I saw glowworms inside of a cave and then drove to the Gold Coast. I met some fellow travelers in the Australian outback and randomly ran into them a few times in the Northwest. While in the Gold Coast, I met up with them again – at the perfect time!
I had been traveling full-time for nearly 15 months. One thing I didn’t expect was to lose close friends as the distance between us grew each day. Friends who suddenly felt they couldn’t relate to me any longer.
I went on an abseiling tour at Kangaroo Point Cliffs, a bike tour of the city, and a ghost tour at a prison. On the ghost tour, I met a guy who said he used to be possessed when an exorcism went wrong.
After exploring an outdoor market, I went to the Australia Zoo – home of Steve Irwin. The crocodile hunter’s reputation still lives on. I watched a crocodile lunge out of the water to eat some prey in a zookeeper’s hand. The beast was enormous and only inches from the man holding the bird.
I met up with a couple who were house and pet sitting too. They were from London and had completed several sits in the U.K. and Australia. We went on a hike together, and enjoyed the beach town of Noosa.
On the way to Fraser Island, we came across around 20 humpback whales. They were massive and graceful! When four males surrounded our boat, I had the opportunity to jump into the water and use my snorkel to swim with them. The whales were so close, I could almost touch them!
People don’t always realize that traveling is work – and that work was starting to catch up to me. It’s constant research, doing, seeing, experiencing, driving, and in my case, writing. It’s why I’ve gotten so behind in my blog. At least I was able to go on a tour of a rum distillery and met some fellow travelers who also house and pet-sit!
On a sailing tour of the Whitsunday islands, our engine suddenly caught fire! The captain shouted for the fire extinguisher as massive black clouds of smoke filled the sky.
I enjoyed the fancy resort at Airlie Beach and the infinity pool. Then I took a large boat from Airlie Beach to The Great Barrier Reef for some more diving. Airlie Beach is incredible and so is the reef! The underwater current was powerful though and swept me away!
I drove from Cairns to Airlie Beach, stopping at a sugar museum, Cardwell, Townsville (stayed the night) and then on to Airlie Beach. The scenery was beautiful and I instantly wanted to stay in Airlie Beach for a long time! I found a steal at an incredible resort.
I explored the northern area around Cairns and couldn’t help but notice all of the warning signs about crocodiles and box jellyfish. It didn’t help that I had a nightmare about a crocodile eating a man. I also went for a hike in the rainforest at Mossman Gorge. Then, I drove to Cape Tribulation.
I was a new diver and recently certified. It was my first time at The Great Barrier Reef. I had a wonderful guide and it was a clear day! I got to see many brightly colored fish and coral!
I went on a day-tour that took us on several hikes in the Tablelands near Cairns. The waterfalls and scenery were amazing! We swam, hiked, and saw the largest tree that I’ve ever seen!
I took a tour of the Daintree Rainforest which allowed me on the 100-year-old train through the mountains and the Skyrail back to Cairns. The forest was used as inspiration for the movie Avatar. I also toured the wildlife park and rode in a duck boat through the forest and in some water.
I decided to see what a tarot card reader would say to me, which freaked me out. Then, I went to a food and wine festival in Cairns, realizing that humans do the same things all over the world. Is it because we’re living in the Matrix?
I drove a campervan 2,000 miles from Darwin to Cairns, making a stop in Kakadu National Park. It wasn’t the easiest drive & I was exhausted. The road was only partial paved and then I drove up and down a mountain on a narrow road with 263 turns! I had to get the campervan back to the rental place by 3:00 pm, but would I make it with all of the slow turns?
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