More from Townsville. This morning I made a Queensland start (6am) and by 7 was on the ferry to Magnetic Island. It's a very tranquil place - the island is very mountainous, with just 4 little settlements each with beaches, on the flat parts of the shore. I tremble to think what a decent cyclone would do to it, let alone a tsunami.

I hired a mini moke for a few hours. Have not driven one for about 40 years and they are fun but very primitive by modern motor vehicle standards. And this particular one was probably 40 years old itself - very worn. Pretty much worn OUT I think you could say. Never mind, it got me to both ends of the island and back to the middle again.

The best spot on the island is Horseshoe Bay. It is beautiful and so quiet - perhaps it gets a bit busier in holiday periods. But there were people there, and one can hire jetskis, kayaks, sailing dinghys, etc as well as a lovely beach with a netted area (no stingers). It's about 6km from Nelly Bay which is the ferry terminal and the main area being developed for holiday accommodation.

I had brekky at Nelly Bay but it was not the best. Nice looking little casual place. Thick sausages (not very well cooked), thin toast (cheapest possible bread) and eggs (just right fortunately). Then late morning - back to Townsville, an early pm snooze, and now I have found a great internet spot in the main mall. So here are some photos! The top one shows new houses in Townsville, with a waterfall cascading down the cliffside on which they are perched. And then there is the jetty at Picnic Bay (one of the settlements on Magnetic Island); then a typical scene near Mackay, showing flat to undulating canefields with mountains in the background.

So this is deep breath time here in Townsville. So far I have seen parts of Queensland I had never been to before, and have enjoyed the beauty of the unfamiliar landscape and wonderful hospitality from friends all the way up the coast. I just loved Airlie Beach, but then when I say that, Magnetic Island seems left out. Not to mention Woodgate, Yeppoon, Bellingen, and Avoca! My goodness we have an embarrassment of fantastic coastal life in Australia.

But tomorrow I leave for the second half of this trip, and I expect it will be totally different. Away from the coast it will be hotter - and more remote and lonely for a solo traveller. However, it will be experience and I am looking forward to the challenge of the bigger distances and smaller stopping places.

Darwin here I come!