5 Explore Oz

AUSTRALIA ZOO!
This was on the list from the moment we left home - and the beauty, sheer size, and more than spacious exhibits blew us away! We were greeted by a super large bearded dragon as soon as we walked in the gate (it was awesome they were wandering around all over the zoo just keeping an eye on us all I'm sure!)

On Bindi's Island we were greeted by the Leemurs, and checked out the Tortoises. Unfortunately the larger birds were off display, so we headed into Africa.

We learnt so much about the elephants, how they are trained to play a part in their own health care checks, and why they need to be checked up on so regularly.
The Tigers were also impressive, and we loved feeding the giraffes, the youngest calf even trying to stretch up and sneak a grab a bite to eat.

The Crocoseum show was spectacular, we loved seeing the birds in free flight, soaring back and forth across the stadium before the crocs came out.

Finally a treat at the Laughing Frog Lolly Shop, before popping into the Zoo Hospital at the end of the day.

Thanks Not only did we love visiting but we learnt so much more than we bargained for and will treasure every moment.

Tin Can Bay. This was where we based ourselves before and after Fraser Island. Aside from the likeable town name, Tin Can Bay's caravan park was probably the most welcoming and friendly place we have stayed at. We were able to store the caravan there while we were on the island and leave it in situ since it was so quiet. We also enjoyed the weekend markets, then down at the bay feeding the dolphins and learning all about them. It was a quick stop, then on to Sunshine Coast!

A day out to take a look at Noosa, then further inland Kenilworth is renound for it's bakery (it didn't disappoint!) and Montville with incredible views out to the sunshine coast, pet friendly pub, and a few interesting shops worth a visit!

Fraser Island - The largest sand island in the world!

Day 1 - drive to inskip point to get the barge over to the island. Bumped our way through the sandy island to Central Station where we set up camp for the 4 nights. It's fenced to keep the dingoes out, still plenty of other wildlife around. We watched the large monitors cruising around camp, and first thing in the morning when they disembark out of the tall trees, effortlessly and head first as if they were on flat ground.

We survived 150ml rain that first night in the tent (I was a tad worried we'd have a giant tree land on us!). The up side to this was that the sandy tracks were a lot smoother to drive on after the downpour!

Day 2, 3, and 4 - Lake McKenzie, Eli Creek, Lake Wabby, S.S Maheno (shipwreck).

Lake McKenzie is the kind of place you can set up a shade & stay all day. It's a perched lake, and the sand is pure silica. There are fenced areas to prepare & eat any food (as not to tempt the scavenger dingoes)

Eli Creek is fun - floating down the cool river out to the river mouth. We had a couple of hungry dingoes hanging around so the kids had to stay close.

Lake Wabby was quite a hike to the sand dunes & lake - and had plenty of fish (no fishing allowed). Sand boarding down the dunes into the water would be fun!

The shipwreck S.S Maheno. Who doesn't like checking out the story behind a shipwreck?? Now rusting away on 75 Mile Beach, S.S Maheno was on it's way to Japan to be scrapped when it was driven ashore during a cyclone in 1935.

As always there is so much we missed out on seeing here, but we were happy with what we did see & experience. So glad we made the journey to Fraser Island!

Seventeen Seventy - we'd heard so much about so booked in for a couple of nights. We arrived just after a storm so some trees were down in the caravan park and along the trails to the beach.

Just a few clicks further south was Agnes Waters - hadn't heard much about it but actually loved the feel of the little town and the Paperbark Forest Walk loop the kids swent around about three times they loved it! The beach was patrolled and fun was had playing in sand and "smashing waves".

Hervey Bay was also just a quick stop, top up supplies and and a play at the water park.

Capricorn Caves - an incredible limestone cave system. We have been inside many caves, but this one is different. Why?? It was once an underwater coral sea. You can spot the dried corals throughout the cave, as well as the usual stalagtites and stalagmites.
The now extinct megafauna fossils have been found here and students come for experience and to help dig specific allocated sites. If they find a fossil it could be named after them.
We also saw micorbats silently flying around just inside the entrance. At the end we had the option to crawl through some tunnels - adding to the experience even more. Definitely worth a visit if you're on the Capricorn Coast!

Coastal Queensland. A magnificent view from the coast out to the Whitsundays - from Bowen to Airlie Beach we were treated with these incredible views, and swimming in the warm Coral Sea. As always the free playgrounds, pools and waterparks are worth a stop and the kids can't get enough. Yeppoon was no exception - actually one of the best free pools we have discovered yet!

Longreach - Home of the QANTAS Founders Museum, sharing the story from it's beginnings in the 1920's in Outback Queensland. In the museum there were quite a few interactive areas for the kids. Lana loved playing pilot, while Kai went up top, aiming the machine gun at everyone!

We also had a tour of the Boeing 707, Boeing 747, Super Constellation and DC-3 in the Museum’s Airpark Enclosure - bringing back memories for some of us flying on some of these not all that many years ago!

Barcladine was an interesting stop with the history of the Great Shearers Strike in 1956 lasting 10 months.
Here is where you'll also find the "Tree of Knowledge" memorial - known as the birthplace of the Australian Labour Movement. The Tree of Knowledge was a Ghost Gum, sadly poisoned in 2006 by an unknown culprit - then preserved and placed under a timber structure. It is lit up at night to give the illusion that the tree is still alive. The Tree of knowledge is known as a place for reflection, inspiration and celebration.

Once we reached Townsville, Scarlett had an overnight stay with a great dog sitter and we had a full day at Magnetic Island. Twenty minutes on the barge and we were driving onto this beautiful oasis.
At one of the stunning beaches, we went snorkelling, collecting sea glass, and watched the resident stingray cruise up and down the shore.
The Tour of the Koala Sanctuary was fantastic - we were able to interact with most animals, and learnt so much about them all. Did you know that lizards have a third eye? Actually it's a patch of light sensitive cells on the top of their head also known as the "Parietal Eye". Frogs, Tuatara and some fish have the same organ.

So much to be discovered in central Queensland - and so much we just couldn't fit in.....never the less we absolutely loved what we dug up - literally!

Georgetown was accommodating - we based here for fossicking at Agate Creek. The town pool was free to use and very welcoming after a day out in the hot dry sun!

Next we moved on to Winton for the "Age of the Dinosaurs" and the "Stampede" which we visited over two separate days as they're in different locations. We were shown the process from start to finish when a fossil is discovered - what it may look like, to preparing it for relocation and then preservation. There were Paleontologists working on fossils in the lab as we walked through and we were able to talk to them and ask them questions.

The dinosaur footprints were fascinating to see - moved to this site piece by piece which took years to move.

These were separate from the stampede footprints - which were preserved on site. The only known stampede footprints in the world!

The part of this I really love is that if the kids (12+) are interested you can pay for an experience as a technician, stay onsite and actually work on the dinosaur fossils!

Aside from the dinosaur experience, Winton was once the home of the famous poet "Banjo Paterson" author of "Waltzing Matilda", and the birthplace of QANTAS. So much rich history in this tiny town in the middle of nowhere!

As we started heading inland from the Daintree Rainforest we hit the Atherton Tablelands, it was a picturesque area with a pocket full of wonderful surprises ❤.

It started at the Atherton Tablelands Caravan Park - exceptionally well kept grounds, amazing camp kitchen with a deck and pretty lights - but it was the service that came with it - namely the groundsman who was there to give us information and guide us into our site.

Crystal Caves was the next stop - where we had a tour of an incredible collection of crystals and fossils, then added the "crack a geode" experience - where Lana and Kai learnt how to choose a geode, then got to crack it themselves - and the first to see inside it after thousands of years in the making. Then while we shopped they got to "noodle" for little crystals in the sand pit.

A few short strolls to waterfalls, Mungalli Creek Cheese and dairy, and a visit to the Curtain Fig Tree finalised our short trip through the Tablelands - but we really loved it and could have spent a lot more time here.

As we crossed the river on the ferry, headed for the Daintree Rainforest we immediately felt as if we were in a tropical oasis on an island somewhere else entirely.

The roads were dark under the dark green canopy. Butterflies fluttered around in pockets where light struggled through a little. We made our way to the caravan park where we had views to the mountains behind.

We explored the Discovery Centre, Rainforest Boardwalks, visited friends in the area and lucky for us they watched Lana and Kai while Lee and I did a trail ride through the rainforest to the beach. Kai spotted evidence of sand bubbler crabs that had spat out the bubbles of sand after sifting through for micorfauna. Many an insect and lizard was spotted - all much larger than we usually see at home. Daintree Ice Creamery also had incredibly lush and well kepy gardens where they grow their own fruit - all the trees are labelled (most are exotic trees) you can walk around and admire them. Not only that they do ice cream tasting bucket which was all delicious! ☺️

Kuranda is a cute little town nestled amongst the rainforest less than half an hour from Cairns. You can catch a train there, ride the skyrail, or just drive up the hill.

We visited over a few days, experiencing the markets, Butterfly sanctuary, Bird World and a short walk to Barron Falls. All of these places were awesome to visit.

My personal favourite was getting up close with the birds. Most birds were free flying in the aviary which was awesome to see!

Kai had a little yellow Ring Neck Parakeet that he made friends with while Lana had a chatty Hahn Macaw, and a cheeky Helmeted Friarbird kept landing on her trying to take pieces of her hair back to it's nest! I was in my element with the Blue and Gold Macaw - one of my favourite birds alongside the red tailed black cockatoo!

Did you know the Great Barrier Reef can be seen from space?

Lucky for us Kai won a 2 for 1 voucher for a Great Barrier Reef snorkeling / diving tour which we ended up getting a heavily discounted day out!

It was a bit rough on the water for the kids - Kai still loved it and wasn't deterred by the waves, enjoying following the parrot fish, zebra fish and checking out the array of corals. Lana wasn't so sure, but still got out there to have a look in the end anyway. Lee managed to sneak in a scuba dive too while the kids and I had a little ride on the glass bottom boat.

Cooktown - We arrived with plans to get organised to take the trek to the cape.....we had a couple of days to enjoy the waterfront, get the groceries, fuel up, drop Scarlett off at the kennels - pack food into the car & car fridge.....managing that & all sorted.

We headed off - might have got an hour away. The car definitely did not want to go to the cape!!

Now this car has been a sore spot for a while now and we have ongoing issues. BUT she's still getting us around! So - back to the kennels it was - pick up
Scarlett. One final night in Cooktown & we were heading back to Cairns! SO disappointed we didn't get there.

Will have to do another lap!!

#

Here's a bit of a snippit of our very quick journey from Townsville & through Cairns.

We didn't get many photos in Babinda town itself but it was a cute little main street & the food in the bakery was delicious is not to be missed!

We stayed just out of town at a the Babinda Rainforest farmstay. With access to the most delicious freshwater straight off the mountain, plenty of wildlife, including fireflies, butterflies and the prettiest colourful moths. Apart from that we could buy rainbow eggs (yes they were all different colours!), cuddle the chooks if you can catch them, and feed the Alpacas!

One night there then we made our way through Cairns for a look, played at the water park, and had dinner by the beach then carried on to a free camp along the Barrier Reef Drive.

A few days in Townsville did not disappoint!

More visits to the incredible waterfront, a great place to take a picnic lunch or grab something from the cafe and enjoy the lovely grassy area and beautiful views.

The Strand Night markets (1st Friday of the month), are lovely and have something for everyone. Dog friendly too!
We feel lucky to have met children's author Steve Coleman there and buy a couple of his books "Naree the Fire Lady" - a very spiritual story with connections to Magnetic Island. "Jodi and the Turtle" for beach, ocean and turtle lovers. Both books were extremely well written, imaginative yet grounded tales that felt very special to read.
Make sure to say hi to Steve at the night markets or the Sunday Farmers Markets. If you can't get there do yourself a favour and check out his website www.greentalepublishing.com.au for the range of his incredible books available.

Our final stop this time around Townsville was Turtle Bridge - on the south bank of the Ross River just downstream of the Nathan Street bridge. What a sight to see! Never have we seen so many turtles in the one location - there must have been over 100 turtles, the pictures only show a portion of what we saw!

With so much more still to explore we'll be back!

The journey from Darwin to Townsville was a fairly quick one. Two nights stop over in Katherine to check out the gorge and the local hot spring - both absolutely stunning! Lana got freaked out by a fish nibbling her toes in the water at the hot spring so wouldn't swim after that...but we couldn't get Kai out!

Past Katherine we had some long days driving, four days and 2,190km later we finally arrived, and relieved by the cooler air! We enjoyed fish and chips on the esplanade for lunch, and the kids rated the trees as the "best climbing trees ever", before hitting the amazing free waterpark!

Thanks we loved it!

Fortunate enough to spend time with friends during our stay in Jabiru, we said our goodbyes to wishing them all the best for their pending arrival of baby #3! The kids had all grown so much since we met almost 12 months ago ❤.

We made our way back to Darwin to restock our fridges and check out some of the free activities (school holidays) and places that Darwin has to offer. Of course most activities are water based as it's so hot & humid. What a great place to visit with kids!

Sep 26 2022 Kakadu - Yellow Water Cruise

The 250km long Yellow River is the longest river in the world to be completely within a national park.

We chose the early start to avoid the heat of the day. So much was learnt about the flora and fauna of the Yellow River.

Here's a few fun facts for you:

*To tell the difference between a saltwater and freshwater croc: check out it's lumps (scutes) on the back of the neck. If it's a salty there will be four scutes on the back of the neck. If it's a freshwater croc they'll be in a line.

*Crocs can feel vibrations and sense a heartbeat up to 1km away. Freshwater crocs are shy and will generally avoid you.

We watched a croc swim parallel to the river bank, in attempt to trap fish. As the croc curled it's body around the fish it just got away, jumping over the croc's tail - escaping just in time!

*The difference between a lotus and a water lily, Water Lily sits on the water surface, the lotus will lift above it. Also the lotus seed is delicious and tastes like a sweet snow pea crossed with an almond.

*Scientists are studying the lotus leaves in attempt to make better waterproof fabrics, waterproof paints and more. It’s called the ‘Lotus Effect’. Other plants with the same properties are Nasturtium, Prickly pear, and Cane, as well as the wings of some insects.

The beautiful birds and plants were just as incredible to take in along the river as the crocs were.

Over the few days we were travelling around Kakadu we noticed a lot of fires in the surrounding bush. We watched the black headed kites circling the fires, waiting to swoop down to pick up their next meal (creatures evacuating from the fire). Apparently the Kites are so smart they pick up twigs or sticks from the existing fire and drop them elsewhere to create more hunting opportunities.

What an eye opening and informative tour capturing the heart of Kakadu, and it's beautiful ecosystem!

Jabiru, Cahills Crossing & Ubirr
Kakadu National Park

Arriving in Jabiru & staying at the Kakadu Lodge we were grateful for the air-conditioning and pool.
More on this later - but for now lets get into why we're here...culture and crocs!!

Ubirr was an impressive display - a short loop walk showcasing local aboriginal works of art, and sharing dreamtime stories.

We checked out East Alligator river where we could spy quite a few crocs across the other side on the banks resting...these guys must have already eaten this week as they didn't look hungry!

Cahills crossing was super exciting - first time we had seen the crocs so close! You go at high tide - they hover downstream and wait for their next meal to come over!

39/40 degree days, we made it to Kakadu and needed to cool off!

We had planned to visit Maguk - a camp by donation, just a few minutes drive from he camp to the falls - but first let the tyres down with a rough 10k corrugated track to tackle.

We definitely struggled with the temperature so hot, and no breeze. We have sirocco fans in the van but they just didn't cut it, and it didn't fell like the temperature dropped much at all! So glad to be up in the morning and making our way to the water hole.

A 1km walk, wading through water, over sand and a bit of a rock scramble, a few tears and we finally made it to Maguk paradise!

Litchfield National Park - WOW!!

Picturesque, full of wildlife and lots of safe swimming holes with the most gorgeous waterfalls! Most were only a short walk from the car park so no need to work up a sweat on the way!

Creatures of the Cascades (Litchfield NP)

In my opinion there is nothing better than seeing creatures of all shapes and sizes in their natural environment.

The short hike to the Cascades in Litchfield National Park showed us an array of creatures in all shapes and sizes. Watch to the end to hear the funniest bird conversation!

Follow the dragonflies that weren't shy, see spiders over the water's edge (the pic is their reflection in the water). Find frogs on the rocks, see turtles cruising and flying foxes having an afternoon chat! We also saw a big monitor - but it rushed into the water before we got a chance to take a pic!

Enjoy!!

These 4 pictures look like abstract art - I had to look twice thinking they must have been accidental shots....but then I realised what they were! See how long it takes you to figure it out. Watch to the end to see the video and it'll all make sense!

Now it's getting too hot to sleep in we are up and moving on earlier than usual. Making tracks to Little roper Stock Camp which we had heard so much about.

On the way we stopped to help as a car had rolled. Thankfully the two women involved got away without too many injuries (at first sight anyway). There were others first on the scene helping out and a truckie with a Sat phone calling emergency services. I provided ice packs and an umbrella we had in the car as there was very little shade, with nothing more we could do we carried on our way.

Soon enough we were in Mataranka.
Have you ever floated down stream, letting the gentle current carry you along? This is what we did over, and over, and over again at Bitter Springs. Although it's a hot spring - it's still cooler than our body temperature - not quite like a bath. Very much enjoyable!

The following day we drove 5 minutes up the road to Mataranka Thermal Pools. The pools are just gorgeous and great if you like the security of a "pool" environment and nothing swimming beneath the surface. The caravan park we had to walk through to get there had a very appealing bar, and a large grass area for the kids to run. Peacocks wandered around the grounds checking everyone out.

Evenings found us getting out the torches and following frogs (and cane toads) around the camp - some of the little frogs no bigger than a 20c piece.

Finally Monday morning Little Roper Stock Camp put on the "Johnny cakes" ($2 each) which are a cross between a donut and a scone - shallow fried & served with a selection of jams. Washed them down with a traditional billy tea before the kids had cuddles with animals of the scaly sort.

As we left Mataranka we measured up how much bigger the termite mound was than the kids.....officially a LOT!

Still based in the Red Centre "Heart of Australia" where the temperature was creeping up in the mid 30's, we took advantage of the short walks and waterholes.

We didn't venture too far but made the most of Ellery Big Hole, where Lee and the kids had a dip in the pretty freezing water!

The only wildlife we spotted this day was a few wallabies amongst the rocks at Simpson's Gap and a snake slithering across the road.

Every stop we made was stunning in it's own way, the only entry we had to pay for was Standley Chasm - the rest are free.

Henbury Meteorite Craters, Alice Springs and East MacDonnell Ranges

A muddy 5km detour off the track we stumbled across this interesting landform. If you are interested in meteors, meteorites, and how they impacted the environment here, definitely read on – or visit this place yourself!

You can also camp here, and I have to say - with the cleanest long drop toilets we have ever come across. No smell, and well ventilated. So much so - Lana said "you can feel the wind whistling up your bum" Haha!!!

“Around 4,000 years ago a large meteorite, travelling at over 40,000km/hr broke up before impact and hit the surface of the earth at Henbury, NT. The meteorites were only about the size of a 200l fuel drum, but you can see the size of the impact in the photos. The land is impacted by erosion, by the lighter grey matter remaining from the impact seems more resistant to erosion.”

“Right now, hundreds of meteors are speeding towards earth, plunging into the atmosphere. Luckily most do not withstand the friction in the air and burn away before hitting the ground. A meteor which survives to hit the ground is called a meteorite.”

Arriving in Alice Springs we camped at the showgrounds - $35/night power & water on a gorgeous grassy site. We watched horses being worked in the arena opposite every day, and there was plenty of space for the kids to run around (& dog friendly).

Exploring the East MacDonnell Ranges as it started to get hot was a struggle. Sticking to the short walks was a must! When we found the waterhole at Jessie Gap it sure was a treat! A cool swim across the gap we found some interesting rock art, and more picturesque views.

Kings Canyon rim walk

The steep incline at the start of the track got us working up a sweat straight away! The rim walk took us a few hours, included a bit of rock scrambling, and a few detours to lookouts. The highlight was definitely the beautiful Garden of Eden waterhole where we sat for lunch under the canopy of the cool rocks watching the bright red dragonflies hovering around, and the water ripples reflecting off the water onto the towering sandstone rock face in front of us.

As we made our way back up the top of the rim, we looked back down to the Garden of Eden. A crow darted in and out of the rock face, calling out, and we heard its echo carry through the canyon. The kids thought this was funny and decided to call out to hear the sound of their own voices coming back.

Little ring tailed dragons scurried across the dry rocks camouflaging themselves as eagle eye Kai tried to coax them out of their hidey holes. We also spotted a black footed rock wallaby in the safety of a large crevice well below.

All in all the hike was incredible, best to beat the heat on this one and take plenty of water as it can get very hot!

We based ourselves at Kings Creek Station for a couple of nights as it was close to Kings Canyon.

We heard that the Karrke Cultural Experience just 5 minutes from the camp ground was one of the best – and it was brilliant!
Peter and Natasha gave us a glimpse into what it would be like to live off the land, they shared knowledge of their language, bush tucker, the many skills they learn and ways of life.. They shared how they incorporate the new ways with the old to make life a little easier.

Kai especially loved holding the witchetty grub which felt soft and like marshmallow, and holding the weapons. Lana enjoyed trying the tapping sticks and watching how they made the jewellery, but most of all they both loved that they could paint their faces with ochre!