First, the road train. It's a tractor trailer with as many as four trailers behind it. (Compare that to US trucks that are permitted to pull one trailer at a time.) On a narrow two-lane highway with only a yellow line separating us from them, it was quite an experience. Below is a picture of our car parked as a two-trailer train passed by. Now imagine two more trailers added to this and you might find yourself saying "Crikey!" as the back draft pushes the car off the road.
Despite the road hazards, we made it safely to Townsville, Queensland on the east coast, right about where Boston, MA sits on the USA map. It felt great to be so close to our final destination, the Great Barrier Reef. First stop, the Living Reef Aquarium. It reminded me of the National Aquarium in Baltimore, Maryland. While browsing the gift shop, I found those magic words, "Koala Capital of Australia" on Magnetic Island just a short boat ride away. We ended up spending the night on this island named by Captain James Cook. Next blog: pictures of koalas and parrots. Because koalas are so cute, here's one of my favorites I found on the Internet. Day 43's pictures will show how difficult these nocturnal marsupials are to spot in the wild.
