Trip Preview - Queensland (Part 1 of 7)

Having worked for America's Premier Sports Annual for a decade, I know the unbridled joy that people get from seeing what is supposed to happen - knowing full well that it won't play out that way. Now any 2 month trip is bound to have a few hiccups, but ya gotta have a plan so you know how far off the mark you are (and so you don't miss your flight home).

Alex has been a good flyer, but anyone who has sat within five rows of a 2-year old on an intercontinental flight knows what that part of my trip looks like. In fact, I would venture a guess that you (dear reader) are probably smiling right now at the knowledge that you will not be anywhere near row 38 on United 863 January 24 or wherever they put me on Qantas 926 (Jan 26). On the marginally interesting side, I will never experience January 25, 2008. I leave on the night of the 24th - it stays dark a while - and the sun rises on January 26. Now, admittedly I will get all 41 hours of March 24, so I can live with that tradeoff. Even United got a little mixed up on the way back: my itinerary actually lists us departing LA for San Francisco at noon then departing Sydney for LA a few hours later at 2:15PM. By the time I get on that second flight, I may be a bit disoriented myself.

Mon, Mar 24, 2008 - Los Angeles, CA (LAX) to San Francisco, CA (SFO)
United 0556
Depart: LAX 12:00 PMArrive: SFO 01:13 PM
Non-stop1h 13m 735 337 miles traveled
Fare basis code:WHXRTBooking class: WEconomy500 Award miles
Mon, Mar 24, 2008 - Sydney, Australia (SYD) to Los Angeles, CA (LAX)
United 0840
Depart: SYD 02:15 PMArrive: LAX 09:46 AM
Non-stop13h 31m 744 7,483 miles traveled
Fare basis code:WHXRTBooking class: WEconomy7,487 Award miles

This seven part series will preview the various legs of the trip by state (or territory): Queensland (Cairns and points West), Northern Territory, Western Australia, South Australia, Victoria, New South Wales (and Australian Capital Territory), and finally Queensland (Brisbane to Cairns).

So, onward! We'll get a midsize car from Hertz - no 4x4, no temptation to cross that slightly swollen creek. Put me in a Camry and I'll know my place vis-a-vis nature. The nice thing is that there is a limit on how much they can charge for a child car seat: 5 days $50, 2 months... $50. Other than that we are not exactly saving money on the rental car. I've driven on the left (intentionally) a few times. The first time, I terrified my passengers in England by leaving a nice margin between myself and the middle of the road but not much between the passenger seat and the parked cars. Oh well, I never hit anything so I will call that a win. Last two times in Australia, it was a breeze once I got out of the parking lot.

We'll land in Cairns in the afternoon on Australia Day. Best I can tell this is something like the 4th of July: festivities, fireworks, and an opportunity to process a few pints (while being sure it is a patriotic domestic brew). Alex and I will - without a doubt - be ready to hit the streets of Cairns and bring our respective A-games. It will be festive and we'll be so happy to be on the ground that we will probably enjoy that afternoon & early evening ...for about 2 hours, when we realize we got no sleep on the flight. To that end, we will stay at the Hilton Cairns for three nights. One, I am Diamond elite with Hilton so they'll give us a good room (hopefully). Two, it was a deal. Three, I'd like a couple good beds to get over jetlag. Four, it is on the beach next to the marina and the lagoon in the center of the cool part of town. Actually, that should be point one. The benefit of the lagoon it is a little body of water that it has no box jellyfish. Despite being on the beach, we will not be touching the salt water in Cairns. At the risk of turning this into the World's Most Dangerous Places blog, allow me to expand on that point: box jellyfish are these tiny jellyfish that are essentially invisible. There are other even smaller ones - their name escapes me at the moment. They are both equally lethal and show up in the summer - as in January (Southern Hemisphere). Oh, and saltwater crocodiles do in fact show up on beaches (typically attacking from the water's edge). Now saltwater crocs probably do not appear on city beaches all that much, but I want to be clear that the water around Cairns does much to keep one on one's toes. We'll get to some beaches... but not here.

Cairns is in the state of Queensland. Queensland is kind of like the Florida of Australia. People from big cities vacation here. Its population is growing as people retire here. It is hot & humid, which I like. Most people know it as the home of the Great Barrier Reef. Unfortunately, while I am certain he could do as well as any toddler, Alex has not yet passed his SCUBA certification and I have not figured out how we could get out to the reef together. For now at least, the Great Barrier Reef is not on the agenda. As for the rest of Queensland, we'll be back to Queensland as we drive back to Cairns and I'll cover the it in more depth then (part 7).

The Risk-Aversion portion of my mind is focused on one thing during this segment: the rain. It will rain a lot in January. One thing that could extend our stay in Cairns would be a typhoon. Ever since I lived in South Carolina, I have loved thunderstorms (at least while I am in a safe, dry place). Something tells me I may get to experience one in Cairns. Because of the rain, our emphasis in Queensland may be outrunning a front and driving out of Queensland. Effectively, there are no people West of Cairns (mountains then jungle). For that matter, it is less than populous until Perth, but that is a few states away. The only segment of the trip that has a decent chance of being affected by weather is this one, so now you know what I am thinking about. There are two roads that can take us out of Cairns to the western edge of Queensland: one goes straight West to Normanton then South to Cloncurry and West to Mt. Isa and Camooweal, the other option is South to Townsville and then West to Cloncurry, etc. Both would be beautiful routes - mountains, jungles, open spaces. Bear with me as I use movie examples to help illustrate the landscape. If you haven't seen Crocodile Dundee or Mad Max lately, no worries. If you recall the Australia parts of Crocodile Dundee movies, that is what this stretch of the drive will look like. Actually, the "Walkabout Creek" pub used in Crocodile Dundee is a little South of Cloncurry in McKinlay. Please don't ask how I know this. Anyhow, it will take about two, maybe two and a half days to get from Cairns to the state line. If the weather is good, it will be an amazing drive and I'll post great pictures. If not, I'll just get on with it and post great pictures from the desert in the Northern Territory.

But first we have to actually visit Cairns. In our three days in the Cairns area, we will take one day to drive up to Port Douglas and maybe on towards Cape Tribulation (absolutely gorgeous jungle next to the mountains, resort town, more beautiful scenery). Aside: Pt Douglas is just north of Palm Cove on the map above - I have no idea why Palm Cove "made the cut" to be on that map. We will also take a train up to Kuranda. The train to Kuranda is supposed to be a great ride and one of many places that Alex should enjoy. Finally, we'll spend a day in Cairns - shopping and just walking around town.

Cairns is a tiny town, but it is the last town (the northeastern-most city) and the only town for a few hundred miles. Think of it as a Key West (the end of the line) or a tropical Bismark, North Dakota (a dot on an empty part of the map). Since it has tourists, Key West might be more appropriate. Many trips to Australia start or finish here (naturally mine does both), so if anything I've read is accurate, I should find a disproportionately high number of big box retail stores here. While in Cairns we'll load up on supplies for our travels (bottled water, food that does well in the heat, an Australian phone, first aid and a roadside repair kit, maybe an Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacon (EPIRB), etc). We may be warm, but we'll never go hungry.

Last point: you can follow along with this route on Google Maps or Google Earth. Google Earth shows a few photos here and there of what things look like in various places. The map on the top of this page is good for the big towns, but most of the villages, dorfs, two horse towns, and gas stations that I name will not make the national map. Just about the only reservations (until Part 6) that I have are those first three days in Cairns. The rest will involve playing it by ear, so projected town names are directional guesstimations, not solid targets. The approximate plan: Jan 26-29 in Cairns, drive to Normanton on the 29th, Mt Isa or Camooweal on the 30th.

Part 2: Northern Territory, how I think I'll keep Alex entertained, and where we'll watch the Super Bowl