Jim Travels The World

Day 6 Today was a less active day. We went to Hartley's crocodile adventure park about 25k south of Port douglas. It's a small zoo-like place with crocodiles, koalas, red kangas, wallabies, snakes, and cassowary, which is lke an emu. We got to see the deadliest snake in the world, the taipan. Also, massive spiders and crazy plants. Plus crocodiles feeding. An interesting experience. We saw some guys from some American tv show "crusty demons" shooting in the park. Day 7 Another sunrise at the beach, and we explored the beach a bit (4 mile beach). Packed up, headed north up captain cook highway. We stopped first at massman gorge, then we hit the Daintree area. We went on a rainforest walk through the trees along a boardwalk.  Hiking trails here are all on boardwalks, to protect the forest floor. It's funny how every place we visit has some placard indicating it has won some Queensland tourism award. Im sure its not just a marketing ploy... Then a couple beaches, lei...

Day 5 Up early enough to catch the end of the sunrise on the beach 200m from our caravan park. Beautiful. Bus picked us up at 8, took us the the wharf for our snorkel tour.  Boat ride out the the reef was about 90 minutes, bumpy in the windy ocean. We first stop at a shallow section of the reef. Lycra wetsuits on, to protect from the jellies and the sun. Get in the water, right away I see a jelly.  He's easy to avoid though. Port Douglas is apparently the most dangerous place on earth. We swim around the reef for about an hour. The sights underwater are incredible: fishes, sea creatures on the reef.  found: nemo It's a bit hard for to enjoy it cuz I haven't snorkeled since I was 14, and i'm out of practice; I get a lot of ocean water in my nose and mouth. Throat hurts. back in the boat, a short ride to another section. This time it s a guided snorkel tour, with our marine biologist guide showing us various creatures from the reef. Then lunch, then one more boat ride ...

Day 3 (contd) Flight to cairns. The scenery is quite a but different, lush rainforest mountains next to ocean. Steamy, humid. Cairns is a surf town with no surfing, because the reef prevents waves. We check into our hostel (my first ever hostel stay), and explore the town's cheap souvenir shops.   Day 4 Breakfast in cairns, then pick up the caravan. Its the same kind as we had in the grampians. Drive south towards Milla Milla to do the waterfall circuit. We saw different 6 waterfalls over the next few hours.  Millaa Millaa falls, one of the most famous in Oz Raining a lot. One hike warns of a plant that has leaves with stinger barbs that attach if you come in contact with it. The stingers inject neurotoxins that cause intense pain for months. Yikes.  strangler ferns overtake and kill any tree they come in contact with. life is dangerous for everything here in the tropics.  We drive back up north past cairns, to port Douglas. Port Douglas in nice, like a resort town...

Day one: melbourne to Sydney to ayers rock (Uluru). Warmer, dryer. Immediately reminds me of Utah. Red, flat. Shuttle to hotel. It's on a resort, which is the only thing around for many many miles. Because of that, all the prices for everything: gas a, lodging, food, shuttles to the rock, are all ridiculously expensive. To spend the next three days at the rock and nearby katja-tutu will cost us over $300, just in shuttle fees. Fuck that. We go rent a car. The resort is connected to the little town of Yulara . While exploring the town, I came across my first 'real' aborigines. I mean, we've seen aboriginals in Melbourne, but these were like the ones you see on tv: with ragged clothes, nappy hair, smell like haven't bathed in awhile. There's a racist joke Aussies tell: "I got a tattoo of an aboriginal on my arm, and now my arm doesn't work!" Sunset in the Uluru-kata tjutu national park. Can't see much, cloudy. Sunset not too impressive with sky g...

(JEH May 24 2010 - after having visited uluru and queensland, i've now updated the list with new notes and priorities) After having lived (4 days shy of) a year now in Australia, Lisa and I have seen and done quite a lot. Here's a list of some must-do items if you're considering visiting the red continent: 1. Tasmania . I can't stress this enough. this place is other-worldly. Hire a campervan and spend a week just tramping around the state, seeing the pristine beaches , snow-capped peaks , and tropical waterfalls . If you're after a closeup of exotic Aussie wildlife, this is the best place to do it. 2. The Great Barrier Reef . Essential. I've rated Tassie higher because it's such a smorgasbord of awesomeness, but a visit to the reef cannot be missed. We went via port douglas , a beautiful beach town. also check out Cape Tribulation while in the area. (do not base yourself in Cairns. it's ghetto) 3. Sydney . See Darling Harbour (I recommend getting a st...

friday, xavier rudd played a show at the palace in melbourne. xavier is an artist from nearby Torquay. I got into him just a few months before moving to Oz. He's a bit like the more-famous John Butler, but has more of what the Aussies would call " bush band " feel (no, not Gavin Rossdale). More like roots-rock. anyway, he put on a killer show, full of dancing, hoopin and hollerin, and a good time was had by all. in other, sad news, about ten minutes into the show, my old trusted friend, my Kodak V570 7.1 Mp Wide-angle dual lens camera finally died after four years of faithful service. RIP. next week, more music as we're seeing Vampire Weekend down by the Docklands