By the time we've posted the story of this part of our adventure we are already back home in Cairns, with the whole island of Ireland to tell you about. We spent three weeks there, in both Northern Ireland and The Republic in the south. The first instalment is from Belfast, the scene of so much political upheaval in the Irish struggle for independence. For those of us old enough to have watched the news in the 1970s and 80s, some street names will be familiar.

While today's Belfast has many visible reminders of The Troubles, it only takes a short walk to leave those parts of the city behind and experience a lovely and welcoming town with plenty to see and do. We hope the story of our visit gives you a taste of this remarkable town.