Hartley’s Crocodile Adventure

5 October 2017

Pic 2017-1005 03 Hartleys (58) Edit

Hartley’s Crocodile Adventure was great fun for the whole family. I would not have stopped if not for a recommendation from friends and I’m glad we did. It is located off the Cook Highway midway between Cairns and Port Douglas. They have over 3,000 crocodiles. The highlight is a boat ride where they spot crocodiles in their natural habitat and feed them off the bow. The crocodile show was well done too. Hartley’s not only has crocs, but you can also get up close and personal with cassowaries, koalas, kangaroos, wallabies, lizards, snakes, and exotic birds.

Crocs, lots of crocs!

Feeding a Cassowary and our favorite, Koalas

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Kuranda Train and Skyrail, QLD

4 October 2017

Pic 2017-1004 05 Skyrail (9) Edit

A day trip to Kuranda from Cairns or Port Douglas is a popular tourist activity. Kuranda is a nice little town that caters to tourists but it’s getting there that is most of the fun. We took the shuttle bus from our hotel to Skyrail’s Smithfield Station, about 15 minutes north of Cairns. Skyrail is a 7.5 km (4.7 mile) gondola cableway ride over Barron Gorge National Park to Kuranda. We spent 2 hours in Kuranda. The highlight for me was eating at a German restaurant – one of the best meals I’ve had in Australia. On the way back, we took the Kuranda Scenic Train through the rainforest back to Cairns. It was an easy walk to dinner and hotel from there.

Skyrail to Kuranda

Kuranda Scenic Railroad

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Great Barrier Reef / Green Island

3 October 2017

Pic 2017-1003 04 GBR Green Island Boat (4) Edit

A trip to Australia is not complete without a trip to the Great Barrier Reef. The reef is massive, around 2,300 km (1,400 miles) long therefore there are many points to access the reef. It is closest to the Queensland coastline at the north end and gets further away as you move south; therefore Cairns is a popular place to disembark and Green Island is a popular destination since it is only a 45 to 60-minute boat ride. Green Island might be the most popular destination on the reef which is good and bad. The island is equipped with a small resort and amenities that are not commonly found. For more experienced snorkelers and divers, I have read there are much better locations. For amateur snorkelers looking for a family friendly day trip, it was ideal.

The kids had an absolute blast. My daughter took her underwater point-and-shoot camera and took a few pictures. They were most excited about the reef sharks and stingrays they saw, but the sharks and rays seemed relatively harmless with little interest in humans. The most imposing animal was not found in the water, but on dry land. Birds circle the picnic tables and have little fear of retribution. One stole my son’s sandwich from his hands as he was taking a bite!

Unfortunately we saw obvious signs of coral bleaching. This has become a serious environmental problem in recent years, particularly on the north end. While it was sad to see, I was glad the kids got to see it firsthand. It made a more profound impression than it would have by simply reading it in a classroom.

As part of our tour, we took a semi-submarine tour of the reef before we actually got in the water. This was fun for the whole family and got everyone excited to jump in.

Green Island was our first exposure to the Great Barrier Reef and one we will long remember.

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Port Douglas, QLD

2 October 2017

Pic 2017-1002 10 Port Douglas (12) Edit2

Port Douglas was a wonderful surprise. The town is situated on the coast about 70 km (43 miles) north of Cairns. Like Cairns it serves as a gateway for tourists to the Daintree Rainforest and the Great Barrier Reef. It is a small town but has everything a visitor might want, including plenty of shops and restaurants. We stopped on our way back from the Daintree Rainforest for a few hours. We walked about town for awhile and hiked up to the lookout – which you can easily drive – and saw a small lighthouse along the way. Staying in Cairns was the best decision for us but Port Douglas should be seriously considered depending on your travel style and itinerary.

 

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Daintree Rainforest

2 October 2017

Pic 2017-1002 02 Daintree Forest by Cole (1) Edit

The Daintree Rainforest in Daintree National Park is located on the northeast coast of Queensland, north of Port Douglas. It is the largest continuous tropical rainforest in Australia. Today we drove north from Cairns on the Captain Cook Highway to Cape Tribulation and back. The drive from Palm Cove to Oak Beach provided some fantastic views of the ocean. On the way to Cape Tribulation, there is a short ferry ride across the Daintree River. From the river to the cape is a beautiful but twisty drive. We made stops at Cow Bay and Cape Tribulation and did a short hike near Myall Beach.

As nice as the beaches appear, you will not find people surfing, swimming or sunbathing like you do along much of the coast. In this area of the country, October through June is stinger season and all year-around is crocodile season.

 

Pic 2017-1002 13 Cook Highway (15) Edit

On our way back down the Captain Cook Highway, we stumbled upon Bouncing Stones Beach where there are hundreds, maybe thousands, of stacked rocks or “cairns”, the traditional symbol of hikers to mark wilderness trails. We are not sure how or why this tradition started but our kids enjoyed making their own stacks. We assume the cairns are somehow related to Town of Cairns. Either way, it was a fun stop.

The Daintree Rainforest was not exactly what we were expecting but we all enjoyed it nonetheless. The kids said we set the bar high on the first full day of our trip. All-in-all, it was a very nice day.

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Glass House Mountains National Park

24 September 2017

Pic 2017-0924 06 Glass Mtns Lookout (14) Edit2

The Glass House Mountains are located between Beerwah and Beerburrum in southern Queensland. They are visible from the Bruce Highway, the main north-south artery between Brisbane and the Sunshine Coast.  We previously posted pictures of these mountains including an excellent view from Mary Cairncross Park.

Today we went to the Glass House Mountains Lookout and hiked the Mount Tibrogargan Trail. Our goal is to hike several of the mountains. A few of them can only be climbed by experienced rock climbers which we are not, so the outlook and trails are as close as we will get.

Pic 2017-0924 04 Mt Coonowrin (1) Edit

Mount Coonowrin

Pic 2017-0924 06 Glass Mtns Lookout (11) Edit

Mount Tunbubudla aka the Twins

Pic 2017-0924 02 Mt Beerwah (3) Edit

Mount Beerwah

Pic 2017-0924 03 Mt Ngungun (2) Edit

Mount Ngungun

Pic 2017-0924 05 Mt Tibrogargan (1) Edit

Mount Tibrogargan

Mount Tibrogargan Trail

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Outback: Random Thoughts

7 – 15 September 2017

Pic 2017-0911 03 Erldunda to Ayers (2) Edit

We finished our trip into the Outback much the way we started it. We returned south from Ayers Rock with nights back in Coober Pedy and Adelaide before we flew back to Coolum Beach via the Brisbane Airport. The return trip took two long days of driving but we did not mind. This drive might be incredibly boring to some – especially since we just made it a week prior – but we enjoyed sitting back and absorbing our surroundings through the windshield.

When we first considered our move to Australia and the places we wanted to visit, the Red Center seemed like one of the more adventurous places to go. It was different than we had expected. It was better than we had expected.

The roads and facilities do require some planning but are not bad. There was enough traffic so that help was always available if needed. We only drove during the daylight to avoid wildlife. Based on the number of burnt out cars and recent accidents along the road, that is a good rule to follow.

Maybe as a result, we did not see as much wildlife as expected. There were free range horses, cattle, and sheep and a few wild emu and kangaroo but not the herds of kangaroos we pictured roaming the plains.

Overall our family enjoyed this trip much more than I thought they would and are looking forward to our next Aussie adventure.

You never know what you’ll find along the Stuart Highway

Pic 2017-0908 02 Lake Hart by Elle Edit

Salt Lakes can be found throughout the Outback

Pic 2017-0914 03 Road Train Edit

Road Trains can be up to 53.5 m (175 ft) long which are challenging on a 2-lane highway

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Uluru / Ayers Rock

11 – 13 September 2017

Pic 2017-0911 05 Uluru (8) Edit

Uluru, the Aboriginal name for Ayers Rock, is the heart of the Australian Outback. Along with the Sydney Opera House and the Great Barrier Reef, Uluru is an icon of the country.  Its appearance abruptly rising out of the flat and barren Outback is striking. The distance you must travel through the Outback just to get there adds to the anticipation.

Uluru is visually interesting from a distance as it appears to change color throughout the day, peaking when the setting sunlight makes it appear fire red.

It is even more interesting as you approach its base. We chose to rent bikes for the 10 km (6.2 miles) trail that circles the base.

Pic 2017-0913 01 Uluru 900 AM

9:00 AM

Pic 2017-0913 03 Uluru 1030 AM

10:30 AM

Pic 2017-0913 05 Uluru 1200 PM

12:00 PM

Pic 2017-0911 05 Uluru 620 PM

6:20 PM

Pic 2017-0911 05 Uluru 630 PM

6:30 PM

Uluru viewpoints from around the base trail in the afternoon sun

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Field of Light

13 September 2017

Pic 2017-0913 06 Field of Lights (1) Edit

The Field of Light is visually spectacular. Unfortunately this hack photographer does not have the skill or equipment to adequately capture it. There are some nice pictures of it at the artist’s website.

The Field of Light is a temporary art installation by artist Bruce Munro located at the Ayers Rock Resort. It includes over 15,000 lights. It was one of the highlights of our trip and maybe the favorite of the girls.

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Kata Tjuta / The Olgas

13 September 2017

Pic 2017-0913 03 Olgas Edit

Kata Tjuta, the Aboriginal name for The Olgas, is located about 50 km west of Uluru (Ayers Rock) and is part of the Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park. Uluru is the more famous rock formation but The Olgas are special in their own right. We spent the morning visiting and taking a brief walk into the gap.

The Olgas from various viewpoints

Walpa Gorge Walk

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