Finally in Cairns

So, after one month of travelling, we finally arrived in our destination, the tropical tourist town of Cairns. So far this had been the best trip of my life. The East Coast really exceeded all my expectations.  Gorgeous long, deserted beaches one after another, a real tropical paradise. Not to mention waterfalls, mountains, rainforests. I was having the time of my life, meeting new people, seeing new places every day, having fun, taking it all in. I was loving my travelling companion, the Jucy girls and Rohan. I loved travelling in a campervan, too. It's such a laid-back way of travelling. Especially when you don't have to drive! 

One month back I was miserable. Now I was in the middle of the tropics without a care in the world, happier than ever. For the past weeks I had been enjoying the feeling of not knowing what would happen when we got to Cairns. All the other girls had a plan. Sabrina would keep travelling, Alix would soon return to France, Stine would look for a job. But the closer we got to Cairns the more I started to worry about my plan. So, when Rohan asked me to keep travelling with him, and return to Melbourne via Alice Springs, I hesitated for one nanosecond before saying OK.

Cairns is a vibrant backpacker town. Lots of hostels, bars, tourists. Me, Rohan, Stine and Mark, who we met on Fraser, spent an evening drinking goon and ended up checking out the local nightlife. We camped right on the side of the street. 

The beaches in Cairns are a fair drive away, but there is a nice big lagoon for swimming. 

We had a little bit of drama in Cairns when I was on my way to a gym and realised I had lost my precious gym shoes. Anyone who knows me, should know that that was a personal disaster. 

It was time to say goodbye to the girls. On our last night we had dinner together and went for a walk at the night market. 

The same evening Rohan and me jumped in the van and drove out of Cairns. Just outside Cairns we stopped the car to see the lights of Cairns at night. Heading to the Outback, it was the last time in a while we would see a bigger town. A new chapter of the trip was beginning. (of my life, too, just didn't realise it yet...)...

A little 5 star luxury

Before returning to Cairns, we stopped in the popular tourist village of Port Douglas for one night. Port Douglas is the nearest town to the Great Barrier Reef and only a short drive north from Cairns. 

The town is Australia's millionaire playground with a number of five star resorts, golf courses and expensive boutiques. We took a break from camping and tasted some 5 star luxury for the night.

We stayed at Sea Temple Resort and Spa. We spent the day splashing around the endless pool surrounding and going around the resort, relaxing on our own little terrace with sunbeds sipping overpriced cocktails, jumping in and out of the big spa, and enjoying the pretty fires in the evening while calling room service for dinner.

Despite my new found love for camping, I have to admit that returning to the campervan wasn't very tempting after a night at a luxury resort. But at least we went back to camping life feeling very relaxed.