Month: November 2024

Townsville is just 150 nautical miles south of Cairns. Like Cairns, it relies on sugar cane as its prime agricultural income source. We chose to do the Rainforest Discovery Walk in the Paluma Range National Park. After an hour’s bus ride and before walking into the forest, we were treated to a stop-off for a…

A fabulous train journey to the MacAlister Range in Northern Australia, offering spectacular views of the Barron River from the rail line to Kuranda, situated 330 metres above sea level – the Village in the Rainforest. A heritage-listed railway line that has been in operation since 1891. The train meanders through 15 handcrafted tunnels over…

Alotau is the capital of Milne Bay Province, on the southeastern tip of Papua New Guinea. Hundreds of skulls are said to belong to locals who have been consumed! However, Tawali Skull Cave, situated near Bilubilu in Alotau, Papua New Guinea, offers a chilling yet captivating glimpse into ancient customs. This karst cave is not for…

We had no expectations for Papua New Guinea. The mini-bus we travelled in was driven rather quickly to our coastal village destination, accompanied by a security escort. In hindsight, knowing that within the previous 12 months, PNG had experienced serious rioting across the country on 10 January 2024, which began in the capital, Port Moresby.…

After two days at sea from Bali, we arrived in Darwin, the capital of the Australian Northern Territory. Salt Water Crocodile invested waters in the port and the many other rivers and billabongs in this part of the world. My initial impression was of this country’s vastness, epitomised by the road trains that frequent the…

We arrived in Jakarta at the start of the monsoon season. The traffic was a nightmare, and disheartening was the sight of rubbish floating in the sea. I was not surprised to learn that Jakarta is the second-most polluted city in the world, just behind Mumbai in India. However, amidst all this chaos and pollution,…

Here are some photographs to remind us of our great holiday on the Oceania cruise ship Regatta from November to December. This is a small selection from some 1,000 photos of this great adventure, which started in Singapore and ended in Auckland, New Zealand. FROM TO MILES (Nautical) Singapore Jakarta, Indonesia 556 Jakarta, Indonesia Bali…