We missed out on Brisbane back in June because the weather was so bad we sidestepped it during our inland dash north to avoid the rain. It was the only state capital we hadn't visited, however, so we felt duty-bound to see what it had to offer. Being honest, we would have to say that Brisbane is our least favourite of Australia's big cities. It's not that there's anything particularly wrong with it, but there's no 'wow' factor to give it any kind of edge. Like ...

There is a phenomenon in Australia called "Schoolies' Week", when school leavers descend in late November on Surfers Paradise on the Gold Coast. There, they celebrate their freedom and grown-up status by partying, getting drunk and generally behaving in a raucous and childish manner. They could not have picked a more suitable location. Surfers Paradise was on our original schedule of stops as we headed towards Brisbane, but we stayed an extra night in...

Our plan was to drive from Cooktown to Cape York and back again along the Peninsula Development road stopping at various roadhouses along the way. The first day we aimed to get to Mary Valley Station where we'd read you could camp, plus there was a flying fox bat colony which came out at night. We set off just after 10am from Cooktown, the journey began well as the first part was tarmac! We stopped for lunch just south of a small place called Laura at a site ...

From Cape Tribulation our next stop was Cooktown along the 4wd-only Bloomfield track. I took to the driving seat as getting a four wheel drive car was my bright idea. To change the gears from two wheel drive to four there is a separate stick next to the gear stick, but unlike the gear stick you don't have to put the clutch down to change, you just have to have your foot off the accelerator. The terrain started off flat along a gravel surface, then it became tw...

After spending a couple of days in the Blackpool of Australia - Cairns - we continued north stopping overnight in the small town of Mossman where we visited the Mossman Gorge, then drove through Daintree National Park to Cape Tribulation. At Mossman Gorge we did a short walk through the rain forest to the main parts of the gorge. It was a popular stop for many people, some whom bathed amongst the big boulders in the river. The highlight for us was when someone...