Queensland is Awesome.

Driving north from Brisbane, we have officially crossed the Tropic of Capricorn and are making the most of clear skies and a pleasant climate. Unfortunately, the Tropic of Capricorn is also the beginning of crocodile and jellyfish territory. From now on, we can only swim at net-enclosed beaches or in swimming pools. This is somewhat disheartening as the further north we get, the hotter the climate and the more tempting the water looks.

At this very moment we are eating fresh coconut meat from a local coconut ....actually at this very moment, we are banging the two halves of coconut shell together in a goofy impression of Monty Python's "Quest for the Holy Grail"...but that's how we amuse ourselves having now been without TV for almost 6 months.

There are these fantastic birds all over Australia that "crow" in the mornings and evenings. You have heard them before because their warble has appeared in almost every "tropical jungle" scene in every movie ever made. They are called the Kookaburra. The best description I can come up with for their sound is an overactive howler monkey, or perhaps a loud, laughing baby. It is the most lovely, yet spine-tingling sound imaginable.