More on the Ozz Holiday - Leaving Queensland

The day after visiting the tablelands was our last day at the Silky Oaks resort and also our last day in Queensland.



The plan was to head towards Cairns and spend the day around there before going to the airport and catching our flight to Sydney.



We had our breakfast as usual at the resort in the open air restaurant and in typical fashion the sun emerged for us    



The Silky Oaks restaurant







The swimming hole where fish and turtle reside







The swimming pool at the lodge







Well fed and bags packed we loaded up the car and set off... Just outside of the lodge along the road through the rainforest we saw a kookaburra on a telegraph post... We stopped (of course) to try and get a last chance shot. We pulled over to the side of the road and McD jumped out camera in hand ....I stayed in the car. . Having taken a few shots McD decided she needed a bigger lens and walked back to the open car door ... AS she went past the back of the car I saw in the rear view mirror a sudden look of horror on her face and then she was gone momentarily as she shot into the air ..... Then down she came landing  shouting "Snake !!!! " ....



McD had managed to literally step over  a large brown snake to get the pictures she wanted ... then returning saw the snake as it moved amongst the grass and bushes..... 



"Well get a picture !" I said 



And She Did !!!  - can you see it beating a hasty retreat .... Nothing takes McD on :O)  



Curtesy of McDinzie







Of course we joked and laughed about it ...But it was a real reminder that we are closer to nature than we often think ....... A reminder that this could have been a serious event ....I was glad we were not too far from assistance ....Also glad that the snake looks to be a python (We don't know for  sure)..And probably sunning itself first thing in the morning ...... Who knows .... Pythons in Ozz can get up to around 6 metres by the way ...... 



And on we went ... Next stop was to drive towards cairns and turn off into the Great Divide to a small township called kuranda...Here was a crafts market and a Butterfly sanctuary. We spent quite a while at the butterfly place ...Eventually giving up on getting the 'perfect shot' and heading off to grab a pie and a drink at the market...It was getting hot .......













































McDs new hat accessory 







































We tired easily ...The heat of the day hit us hard (mid 30s) and so we drove back down into Cairns itself to have a look around .... 





Looking down on the plains around Cairns

































Well not really a lot to look at .. .We asked at the tourist information but they had no real suggestions for a few hours sightseeing... We hit the mall for some supplies and coffee... Then we drove along the beach esplanade...Well the beach was a river estuary !! Hundreds of sun seekers lay side to side on a grass strip between the road and the sands .... I was quite surprised by this as advertising always seemed to show the white sand beaches and palms ... Nope ..... We continued our drive around ... The espanade was ok ... not special .. .the rest of the town was just that - a sprawling town....  



So having drove through their botanical gardens stopping for a drink, we gave up and headed for the airport .... Next stop Sydney - our last in Ozz

 

Australia Holiday - Atherton Tablelands Part 3

Welcome swallow, swallowducks, whip bird, whipbird

Curtain (Strangler?) Fig in the Queensland rainforest ...













































Click here and here to hear the Whip-bird described in the last entry ...What we didn't know was the other sound - the Choo Choo Choo Choo - that accompanied the feewww-whip was a female whipbird responding to the male song !! If you are a bird nut like us then there is a whole page of soundbites highlighting the regional differences in song of these birds ..... here



After the Stop off for the fig tree we headed to Lake Barrine for lunch. The lake is set in the forest. The tea house is an old 1920s style house. Very nice and with a beautiful and tranquil setting .. The small cafe was proudly displaying their Multi-award winnings for Scones ..>







Taken from that great site - http://www.lakebarrine.com.au/ A must see for great information and better pictures :O)



Well you have to try them don't you :O) We had a very nice salad and barramundi fish and then their award winning Devonshire Teas. they lived up to their accolades :O) We ate on the balcony of the charming 80+ year old teahouse while taking in the scenic & serene lake views.





































In fact I was so taken with the scenery I forgot to take a snap of the house itself !! Doh ...





Taken from that great site - http://rainforest-australia.com/ - A must see for great information and better pictures :O)







Taken from that great site http://rainforest-australia.com/A must see for great information and better pictures :O)



AS we sat and looked out we watched the Welcome Swallows around the only boat on the water.











I didn't realise what bulging eyes they have !! All the better to see flies with I suppose :O)

















We even got to see a cormorant - Pretty comkon throughout Ozz and New Zealand ... Initially though it might be a Grebe ...Then put my specs on :O\











The boat took people at a slow pace around the 4.5km lake edge... They took you to see a python snake as well as a resident turtle... We had settled down with our devenshire teas so took a pass on sailing ....



However as the boat set off we watched as a number of ducks, all in line, flew one by one out of the water to grab a piece of bread from the boat owners hand .... Each duck awaiting it's turn to fly and feed ....Now are Mallard Ducks everywhere in the world !!!!











As one duck descends the next is already in the air and approaching ... And no Air traffic Control !!! :O)



















Just like the planes landing at Wellington Airport !! :O)











We took a walk to see the two giant Karri trees in the forest nearby and then walked through the gardens for the car... And then we heard it !! "feeeeewwwwwww-Whip" !!! The bird was right beside us in the garden undergrowth ... Incredibly busy and seemingly in a bad mood he never stopped moving and shouting and all the time right on the ground beside us ...... Well I tried and tried and tried to get a decent shot of him .... he even came so close to me he touched by boot as I stood rock still !!! but these were as good as it got .. Of course McD has a better shot ...I'm sure she has or will share it on her blog ..













dammit - close....









I suspect this is a juvenile













The problem also was that in looking down like that It doesn't show it has a white throat !!! nor its crest !!! :o\



Visit here for a proper picture .......Whip Bird



And that was that ...A day almost gone already and a long trip back home

Australia Holiday - Atherton Tablelands Part 2

Atherton was interesting ... We had been given a long list of attractions to see by the tourist information office there, but decided it would be too long a trip for us ...Tiredness setting in I think after many days of travelling.

I could have spent hours just photgraphing Fungi 









Well at least I know I'm not in New Zealand with place names like that :O) 





We stopped of at the Yungaburra township .. A pretty little old world village really ...

































The small local church provided some interest ...especially the large flowered hibiscus beside it .... 





































































Make sure you catchup on McDinzie's new entry and far better pictures :O) Also 'boob coolers' and the Hotel we would have loved to have bought !!  And if we win lotto this weekend just might :O)  Would you come and stay ???  :O)