---

Leaving behind the security and comfort of Warnambool, it was finally time to get back on track and head to Cairns, the starting point of our final leg in Australia, The Cairnes to Sydney road trip.

Cairnes sits on a flat plateau nestled between two Australian 'Greats', the Dividing Range to the west and the Barrier Reef to the East. Its also ended up as backpacker central and your typical tourist trap. Whether its retired package tourists, diving enthusiasts, families or the 18 to 30's crowd, they all swarm to this coastal city for guaranteed sun, sea, sand and partying.

Unfortunately this overwhelming tourist takeover has left Cairns as a rather souless place where modern conformity has wiped out the majority of its Queensland charm. Having said that, if you take the time out to go that little bit further than the norm there is still the chance to walk down a road lined with traditional Queenslander houses. Standing proudly on their stilted legs, with their beautiful verandas and colourful gardens its possible to catch a glimpse of what came before the hundreds of hotels, apartments and shopping malls.

Having spent enough time in Cains to watch the new Star Wars film and engage in a night of toad racing at the local pub we thought is was about time to sort ourselves out with some wheels. twentyfour hours later we were on the road in our 'Wicked' van ready to take on the mamouth 2679 Km journey in a mere two weeks.

Before heading south we decided on a quick northern dash up to the Daintree, a gorgeous national park famed for being the only place in Australia where rainforest meets ocean. It also gave us a chance to take in some of the famous northern beaches. The best thing about having the van was being able to stop and rest anywhere, parking up next to beach and just chilling out.

Coming back down towards Cairns we headed inland to an area know as the Tablelands. Being considerably higher than the surrounding area, it has a wonderful climate which attracts many people trying to escape the scorching summer heat of the lowlands. It was just outside the town of Atherton, a quaint little place with art galleries and an 'old world' feel, that we met up with yet more of the Beaton Clan, Clare and Neil and their four kids. We were once again greated with amazing hospitality and a cold beer! A couple of days of homely food and comforts got us ready for some serious driving time.

Approximately nine hours on the road and an overnight stop later we were in Airlie Beach, the 'gateway' to the Whitsunday Islands. We had already decided that we wanted to go out on a boat for a few days, to see the islands and to do some diving on the reef. It was just a matter of finding the right boat, not as easy as you might think. Finally after many hours of leaflets and chatting with agents we decided on the 'Pacific Star' and booked our 3day/3night trip. At this point we realised that Bex would be spending her 25th birthday at sea!

Before heading out to sea we were in the supermarket topping up on the necessities (wine and corn chips) when we bumped into Dan, one of the guys that we spent time with in Borneo! We keep saying that the world is not as big as you think, but these coincidences make it seem even smaller.

Sailing is the only way to experience the Whitsundays. Sitting out on the deck with the sun on your face, watching the everchanging scenery pass you by is possibly one of the most relaxing experiences. To top it all off we got to go diving, snorkling and island hoping with it. After waking from our first night on the boat we headed over to one of the islands (lucky to make it as the dingy was taking on water and sinking!) to look at the famous view of the shifting sand in the shallows between the islands. The sand and the clear waters produce amazing patterns and colours which are breathtaking. We also got the chance to spend the morning on a pristene beach made of silicon sand, so fine that you can polish your silver jewelry at the waters edge!

The diving ended up as a bit of a let down as the visability was poor and compared to Borneo we saw pretty much nothing. We did have a cool experience with a very friendly Napolion Wrasse and a White tip Reef Shark with her two young. So all in all it wasn't a complete disaster just not the best diving experience we have had.

We were on board with another sixteen passengers and four crew who were a lovely bunch of people. It wouldn't have been as good an experience if we had not got on with everyone. Bex's birthday turned out really well, presents in the morning, photographing sharks at lunch and a birthday cake and serveral glasses of wine at dinner. turning 25 will definately be one to remember.

Once our 3 days were up we were pretty sad to be going back to land but it was time to move on and put in some more milage (or should that be Kilometreage). Before we left Airlie we took some time to look around the outskirts and found some breathtaking views of the bays and some pretty resonably priced houses with sea views, definately a spot for a second home when we're rich and famous!

Next stop Rockhampton, seven hours south and home to concrete cows and bollock theives, but thats another story.

B and R

---