We are here in Yungaburra, Queensland at a great hostel called On the Wallaby. The staff are very friendly, including a girl from Kingston, Ontario who has worked here for a year. The hostel organizes many activities every day. Last night we went on a night canoe trip to spotlight rainforest creatures near the shore of Lake Tinaroo - saw 3 types of possums, pademelon kangaroos, a 3 m python on the rocks by the shore, bandicoots, a tree kangaroo - and heard the wild, crazy cries of a large flock of roosting brolgas, a large type of crane. There were so many stars in the sky as we started, although it clouded over by the time we returned. The hostel also offers free platypus spotting before dinner at a nearby creek - we only caught fleeting glimpses of them last night but we saw many platypuses? platypi? this morning on an early walk before breakfast. At times, we were close enough to see his little feet paddling underwater!
Food here at the hostel is cheaper than anywhere we have found so far - dinner for $10 each (all restaurants are at least 18 for main courses) and breakfast for $5 each; our double room is only $55, too. We have been making our own lunches and breakfasts in most places - cereal or toast for breakfast and sandwiches for lunch. Lots of local fruit, too, with pineapples, passionfruit and oranges from a Farmers Market. We even picked our own oranges at our lodgings in Chillagoe!
Today we drove around the Atherton Tablelands, a plateau to the west of Cairns. they are beautiful - rolling green farmlands with pockets of rainforest (it was all rainforest before farmers cleared it). The area is known for its waterfalls and we stopped at 5 of them, swimming under one of them! We had planned to post a photo of us under the fall but can't figure out photos on this computer.
Tomorrow we fly to Sydney. We will be sad to leave this area, which has so much beauty, so much interesting wildlife and SO many species of birds! I love the casual atmosphere of the area, too. It has been a wonderful week here with too many highlights to choose just one. My one disappointment is that we did not spot a cassowary, not surprising as they are rare but still disappointing.
Time for dinner. Love to all, Les and Shon
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
1 comment:
You are sure bringing back some memories for us!!!
Bev suggested you try RSL (retired servicemen clubs - like our Legion) and also Bowling Clubs for really good and inexpensive meals.
We are getting close to leaving and still so many things to do.
Keep having fun and we will keep reading about your travels.
Betty, Bev and Paul
Post a Comment