It feels so good to be away from the tourist beaches and blend in to the laidback city life of Brisbane. It's the capital of Queensland and Australia's third largest city (following Sydney and Melbourne) and has seen a lot of development within recent years. The river cat ferry zig-zags across the meandering banks of the Brisbane River which runs through the city separating the North of the city from the South. Along South Bank lays many cafes and slightly set ...

Most of the action in Noosa happens in Noosa Heads; home of trendy Hastings Street and access point for the main surf beach. I couldn't come to Australia without at least attempting to surf - so I did! It was such great fun and although the waves weren't too big, they were still strong enough and lasted long enough for me to stand up on my board successfully, more than once, infact, I manged to stand so often that I lost count. After my lesson I joined a walkin...

Rainbow Beach was chosen as the next port of call simply because of it's name and interesting summary that the Lonely Planet guide gave it. The town's name derives from the rainbow-coloured sand dunes surrounding the settlement; according to the legnds of the Kabi people (the local Aboriginies) the dunes were coloured when Yiningie, a spirit represented by a rainbow, plunged into the cliffs after doing battle with an evil tribesman. Much of the sand colours ste...

A twelve hour overnight bus journey landed me in Airlie Beach; gateway to the Whitsunday Islands. From here I plan to see the Whitsundays as well as the Great Barrier Reef. The town of Airlie itself is a tourism haven so thankfully the trips that I had booked for the next two days took me away from this. The first of which was a ferry ride around a group of 74 islands, collectively known as the Whitsunday Islands, with the opportunity to stop at a few. The first...

Far North Queensland greeted me with gorgeous blue skies and a big yellow sun; I am really looking forward to getting my adventure along the East Coast of Australia started. Cairns is extremely touristy, buzzing with hostels, tour agencies and cheap restaurants-come-nightclubs. Although it's the gateway for many day trips, another attraction has to be it's Lagoon. A huge street beach/swimming pool, that is free for public use and enjoyment, surrounded by sand a...