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Get Wrecked in Nassau
Nassau is a wreck divers paradise. For years local dive operators have been sinking wrecks at carefully planned locations, making some fantastic dive sites and over time, artificial reefs. Since the boats are cleaned and prepared specifically with diving in mind there are lots of easy wreck penetrations available and the difficulty scale varies from advanced to easy peasy. Here is my guide to my favourite wreck dives off Nassau. Willaurie The Willaurie wreck is a favourite of most divers who know the area. She is 45m long and lies at a depth of 18m. She was sunk in 1988 and is now heavily encrusted in marine growth, the colour…
Queensland Roadtrip
It took five days, but we eventually arrived in Cairns, Far North Queensland, Australia. Roadtrips are a great way to see large countries like Australia. I feel that you see and understand more exploring by road, than you ever will flying. We basically stuck to the M1, of the ‘Bruce Highway’ as it is known here, for most of the 1400km. It is one lane in each direction, which seems incredible to anyone with any familiarity of the UK’s M1, but works out here, since there is so much less traffic. We drove north up to Rockhampton which still has a huge bull in the centre of the roundabout where…
The Inexpensive way to use your iPhone Overseas
There is no debating it. iPhones (and smart phones generally) are fantastic. Gigantic phone bills because of data roaming charges overseas however, are definitely not. How are the best ways to avoid the nasty charges? Read on to discover the inexpensive way to use your iPhone overseas. What sort of trip have you planned? Firstly, it is important to recognise that there are differences in how you will use your iPhone overseas, depending on the type of trip you have planned. Holidaymakers Tourists on holiday and any other people on short trips are most likely to avoid all the hassle of getting a local SIM card and continue to use…
Magnetic Island
Magnetic Island, or ‘Maggie’ as it is affectionately known by locals, is one of the many islands that make up the Great Barrier Reef. It boasts many beautiful but quiet beaches and is an undisturbed home to lots of wildlife. It lies 8km offshore from Townsville and is a magical escape from the mainland, accessible on a 20 minute ferry ride. We thought it would make a fantastic spot to take a day off from the days of driving on our roadtrip. Car and passenger ferries operate between Townsville and Magnetic Island and should be booked ahead of travel, to ensure you can get on. The ferries arrive into Nelly…
Platypus and Possums at Eungella
Eun-what? I’m told it is pronounced ‘young-gala’ but all the Australians I’ve mentioned it to recently have put up with me calling it all sorts of other things. Eungella means ‘the long cloud’ and nestles at the top of the Clarkes mountain range in the Mackay hinterland. It is about 90km West of Mackay, on Australia’s Great Barrier Reef coastline, making it accessible from the coast in a daytrip. Eungella It is most famous these days as the home of the world’s most reliably seen platypus colony and that is precisely why we broke up our roadtrip with a detour here. The drive itself is beautiful as you wind up…
Aussie Roadtrip
I arrived in Australia two weeks ago and have spent time with friends in Brisbane and my boyfriend’s family on the Gold Coast and in Bundaberg. But now I have got a job and it is in Cairns, so we are off on a roadtrip. How Big is Australia? When you get out a map and look to see where Bundaberg and Cairns are you’ll probably think I misled you with the phrase ‘roadtrip’ as it implies weeks on the road, covering huge distances. Well look again and this time, check the scale. It took just over four hours to drive from Northern Brisbane to Bundaberg last week. It would…
ANZAC Day…Lest we forget
ANZAC day falls on the 25th of April each year and is a National day of remembrance in Australia and New Zealand. There is a tradition of memorial services being held on the 25th of April and today I attended my first ANZAC day service. What is ANZAC? ANZAC stands for Australia and New Zealand Army Corps. The day is the most significant commemoration of military casualties and veterans in Australia and New Zealand, attracting more attention than international Remembrance days. It is held traditionally at dawn, because the Gallipoli campaign (Gallipoli was an eight month long military campaign by the allied forces, to capture Istanbul and provide a seaway…
Viva Las Vegas
Las Vegas is something else. It is an incredible place but I don’t wholly mean that in a good way. Most towns and settlements are near water, water being essential for human life and all. Las Vegas, however, is a town built inexplicably in the middle of the Nevada desert. There is not a drop of water in sight. Each day brings blazing desert temperatures. I burned myself badly on a seatbelt buckle the first time I went to Vegas. Nowhere else in the world have I seen pierced hosepipes elevated above pavements spraying a cool mist over pedestrians. It is very, very hot. The heat is only one reason…
Jetlag swine!
I have never suffered badly with jetlag (or been badly ‘lagged’ as my brother used to say). In all my travels I think I’ve fallen asleep in my dinner once or twice around the world, but I have always got at least as far as dinner before collapsing with exhaustion. The trip from the UK to Australia is something else though. It really is the other side of the world you are travelling to. Calculating the time ‘over there’ (whichever way you’re working it out) is confusing enough; trying to get your body to adjust is truly difficult. I have long been teased about my ability to fall asleep almost…
Singapore Airport I love you
What a joy it was to arrive at Singapore’s Changi airport. Of all the airports that I have had the pleasure (or displeasure) to have passed through over the years, Singapore beats them all hands down.As if the 14 hour flight hadn’t been bad enough, it was with Qantas, who lived up to their dreadful reputation with regards to the rude check-in lady at Heathrow and charging me £240 for being 6 kg over my baggage allowance. Yes, you read that right – £240! They topped this off with foul inflight food and an inflight entertainment system that didn’t work. Consider me to have learned my lesson. I am never…
