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I have made my way up the east coast of Australia. From Brisbane to Cairns, following first the Sunshine coast then the Capricorn coast, I arrive only slightly prematurely. I have encountered some remarkable places and people. I and yet, things are quite the same here if you don’t count the natural environment. On Monday I made my way out to Fitzroy Island for an introductory dive. A short boat ride and we rounded the peninsula and came upon the island. Fitzroy is quite a small place but very hilly and covered in forest. After signing up for my dive and meeting my instructor I was pleased to discover that I was the only one to be diving and that my instructor was a kiwi. We made our way down the beach, steep and thick with brittle coral fragments. When we entered the water a new world exploded around me, abundant in the most diverse forms of life and vibrant in colour. Schools of bright, miniature fish, expanses of softly waving corals, outcrops of rough hard corals and a confusion of delicate, darting sea life.
Well, I am in Cairns now, the top of the tourist track on the East Coast. I will spend a week or so here before flying up and over to Darwin (only a few hours). The town of Cairns is quite nice, though very touristy. The weather is like a tropical version of Wellington. An insistent breeze keeps you cool and random rain showers come out of nowhere and disappear almost as suddenly. I have had an exciting time, travelling in hops and jumps up the coast. Endless beaches, countless swims and the open ocean with clear water for great snorkelling.
From Darwin I fly at night across to Bali, Indonesia’s tourist hot spot. Have no fear, I plan to leave from Kuta and head in to the mountainous and volcanic centre of the island to see the 'real' Balinese people and places. From here I have no real plans as yet, being a couple of weeks away. But I will eventually work my way up through the islands of Java and Sumatra and then by sea into Malaysia.