Tranquility, and rich people. These two words best describe Port Douglas, upon whose thick slice of sand we spent three days being cooked to perfection. We soaked the humid air until our burnt skins glazed with contentment as the bands of blue sky bled to a musky rose colour, then we would return to the hostel kitchen and explore all the combinations that are possible with tuna and pasta. Our biggest disaster was mistaking dishwashing liquid for olive oil, but I am happy to report that both our digestive systems are intact.

Forays were made further north to Cape Tribulation and the Daintree, where we discovered that humans weren't the only creatures to enjoy baking under the tropical sun. Wizened crocs too lined the riverbanks as our flat-bottomed boat cruised by and our shutters flickered like optic flies at them.

In Cairns, we plunged into the shallow corals of the Great Barrier Reef, which was my personal highlight of the Queensland leg of the trip. Even with the hype, I was blown away by the colours and variety of fish, and to me it was like witnessing a psychedelic trip underwater. Large fish would sidle close to you, and then dart at the craggy lumps of reef, and the smaller ones would swoop and sway like a choreographed ballet. Coolest finds were when a sea turtle swam up to he surface a few metres from us, and some sort of a ray about 2m in diameter glided beneath us. My first time diving proved to be very rewarding, and the excitement of dancing in those waters was rounded off with a lunch buffet and more sun time on the deck.