Honeymoon TRIP Review from June / July 2004
Aug 18th, 2004, 07:01 AM
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Jan 2004
Posts: 48
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Honeymoon TRIP Review from June / July 2004
We went to Australia and had a wonderful time - a fantastic trip! Australia is such an interesting and fun place. We chose it for the animals (we love wildlife and they have such weird animals) and for the Great Barrier Reef so we could dive and snorkel. We planned by using the Internet - and especially chat rooms like Fodors. Some of our books just confirmed what we learned online. I did not use a travel agent.
From our trip we learned that Australians have a much more relaxed attitude to all the deadly animals found in their country. In Chicago we have guns and automobiles that will kill you, but in Australia it's the animals. We heard some really gruesome stories of people being eaten, attacked, maimed, wounded, etc., All usually told with a pretty straight face and with the follow-up "no worries mate". We found this very interesting as we really don't have much wildlife in Chicago (pigeons). The pigeons attack very rarely here at home.
I think our guide up in the CoBourg Peninsula put it best when he said, "If you get killed here (Australia), it's usually because you were doing something stupid." Taking this to heart, we were on our best behavior and minded all the rules as we traveled and stuck close to our more seasoned and knowledgeable guides.
Any questions, please feel free to email me at [email protected]
I am placing the review of each place we stayed here in this email by posting continuous "reply's" a total of 6 after this. Please note these are just my opinions and I am not getting any "kickback" from anyone.... : )
I'll also put a link into my online photo album to this thread so people can see pictures if they like.
Thanks for reading!
From our trip we learned that Australians have a much more relaxed attitude to all the deadly animals found in their country. In Chicago we have guns and automobiles that will kill you, but in Australia it's the animals. We heard some really gruesome stories of people being eaten, attacked, maimed, wounded, etc., All usually told with a pretty straight face and with the follow-up "no worries mate". We found this very interesting as we really don't have much wildlife in Chicago (pigeons). The pigeons attack very rarely here at home.
I think our guide up in the CoBourg Peninsula put it best when he said, "If you get killed here (Australia), it's usually because you were doing something stupid." Taking this to heart, we were on our best behavior and minded all the rules as we traveled and stuck close to our more seasoned and knowledgeable guides.
Any questions, please feel free to email me at [email protected]
I am placing the review of each place we stayed here in this email by posting continuous "reply's" a total of 6 after this. Please note these are just my opinions and I am not getting any "kickback" from anyone.... : )
I'll also put a link into my online photo album to this thread so people can see pictures if they like.
Thanks for reading!
Aug 18th, 2004, 07:05 AM
#2
Original Poster
Join Date: Jan 2004
Posts: 48
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Sydney
Sydney reminded us of San Francisco (hope no one is offended by that). We have a tendency to compare new things with what we already know. We love San Francisco and Sydney.
It was cool at night but when the sun came out in the morning it warmed up to 70 (F) and the sun was intense! You HAD to wear sunscreen even though it was winter. You could walk everywhere and it has the lovely bridge that we walked across it (twice- on different days!). One day we also paid the money to go up in the Pylon. It was nice to read about the history of the bridge, see the photos, and have a better understanding of how the bridge was constructed - and appreciate how long it took!
We took a ferry over from Circular Quay and rode the cable car to the top of the Tarongo Zoo. The views are spectacular. As you wind your way down the zoo each turn provides a view of downtown Sydney more breathtaking than the last. I was actually envious of these animals having such a lovely space for a home. There were trees and coverage and leaves all over, giving the zoo a shady and tropical feel.
There was practically no one at the zoo on a Wednesday afternoon. We really felt we had the run of the place. You just kind of wander around, in and out of exhibits and open gates and the animals may just be walking next to you. We saw the fanciest chickens ever! They had feathers between their toes. Strange!
I'm not a big fan of zoos, but we had such a good time. The koalas were adorable, you can get so close, and all the animals were wide awake and very frisky (except koalas that sleep almost all day). I'm not sure if this was because it was right before feeding time, but we took this as a sign of happy animals.
The giraffes were amazing. They were eating and you could practically touch them. I have never been so close. They have long tongues like hands, and strange wobbly legs with little funny horns on the head. They were heart warming with such soulful eyes - long lashes sweeping over them occasionally.
The pygmy hippo was adorable along with the agile wallabies that just seemed to be hopping around in different places.
We saw the red panda from Indonesia. What a strange and funny creature. Eating and observing us just as we did it.
We rode the last ferry back to the Quay. It was a delightful experience- every last part of it.
While in Sydney, we stayed at the Sydney Harbour Bed and Breakfast in the Rocks. This is a great area and a very nice B&B. Jeff and Bridget -the hosts- went out of their way to make sure we had a nice stay. We ate at the Fish on the Rocks one night and it was delicious. The Rocks has lovely eateries, art galleries and pubs. You can walk to everything from this area. We also ate at Pancakes on the Rocks. Unfortunately I can't recommend it. The pancakes were made from cornmeal which I didn't care for.
We actually took a cab from the airport to the Rocks the first time, but on our return trip from the airport we actually took the train into and out of the city. We found the train very easy to use and had no trouble getting around on it. It is also very clean and quiet- not at all like Chicago- very pleasant.
Sydney reminded us of San Francisco (hope no one is offended by that). We have a tendency to compare new things with what we already know. We love San Francisco and Sydney.
It was cool at night but when the sun came out in the morning it warmed up to 70 (F) and the sun was intense! You HAD to wear sunscreen even though it was winter. You could walk everywhere and it has the lovely bridge that we walked across it (twice- on different days!). One day we also paid the money to go up in the Pylon. It was nice to read about the history of the bridge, see the photos, and have a better understanding of how the bridge was constructed - and appreciate how long it took!
We took a ferry over from Circular Quay and rode the cable car to the top of the Tarongo Zoo. The views are spectacular. As you wind your way down the zoo each turn provides a view of downtown Sydney more breathtaking than the last. I was actually envious of these animals having such a lovely space for a home. There were trees and coverage and leaves all over, giving the zoo a shady and tropical feel.
There was practically no one at the zoo on a Wednesday afternoon. We really felt we had the run of the place. You just kind of wander around, in and out of exhibits and open gates and the animals may just be walking next to you. We saw the fanciest chickens ever! They had feathers between their toes. Strange!
I'm not a big fan of zoos, but we had such a good time. The koalas were adorable, you can get so close, and all the animals were wide awake and very frisky (except koalas that sleep almost all day). I'm not sure if this was because it was right before feeding time, but we took this as a sign of happy animals.
The giraffes were amazing. They were eating and you could practically touch them. I have never been so close. They have long tongues like hands, and strange wobbly legs with little funny horns on the head. They were heart warming with such soulful eyes - long lashes sweeping over them occasionally.
The pygmy hippo was adorable along with the agile wallabies that just seemed to be hopping around in different places.
We saw the red panda from Indonesia. What a strange and funny creature. Eating and observing us just as we did it.
We rode the last ferry back to the Quay. It was a delightful experience- every last part of it.
While in Sydney, we stayed at the Sydney Harbour Bed and Breakfast in the Rocks. This is a great area and a very nice B&B. Jeff and Bridget -the hosts- went out of their way to make sure we had a nice stay. We ate at the Fish on the Rocks one night and it was delicious. The Rocks has lovely eateries, art galleries and pubs. You can walk to everything from this area. We also ate at Pancakes on the Rocks. Unfortunately I can't recommend it. The pancakes were made from cornmeal which I didn't care for.
We actually took a cab from the airport to the Rocks the first time, but on our return trip from the airport we actually took the train into and out of the city. We found the train very easy to use and had no trouble getting around on it. It is also very clean and quiet- not at all like Chicago- very pleasant.
Aug 18th, 2004, 07:07 AM
#3
Original Poster
Join Date: Jan 2004
Posts: 48
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Lizard Island
From Sydney we flew up to Cairns and then on to Lizard Island on MACAir. The flight on MACAir was amazing in that you get to view reef and sandbars in the clear blue water. It?s a lovely trip. You land at Lizard and they have a little shuttle that picks you up and they give you a cool wet cloth to wipe your hands. You take the shuttle and your luggage just appears in your villa later. You get ?a little snack? (caviar) when you reach the lodge. There were two Yellow Song Birds in the tree next to our table that sang to us while we snacked. The onsite manager comes out to welcome you as you eat.
We reserved a beach villa and we are glad we chose it. It had a beautiful view of the island bay and was literally steps away from the beach. You have a lovely day bed on the porch and I used this several times. Though you should check for lizards when you lay down because I think I frightened one when I was moving the pillows and it ran out. The sun sets right over the bay so you have great views right from your room. You walk through the grass down the path in front and you get to the beach, which has loungers waiting for you to relax on. There is also an outdoor shower right there you can use. I think every two villas shares an outdoor shower.
There is no TV, no radio, no daily newspaper, and not a lot of lighting outdoors so you get the feeling of being on an island ? which you are. The island gets supplies every Wednesday from a barge and guests can only arrive from the little MacAir planes or from a personal charter. There are only about 40 villas on the island so you don?t feel crowded. We never saw or heard our neighbors. Most of the visitors were Australians in their 50?s (almost everyone that we met). There were two other American couples and two younger couples from Spain as well.
We chose Lizard Island for its northerly location (it?s winter and we wanted to be warm) and for its diving and snorkeling reputation. It lived up to both of these wants. The weather was in the 80s each day and as soon as we arrived we grabbed our snorkel gear and just kept it for all 4 days. We snorkeled every day. One day we took a boat out and went snorkeling over the giant clam garden in Watson Bay. We took a picnic lunch to Mermaid beach and we also snorkeled right off the resort beach in the bay. The giant clam garden was my favorite snorkeling of all the locations. We also took a boat out to the outer reef. I actually preferred the snorkeling off the island as to the outer reef. In the outer ocean, the water was so low, that we could only snorkel next to the reef as opposed to over the reef.
During the trip to the outer reef ? a 1-hour boat ride - the 5 snorkerlers (me included ? but my husband dove) stuck very close to our snorkel guide when in the ?open? ocean. She was kind and provided a floaty that we could hold on to when she would stop to talk and point things out. We were all a little ?skiddish? and practically swimming on top of each other (safety in numbers I guess ? similar to penguins ? ?if Ralph jumps in first he?ll get eaten then I can swim safely out to sea? kind of mentality ? or ?strength in numbers? kind of thing). I got kicked with a flipper a couple of times and had a menacing fish swat me in the back. A first for me. I actually didn?t mind too much since he swam away after wacking me (the fish). The guide would point out coral, fish, and sea cucumbers. She would dive down and actually brought a couple of the sea cucumbers up. I got to touch one of them. The first one expelled its intestines as a defense mechanism. They are all sticky and shoot out like ?silly string?. They also have fish living in their ?bums?. Not my idea of nice accommodations.
At our second snorkel location in the outer reef, a reef shark was circling the boat when we stopped and it just sort of got to me so I stayed on the boat. The others all jumped right in ? though for not quite as long as the first time. As the last two snorkelers were coming in, the guide yells ? ?There?s a shark!? She wasn?t yelling it to scare us, she wanted us all to jump in and have a look. NO WAY! I could see the shark fine from the boat.
On the way back into the bay of Lizard Island, the boat captain stops to feed the fish. There is a 500 pound groper that comes right up to the boat. It has the biggest mouth with little rows of teeth. There is also a Tawny nurse shark that comes up to the boat for petting and eating. I am not sure how I feel about the resort feeding the fish right in the lagoon. I heard a ?rumor? that a German tourist got his foot bit off in the lagoon by a big ?fish?. I wonder if the fish thought the foot was the daily feed?
Food on lizard Island was always fun. My favorite meal was breakfast because you could go over to the buffet for some fruit and toast ? nothing fancy if you didn?t want it. Breakfast was usually quiet too, with maybe 2 or 3 other couples around the dining area. Lunch was a little fancy for me. I was ready for a sandwich by the time we left. The food was good and very gourmet. We had grilled mackerel that was amazing.
We were sad to leave the island and were the only ones flying out on the plane. No one else was dumb enough to leave I guess. The flight back to Cairns is as memorable as coming. We enjoyed Lizard Island to no end.
From Sydney we flew up to Cairns and then on to Lizard Island on MACAir. The flight on MACAir was amazing in that you get to view reef and sandbars in the clear blue water. It?s a lovely trip. You land at Lizard and they have a little shuttle that picks you up and they give you a cool wet cloth to wipe your hands. You take the shuttle and your luggage just appears in your villa later. You get ?a little snack? (caviar) when you reach the lodge. There were two Yellow Song Birds in the tree next to our table that sang to us while we snacked. The onsite manager comes out to welcome you as you eat.
We reserved a beach villa and we are glad we chose it. It had a beautiful view of the island bay and was literally steps away from the beach. You have a lovely day bed on the porch and I used this several times. Though you should check for lizards when you lay down because I think I frightened one when I was moving the pillows and it ran out. The sun sets right over the bay so you have great views right from your room. You walk through the grass down the path in front and you get to the beach, which has loungers waiting for you to relax on. There is also an outdoor shower right there you can use. I think every two villas shares an outdoor shower.
There is no TV, no radio, no daily newspaper, and not a lot of lighting outdoors so you get the feeling of being on an island ? which you are. The island gets supplies every Wednesday from a barge and guests can only arrive from the little MacAir planes or from a personal charter. There are only about 40 villas on the island so you don?t feel crowded. We never saw or heard our neighbors. Most of the visitors were Australians in their 50?s (almost everyone that we met). There were two other American couples and two younger couples from Spain as well.
We chose Lizard Island for its northerly location (it?s winter and we wanted to be warm) and for its diving and snorkeling reputation. It lived up to both of these wants. The weather was in the 80s each day and as soon as we arrived we grabbed our snorkel gear and just kept it for all 4 days. We snorkeled every day. One day we took a boat out and went snorkeling over the giant clam garden in Watson Bay. We took a picnic lunch to Mermaid beach and we also snorkeled right off the resort beach in the bay. The giant clam garden was my favorite snorkeling of all the locations. We also took a boat out to the outer reef. I actually preferred the snorkeling off the island as to the outer reef. In the outer ocean, the water was so low, that we could only snorkel next to the reef as opposed to over the reef.
During the trip to the outer reef ? a 1-hour boat ride - the 5 snorkerlers (me included ? but my husband dove) stuck very close to our snorkel guide when in the ?open? ocean. She was kind and provided a floaty that we could hold on to when she would stop to talk and point things out. We were all a little ?skiddish? and practically swimming on top of each other (safety in numbers I guess ? similar to penguins ? ?if Ralph jumps in first he?ll get eaten then I can swim safely out to sea? kind of mentality ? or ?strength in numbers? kind of thing). I got kicked with a flipper a couple of times and had a menacing fish swat me in the back. A first for me. I actually didn?t mind too much since he swam away after wacking me (the fish). The guide would point out coral, fish, and sea cucumbers. She would dive down and actually brought a couple of the sea cucumbers up. I got to touch one of them. The first one expelled its intestines as a defense mechanism. They are all sticky and shoot out like ?silly string?. They also have fish living in their ?bums?. Not my idea of nice accommodations.
At our second snorkel location in the outer reef, a reef shark was circling the boat when we stopped and it just sort of got to me so I stayed on the boat. The others all jumped right in ? though for not quite as long as the first time. As the last two snorkelers were coming in, the guide yells ? ?There?s a shark!? She wasn?t yelling it to scare us, she wanted us all to jump in and have a look. NO WAY! I could see the shark fine from the boat.
On the way back into the bay of Lizard Island, the boat captain stops to feed the fish. There is a 500 pound groper that comes right up to the boat. It has the biggest mouth with little rows of teeth. There is also a Tawny nurse shark that comes up to the boat for petting and eating. I am not sure how I feel about the resort feeding the fish right in the lagoon. I heard a ?rumor? that a German tourist got his foot bit off in the lagoon by a big ?fish?. I wonder if the fish thought the foot was the daily feed?
Food on lizard Island was always fun. My favorite meal was breakfast because you could go over to the buffet for some fruit and toast ? nothing fancy if you didn?t want it. Breakfast was usually quiet too, with maybe 2 or 3 other couples around the dining area. Lunch was a little fancy for me. I was ready for a sandwich by the time we left. The food was good and very gourmet. We had grilled mackerel that was amazing.
We were sad to leave the island and were the only ones flying out on the plane. No one else was dumb enough to leave I guess. The flight back to Cairns is as memorable as coming. We enjoyed Lizard Island to no end.
Aug 18th, 2004, 07:11 AM
#4
Original Poster
Join Date: Jan 2004
Posts: 48
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Cairns Tablelands
Since we were the only ones to get off the plane it was easy for our guide to spot us at the Cairns airport. Just coming from Lizard Island we were very happy and ready for our next adventure in the Tablelands. We were greeted by Jonathan Munro-- our naturalist guide. He loaded us into his jeep and off we go to the Tablelands. As we weave out of the city of Cairns, the views get better and better. We are traveling up and up, to 7,000 feet in elevation as we travel to the very hilly tablelands. Jonathan is full of stories of the area, the history and local ?tall tales?. One that comes to mind is a young man that was biking down a large hill/mountain? in Cairns to raise money or something. He rode over a snake as he was flying down the mountain, and the thing lept up in anger (the snake) and bit him right on the back. Anyway, the kid flew off his bike and was almost dead because it was some poisonous snake. He had to be airlifted to the hospital. I can?t remember what his fate was ? but I think he lived??
Anyway?.We stop to take photos of the Tablelands, gasp at the beauty, and see the marvelous sun setting. Our first stop is dinner in Yungaburra. It is OK food and OK service, but we are not here to be pampered on fine food and wine. Now off to our new home in the rainforest, Chambers Lodge.
We arrive at our basic room in the lodge to find all the windows are open. This scares us because we have already heard the stories of the 15-foot python that lives out in the back of the lodge and that likes to eat wallabies. We immediately close all windows and check under the bed. No snakes or any bugs ? we are safe for now. Exploring the lodge we find it surrounded by wildlife that comes out at night. Our first view is of tiny little ?roos called pademelons. They are frisky and bossy little things. They were ready to eat and the lodge gives them apples and potatoes. Well there is a certain pecking order and everyone (pademelons) must stay a few feet away from everyone else while eating. If one of the pademelons broke this distance code, lots of yelling and pushing ensued. They took this whole feeding ritual very seriously. Hilarious!
Next, out into the woods to see the sugar gliders. These are tiny, furry little things that fly (or glide) through the air. Very amazing! They can actually use their tales to turn in mid-air and steer from tree to tree. They have skin between their little arms and legs that they use almost as a parachute. They were very active. We saw one little one that had his skin torn, apparently owls like to feed on them. They too would squabble and yell at each other. For example, one sugar glider, call him Sugah, wasn?t watching where he was flying, and he landed on a tree trunk right on top of another sugar glider, call her Glida. They both were so mad! They swore and fought and yelled ? Sugah and Glida!! Such personality!! It was quite funny to us. We enjoyed them to no end because they were so active and so charismatic.
Next, into the rain forest to spot some possum. We really enjoyed our nightspotting adventure. Jonathan had a couple of spotlights and we walked around the forest. We could see damage done by the wild pigs and cows that get out and destroy forest. We saw so many (and heard) possum ? at least 13 different spottings. They were all chilling out in the trees and eating (munching along and dropping debris in the process)! We also saw [gecko] at this time. It was neat because we even got treated to a little misty rain in the rain forest. This of course brought out the leaches, though we completely forgot about them given all the excitement and walking about the forest.
It was a late evening returning to the lodge ? in our 4-wheel drive I am in front with our guide and my husband in the back. He is then heard saying things like ?ew and ick? and ?YUCK -what?s on me?? My husband then announces that he had a bug on him ? on his neck. Jonathan calmly asks if the ?bug? was slimy?. and my husband says ?yes!?. ?That?s not a bug, that?s a leach?, Jonathan replies. At which I find this very funny and laugh, however my husband grows panicky in the back of the truck. Jonathan of course knows it?s pretty common and tries to reassure us ?not a big deal? but my husband insists on stopping the car and locating the leach to remove it from said car. Reluctantly, Jonathan stops the car and we locate the ?rare tiger leach? --there is nothing common about it to us either. We took some photos and allow the leach out of the car to travel back home or to its next warm-blooded friend.
When we returned to our cabin we made a quick check of all our clothing for leaches. Finding none, we went to sleep and awakened for our early morning platypus viewing. Leaving the lodge before 7AM, we were off to see platypus (we hoped) in the Jonhston River. This was a GREAT experience. You have to be very quiet and just stand or squat around the river. The platypus are ?skiddish? and they don?t want to be bothered. Jonathan had several stories of people falling in the river (you view from a steep bank that is muddy). We were very careful not to slip or get excited when the platypus finally showed up. They like to feed on the river bottom in the early morning before the sun gets too bright and late evenings as well. We saw 3 platypus and learned how the males like to kill other males and the young baby males. They have a deadly little claw behind the back leg that injects a poison. This can also do serious damage to humans (put a scientist in the hospital for several months).
Our drive throughout the Tablelands was amazing. We saw the grasslands and a billabong- both things like we have only seen on TV. The wildlife at the billabong was so abundant with birds everywhere. We saw wallaby and kangaroo in the grasslands, a wild pig, birds of prey, parrots, storks, and so much more.
I have to say one animal that we were interested in seeing was the tree kangaroo (also know as a drop bear). This kangaroo has managed to learn to climb trees for safety and eating. However, it has a terrible time getting out of the tree (hence the name ?drop bear?). We finally spotted a tree kangaroo and I think we might have scared it because we observed it and then it began its backward descent from the tree sort of crashing down on the branches. These animals can often break legs or get a nasty sprain during descent.
Another highlight for us in the tablelands was the night sky. We have never seen so many stars in our life. The sky was literally overflowing with them. The milkyway and southern cross were a rare treat for us. It was one of the most beautiful things we observed on our entire trip.
I cannot tell you how MUCH I enjoyed this part of our trip. Just thinking about it as I type makes me so happy. I LOVED it. I love nature and I love animals and I LOVED our personal ?safari?. It was worth every penny and more in my opinion.
Here is a short list of some of the wildlife we observed in the Tablelands and Rainforest:
Platypus
Eastern grey kangaroo
Common wallaroo
Whiptail wallaby
Swamp wallaby
Pademelon
Tree Kangaroo
River ringtail possum
Lemuroid ringtail possum
Green ringtail possum
Common brushtail possum
Coppery brushtail possum
Sugar glider
Bandicoot
Gecko
Brush turkey
Pygmy goose
Darter
Egret
Heron
Ibis
Stork
Crane
Eagles
Black cockatoo
Sulphur crested cockatoo
Fig parrot
King parrot
Barn owl
Kingfishers
Kookaburra
?and more
Since we were the only ones to get off the plane it was easy for our guide to spot us at the Cairns airport. Just coming from Lizard Island we were very happy and ready for our next adventure in the Tablelands. We were greeted by Jonathan Munro-- our naturalist guide. He loaded us into his jeep and off we go to the Tablelands. As we weave out of the city of Cairns, the views get better and better. We are traveling up and up, to 7,000 feet in elevation as we travel to the very hilly tablelands. Jonathan is full of stories of the area, the history and local ?tall tales?. One that comes to mind is a young man that was biking down a large hill/mountain? in Cairns to raise money or something. He rode over a snake as he was flying down the mountain, and the thing lept up in anger (the snake) and bit him right on the back. Anyway, the kid flew off his bike and was almost dead because it was some poisonous snake. He had to be airlifted to the hospital. I can?t remember what his fate was ? but I think he lived??
Anyway?.We stop to take photos of the Tablelands, gasp at the beauty, and see the marvelous sun setting. Our first stop is dinner in Yungaburra. It is OK food and OK service, but we are not here to be pampered on fine food and wine. Now off to our new home in the rainforest, Chambers Lodge.
We arrive at our basic room in the lodge to find all the windows are open. This scares us because we have already heard the stories of the 15-foot python that lives out in the back of the lodge and that likes to eat wallabies. We immediately close all windows and check under the bed. No snakes or any bugs ? we are safe for now. Exploring the lodge we find it surrounded by wildlife that comes out at night. Our first view is of tiny little ?roos called pademelons. They are frisky and bossy little things. They were ready to eat and the lodge gives them apples and potatoes. Well there is a certain pecking order and everyone (pademelons) must stay a few feet away from everyone else while eating. If one of the pademelons broke this distance code, lots of yelling and pushing ensued. They took this whole feeding ritual very seriously. Hilarious!
Next, out into the woods to see the sugar gliders. These are tiny, furry little things that fly (or glide) through the air. Very amazing! They can actually use their tales to turn in mid-air and steer from tree to tree. They have skin between their little arms and legs that they use almost as a parachute. They were very active. We saw one little one that had his skin torn, apparently owls like to feed on them. They too would squabble and yell at each other. For example, one sugar glider, call him Sugah, wasn?t watching where he was flying, and he landed on a tree trunk right on top of another sugar glider, call her Glida. They both were so mad! They swore and fought and yelled ? Sugah and Glida!! Such personality!! It was quite funny to us. We enjoyed them to no end because they were so active and so charismatic.
Next, into the rain forest to spot some possum. We really enjoyed our nightspotting adventure. Jonathan had a couple of spotlights and we walked around the forest. We could see damage done by the wild pigs and cows that get out and destroy forest. We saw so many (and heard) possum ? at least 13 different spottings. They were all chilling out in the trees and eating (munching along and dropping debris in the process)! We also saw [gecko] at this time. It was neat because we even got treated to a little misty rain in the rain forest. This of course brought out the leaches, though we completely forgot about them given all the excitement and walking about the forest.
It was a late evening returning to the lodge ? in our 4-wheel drive I am in front with our guide and my husband in the back. He is then heard saying things like ?ew and ick? and ?YUCK -what?s on me?? My husband then announces that he had a bug on him ? on his neck. Jonathan calmly asks if the ?bug? was slimy?. and my husband says ?yes!?. ?That?s not a bug, that?s a leach?, Jonathan replies. At which I find this very funny and laugh, however my husband grows panicky in the back of the truck. Jonathan of course knows it?s pretty common and tries to reassure us ?not a big deal? but my husband insists on stopping the car and locating the leach to remove it from said car. Reluctantly, Jonathan stops the car and we locate the ?rare tiger leach? --there is nothing common about it to us either. We took some photos and allow the leach out of the car to travel back home or to its next warm-blooded friend.
When we returned to our cabin we made a quick check of all our clothing for leaches. Finding none, we went to sleep and awakened for our early morning platypus viewing. Leaving the lodge before 7AM, we were off to see platypus (we hoped) in the Jonhston River. This was a GREAT experience. You have to be very quiet and just stand or squat around the river. The platypus are ?skiddish? and they don?t want to be bothered. Jonathan had several stories of people falling in the river (you view from a steep bank that is muddy). We were very careful not to slip or get excited when the platypus finally showed up. They like to feed on the river bottom in the early morning before the sun gets too bright and late evenings as well. We saw 3 platypus and learned how the males like to kill other males and the young baby males. They have a deadly little claw behind the back leg that injects a poison. This can also do serious damage to humans (put a scientist in the hospital for several months).
Our drive throughout the Tablelands was amazing. We saw the grasslands and a billabong- both things like we have only seen on TV. The wildlife at the billabong was so abundant with birds everywhere. We saw wallaby and kangaroo in the grasslands, a wild pig, birds of prey, parrots, storks, and so much more.
I have to say one animal that we were interested in seeing was the tree kangaroo (also know as a drop bear). This kangaroo has managed to learn to climb trees for safety and eating. However, it has a terrible time getting out of the tree (hence the name ?drop bear?). We finally spotted a tree kangaroo and I think we might have scared it because we observed it and then it began its backward descent from the tree sort of crashing down on the branches. These animals can often break legs or get a nasty sprain during descent.
Another highlight for us in the tablelands was the night sky. We have never seen so many stars in our life. The sky was literally overflowing with them. The milkyway and southern cross were a rare treat for us. It was one of the most beautiful things we observed on our entire trip.
I cannot tell you how MUCH I enjoyed this part of our trip. Just thinking about it as I type makes me so happy. I LOVED it. I love nature and I love animals and I LOVED our personal ?safari?. It was worth every penny and more in my opinion.
Here is a short list of some of the wildlife we observed in the Tablelands and Rainforest:
Platypus
Eastern grey kangaroo
Common wallaroo
Whiptail wallaby
Swamp wallaby
Pademelon
Tree Kangaroo
River ringtail possum
Lemuroid ringtail possum
Green ringtail possum
Common brushtail possum
Coppery brushtail possum
Sugar glider
Bandicoot
Gecko
Brush turkey
Pygmy goose
Darter
Egret
Heron
Ibis
Stork
Crane
Eagles
Black cockatoo
Sulphur crested cockatoo
Fig parrot
King parrot
Barn owl
Kingfishers
Kookaburra
?and more
Aug 18th, 2004, 07:17 AM
#5
Original Poster
Join Date: Jan 2004
Posts: 48
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Port Douglas
I have to start out by saying Port Douglas was our least favorite spot on the trip. It wasn't that we didn't like the city or the stay. I think that our entire trip was so amazing that Port Douglas just could not compare as anything that special, because we had so many special and unique experiences.
We stayed at the Peninsula Boutique hotel and we really enjoyed this hotel. It was situated at the end of the main street in Port Douglas and was directly across from 4 Mile Beach with lovely views. It was also much quieter than being in the middle of town. We were close enough to be able to walk everywhere and the food was excellent. It?s also adults only and very quiet, especially at the pool. The service of all staff was excellent and they were extremely accommodating.
Every morning we had breakfast by the pool - comes with the room along with free transfer to and from the airport. There is also a nice hot tub next to the pool. Our room was a beach/ocean view and had a small TV, living-dining-kitchen space. We rented a movie one night and just relaxed on the couch, we did laundry in the complimentary machines, and sat by the pool a lot. For dining we really liked the Peninsula Boutique hotel and Salsa.
There are two highlights for us from our Port Douglas stay - 1 was our Daintree River tour with Dan Irby (just the 3 of us) and our stop at the Cairns Zoo.
DAINTREE: We rented a small go-kart - I mean car! for one day and drove to the Daintree for our pre-booked river tour. The river is quite beautiful with its trees and the dividing range in the background. We saw the usual giant crocs sunning themselves and the spoon bill bird. We heard the horror stories of people being eaten by the crocs- all very interesting. The mangroves around the river are gorgeous. It was just the three of us on the tour which was nice.
CAIRNS ZOO: The zoo is a different story. I really wanted to hold a koala and the Cairns Zoo provides the perfect opportunity to do this. I think koalas are adorable and you really get to see them up close and pet them here. They are heavy and very "rolly polly". We learned they sleep almost all day (20-23 hours) and just sit around and eat and such. It was fascinating because they wake up, take a look around, and would literally fold right back up to snooze. Having the opportunity to hold the koala was truly a funny experience. The koala they were using had just taken a "pooh" and they were trying to hand it to me. I asked them to wipe off the pooh before it grabbed me. Anyway, it was a little stinky and had sharp claws -see photos! But very soft and sweet - just like a fat teddy bear.
At the zoo we also got to pet the wombat and grey kangaroos and saw the dreaded cassowary - they just look mean.
I have to warn- if you are at all sensitive to zoos, do not go here. The grey kangaroo exhibit had me conjuring up images of war camps (not joking - so hope not to offend) and I saw children taunting the birds and some other animals. Kind of sad, which is why we generally avoid these places, but we went and contributed so we can't say anything - though I guess I just did.
I have to start out by saying Port Douglas was our least favorite spot on the trip. It wasn't that we didn't like the city or the stay. I think that our entire trip was so amazing that Port Douglas just could not compare as anything that special, because we had so many special and unique experiences.
We stayed at the Peninsula Boutique hotel and we really enjoyed this hotel. It was situated at the end of the main street in Port Douglas and was directly across from 4 Mile Beach with lovely views. It was also much quieter than being in the middle of town. We were close enough to be able to walk everywhere and the food was excellent. It?s also adults only and very quiet, especially at the pool. The service of all staff was excellent and they were extremely accommodating.
Every morning we had breakfast by the pool - comes with the room along with free transfer to and from the airport. There is also a nice hot tub next to the pool. Our room was a beach/ocean view and had a small TV, living-dining-kitchen space. We rented a movie one night and just relaxed on the couch, we did laundry in the complimentary machines, and sat by the pool a lot. For dining we really liked the Peninsula Boutique hotel and Salsa.
There are two highlights for us from our Port Douglas stay - 1 was our Daintree River tour with Dan Irby (just the 3 of us) and our stop at the Cairns Zoo.
DAINTREE: We rented a small go-kart - I mean car! for one day and drove to the Daintree for our pre-booked river tour. The river is quite beautiful with its trees and the dividing range in the background. We saw the usual giant crocs sunning themselves and the spoon bill bird. We heard the horror stories of people being eaten by the crocs- all very interesting. The mangroves around the river are gorgeous. It was just the three of us on the tour which was nice.
CAIRNS ZOO: The zoo is a different story. I really wanted to hold a koala and the Cairns Zoo provides the perfect opportunity to do this. I think koalas are adorable and you really get to see them up close and pet them here. They are heavy and very "rolly polly". We learned they sleep almost all day (20-23 hours) and just sit around and eat and such. It was fascinating because they wake up, take a look around, and would literally fold right back up to snooze. Having the opportunity to hold the koala was truly a funny experience. The koala they were using had just taken a "pooh" and they were trying to hand it to me. I asked them to wipe off the pooh before it grabbed me. Anyway, it was a little stinky and had sharp claws -see photos! But very soft and sweet - just like a fat teddy bear.
At the zoo we also got to pet the wombat and grey kangaroos and saw the dreaded cassowary - they just look mean.
I have to warn- if you are at all sensitive to zoos, do not go here. The grey kangaroo exhibit had me conjuring up images of war camps (not joking - so hope not to offend) and I saw children taunting the birds and some other animals. Kind of sad, which is why we generally avoid these places, but we went and contributed so we can't say anything - though I guess I just did.
Aug 18th, 2004, 07:19 AM
#6
Original Poster
Join Date: Jan 2004
Posts: 48
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Darwin
From Cairns we flew into Darwin. I have to say, we laughed when we found out the time difference. We were next to a nice woman from Darwin on the flight and we asked her, "is the time difference in Darwin 1 hour or 2 hours from Cairns?" She said neither - it was 30 minutes. A 30-minute time difference just seemed odd to us. why bother? But this was sort of the theme for Darwin - everything just a little strange to us, but nice nonetheless.
Darwin was used as a stop over for us to get to the CoBourg Peninsula, but we found it an interesting city that was full of young international travelers on their way to somewhere else or just exploring the area. Our first night in Darwin we stayed at the Saville Park Suites - not anything special. We got to the room and found we had 2 single beds. Since we were on our honeymoon we called down and asked if there was a room with a double bed. According to the hotel every room was full - a theme we encountered throughout Darwin. Instead they would send someone up right away to "zip" our bed together. This may be a common thing, but for us it was entirely new - and what a process! The poor young man must have worked a good 30 minutes on our beds. He had to re-arrange the furniture, take all the bedding off, move the beds, re-make the beds, and he literally worked and worked. I think he was exhausted afterwards.
Anyway, we slept on the "zipped" bed and woke next morning to have the buffet breakfast. It was good - my first "good" pancakes of the entire trip (aka "most Amercanized"
.
Darwin has the vibe of a young city (since it kept getting destroyed by hurricanes this is probably why). The Harbor was nice and we enjoyed going to some historical buildings and shopping. It turned out they have an outdoor theater (so much smaller than Grant Park in Chicago!) and we went to see the documentary "Capturing the Friedmans". It was fun to be outside at night in Australia watching the American documentary. It was a creepy movie.
Anyway, after our stay at Seven Spirit Bay (see below for review) we were supposed to fly back to Sydney from Darwin. Our tickets on Virgin Blue were for 1:30 - BUT Australia is on military time, so it was actually 1:30 AM. The plane tickets do not say AM or PM. I think this is an easy solution to clear up this problem (just add AM or PM)......So we missed our flight to Sydney...It seems planes only fly in the middle of the night to Sydney in winter. Of course- that makes no sense to us, but what do we know??
So I called the Virgin Blue "hotline". Mind you there was no one actually at the Virgin Blue counter in the Darwin Airport (because they only have flights in the middle of the night). She happily confirmed we missed our plane (Yes) and that we had to buy new tickets (NO!). She gave us a price of $500 AUD each! Oh My! So we headed over to Qantas and got a MUCH better deal. Thank you Qantas!!
So we bought our 2 new plane tickets - also for 1:30 in the morning (AM). The agents told us not to worry though, for this AM and PM confusion happens every day. Every day?!!! You think they may want to implement my AM and PM solution - (see above).
So we have no hotel and the ONLY room available in all of Darwin is a Youth Hostel that the booking agent kept saying was "lovely". I had never stayed at a Youth Hostel, but I had my doubts about it being "lovely." So - we were taken to the Cavenagh by bus. We had 6 other roommates and bunk beds. I took the bottom bunk, my husband the top one. Not exactly ideal honeymoon accommodations. It felt like we were staying back at the college dorm because most seemed to be around 20 years old and were hanging around the bar, the pool, and smoking a little weed out in the open. Must be legal here?? Not sure.
But our roommates were very friendly and we made it safely back to Sydney in the end - all that really matters. : )
From Cairns we flew into Darwin. I have to say, we laughed when we found out the time difference. We were next to a nice woman from Darwin on the flight and we asked her, "is the time difference in Darwin 1 hour or 2 hours from Cairns?" She said neither - it was 30 minutes. A 30-minute time difference just seemed odd to us. why bother? But this was sort of the theme for Darwin - everything just a little strange to us, but nice nonetheless.
Darwin was used as a stop over for us to get to the CoBourg Peninsula, but we found it an interesting city that was full of young international travelers on their way to somewhere else or just exploring the area. Our first night in Darwin we stayed at the Saville Park Suites - not anything special. We got to the room and found we had 2 single beds. Since we were on our honeymoon we called down and asked if there was a room with a double bed. According to the hotel every room was full - a theme we encountered throughout Darwin. Instead they would send someone up right away to "zip" our bed together. This may be a common thing, but for us it was entirely new - and what a process! The poor young man must have worked a good 30 minutes on our beds. He had to re-arrange the furniture, take all the bedding off, move the beds, re-make the beds, and he literally worked and worked. I think he was exhausted afterwards.
Anyway, we slept on the "zipped" bed and woke next morning to have the buffet breakfast. It was good - my first "good" pancakes of the entire trip (aka "most Amercanized"
.Darwin has the vibe of a young city (since it kept getting destroyed by hurricanes this is probably why). The Harbor was nice and we enjoyed going to some historical buildings and shopping. It turned out they have an outdoor theater (so much smaller than Grant Park in Chicago!) and we went to see the documentary "Capturing the Friedmans". It was fun to be outside at night in Australia watching the American documentary. It was a creepy movie.
Anyway, after our stay at Seven Spirit Bay (see below for review) we were supposed to fly back to Sydney from Darwin. Our tickets on Virgin Blue were for 1:30 - BUT Australia is on military time, so it was actually 1:30 AM. The plane tickets do not say AM or PM. I think this is an easy solution to clear up this problem (just add AM or PM)......So we missed our flight to Sydney...It seems planes only fly in the middle of the night to Sydney in winter. Of course- that makes no sense to us, but what do we know??
So I called the Virgin Blue "hotline". Mind you there was no one actually at the Virgin Blue counter in the Darwin Airport (because they only have flights in the middle of the night). She happily confirmed we missed our plane (Yes) and that we had to buy new tickets (NO!). She gave us a price of $500 AUD each! Oh My! So we headed over to Qantas and got a MUCH better deal. Thank you Qantas!!
So we bought our 2 new plane tickets - also for 1:30 in the morning (AM). The agents told us not to worry though, for this AM and PM confusion happens every day. Every day?!!! You think they may want to implement my AM and PM solution - (see above).
So we have no hotel and the ONLY room available in all of Darwin is a Youth Hostel that the booking agent kept saying was "lovely". I had never stayed at a Youth Hostel, but I had my doubts about it being "lovely." So - we were taken to the Cavenagh by bus. We had 6 other roommates and bunk beds. I took the bottom bunk, my husband the top one. Not exactly ideal honeymoon accommodations. It felt like we were staying back at the college dorm because most seemed to be around 20 years old and were hanging around the bar, the pool, and smoking a little weed out in the open. Must be legal here?? Not sure.
But our roommates were very friendly and we made it safely back to Sydney in the end - all that really matters. : )
Aug 18th, 2004, 07:24 AM
#7
Original Poster
Join Date: Jan 2004
Posts: 48
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
CoBourg Peninsula
In the middle of our Darwin stay, we took a TINY plane (so small the pilot has to climb into the plane through the window!?!!) to the CoBourg Peninsula. Before departure, we found out on this part of the trip that some airlines actually do enforce luggage restrictions (which we were duly warned about ahead of time and my husband duly ignored). Anyway, not only does your luggage get weighed, but you do too. So our bags were way! too heavy so we were only allowed to take one bag for the 2 of us. We went back into the "pilot break room" and emptied contents and combined luggage for both of us into one bag. We left the other bag and contents in the break room on a shelf (for the 4 days we were gone). I wondered if we were saying goodbye to it forever (though it was mostly my husband's stuff anyway) but it was there just as we left it on return. Very nice!!
Seven Spirit Bay / CoBourg Peninsula is a place where you are only allowed in with permission from the people who have access to the land. It is remote beyond remote.
We landed in our plane on a tiny dirt road and were taken to the lodge in a dusty 4-wheel drive Toyota Land Rover. You stay in cabins - ours had a gorgeous view of the Coral Bay and sunsets were BEAUTIFUL - right from our room. The bathroom is outdoors which is fine during the day, but at night I was a little freaked by the bugs. Did I mention Australia has giant grasshoppers, walking sticks, and big things with wings that venture out at night?
We took boat trips on the ocean, swam in the pool, and went hiking in the bush. You cannot swim in the ocean water because there are sharks and crocs everywhere. One of the guides had gone diving, but he had to carry a spear with him to kill anything that tried to eat him. When you arrive they tell you to stay about 6 feet away from the water at all times - we were very good about following this rule, though my husband was upset because the water is GORGEOUS and the beaches look untouched by humans (because we never saw any other humans around). Just beautiful, but only for looking.
I called Seven Spirit Bay "glorified camping". You are in the middle of no where and there are all these crazy animal sounds and animals roaming about. We saw monitor lizards, wallaby, turkeys, buffalo, dingo, (a dingo eating a buffalo) , etc., Some we would just hear outside our cabin at night (BOY was it NOISY!) - you would hear birds, screeching turkeys, wallaby crashing through the underbrush, it was great! We really loved it.
One of the interesting things we did here was the Victoria Settlement Walk. You get to go on a boat ride to where the first English settlement was in the area - in 1821 - and then walk through the camp about 4 hours. It was very neat as some of the buildings and things are still in tact. Our guide provided all kinds of gruesome details of what it was like to live in the camp - they basically died, starved, sweated, and got sick - not necessarily in that order - for many years. Then finally they said, "Forget it!" and gave up (or were ordered home).
Anyway, very interesting to me.
Bottom line: A very remote and beautiful place.
In the middle of our Darwin stay, we took a TINY plane (so small the pilot has to climb into the plane through the window!?!!) to the CoBourg Peninsula. Before departure, we found out on this part of the trip that some airlines actually do enforce luggage restrictions (which we were duly warned about ahead of time and my husband duly ignored). Anyway, not only does your luggage get weighed, but you do too. So our bags were way! too heavy so we were only allowed to take one bag for the 2 of us. We went back into the "pilot break room" and emptied contents and combined luggage for both of us into one bag. We left the other bag and contents in the break room on a shelf (for the 4 days we were gone). I wondered if we were saying goodbye to it forever (though it was mostly my husband's stuff anyway) but it was there just as we left it on return. Very nice!!
Seven Spirit Bay / CoBourg Peninsula is a place where you are only allowed in with permission from the people who have access to the land. It is remote beyond remote.
We landed in our plane on a tiny dirt road and were taken to the lodge in a dusty 4-wheel drive Toyota Land Rover. You stay in cabins - ours had a gorgeous view of the Coral Bay and sunsets were BEAUTIFUL - right from our room. The bathroom is outdoors which is fine during the day, but at night I was a little freaked by the bugs. Did I mention Australia has giant grasshoppers, walking sticks, and big things with wings that venture out at night?
We took boat trips on the ocean, swam in the pool, and went hiking in the bush. You cannot swim in the ocean water because there are sharks and crocs everywhere. One of the guides had gone diving, but he had to carry a spear with him to kill anything that tried to eat him. When you arrive they tell you to stay about 6 feet away from the water at all times - we were very good about following this rule, though my husband was upset because the water is GORGEOUS and the beaches look untouched by humans (because we never saw any other humans around). Just beautiful, but only for looking.
I called Seven Spirit Bay "glorified camping". You are in the middle of no where and there are all these crazy animal sounds and animals roaming about. We saw monitor lizards, wallaby, turkeys, buffalo, dingo, (a dingo eating a buffalo) , etc., Some we would just hear outside our cabin at night (BOY was it NOISY!) - you would hear birds, screeching turkeys, wallaby crashing through the underbrush, it was great! We really loved it.
One of the interesting things we did here was the Victoria Settlement Walk. You get to go on a boat ride to where the first English settlement was in the area - in 1821 - and then walk through the camp about 4 hours. It was very neat as some of the buildings and things are still in tact. Our guide provided all kinds of gruesome details of what it was like to live in the camp - they basically died, starved, sweated, and got sick - not necessarily in that order - for many years. Then finally they said, "Forget it!" and gave up (or were ordered home).
Anyway, very interesting to me.
Bottom line: A very remote and beautiful place.
Aug 18th, 2004, 12:36 PM
#8
Join Date: Jul 2003
Posts: 115
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Amanda,
sounds like a great honeymoon. I just back in from my honeymoon in early May and your trip report brought back memories of Sydney and LI. We did some snorkeling off Watsons bay but we are divers and wend diving 3 different days while we were there including the white tip reed sharks and couple of grey whalers - it was awesome.
We didn't get to Darwin and the other pennisula but that sounded great (except for the 6 foot away from water part - I would of had a hard time with that)
sounds like a great honeymoon. I just back in from my honeymoon in early May and your trip report brought back memories of Sydney and LI. We did some snorkeling off Watsons bay but we are divers and wend diving 3 different days while we were there including the white tip reed sharks and couple of grey whalers - it was awesome.
We didn't get to Darwin and the other pennisula but that sounded great (except for the 6 foot away from water part - I would of had a hard time with that)
Aug 18th, 2004, 03:28 PM
#9
Join Date: May 2003
Posts: 1,649
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Dear Amanda,
Thanks for your long leisurely trip reports. I enjoyed reading all of them.
I appreciate the detailed information and your impressions of your travels.
I've been some what lax in my reporting and have only put up about half of our 5 weeks, even though we've been back 3 months. I'm embarrased to say, my film hasn't made it out of the house to be processed!
Thanks for your perspective.
AndrewDavid
Thanks for your long leisurely trip reports. I enjoyed reading all of them.
I appreciate the detailed information and your impressions of your travels.
I've been some what lax in my reporting and have only put up about half of our 5 weeks, even though we've been back 3 months. I'm embarrased to say, my film hasn't made it out of the house to be processed!
Thanks for your perspective.
AndrewDavid
Aug 18th, 2004, 10:13 PM
#10
Join Date: Aug 2003
Posts: 9,922
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Amanda, thanks for a very interesting and expressive trip report. It made me want to get out and see more of my own country (maybe when I get back from China...)
Sorry to say that you were badly misled by your guide about the drop-bear. It's only a very distant cousin to the harmless tree kangaroo, a species of giant, bloodthirsty koala that falls on unsuspecting passers-by from its perch high in the trees. I don't know where these guys are getting their information these days.
Weed isn't exactly legal here - I think possesion of small quantities is a misdemeanour in most if not all states. More ambitious home gardeners who claim that their 100 plants are strictly for personal use are treated with less sympathy. Drug laws here are generally administered less harshly than seems to be the case in the US.
If you would like your very own possum you can have the voracious little sod that eats its way through our backyard fruit trees every summer. Actually the New Zealanders have about 70 million of the things (an unfortunate import from Oz) and would dearly love someone to take the lot.
Sorry to say that you were badly misled by your guide about the drop-bear. It's only a very distant cousin to the harmless tree kangaroo, a species of giant, bloodthirsty koala that falls on unsuspecting passers-by from its perch high in the trees. I don't know where these guys are getting their information these days.
Weed isn't exactly legal here - I think possesion of small quantities is a misdemeanour in most if not all states. More ambitious home gardeners who claim that their 100 plants are strictly for personal use are treated with less sympathy. Drug laws here are generally administered less harshly than seems to be the case in the US.
If you would like your very own possum you can have the voracious little sod that eats its way through our backyard fruit trees every summer. Actually the New Zealanders have about 70 million of the things (an unfortunate import from Oz) and would dearly love someone to take the lot.
Aug 19th, 2004, 05:42 AM
#11
Original Poster
Join Date: Jan 2004
Posts: 48
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Neil-
My husband was a little dismayed when I told him I booked a night tour to spot possum in the rainforest. He replied that he had seen a possum only the other night (in Chicago) digging in our trash can and scaring the city children in our area.
I assured him these were "rare" Australian possum - much better!
Also, a family from Sydney we met up with in Darwin thought us crazy as well. They said they had an angry possum living in their attic and because of strict law they weren't allowed to remove the creature. They thought we were weird to spend money and time in the middle of the night actually looking for the things.
I know they were thinking "suckers".
: )
-Amanda
My husband was a little dismayed when I told him I booked a night tour to spot possum in the rainforest. He replied that he had seen a possum only the other night (in Chicago) digging in our trash can and scaring the city children in our area.
I assured him these were "rare" Australian possum - much better!
Also, a family from Sydney we met up with in Darwin thought us crazy as well. They said they had an angry possum living in their attic and because of strict law they weren't allowed to remove the creature. They thought we were weird to spend money and time in the middle of the night actually looking for the things.
I know they were thinking "suckers".
: )
-Amanda
Aug 19th, 2004, 11:21 PM
#13
Join Date: Jul 2003
Posts: 3,680
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Hi Amanda - great report - I do remember you being worried about salties, sharks, snakes and spiders and everyone was so reassuring, sorry we forgot to mention the leeches. You certainly covered a lot of ground, I don't think many Australians would have been to Seven Spirit Bay. Glad you enjoyed the Tableland - it gets little or no mention in guidebooks, so much scenic variation and wildlife. You picked yourself a great guide there, too.
Do agree with you about Cairns Tropical Zoo - its OK but not a patch on Rainforest Habitat near Port Douglas. but it does allow the cuddling of koalas, where the other doesn't. As for kids taunting the animals, don't suppose you can blame zoo for that but someone should shoot the parents.
Neil, the possums are different to Sydney and I presume Canberra possums, they're much smaller, prettier and much more elusive and are usually only to be found in high tropical rainforest such as around Tableland. Not like the ones that eat every shoot of everything you plant, transfer ticks, get in the roof, and pee in your ceilings. And eat out NZ forests.
Do agree with you about Cairns Tropical Zoo - its OK but not a patch on Rainforest Habitat near Port Douglas. but it does allow the cuddling of koalas, where the other doesn't. As for kids taunting the animals, don't suppose you can blame zoo for that but someone should shoot the parents.
Neil, the possums are different to Sydney and I presume Canberra possums, they're much smaller, prettier and much more elusive and are usually only to be found in high tropical rainforest such as around Tableland. Not like the ones that eat every shoot of everything you plant, transfer ticks, get in the roof, and pee in your ceilings. And eat out NZ forests.
Aug 19th, 2004, 11:32 PM
#14
Join Date: Aug 2003
Posts: 9,922
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Pat, it sounds like your guys are not the common brushtail possums we get here.
Amanda, your Sydney friends were mistaken - there's certainly a law against killing possums (drat!) but none against removing them from your property, in fact there are entrepreneurs who make a living from it. It's pretty pointless, though, as they're highly territorial and as soon as one moves out another will move in.
Amanda, your Sydney friends were mistaken - there's certainly a law against killing possums (drat!) but none against removing them from your property, in fact there are entrepreneurs who make a living from it. It's pretty pointless, though, as they're highly territorial and as soon as one moves out another will move in.
Aug 20th, 2004, 05:10 AM
#15
Join Date: Jul 2003
Posts: 3,680
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
No Neil,up here they're sort of a more danty, refined possum than those possum thugs you get in Sydney and possibly Canberra. Thank God, something is, we've got enough trouble with crocs and the very slight possibilty of a jelly-fish sting.
Aug 20th, 2004, 08:09 PM
#17
Join Date: Feb 2003
Posts: 1,638
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Hi Amanda
I'm a big fan of your home town, ate the best ribs in my life at the Hilton Hotel with the train for a dining room. Loved Marshall Fields, the lake, the museum, the people were the friendliest!
Anyway, so glad that most of your honeymoon went well and you've really made me want to see Lizard Island so thanks for the report and all the very best for your future together. I hope we have lots of honeymooners like you visit our wonderful Country!
I'm a big fan of your home town, ate the best ribs in my life at the Hilton Hotel with the train for a dining room. Loved Marshall Fields, the lake, the museum, the people were the friendliest!
Anyway, so glad that most of your honeymoon went well and you've really made me want to see Lizard Island so thanks for the report and all the very best for your future together. I hope we have lots of honeymooners like you visit our wonderful Country!
Aug 23rd, 2004, 02:30 AM
#19
Join Date: Jun 2004
Posts: 151
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
In my house we often get spiders, and have a lot of vegetation in our yard so we get lots of creepy crawlies but they never worry me.
However,
I had a leech on me once and I went hysterical. I think I scared away all wildife, including humans, within a 5 kilometre radius with my screaming.
Fantastic reports Amanda, you really made the most of your trip.
Aug 23rd, 2004, 07:09 AM
#20
Original Poster
Join Date: Jan 2004
Posts: 48
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Lizard Island does have great snorkeling and my favorite was the clam garden at Watson Bay. We've snorkeled at several different places in the world and that's my favorite.
As for leaches - we feel very lucky to only have experienced the one leach. Dan Irby had some terrible stories about research he did in NSW where the leaches would be thick under your feet and your primary goal was to keep the things from sucking the blood from your eyes -- because a leach in your eye can cause temporary blindness.
YUCK!
We also heard a story of a woman that panicked out in the rainforest after a single leach was found on someone in her tour group. After hearing there were leaches, the woman began to scream and remove every single piece of clothing she had on (to check for leaches of course). Unfortunately, there happened to be about 10 other tourists standing in the middle of the forest watching her. Apparently alcohol was involved as well.
Many of the Australians we met were extremely friendly. One woman found out we were from Chicago and proceeded to serenade me with the song "Chicago" - Frank Sinatra version. Very sweet!
When I get home tonight I'll put a link to the pictures in here. I have been out of town and haven't gotten to it yet!
-Amanda
As for leaches - we feel very lucky to only have experienced the one leach. Dan Irby had some terrible stories about research he did in NSW where the leaches would be thick under your feet and your primary goal was to keep the things from sucking the blood from your eyes -- because a leach in your eye can cause temporary blindness.
YUCK!
We also heard a story of a woman that panicked out in the rainforest after a single leach was found on someone in her tour group. After hearing there were leaches, the woman began to scream and remove every single piece of clothing she had on (to check for leaches of course). Unfortunately, there happened to be about 10 other tourists standing in the middle of the forest watching her. Apparently alcohol was involved as well.
Many of the Australians we met were extremely friendly. One woman found out we were from Chicago and proceeded to serenade me with the song "Chicago" - Frank Sinatra version. Very sweet!
When I get home tonight I'll put a link to the pictures in here. I have been out of town and haven't gotten to it yet!
-Amanda
