Clare writes: If anyone tries to tell you that Queensland is 'the Sunshine State' - take them outside and piss on them! The season is WET and the van is leaking and the company we rented from - Travellors Autobarn (who were so good in WA) - aren't really bothered. We spent a night in Flametree campsite - a lovely patch of rainforest that turned into a quagmire overnight - mopping and worrying, worrying and mopping. The town is lovely - the water is pale aqua eve...

Clare writes: We didn't stay in Tully long - not overnight or anything, but it deserves a mention. They call Queensland the SUnshine State, but Tully (a day's drive from Cairns) holds the record for the most rain in a year in Australia. The year was 1950 when they had a very respectable 7.9 METRES of rain. There's a giant gumboot at the entrance to the town to honour the fact - pictures will be up here eventually. We knew this was the wet season, but no-one real...

Clare writes: Yeeee hah! We're on the road again!! Lookin round for decent car hire prices in Cairns, Sheila stumbled on a really ood deal on capervans - Traveller's Autobarn charging just $50 a day (that's 25quid) so in a complete change of plan (the means, not the route) we've ot another home-o-wheels for the next 5 weeks down to Sydney. No dearer than the average hostel and complete flexibility about where to go. Petrol is much cheaper than in UK so ... as ...

Clare writes: How wierd! Two hours flight from Alice (40o+, dry, desert) and we're in Cairns - wet tropics - 30o, humid, raining. Sad to leave Alice Springs, which we both really liked for no obvious reason except that it was really laid back. Here in Cairns it's very touristy. The 'beach' here is baby mangroves with crocodile warnings, so everyone swims in a big artifical lagoon between the prom and the shopping centre - we're hoping to do so today! We hadn...

Clare writes:Yesterday was just so amazing - it was Australia Day (which celebrates the anniversary of Captain Cook landing in Sydney Harbour) and how better to celebrate than a boat trip to the outer reef and snorkelling over the amazing coral that later scuppered his attempts to land further north (hence the name Cape Tribulation just north of where we are)!Yes, we were swimming amongst the fishes - and turtles (WOW!) just a couple of metres above the World Her...