Welcome to the state of Queensland. Where the land is beautiful and the people… not so much.

Happy to just make some good road time we hurried though the first part of Queensland up towards Normanton and making our first stop in Croydon. It’s a tiny town with big heart. We checked out the “oldest corner store” there and spent a lot of time and their amazing visitor center.

Next we were off to the Tablelands. When we entered Ravenshoe and saw grass for first time in what seemed like forever we were very excited. We checked out the beautiful windmill farm and I walked barefoot in the lush grass. We wondered if the cows there realized how lucky they were. They looked as content as those cows we saw in Bega.

There was so much to see in such a small area. We spent time in all the little surrounding towns such as Millaa Millaa, Malanda and Yungaburra. We loved the lushness of the area. We enjoyed cheese from the local dairies. We hung out in the little shops and talked with the local people. Every town had its own waterfall for us to take a little stroll to. We thought it would be a nice area to live in. We didn’t get to see the elusive tree kangaroo that resides in the area though.

We arrived in Atherton just in time for a special event called “The Tastes of the Tablelands”. We paid a few dollars to get in and then got to sample a lot of locally grown or produced products. There were also a ton of vendors selling samples from their restaurant menus for cheap. I of course was in heaven. It was like “The Bite of Nanaimo” event back home but outdoors and a little too crowded for my liking but overall it was a nice experience.

We crossed through Mossman and marvelled at the sugar cane fields, trains and factories which we would soon realize was going to be the norm for a big portion of the state where we would pass through.

We took a ferry from Daintree to Cape Tribulation which was pretty beautiful. The thick green forests with palm trees tucked in everywhere. The views were spectacular and we decided to spend a few hours at the beach there soaking it all in. We were sitting shaded under some trees when a big lizard more than half my size waddled by behind us. I was too slow to grab the camera but it was awesome to see.

I spent my birthday at the Kuranda markets. Now THAT is a place I would live. I spent hours walking through the stalls and only saw part of it. I stayed in the original area and chatted with some of the vendors. I love checking out what everyone is making and selling. I bought some macadamia nuts from a man who’s son was visiting Canada. I bought two small gifts for myself and one for a friend at another shop where the generous owner gave me 5% off when I told her it was my birthday. Very nice place to spend the day.

Cairns was one of my favourite places to visit so far. In my opinion the Botanical gardens there were the best I have seen in all of Australia. On the weekends the place to be is by far Rusty’s Market which is full of fresh produce at super low prices. I found a food vendor selling the best fries ever and went there two days in a row. The lagoon downtown was beautiful and it was nice to see people enjoying it even in the rain. We sampled a lot of new tropical fruits there including star apples and chocolate pudding fruit. We got to see our good friend Roland who we met during our apple picking experience in Batlow. Good times.

Of course we had to visit the Great Barrier Reef. We decided on a cruise that lands at a platform so that we could both go and enjoy the reef. Francis was able to snorkel while I enjoyed all the other perks of the boat. There was an attached under water view area, a semi-submersible submarine and glass bottom boats to keep me busy. Francis did an advanced small group snorkelling tour with a marine biologist. We definitely do not regret our decision to go but one point of caution here. Do not go if there has been bad weather lately or if its not a super sunny day. Visibility was not great and without the sun the reef looked very pale and not the brilliant colors we’d hope for. There was a huge resident fish there named Wally that Francis swam with. We bought a professional photo of the two of them which we will upload once we load it off its disk.

Innisfail we visited only to see our Scottish friend Tom, also a Batlow apple picker. We spent the day at the beach catching up. We were battling off the mosquitoes when a Cassowary bird came stumbling out from under the trees. Finally we were able to see one in the wild. We finished off our day with a picnic dinner.

In Tully we just rolled in to take pictures with the giant boot indicating rainfall in the area. You guys must have realized now our obsession with giant objects.It was sometime around now that the truck began to act funny when shifting. We decided not to take any chances and get to Sydney as soon as possible.

There was no missing Fraser Island. It was a must do for us. We hopped a ferry over to the island, planned to spend two nights and spent three. One in a forested camp area and twice right on the beach. We definitely put the new tires and 4wd to the test here. There is not one place on the island where you are not driving on sand. We checked out all the best stops. McKenzie Lake, Champagne Pools, Indian Head, Eli Creek and a few other spots. I loved the Maheno shipwreck. By far the best we have seen in Australia. Even I got in a little beach driving. Pretty fabulous Halloween weekend, but I still missed the trick or treaters.

In Yandina the Buderim Ginger Factory did not disappoint. We got a private tour of the factory with a delicious food tasting at the end. It was really interesting and the tour was great. We stocked up on ginger goodies and enjoyed them all very quickly. Francis is a big ginger fan now, I was already. After that we stopped and admired the Glass Mountains from a fire tower. Gorgeous!

In Brisbane I had to make one last stop at a wildlife reserve before we left Australia. I had to have one more chance to snuggle a kangaroo. Well I did… and I cuddled a koala. So cute!!! The Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary was awesome. Over 130 koalas including little babies! There were fun activities all day long. Francis fell in love with the dingo pups there and really wanted to steal them and bring them home with us. I was mesmerized by the lively platypus in its aquarium. We saw one in the wild at the Jenolan Caves but this is the first time we got to observe one close up. We spent an entire day at the reserve.

We celebrated Francis’ birthday on the Gold Coast at Surfers Paradise. We cruised the town on foot and then settled down on the beach for the morning. Francis swimming in the ocean and me curled up on the beach reading. In the afternoon we had a late lunch at the Hard Rock Café. I pretended to make a trip to the bathroom but instead told the waitress it was his birthday. After lunch she brought him out a yummy sundae with a candle and made the whole restaurant sing him happy birthday. The look on his face was priceless and I of course have it on video. We walked back to the truck to find a present from the local parking authority on our windshield. Jerks!

Next we were on our final leg to New South Wales!