PhilOsman

The Daintree Rainforest is located on Cape Tribulation, north of Cairns. We took a 2 day trip to see what the area had to offer. After pickup it was off to the small town of Port Douglas where we stopped for 45 minutes so the hungover passengers amonst us could get some Coke & chocolate. As we had booked to spend the 3 nights after the tour in Port Douglas it was nice to get a quick look at the place. From Port Douglas it was onto Mossman Gorge in the Daintree itself. We were taken on a 1 hour guided walk through the rainforest which was good. The warm tropical weather made the swim in the river at the end of the walk all the more enjoyable ! Next on the agenda was a short ... read more

We arrived onto Magnetic Island via a 5 hour bus trip North from Airlie Beach and a 20 minute ferry from Townsville. As we had prebooked accomodation at Base Backpackers, we got picked up from the ferry and taken by bus to the hostel which is situated in Nelly Bay. I should point out that the bus driver was the weirdest fecker I have met in my life.....has to be seen to be believed......about 50 years old wearing tight denim hotpants, and full of stupid one liners.......when we got to the hostel: "As my ex-girlfriend used to say - GET OFF".......bizarre !!! The hostel was quite good, very modern anyway and the 8 bed dorm was grand if a little cramped. Our first night (Monday) we cruised down to the bar and had soon amassed a ... read more

We set off early last Saturday morning from Brisbane, heading South-West towards Stanthorpe. The 3 hour drive is really nice with some mountains and such like providing a pleasant backdrop. Along the way there are some real country towns like Warwick, where we spotted a rodeo ring! I was later to learn from someone in work that the Warwick rodeo ring is home to the biggest rodeo in Queensland every September…….I’m SO there! Stanthorpe itself is a one street town surrounded by miles of farms & vineyards. The locals are a mix of homegrown hicks, and semi-retired city folk trying to ‘get away from it all’. As it turned out our accommodation was with the later. Accommodation: Granite Garden Cottage, highly recommended but pricey! Granite Gardens When we arrived the owners couldn’t have been more helpful. ... read more

Our trip to Frasier Island was fantastic. We went with an organised group in a 17 seater 4WD truck thing. The company we went with were called Trailblazer Tours and this is the exact tour we did: 99% of backpackers go for the self-drive tours and seem to enjoy it, mainly because of the cheap prices! However, with the guided tour: -All food cooked for you and included in price -All petrol included in price -Guide drives, much lower risk of getting stuck in sand, and no risk of having to pay for damage to jeep -Guide gets everyone up early and on the road, so you do LOADS more -Guide knows best times to get to each spot to avoid the crowds -Fridge to put your beer in !!!! -Guide is super knowledgable It's an ... read more