Day 228: Thursday 12th February - I’m an ant licker, and I don’t care! It is yet another early start in Cairns as I’m getting picked up at 7:30am for a tour going north to Cape Tribulation. Almost everyone on the tour with the exception of a Swiss couple and an Irish guy are English. Our first stop of the day is to a wildlife sanctuary. I question our driver, Scotty when we get off the bus as already he has sent around a sheet for people to choose their lunch option and now he is about to buy entrance tickets for everyone on the bus. The tour I paid for didn’t include either lunch or entrance to the wildlife sanctuary as I’ve done enough wildlife sanctuary’s/zoo’s over the last few weeks and I’m sure I ... read more

Day 221: Thursday 5th February - Making it through to Townsville just in time It’s a ridiculously early start this morning as I’m catching a bus at 6.15am. When it doesn’t turn up until almost 7am I must admit to having resigned myself to there being no bus north to Townsville for the third successive day. Thankfully, the bus driver gets off the bus and announces that he’s intending to drive to Townsville. I would love to sleep on the almost 5 hour journey to Townsville but I have a sense of foreboding that arriving in Townsville is far from a given which makes me restless. Just before we reach Ayr (not to be confused with the Scottish seaside town) I see a sign flashing above the road which I think says that the Bruce Highway ... read more

Day 214: Thursday 29th January - A relaxing day in Mackay So much for a lie in this morning. The dorm I’m staying in is full of people getting up early to go to work. Mackay like Gladstone isn’t really on the backpacker circuit and most people staying here are working. Anyway, I need to be up to see what the options are to get to the Eungella national park, home to the duckbilled platypus. I found out last night that there was no tour going from the hostel so I went to sleep thinking that hiring a car today was the best option. Wanda, who runs the hostel finds out that it will be $73 to hire a car for the day so similar in price to what the tour would cost. The only drawbacks ... read more

Day 206: Wednesday 21st January - Meeting the self-drive group in Hervey Bay Leaving Noosa behind, it’s a 5 hour bus drive north to Hervey Bay. Even for seemingly small distances on the map it’s always a long journey between them in practice in Australia. Thankfully, the time passes quickly as I get talking to a teacher from West Yorkshire, Natalie. When Natalie gets off in Rainbow Beach I can’t believe we’re 3 hours into the bus journey.....I don’t think we stopped talking for more than ten seconds. There is a mini-bus waiting to collect me and take me to the hostel when I arrive in Hervey Bay. By the time I get to the hostel which is on the outskirts of the sprawling Hervey Bay, 7km from the centre I’m short of time to get ... read more

Day 199: Wednesday 14th January - Meeting up with another member of the ‘Cusco Posse’ I leave the hostel this morning before I need to. I’m keen to check if I left my sunglasses case in the post office in Surfers Paradise whilst I was emptying my bag of its contents posting stuff home yesterday. I end up having to wait around for the post office to open and when it eventually does they’ve not found it. Never mind, I’ll pick up a replacement case in Brisbane this afternoon. Need to dash for my bus now - it’s a shame it’s not half an hour later as there is a Oakley store which I pass on my way which is sure to have a replacement case but I have no time. The journey north to Brisbane ... read more