It's progressing

The distances in Australia are really on a whole different level compared to the peaceful Germany (in case I haven't mentioned it yet). On the map, it always seems like you have the distance between Triebes and Greiz in front of you, but reality proves you wrong.

Because of that and the fact that we've been wandering around a lot in the past few weeks, we've been driving a lot after leaving Brisbane. Every now and then, we've taken a bathing and sightseeing break. However, the further north we went, the fewer places there were to swim. In Queensland, besides the sharks, one also needs to be cautious of the deadly box jellyfish in the water.

Here's roughly the route (you'll have to google it yourself :-) ):

Brisbane - Caloundra - Sunshine Coast - Noosa Heads - Maryborough - Hervey Bay - Bundaberg - Rockhampton - Airlie Beach - Townsville

Thanks to the great 'Wiki-Camp' app, we've mostly found free campsites. Since it gets dark around six or half past six, we always made ourselves something to eat after setting up the tent, had a glass of wine by the fire, and then went to sleep around eight or nine. And at seven the next morning, we were on the go again.

Since showers are rather scarce in the free camps, we often showered at the beach. Not perfect, but functional! ;-) However, the sandflies, which I think are also known as midges, are annoying and quite painful, driving you crazy! Damn insects!

In Airlie Beach, the gateway to the beautiful Whitsunday Islands, we could see the trail of destruction left by the cyclone. Everywhere there were fallen trees, destroyed gardens, and damaged boats... The Whitsundays were also heavily damaged by the storm. We had considered taking a trip there, but then decided against it.

Instead, we chose another dream island where we wanted to spend a few days: Magnetic Island. More on that later.