After a restless night on the boat during which I had been awoken by rain dripping on my face from an open roof window, I was not impressed to be woken at the crack of dawn. Breakfast on deck was nice though and after the previous night’s rain, everything looked ‘cleaner’, the water seemed a clearer blue and the vegetation on the land seemed a more stunning green. With 16 people jostling for two small cubicles you have to be ready to run in while you ca...

No trip Down Under would be complete without a visit to The Great Barrier Reef and I cannot wait to get up close and personal with Nemo & Co and explore this underwater wonder! The only snag is that I cannot swim and I have an irrational fear of open water. However, I refuse to travel halfway around the globe and miss out on one of the seven natural wonders of the world just because I am afraid; and since part of this trip is all about overcoming my fears an...

Have you ever heard of the Whitsunday Islands in Australia (before the "best job in the world" competition anyway?). No, neither had I until I set foot on the east coast and all I heard were good things about them accompanied by phrases such as, "It's a must see in Australia" and "They are gorgeous, you can sail on ex racing boats around the islands and get a great tan at the same time". Intriguing. Since I had never been on a boat...

Before leaving Alice Springs I visited a small wallaby sanctuary with attached didgeridoo shop which sold all things Aboriginal. I could not wait to try and play the didgeridoo (try being the operative word) and you are able to try as many as you like here with various sizes and styles available. Didgeridoos are made from small and straight trees which have been eaten out on the inside by termites. The trees are chopped, stripped of their bark, painted and dr...