Australian Natural Adventures

itinerary for Gail, Rachel & Micah continues.....

Day 11 – Monday, July 30: Blue Mountains / Sydney / Cairns
Return to Sydney this morning, drop off your car at the airport and fly north to Cairns on Virgin Blue flight DJ387 departing at 10.30am and arriving at 1.35pm. Please note that food must be purchased served on Virgin Blue (it’s quite reasonable and there are healthy choices), or you may wish to fill up beforehand or eat late. On arrival you are met and transferred to your accommodation on the Esplanade in the heart of town. Once on the Esplanade it is a very pleasant walk through the new Esplanade Fogarty Park along the waterfront, past cafes, shops and restaurants. Looking out from the Esplanade is one of the best places in Australia to see shorebirds as the tide recedes, and there is an inviting pool to swim in with a sandy beach.

Day 12 – Tuesday, July 31: Cairns
This morning you are picked up for a 30-minute drive south, through typical North Queensland countryside. Here you transfer to your boat, high up in a tropical river. As the boat makes its way towards the sea you first pass through canefields, then rainforest, and eventually the important mangrove ecosystem. Eventually you reach the sea, where a short 20-minute ride lands you at the Frankland Islands. These islands, once part of the mainland, are now isolated, and surrounded by coral reefs. On shore there is forest, where pigeons, doves and other rainforest birds roost and feed. The surrounding waters are alive with coral, colorful fish, giant clams and all the life of this rich underwater habitat. Unlike many parts of the reef, the coral starts just offshore, and can be seen by both wading, and evening walking along the exposed reef at low tide. On the other hand, world-class snorkeling and diving is just a few minutes further out, by small boat or swimming. Lunch is served under the trees, and it's not until about 3pm that you have to leave this island paradise. During the day a naturalist will lead you on a guided walk through the forest, and is available for a guided underwater snorkel as well. (L)

Day 13 – Wednesday, August 1: Cairns / Mareeba / Kuranda / Cairns
This morning you are picked up early and drive to Mareeba for an hour’s balloon flight. When you arrive the balloon will be flat on the ground, and part of the excitement and adventure is helping to inflate it. First cold air is blown into the envelope to create an airspace, then the burners are turned on, blowing in hot air. Aim has to be careful here, as the entryway is small, and the envelope flammable. Eventually enough hot air is in the envelope to make it rise from the ground, just enough to lift the envelope to vertical, but not enough to make it lift off. After getting aboard the gondola, you pilot refires the burners, and you slowly lift off, watching the ground fall away. From then it’s up to the skill of the pilot, and the whims of nature. Hot air balloons are at the mercy of the breezes, and although the pilot can release air from the sides to turn the balloon a little, it’s the breeze that chooses the direction of flight. After about half an hour the pilot will land the balloon, then take off again for a further 30 minutes. The ground crew meets you at the eventual landing place (sometimes places if the wind has picked up!). You then enjoy a champagne breakfast, traditional when ballooning. About 8.45am you will be taken to Kuranda for breakfast, finishing about 9.30am. Kuranda is home to the Australian Butterfly Sanctuary, Kuranda Birdworld, Kuranda Koala Gardens and interesting shops both store and market style, many of which feature local crafts and Aboriginal products. You return to Freshwater, and Tjapukai, via the Skyrail, a cableway through and over the rainforest, at about 12.30pm. It’s a half hour straight shot down the mountain, but you may want to stop at Red Peak to look at the interpretive Centre and take the boardwalk; don’t worry though if Kuranda is taking too much time as Alan, your guide on the Tablelands, can fill you in on the rainforest. You do need to be at Tjapukai by about 2pm, though, to fit everything in. Although designed t as a tourist venture, the 20 year old concept began and remains today a means of introducing non-aboriginal people to the world’s oldest living culture, while at the same time showing by example to the Aboriginal people themselves that their culture, often ignored and looked down upon by its own people, is of great value and interest to others throughout Australia and the world. Activities here include the Aboriginal History Theatre, the Creation Theatre, the original Tjapukai Dance Theatre, a didgeridoo demonstration, spear and boomerang throwing, and descriptions of traditional foods and medicines. Although the park is a little hard to describe, I know you will enjoy it and learn a lot about Aboriginal life. After Tjapukai taxi back to your hotel. (B)

Day 14 – Thursday, August 2: Cairns / Daintree / Cairns
This morning pick up your rental car and head north to the Daintree, an area of lowland rainforest, rivers and tropical beach. Stop at Mossman Gorge for a walk in the rainforest with Aboriginal guides, and learn about the foods and medicines used by local Aboriginal people. You’ll see where they grow, how they are collected and learn how they are prepared, directly from local aboriginal people. Continue on to the Daintree River, where you take a 90 minute small boat cruise to discover the life of the river, from mangrove birds to the saltwater crocodiles – some over 14 ft – that inhabit the river. Over the river the rainforest meets the beach, and this is often considered one of the most beautiful areas of Australia. It is in these rainforests that some of the oldest known flowering plant species exist, some unchanged for over 100 million years. At the end of the day return to Cairns.

Day 15 – Friday, August 3: Cairns / Atherton Tablelands
Head off again north up the Kuranda Range, then head into Mareeba, a small Tablelands town and center of this agricultural district. Head through town and out to Granite Gorge to see small Rock Wallabies among the granite boulders. Continue south to explore the rainforests of the Atherton Tablelands. These World Heritage Wet Tropics listed rainforests, at an elevation of about 2,500 ft, are home to some of Australia’s rarest and most unusual animals, including four kinds of very restricted possums, gliders, and the definitely weird tree kangaroo, a kangaroo which has adapted to a life in the trees, rather than on the ground. Much of this area is designated World Heritage, as is the Great Barrier Reef just visited. There are huge specimens of strangler fig trees, and the smallest and most primitive kangaroo, the Musky Rat-kangaroo, can often be seen here, as well as fruit pigeons and brush turkeys. Suggested is a walk to see the Twin Kauris and then a light lunch before a one-hour cruise around Lake Barrine. This informative cruise usually manages to find Amethystine Pythons over 12 ft long sunning along the bank. Your accommodation tonight is The Chambers Rainforest Lodge, a small ecolodge in the heart of the rainforest. Here there is time to relax and enjoy the peace and wildlife which is plentiful here. There is plenty of wildlife right on the property, and at about dusk dozens of pademelons, a small rainforest wallaby, emerge onto the grass. At 7.30pm meet your naturalist guide Alan at the platypus viewing platform in Yungaburra, on the Atherton road. Although it’s hard to miss, John, your host at The Chambers, can give you directions. This will be a convenient place to meet, as it’s only a couple of minutes from any of Yungaburra’s restaurants. Your evening is spent spotlighting for mammals and owls. Alan Gillanders is a "step-aboard" guide, that is he joins you and your vehicle, rather than using a bus. The area visited for this is especially good for the strange Tree Kangaroo, which has taken to life in the rainforest trees. A variety of rainforest birds and other animals, perhaps including the leaf-tailed gecko - eight inches long and colored and shaped like a piece of bark - will be found and seen.

itinerary for Gail, Rachel & Micah continues >>>>