoffrey & Alma Bay
This morning we first swapped houses for an extra day, and chatted for a bit with the manager, who's from Argentina, as was the cleaning lady, by the way. She gave us some tips for the last day. Today we walked from Nelly Bay, the capital city...
Walk to the fort and bay
This morning we first secured our next sleeping spot, at Airlie Beach. Then we took the bus to the hike on the other side of Magnetic Island. The path leads to an old WWII fort perched atop the cliffs. It's 27°C, the sun...
Relaxing day
Relaxing day, everyone's still tired. From traveling, or maybe from snorkeling? Forgot to stock up on breakfast supplies, so we went grocery shopping. This village doesn't have a supermarket, so we took the bus to Nelly Bay, the neighboring village. In the afternoon, we swam in...
To Magnetic Island
We leave the hostel in Cairns. We take a taxi (there's no bus here) and head to the airport to rent a car. We've sorted out the paperwork at Avis, and we get an Outlander, and all three of us get to drive it.
Snorkeling on the Reef
(Videos to follow, Wi-Fi is slow here on the island) Today we're going to the reef! The Greater Barrier Reef is right off the coast here. It's enormous, the size of France, or Japan, so big. Well, off the coast, between…
Checkup
I decided to go to the hospital after fainting the day before yesterday. It shouldn't happen with the pacemaker. Or are the settings wrong? I called Cairns Hospital, an impenetrable phone fortress. After ten calls, I was put on hold, hung up, and went straight to voicemail...
Daintree Forest
We were picked up early (7 a.m.) by a van and headed to the Daintree Forest. It was a beautiful drive along the coast to Port Douglas, about an hour's drive on a winding road. Upon arrival at the visitor center, we first had to go through a smoking ceremony...
Day off
Booked a car this morning for a one-way trip from Cairns to Sydney, about 2,000 km. Just make sure the three bulky suitcases fit in the back. Hostel pictures: In the afternoon, I walked through Cairns and went to the coast for a swim. At the coast, it was…
Kuranda
Today we took a trip to Kuranda, a mountain village in the rainforest, about 25 km from Cairns in North Queensland. Luckily, it was cloudy, not too sunny, as the UV index here quickly exceeds 10. But it was…