Far North Queensland - Cairns, Port Douglas and Cape Tribulation

CAIRNS

Our campground in Cairns has the best activities for kids. We played mini golf, watched outdoor movies, jumped on the biggest jumping pillow in the world, swam in the pool and spa and played at the splash waterpark.

The Splash Waterpark

 It was great! In Cairns we walked down the Esplanarde. At the end there was playground called Muddy's Playground. It was great but probably more for kids under 10. So Callam and Finn loved it. At the other end there was a lagoon pool with salt water because you can't swim in the sea unless your swimming in a stinger net. But the lagoon was lovely. There were also lots of people running up and down the path with there dogs. 

Cool fish at Muddy's playground

Unfortunately we didn't have the best weather while we were in Cairns so we decided to go to the movies. We saw "The Odd Life Of Timothy Green." 

The next day we went to the Botanical Gardens. It had a tropical theme because we were in tropics FNQ. (Far North Queensland). There were so many amazing plants that I can't explain what they looked like.  I had never seen anything like it. It looked like the scene when Alice first entered Wonderland. Nothing like what you would see in freezing cold Canberra. Here are some snaps of my favourite flowers.

The day after that my Uncle and Aunty came to visit us for 10 days. We went on the scenic railway with them up the side of the mountain to a place called Kuranda. We had loads of fun there. First we walked down the Main Street and looked at all the shops and even bought a thing or two. Then we went to the Butterfly House. There were so many. My favourite was the bright blue Ulysses. We looked at the caterpillars as well. Afterwards we went on the sky rail back down to Cairns. We went over a river and we were up very high. It also went over the tree tops.

the train ride up the mountain

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Ulysses

It was great when they landed on you.

Skyrail ride back down the mountain.

The day we were leaving we stopped off at an aboriginal cultural centre. First we got our face painted as an aboriginal person. Then we went and watched an interesting video about the history of their culture. Then we watched a dance performance. I even got to join in. Then we had some delicious lunch and went to do spear and boomerang throwing. I didn't do a very good job.

Fire Lighting

Joining in the dance.

PORT DOUGLAS

In Port Douglas we went snorkeling out to the Great Barrier Reef. We went on a boat called the Posiedon. It was a big boat that could fit up to 80 people. There were divers and snorkellers on board. Our first stop was on the outer reef. I saw lots of different fish and coral. The coral was beautiful and had lots of colours and shapes. There were many kinds of fish like clown fish and parrot fish and angel fish to name a few. My snorkel partner was Aunty Karyn. At the second site we saw giant clams. They were patterned with colours on the inside. I skipped the last site because I was felling very tired and a little unwell. The trip was interesting and I learnt that coral is an animal and gives birth once a year. (Pulips)This is called spawning.

CAPE TRIBULATION 

On our way to Cape Tribulation we stopped at the Daintree Discovery Centre. we did a variety of boardwalks across the forest. We also climbed up a viewing tower. We had an audio tour that gave us information at special places. We had the device around our necks. I learnt that male Cassowary looks after the baby chicks and the female cassowary is the largest. I also learnt that in 1 square metre of rainforest there can be up to 15 different species of plant. The twisted vines were amazing as they wrapped around each other and larger tree trunks.

Our camping site was right behind the beach. It was like having a beach for a backyard. We explored the area and walked along the beach. We went walking on the boardwalks over the mangroves and into the Daintree Rainforest. Did you know that the Daintree is the oldest rainforest in the world! And it's right here in Australia. There was lots on little creeks and rapids and we even saw a snake lying in the sun. I fell in the water and got my clothes all wet.

Our exciting activity was jungle surfing. This is were you get put in a harness and then you have to walk up to the exit platform. Then you get pulled up to platform 1. After that the instructor clips you to the tree a gets everyone else on the platform. Then you swing down to the next platform. You do that till you get to the ground. On the last one you go upside down. My favourite was the super fast one.  

At the Discovery Centre with Uncle Gareth and Aunty Karyn

Listening to the audio with Finny

Three ways to Townville

Drive, drive, drive. Three ways camp up, camp down. Drive, drive, drive. Mount Isa camp up, camp down. Drive, drive, drive. Charters Towers.

On the border of NT and QLD

 YES we stopped. 3 nights. Also known as Charlie's Trousers. While we were there we looked at gold mining. At one point it was the richest town in Australia. We went panning for gold and got some of our own. Although we also got some fools gold:(. We also went to the Venus Battery. This is where all the lazy people go to get there rocks crushed and make the people that work there find the gold for them. Did you know that the factory workers used to hide the gold so they could keep it for themselves? But they had to be very secretive so they hid it in places like armpits, mouth, in there ears, in between there toes and even in the backside. YUCK!!!!!!!!!!!! The Venus Battery is just on display for tours now but ran for a long time before I was born. 

Me panning for gold

Our next stop was Townville. The first thing we did there was walk along the strand. The strand is like an esplanade. On the strand there was a water park. It was great for kids and super fun. we also went in the zorb which is like a hamster wheel. The strand also had a salt water pool that was free to use. That particular day there was the million paws walk on so there were dogs all along the strand.

Me in the Zorb

In Townsville we also went to the museum and Reef HQ. At the museum we learnt about loads of things. We learnt about the pandora ship. The prisoners were put in a box 'called Pandoras Box'. Here they had to stay without any food or water. The ship Pandora sank.  We also looked at how green house gases kill coral and are extremely bad for the environment.

Me in Pandoras Box

Me as a butterfly. hehe!

After that we went to Reef HQ.  At Reef HQ  we looked at lots of fish, sharks and starfish. In the big tank there was even a turtle. We got invited to go to the turtle hospital and look at the sick turtles. When we got the we read a sign that told us of all the sicknesses that turtles can get. There were things like floating syndrome and lung disease. Which is when the turtle eats something like a plastic bag because it looks like a jelly fish. it gets stuck in their stomach which makes them start floating and then they can't dive down deep for things like food. They can also be hit by a boat or have to many barnacles. There was a tiny little turtle call Leroy.  

Finding Marley

At the turtle hospital

Cute little Leroy

Kakadu to Daly Waters

The next part of our adventure took us to Cooinda in Kakadu National Park for 3 nights. Whilst we were in Kakadu we went on a cruise down South Alligator river. Funnily enough it is called Alligator river because the man who discovered it thought that the crocodiles were alligators! He had seen alligators in South America and thought they were the same thing. By the time they worked it out it was too late because they had already named it so on all the maps. On this cruise we saw lots of bird wildlife. I liked the kingfishers. They were a beautiful blue colour. I learnt that the smallest species of kingfisher bird is about the size of you thumb! We also saw some darter birds that swim underwater and stab their prey with their very long pointy beak. After they have finished swimming / eating they stand on a branch and dry out their wings. It was lovely to take a photo of this bird.

Pretty Kingfishers

Did you that ducks on the Yellow River in Kakadu do not quack. They whistle! They are called whistling ducks.

wetlands - look at the reflection

As we returned we were lucky enough to meet a large male croc who lives in the area. He swam along the boat for a while and came very close to us.

I spy with my little eye

The next day we went to Gunlam falls. We were very lucky because they had just opened the road from the wet season and we were leaving the next day. After a very rough, rocky and rugged drive we made it the falls area. We climbed to the top of the waterfall. It was very steep and we had to climb over large rocks. When we reach the top 500m higher, we saw a small waterfall cascading into a infinity pool. The natural water hole looked out over Kakadu National Park. The water was cool after our climb but the water had  a bit of goopidy goop (moss and weed) floating around in parts of the pool. We saw a goanna sun baking on a rock. It was a beautiful sight and a MUST DO for people who are travelling in this area.

A pool with a view - over looking Kakadu National Park

Dad, Callam and I at the fall

Our next stop was Mataranka. Here we went to visit the Bitter Springs. These are warm natural springs. We floated downstream to the bridge where there was a ladder to climb out. We did this a we times searching for turtles along the way. I saw 2 small turtles and 2 large turtles near the ladder. They were very timid and hid from us. If we were quite we could get a close look at them. The next day we went to The Mataranka Springs. These were great to swim in as well, but the pool had been changed and it looked a little man made. Not like the natural beauty of the Bitter Springs. It was great to jump off the rock wall though!

Mataranka Springs

On the way to Three Ways we stopped at Daly Waters Pub for lunch. This place was CRAZY! It had lots things hanging from the ceiling and the walls. There were things like undies,bras and even ID cards back from 1895. There were also things like footy jerseys and even a thong tree. We added a thong to the thong tree and wrote 'THOMAS TRAVELS 2013' on it. This was a crazy pub and had the best food.

Milo and I at the Pub

Darwin

DUCKABOUT

Our first day in Darwin was spent on the Duckabout bus/boat. This special vehicle can drive on the road and be driven in the water. We learnt lots of amazing things like the different buildings that were tough enough to survive cyclone Tracy to the horribly dangerous animals that live in darling harbour. I highly recommend all the things I mention in this post. 

MINDIL MARKETS

The next day we went to the incredible Mindil Markets. They were amazing! There were over 40 stalls and we stopped at almost each and every one of them. I bought a lovely sarong, a freezing snow cone and for dinner I had honey chicken and Asian noodles. Yum! Afterwards we went to watch the beautiful sunset on Mindil Beach We saw a director who looked like he was filming a documentary. There were truck loads of people there as well and I mean truck loads.

LITCHFIELD NATIONAL PARK

At Litchfield National Park we went to Buley Rock Holes and Florence Falls. Callam and I searched for things with our goggles but all we found were beer cans and bottle caps which as a shame especially because it was a national park. Although we did find a headband. We also did some amazing 'Go Pro' action at Florence Falls. At Buley Rock Holes the water fell down so fast it was like a spa!

CROCOSAURUS COVE

We went to into town to visit crocosaurus cove. It was awesome! When we got there we did the fish feeding. There were mostly rays, swordfish and barra in the tank  but a few other ones were there to. after that we went to have a look at the big croc feed. It was amazing I even got to feed a baby croc and hold one. they were so cute. Then we went to the reptile enclosure. We got there just in time for the feeding. I got to see a snake eat a rat, hold two lizards and a snake. Did you know that crocodiles have s3400 pounds of bite pressure and we only have 20?

Me driving the Duckabout

Milo and I at Wangi Falls

This is Prince William.

Me holding Bowser the bearded dragon.

Me at Mindil Markets. 

Me  at Mindil Markets with Bob Marley

Katherine

In Katherine we went and visited Manual who taught us about aboriginal culture and his tribe the Dalabon. First he shared stories and information about his family and the aboriginal communities around the area. I learnt that they have different new for their extended family. Eg a cousin is called a brother or a sister. I also learned that when an aboriginal child is born they are wrapped in paperbark and put in a hut with their mother and the grandmother. The grandmother burns a special leaf that makes smoke. This will protect the mother and child and give them good health.

I did some cross hatch painting. Every tribe had a different style of cross hatch or dot painting. The Dalabon tribe uses 4 white lines in their design. I painted a black cod fish.

Next we did fire lighting. We used 2 sticks to light the fire. We had to rub the sticks really fast to make an ember. Then we put the ember in the dried grass and blow the ember gently to make it catch on fire. Each hole created by the rubbing of the stick tells its own story so the aboriginal people call them story sticks.

Finally we did spear throwing. We used a woomera to throw the spear at the "unreal kangaroo". I got my spear right through its belly. Manual said I am a good hunter and my family will not be hungry tonight.

The other activity was cruising down Katherine Gorge. We cruised through the gorges changing boats along the way. We also saw some amazing rock art as we were changing boats. It was about 8,000 years old. You could also see the sticks and the debris in the trees from the floods. Afterwards we got on a different boat and headed to the beautiful Lilly ponds for a swim. When were got there we jumped straight in the water. After we got out we had some fruit. We discovered a safe and secure rock that we could jump off into the water so we did and had so much fun. Then we walked back to the boat to head home (or should I say back to the campsite).

Broome to Kununarra

In Broome and Kununarra it was filled with fun and adventure. I am going to tell you all about it.

In Broome we went on a camel ride along Cable Beach. My camels name was Malichi. Mum thought that I was colour coordinated with my camel as you can see. He was kinda cute (for a camel). Alison who owned the camel train caught and trained her wild camels by herself. She knows everything about camels. Camels have 2 toes and huge feet. It was a bit of a stumble to get on but it was smooth after that. We went for a 30 minute ride and it hurt my bum a bit (but at least I can say that I did it).

After our camel ride mum and dad sat down for a cocktail and I had a cold slushie. The sunset was majestic and happen really fast. We took some lovely photos of the sun setting over Cable beach.

The next day we went for our last swim in the Indian Ocean. The water was vey warm but I wasn't in the water for long because I heard there were jellyfish and stingrays in the water. Dad and Finn saw some stingrays and went to have a swim with them. We tried to catch some waves on our boogie boards but unfortunately there kinda weren't any waves around.

In Broome at the caravan park I met some lovely friends who I played with everyday. We enjoyed swimming in the pool and chatting behind the waterfall. It was good to have some girls to hang out with because I miss my friends at home a lot!

That night we went to the sun pictures in Chinatown to see Ironman 3. It is the oldest outdoor garden picture theatre in the Southern Hemisphere. We heard about bats at the theatre so we sat under the roofline so that the bats didn't poop on us. But we didn't even see one bat. There was a lot of history in the cinema and we saw some old picture reels and tapes and we sat on deck chairs. The movie was hiliarious and scary at the same time. I really enjoyed it (which surprised me).

In Kununarra we went to explore the Mirinji National Park to explore the mini Bungle Bungles. We walked up to the lookout and took photos of interesting things along way. The rocks are sandstone but they used to be sand hills. The wind and weather made all the rocks and pathways over hundreds of years.

Here we are just hanging around at the Durack Homestead. This family has a long history of running cattle stations in the area.

Here is the Ord river dam wall. It was built because Lake Argyle had a lot of water in it and the area of Kununarra needed water for their crops. They pump the water from the lake into the river which flows on to make Lake Kununarra. It also shoots the water through the pipes so fast that it provides hydro electricity for Kununarra and the other towns nearby.

The boab tree is special in this part of WA. The nuts on the tree can be used in many different ways. We have a special boab nut especially carved by the aborigines. On the nut it has a sea turtle, a serpent and a rain maker. Boab trees have a very large trunk and are used for many artworks in this area.

George is a regular visitor at the caravan park we stayed at. He is a medium sized fresh water crocodile. A lot of people come to see him when he arrives at 5 o'clock. He doesn't get fed, he just comes to say hi.

Our last day in Kununarra was spent cruising on Lake Argyle. Greg the skipper was such a knowledgable person about the lake that he could answer any question. I learnt that in Lake Argyle 25,000 fresh water crocs in the lake. We saw the short eared rock wallabies that can speed up and down the rock faces without falling off. There were beautiful reflections on the water which were great for photos. We fed the fish on our cruise. They were catfish and archer fish. When you held a piece of bread above the water the archer fish would squirt water at the bread and it had a perfect aim. Sometimes it even got you in the face. We finished our cruise at the sunset spot for a swim (yes even though we knew there were crocs in that water somewhere ). The water was surprisingly warm and the catfish nibbled at your toes. Mum and dad floated in the water with a champagne/beer in one hand and crackers and dip in the other. We got a soft drink and nibbles. The sunset made the water change colour and was really beautiful. Then we headed for home.