I got this e-mail a few days ago from young Alex (he was here asking questions a couple of months ago): ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Hi Everyone - well I've now been "on the road" for 6 weeks without writing a single group email! Not at all like me, but definitely an indication of how much fun I've been having! I'm definitely enjoying the relaxed Queensland lifestyle and have hardly even used my phone let alone written any emails. Luckily I have been managing to take a few pictures along the way which I will give you the links to later in this email. When I bought my motorbike it had 22,000 kms on the clock - now it has 31,000 kms within the space of 3 months! 7,000 Of those kilometres have been done since I left melbourne - and I still have my L plates on. Anyway instead of boring you with an essay I will simply link to some of my pictures and write a short explanation about each one. This would be a basic itinerary - Week 1: Melbourne to Sydney with a couple of days spent at beautiful Cape Stephenson. Week 2: Cape Stephenson to Byron Bay where I stayed for the rest of the week and learnt to surf. Week 3: Byron to Airlie Beach and the Whitsundays. Spent half my money on beer. Week 4: Airlie to Townsville and Magnetic Island - spent 1 week on Magnetic Island and did half my open water Scuba certificate. Week 5: Magnetic Island through mission beach to Cairns where I stayed for 1 week. Week 6: Cairns to Cape Tribulation and Cook Town then back to Port Douglas where I am now! And here are some of the pictures I have taken so far: http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v493/ajkelly/seatbelts.jpg Anything to keep the Police away from me! I only have one point left on my license so I cant afford to speed - at least mum doesnt worry quite as much This picture was taken a couple of hours south of Sydney I think. http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v493/ajkelly/sunrisecapestephenson.jpg Sunrise over the ocean near cape stephenson - 2 hours north of sydney. http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v493/ajkelly/sunsetcapestephenson2.jpg Sunset over the lakes at cape stephenson - I have a lot of "sun" photos! http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v493/ajkelly/canefieldssundown.jpg A sugar cane farm close to Cairns with the tablelands in the background I think. http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v493/ajkelly/canehaulingnearcairns.jpg Same area - my motorbike and a cane hauling train in the foreground. http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v493/ajkelly/capestephenson.jpg Looking over the town of Harvey Bay close to Syndey. http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v493/ajkelly/drinkinggamesmagneticisland.jpg Drinking games at Magnetic Island where I stayed for a week. Awesome times and awesome people! Hi to Julia, Jess and Sonja http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v493/ajkelly/fraserislandwhalewatching.jpg Whales with Fraser Island in the background. Fraser Island is apparently the best whale watching destination in the world and I was there at the best time of the year so I had to do it! http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v493/ajkelly/hamiltonislandsailingboats.jpg Sailing boats at Hamilton Island. Very touristy but not quite a tropical paradise - I have become very fussy about my islands! http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v493/ajkelly/hardworkmagneticisland.jpg The pool at Base Backpackers on Magnetic Island. Very cool spot and definitely the place to stay if you go to Magnetic. http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v493/ajkelly/kookaburracapestephenson-sunrise.j pg A Kookaburra landed right next to me on this almost deserted beach at 5am in the morning. It was a pretty cool moment. http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v493/ajkelly/takeoffcapestephenson.jpg Then he took off! http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v493/ajkelly/rainbowlorikeets.jpg Rainbow Lorikeets at Hamilton Island. At first I thought they were friendly until they started trying to eat my hand - then I realised they were just hungry! http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v493/ajkelly/radicalbeachmagneticisland-opposit eend.jpg Radical beach at magnetic Island. Certainly one of the top beaches I have been to so far - and accesible by 4x4 (or motorbike!) only so its not covered in tourists. http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v493/ajkelly/playingwithfiremagneticisland.jpg Pretty cool photo of a guy and his fire sticks between the bar and the beach at magnetic island. For more pics just go to photobucket.com and sign in as ajkelly. Thats all for now - I've got some more shots of the rainforest, Cape Tribulation, Cook Town and Mossman Gorge that I will upload and send to you if they're any good. At the moment I am working and living in Port Douglas - most days it is about 31 degrees with blue skies - nothing like melbourne! I'm working as a waiter at a really nice restaurant called Nautilus (www.nautilus-restaurant.com.au) which is 5 stars and nothing like anywhere I've worked before. Anyway I've got a shift starting in 1 hour so have to go and iron my clothes Speak to you all soon! Alex Kelly
Awesome, sounds like Alex is having an absolute ball. It makes me wanna get a bike and go travelling. Hang on .. yeh .. get a bike. Anyhoo, the plan is new bike after March next year. I reckon some of those photos are great, he's got a bit of an eye for it. Alot better than some of the travel photos you seem to see sprouted around anyhoo. Perhaps after my 6 1/2 weeks of hell locked away in Canberra playing war games I can afford some holiday time. Hmmmm .. *ponder* Cam
He's got BT's charm with the ladies too I see: http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v493/ajkelly/drinkinggamesmagneticisland.jpg -- Clem [Snoorer to the stars] ~ (snip)
so it would seem..... http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v...urrent=sonjaandmetreetopspoolmissionbeach.jpg http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v...urrent=Juliafromgermanyandmemageticisland.jpg http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v493/ajkelly/?action=view¤t=missionbeach2.jpg Moike
