Earlier this year I wrote a post about 40 things I hope to do before I turn 40 next January. I’ve made some good headway on the list and will be updating it sometime this summer, but I’m about to embark on an epic trip that will help me accomplish not only many of the goals on that list, but lifelong goals as well. Starting on Monday, May 4 I will be exploring Queensland in Australia – a new state for me.
This will be my third visit to Australia, and the country is one of my very favorites. There’s just something special about being there and at one point my partner and I even considered moving there – that’s how much I love being in the country. I have, up until now, visited every Australia state except for two – Tasmania and Queensland – but after this trip there will be just one state left. I’ll be in Queensland at the kind invitation of Queensland Tourism as part of a larger campaign they’re running. I’m going to be there for a while though; my partner is flying down about midway to join me in my explorations. For three weeks I’ll be seeing the width and breadth of the state, from the shimmering waters of the Whitsundays to the urban beauty found in Brisbane and everything in between. I am excited, it will be fun and I can’t wait to get started.
I want to keep some of the experiences a surprise, but here are just a few of the MANY things I’ll be doing and seeing, many of which are personal bucket list items as well.
Whitsundays – I have wanted to visit this idyllic tropical getaway in Queensland ever since I first saw photos of its crystal clear waters and sugary sand beaches. Sure, I’ll be spending plenty of free time exploring the beaches but I’ll also see them from different viewpoints, from above in a seaplane as well as below when I try to learn how to Scuba dive. As a luxury guy all of the experiences sound perfect, especially time spent on the secluded Hamilton Island where I’ll be able to get away from it all, but also join in on some unique Great Barrier Reef experiences. For the ultimate in getting close to the Great Barrier Reef, I’ll also be spending a couple of nights on board a boat fully exploring this natural wonder and enjoying a blissful night under the stars. I can’t wait.
Gold Coast – The Gold Coast is a popular getaway spot in Queensland, which is exactly what I’ll be doing. The kind people at Queensland Tourism have set up a special room for writers as they journey through the state, known as #Room753 in the Peppers Broadbeach Resort. This will be a great time to catch up on some work and be boring for a couple of days, but in one of the most beautiful locations found anywhere in Australia. Of course I don’t easily sit still, so there will be plenty of active surprises, some of which know and others I don’t. Be sure to stay tuned for more on those.
Tropical North – One thing that I already love about Queensland is the diversity of landscapes found across this very large state. To be fair, every state in Australia is large (more or less) but you don’t see the same level of diversity as you do in Queensland. With that in mind, I’m rounding out my Queensland experience with a visit to Cairns and a few days in the tropical north. Here the adventures will all be about quiet luxury and beautiful rainforest escapes. From trains that zoom through the jungles to zip lining over the canopies, the adventures here will be many, they will be stunning and they will be entirely different from everything else in the state.
I have been looking forward to this trip for a very long time. Not only are the experiences exactly in line with what I love to do, but I will also be completing many tasks I have set out to accomplish. That means a lot to me personally, that list wasn’t something I thought about casually. I put a tremendous amount of time and effort into it and have reasons for everything on it. Having lost several very close family members in recent years I understand the importance of living life now and not at an amorphous time in the future. That’s actually a great way to explain my trip around Queensland, I won’t just be seeing it, I’ll be living it.
Please be sure to follow along everywhere – Twitter – Instagram – Facebook – and look out for the hashtags: #thisisqueensland and #room753. Also let me know if you have any questions about Queensland or suggestions! I’ll have plenty of free time and will want some great ideas about what I should see and do.
