Daintree Rainforest & Cape Tribulation

Well it has been quite an adventure so far. We have already moved onto the next location and have arrived safely in Brisbane. However I have been slacking and forgot to write about our Daintree Rainforest adventure on our last day in Cairns. The rainforest was nice but a bit hot, sweaty, humid. You will never catch me spending more than a few hours in the rainforest. It was quite lovely though. We did a day tour and started off at a beautiful lookout.

After that we stopped off at the beach in Port Douglass.

Next stop was the Daintree Rainforest national park. We went on a few walks then had some grilled fish for lunch at this picnic area by the river. We also got to see the Daintree insect museum. It was pretty cool too.

After lunch we got back on the bus and headed to Cape Tribulation Beach. Aka. Where the reef meets the rainforest.

To end the day we had a Crocodile tour on a little boat on the Daintree River. We did spot a few crocs so that was pretty exciting!

I would have to say our time in Cairns was really fun but I am so excited to be in Brisbane and to see what that has to offer. It has been a bit wet so far so we haven't done much. We thought we were escaping the rainy season by traveling further south but little did we know a cyclone was coming!!! It has been raining the past two days and half the streets here are flooded. I think tomorrow will be nice so Cassie and I plan to go look at houses for a more permanent living situation. We plan to stay in Brisbane for 2-3 months. Maybe longer if I get a good job here. Everyone here is so nice and welcoming. I can't wait to get out of the house and explore the city a bit when the rain stops!

Atherton Tablelands

The other day we did a tour of the Atherton Tablelands. It was sooo much fun. We started the tour by visiting the Cathedral Fig Tree which is one of the largest trees in Australia.

Then we went swimming in an extinct volcanic crater lake called Lake Eacham. It was SO beautiful. 

Then we got to swim in some waterfalls

Millaa Millia Falls 

Millaa Millia Falls 

Josephine Falls

And did I mention we got to swing from vines....

Pretty crazy day. xoxo

Palm Cove Beach

Yesterday Cassie and I had a little girls day and went to Palm Cove beach. It was a really cute town. We walked along the beach, did some shopping, ate the most wonderful veggie burgers ever, and ended the day sipping wine on some rocks by the beach.

Trinity Beach

Today was nice and sunny so of course we took advantage and went to near by Trinity Beach. I must say...my tan is coming along quite nicely. The sun was hot, breeze was cool, and the ocean waves were high.

We saw some jelly fish on the beach so Cassie and I were pleased with our "stinger suit" purchases.

We hiked up this giant rock and then just relaxed on the beach for most of the day. We came across a fresh coconut on the beach so Daniel cracked it open and we all had a bite. I thought that was pretty cool.

Cairns Wildlife Dome

Yesterday was a very rainy day in Cairns. Since we were unable to make it to the beach we went to a indoor zoo in the city. Lets just say it was one of the best days of my life!!!!! It was really cool being able to walk around and interact with the animals so closely. We saw started the day watching a little talk about reptiles and I got to pet this little salt water crocodile. Then they brought out this little blue tongued lizard and I got to pet him too. 

We also got to see them feed a giant crocodile. It was crazy. One of my favorite parts of the day was getting to interact with the Wallaby's. A wallaby is a small macropod in the same family as a kangaroo. We learned that a macropod is an animal that carries its young in a pouch. They were so adorable and friendly until one of them tried to eat my hair and Cassie's rain jacket!!! I decided to stop playing with them after that. haha 

Obviously the highlight of my day was this:

I am pretty sure that was the best $20 i've ever spent. It is pretty safe to say Koalas are now one of my favorite animals. I wish I could take him home with me. Our first zoo adventure was pretty great. The next zoo on our list is the Brisbane zoo and I can not wait. I hope to hold more Koalas while in Australia. Maybe i'll get a job at a zoo and I can play with them all day? Dream job. 

First Pub Crawl

So last night we went on our first pub crawl and had such a good time. We went to 5 different bars/nightclubs in the city. I really enjoyed Lyquid and Gillagins. We danced all night long.

It was a bit rainy but that didn't keep us inside!

Fitzory Island

We have been having the most wonderful time in Australia so far. Yesterday we took a day trip on a ferry to Fitzory Island.  We were stunned by the beauty of the crystal clear & turquoise water. When we first arrived on the island we decided to hike to the lighthouse at the top of the mountain. Cassie & I thought we were in pretty good shape but that hike kicked our asses. 

 

Once we got to the top it was all worth it for the amazing view. 

After making it back down the mountain we spent the rest of the day on the beach soaking up the sun and snorkelling on the Great Barrier Reef. I saw some pretty cool fish, a jelly fish, and a HUGE sting ray!! It was so awesome.