Golden Beach (Caloundra) – Day 7 (Round 2)

Our last full day in Queensland…

Chris enjoying the morning view

We went for an early morning stroll along the esplanade, looking for a geocache (and finding it) and enjoying the beautiful weather. It was only 6 a.m. but there were lots of people out. One of the groups we saw were volunteers who were cleaning up the beach and the parks.

Volunteer cleaning up the beach

One of our plans while here had been to drive south to some of the National Parks but the huge storm at the end of last week ended that idea as too many of the roads were still closed due to flash flood damage. We decided, instead, to drive out into the hinterland (the land away from the coast) near Caloundra. You could see the damage that the flooding had caused but all the roads seemed to be open (didn’t see any signs saying they were closed). We also found another BIG thing –

The Big wine barrel

There are some gorgeous views up there – we couldn’t stop where we could see the ocean (did I mention the speed limit on these roads? 100 km/hr on roads we would do 60 km/hr at most) because we would have had to cross the traffic. We did stop where we could see out to the mountains though.

View in the hinterlands

Once we got to Eumundi, we started south again but made a detour into a town called Yandina to stop at the Nutworks Factory – a small factory that processes macadamia nuts. Of course we couldn’t leave without buying some.

Chris is a nut

We headed back to the condo after that – time to clean up, do laundry and repack the bags. We leave for Sydney on Tuesday morning and then fly to Canada on Wednesday. This is probably the last post as I don’t imagine there will be a lot to write about while travelling to Sydney (but I could be wrong).

Thanks for reading 🙂

Pelicans at sunrise

Golden Beach (Caloundra) – Day 5 and 6 (Round 2)

Saturday, May 2

A beautiful sunrise

What a complete turnabout with the weather – we woke to a beautiful sunrise and a clear day. Since it was so nice, we decided to head to the Australia Zoo for the day. We weren’t sure how busy it would be but were pleasantly surprised by the low numbers of people there in the morning.

On the way to the zoo, John found another “big” thing – a Big Mower!

We were talking with one of the keepers, and he said that a lot of the zoo had been flooded the night before and some of the staff was there until 3 a.m. and then back for opening. That’s dedication! We also heard that a lot of the roads further out in the back country were flooded and some aren’t expected to be open for 3 to 4 days.

Chris and the koala who was greeting visitors to the zoo

The zoo was so much fun – of course, I couldn’t resist the koalas any time I saw them – there was one right inside the entrance waiting to greet visitors and I headed straight for her. The zoo photographer snapped my photo but the photo John took was better. Our first stop was at the cassowary enclosure and we were rewarded by some great views of them. However, one was hiding in the foliage (laying down) and it was extremely difficult to spot – no wonder we didn’t see one in the Daintree. If they don’t want to be seen, they won’t be.

Cassowary

We wandered around until almost time for the Wildlife Warrior show at the Crocoseum. The show is big on conservation but not in a beat you over the head with it way. They started the show with some birds and then moved on to the croc show. It’s always fascinating to watch the crocs. The show involved showing how crocs move through the water and on land and what attracts them to their prey. It was good info (even if we are now out of the croc area).

Wildlife Warriors show

After the show, we went to the koala talk – did you know that koala in the aboriginal language means no drink? There was a lot of great and heartbreaking info about the status of koalas and why they are so endangered. After the talk (which took place in the enclosure where some of the younger koalas who have just recently been weaned are kept. They have more energy than older ones and were moving around almost all the time the talk was on.

Juvenile koalas

We took the shuttle around the park, but didn’t stop in “Asia” and “Africa” as we were running low on time and still had more of the Aussie animals to see. We did find the wombats, the kangaroos and the echidna enclosure but the echidnas were hiding in logs. I guess they were tired after the previous night’s storm.

When we finished at the zoo, we had a sneak peek at the Australia Zoo Wildlife Hospital. It was quite impressive but we only saw the facilities, not the patients or the staff.

The lorikeets have decided that the trees outside the condo make a good spot for the night – they are extremely loud from about 1/2 hour before sunset to 1/2 hour after.

Lorikeets

Sunday, May 3

There was a market in Caloundra today. Unfortunately, it was most of the stuff we had by-passed at the Eumundi Markets. Sinc a lookout we were already out, we drove south to the Wild Horse Lookout – a spot we tried to visit on our first visit to the area, only it wBaas closed due to a controlled burn. It was open today and was a steep 700 m climb.

Glasshouse Mountains

The views were worth it though (even though we couldn’t find the supposed easy geocache that was hidden there). It was a busy spot by the time we were heading back down. The mountains are the Glasshouse Mountains and there is a legend about how they were created.

John with the Glasshouse Mountains (from Wild Horse Lookout)

Back to the condo to make a picnic lunch and then off to the north. There was a castle in the town of Bli Bli – the Sunshine Castle. It sounded kind of intriguing so that was our destination. It wasn’t that large of a castle, but they had some nice old weapons and a huge doll collection. Apparently, the person who started the castle did it to house his wife’s doll collection.

Sunshine Castle at Bli Bli

We made our way back to the condo, by way of the back roads and looked for a beach to eat our lunch. We found Dicky Beach which was a nice spot and were entertained by a fellow on a bicycle who was exercising his dog and his goat! Unfortunately, I didn’t grab the camera quickly enough.

After a quick stop to pick up some prawns for dinner, we came back to the condo for some relaxation.

John in the stocks at Sunshine Castle

Skink at Wild Horse Lookout

Golden Beach (Caloundra) – Day 3 and 4 (Round 2)

Thursday, April 30

Got up at 4 a.m. to make it to the meeting place in Tewantin (near Noosa) by 6 a.m. – we were amazed at the intensity of the rain and wind and kind of groaned because we were going to be outdoors in it. Oh well, no help for it so we packed our rain gear, started up our GPS (affectionately named TimTam) and set off in the dark, pouring rain to find the meeting spot. It wasn’t a pleasant drive but with the help of TimTam, we made it. Of course we were early, so we sat in the car hoping we were in the right spot.

Chris on the bus on the barge

Just a few minutes after 6 (when I had pulled out my phone and the phone number of the company), the bus from Fraser Island Adventure Tours arrived. Our driver was Andrew and there were only 10 passengers – a nice number for a rainy day. Once at Fraser Island, we couldn’t travel around the point on the beach because the tide was too high so we took a “corrugated” road (think heavy washboard!) for 11 km until we could safely drive on the beach. The speed limit on the beach is 80 km an hour although Andrew said it depended on the conditions if you could actually do that speed.

John wading in Eli Creek

Our first stop was Eli Creek for morning tea and a restroom break.

Morning tea being prepared at the bus

There was a nice boardwalk at the creek so we took advantage of it and stretched our legs. The water was quite warm but we decided not to wade back to the bus (it was a little deep at the top end). Once back at the bus, tea was served and then it was off to see what was left of the Maheno wreck.

Maheno wreckage

Apparently there was an Anzac Day ceremony held at the site of the wreck, as the ship had been used as a medical transport in WW1.

Wreath on the Maheno wreckage

Next on to the Pinnacles (hmmmm I think everywhere in Australia must have some placed named the Pinnacles). These were beautiful and I think the rain had made the colours more noticeable.

The Pinnacles Coloured Sands

John was riding up front with the driver at this time and he has some awesome video of the beach and the sand roads that are inland. We headed through the bush to go to Lake Mckenzie for a swim and our bbq lunch. John and one other fellow decided to swim – the rest of us just enjoyed the view *s* Lake Mckenzie is a beautiful – so clear because it is filled with rainwater and filtered by the sand.

John swimming in Lake McKenzie

The picnic area has been moved a little further away from the lake than when we were there 7 years ago – the picnic area has an improved dingo fence and more picnic tables. There is also a neat set up where a tarp can be hung over the provided posts to protect from sun or rain. The picnic area also features a laughing kookaburra (how many of you sang the kookaburra song to yourselves?) who likes to steal the grilled steaks right off plates. He didn’t get any of my steak though!

Laughing Kookaburra at the picnic site

Once we had finished lunch, we were back on the bus to head to Central Station and Wanggoolba Creek. This creek is so clean and clear that you have to really look to see the water in it. In the river bed are King ferns that are similar to ones that grew 300 million years ago. Pretty impressive.

King Fern at Wanggoolba Creek

Wanggoolba Creek

That was our last stop – we were pretty lucky with the rain – it didn’t completely stop everytime the bus stopped but it did slow down a lot (as Andrew said – his wipers were on intermittent instead of full out). As before, it was a fantastic day and we really enjoyed seeing the island again – in fact the rain just made things look cleaner. Unfortunately, we didn’t see any dingoes on this trip.

We went back to the barge by way of the beach – the tide was coming in again and there were a few spots that looked like we might not make it but Andrew was a great driver and had no problems.

Back to the meeting spot about 5:45 and I started up the GPS to find our way home in the dark night complete with more heavy rain and traffic. We were ready for sleep by the time we got to the condo but managed to stay awake long enough to have a snack.

Friday, May 1

Another windy, rainy day today so what to do? How about an aquarium – there is one just up the advertised as the largest aquarium in Queensland. So off we went to Underwater World Sea Life. We didn’t find the turn off at first so we had a scenic drive (through driving rain, light rain and no rain) down the coast – looking at the large waves and the blowing trees. On our way we went past the Arnold Palmer designed golf course that features the Palmersauraus (a T-rex that is on the golf course – John says that when a pro golf tournament was played there, the T-rex had to be turned off because the players were playing badly whenever he roared). There is an automobile museum at the golf course too but it wasn’t open at 9:30 a.m.).

Sign for the Palmersaurus

Eventually we found the aquarium and went inside. There were some really cool exhibits and a walk-through tunnel but it wasn’t really very large. It seemed like it was designed more for children as there were activities everywhere for the kids to do (one of the interactive exhibits involved finding out what a seal’s breath smells like – ummmm, no thanks!)

Sea Dragon

Sea horse

Freshwater Croc

It was pouring again when we got out of the aquarium so we puttered our way back, popping in and looking at beaches until we were back in Caloundra. John stopped at a fish market to get something for dinner and, instead, came out with steaming hot order of fish and chips. They were so good (and filling). Food is expensive here but seafood is fairly reasonably priced.

The rain didn’t give up and the wind picked up so we spent the rest of the day relaxing and watching the trees outside our apartment blowing. We were going to drive down toward Brisbane away from the coast tomorrow but there is a weather alert for that area warning of flash floods so that probably isn’t the best idea.

Windy view from our apartment

Golden Beach (Caloundra) – Day 1 and 2 (Round 2)

Tuesday, April 28

We travelled from Cairns to Brisbane today – our flight left Cairns at 10 a.m. and we were served tea on the plane. It was a good flight, some cloud but I did get a picture of a small part of the Great Barrier Reef from the plane.

Great Barrier Reef

We landed at noon and then it took quite a while to pick up the rental car. Finally, we had the keys in hand and were off for Caloundra and our condo at Worldmark Golden Beach. We stopped for lunch at Macca’s (McDonald’s) and I noticed that they have a number of computer stations where you can order your food the way you want it – not sure if it’s going to happen elsewhere but you certainly wouldn’t need as much staff if it catches on (and what about the kids looking for minimum wage positions?).

A quick stop for groceries and we were at the condo. I love it here – the unit is pretty small (and the kitchen is miniscule) but all the units have a water view and a deck.

Our view from Golden Beach WorldMark

We went for a wander down the road and found a geocache along the Costigan Mangrove Boardwalk.

Costigan Mangrove Boardwalk

Not much more to report – we weren’t feeling too energetic. Oh, the wifi here (and in Sydney) connects through the tv. It’s a neat system – and the internet is cheaper than the first trip here (but definitely not as cheap as at home).

Golden Beach Living Room area

Golden Beach Kitchen and Dining Area

Golden Beach Bedroom

Golden Beach Bathroom

Wednesday, April 29

We must be in relaxation mode *s* The main entertainment today was heading to the Eumundi Markets, about 40 minutes north of Golden Beach. It’s advertised as Australia’s Premier Artisan Market – Make it, Bake it, Sew it, Grow it but we saw a lot of imported crafts. We did find a wonderful local artist, Michelle Pike, who was selling her quirky Australian artwork. She was very interesting to talk to and we spent a lot of time in her shop – in our opinion, it was the best one there *s*

Eumundi Markets sign

Once we finished browsing the market, we saw the signs for The Big Pineapple – who can resist a giant pineapple? (Not John!).
It wasn’t very busy there so we pulled in and took photos before we decided to find the Ettamogah Pub as we had seen lots of photos of it and it seemed like an interesting place. We were very disappointed to discover that, while the building is still there, the character has gone. It is now a no name pub with no interesting writing on the outside walls. It’s too bad since it was so well known.

Former Etamogah Pub

We drove around sight-seeing for a while and then found a great parking spot at King’s Beach where we could eat our picnic lunch and watch an awesome kite-boarder – he was getting big air time. We drove around a bit more (and tried to find an elusive geocache) before we came back to the condo to enjoy our view. It’s quite windy today and we’ve had a few short rain showers but none of the thunderstorms that were forecast.

John at King’s Beach

Tomorrow we are heading to Fraser Island for the day – we have an hour’s drive north to the pickup location (and have to be there at 6 a.m.). Lucky for us that we are still waking up early.

Sign at Aussie World pub

Cairns, Day 5 (Round 2)

We had a lazy sort of day today – but we did get up early hoping to catch a spectacular sunrise. Well, it wasn’t really spectacular but it was pretty.

There was a large pelican floating along the shoreline, trying to catch fish (which were doing well at jumping out of the way) and lots and lots of exercisers – walkers, joggers, people using the exercise stations. It was a pretty busy place for 6 in the morning.

Australian Pelican

Early morning fitness on the Esplanade

After doing some laundry (exciting, I know), we headed out for a drive and took a picnic lunch with us. We went north and investigated the beaches at Yorky’s Knob (no I didn’t ask why that name)

John at Yorky’s Knob beach

and Trinity Beach

Chris at Trinity Beach

and then headed south and checked out where the Worldmark in Cairns is located. Next stop was lunch and we found a kind of quiet spot near the northern end of the esplanade where we sat on the lawn and enjoyed the views.

That’s about it for today – we were going to go geocaching but that didn’t happen – maybe tonight, maybe not.

Tomorrow morning we leave for Brisbane airport and the drive north to Golden Beach at Caloundra.

Butterfly

Cairns – Day 3 and 4 (Round 2)

Saturday, April 25

John was awake before the crack of dawn and headed down to the park at the shore (2 blocks from our apartment) to be a part of the Dawn Anzac Memorial. He said the cars were double parked on the streets, some blocking other people in. Not sure how many people were there but the paper says over 5000. Later in the morning, there was a parade to another part of the park. We watched that from our apartment and then decided to go for a drive.

Anzac tribute

Navy League Cadets

Air Cadets

Veteran’s Motorcycle Club

We ended up at the Tjapukai Aboriginal Cultural Park and thought it must be closed for Anzac Day because there were no cars in the parking lot. To our surprise, it was open and there were only about 30 visitors. We wandered around taking in the demonstrations (Hunting and Weapons, Bush Tucker, Digeridoo, and a dance performance). John also took part in boomerang throwing.

John throwing a boomerang

It was an interesting look at the culture of the indigenous people of Australia. It took a couple of hours to see the exhibits and then we went looking for something for dinner (preferably, fish and chips). For a city that is right on the ocean, it is really hard to find a fish and chip shop – and then when you do, they use egg in the batter. Ok, plan B – in the morning we had noticed a sign on a fishing boat that they had fresh, cooked prawns for sale. They were wonderful!

After eating, we were watching out the window and thousands of bats flew by. A lot of the bats roost during the day in trees right in Cairns and they make a lot of noise (and excrement). Once the bats were gone (I did try to take a photo but couldn’t quite manage to capture them), we went down for a nice soak in the hot tub, or so we thought. Turns out the hot tub was less warm than the pool. Oh well, it was refreshing.

Weapons and hunting

Weapons

Digeridoo

Cassowary dance

Chris with the dancers

Sunday, April 26

Another wonderful visit to the Great Barrier Reef with Reef Magic Cruises. We had debated going with another company just to see what they might offer but, in the end, we went with Reef Magic. One of the reasons was that we had had such a good time 7 years ago when we went out with them and the other was that they offer snorkelling off an anchored pontoon instead of just off the boat.

Snorkelling platform on Marine World

It was a beautiful morning and the day was just as good. It takes 45 minutes to get to Moore Reef which is on the outer edge of the Great Barrier Reef. When we got there, we were given a safety briefing and it was recommended that we rent lycra suits as it is still stinger season – we weren’t going to but then we had second thoughts. John paid for the rentals, and when I went to pick up my suit the staff person handed me and XS! I told him he must be joking, I’ve never ever been an XS so he gave me a small and said they stretch 🙂
Well, the small fit but the sleeves were about 12 inches too long!

Chris and John on Marine World

On top of the lycra suits, we wore life vests and I also had a pool noodle. We were set! I thought I might have a few minutes of panic as usual when snorkelling but I was floating around before John even got into the water. And yes, it was still like bath water in temperature.

John snorkelling

It wasn’t long before we were being amazed by the fish and the corals.

A short stop for lunch and we were back in the water. After tiring ourselves out (and drinking a lot of very salty water), we decided on a semi-submersible trip which was a lot of fun – even the old fellow who wanted us all to sing “My Bonnie lies over the Ocean” complete with hand actions and the other fellow who wanted everyone to sing Yellow Submarine.

Before we were ready, it was time to leave the reef. If anyone goes to Cairns, check out Reef Magic – they’re great.

Cairns, Day 1 and 2 (Round 2)

THURSDAY, APRIL 23

We left Chambers Resort about 8:30 in the morning and headed out to do some more exploring on the way to Cairns. We wanted to stop at the Australian Platypus Park but we were there before opening times so we drove on to Millaa Millaa Falls – a very pretty waterfall just outside of the town of Millaa Millaa.

After we had visited the falls, we drove back to the platypus park and were the first ones there. The owner told us an interesting story of how he had planned on having stocked fish ponds and he had brought in shrimp to grow as food for the fish. Just as he was getting going, some platypus moved into one of the ponds and thought they had their own all you can eat buffet. Not long after, there was a cyclone that killed almost all the fish but the shrimp continued to thrive and more platypus came. He has now set aside one of the ponds for the platypus and offers people an opportunity (for the princely sum of $5 for a lifetime membership) to see platypus up close. He doesn’t feed them so they are “in the wild” but they are used to people – in fact, you are supposed to talk around them so they realize you are not a predator on shore.

We stayed for about an hour and saw quite a few platypus. The pool we were at was inhabited by female platypus – apparently the males live in the more quickly running water and the females prefer the still pools.

When we got on the road again, we headed for Murdering Point Winery, just south of Innisfail on the coast. They have some unusual fruit wines and we were interested in trying some. We liked most of them 🙂 but came away with three bottles – a lychee fruit wine, a bottle of pineapple port and a mocha cream – which is made without dairy but tastes just like flavoured thick cream.

We got to Cairns about 4 and checked in to the Cascade Gardens – a self catering apartment hotel. It is very nice – quite spacious, lots of utensils and dishes and a comfy bed (although I had to discard one of my pillows as it was duck down and feathers).

One of the views from the Tablelands

The road keeps going and going….

A yarn bombed tree along the Esplanade in Cairns

FRIDAY, APRIL 24

I could just write – went on the Skyrail today – round trip from Cairns to Kuranda and back but it is an experience that deserves more than that. Most of you know that I really, really don’t like heights or trams but this one is not bad. The gondolas are just a short way over the tops of the trees so it really doesn’t feel like you are up high and I hid behind my camera and took lots of photos so I even managed to look down!

It takes about 1 1/2 hours to reach Kuranda (that includes stopping at both stations and wandering around on the boardwalks through the rainforest). Once we got to Kuranda, we browsed through some of the souvenir shops (a lot of imported products) and then decided to visit Kuranda Koala Gardens. The first display was freshwater crocs and they were looking at us like they could use a snack *s* We then saw some lizards and finally came to the koala enclosure. One of the koalas kept peeking at me and then turning her head away – silly thing. John asked if I wanted a photo with a koala and how could I say no. I was really impressed with the keepers – once the photo was taken, they invited John to stand with me and Tam and they used our camera to take a couple more photos. Even after Tam was back in the keeper’s arms, they stood talking to us for quite a while. Best experience for a koala cuddle out of the three I’ve done.

Chris and John with Tam, the 10 year old female koala

We got to feed some kangaroos and wallabies and then it was on to the reptile exhibit. I won’t post any photos of snakes on here or on facebook (just for you Aunty Pat) but I have to put a photo of a blue tongue lizard because I actually caught it with the tongue out (I love my new camera).

Blue Tongue Lizard

We browsed through a few more shops, bought a 1.5 litre bottle of cold water for 3.50 (other places had them for 4.99), and headed back to the Skyrail station. When I checked my watch, I was shocked that it was already after 2:00.

View coming back to Cairns on Skyrail

That was about it for today – except for a relaxing stroll to the waterfront just a few minutes ago. Tomorrow is Anzac Day (like our Remembrance Day) and it is 100 years since the first soldiers from Australia and New Zealand were sent to WW1. It’s going to be a big day in all the towns and a lot of stores are closed.

Wombat

Koala

John feeding an Eastern Grey Kangaroo

Atherton Tablelands

TUESDAY, April 21

We left Port Douglas and headed to the Atherton Tablelands. It was still a little overcast but didn’t look like rain. We drove north toward Mossman but turned off before we got to the town. Our first stop was at a lookout which was looking toward the Mossman River delta. We could see Crocodile Island (and see why it got that name).

Crocodile Island

We had heard of a place in Mareeba called Coffee World and thought we would go and see – it was pretty gimmicky and the displays looked like a garage sale. We browsed around for a few minutes but chose not to tour the factory for another $40. Off we went to find something else to look at and we spotted the Mareeba Museum and Info Centre. It was a fascinating museum with displays covering all aspects of Aussie life in that area. We really enjoyed it and a lot of the items were the same as at home.

Chris at Meereba Museum

The next town was Atherton – John had read about a place called The Crystal Caves. We were still unsure about visiting it but we stopped by – the young fellow at the counter gave us a good sell and then offered us the seniors rate and guaranteeing that we would love it or our money would be refunded. Well, he was right – it was fascinating. The guy who owns the Crystal Caves is the owner of the largest gem-quality amethyst in the world – the Empress of Uruguay.

Then we had a quick stop at Maccas for lunch and started toward the Chambers Wildlife Rainforest Resort but we got sidetracked by the sight of a platypus viewing area so we had to stop. No platypus in sight at that time, so we decided to go and find a geocache at the Curtain Fig Tree which we did fairly easily (other than getting caught by a wait-a-while vine).

We picked up a few groceries, set the GPS and found our way to the lodge. It was a rustic little place but very clean – the biggest draw for us was the nocturnal animal viewing platform. We were told that the possums and sugar gliders started showing up around 8 p.m.
It was so much fun watching them – we stayed for an hour or so and finally had to go back to our apartment as I was getting cold and my throat was irritated (probably from all the air conditioning).

Blue winged Kookaburra (he doesn’t laugh)

Victoria’s Riflebird

Striped Possum (the tongue reminds me of Anya!)

WEDNESDAY, April 22

Not too many plans for today other than some exploring and trying to see platypus. We drove to Malanda and spotted an info centre and waterfall so we made a quick stop to look at the waterfall and look at the info centre. When we got to the info centre, the fellow who was manning it told us that there was a nature conservancy trail across the road and we might be able to catch a glimpse of platypus and tree kangaroos. We took a walk but all we saw were some turtles.

Back to the car and off to explore some more – we saw a road sign for another set of falls – Dinner Falls and a place called The Crater. These were in an area where cassowaries are seen so it was another chance to find an elusive bird. No luck on the cassowary, but the Crater was very impressive (well at least John says it was – I couldn’t get close enough to the very high fenced edge to actually see it!). The falls were pretty too – guess it helps that it’s been raining here lately so the water was running freely.

John looking into the crater

In the crater

After making a circuit and ending up back at Atherton, we to head back to our room and make a picnic lunch to take to Lake Eachem Park. We had an observer while we were eating – think he was waiting for something to drop or for us to feed him.

Brush turkey

We were waiting for 4 p.m. since the receptionist at the resort had told us that the best time for platypus viewing was between 4 and 6. While exploring around Yungaburra, we came across a memorial for the soldiers who gave their lives in Afghanistan. It was a beautiful place, near the shores of Lake Tinaroo.

Memorial at Yungaburra

Finally it was time to go and watch for platypus. We walked up and down the creek bank, trying to be quiet and find a platypus. We spent almost 2 hours and then decided to head out. At the viewing platform, we paused and looked out – and a few minutes later, there were 3 platypus in sight. Just then, a bus load of sightseers pulled up as well as other people. One family was leaving at the same time as we were and told us of a place on the way to Millaa Millaa where the platypus had taken over a fish pond so that is where we are going on the way back to Cairns.

Platypus

Two platypus

PORT DOUGLAS – DAY 3

What a fantastic day! David, our driver from Daintree Wonder Tours picked us up at 7:20. To our surprise, the tour consisted of us and one other couple (Paul and Carrie) so we got personalized service.

On the way up to the Daintree, we saw miles and miles of sugar cane which will be ready to harvest next month.

Our first stop was an hour long cruise on the Daintree River. David handed us over to Lex, the boat operator and, after we were startled by a 5-spot archer fish spitting at us, we headed off to look for crocs. Lex was very talkative, telling us all about the crocs that live in that area but we weren’t having much luck in seeing any. Suddenly, Paul spotted the head of one but we were already past him so we continued further up the river until it was time to turn around. On the way back, the croc was still there so Lex stopped the boat and we got a lot of photo ops. Not as exciting as some you see in travel brochures but still pretty cool.

Saltwater croc – Daintree River

After the cruise, John asked where the Big Barramundi was so David took a detour and took us there before we headed to the ferry crossing – a cable ferry that goes back and forth as needed. It cost $24 for a round trip. David said we were time travelling by way of the ferry – apparently the town council doesn’t like it being called a primitive area so the tour guides have to be creative with their terms. By this time it had started raining so the stop at Alexandra Lookout wasn’t as impressive as some photos but you could still see for a long ways.

Big Barramundi

View from Alexandra Lookout

Then we headed to Cape Tribulation – with the passengers keeping watch for cassowaries. It’s a long shot to see them as there are only about 100 in the wild in the Daintree. Cape Tribulation was beautiful – and there weren’t many people on the beach. David took us for a walk along the boardwalks and pointed out many odd varieties of plants – especially the climbing vines – we saw a Wait A While vine, a Hairy Mary vine and a Scary Mary vine to name a few.

Chris and John at Cape Tribulation

Next stop was a walk that took you through the rainforest to a mangrove swamp and then back to the rainforest. Right near the parking lot, there was a Boyd’s Water Dragon hiding on a tree. David must have known that he always hangs out in the area, because he was looking for him as soon as we got out of the van. We heard lots of birds but couldn’t see them through the canopy. We also heard popping shrimp in the mangrove flats – and when David snapped his fingers, they answered back with louder popping sounds. We carried our umbrellas and it seemed to work the way it does at home – the rain stayed away 🙂

Boyd’s Water Dragon

Then it was time for lunch – at a little restaurant called On the Turps (because it is on Turpentine Road). The restaurant caters to tour groups and each group had their own buffet area – we had a choice of grilled barramundi, grilled steak or a vegetarian dish. Most of us chose the barramundi and it was really good. After lunch, we walked down to the creek below for a swimming opportunity. John and Carrie swam; Paul, David and I waded (or as David called it, paddled). It was a croc-free area (and we were told not to swim in warm water only in brisk water while in Tropical North Queensland – the crocs don’t like brisk water).

John swimming at Cooper Creek

Once back on the bus, we headed to the Daintree Ice Cream Company for dessert. I didn’t think I would be able to eat it but it was egg-free! You don’t get a choice of flavours – it comes as 4 small scoops in a cup and sharing was encouraged. One of the flavours is on the bottom of the cup (pineapple this time) and the other three were raspberry (tasted like the stuff I make at home), mango (a little sweet) and wattle seed (our favourite).

Ice Cream!

We were still watching for cassowaries, but luck wasn’t on our side. Back at the ferry again, we time travelled again back to modern times and a stop at Mossman Gorge. It is a pretty spot but not a lot different than our rivers on the Island (except for the vegetation of course). John took the opportunity for another short swim and then we were on to another nature walk with David.

The only cassowary we saw

At one point, Carrie and I joked that David’s last name should be Attenborough. He was a walking encyclopedia and definitely loves his job.

We were back to the condo at 5 p.m., tired but very happy to have seen the Daintree Rainforest.

Basket fern

David’s favourite tree

John inside David’s favourite tree

An inside view of the tree

Mossman Gorge

Port Douglas, Day 1 and 2

Saturday, April 18

Our shuttle driver was right on time this morning, and he only had a few stops to make so we were at the airport with lots of time to spare. I had checked in online last night, and since we had no printer, I had the boarding passes sent to my phone. When we got to the airport, we self-checked our bags and were finished with the paperwork in just a few minutes! That was painless.

It always surprises me that the Aussie airports are fine with liquids and gels being taken onboard, the only thing they want to see is aerosol cans and laptops at the security checkpoint.

Once on board the flight, we were surprised to be served breakfast as soon as cruising altitude was reached. And I was even more surprised that I had remembered to order a fruit plate meal! About an hour and a half later, a snack was served – all this included in our reasonable fares of about $225 each for a 3 hour flight. Wish that was the case at home.

The flight was pretty uneventful – there was a lot of cloud so we could only see glimpses of the landscape below. Just before we were landing, the captain gave us the weather report – it wasn’t what we had hoped for as there were heavy rain showers. It looks like the forecast is for more of the same for the next few days – it’s not really that bad since it doesn’t rain for a long period and it’s not cold rain.

Our rental car is a Mitsubishi ASX – a little larger than we usually rent but since we will be travelling around with our luggage, we wanted a car that would hold it without everyone seeing it. It’s a comfortable car and a little higher off the ground than a compact car.

Mitsubishi ASX

We had a few hours before check in at Wyndham Port Douglas so we stopped for groceries at a Woolworths in Smithfield. Once back on the road, we headed toward Port Douglas but stopped at Palm Cove – we didn’t find the part of the beach that is always featured in photos but it was a pretty spot.

John and Chris at Palm Cove

We brought our GPS (with an Australian map) and we’ve already managed to confuse it! At times on the road to Port Douglas, we were under a heavy canopy of trees (it really is where the rainforest meets the sea) and the GPS couldn’t get the satellites. Oh well, we finally got to the condo and it was 3:30. After being greeted by the resident parrot (Skittles) we were able to check in immediately and John’s prize package from Skyrail and Let’s Go Caravan and Camping was waiting for him. It has quite a few goodies in it as well as the certificate for the skyrail round trip.

Skittles

The one bedroom apartment is a little strange – it looks like two hotel rooms that were converted into a suite – the bedroom is as large as the rest of the apartment and it’s a little run-down. It is adequate though and has a full kitchen (even if the fridge is about one third the size of one at home). The brochure says that the air conditioner must stay on to help prevent mould growth – since I really don’t like air conditioning, it’s been a challenge to get it set so that we can be comfortable without turning it off or freezing.

Once we finished unpacking, we headed down to 4-Mile Beach (about a 5 minute walk) – it was beautiful there. We walked along the beach for a while but then the rain caught up to us again so we headed back to the condo.

There is free wifi in the public areas of the resort so I think we will just use that here.

Coconut on 4 Mile Beach

Living Room

Bedroom

Not only dangerous animals!

Sunday, April 19

Although the forecast was for more thundershowers today, we were pleasantly surprised by the weather.

This morning we headed to the park in Port Douglas for their weekly market. There were all kinds of vendors there – from those selling fruits and vegetables to crafts to palm readers and more. We wandered around for a while and found a fellow who made wood products from unusual woods that are almost extinct in the area – he told us they are not allowed to cut any of the trees down and a permit is needed to use the wood. The finished products were beautiful.

There was also a lady selling fruit poop – frozen mushed up fruits. The kids were lining up for her products. We did a lot of browsing and not much buying but I did buy some natural bug repellent (almost the same as Lalena used to make). We saw a wonderful boulder opal stand and when John showed the lady his necklace she said it was one that she had made! She put a new cord on for him while they chatted and I was browsing through her stuff and found a necklace for myself.

We headed back to the condo to put our purchases away and make some sandwiches for lunch. Once that was done, we headed back to town and went to a lookout overlooking 4 Mile Beach and the ocean. On the way up the hill, we saw the most beautiful blue butterfly – of course there was nowhere to stop and get a photo.

4 Mile Beach from Flagstaff Lookout

It was lunchtime then, so we went down to the town end of 4 Mile Beach and had our picnic and a walk along the beach. The swimming areas are protected by “stinger nets” which are anchored to the ocean floor and to the trees on shore. I guess it beats getting stung.
After that, we drove around trying to find a beach route back to the condo. There wasn’t one but there was a nearby geocache. It was along the beach and up a creek, which had us a little apprehensive that we might find a croc waiting for us along with the geocache but it was all good.

Stinger net

Once back at the condo, we had a refreshing swim in the pool (colder than I had expected!) and are enjoying being outside in one of the public areas. There are lots of them with comfy seating and internet.