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Australian Natural Adventures A specialist
travel agency for Australia travel, Australia tours, and all things
Australian.
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Australian Natural Adventures A specialist
travel agency for Australia travel, Australia tours, and all things
Australian.
|
Tourism
Australia accredited Premier Aussie Specialist.
Day
2 - Saturday, September 17: Lost In Space
o
your flight to Cairns, Qantas QF922 which departs at 8.40am and arrives
at 11.50am. The Cairns flight departs from Sydney's domestic terminal,
and you will take the terminal shuttle bus to that terminal –
directions are clear in the international terminal for this. On arrival
in Cairns you will be met and transferred to your hotel, 
ded
by the rainforest of the Daintree National Park. Birds and other
wildlife will be seen from the verandah of this world-class lodge,
and from the open air restaurant overlooking the river. This
afternoon relax in this t
ropical
paradise. Probably the best eating fish in Australia, and one of the
best in the world, is Barramundi, and you should make sure this is
a feature of one of your meals here. Start with an appetizer of Mud
Crab or Moreton Bay Bugs (both far better than they sound), followed
by Barramundi done as simply as possible. A dry Australian Sauvignon
Blanc, perhaps from the Margaret River area of Western Australia,
or a crisp Victorian white, will be a perfect accompaniment. *B
l
wonders of the world—Australia’s Great Barrier Reef, a
series of reefs extending for about 1,250 miles along th
e
coast of Queensland, nearly to Papua New Guinea. This morning you
are picked up for your second reef trip, this time to the outer edge,
where the experience is quite different to that which you will experience
later in the week. There are different corals, fishes and other marine
life. Your boat, Poseidon, will visit a number of sites. Again, all
snorkeling equipment (including wet suits) and dive gear is provided,
and an excellent lunch. The two reefs trips – a cay and the
outer reef – will give you a much fuller appreciation of this
natural wonder than a single visit could. L
Day
5 – Tuesday, September 20: Thala - Daintree area
s
many rainforest and mangrove birds, Chris will be looking for Saltwater
Crocodiles and perhaps Flying Foxes. The cruise lasts about 2 hours.
Return to Thala, check out, and then drive south through Cairns to
Yungaburra on the 
s
towns. The road up to the Tablelands offers some wonderful views,
and Yungaburra is the first town you come to at the top. This will
take about 1 ¾ hours. both. Your accommodation tonight is 
lodge. Of course, you will most likely eat at one of the several nearby
restaurants, but having a few snacks, and/or a bottle of wine, on
hand is always a good idea. The lodge grounds are rich in wildlife,
from birds to mammals, many of which are unafraid and will vis
it
your cabin. At 2.30pm you will be met by Alan Gillanders, a local
naturalist guide, for an afternoon evening wildlife finding expedition.
As well as gaining an understanding of this unique rainforest area,
you will look for platypus, musky rat-kangaroos, birds and many others.
After dinner you will spend a couple of hours spotlighting for nocturnal
wildlife, including the rare and endemic possums that occur only here,
owls, and possibly the strange Lumholtz tree kangaroo. You will return
to the Lodge about 10pm. Don't forget that it will be cooler up on
the Tablelands, especially at night. 
o
look around. Perhaps a drive to the ex-logging town of Ravenshoe,
where has become something of an arts and cr
afts
center, and even driving to the Tully Falls lookout, for views across
to the now-trickling (due to a dam) but once mighty Tully River. The
river still creates a major waterfall, and extensive flooding, if
there's heavy rain during the Wet, and provides year-round Class 4
whitewater rafting. The sugarcane season will have begun, and your
drive will take you past several farms. Although the cane is no longer
burnt prior to harvest, you will see the small trains - "trams"
- making their way about the fields. They also cross the roads, so
take car at the indicated tram crossings. Your accommodation for the
next two nights is the Tradewinds Hotel in Cairns. Y
ou
can walk out of the rear of the hotel to the Esplanade, which runs
along the b
ayfront.
The hotel is directly opposite perhaps the best part of the Esplanade
for shorebirds, including Terek Sandpipers, stints, plovers and godwits;
terns, pelicans and others are also here. Low tide today is at 1.37pm,
and the best time for viewing is from about 15 minutes after the low
tide for the next hour. Many lorikeets, honeyeaters and other colorful,
and noisy, birds frequent the trees of your hotel and the Esplanade;
a large tree over the restaurant is a favored egret roost. It is a
very short and pleasant walk through the new 
and the sandy vegetated cay formed on one end. Michaelmas Reef lies
about 22 miles off the coast just north of Cairns, with 
most
of which is off limits, is a National Park within the Great Barrier
Reef Marine Park. However, the birds are very tolerant of visitors
and stand thickly along the beach, allowing us to approach them within
a few yards. Immediately offshore in waist-deep water, the first of
the corals can be seen. For those not used to snorkelling, there is
no easier introduction—just walk up to your waist, and bend
over. 
soft corals. Parrot fish glean algae from the coral, and small and
medium predators search for food. Schools of fish twist and flash
between the outcrops. An occasional sea turtle may be seen. You glide
around the coral in a semi-submersible submarine, dry and with your
ordinary cameras, while a marine biologist describes the species seen
and some of the processes at work. There are guided snorkel tours
led by a marine biologist, and if you are interested you may take
a non-certified introductory scuba dive at additional cost. On your
trip out, one of the marine biologists explains the development of
this and other reef systems and gives us an introduction to many of
the animal species that you see. Lunch is a tropical smorgasbord.
In the afternoon you return to Cairns, under sail if the winds are
right. Your transport to the reef is a 
Most of today is free to relax and perhaps visit some of the art galleries
in 
town.
Several, including the