On my way

Finally, after weeks/months of planning, it's really happening! I'm moving to Australia!
It will take me 3 flights and 28 hours to get to Cairns. But I'm sure it will be all worth it!
Brussels - Doha

My first flight takes me to Doha, Qatar. After a smooth check in, I settle down for the first flight. About 6 hours, 3 movies and a chicken pomodore later, I arrive at Doha. Unfortunatly with half anLäs mer
Doha - Perth

After the quick transfer, I manager to get to my next plane on time. This time it will take about 10 hours 50 minutes to get to Perth. I am very lucky and manage to have an entire row of seats toLäs mer
Perth - Cairns

In Perth, I have about 5 hours to change flights, which means alot of waiting. While waiting to check in, I ate some waffles. The flight was short (less than 4 hours), but also quite cramped.
By theLäs mer
Cairns

At my first day in Cairns, I mainly try to stay awake. This way the jet leg should be less of a problem. In the morning I feel fine, so I start walking into town. Before I leave I quickly change intoLäs mer
Swimming Lagoon

After a weldeserved rest, it was time to cool down. No better place to do that then a lovely swimming pool. Cairns had this lovely outdoor salt water pool that is free to use. It comes in handy sinceLäs mer
Botanical gardens and Mount Whitfield

This morning, I bumped into Janet in the hostel. She was planning to go to the botanical gardens. Since I wanted to visit them as well, i decided to join her.
After we walked there, we startes byLäs mer
Shopping

After half an hour in the sun this morning, it was time to cool down. No better place to do that than an airconditioned shopping centre. Since I was adviced to buy a hat (being white as I am), thatLäs mer
Cape Tribulation day trip

Today, I went to visit Cape Tribulation. It's part of the Daintree rainforest.
It was an amazing day full of wonderfull experiences.
We drove out of Cairns early in the morning. The drive took usLäs mer
Rainforest walk

A 45-minute walk through the heart of the rainforest. This rainforest is the longest living forest of it's kind. Being millions of years older than the Amazon. I learned about the different plants andLäs mer
Daintree crocodile cruise

A one hour cruise on the Daintree to spot some wildlife. We spotted several crocodiles, including scarface (the alpha male) and some baby crocodiles. We also saw some other animals and cruised alongLäs mer
Mossman Gorge

Our last stop on the Cape Tribulation trip was Mossman Gorge. A lovely area in the rainforest where two rivers from the mountains come together. The water was very clear and you could see the fishLäs mer
Lunch at the beach

A lovely lunch at the beach, with some lovely views of cape Tribulation itself. The cape Captain Cook saw when he crashed into the great barrier reef with his ship, while discovering Australia.
ThereLäs mer
Rain and crocodile sausage

Quiet day today, perfect to get behind my laptop and do some planning. I now got a general idea of what's happening in the next month :-)
This afternoon it rained pretty heavily for about an hour.Läs mer
Diving on the Great Barrier Reef

This morning I got up early for what was to become an amazing day!
After a quick check-in, I got on board of the Passions of Paradise sailing boat. The weather a bit grey, bit still nicely warm. WeLäs mer
Waterfalls

At breakfast, I bumped into Janet again. She was telling me how some friends were picking her up for a trip to some waterfalls. Since I had no real plans, I asked if they had a spare seat for me. AndLäs mer
Cairns - Townsville - Magnetic Island

After a week in Cairns, it is time to move south to see a bit more of the east coast. At 8 in the morning, I get on the Greyhound bus. A six hour drive will bring me to Townsville, where I will get aLäs mer
Bungalow bay koala village

I just arrived on Magnetic Island and checked in to my home for the next 6 nights. It is pretty cool out here.
I sleep in a six bed bungalow which has its own bathroom inside. It's in the middle ofLäs mer
Magnetic Island - Day 1

It's my first full day on the Island, and after a good night sleep, I headed off to Pleasure Divers to start my diving course.
After filling out some paperwork, we head straight for the pool. 10 lapsLäs mer
Magnetic Island - Day 2

Up bright and early to head to the diving centre again. We get straight into the pool again to practice some more skills and finish up with some theory and a test. I passed, so Monday and Tuesday,Läs mer
Magnetic Island - day 3

Again a nice and sunny day on the island.
This morning Heidi, Simon and Emile showed me some hidden secrets on horseshoe bay. The butterfly foreat and a beautiful lagoon. I met this lively familyLäs mer
Magnetic island - day 4 & 5

I did my four qualification dives! Three on Monday, one more on Tuesday. Despitw the rain Monday morning, we got All geared up and we walked into the ocean at Alma bay.
All the dives went well asLäs mer
Magnetic Island to Townsvillle

After a calm morning, I headed back to the main land with the ferry. It's hard saying goodbye to such a beautiful island!
Once arrived and settled in the hostel in Townsville, I headed out to theLäs mer
Castle Hill

This morning, I walked up castle hill (apparently only a few metres short of being called castle mountain). I knew that it was going to be quite a climb, but once I started, it seemed to beLäs mer
Reef aquarium + Townsville

In the afternoon, I went to the reef aquarium. It has a massive piece of reef inside, where you can see all kinds of tropical fish. When you walk through the glass tunnel, you get to see predators onLäs mer