The last couple of months have been very busy with house sitting and visiting. However, luckily we have some great friends and family here in Queensland who have gone out of their way to share their backyard with us. The last touristy thing we did in the Brisbane area before heading north was to visit Moreton Island. This is mainly a four wheel drive destination and I have to admit after watching the rigs loading onto the ferry for the trip to the island, Aussies take their back country camping very seriously. If however you are just going for the day it is still a great trip.
Off the ferry you hang a right and walk a couple of hundred metres up the beach and stake out your spot. There are police, rangers and EMS here, but from what we saw during the day people do an excellent job of policing themselves.
The snorkelling is best done at high tide, which fortunately for us was 90 minutes after we arrived. We took the time to ask the life guard which way the current was going then headed out for a couple of wonderfully relaxing drifts along the wrecks. There have been 15 ship sunk here to provide protection to the beach and a great area for snorkelling. Visibility varied from 4 to 10 metres.
Shortly after our trip to Moreton Island we packed our things and flew the 1600km north to Cairns. Everyone here asked us, “Why are you going to Cairns in January?” Now I understand why. Hot and humid is the order of the day. Tried to do a run this morning at 6AM, it was 28C and 94% humidity. Way more challenging than I ever would have thought. Luckily there are more relaxed things to do.
Karen’s Aunt and Uncle were so kind to us and toured us around the area before we started our house sit in Edmonton. I started to appreciate the comments about the things in Australia that can kill you. Most specifically, Saltwater crocodiles (Salties).
The day after we visited the Daintree and Mossman Gorge we did a tour of Hartley’s Crocodile Adventure, which is a crocodile farm that also does tours and talks on animals in the area. These are serious crocs. No wrestling and putting your head in these guys jaws, well, only once.
I was quite impressed with the crocs. They did have other animals there but the Salties steal the show.
We also managed to get a tour of Port Douglas and some of the amazing views along the coastal highway. An absolutely beautiful area.
There may be better times of year to be in this area when it comes to the heat but the beauty is timeless. Well worth the trip north.
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