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The sun s not even up yet and it s already warm on Magnetic Island. In Queensland, where the locals famously get up with the chooks, the island s taxi drivers won t be lured from bed till the night-loving possums and backpackers have tucked themselves up for the day.
I m feeling the heat: my chopper departs before first light and there s no way to get to the helipad. The dilemma is solved when the manager of my accommodation – the Bungalow Bay Koala Village – flips me his own car keys with the instructions, Just stick them under the car mat when you re done. That s so Maggie.
I’ve come at the start of rainy season to see how this region, more famous as a winter getaway, will lure Australians to their own backyard.
I’m taking a one-way trip, arriving in Cairns, then heading north to Port Douglas along the Captain Cook Highway – known for being one of Australia’s prettiest stretches of road. The rest of the drive will run all the way south to Townsville, along a rainforested route called the Great Green Way.
Day 1: Cairns
Arriving in Cairns, my first stop is a new hotel called Flynn, which is bidding to transform Cairns from its cheap and cheerful backpacker image into an upmarket destination.