CNN PRODUCER NOTE     This was postman John Lindsay Stevenson’s second eclipse: “My father took me to my first eclipse in 1976 when I was 16, but it was totally clouded out and we never saw it. It was a huge disappointment but it was enough to definitely want to experience another.”

John and his wife Tracey travelled from the small island of Bribie close to Brisbane all the way up to Mareeba (close to Cairns) to make sure they got the best view possible.

"We arrived at Mareeba at approx. 2am, ready for the 6.30am event. The road North from Cairns to Palm Cove (all Australian Television networks chose this site) and Port Douglas at that time was almost gridlocked. As it became more and more obvious that the view from the coast was going to be obstructed by cloud, the very steep and dangerous road to Mareeba was bumper to bumper by 5.30am, full of people making a last minute dash from the coast to see this wonderful event.

“Tracey said it was one of the most amazing experiences in her life and much like the Grand Canyon says no picture can do it justice.”
- stinabacker, CNN iReport producer