As you might expect, the primary focus of this venture is to immortalize and celebrate the life and achievements of Steve Irwin. Secondary is the education of the public about unique Australian animals to build a love for and desire to protect those critters. So, they have lots of them here. By far the cutest are the Koalas. No surprise here. They have adorable faces and seem to be able to balance to nap in virtually any position. The attendant points out that the Koala has a saucer-shaped boney plate in its bum that helps them comfortably perch among tree limbs for hours, up to 20hrs a day napping. We visit kangaroos– we actually walk among them-they are very chill, echidnas – never see them in the wild – they look lots like a porcupine and love to hide in hollow logs during the day, emus-they make a low rumbling sound-very non-birdlike, wombats, dingos – sleeping in the sun just like a pet dog, Tasmanian devils – scampering around a bit but no whirling dervishes, cassowaries – look just like the ones in the wild, large wading birds-weirdest are the Jabirus, a Brolga crane- it dances just like sand hills, rainforest dwellers with fantastic color, snakes and lizards everywhere – in the enclosures and outside of them, and lots of crocodiles and alligators –they are all named of course. Interesting inhabitants of Asia and Africa also make appearances. Mostly I enjoy seeing the more elusive locals. Throughout the day they have animals out with handlers so we can get a close up look. Overall, it is a fun stop. Coronavirus restrictions cause them to stop “photos with Koalas” – typically people actually get to hold one and have their picture taken. More circus-like than zoo or conservationist but I expect a pretty big draw. Workers get some new directive as we sit eating our ice cream (more accurately our non-dairy berry) treat. They have to gather up all seating around food venders so people won’t congregate. The entire place is placarded with signs admonishing all who come there to practice social distancing. Here that means 1.5 meters. They even reduced seating in the crocoseum so as to allow for more personal space. I suspect it won’t be long until the zoo is required to close.
We head on south toward Sydney at least to the New South Wales border (we are still in Queensland) since states are rapidly closing borders and we don’t need the complication as we head for the airport. The drive is slower than anticipated as there is much roadwork on A1/M1 as they transition this whole section to controlled access, divided highway. It is dark as we roll into camp in Coffs Harbor but we safely settle in for the night.

The annoying serenade of Kent’s cell phone alarm alerts us, it is 5AM. It is still dark of course but we haul ourselves out of bed. Locals report that there will be Kangaroos on the beach at 5:30 and we a just a short walk across camp. Red headlamped we emerge onto the sand and spot 14 hoppers picking through vegetation left on shore as the tide retreated. A ranger fills in on the details. We are looking at 12 wallabies (they have a light stripe on their hip) and 2 young eastern grey kangaroos. This one of just 4 places on the continent where kangaroos routinely come to the beach to feed. They are looking for sprouted mangrove seed pods that have some mineral that is otherwise missing from this areas diet of grasses. They are pretty tolerant of people so we get to watch for nearly an hour. One wallaby baby (he’s a Joey too) is just peeking out of mom’s pouch checking out all that is around him as Mom nearly drags his little nose along the beach. It all unfolds against a lovely sunrise over the ocean. A nice way to start the day.
That is our fun for the day. Since our stay has been shortened, we need to cover some ground. To make it even more fun, this stretch of road between Mackay and Rockhampton is universally described as the worst, most uninteresting, boring drive of the entire coast. We stay optimistic but it is pretty tedious. Cane fields give way to rolling pastureland as far as one can see, to sparse eucalyptus forest, to scrub land then back to pasture land. Queensland transportation even acknowledges the challenge of the drive with burmashave type signs and a trivia question or two. It is a long drive but we safely arrive at Star Roadhouse and Caravan Park in Gladstone. They serve up some interesting pizza .Nearly every one listed includes pineapple and capsicum but none include red or tomato sauce. We go for their Police Piggy special and it is a fun experiment. We eat it all so isn’t too bad. We are in for the night.

I chatted with the host at TYTO wetlands in Ingham yesterday. It sounds like a great place to try and find some more unique Australian birds so we carve out a couple hours early this morning to see what we can find.
The wetland park is named for a grassland’s owl, The Tyto owl. We don’t see him but find quite a few others we have not yet seen. I am amazed to be greeted by kangaroos in this soggy area. I always thought of them as arid land critters. Not all subspecies apparently since these just take off splish splashing across the swamp when startled. Weird. It is a nice stop but really warming up by 9 in the morning.
So, we drive on. We will push mileage a bit today to get a good start on our drive south to Sydney. Can’t skip one stop though, The Frosty Mango. It has been recommended by everyone within 200 km as a can’t miss stop. Turns out it is a tropical fruit orchard that has even made it onto official maps—tells you how many attractions are along this stretch. It is a breakfast stop for us and well worth it: pancakes with mango ice cream and mango puree syrup. I enjoy the flavors more than any other time I tried them – maybe perfectly ripe? Check out their mascot, Frosty Mango.
Tonight’s stop, Cape Hillsborough Nature tourist Park that is right against the National park. Kangaroos and wallabies come out on the beach every morning – I just have to see it!
A few of them are wandering around camp this evening.

The friendly neighborhood cassowary is out to greet us as we pack up to move on. It is a nice start to a great day of spontaneous stops fueled by enthusiastic staff at information centers in Tully and Ingham. The talks are almost as fun as the actual outings.
In Tully, we climb the 7.9-meter-high Golden Gum Boot. Tully claims the wettest town in Australia. There is a treefrog on the boot! Next is lunch along the lovely beach park in Caldwell, just a quiet little seaside town.
From Ingham we are directed to Wallaman Waterfalls. The tallest, single drop, continuously flowing falls in Australia. We are admonished to follow signs carefully as we will zigzag through cane paddocks, maybe dodge cows along the way, and watch out for cassowary in the highlands. The drive is as promised but no cassowaries even along the curvy mountain climb.
The view from the top is impressive but we can’t resist a walk to the bottom – looking-up views of falls are always so much more dramatic. We nearly regret the decision as we round the final switchback absolutely dripping with sweat, it is still hot and humid here. All at once a cool sprinkle of rain and a bright beautiful rainbow arching across the gorge. What an end for a walk!
The adventuresome drive back into town takes us till dark so we stay the night. It gives us a good chance to check out a great sounding wetland birding area in the morning. Camp is at the Ingham Caravan Park, great people, nice facilities but a bit noisy nestled between A1 and the railroad tracks.
I have book marked one stop for tomorrow recommended by both hosts, the Frosty Mango.

We make a quick stop at The Tanks Arts Center in Cairns. Nothing is open but I still wander the ground a bit to check out four retied fuel tanks that have been converted to suites for the arts: a gallery, a performance venue, studios and art itself. Independent artists designed and created gates, sculptures and murals. The curator claims performance acoustics are phenomenal. I wonder?
Stop one for the day, Babinda Boulders. A creek that tumbles through a wild boulder strewn gorge. It is a lovely morning walk. Well, we actually stop at the Babinda bakery on our way. It is a small storefront right downtown with a bit of outdoor seating and every delicious treats: a peach blossom with cream and an apple turnover with blueberries. I can’t resist a loaf of fresh bread. It tastes just like freshly homemade.
It is raining so we keep moving with just one more stop at the Coles grocery in Ingham. Wo, we are astounded to see that the shelves are really picked over. Looks like folks are doing a bit of panic buying here over the virus scare.
Tonight, we wander a bit off path to Etty Bay where the Cassowaries make regular appearances. One greets us on the way in and another is sitting guard near the check in. We even get to see one run when a couple vie for the best spot around camp. What a strut! We see a giant Cassowary poop, freshly made. Wow, no wonder the seeds they poop out nearly always grow. Through the evening the birds wander around sometimes quite close but never threatening. When I see those giant feet and toenails, I give them plenty of space!
We get our first look at the stinger nets we keep hearing about at Australian beaches. They use a cable and winch mechanism to manage a weighted net suspended on buoys to filter out the floating stingers/jellyfish. A number of people go swimming but we just watch the waves. It is pretty rough tonight.

An historic train ride up and sky lift back down is definitely as easier way to see the Tablelands. Our destination Karanda, a little tourist town on the edge between tablelands and the rainforest. The highlight is actually the getting to and from. Narrow gage rail passes through more than a dozen tunnels and around tight turns as we wind our way up. The sky lift soars above the rainforest canopy for a great bird’s eye view. We join a very rainy ranger led walk along the boardwalk about half way down. She does a great job even though she is talking above the thunder of rain on our umbrellas. We shop a bit in town and have a delicious lunch and the almost obligatory mango smoothie. It makes for a nice day even though we dodge rain showers in the afternoon. As the locals say, it is a rainforest after all.
In the bummers category
Our groceries were stolen out of the communal kitchen. My chocolates and my special cheeses. Very bummed.
And
Air New Zealand (our carrier back to the US) is suspending service the end of March. Our current reservations are for April 7. Not going to happen. Customer service numbers are all busy so we will be spending some time on the phone the next few days getting things rearranged. More on that later.

I am awake at 5:45. Our ride to the reef trip doesn’t pick us up until 7:05 but I guess I am anxious; plus, there are many birds in camp and they all get up happy! We are on the bus by just after seven to begin this much awaited trip. As we board, we are each handed flippers, snorkel and mask, and a very “attractive” bright blue stinger suit. I can’t wait to model that! It is a bit choppy with higher winds forecast by afternoon so we are glad for the largish catamaran that rides very smoothly as we head about 30 miles off shore. The boat comes to a stop and we and probably another 80 people patiently sit through safety and promotional talks then we are off.
Snorkel 1: Hastings Reef – it is considered one of the closer-in reefs. We don our gear and head for the platform. The reef is beautiful and there are lots of brightly colored fish. Seas are quite calm and we both wore lifejackets so it’s a lazy swim and float just to watch it all below us for over an hour. Awesome.
Snorkel 2: Saxon Reef – we move to an outer reef area. It is less frequently visited and claimed more

pristine as a result. We suit up and slide into the water again. It is significantly rougher and we ride the swells as we move over to the shallow reef. There are not quite as many fish but the coral is definitely

more perfectly shaped and more colorful. How amazing!
Besides all the great snorkeling I go for the glass bottom boat ride out on the reef. Snorkeling is better but that is pretty cool too. Plus, we have a wonderful lunch and wine and cheese as we head back in. We had a great day with Reef Experience.
We are home and to bed early after a full day of sea and sun. No sunburn we are happy to say.

So that is what sounds like monkeys (there are no monkeys here)
It is a laughing kookaburra bird. He visited us in camp and I got a pic, well sort of. He is a tree-kingfisher. They call him a perch and pounce hunter that takes small rodents and whatnot on the ground but he looks a lot like our kingfishers that actually catch fish. It is a different place.

Yeah, no mouse in the house last night. At least no mouse in any of the groceries.
Off towards Cairns (Cans is how they say that here) with a few stops along the way. A quick look at Timaroo dam; not so impressive as the lake looks to be a little low just now. Locals have mentioned a couple times that could use rain. Next, The Curtain Fir on Curtain Fig Road in the Curtain Fig National park. Really original name, right? It is quite the sight and very much lives up to its not so creative but very much appropriate name. Check it out. It is a strangler fig and they are responsible for many unique shapes in the rainforest.
We go right past, well pretty close to right past, Gallo Dairy. With a bit of tasting I find two cheeses, macadamia and black pepper plus they have chocolates so a few truffles and tasties come home. I will report in later on these scrumptious looking morsels.
We have to stop in at The Crater Lakes National Park just because it sounds so much like our Crater Lake NP. Not only does the park celebrate and preserve a pretty little lake but also a pair of rare giant pines, Kauri trees. Turns out they have a lovely tea house on Barrine Lake so we stop for a spot of tea and scones with plum preserves and cream. It is a yummy break from driving.
Kent adroitly maneuvers the curvy decent down off the tablelands and in only a short while we are back in Cairns and settled into the Cairns Holiday Park. The hosts are very helpful in planning out our adventures and get us signed up for a Great barrier Reef snorkel tour. We are here for three nights with no need to drive so our refrigeration won’t be working – we need at least 2 hours of engine time to recharge the coach battery. So, we are going to try the frig in the communal kitchen. Hope that works out ok.

This area is rich farming country. Volcanic action of ages ago has produced perfect soil for coffee, nuts, tropical fruits as well as livestock grazing. Here we go.
We make our first stop before even leaving Mareeba. Saturday is market day and we just have to check it out. There is fruit aplenty, papas (papaya), persimmons, star fruit, and pineapple – more I am sure plus many tropical plants both edible and ornamental. The orchids are beautiful. We leave with pineapple crush and tart lime pound cake. We stroll through a huge range of wonderful crafts and art pieces but we’ve no way to get it home and nowhere to put it when we get there so it makes it a little easier to resist.
Next stop, Coffee Works, a coffee lovers heaven. It is a museum of all things coffee – roasters, grinders, brewing devices, and a fair bit of lore like why some countries serve little expresso cups and others mega mugs. Bet you are dying to know! It really has more to do with what the coffee is replacing. In counties where it replaced wine and hard liquor it was served in little cups. Where it replaced ale, it was served in larger cups. The amount of coffee is reportedly 7gms no matter how big the cup or how much water is used to brew it. What do you know? There was a kind of women’s temperance movement to outlaw coffee houses. Seems the guys were hanging out at the coffee shop ignoring their families. That movement didn’t take. An early Pope was asked to forbid consumption of coffee in its early days; but he tasted it and like it so that never happened. Besides the museum we have lots of tastings. Coffee includes 4 Australian and a dozen imported beans roasted to various finishes. I don’t even get all the way around but focus on the Australian brews. They are all wonderful. We move on to tea and chocolate tasting, again, no disappointments there. No, we are not done yet. I try expresso made with the Australian Black Mountain beans which is so perfect that I have to buy some. To finish off the experience Kent and I both try 5 different liqueurs ranging from a very stout not so sweet version to cappuccino and latte that are more like mocha milkshakes. One of the strong, not so sweet versions came home with me. There’s 500 mls of the 750 I am allowed to bring home! Add a little package of their milk chocolate (it is “free” with the expresso purchase) and we need to get out of here and on to other attractions.
Humpy nuts and produce and we walk away with locally grown and roasted macadamia nuts. They are the best I have ever tasted.
Now we need to work off a few of these calories so we begin the waterfall circuit. It is a loop drive with a number of falls down short trails through lovely forested patches that have been spared the axe mostly because they are too rugged to timber. Many are protected now as part of national or Queensland parks.
There is another odd Australian critter that I hope to see. The platypus. Along Peterson Creek in Yungaburro is a viewing area. We make our way very quietly to the viewing blind and peer through the slots down to slow flowing muddy water. Hm, that’s kinda of yucky. What’s more, no platypus! “I never see them here. Try walking the trak under the bridge. I saw a little one there.”, says a local who is just returning to his car. We are here, lets go for it. We trek under the bridge where it is even more dank and creepy. Still no platypus. We wander along side the muddy creek twisting and turning all the while eying the still surface. Nothing. Just as we get back near the bridge, we spot bubbles on the surface. We watch. More bubbles then nothing. All at once a little head and that weird looking bill pop up. He chews for a few them gracefully dives and disappears from sight. Of course, we have to stay and are thrilled to watch him feeding for 10 minutes or so. Chewing and paddling his little front flippers. Awesome.
Tonight we settle in with a great view of Lake Timaroo and a clear dark sky just filled with beautiful stars.