Monday 16th Nov:

A travelling day. Queenstown to Queensland. From the south of New Zealand to the north of Australia takes a full day. Queenstown to Auckland to Sydney to Cairns.

It should have taken 12 hours but and electrical storm grounded us in Sydney for three hours and we finally arrived at our hotel the Cairns Colonial Club just before Midnight. All in all a long day given that we set off from Queenstown at 7am.

Tuesday 17th Nov:

With only three days to spare in Queensland, we can't waste a minute. After breakfast we head downtown to pick up a hire car to drive up the Captain Cook Highway to Palm Cove and Port Douglas. As I regularly sell these places as a destination it's nice to have a look for yourself. The coast road is stunning with mile after mile of beautiful golden sandy beaches. In fact its just how we expected Tahiti to be.

We'll definitely spend more time in Port Douglas and the wonderful Four Mile Beach next time we visit Queensland.

On our way back we stop off at the Thala Beach Resort. Again this is a hotel I sell and we are given a guided tour by Tim Prettejohn one of the resort's directors. The place is amazing. Have a look at their website http://www.thalabeach.com.au/.

Wednesday 18th Nov

The Kuranda Skyrail is one of the must do experiences when visiting Cairns. A coach takes you to Freshwater Station where a steam train chugs along on a 90 minute scenic journey up the picturesque mountain pass to the quaint Aussie village of Kuranda. The Barron Falls cascade down the mountainside it really is a breathtaking trip.

As it's 32 degrees today (yesterday was 32 degrees, tomorrow will be 32 degrees, the day after etc - you get the picture!) Kath and I invest in wide brimmed Aussie hats (see pix).

They are a good investment as they keep you cooler than ordinary hats.

We return to base via the 5km cable car route back past the Barron Falls and over lush green rainforests.

Our afternoon is spent at the Tjapukai Aboriginal Centre. A local tribe give a cultural demonstration and explain the story of the Dreamtime. Aboriginals believe in two forms of time; two parallel streams of activity. One is the daily objective activity, the other is an infinite spiritual cycle called the "dreamtime", more real than reality itself. Whatever happens in the dreamtime establishes the values, symbols, and laws of Aboriginal society. It was believed that some people of unusual spiritual powers had contact with the dreamtime.

We learn how to throw a boomerang and spears used for hunting food. Our Aboriginal guide is less than impressed and suggests we should head off to McDonald's to eat instead!

Thursday 19th Nov:

Quicksilver Barrier Reef Cruise. Another of the most popular Australian tourist attractions. A wave piercing catamaran takes you 38kms out to the Outer Barrier Reef. Here you board a platform change into a wetsuit and snorkel among tropical fishes and coral.

Friday 20th Nov:

Last day of the trip and we fly down to Brisbane. This is a whistle stop trip prior to our flight home tomorrow. I use it to get my bearings. Having never visited Brisbane before, I decided to take a bus tour around the city. So when people ask me about the city, at least I'll have a better idea where places such as the Southbank, Spring Hill and Fortitude Valley are. Meanwhile Kath has been hunting for Ugg boots with no success. San Fran, Cairns and now Brisbane and she can't find the right style for her daughter. You'd think Australia would be the place to find them. Apparently not.

We have dinner at Breakfast Creek, a traditional Aussie pub saved from demolition about 30 years ago. Brekkie Creek as it is known is now a Brisbane institution. Even Mikhael Gorbachev stops off for a pint of XXXX and a steak when he's in town.

And having tasted the steak I know why. Fantastic!

Our day (and the trip) ended on a real high. We checked into our hotel the Park Regis and they put us up on the 22nd floor. What they didn't tell us about was the view. Wow. We were right overlooking the bend of the Brisbane River. The views were amazing. We could see as far as the Gabba (Cricket Ground to our left and to the Castlemaine Brewery and Mount Coot-Tha to our right. Sadly, we couldn't take a photos due to a camera malfunction. The memory card wiped all 400 pictures taken along the trip. Shots of San Fran, Tahiti, New Zealand, Cairns all gone in an instant. Luckily I'd posted most on here and we managed to retrieve the rest when we got home - thanks to a nice man in the camera shop.

Saturday 20th Nov:

Homeward bound. The last check-in. a dozen flights 27,000 miles, three continents and Kath is still speaking to me! Poor woman must have the patience of a saint.

This has been the trip of a lifetime. Although we may visit many of these places again, it certainly won't be on this scale.

But then again, never say never.............