Alex and I arrived in the Daintree Rainforest on Tuesday after leaving Cairns. On the way, we made a few stops at a couple of the smaller resort towns including Palm Cove and Port Douglas. Palm Cove is a beautiful little beach town about twenty minutes from Cairns. We each picked up a smoothie for breakfast and spent the morning walking along the ocean. It was a peaceful way to start the day.
Read MoreAlex and I arrived in Cairns on Saturday afternoon. Cairns is our second-to-last stop in Australia before heading back to the homeland! When I studied abroad 14 years ago, my parents came to visit over my Spring Break and we spent a few days in Cairns. I honestly can say I did not recognize much of the town and it felt like I was exploring it for the first time all these years later.
Read MoreWe arrived in Townsville on Wednesday after a 3 1/2-hour drive from Airlie Beach. After checking into our Airbnb, we walked to The Strand, a popular walkway which follows along the beach and passes by lots of shops and restaurants. We were pretty hungry after our long drive from Airlie Beach and decided to eat along the waterfront at Longboard Bar & Grill.
Read MoreWe arrived back to Airlie Beach after our cruise to the Whitsunday Islands and spent the next couple of days in the popular backpacker town. Our first afternoon was spent walking around the town and grabbing an early dinner. Both Alex and I were pretty exhausted after our cruise and we ended up calling it an early night!
Read MoreI have always wanted to visit the Whitsunday Islands as all the pictures of the area look absolutely stunning. The Whitsunday Islands are located off the Queensland coast in the heart of the Great Barrier Reef. The majority of the 74 islands in the Whitsundays are uninhabited national park islands and only four have resorts built on them. We booked a 2-Night/2-Day Catamaran Cruise with Sailing Whitsundays and had an amazing experience exploring this island chain.
Read MoreAfter leaving Hervey Bay, we continued north to Agnes Waters and the Town of 1770. These two small towns are situated next to each other and are located at the southern end of the Great Barrier Reef. The Town of 1770 was named after Captain James Cook when he anchored his ship, the Endeavour, here on Wednesday, May 24, 1770. It was only the second time during the voyage that Captain Cook had set foot on Australian soil and his first venture on dry land at what is now called Queensland.
Read MoreIt took us a little over two hours to drive from Brisbane to Noosa. Our first stop upon arrival was to Mt. Tinbeerwah. You can drive almost to the top of the hill and then it is a short half-mile walk to the viewing platform. In the distance, you can see the town of Noosa and the Pacific Ocean. It was a bit cloudy when we got there, but the views were still very pretty.
Read MoreWe are continuing our drive up the eastern coast of Australia and made our way from Byron Bay to Brisbane. On the way to Brisbane, we passed through the Gold Coast. The Gold Coast is located on the southeast corner of Queensland and stretches for 35 miles along the coastline. Over 500,000 people live in this region. We did not make plans to stay in this area, so wanted to be sure to stop and tour around a bit. Alex and I parked the car at Burleigh Heads Beach and walked the length of the beach. In the distance, you can see the Gold Coast's skyline. It is a much larger city than I realized! The beach was beautiful and there were lots of people and surfers enjoying the sunny day.
Read MoreWe left Port Macquarie early Monday morning and continued our drive north to Byron Bay. It was a 4 1/2 hour drive and we were both ready explore the town and stretch our legs once we arrived. The main town square has a ton of restaurants and shops and we spent a couple of hours walking around before checking into our Airbnb.
Read MoreFrom Newcastle, we drove to Port Stephens, a quick and easy one-hour drive. Our first stop was the Gan Gan Lookout. From the lookout, you can see views of Port Stephens, Newcastle and the Myall Lakes. It was a pretty incredible viewpoint, and both Alex and I were surprised how hilly this region was.
Read MoreWe arrived back on the eastern coast of Australia late Monday night. We will be spending a total of 40 days driving up the eastern side of Australia from Sydney to the Daintree Forest. We will be making plenty of stops (16 places to be exact!) to explore the coastline and I cannot believe we are in the last stretch of our travels. It has been an adventure for sure!
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