Back in 2005, Anna and I took a trip to the land down under. Since we lived in Guam, it was a pretty short trip. We simply HAD to go because Anna had spent a year in a small city in Northeast Australia called Townsville. So, we decided to take two weeks and visit the towns of Cairns and Townsville for the first week, and Sydney for the second.
Our journey began in the northern tourist mecca of Cairns (pronounced Cannes … like “cans” of soup). It is the only destination in Australia that is a direct flight from Guam and only a 3 hour plane ride.
Australia is a country that is perhaps as diverse as the US. In the north, there are lush tropical rainforests, temperate mountains in the southeast, and arid desert in the center.
Here is a picture of us taking the gondola into the Daintree National Rainforest.
We spent the day exploring the forest and the little village at the top of the mountain, Kuranda Cultural Rainforest Village.
To come back down we opted for a train ride.
Anna enjoying the landscape slide by:
Back in Townsville, we went to the Billabong wildlife sanctuary. It was like a very elaborate petting zoo in the US. Most animals were roaming free and it was great to be able to interact with them. In fact, I even got to hold this wombat in my lap.
Of course, there were plenty of koalas there to see (and even some to hold!). It’s interesting to note that early European settlers called the Koala the “Native Bear” of Australia. This is a misconception. A koala is a marsupial that is not a bear of any kind. So, if you go, please don’t call them koala bears. 🙂
This is one of Anna’s long-time friends that we met with, Janine.
Another picture of Janine holding a very affable koala.
Here’s another very common marsupial in Australia, the kangaroo. I think combined with the koala, these are the quintessential or signature animals of Australia, at least from an American perspective. Oh, you’ll note that the joey (young ‘roo) is still in it’s mother’s pouch.
Yes, we even got to feed them. It kind of reminded me of feeding a deer. There is some similarity in the way deer and kangaroos look, plus they are both very shy and retiring by nature.
This little croc wasn’t quite as cuddly…
Another interesting fact is that 8 of the world’s 10 deadliest snakes live in Australia. So, if you see one in the wild, there’s a good chance it’s poisonous. Fortunately, this was a python and not dangerous.
I wasn’t about to hold THIS crocodile…
Later that week, we took a ferry out to Magnetic Island, just off shore from Townsville. Here is Anna and I as we hiked from one side to the other:
We even tried the phone booths to call back to the States and talk to family.
Back in Townsville again, Janine, Anna and I went to the beach. As you can see, the water is a bit different here than in Guam. It also has a barrier to keep the sharks and jellies (jellyfish) away. A bit constraining, but still fun to play in the water.
There is some truth to the belief that everyone surfs in Australia. The lifeguards certainly do.
Anna and Janine, taking in the sun.
Our last night in Townsville, Anna’s Australian “Mum and Dad” (that she lived with when she was here before), took us out to a very nice dinner. I was glad to have finally met them, after I heard so much about them for so long. They were every bit as nice and welcoming as Anna said they were. That is true for most every Aussie we met. A very warm, open, and welcoming culture.
Then we sadly had to part ways and head back to Cairns for another day. This time, we decided to take a trip out to the Great Barrier Reef (which take an hour and a half by boat in most places).
We went to a place called Green Island. Fortunately, there was a very speedy ferry to make the trip in only about 45 min.
While out there, we decided to see how it was to dive and snorkel. It was nice, but surprisingly, didn’t seem a whole lot better than diving in Guam. I am sure there are many places that are amazing to dive on the Great Barrier Reef(it is after all over 2,000 kilometers long), but our choice was less than amazing. However, it was a great day, and while we didn’t see any sharks (as I was hoping), we did run into a number of sea turtles, which are always fun to watch.
So, that concluded out time in Northern Australia. We hopped a domestic flight down to Sydney and began the second week, in what has become one of our top 5 favorite cities in the world.
–Jim
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Our Family Story.