Blogs from Ayr, Queensland, Australia, Oceania

The "Great Green Way". I lived in Port Douglas for the past 8 months and about 2 weeks before leaving, it was the first time I heard about it. The Great Green Way is the road between Cairns and Townsville and to my surprise there's plenty to see in between both cities – “Nature’s playground” is the motto used for advertisement. http://www.greatgreenwaytourism.com/. I had tought about doing the SS Yongala dive for some time now and I finally did it, just one week before leaving Port Douglas. The SS Yongala is a wreck from 1911 and worldwide considered a top diving spot. It wasn't easy getting 2 days off work and finding someone to go diving with. Fortunately, an American friend of mine, Julie Remp, who's working as an underwater photographer in Port Douglas, managed to ... read more

Je retrouve Keri durant sa semaine de congé. Pour mon anniversaire, elle m'offre le plus beau des cadeaux: elle m'emmène plonger sur l'épave du Yongala. On part donc en road-trip au sud de Cairns, en passant par Townsville, jusqu'à Ayr, au plus proche de l'épave. Le Yongala a coulé il y a 100 ans cette année, au cours d'une nuit où des vents de force 5 sévirent au large de la côte est. Comble de l'infortune, le navire était en route pour Townsville où il aurait été équipé d'une radio, mais en attendant, aucun secours n'a pu être prévenu et personne ne connait les causes exactes du naufrage. Avec des vagues d'une quinzaine de mètres de haut, l'eau s'est sans doute engouffrée dans le bateau, scellant le destin des 120 passagers à bord. Il fallut 47 ... read more

When you are homeless, jobless and penniless there are few options open to you but to return to the family home, even if it is in Australia! With a degree behind him and a spring in his step Cieran tried so hard to start his career and settle into the next chapter of his life, but like so many people he had not planned for the economic decline in the UK and the problems that it presented. It was even cheaper to travel to India and tour the northern states for two months than it was to stay and exist in Newbury. So once the last of the rupees came to an end Cieran flew onto Brisbane in time for Christmas and some pampering from mum! But like many things in life, it's not always that ... read more

Aux habitants du 55 de la Bastille.... on recoit bien vos messages mais on ne peut répondre en privé.... continuez d'écrire. 25 juillet On a quitté notre camping pour conduire une centaine de km… un pet en fait! On a fait un arrêt au McDo (dans le stationnement) et on a fait un peu de Skype et d’internet (on a suivi le conseil de FG, on a mis de côté la gravelle… et on a pris du temps pour parler à la famille). La température est ben ordinaire ces jours-ci. Il pleut beaucoup, ce qui est inhabituel pour la région à ce temps-ci de l’année. Ca adonne bien dans le sens où on voulait se reposer. On joue à des jeux et on reste tranquille (ce qui est rare dans notre famille, de rester tranquille je ... read more

The time has come to drag out the blogging instinct, only recently departed, and start up an Aussie leg of my travel story. I hot Ayr about one week ago and it has been everything that the Cairns I left 7 years ago was......sultry heat, lush foliage, palm trees and mangos galore at this wonderful time of year. Hoorah for stringy, juicy, sweet, tasty eat-over-a-bath mangos as it is Mango Season!!, apparently the natural aphrodisiac (like so many other plant things.........) The staff quartes I arrived to are very good comparabe to others I have stayed in, and I appreciate the air conditioning no end. To arrive at work, air conditioned, spend the whole day inside, apart from the odd 60 metre trip back home to get something and then have a swim or some time ... read more