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

 

The start of the Ozzie Trip 2009 - Take Off Day -1

Putting a few notes about the holiday and what's why's of what we are doing.



Tuesday morning will see us bleary eyed but happy to be heading for the Wellington Airport. We are flying direct from Wellington to Brisbane, Australia. After a night in Brisbane we fly again north to Mackay township with the intention fo then hiring a car to travel north again, first townsend and then Cairns. Final destination is the Silky Oaks lodge on the edge of the daintree rainforest inland from Port Douglas...Having spent a few days at the lodge exploring the surrounds we then head back to Cairns and the airport Flying back south to Sydney for a couple of nights stay ..Then from Sydney back to Welllington and home... Not a long holiday and a heap of travelling but we will get to see what its all like and have a better idea of future holiday plans there....

It's Time For A Holiday!!

We're planning a short holiday for the end of July. With all the crap I've been going through and all the hard work and long days McD has been put through this year it's time to get away and relax. 



So McD has been feverishly looking at options ....Because of course when I say we are planning ...It is teh royal 'we' and McD is spending hours each night playing around with the options ... She should have been a professional holiday planner should McD



Originally we were looking at Vanuatu and then Raratonga but the costs were too high for what we would get from it ...So we've decided on ausdtralia again , but this time further up the north east coast. Flying to brisbane and the  gold coast ..











McD wants to visit the theme park(s) there and also the casino (!!)...Then we take a 2 day drive up to Cairns  and Port Douglas. McD is looking at staying at a spa hotel beside the river there about 20 mins from Port Douglas .... Sounds awesome :O) HEAPS of wildlife so better clean up the camera :O)  













Hotel Spa where we will be staying







Of course it wouldn't be without it'sdangerous wildlife ... Like the Cassowary !!!!!







    



But whats a little danger when on holiday !!! 



Along with the crocs, and Snakes, and spiders, and jelly fish , and poisonous octopuss, and cane toads, and sharks and the rest of it  



:O)