Greetings, everyone! I thought I would share some pics and thoughts from our recent trip to Australia. In case you don’t know, Australia is a vast, diverse environment comprised of beaches, tropical wetlands, rain forests, mountains, farmlands, and last but certainly not least – the Outback. My wife and I were in Cairns for this trip; we are repeat visitors to Australia. The climate in Cairns is similar to Hawaii and very tropical. Residents of Cairns spend much of their time outdoors enjoying the beautiful scenery and climate.
First off, we took a drive up in the mountains to Lake Morris which supplies Cairns with its water supply. This lake is tucked in the mountains several thousand feet above sea level. The city has protected the lake by not allowing humans to ever access the lake – only the surrounding terrain. The lake is pristine in every way – no pollution. Many people come up for the day have lunch and enjoy the natural beauty of this place.
Next up is a couple of pics of Trinity Beach – one of the favorite beaches around Cairns. American soldiers in WW II trained on this beachhead for their deployments to the South pacific. Ample parking, uncrowded beach access and restaurants and bars across the street provide a fun, relaxing day at the beach. Watch out for an occasional crock on the beach!
We then took a drive northward through the Daintree Rain forest to Cookstown. This route requires 4- wheel drive as there is only one way in (Ferry) and one way out on the north end of the park. As you leave the north end, you drive on packed dirt roads through the rainforest crossing streams, climbing hills and eventually leading to blacktop pavement after 60 miles or so.
Here is a shot of whom we consider to be our extended family – Chris and Murray Jarvis of Australia on Cape Tribulation beach. This beach is located on the north end of the Daintree rainforest. It is one of the most photographed beaches in the world. Of course, they also look great!
Below is a picture of the lighthouse in Capetown. The northeastern Australian town is famously named after Capt. Cook – the original explorer of Australia by the Caucasian race in the late 1700’s. Capt. Cook crashed his boat on one of the many coral reefs that you can barely observe in the picture.
And here is a picture of one of the falls of Crystal Cascades, a park located just outside of Cairns city. The falls originate high in the mountains and flow through the rock waterfalls for several miles. Locals come and swim in the crystal clear, invigorating water (14-16C) year-round. We were there in winter but still managed to take a swim! One of the most beautiful places I have seen. Most of the creeks/streams in Cairns are so clean, locals all swim there.
Below a picture of me bungee jumping at the AJ Hackett facility by Trinity Beach in Cairns. This was a present to me for my 59’th Birthday. All the extended family was there to cheer me on. A really fun and exciting experience!
And finally, on our return flight from Cairns to Sydney, we had a day to walk around and see the sights. Several must-sees/do in Australia is climb the Sydney Harbor Bridge, have some food at Darlington Harbor and see the Opera House. The Vivid light show was an ongoing event at night and was simply breathtaking.
Hopefully, this will give you a sense of just a few of the sights and attractions of this awesome country. We hope to go back many times as we always have a great time in Australia. Thanks to all our extended family and friends in Australia and to my Axxys team members for the hard work while I was away.
Cheers Mate!
