My Australian Adventure: Solo Traveling Through Queensland
Overview
Australia has been on my list of places for a long time because of all the wildlife, scenery and activities. I also have friends and relatives there. Travel was limited during the Covid pandemic and Australia especially was on a strict lockdown. Australia just opened up and every state had different Covid policies for tourists. I just stayed in Queensland and split time between Brisbane and Cairns. This was a true solo trip, I used public transportation, organized my entire itinerary and I had individual activities booked, but the trip itself was not a guided group tour as I have previously done.
Since this was right after the pandemic, you would not believe the Covid protocol! This is what I had to do: 1) proof of vaccination and a negative test prior to boarding in Los Angeles; 2) proof of vaccination and another negative test result to enter Fiji; 3) because of the time change after 17 hours in Fiji, another proof of a negative test result upon entry into Brisbane, and finally 4) negative test result prior to boarding return flight in Brisbane to come home to the U.S.
Australia was worth it though, on to the fun stuff!
Brisbane
I arrived in Brisbane late at night, and after my extended 16 hour layover in Fiji, I pretty much just crashed. Early the next morning, I did the Story Bridge Adventure Climb and I walked there, stopping at a coffee shop on the way. One thing I loved about Brisbane is how easy it was to walk around, very pedestrian friendly. Story Bridge at the highest point is 262 feet / 80 meters. I wore a harness and was briefed on the equipment. The whole time I was always attached to the bridge with cords/clips. The view of Brisbane from the top was awesome, and it’s a pretty good workout, all stairs!
It was nice to reconnect with a friend – she was part of my Egypt tour a few years earlier. We actually were paired up to share the room since we were both solo female travelers. I met up with her for wine tasting glow worms caves and lunch. One thing that’s super nice about solo travel is that since you’re on your own, you’re pretty much forced to engage more with other people. I have met some really cool people from my travels that I’ve stayed in touch with.
Next up for my Brisbane based portion was the Australia Zoo, I was very excited about this! I held a koala – this was a huge reason for me to visit Australia. I also met a rhino (who would’ve thought to hang out with a rhino in Australia?). Since I grew up watching Steve Irwin’s show and it was a real treat to see his family running the saltwater crocodile demonstration. The Crocoseum itself was quite impressive and solar powered. Getting to the zoo from Brisbane was easy, I took a train and the zoo has a shuttle running from the Beerwah station. I ended up spending more time there than I thought and had to take a different train route to get back to Brisbane. That day, I ended up with ~27,000 steps on my FitBit!
Cairns
Cairns is the gateway for Great Barrier Reef excursions and exploring Daintree National Park (I booked both through Viator). In Cairns, I stayed at Traveler’s Oasis, which I booked through AirBnb. I’m interested in different experiences, and I wanted to try a hostel. It was a lot nicer than I imagined a hostel to be. I chose a private room option, the several shared bathrooms onsite were all super clean. This was close to the beach and in the main part of town, the kitchen area was well equipped. There was a sweet dog that wandered the property.
The Great Barrier Reef was a full day excursion which left early in the morning. I was on a boat with about 70 people, which went to the outer reef area. While the ride out to the reef was very choppy, I luckily avoided any discomfort. I also ate a very light breakfast. The weather on the ride out was overcast, but by time we reached the reef, it was beautiful and sunny. The water was cooler than Fiji. The colors at the reef were amazing, the corals and fish came in every color of the rainbow. My second time using a camera underwater was a little bit easier and I was able to get some nice photos for a beginner!
When it was time for dinner, I found a great spot on the water – Hemingway’s. They happened to have trivia that night (and I play on a trivia team at home) so it was a great way to wrap up the day.
The next part of my Cairns visit was Daintree National Park and Cape Tribulation. Daintree is home to the oldest rainforest in the world (the largest is the Amazon), and served as inspiration for the Fern Gully movie. It’s incredibly lush and green, I saw a cassowary running across the road. I enjoyed a river cruise and saw a few crocodiles.
A couple of takeaways from my time in Queensland, Australia…
- Great destination for solo travel. Brisbane and Cairns were very walkable and felt safe. Uber rides are readily available. Public transportation (especially trains) were also very easy to use.
- Great Barrier Reef is amazing, it should be on any nature lover’s bucket list. The ride out to the reef is choppy. There are options to fly out to the reef’s dive/snorkel sites. You know your body best, if you have sensitivities, consider bringing Dramamine or sea bands.
- The hostel experience in Cairns was much better than I expected, I don’t know if all hostels are the same. Considering the price difference with hotels or other options, if you’re on a budget it is definitely worth exploring.
