Cairns

Hi everyone. this will be the last Blog for a couple of weeks as we are flying home tomorrow for 2 weeks. We have done a few things in the past few days and here is the story.

The drive down the coast from Wonga to Cairns is quite spectacular. The road hugs the coast and you can see this amazing vista of blue sea and sky and beautiful beaches and headlands. Not much surf though as the beaches are protected by the Great Barrier Reef.

There was a lot of traffic as it was Sunday and a lot of people are out for a drive.











The caravan park (Cool Waters) is really nice and pet friendly so there are a lot of dogs but they are generally well behaved.

Ray had been having a bit of trouble with one of the lenses on his camera so on Monday we went to a camera shop at Smithfield to try to get it fixed. But no luck. The lady suggested we go into Camera House in Cairns Central. so off we went into town. Found Camera House and it turned out that Ray had an analogue lens on a digital camera. Works but not so good and it wasn't really worth getting the lens fixed. So he bought a new Sigma lens. So then we needed to try it out. We headed down to the Esplanade and the marina to look at some of the little boats.

Wow what a collection of boats. Huge pleasure craft having maintenance done on them. Registered in the Caymans and the Caribbean. They had been here for trips to the Reef and had to be gone from Australia before December due to cyclones. Insurance companies don't like the boats being in Cairns for cyclone season. We were talking to a fellow who was organising contractors to do some maintenance work.

This is another of the boats. Inside that bottom door was a fully equipped gym. It must be tough being that wealthy. The boats still needed a little TLC though. It looked like the big stuff was done but the little stuff not. Decks needed varnishing and doors needed fixing.

This is the walkway along the foreshore. Tide was out so it looked a little murky.












Next day, Tuesday we headed up to Hartley's Crocodile Farm.

Ray and I first came to Hartley's in 1982. They had a big concrete pit out in the open and in it were 6 dingo pups. You could just pick them up for a cuddle. They also had a huge croc, abut 6 metres long and about 100 years old. But he died about 5 years ago. It is still an interesting place. As soon as we got there we were just in time for a boat ride on their lagoon to feed crocs.
This is one jumping out of the water for some chicken.

Finally we see a cassowary. In captivity as he has a sore foot but one just the same.

A bearded dragon resting on a stick.

This big croc is called Sollie after a dog he killed on New Years day a couple of years ago. Apparently some indigenous kids were going for a swim down near Innisfail and the dog jumped in the water first, luckily as it happened. He saved the kids though.

A lace monitor. We also have a big one in the caravan park.

A very talkative and cheeky Major Mitchell cockatoo. Tried to get you to touch him and then he would bite you. 

And how cute was this. a mother koala and her little one. Both seemed to look straight at the camera. Posers.

This is a young cassowary who has sustained a leg injury and won't be released back into the wild as he wouldn't be able to cope. Looks very much like an emu.











The next day was our last sight seeing day in Cairns. We decided to catch the Sky Rail up and back to Kuranda. We had gone up there in the train in 1982 and we figured the train trip wouldn't have changed too much.

The Sky Rail was completed in 1995 after 1 year in construction although apparently it had taken years of work before that to get all of the permissions. It is 7.5km long and goes from Cairns to Kuranda. All of the towers were lifted into place by helicopter to as not to disturb the environment too much. There are 2 stations on the way, Red Peak and Barron Gorge. you can get out at both and go for a walk around then get back on and continue your journey. This is Barron falls from the lookout

This is Barron River from the gondola.

Looking back down on a part of cairns as you come over the last mountain heading back down.

Coming down into Barron Gorge Station

Me in the gondola with the Sky Rail behind me.

Ray in the gondola.

One of the views on our trip.

The gondola trip over the rainforest. it really was a wonderful trip and worth the money. Looking down into the rainforest was just amazing.


Well that is all of the Blog for now. We will be back in Wollongong tomorrow afternoon and fly back to Cairns to continue our journey on 29th September so I will Blog again from then on.

Still at Wonga Beach

This is the next part of our stay at Wonga Beach.
Now it is Tuesday 2nd September
It is another beautiful day and we decided to go into Mossman to do some shopping and then head up to Mossman Gorge.
To get there you park at the Visitors Centre and then they bus you up to the gorge.

 This is some fish we saw in a pool near the Mossman falls. There are boardwalks that take you around the forest and down beside the falls.

Some of the rainforest plants growing on the forest floor

The Mossman river flowing through the rocks. When the river floods in the wet season the force of the water can actually move the heavier rocks.

Looking down on one of the pools from the high boardwalk

Ray crossing the suspension bridge

Me on the suspension bridge. I don't like them very much and this one was pretty wobbly so I am hanging on pretty tight.

The water tumbling over the rocks.
After this we headed back to the caravan park. Because it is in a rainforest there are birds everywhere.

These are 2 adult bush curlews with a couple of young ones

There is also a family of peacocks and peahens who roost high up in the trees at night and call out through the night. They are very loud. I also saw a bird native to far North Queensland called a Drongo. Funny name but a handsome black bird with sparkles on its chest.

These signs are on every beach. Not so good for swimming in summer and there is always the danger of crocodiles.













Very heavy dew last night. Everything is quite wet. Today we are going up to Daintree Village to go on a couple of cruises. The upper Daintree River and the lower Daintree River

This is one of the reasons you do the cruise - to see crocs. This one was about 3 metres long and had killed a pelican the day before. He just lets the pelican go rotten and then eats it.

And here is the poor pelican. Just not quick enough

The view from the boat looking along the river. Also on our cruise were 12 students, 2 teachers and 2 assistants from a school in Arnhem land. They had driven to Gove and flew to Cairns and were spending a week doing all of the tourist things. They were having a ball and were so excited and so well behaved. All in Year 5.

Another view of the river

This is the boat we cruised in. Plenty of area to take photos.

 

When we came back we had a yummy lunch at the Daintree Hotel and then headed down to the ferry crossing to go on the afternoon cruise.

 

This was a smaller croc, only about 2 metres laying with its mouth open to cool down.

And another one. The fellow told us that this one is a female just resting up and getting her strength ready to breed again.

Looking up the Daintree. as you can see the clouds came over in the afternoon although it was still quite warm.

A tree snake having a little rest on a branch hanging over the river.














We are now in Cairns at Cool Waters caravan park. We will do a few sightseeing things before Friday when we fly home for 2 weeks. I will do another Blog before then.