So this was it, I had finally reached Australia. Two months previously in Bangkok, down-under had seemed ages away but it crept up faster than I thought possible. It was strange but as the plane touched down it felt like a really big deal. Maybe not in recent years but when I was younger Australia was a near in-accessible paradise. A 24 hour flight and the cost of a holiday meant I wouldn’t see Oz until retirement and now here I was, a young 23 year old ready for 3 months of adventure.

With regards to my first impressions of Oz, I found it to be very similar to back home. The sense of humour seemed to be the same, the language and slang terms are just like home (they even say ‘arse’ which is nice to hear) and they drive on the left-hand side of the road. The only differences being that the roads and avenues are massive just like in the States, everyone is a lot more relaxed and of course, the weather is unfairly miles better.

I spent a total of 5 nights in Cairns and I still hadn’t adapted to the change of pace by the end of them. Compared to the high paced, hectic two months in Asia I had basically dropped down to 1st gear. With plenty of time to see the East Coast and the laid back attitude of the country I was confronted with something completely alien since leaving British soil; free time to do absolutely nothing. I felt like this nothing time needed to be filled with some sort of activity; it was obvious it would take me a while to realise that simply is not necessary in Australia. During my time in Cairns I had a few nights out, I also spent a day relaxing at the lagoon in the city centre. Because Cairns doesn’t have a recognisable beach, a man made pool has been built next to the marina surrounded by a park area. One day I also jumped in a minibus with a gang of cockney lads I got friendly with and drove to Atherton Tablelands (I didn’t drive mum so you can stop panicking). This is an area southwest of Cairns that contains both green forests and wide open farmlands. We drove around the waterfall circuit and visited Millaa Millaa Falls, made famous by a certain Australian musical genius in the video for Mysterious Girl. In the afternoon we had a BBQ at Lake Timeroo which is an enormous artificial lake and dam.

The real reason for my visit to Cairns was the Great Barrier Reef. The decision to complete my PADI certificate was an excellent idea and paid me back tenfold. Now it is time for me to go Sir David Attenborough on you all. One of the seven wonders of the natural world and the only living thing visible from Space, the reef is larger than the Great Wall of China at 2300km. It is home to 1500 different species of fish, 400 types of coral, 200 birds and 4000 breeds of clams and other molluscs. This variety of species is what left its mark on me. I did 3 dives on Saxon Reef and they were all incredible. Seeing the beautiful colours of the fish swimming around the underwater coral skyscrapers was one of the best things I have ever seen. And seeing Nemo for the first time gave me a feeling I can only compare to seeing Sleeping Beauty’s castle at the Magic Kingdom for the first time when I was a child. I also had a very intimate experience with an octopus but that is between me and him.