Port Douglas

We spent a full week at Port Douglas, near Cairns. We stayed at Peppers Links in a VERY nice 2-bedroom condo. This was definitely our little piece of luxury for the trip.  The weather was much as you would expect in the middle of a rainforest in the rainy season. Quite warm and VERY sultry. Lots of rain... the last two days of our stay we received over 200 mm (8 inches) of rain per day.

The Great Barrier Reef is located off the coast of Australia and Port Douglas is one of the main cities where you can catch a ride to go diving or snorkeling.  We went on a Quicksilver "tour" of the outer reef. Clark and I both had a great time swimming with the fish. Christopher clung to a parent and refused to wear a mask and look underwater. That was fine because they had a semi-submersible submarine ride where he got to see many different kinds of coral and fish. Overall a very nice way to spend a day: visiting Nemo and his friends.

Underwater photos not available at this time.

Another of our favorite excursions was to a crocodile farm and tourist park, Hartley's Crocodile Adventure. It is illegal to hunt crocodile in the wild, but farming is a great way to satisfy all of the clothing hounds in the world. Or so we were told. There were pens filled with small (mostly female) crocodiles.  They also had a bunch of other native animals in the tourist park. Christopher got to feed some cassowaries, get up close and personal with some snakes, and even pet a baby croc (note the rubber band around its snout).  We also watched a crocodile attack show where a CRAZY man repeatedly taunted a very large crocodile with a chicken carcass. Didn't seem very smart to me, but he did still have all of his limbs.

What trip to Cairns would be complete without at least visiting the rainforest??? We took a day tour through the rainforest. It was VERY hot, as expected in the summer. We rode above the canopy on a very long gondola ride, visited a small village (with a butterfly preserve), and rode a train back to civilization. I'm glad I did it once, but I don't think I need to go back.

Clark visited the butterflies while Christopher and Jana played in the park. We got to see how tense relations are between the native Aboriginal population and the local police.   Should anyone be harrassed simply for having a picnic with their families in a public park?

We were near the end of the train so we were able to get a shot of the falls with the train in the foreground.

Mossman Gorge. Isn't it beautiful? Definitely my idea of a rainforest.

The last place we visited in the Cairns area was the Tjabokai Cultural Center. The performer showed us some native dances (see the human kangaroo?) and demonstrated some aspects of aboriginal life: making fire, food and medicine, weapons.  Unfortunately due to the weather, we were unable to try out the boomerangs and spears ourselves. Christopher was in a major cranky mood so we were also unable to watch the other performances that were available.  I would definitely recommend a visit to the cultural center if you are ever in the vicinity.

One of Christopher's favorite activities on this vacation was throwing things in the ocean. Here you can see he has a coconut husk. Must be a dry one, the ones that were waterlogged were too heavy.

Our beach at Port Douglas, as seen at sea level, and from the top of the hill in town.

Home     Photos of Brisbane