We got up at the crack of dawn for a 7am Virgin Blue flight to Cairns (2 hours, about 850 mi north of Brisbane), and a gateway for the Great Barrier Reef and the Daintree National Forest.

It was a quick easy flight. Virgin Blue does some smart things, such as boarding from both the front and rear doors, free Wifi at the gate - and the staff are very friendly.

When trying to orient oneself, a major twist is that the sun is in the northern part of the sky (southern latitudes - Brisbane is about 27 degrees south, and Cairns is only 17 degrees south of the equator).

It is winter here, and the "dry" season; Cairns averages 78 inches of rain per year!

We checked into the Rydges Tradewinds. It was descent, but we had to switch rooms to find a room whose internet access was working.

Maddie and I walked around town, and found good spots for food and coffee.

Our diving course starts in the morning.