JOURNEY TO TOWNSVILLE Got up plenty early for getting the bus, as Nik does not like to be late and was panicked that we wouldn't be able to check out and get our key deposit back. As it happened, the dude wasn't on reception and had to be found, but we had ample time anyway, even with the stumbling block of a broken ATM en route to the bus station too. Got a bit confused as to which bus we were getting, but then there was only one, which made the choice easie...

Tuesday - Trip to Fitzroy Island, Great Barrier Reef Got up early for some breakfast before heading down to the boat terminal to get over to Fitzroy Island. It is on the Outer Barrier Reef and is one of the most unspoilt islands on the reef. Managed to find the boat check in after some initial confusion and boarded a safe looking and fairly sizeable boat over to the island, with is only a 45 minute sail - although it took longer as on the way, there was an ol...

Monday in Cairns Last night Nik stayed up to see the football results (we could not afford to go out on the beers at midnight, esp as we predicted it would be disappointing…) so we had a small lie in. Munched some breakfast at the hostel and chatted to some other Brits for most of the morning - it was a sunny day ideal for chillaxation. Went out on errands, which included getting money for snorkelling, getting bug repellent (Hannah is itchy!) and getting p...

Sunday - Our tour north As there is loads to do around Cairns, esp to the North, we decided to go on a day trip to squeeze in as much as possible after our leisurely start. This was also a good option as we are going car-less for the first month of our time here. So, after some vegemite on toast, the coach came to pick us up at about 7.30am. We were some of the last people on, so we were right at the back, which meant Nik kept hitting his head and Hannah felt...

Singapore to Australia We rounded off our trip in Singapore with a budget day hanging out at the hostel - pot noodle for lunch anybody? Nik spent some time befriending people, while Hannah spent hours trying to flatten her hair. In good news, Nik had a good chat with Randy, who invited us to go stay at his resort in Oz - sweet. We wasted some time playing cards and checkers - Hannah was by and large the checkers champ. Got the MRT to the airport and checked ...