On this day back in 1985 I was in northern Queensland.

I stayed in Cairns for a week, it was nice to be in one place for a while rather than moving on every few days. I caught up with laundry and met some traveller’s that I knew from weeks earlier at Yulura. I travelled back up the mountains to Kuranda, through sugar cane fields, to experience the rain forest, the Barron River gorge, waterfalls. The countryside changes dramatically from dry season to the wet season, when the river and waterfalls come alive.

In Cairns I wandered the town, visited the aquarium, which included crocodiles and sharks as well as tropical fish that inhabit the reef. Crocodile feeding time was crazy.

When it rained here, it rained. Total downpour for fourteen hours. On the next dry day I caught a local bus and explored beaches north of Cairns, Trinity Beach, Clifton Beach, Palm Cove and Ellis Beach. They were all nice sandy beaches backed by palms and coconut groves. But all had warnings about deadly stinger jelly fish and swimming at your own risk.

I had a wonderful day on Green Island, a coral cay twenty seven km’s off the coast. A small green tropical island surrounded by white sand beaches and blue ocean. I took the ferry across and did a trip on a glass bottomed boat which revealed all sorts of brightly coloured fish and coral. We threw bread into the water and the fish snapped it up, so we could see the fish over the side as well as through the bottom of the boat. I relaxed on the beach and I could see the coral as I swam in the warm sea.

I did another day trip, sharing a car with other back pacers. We drove further north to Port Douglas and Four Mile beach, then back via Mossman Gorge in the rainforest. We took a picnic and climbed the rocks along the river.

I watched the first Australian F1 grand prix on TV. It was held in Adelaide and Keke Rosberg won after lots of action and drama.