Judy & Brian Tour Oz

  Port Douglas Qld July 28th 2023 Turned out rather a nice day, no rain and lots of sunshine between cloudy bits. We went on the now rather lame Lady Douglas cruise up the Dickson Inlet. We’ve done this maybe four times before and I guess we’re just a bit over it.  They managed to find two small crocodiles, so they got a tick-in-the-box, but we probably won't bother again. Apart from anything else, the skipper kept banging on about how crocodiles only eat once or twice a year, which I'm sure is just plain wrong. Research shows that a crocodile can last for up to three years without a feed, they normally feed on ‘snacks’ every few days. Baby saltwater crocodile, maybe 60cm long. Dickson Inlet Port Douglas Qld The marina is looking tired an unloved. Today we hear that it was bought a few years back by some billionaire who wanted to pull it down and build two, yes two, huge hotels on the site. So, all the tenants closed their businesses and left and the builders started pulli...

Lotus Bird Lodge, Cape York Qld Sunday 7 Aug 2022 (2 nights) Sunday Another early start and this time we turned right out of town and headed north. A new road and a new adventure for us. Out onto the dirt roads and after some time we stopped at the Old Laura Homestead, the first cattle run on Cape York, established to supply the gold fields on the Palmer River and  Laura township with fresh meat. The run changed hands many years ago and the new owners built themselves a new homestead and abandoned this one. It has since been fixed-up a bit and stabilised and it is now a major tourist attraction in the parts. Old Laura Homestead, Qld Outbuilding. Old Laura Homestead Qld From the old homestead we travelled further north to Laura the town proper, established in 1880 or so when the gold fever struck the area. About all that is left is the Laura Cultural and Information centre, which is quite good, has a very informative history of the district and some good artwork. It is owned a...

Another beautiful day in Far North Qld, so we chose to head back to Port Douglas for lunch and a cruise on the Lady Douglas, which travels up Dixon Inlet which is behind the town. We have been hearing all about how the winter months are the best for the wildlife, especially birds, which come done south from Cape York as the wetlands dry up. Sadly, our tally so far, apart from the Jocana on the wetlands in Cairns itself, we have seen: 3x crocodiles, family of Ospreys and Greater Egret. Here's a few shots from todays tour: Quite a few of these once glorious and idiotically expensive craft left abandoned in the mud. The Skipper was suggesting it's because you can't get full insurance for private craft and when it all goes pear-shaped, it's easier to just cut and run. Port Douglas Qld Alpha croc - 4m. Resting up after making a meal of a lesser croc - 2.5m the previous day. Port Douglas Qld Top end of Dixon inlet. Look closely, there's our lone Greater ...

Up early, 6am, for the sunrise billabong cruise. Even though we did this cruise, during the day, last year, it was still a very pleasant way to spend a few hours and learn a bit more about the flora and fauna from our well informed tour guide. Highlight had to be the new female croc in the pond who took quite an interest in our boat, swimming out to us and hanging about, probably looking for a feed! The guide reckoned it was new up from the salt water as its colourings were quite bright and not yet covered in algae. We also came across Boss Croc in whose pond we were sailing. The guides and rangers keep telling everyone how crocodiles learn human (and other animal) behaviour prior to making a strike. Such things as putting a boat in the river every day at the same time, checking lobster pots everyday at the same time, walking their favourite 4 legged food along the river bank every day at the same time etc. Now it strikes us as odd that given that behaviour, they continue to load 5 b...

Well, yes I know I said never, never ever again, but there we were, waiting for the luxury 4x4 bus to take us out for the day. At least it's only 140km and a fair bit of that on sealed road. Naturally, we assumed that the Derby Town Bus, a 20 seater Toyota pulling into to the van park, would be ours. It was. At least it was neat and clean, appeared to be roadworthy and potentially more comfortable than the last one. Just out of town we turn onto the world famous (i'm not over using that am i?) Gibb River Road that runs for almost 900km from Derby to Whyndam and was originally conceived as a stock route in the 1860's. It is feared by caravanners who unless they have the ruggedised off road van, universally take the highway back through Fitzroy Crossing and Halls Creek. The first 100km takes us out to the Windjana Gorge turnoff and doesn't seem so bad: it is a patchwork of proper sealed road, corrugated dirt road and 'developmental' road. Developmental means...