A continent, a country, a people (actually, several peoples). Population: 27 million (2025). King of Australia: Charles. The culture is also very similar to England. Australia is big! The 6th largest country in the world. We went from Cairns to…
Today we're going into the mountains. Well, to check out the Blue Mountains, two hours west of Sydney. We're up in time to catch the train, which runs once an hour. A bit of bad luck: part of the track is out, so...
Up early: whale watching. To Circular Quay, the harbor where the boat departs. It was a slightly smaller boat than expected, so it's bound to be a rocky ride. And indeed, it is. Once out of the river, after a half-hour trip, it's off...
Taking it easy this morning. At brunch outside, the animals gathered again, ready for some crumbs. First, the morning roll call; what's on the street? We now know they're called Water Dragons, or Australian Water Dragons. (Watch this video…
Slowly this morning, definitely an hour late, because yesterday we crossed the New South Wales border, and they do have Daylight Savings Time here. Had breakfast while the half-meter-long lizards stare at you, the kookaburra bird on the edge of...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
