Queensland
Although we had enjoyed our time in New South Wales, all of us were looking forward to getting on to Queensland, The Great Barrier Reef and the Daintree Rainforest. We flew out of Syndney to Cairns and then drove about an hour or so north to Port Douglas. It is a lovely drive that hugs the coast allows several opportunities to see kangaroos and the Coral Sea.
The harbor in Port Douglas has several SCUBA/Snorkel companies which offer full-service trips to the inner islands and the outer Great Barrier Reef. With Will and Meredith set-up with a babysitter for the day, we decided to head out to the outer reef on a full day trip.
We would be making stops at three different locations on the reef. So we were able to schedule a dive for each of us around snorkeling with the kids. We made Mom go in first to test the water for 'stingers', the tiny jellyfish that like to ruin your day. The kids where also equipped with special full body coverage suits to keep any jellyfish floating around off the skin
As evidenced by her nervous smile, Carrie hasn't dived since Lilly was born. However, after a quick review of the key points and extensive safety briefing, she was good to go. The incredible visibility and low depth made a for a great refresher dive.
The snorkeling was great too at the shallower depts. There was colorful coral everywhere and fish tucked in at just about every place you looked.
Scuba Video complete with bubbles and soundtrack.
It was an absolutely amazing experience to be able to visit the GBR with Jack and Lilly. They were true troopers and seemed to enjoy the day as much as us. I am so thankful one of the parents was able to talk the other one into handing off the two little kids to a complete stranger in a foreign country. She did come with good Trip Advisor reviews.
We were now in croc country so it was time to see some of these beasts up close and personal and Hartley's Crocodile Adventures was the place to do it. This crocodile-centric nature park had a boat tour and a live feeding show to teach you more about the crocodiles' behavior and feeding. After the tour, we walked with a bit more respect around waterways.
Queensland could probably be best described with three words - Dangerous Petting Zoo. They will let you hold just about anything here.
Not all the creatures are scaly though. This furry wallaby took a real liking to Lilly and wouldn't let her leave his side.
Pretty much her Australian Boyfriend.
Meredith even made a new friend too!
But we were not here to hold reptiles and feed wallabies. In New South Wales you are only allowed to pet a Koala, but here in more liberal Queensland, you can full on cuddle a Koala. Don't feel bad for the Koalas, they are only allowed to be cuddled by humans for 3 hours a week. This is what we came to Hartley's for and it was time to cuddle.
The verdict: it was like holding a heavy stuffed animal that smelled like a horse. That will be $25 dollars sir.
After seeing all the SCUBA tour boats and yachts in the marina we decided it was time to splurge and get our own pleasurecraft and hit the high seas.
Okay, so they only allowed us to go in the backwater of the stream leading into the marina with this vessel. But it was still fun!!
It's painful when your little sister hooks the only fish of the day.
Even though she allowed you to reel it in and take some photos, this is gonna be a tough one to shake off.
Real fisherwomen start on open-face reels.
The Daintree rainforest is regarded as being the oldest continuously surviving tropical rainforest in the world, thought to be 180 million years old. It is older than the Amazon rainforest. This has allowed the Daintree to develop into one of the most varied and complete environments on the planet. Cape Tribulation is found between the Daintree Rainforest and Great Barrier Reef. It is where the ‘two world heritage sites meet’ and what David Attenborough recognizes as his most favorite place on the planet.
They are so much fun when they can't read.
The Daintree Discovery Centre had excellent interpretative nature exhibits highlighting many of the areas unique creatures including the archer fish and the cassowary.
In addition to educating the visitors about the current flora and fauna of the region, there was also a section within the Discovery Center designated to the prehistoric creatures that once inhabited the Daintree. The animatronic models mimicking the movements and sounds of long since extinct species were a big hit with everyone...........well just about everyone.
We did not know about this, but at dusk each evening in Port Doublas the sky fills up with bats heading out to forage for food. The bats, Spectacled Flying Foxes, have a wingspan of nearly 3 feet and gather in colonies that number in the hundreds.
It was quite a sight to see multiple colonies take flight and head for the hills.
Loving Queensland, Australia!
