Australia

It was so great to be in an English speaking country again. I love the challenge of foreign countries, but traveling is so much easier when you speak the local language. Of course everything is more expensive in Australia as well. We were shocked to pay US prices for food and lodging. The weather was great...it's the beginning of summer in the Southern Hemisphere.
The aussies are friendly and we met some interesting ones. I discovered a fabulous treat in this country...Starburst gummies and Natural gummies. There is a wider variety than I have ever seen and they are great for road trips and plane rides. My favorite is the Natural forbidden fruits.

Cairns
This is a small, resort town in the Northeast, near the Great Barrier Reef. They have a great downtown setup, with a swimming pool and coastal boardwalk. I went snorkeling and actually had a good time. I rode a catamaran to Green Island where I swam out from the beach to look at the reef and colorful fish. We also rented a mini car and drove around the inland forests a couple days. Cape Tribulation is beautiful. The beaches are nice on the coast but you can't swim because of the jelly fish. Mossman Gorge is also a great side trip. You can swim in the river there. We went west to Atherton Tableland to hike and see the waterfalls. They were pretty too. If you drive the waterfall loop, you have to stop at the dairy for a delicious lunch.

Sydney
Bondi Beach is the place to be in this city. The downtown is nice, the Opera House and Harbor Bridge are must sees, but it is much more fun by the beaches. We stayed in a cheap hostel right on the beach. There is a fantastic beach path called the Costal Walk that we ran on every morning. We did some sunbathing and Adam went surfing. We also took a harbor ferry to Manley Beach one afternoon. That seems like a great beach town too. It would be the life to live there and commute to downtown on the 15 min ferry.