Cairns and North Queensland, Australia

December 1st – December 10th 2011

We arrived in Darwin and had a bit of a wait due to a delayed flight before we could get our connection to Cairns. We were very tired as it was a night time flight and as usual we didn’t manage to get very much sleep. Once we landed safely in Cairns we went through customs and immigration with no hiccups and proceeded with our bags to the shuttle bus which for $9 took us to Travellers Autobarn. After going through all the formalities, noting down scratches and signing contracts we were off! We were very tired and also very hungry so the first port of call was a supermarket. We found two and after price comparing Woolworths with Coles we found Coles to be slightly cheaper and had a bit more choice. We stocked up on eight jars of pasta sauce which was on offer, beans, spaghetti and the cheapest bread!

Campervan!

We drove to Barron Gorge National Park but the road ended up being a dead end, the views of the river and gorge were lovely though so we stopped to take some photos before going to Lake Placid campsite where the really friendly guy gave us a couple nights stay at a discounted rate. Craig tried to haggle some more off the price but he wasn’t having any of it! It’ll be strange not having to haggle everyday like you have to in Asia! We made pasta for dinner which was a nice change from what we have been eating in Asia for the past three months and we get an early night to recover from our lack of sleep.

Barron Gorge National Park

We woke up after a good night’s sleep and after breakfast strolled to the local shop to get bits and pieces and got chatting to the lady behind the counter. Our first impressions are that it’s very hot and humid (even the locals’ say it’s unusually hot!) and very friendly which is how I remember it from my trip to Cairns five years ago. The rest of the day was chilled out, we read magazines and got to grips with our campervan, ‘home’ for the next two months. It’s only little, a high top campervan with space at the top to put our big rucksacks and a little fridge, microwave, sink, two cupboards and two gas ring stoves. It’ll take some getting used to but it’s great to have the freedom to drive anywhere anytime and to be out of dorms too.

We decided to drive to the little town of Kuranda, somewhere that I have been before and loved. The roads were twisty and winding. We were also going uphill which the campervan struggled with a little bit; Craig’s taken to driving it very well though with no trouble at all. The views on the way up were great so we stopped for photos. We got some accommodation and chatted with the bloke behind the counter before walking along a railway line ‘shortcut’ to get to Kuranda. We had a look around the famous markets and went to the Fossil and Gemstone Museum which was free. The whole place was lovely and familiar and I found the stall that sold me my unique and beautiful didgeridoo five years ago which I have at home. After buying some banana flavoured vegan candy we went down to the Kuranda railway and did the river walk. We tried walking to the Barron Falls waterfall but got lost then got caught in a downpour. On our way back to town and absolutely drenched a lovely couple pulled over and gave us a lift saving us 15 minutes of walking in the rain, brilliant people.

Barron Falls

Craig and I at Barron Falls

The next morning we drove to Barron Falls and admired the breathtaking valley scenery and the cascading water. After watching the steam train come and go we left Barron Falls and drove to Palm Cove which is north of Kuranda. We found a campsite and strolled along the beautiful beach with the sun beating down on us. We had a relaxing following day in Palm Cove and enjoyed reading and being right by the beach.
After our laid back day at Palm Cove we drove back down south to Cairns where we popped in at the office to get a few things looked at on the campervan. We’ve only been in it for six days but already things seem to be falling apart! We parked up in town and had a walk around the harbour and lagoon and along the Esplanade. We booked a snorkelling tour of the Great Barrier Reef for in a few days time which was $129, our budget for each day in Australia is $40 so already we know we’ll need to pick our tours and activities wisely. We manage to pick up a brand new edition of Lonely Planet’s Australia guide for $45, way more than you’d pay in the U.K but hopefully it’ll be a good investment.

Palm Cove

After doing lots of reading and scouring the guidebook for free activities and places to go we went to Fleckers Botanical Gardens and wandered around all the pretty tropical plants and flowers. We crossed the road and did the rainforest boardwalk to Centenary Lakes and soaked up the very hot sunshine. After lunch we went to Crystal Cascades which was a half an hour’s drive away. We did the 1.5 km walk to the waterfall and back and watched as all the locals swam in the rivers many pools. After visiting the waterfall we had to go back to Travellers Autobarn yet again to get things fixed, not a good start to our two month road trip! Afterwards we went to the free Cairns lagoon and had a swim in the warm waters before having a look around the souvenirs in the night market.

Just over a week into our trip and it was time to do our snorkelling tour of the Great Barrier Reef which we had been really looking forward to. We got up early and parked up in the centre of town. After walking to the harbour we boarded our boat for the day and met the captain who was a British expat. We sailed out to the snorkelling spot and got suited up. It was a perfect day for snorkelling, blue skies and calm waters. We snorkelled with the guide who pointed to specific corals and fish and told us what they were, he also picked up a slimy sea cucumber and passed it to us. We were then left to swim around looking at all the varying types of fish which were a myriad of colours. We had a lovely buffet lunch and were out on the water again, this time in search of colourful clown fish which we managed to spot. We swam to the reefs edge where there was an eerie drop off point; it felt like a sea monster could rise up from the deep as the waters became so dark. At the end of the trip we were given complimentary cheeses, biscuits, fresh fruits and wine which was a lovely end to a really great day. The tour itself comprised of only 20 people and the three crew members so it felt really personal as we got to chat to each crew member and learn all about life on the reef throughout the trip.

Flippers up!

The day after our unforgettable Reef trip we decided to leave Cairns behind and drive the Millaa Millaa waterfall circuit. I had heard about Millaa Millaa from my friend Sarah who visited the waterfall and surrounding area on an organised tour but as we had our own wheels we decided to drive there and do it ourselves. The Lonely Planet guidebook also had a good bit of information on it so we set off using our rented sat nav to help us find the way. The views along the Gillies Highway were stunning so we stopped for a banana while we took in the fabulous views. Once at the Millaa Millaa waterfall we had lunch then got into our swimmers to go for a swim, We dipped our toe in and it was absolutely freezing! Craig was much braver than me and managed to get in with relatively no trouble but I was stood at the edge for ages while some Aussie’s spurred me on. Eventually we were both in; it took my breath away getting my whole body under as it was so cold! We did the obligatory Timotei hair flick as this is where the adverts had been filmed.

Craig's hair flick!

My hair flick!

We then swam to the waterfall itself and went under the water to the other side where it was surprisingly a bit warmer. We swam back to shore and dried off and then drove on to Zillie Falls the next waterfall in the circuit. This one was a view from the top and was slightly less impressive as we couldn’t really see it all in its entirety. The last fall was Ellinjaa Falls which we had to do a short walk through the forest to get to. It was very pretty and we passed a wild dingo on our way to it as well. After the pretty scenery of the waterfall circuit we decided to drive a couple of hours south to Mission Beach. The landscape went from rolling hills, rainforests and mountains to flat lands dominated by crops with railway lines seemingly unused running between fields.

Views from the road

Mission Beach was a pretty and quiet place with a massive beach. We stayed on a council run campsite which wasn’t as nice as what we had experienced but wasn’t too expensive either. While in Mission Beach we walked along the isolated beach and watched the little crabs scuttle into their holes in the golden sand.

Singapore

November 27th – November 30th 2011

We caught the train from KL Central train station and read magazines on the journey to Singapore. Once there we disembarked and realised yet again that we didn’t have a clue where we were in relation to the city! We really need to do a bit more research before we arrive at our destination! We spoke to an unhelpful and grumpy bus driver but undeterred spoke to another one who was much friendlier. We boarded his bus which took us to the train station; we boarded a train and waited a long time before getting off in Little India where our hostel was meant to be. We wandered around the bustling streets for ages with our big rucksacks on our backs and couldn’t find the address we were after. Luckily we found an internet cafe and tried to call the hostel manager to no avail as there was no answer. We were pointed to exactly the address that we were given on hostelbookers.com and realised that the hostel was no longer there even though we booked online just days before. After looking on another hostel booking website we noticed a note which stated how they had moved to another address in the last few days. With aching backs we walked to the underground train station, boarded and rode a few stops and then had another 15 minute walk to get the hostel which had no sign so we still had to ask a local if it was the right place! What a nightmare, we explained to the girl in the hostel but she was unsympathetic.

National Museum of Singapore

Not a very good start to the city but we decided to make the most of our few days here even though the new hostel was a lot further out of town than we wanted. For our first day we went to the National Museum of Singapore where I had read about an exhibition called Dreams and Reality involving paintings loaned from the Musée d’Orsay in Paris. We paid the $11 to get in and wandered around all the paintings and drawings which were mostly from the Impressionist period. Once we’d looked around the paintings we left the exhibition and went on to the History and Living Galleries which charted the history of Singapore. We had audio guides which were great and the place was filled with so much information, if we had listened to everything we would have been in there for days! After lunch we went to historic Raffles Hotel which was beautifully decorated for Christmas. We went inside and had a look around the free little museum which appealed to my love of the nostalgic and featured many items from the ‘Golden Age’ of travel.

Raffles Hotel

Unfortunately we couldn’t afford a famous Singapore Sling cocktail so we left and went to the Bugis Street night market which was very lively. Craig bought a hot dog from a stand which had unusual ketchup and mustard dispensers where you squeeze the tube like you would milk a cow, very strange! We bought an umbrella as we have noticed since being here that when it rains it pours and we don’t want to be caught in the rain again like we were today after lunch.

Unusual ketchup dispenser in Bugis Street Market

The following day we decided to go to famous Orchard Road. We strolled up and down the street making the most of the air conditioning as it was another very hot and humid day. It was rather bizarre as it was so hot but there were Christmas decorations everywhere as it’s just a few days till December. After Orchard Road we went to vibrant Chinatown and looked around the shops before wandering into an internet cafe to do some research and catch up on emails.

Orchard Road

Chinatown

It was our last day in Singapore and we were quite grateful for it, not because we don’t like the city but more because it is just too expensive for us! With Australia as our next country we realised that we need every penny that we can get so we weren’t able to really make the most of what Singapore has to offer. We decided to go to the Singapore Art Museum where we paid $10 to see an exhibition by Hyung Koo Kang called The Burning Gaze. The artist focuses on portraits of himself or of celebrities, some ultra realistic and some caricatures. We watched a documentary whilst in the gallery of the artist making his work which was really interesting and provided a great insight into his mind. Craig was especially impressed by how realistic the work was. Also showing in the galleries was the Signature Art Prize which involves work by many Asian and Pacific artists competing for the prize.  Some of the work exhibited was spectacular and ranged all different media from photograph to sculpture to installation to video. After the fascinating exhibitions we made our way back to the hostel to pick up our things and head to the airport to begin our three month Australian adventure.