Cairns, Australia

Cairns, Australia Current mood: artistic Category: Travel and Places Copyright 2007 We get picked up in a stretch limo! We are all surprised, the drivers other car was out of commission so we went in style. The kids begged the driver to stop at In-N-out! After 18 hours of travel, we arrive on a deserted beach, Palm Cove, Cairns, Australia, and we wonder where everyone is. After me and T swim in the very salty warm water, we discover that not only are there salt water crockodiles, but killer sharks and jellys!!! They actually have a "safe place" to swim down the beach that is roped off for protection from the wild and most wanted... Todd tries out the hammock Next morning we head out to our Waterfall tour in the Daintree Rainforest. But first we stop at a Tea house on Volcanic Crater Lake Barrine first morning wildlife cruise. We had the most amazing biscuits with fresh jam and home grown Devonshire tea. As you can see, the adults are having a bad hair day, as we had to get up at an ungodly hour to make the tour bus, lol. The products of my lifes ambition... Lotus growing on the lake...amazing Percy the pet pelican, who eats more than his fair share, lol. The ducks were so friendly not afraid at all, came right up to me, on land. Girls at the Curtain Fig Tree. Millaa Millaa Falls. This place is amazing. If you go, plan on bringing a picnic. I didn't want to leave this place, and was literally dragged out, because the whole bus was waiting for me. It became a running joke the whole day, because I had to be retrieved every time ; ) Believe it or not, This rainforest and Australia, is suffering from drought. This is their summer. We couldn't believe it was a drought because it is the greenest place we've ever seen! This is Ellinjaa Falls. Next we're off to Mungalli Falls & Restaurant where we rest for lunch. It had actually rained while we were having lunch. Everything is tropical green. Afterlunch we are off to a Spanish Castle at Paronella Park. The story is incredible rags to riches story by Jose Paronella, a Spanish man who was a worker in the farm fields, worked his way up to buying defunct farms and bringing them back to life, ultimately becoming a very rich man, and building his dream, a Spanish Castle, restaurant, gardens and waterfalls, which became home to the locals. There are these metallic blue butterflies everywhere. We see an aboriginal performance. Todd is holding the didgereedoo. This is a forest of Eucalyptus trees planted on a path. The girls rest on what used to be public restrooms with a lookout patio platform on top. This is our tour guide who had to put up with me not wanting to leave the waterfalls all day : ) He was an amazing source of knowledge and kept us entertained inbetween venues. Then we went into the town of Cairns to try their delicacy, kangaroo and crockodile. Well T and the girls tried the kangaroo and they said it was great! The crockodile was actually really good too! The following day we just lounged and strolled locally, and at the end of the day after getting scorched from the sun, we went to the zoo, only a few minutes ride away. The girls had an absolute blast feeding the kangaroos, and holding a koala bear!