Freestyle Resort Port Douglas

... Anywh**e. So I am liking the new crinkled look a lot. Just as well then.
And then of course th**e is bed time. Again this diff**s from country to country. In South Africa - the light is switched off when the first p**son goes to bed and stays off. So it's torch light all the way to get myself up into that high rise and plugging myself in - be it the ipod or ear plugs. Eith** way something has to be plugged into my ears. Australia - the light seems to stay on ...

... the protected forests. This took us on a short tour through some dense tropical rainforest and here we began our search for the notoriously shy Cassowary. This bird (allegedly the largest land animal in Australia(???)) looks similar to an Emu but with a bright blue head and face and a crimson beard like a Turkey. We didn’t find it of course, but we did see some scrub fowl and lizards.

After a picnic lunch, we drove up to Cow Bay and found our hostel ...

... Oaks Sanctuary.. Car duely parked a long way from the reception we were picked up by a young lad in an over-sized golf cart .... Having checked in and suitcases and bags stashed away in our unit we settled down to relax .. .The unit was great. A dark wood interior, a large bathroom / spa bath/ shower and a mainroom with a large comfortable bed. A small balcony looking ...

... We have been forced to camp illegally a few times already. This requires stealth like planning in finding a suitable nook, positioning the car to block the tent from the road (it being bright orange in colour with reflective guy ropes), an early start at the first hint of sunrise to dismantle the tent, and of course a constant worry that a Park Ranger will come a-knocking at any time. Hence, we have tried locating camp spots that are ...

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There were several boardwalk viewing areas off the main road where you could walk amongst the huge tropical trees & ferns way below the leafy canopy. The forest was strangely silent; we saw very few birds & no animals at all. They are very eco-conscious here, they cut holes in the boardwalks rather than cut down obstructing trees. On the road, we passed a tea plantation – ...

... was, as the Aussies like to say, " no drama".  Our CAA membership has reciprocal rights in Australia with their road club.  We called, they came. installed a new battery and left.  The second time involved some drama.  End of the day, pouring rain and we blow out a radiator hose 10 kms from a town called Gympie which I think is going to be the new name for our van.  Another call and this time a free tow ride into town arriving just as things are closing down on a Friday ...

Had a good flight up from Brisbane to Cairns - albiet that the airport train had a slight hitch over signalling at the first station, but we did make it to the airport on time to meet check-in. On arrival at Cairns, we met up with our pre-arranged transport to Port Douglas and got to the hotel in Port Douglas about 1400hrs. Thankfully, tropical cyclone Hamish did not make landfall and was travelling south from Cairns and didn't interrupt our travel plans. Yesterday, we took a ...

... close and it was pretty awesome seeing them in their natural habitat. We saw a couple of baby crocs as well. From a distance, as we were advancing in the river, we saw the main event, the old man Fat Albert himself, swimming across the river. He was MASSIVE! Fat Albert was probably at least 4-5m long (at least 15ft)! Adult male saltwater crocodiles can be as large as 6m. Though lazy and not eating on a daily basis, from Wiki ...

... spiders didn't bother me but it was the thought of knowing there are so many snakes around that scared the **** out of me! As we walked around I tried not to look up into the trees because I was afraid of what I might see! I also walked in the middle of the walkway so if something jumped out at me I had somewhere to go! You are probably laughing reading this but it was a very traumatising experience for me! The noise of all the animals and insects was the worst and really ...

... of the birds as they wander freely amongst the guests. Rainforest Habitat is an award winning wildlife park providing visitors with a window to life within a tropical rainforest and the unique rainforest ecosystem. Visitors have the opportunity to observe a large range of flora and fauna up close. Wander by the wetlands
and lagoons, where the lakes and waterfalls inside the shaded canopy help simulate the conditions of the true rainforest.

Port Douglas, Queensland, Australia ladyhawknz