21 July 2017 Today's Daintree Dreaming Tour promises "a real Aboriginal cultural experience combined with the pristine natural beauty of the World Heritage Listed Daintree Rainforest". Although we booked through Billy Tea Safaris for our whole trip, this trip is run by Adventure North Australia and we are picked up at 7.20am by two delightful women: Kate (who is in training for this tour but an experienced guide) and Bridget (who is half aboriginal but not originally from this area). Most of … [Read more...]
Day 6: Atherton Tablelands & Waterfalls Day Tour
20 July 2017 Today we are heading up into the Atherton Tablelands and visiting waterfalls and Paronella Park on another day trip. Brett, our driver for the day picks us up at 7.20am. We head south out of Cairns this time and ascend up into the Atherton Tablelands via the Gillies Range Road with magnificent views over the Mulgrave Valley. Our first stop for the day is at Lake Barrine, a beautiful rain-filled volcanic crater set amongst World Heritage Rainforest and home to a wide range … [Read more...]
Day 5: Great Barrier Reef Experience
19 July 2017 We are excited about our trip out to the Great Barrier Reef but unsure quite what will await us today. It is a later start today as we don't get picked up from the hotel until 8.00am and it is a bit of a surprise to have a full sized coach. It turns out that there are multiple boats heading out to the Great Barrier Reef on a whole range of different tours but they share the pickups from around Cairns - and it seems to be a well-practised exercise. We are travelling with Reef … [Read more...]
Day 4: Daintree Rainforest Day Tour
18 July 2017 Visiting the Daintree Rainforest was one of my 'must see' things in Far North Queensland, and this Billy Tea Safaris day trip promised the Daintree Rainforest, Daintree River, Cape Tribulation (where the rainforest meets the reef) and some of the 4WD Bloomfield Track. It is another early start - a 7.10am pick up, and we are delighted to see that we have Matthew (our driver from yesterday) again and that we are the second people on the bus so get to have a front seat this time. We … [Read more...]
Day 3: Chillagoe Caves & Outback Day Tour
17 July 2017 Today we are going on our first "Billy Tea Safari" on the Chillagoe Caves and Outback Day Tour. Our driver Matthew picks us up outside the hotel at 7.00 - we are still on NZ time so the start doesn't seem quite so early. We have a custom-built 4WD truck (named Echidna) that is very comfortable but unfortunately today we are the last ones on and the only seats are up the back. We head up the McAllister Ranges via a very windy road that takes us close to where we were yesterday at … [Read more...]
Day 2: Kuranda Scenic Railway and Skyrail Rainforest Cableway
16 July 2017 Our first tour in Tropical North Queensland is the Kuranda Scenic Railway and Skyrail Rainforest Cableway. We have a fairly leisurely start because the pickup time allows other passengers to be picked up from Port Douglas an hour to the north before us. We are still on NZ time 2 hours ahead so we get plenty of time to enjoy our breakfast at Queens Court, and as it turns out we are the first to be picked up and there is only one other couple in our group. Our driver takes us to … [Read more...]
Day 1: Cairns, Tropical North Queensland
Late July, early August is a perfect time to visit Cairns, Tropical North Queensland. It is warm (up to 27C during the day) but not too hot and humid, and it is the dry season so you are likely to have good weather. I had very little leave left after all my travels last year, so a week in Australia seemed like a great option for having a winter holiday somewhere warm and that is very different from New Zealand. The key attractions are the World Heritage Sites of the Great Barrier Reef (which is … [Read more...]