Category Archives: Wicked Road Trip 2009

Travel, Wicked Road Trip 2009

To Undara and it’s Wildlife

Posted by on September 22, 2009 at 11:21 am.

When I was flipping through my Lonely Planet Queensland Guidebook figuring out where I wanted to go on this roadtrip, I came across the Undara Lava Tubes and knew I had to go there. Considering Lonely Planet only points out two things within a days drive in inner-Queensland on it’s main map and Undara is one of them, I thought a lot more people would have travelled there. I was surprised to find that only one person I asked on this trip had heard of it, and he was a Queenslander!

Far North Queensland and the East Coast is beautiful and has stunning beaches. But after a while, you do just feel like you need to go back to the bush. I was really looking forward to my trip to Undara.

Road Work Stop on the Way to Undara

Road Work Stop on the Way to Undara

The journey from Townsville to Undara is (to put it politely) hellish. You think Rockhampton to Sarina was bad? This route is not only completely bare, but for the most part it’s only one lane wide! Queensland is doing a lot of road work and this section is a huge project. If you ever drive here, make sure you’re well rested because you don’t want to hit something coming at you straight on at 100 km/hr, especially if it’s a giant truck or road train. In case you don’t know what a road train is (I didn’t until I saw one), it’s a big truck with a few connecting sections like a train and it rides on the road swerving every which way. Passing a road train on a two-lane highway is scary and trying to pass it on a one-lane road with gravel sides is just suicidal.

On my way to Undara, I got so sleepy I had to pull over and take a cat nap (or as they call it in Oz, a “nana-nap”). After 15 minutes of sleep, I washed my face, stuffed a chunk of chocolate in my mouth and headed off because I didn’t want to miss the Undara Wildlife at Sunset Tour which starts at 5:15pm each night.

The Undara Experience Wildlife at Sunset Tour

The Tour Group

The Tour Group

The Wildlife at Sunset tour is a short one (2 hours) that takes you in a bus around the national park to try and spot different types of kangaroos and wallaroos, and then up to a lookout point for fruit and cheese at sunset. After that, you head to the entrance of a cave to take pictures of microbats.

In my humble opinion, this is probably the most entertaining tour for kids. There were a few on this tour bus and they were shouting left and right “oh, there’s a kangaroo!” and “there’s one!!” I’ve seen my fair share of macropods so seeing them from a bus wasn’t that exciting, but it was interesting to learn about the different species. I learned that the kind of kangaroo you eat at restaurants is most likely Eastern Grey Kangaroo (the bigger ones), and the lighter coloured wallabies are usually female. We learned a lot of other little facts, but I won’t bore you with them. You can Wiki it.

The sunset was really nice and the families had a great time taking family portraits. I was keen to get to the bat caves though because I really wanted to see some microbats.

We got to the cave and sort of saw the bats… I mean, they were there and all and you could see swarms of something flying around and hear them. But, I really couldn’t see anything distinctly bat-like! It was dark by then and it was as if we were being swarmed by really big moths. They seemed really light and fast but I couldn’t tell how big they were or what they looked like. We attempted to take several photos in the entrance of the bat cave which is where I at least saw some bat shadows from the camera flashes and caught a picture of one. But that was it for the bats. I’ll admit, I was a little disappointed.

At the end of the tour, we drove back and I was knackered from a combination of lack of sleep from the night before and driving for about five hours. I fell asleep in the Wicked Camper soon after we got back to the Undara campervan / lodge site and missed dinner.

Tips for Road Tripping Travellers to Undara

  1. Fill your tank to the brim before heading out to Undara and again at Greenvale (if you’re coming from Townsville). Gas stations are very few and far between (about 100km between), and the prices skyrocket from about $1.27 / L in Townsville to $1.80 / L in Undara. Ouch!
  2. If you have a radio handset, bring it with you on this trip. You can communicate with the road train drivers on a specific channel (I think it was Channel 40?) to ask them to stop so you can pass them.
  3. Book your tours before you get there! I came across two families who were at Undara for the second time because they didn’t book ahead the first time and there was no more room on the tours. Bookings really are essential for this place.
  4. Because Undara is several hundred meters above sea level, it gets chillier up there at night than along the coast. Bring a jacket with you if you go on a night tour.
  5. There are two tour operators that can take you to the Undara Lava Tubes park: Undara Experience and Bedrock Village. Undara Experience is more popular and has been around longer (there’s a whole history about the area and the family that owns Undara Experience), but if you find yourself in the area and the Undara Experience tours are booked out, try Bedrock Village. It’s a further drive which also means the tours are longer to account for the drive back to the national park.
  6. Undara Experience also functions as a starting point for the free day hikes in the area. If you don’t have the money to do a tour, stop here anyways for free day parking and go for a hike. Remember to sign in and out just in case something happens! *knocks on wood*
  7. If you’re heading to Undara, check the Undara Experience website for directions. They’re really good about pointing out where you can stop along the way etc. I’ve gotta hand it to them, they’re one of (if not THE) most organized tour operators I’ve come across. I’m very impressed.

Many thanks to Emily and Andrew at Undara Experience for organizing my stay and tours at Undara! :)

Travel, Wicked Road Trip 2009

Where to Begin?

Posted by on September 22, 2009 at 9:56 am.
At Macca's

At Macca’s

Ahoy folks! I’m finally in a place that has both phone and internet reception. Hooray!

My apologies to my poor sister who was worried that she hadn’t heard from me in a couple of days. Part of her voicemail message “Tweet something already!! TWEET!” I tried phoning her as soon as I got the message, but the phone reception at the time (in Millaa Millaa) was only good enough for local calls and my international call wouldn’t go through. Sorry Ang!!

I’ve spent the last few days in inner-Queensland at the Undara Lava Tubes and Paronella Park. I have so many pictures and things to tell you that I’m not sure where to start. I guess the beginning is best… Blog posts to come in the next few hours while I sit at Macca’s (pronounced “mackers”) in Mackay (pronounced “mah-kai”) and sort all my pictures!

Travel, Wicked Road Trip 2009

A Wicked Day with Sam

Posted by on September 18, 2009 at 8:39 am.
Sam showing the Wicked Camper kitchen to Channel 7

Sam showing the Wicked Camper kitchen to Channel 7

On the night before the Wicked Campers — Townsville Enterprise Launch, I stuck my head out of the side of the van to watch the stars. You can see so many more when you stay at a caravan park off the highway because there are hardly any lights around. To get to and from the camp kitchen and washroom I would have to bring my little hand-crank light with me to see where I was going. I thought about spending the night with the van door open so I could fall asleep watching the stars, but I’m glad I didn’t because it was the first night on this road trip where it rained!

It’s a good thing Townsville had a proper rainfall that night and yesterday morning because my Wicked Camper was really filthy and media crews filmed and took pictures of it for the Wicked Campers — Townsville Enterprise Launch yesterday.

I didn’t know what we were doing until we were actually doing it. All I knew was that I should meet Sam from Wicked Campers at the Rock Pool at 9am for this media launch. I tried looking for news about the launch on the Townsville Enterprise website but didn’t find anything. It wasn’t until that morning while I was listening to the news on the radio that I found out what it was all about: Townsville Enterprise (basically the Tourism department for Townsville) commissioned Wicked Campers to paint four of their vans with Townsville tourism inspired themes, and they were going to reveal them at the launch.

Me and Renae from Channel 7 in front of my Wicked Camper

Me and Renae from Channel 7 in front of my Wicked Camper

I hadn’t expected to receive much attention at the launch since I didn’t know what it was about, so I didn’t bother putting on make-up or dressing up. Cassie at Wicked Campers said it’d be ok just to wear jeans so that’s exactly what I did. I wouldn’t have been able to wear make-up anyways because I’ve tanned so much on this trip that my make-up doesn’t match my skin tone anymore! LOL

Everyone was super-casual anyways and Sam and I were interviewed by Channel 7, Channel 9 Win News, and the Townsville Bulletin. I’m kinda excited to see the Townsville Bulletin article actually because the photographer took a lot of photos and at least one of them must’ve turned out well. :)

After the launch, Sam and I went to Reef HQ and had lunch at the Seaview Hotel where they serve Sam’s favourite ceasar salad. It was a massive salad and looked really good. I had the Seaview burger which was pretty big too. Then we walked it off on The Strand and made a visit to the look-out at Castle Hill. If you’re in Townsville for the day, you must visit Castle Hill. There’s nothing up there except the views, but it gives you a good idea of how big and spread out Townsville really is. Sam gave me her version of a “cook’s tour” and we headed to Rowes Bay to camp for the night.

Rowes Bay also has a really nice walking path that’s very popular among the joggers and cyclists. I learned a lot from Sam on this walk about all sorts of things and I thought I’d share a few tips from her:

Sam’s Tips for Travellers

  1. Some sharks can swim backwards! I was always told that if you were attacked by a shark, to punch it in the nose so that it would drown going backwards. First of all, I learned that you can’t punch anything underwater with enough force to make a difference. Second, some sharks can actually swim backwards and in really shallow waters (I’m talking 2 – 3 inches) so making it go backwards won’t make a difference; it can still get you.
  2. If you do get attacked by a shark, you should hit it right by the gills because that’s where they’re most sensitive. This is what dolphins do if they’re attacked.
  3. If you get bitten by a crocodile, it will try to roll you in the water to drown you. Before it starts to roll, you should hit it between the eyes. Crocs aren’t the brightest and can’t blink and close their mouths at the same time so their reflex is to open the mouth to release you.
  4. If you’re hunting kangaroo, you should shoot it in the head. Not only is this the humane way to kill a roo, but it’s the only way to make sure  your meat is tender. The area around the shot area doesn’t taste as good but you don’t eat the head anyways so shooting it there doesn’t make a difference.

After our walk around Rowes Bay, Sam made lamb cutlets with honey mustard sauce and rice for dinner. YUM! This is the first time where I’ve actually had real food cooked on the camp stove. I didn’t even mind getting my usual 3 – 4 insect bites while we were cooking. :)

PS My apologies that the order of the pictures is all wonky! The NextGEN application I’m using hasn’t been letting me sort my pictures the way I want for a few days now. :(

Next Stop

I’m actually writing this in a bit of a rush because I’m heading off to the Undara Lava Tubes today (it takes 5 – 6 hours to drive there from Townsville)! I’m really looking forward to it. Most tourists never go there because it’s so out of the way and in the middle of Queensland but that’s the advantage to travelling in a campervan: you get to go places you normally wouldn’t be able to. :)

The Best Job in the World, Travel, Wicked Road Trip 2009

Kickin’ About in Townsville with Mitch

Posted by on September 15, 2009 at 12:10 pm.
Mitch and me

Mitch and me

Yesterday I picked up Mitch in Cairns and we headed down to Townsville where he’s currently going to school. I was really looking forward to having a travel partner even if it was only for an afternoon and it was so nice to have someone to chat with on the road.

On the way down, we were going to go on a canopy walk but the sign took us to farm country and there were no more signs after the first one so we turned around and got back on the Bruce Highway after 10 minutes.

When we got into town, we got lost trying to find his university and my internet connection is so bad in Townsville that Google maps wouldn’t work. You’d think Mitch would know the way to his own university seeing as how he’s been here for a few months already eh? LOL (I’m just teasing you Mitch! ;) ) It was already dark by the time we found it (we stalked a bus to get there), so we had dinner at his dorm kitchen and I spent the night in the Wicked Camper in the parking lot.

Today we were going to go to Magnetic Island courtesy of Townsville Enterprise and Wicked Campers, but poor Mitch is feeling ill. Hopefully he’ll feel better tomorrow. *crosses fingers*

Travel, Wicked Road Trip 2009

Feeding the Fish

Posted by on September 15, 2009 at 11:16 am.

Alf and Liz at Queensland Armchair Guide helped arrange a three-day trip for me with New Horizon on their Santa Maria sail boat. I just got back last night, and it’s definitely an experience I won’t forget!

Side Note: This post was written on Monday morning (September 14) but I couldn’t get a proper internet connection to upload the pictures until Tuesday (September 15), which is why the posting was delayed.

Day One

The Group and Crew in front of the Santa Maria in Cairns when we docked on the last day

The Group and Crew in front of the Santa Maria in Cairns when we docked on the last day

I didn’t have enough time on Friday morning to eat breakfast, and I’m very thankful for it! I arrived on the dock early, but the crew was already ready to greet us with coffee, tea and croissants. There were seven of us tourists (Isabel, Jose, Julianna, Collin, Marc, Anna, and me), and three crew members: Lucy the hostess, Jonny (aka “Jay”) the diving instructor, and Shaun the Captain (I hope I spelled that correctly).

The first hour was great! I changed into my swimsuit, lathered on the sunscreen, had a coffee and croissant and chatted with my fellow tourists on the deck. After a little while though, I started to feel a little dizzy and unbalanced, so I went to the back of the boat and took a nap. When I got up, I don’t remember why I wanted to go down to the cabins, but I was trying to walk across the back area to the cabin entrance when I slammed into the side of the boat as it rocked back and forth and really bruised my left arm and butt (which still hurts). Oh boy was going down to the cabin a bad idea… You get a hundred times sicker being down there! As soon as I reached the toilet, I was ready to puke.

Seeing the bits of croissant floating in the yellow vomit and feeling the sting of the acidity of the coffee coming up through my nose was revolting. I wanted so badly to brush my teeth and rinse out my nose, but I couldn’t bring myself to stay in the cabin longer than the time it took to gurgle and spit.

The Toilet - Side note for tourists: Australians don't use the word "washroom"

The Toilet — Side note for tourists: Australians don’t use the word “washroom”

As I walked up the stairs, I took extra care to always grab a hold of something while moving to avoid another fall. And yet despite my careful efforts, I still managed to fall off the bench! I skinned my elbow and bruised my knees but eventually got to the very back of the boat where you’re supposed to feel the least sick. I remember someone (either Jay or Shaun) was telling me that I should sit on the other side of the boat, but before I could move I puked again. And again. It was both embarrassing and painful. Lucy handed me some papertowels and a cup of water. Gurgle. Spit.

I moved to the other side of the boat and what do you think happened? That’s right. Barforama. I don’t even know how many times I barfed before lunch. The whole thing is a little blurry now (blocking out the bad memories?). I sunk to the floor and felt lifeless and mushy. Shaun said it would help my seasickness to stare at the horizon. I stared at it like my life depended on it.

Lunchtime rolled around and while everyone was happily munching away, I was still feeling incredibly ill. I tried to eat, but as soon as I scooped some salad on my plate my stomach started acting up again. Lucy said it would help to get some fresh air so I went out on the deck with a cup of water and a piece of bread and tried to keep some of it down.

I don’t think I’ve ever had this much trouble eating. My hands were shaking and it seemed to take forever to chew each small bite. Those of you who know me, know that I take forever to finish a meal — this piece of bread took ten times longer! I started to feel a bit better (so I thought) and went back inside to eat some of the plain salad on my plate (I didn’t bother putting on dressing in case it triggered a bad response). Again, painfully slow.

Jose getting ready to dive

Jose getting ready to dive

After lunch, everyone got ready to go snorkelling and diving. Shaun and Isabel were telling me that swimming would help the seasickness. I took a ginger pill that Julianna and Collin gave me to calm my stomach, put on a wetsuit and got in. I did feel better being in control of my movements again, but I still felt really weak and nauseated. Anna gave me a Kwells for seasickness while I was in the water, but I don’t think it meshed well with the ginger pill. I started to get a massive headache.

After I had swallowed the Kwells, Anna was reading the cautions on the box and said that my vision might be impaired. As I was snorkelling, things started to get blurry and I couldn’t tell if it was the gear or my eyes so I started to worry. I swam back to the boat after only a few minutes of being in the water and struggled to take off the wetsuit. Shaun saw me tugging uselessly at my wetsuit to try and get it off my foot and came over to help.

Then it started all over again. BLEEEEHHHHHHHhh. It was a series of projectile red vomit (from the one beet slice and tomato pieces in the salad) right over the side. On the bright side, a school of huge fish came up to eat all the little chunks so I didn’t have to snorkel or dive to see them. They were the biggest fish I’d seen so far in Australia.

At this moment, I was more annoyed than anything else because I had spent so much time and effort trying to chew the food, and barfing right after lunch made it seem like a waste of time. At least it didn’t have enough time to get sour in my stomach so it didn’t sting coming back up.

I don’t remember what happened between this and around 5pm when the cheese and crackers were brought out. This was the first time I was able to keep something down. I ate a few crackers with cheese and apple slices and went down to the cabin to lie down. I skipped dinner because I was still feeling nauseated and felt sad lying there alone because I would wake up every now and again and could hear everyone laughing and having a great time up above. I couldn’t bring myself to join them though. I didn’t leave the cabin until morning.

Day Two

Happy not to be barfing on Day Two

Happy not to be barfing on Day Two

I felt immensely better when I woke up on Day Two and had a decent sized breakfast with muesli and lots of fruit salad. I really wanted to have some yogurt, but I’m lactose intolerant and while yogurt is usually ok, I didn’t want to risk it on this trip after the horror of Day One. I also skipped coffee. *gasp*

Everyone went snorkelling and / or diving again today along Thetford Reef and it was beautiful! I’ve never been so close to the reef or its wildlife before. The reef lies less than a meter from the surface of the water so I was extra-conscious of where my arms and flippers were to avoid hitting anything. It was amazing to be within arms reach of these beautiful corals and fish.

I’m still a little sad I missed out on snorkelling the first day at Flynn Reef because the weather was the nicest that day and the water was also the most clear. Anna had even seen a shark! :(

I tried to find a shark at Thetford Reef but had no luck in that department. I did see hundreds of little and big fish though of every colour you can think of. I saw huge clams too and heard this scraping sound which turned out to be a big turquoise parrot fish pecking at the reef.

After I came back on the deck, I watched the horizon for a while and saw something dark in the water. I thought it was one of the divers at first, but upon closer inspection saw that it was a big turtle! It didn’t come up for air, but it was still cool to follow it swimming alongside the boat.

Lunchtime and dinner were bloody fantastic! I was hungry from not having kept anything down the first day and happily ate with everyone else on the boat. At dinner time, the crew brought out a bottle of champagne and chocolate cake to celebrate Isabel and Jose’s recent marriage (they’re on their honeymoon right now). It was really nice to watch the stars from the boat deck at night.

Day Three

Sailing Back to Cairns

Sailing Back to Cairns

Boy oh boy was I looking forward to land!! Even though I was feeling a million times better than the first day, I still felt like I was on a boat. I had planned on going on at least one dive on this trip but the queasiness and slight fear of what the ocean was capable of was still there. I didn’t end up going on a single dive.

I went for another snorkel and got up close and personal with the reef and its many forms of colourful life. I got to see a flute-nosed fish that looked like a long silver pen, and the brightest little luminescent blue fish. They were lit up like they were equipped with high powered batteries. But the coolest thing I saw that day had to be Wally! Wally is this ENORMOUS Maori Wrasse (about a meter long) that likes to hang around boats. He looks massive from the boat, but when I jumped in and saw him for the first time underwater I actually yelled out “HOLY CRAP He’s HUGE!” He’s really friendly, but I still freaked out a bit when I first got close to him.

All in all, the three-day trip with New Horizon was an incredible experience that I won’t forget and it’s worth it to go if you’re sea-worthy and love to dive.

Thanks to New Horizon and Queensland Armchair Guide for arranging this trip for me! Thank you also to Shaun, Jonny and Lucy for making sure I didn’t fall off the boat and always had papertowels and water during and after a puke-fest!

Tips for Travellers

  1. Make sure you have a charged camera battery before you go on a diving or sailing trip because you won’t be able to charge anything on the boat.
  2. Take motion sickness medication with you!!
  3. If you go on a multi-day sailing trip, keep in mind that your shower time will be limited (about 3min maximum on the Santa Maria). There won’t be enough time to wash your hair but don’t worry, everyone is in the same boat (hardy-har-har).
  4. I think it’s a good idea to have a sweater with you at all times on a sailing trip with pockets to hold your sunglasses, sunscreen, camera etc. Going up and down to the cabin to get stuff is annoying and can be slightly dangerous if you’re as clumsy as I am.
  5. Bring a deck of cards or board game to keep yourself occupied while on a sail boat. There are many hours where you’ll have nothing to do but lounge.
  6. If you don’t know if you’re prone to seasickness, try a day-trip before a multi-day sailing trip like this one. New Horizon also offers two-day, one-night sailing trips. If the wind is up to 15 or 20 knots and you don’t get sick, you won’t have a problem. At about 25 knots, pretty much everyone will puke. It was only 12 knots on Day One of my trip and got up to 20 – 25 knots on Day Two. I was really proud of myself for not vomitting on Day Two. :)
Travel, Wicked Road Trip 2009

Cooktown and Inland Bound

Posted by on September 10, 2009 at 11:57 pm.
On the "Queen's Steps" at Cooktown

On the “Queen’s Steps” at Cooktown

The drive up Bloomfield Track up to the aboriginal community of Wujal Wujal was one scary but exciting ride. Though I didn’t need to use the 4WD on my Wicked Camper, it was nice to know that it was there. The track is labelled ‘4WD only’ and is closed whenever it has just rained, and during the wet season.

It’s been extraordinarily hot up here in Northern Queensland so the conditions were perfect for traversing the Bloomfield Track. Even though it hasn’t rained recently though, there were still a few very large puddles / miniature creeks that I had to drive through. The track winds this way and that and goes up and down some very steep hills. I didn’t (and couldn’t) go faster than 60km/hr the whole way. Even at 40 km/hr going downhill with the brakes on, my ears needed to be popped (THAT’s how steep it would get).

I stopped at Wujal Wujal for a quick bite and a rest from the vibrations. The road from that point on was incredibly dusty and I had to leave about 20 meters between me and the car in front at certain points because the trail of dust made it really difficult to see.

Once you get to Cooktown though, it’s just easy riding all the way through down the inland highway. I stopped at Cooktown to view some of the historical sites like the rock that marks the place where Captain James Cook breached the H.M.S. Endeavour and to pick up a few postcards (which I have yet to write on).

I decided to take it easy on the way back to Cairns, so I stopped at Lakeland, all the lookout points, and camped at Mount Carbine.

I stopped counting road kill ages ago because there’s just so much of it in Australia. But, I’m going to have to bring the count back just to add a couple new categories:

Wicked Road Trip Road Kill Count: 90+ Kangaroos, Wallabies and others, 2 Kookaburras, 2 Rats, and TWO COWS!!!!

Warning: Cows crossing!

Warning: Cows crossing!

That’s right, WHOLE dead cows sitting smack in the middle of the road. And this is why you don’t want to be driving at night. :S The big stretch of highway inland is cattle country where the farmers don’t fence in their herds. They roam about and cross the highway whenever they feel like it. I’m fine with most of the cows, but some of the bulls that were loitering near the highways made me a bit nervous. A couple of them just stared straight at me and I wondered if they were thinking about charging.

So how do the farmers bring in their cattle then? I learned from Robert who runs the Mount Carbine Caravan Park with his wife Jennifer, that they hire helicopters to bring them in and it costs them half of their takings to do so. I learned a lot from Robert’s talk about the mining and cattle farming in the area. He gives these talks for free to anyone who stays at the park, and if you end up driving along this highway I’d highly recommend staying at Mount Carbine Caravan Park. Jennifer and Robert are lovely people, the facilities are super-clean,  you can start a campfire if you want, and it’s only $12 per night ($14 for two people). My only warning for the place is that the bugs there are extra mean. I got bitten four times during dinner and I don’t know what they were, but I swelled up and started itching like crazy right away!

Some Random Things I Learned from Robert at Mount Carbine

  1. Mount Carbine isn’t actually a mountain at all. Most of the “mount“s around the area are just mining towns.
  2. Dingos and foxes are never found in the same area.
  3. Miners looking for crystals will sometimes lick the rock to see if it’s porous. Rocks will absorb water, but crystals won’t.
  4. When the Europeans first came, they brought lots and lots of sheep but they all died because of the grass seeds. These grass seeds would get caught in their wool, and when the sheep went to get a drink of water, their wool and the seeds would get wet. The grass turns clockwise about 10 times and then counter-clockwise several times when it gets wet. It’s the weirdest thing! The grass has hooks at the end that look like spears and they’ll pierce right through your skin and bones. You can’t pull them out because of the hooks, so they can only be surgically removed.
  5. Giddee vine seeds are red with black dots. They’re used by the aboriginals for jewllery and to force abortion. They have a fatality rate of 50% when ingested. Some aboriginal girls would eat them anyways to force an abortion because if they’re found pregnant from a man of a different tribe, their own tribe will spear them to death; 50% is better than 100%.
  6. Sugar cane retains more carbon than any other plant. Just a side note: Robert (like many Australians) doesn’t believe that humans are the cause of climate change, so if you’re a super green environmentalist or supporter of carbon taxes you might want to stay off the subject. He really is a great guy though!
Travel, Wicked Road Trip 2009

The Hideaway that is Cape Trib

Posted by on September 10, 2009 at 10:28 pm.
The Cassowary is an endangered bird found in the Northern tropical region of Queensland

The Cassowary is an endangered bird found in the Northern tropical region of Queensland

On your drive up to Cairns, you begin to notice that the trees get taller, and there are sections where the forests are thicker. If you continue along the coastline to Cape Tribulation at the Daintree National Park, the trees become more tropical. You’ll soon find yourself surrounded by dozens of different types of tropical plants and wonder when it all changed.

It was on this drive from the start of the ferry crossing to my stop at Cape Tribulation Camping that I really wished I had someone to share this experience with. At one point, I saw a cassowary along the side of the road and I wanted so badly to tell someone but there was no one around me to share in the excitement.

I had seen life-size sculptures of the cassowary in Kuranda and at the ferry crossing, but seeing one in real life and in the wild is something else altogether. I wonder if the makers of the movie ‘Up’ were inspired by the bird. It’s body reminds me of an emu, but its head is like a turkey with a dinosaur spike and its feet look dangerously heavy, huge and like they also belong on a small dinosaur. It moved very slowly through the bush and away from the highway when more cars started slowing down to watch it.

And then when I saw the brilliant blue butterflies come out, again I wished there was someone to tell! They have postcards with these butterflies at most of the local tourist shops, but none of the pictures are even close to capturing how amazingly bright and brilliant they are. At first, I thought a feather from a tropical bird was falling from the trees, but then I saw the sunlight reflect off the wings. The butterfly fluttered about through the trees and was this bright blue speck dancing around the dark green tropical rainforest that enveloped the road. I saw three or four just on the drive to the campgrounds.

When I got to the camping ground, I changed into my bathing suit right away and headed for the beach. The water at Cape Trib is warm. I had wanted to go for a swim, but the beach is shallow for meters and meters. Instead, I alternated between sitting and floating in the waters.

The water at Cape Trib is clear enough to see right through and most of the bottom is just sand. So, I decided I’d go through a walk / wade through the waters towards a mangrove-like area. When I was a few meters away, the ground under the water began to look patchy and I figured it was just rocks and some seaweed. As I was walking though, I spotted something swim right in front of me less than a foot away… If I had been just one step ahead, I would’ve stepped right on top of a stingray!!! My whole body froze for a split second. And then I promptly turned around and headed back to the clear waters.

Cape Tribulation is beautiful.

Travel, Wicked Road Trip 2009

Tastes Like Chicken?

Posted by on September 10, 2009 at 8:00 pm.
Big Barramundi Garden Restaurant

Big Barramundi Garden Restaurant at Daintree Village

On my way up to Cape Tribulation on Tuesday, I made an unplanned stop at Daintree Village. I had thought that I needed to go through the village to get to Cape Trib because the only sign that pointed to Cape Trib pointed in the direction of a ferry terminal and I didn’t know you had to cross a river to get there. This is what happens when you don’t follow a map. :P

Travellers — please see the note on the bottom on how to get to Cape Tribulation from Cairns.

Daintree Village consists of a small handful of restaurants and stores, and is primarily a meeting point for the various river tours in the area. I didn’t feel like going on a river tour because I was already melting in the heat even with the air conditioning on. If this is Queensland’s “Winter/Spring” I don’t want to know what their Summer is like! I did feel like getting something to eat though since I hadn’t had breakfast and all my food had gone rotten from the heat.

Mmm... CROC!

Mmm… CROC!

I decided to go to the Big Barramundi Garden for lunch mainly because they have a giant fish in the front (these tricks work on me). I’m glad I did though because they had CROCODILE BURGERS!! :D Normally I’d have a little bit of hesitation about eating animals like crocodiles because they’re not exactly abundant. But, (and this should make all you endangered animal activists out there *cough cough* Sara *cough* feel a little bit better) I noted that there was a crocodile farm about a half hour before Daintree.

The croc burger was de-lish! And no, it doesn’t taste like chicken. It has a different flavour and texture that I quite like. The meat was tender, moist, had a very slight chewiness to it, and it was lean. It’s hard to describe the chewiness of it because “chewy” and “rubbery” makes it sound bad when really the slight chewiness and rubbery bite to it was very pleasant and very very slight. There was one chunk that had an obvious section of croc fat and I was worried it wouldn’t taste good, but it didn’t taste fatty at all! I’d eat croc again. :)

Tips for Travellers on Getting to Cape Tribulation

There are two routes you can take to Cape Tribulation from Cairns. One takes you over a river on a ferry along the coastline ($11 one-way or $20 return), and the other is longer and takes you all the way around the inland route, past Mount Carbine, Lakeland, Cooktown’s detour and down through the Bloomfield Track (no ferry).

  1. Ferry Crossing Terminal

    Ferry Crossing Terminal

    You can only take the Bloomfield Track if you have a 4WD vehicle. There’s a sign posted just past Cape Trib that says so. Your car rental company might have restrictions that say so too (Wicked Campers does).

  2. If you only have a 2WD or it has recently rained (the Bloomfield Track is sometimes closed when it gets wet because some parts are subject to flooding), the only way to get to Cape Trib will be over the river on a ferry.
  3. If you have a 4WD and you’re going to go past Cooktown or want to take both the inland and coastal route on your way to and from Cape Trib, it’s recommended that you take the inland route up, and visit Cape Trib on your way back down. The inland route is paved highway which makes it easier for your car to go up and it’s supposed to be less scary coming down the unpaved Bloomfield Track. I think it’s a bit scary either way. :P
  4. Why take both the inland and coastal routes? The coastal route up to Cape Tribulation is a must because it’s stunning. The inland route has some great look-out points and is the safer option to get to Cooktown or further North. Plus, if you take the coastal route all the way up to Cooktown, you’re not going to want to take it back down again. It’s like being stuck in a vibrating machine for two hours.
Random Thoughts, Travel, Wicked Road Trip 2009

Escape

Posted by on September 10, 2009 at 5:35 pm.
My Wicked Bed and where I keep my luggage (the suitcase won't fit in the storage)

My Wicked Bed and where I keep my luggage (the suitcase won’t fit in the storage)

When I left Cairns on Tuesday, I left with a funny feeling. A blank feeling. I thought it might be a result of not having had my morning coffee, so I stopped about an hour into my drive to have one. After making myself a cup o’ joe, I did feel better but that blank feeling was still there.

One great thing about a roadtrip with no destination in mind, is that you can make any place your destination of choice. I decided that this little rest stop with its brown weedy grass and cool breeze would be my destination for at least enough time for the blankness to go away.

I opened up the back and side doors of my Wicked Camper, and lay on the mattress for a while letting thoughts run into mind and exit just as quickly as they came. I probably lay there for about an hour.

"Wicked by day" - the bed converts to a table and benches

“Wicked by day” — the bed converts to a table and benches

Several bugs flew in and out of the van, but one sticks out in my memory. Unlike the dumb flies that would fly in and hit the windows several times before they got lucky and got out, this one would pause every few seconds and float in place as if to think about where it was going next. I wondered if it knew that in order to get out, it would have to fly against the wind coming in through the doors.

I don’t know if it was just the coffee kicking in or maybe I should get that bump on my head checked out from closing the back door on myself a few days ago, but something clicked. The only way to escape, is to go against the wind.

*shrugs* It’s probably the bump on my head, but I thought I’d share the moment. :P

Movie Preview Voice Guy: “This moment brought to you by our sponsor Wicked Campers, providing quality road trip moments since 2001.”

Travel, Wicked Road Trip 2009

Being a Tourist in Kuranda

Posted by on September 7, 2009 at 11:34 pm.
Kuranda Scenic Rail

Kuranda Scenic Rail

I rushed up to Cairns yesterday because I wanted to make the 9:30am Kuranda Scenic Railway train today. I kinda wish I had taken my time and done some research on Kuranda on my way up to Cairns instead.

Queensland Armchair Guide had contacted Kuranda Scenic Rail (KSR) to ask them if they would be interested in sponsoring a trip for me to ride the famous railway line. They wrote back saying they’d be happy to offer me the industry rate. I made a reservation for Monday morning but didn’t know anything about it, other than the fact that lots of tourists go on it. Heck, I didn’t even know how much it would cost until after I had already made the reservation!

To be honest, if you’re a backpacker or budget conscious road tripper, a trip to Kuranda via the KSR or the Skyrail is probably more than you can afford (budget ~$100 for the two-way trip if you do both, and at least $20 on one attraction while you’re in Kuranda). The vast majority of people I met on the KSR and Skyrail were retired and on a cruise tour with money to burn. It will cost you less than $20 in gas money to drive up there and back or take the bus (your pick).

That being said, after an entire day of driving to get up to Cairns, I was thankful not to have to drive anymore up to Kuranda and back, and liked being able to enjoy the views.

Kuranda Scenic Rail

Kuranda Scenic Railway

Kuranda Scenic Railway

I took the Kuranda Scenic Rail from Cairns up to Kuranda. The trip takes about an hour and 45 minutes, and there’s running commentary along the way. They take you past a cemetary where some people who worked on the railway are buried, past a large mango tree, across a bridge where you can see a small waterfall, and you stop off at a lookout where you can take pictures of Barron Falls.

I really like trains, but I didn’t enjoy this ride. Why? Because I was in the first cart on the train and the train goes through 14 tunnels (one of which is a third of a mile long!). It made me SO SICK going through those tunnels because the hot smelly train discharge would rush into the cart whenever we started to go through and it felt like I was being put in a small caustrophobic closet with fifty gas stoves burning as if climate change didn’t exist. I seriously felt like I was going to barf. I asked some other passengers on the way down whether they had the same experience. They had been in the last few carts and they didn’t smell anything. See tip #1 below.

Kuranda

On a Kuranda Walking Trail

On a Kuranda Walking Trail

Kuranda is a lovely town. Once I got off the train, I took a stroll through their designated walking trails and started to feel a lot better. The air along the trails is fresh and smells sweet. It’s recommended that if you’re going to walk the trails, to do it first because it’ll take you to the end of the main street so you can make your way through it towards the KSR and Skyrail stations on the way back (they’re side by side).

Although I really enjoyed the walk, I had only given myself three hours to explore Kuranda and the walk took up 45 minutes! By the time I finished, I was really sweaty (it was a really hot day) and walked into the first tourist attraction which happened to be the Australian Venom Zoo.

The Australian Venom Zoo consists of two small rooms with cages of the Australia”s most venomous snakes, spiders, lizards, and one unfriendly fish. I really didn’t care much about seeing the caged creatures — it was the picture with the large python that I was after! The entrance fee is $16 per adult (no student rate) and that includes as much time as you want in the rooms as well as a guided tour of the smaller entrance room and some lovin’ with Ramstein, the eight foot long python.

Me and Ramstein the python

Me and Ramstein the python

If the tour guide in the front hadn’t been as interesting as he was, I probably wouldn’t have gone in. But, he really knew his stuff and even though the guided tour was only in one small room, he fed us a lot of interesting information. For example, did you know the shingleback (which we also got to hold) only mates with one partner for life and if that partner dies, s/he will try to commit suicide? The shingleback is a cute little guy too! Holding him feels like you’re holding a lizard with miniature body armour.

After the Australian Venom Zoo, I had less than two hours to explore the rest of the town and I hadn’t eaten yet! I grabbed a hot dog to go and looked at some market stalls while I was waiting for it. There are some really great market stalls at Kuranda with souvenirs and jewellery worth buying.

Other tourist attractions at Kuranda include the Australian Butterfly Sanctuary, Birdworld Kuranda, and Kuranda Koala Gardens. Each attraction takes at least half an hour and you can get a discount if you buy tickets for all three. You can cuddle a koala at the Koala Gardens and take pictures with the birds at Birdworld. I wanted to go to the Butterfly Sanctuary, but I wouldn’t be able to wander the Historic Kuranda Markets and still make it to the Skyrail in time to catch the bus back to Cairns before 5pm. I felt very rushed. :(

Skyrail

View from the Skyrail

View from the Skyrail

Once I got on the Skyrail and knew there was no turning back, I started to feel calm again. The Skyrail journey is very relaxing and smooth, and the views are amazing! I saw much more of Barron Falls from the Skyrail than the train and journeying over the river gave the trip a little bit of excitement. I especially liked the light cool breeze that comes in while you’re travelling overtop of the trees and I was glad the trip came with a little pamphlet that explained what the different trees were (I had been wondering for months now about what I now know is the basket fern).

The Skyrail makes two stops between Kuranda and the end destination. You can choose not to get off at the Barron Falls stop, but you have to change cabins at the Red Peak Station. The Red Peak Station is the more interesting of the two because they have guided tours and there’s a giant 400 year old Kauri Pine tree to look at. The Barron Falls stop has a couple of lookout points for the Barron Falls, but the cabin has much better views of the falls once you pass this stop.

Tips for Travellers to Kuranda

  1. I don’t want to make the KSR sound like a bad idea because I know that although I didn’t have a good experience, some other people did. Those people had seats in the back of the train. So, my tip to you is to book your ticket for either carts 10, 11 or 12 and avoid tunnel-fear/caustrophobia.
  2. Bring an empty bottle with you if you take the KSR train. They have water coolers in the carts and it’s likely to be very hot in Kuranda.
  3. Give yourself at least four hours to explore Kuranda. It takes 45 minutes to do the walk, 30 – 45 minutes for each attraction, you’ll want to have lunch (another 30 minutes), and I’d give yourself at least an hour to explore the markets.
  4. If you take either the KSR or the Skyrail on the way up, take the other to come down just to mix it up a bit. Both the KSR and Skyrail take about an hour and 45 minutes one-way.
  5. If you drive, there is free parking. If you drive up to Kuranda and want to see the views from the Skyrail, you can purchase tickets just for the Skyrail that’ll take you down and up the mountain in about an hour and a half. Add on another half hour to your time if you want to take the guided tour at the Red Peak Station.

Thank you to Queensland Armchair Guide for thinking of me and arranging a trip on the Kuranda Scenic Railway. Thank you also to Kuranda Scenic Railway and Skyrail for the discounts!

Switch to our mobile site