Port Douglas/ Great Barrier Reef

We had one of the best holidays ever! I'm breaking it into 2 parts because we visited two areas. These pictures are from the Port Douglas area, hope you enjoy!It all started with a missed connection flight in Sydney which gave us 5 extra hours in the airport. Luckily another couple on a teaching exchange was on the same flights so we visited with them. They also gave us the keys to their place in Adelaide so we had a place to stay when we returned and since we needed to buy another car, it was perfect!

Just after sunset on Four Mile Beach in Port Douglas. We had a hard time finding the beach since I read the map wrong so what should have been a 5 minute walk turned into a half hour walk but still pretty!

We spent the first day at the market and looking around the downtown area followed by an afternoon by the pool. Since we didn't get to our place until after midnight everyone was up for a lazy day. Clint got a kangaroo hat and we found bananas for $5.00 a kg so we were very happy. We've been paying between $12 and $15 a kg for bananas here!

Clint and the kids enjoyed the pool. There was a waterfall area, a jetted area like a hot tub only not hot and a small kiddy pool to play in. After a few minutes Miles swimming was back up to speed, it's amazing how quickly things get rusty if you haven't been practising!

This is crocodile area,so we visited Hartley's Crocodile Adventure Park and saw lots of crocs. It was one of the most reasonably priced attractions ever. We saw crocs being fed, you should hear the snap of there jaws when they bite down!

We also got a short boat ride where we saw crocs jump out of the water to get food. Just so you know they use their hearing to hunt so it is better to swim under water than do the front crawl which has lots of splashing if you are ever in crocodile invested waters! Also their stomachs are only the size of their heads so they can only eat a limb, not your whole body, isn't that more comforting!

After visiting the crocs we headed to a nearby beach for a run and some sea shell hunting. Then it was off to Cairns which has a ton of souvenir shops and is way bigger and more commercial than where we stayed.

Our third day, Tuesday, was our Reef day. We took a trip with Calypso Snorkelling and although the weather wasn't idyllic we enjoyed ourselves. Miles got in the water but wouldn't put his face down so he didn't get to see all the fish and coral.

Izzy tried to get into the spirit but she is still a bit too young! We saw lots of fish, amazing huge clams (bigger than me) and even a reef shark. Mom thought it was the best snorkelling she'd ever done. Clint and I thought the coral was incredible but since it wasn't sunny the colours weren't as spectacular as in Hawaii. Miles got sea sick on the rough ride back but everyone was glad we had spent our day that way!

After a busy few days we decided to take it easy and relax on Wednesday. It was a good day to spend by the pool and let the kids rest up. We had a rough night with Izzy running a high fever but she held up for our Thursday adventures!

We took the skyrail (like a gondola) up and over the rainforest to a little tourist town called Kurunda. Along the way you get off and go for short walks through the rainforest.

It was very overcast and extremely humid most of the time we were in Port Douglas. The ride up was beautiful and we saw some giant blue butterlies that were incredible.

Always have to make time for snacks, even in the rainforest! After spending the afternoon in Kurunda we took a train back to the city.

We got to see this waterfall from both sides. It was huge since there has been so much rain over the past few months. We heard that tourism has been way down since there have been so many floods and cyclones in the surrounding area which meant there weren't many crowds wherever we went which was nice!

Miles and Clint had a great time looking out the windows on the train ride. Isabella was so tired that she slept the whole way back.

Miles caught whatever it was that Isabella had and he spent all day Friday on the couch with a high fever. It was beautiful and sunny out so Clint and I took Izzy to the beach and spent the rest of the day by the pool or beside Miles who was feeling much better by the evening.

This next picture was taken while we were waiting for dinner at a restaurant. I had one of the best meals of my life, even Clint said he had never tasted fish so yummy!

Port Douglas is one of the most beautiful areas we have visited. We would recommend the place that we stayed, Nimrod Apartments, if you want a two bedroom place in a peaceful area. The only thing we didn't get to do was visit Cape Tribulation and the Daintree Rainforest which we had planned to do on Friday but Miles was sick. We had such a good time and since Isabella loves saying pull a face we took a picture of all of us pulling a face in Kurunda.

Alligator Gorge

My mom and I took the kids to Alligator Gorge the first weekend in April. It was a bit overcast and rained a bit but the temperature was perfect for a hike. This place was recommended by Miles teacher so we drove the 40 minutes and weren't disappointed!

This is my mom on the stairs. We think there were probably 200 steps or more and I had Izzy on my back! It wasn't really that bad on the way down but we didn't know which way the trail went so had to turn around and backtrack back up the stairs.

This area was called the Terraces. It used to be sand that was packed down under layers of sand and over a long time it became quartzite rock. All my third graders should know a little something about that! Some of it looked exactly like the rocks we looked at in class!

We had a great day and Miles impressed us with his hiking skills and love of being in nature. My back was sore for two days but it was worth it! Our next adventure is to the east coast to visit the reef and surfer's paradise.

Kangaroo Island

Clint's sister and brother in law came to visit us at the end of March. What a weekend! It all started on Friday. After dropping Clint off at a beautiful school in Adelaide I had to check out of the hotel and pick up our company. Unfortunately, I got rear ended at an intersection so the trunk no longer stayed closed. I got to the airport half an hour late to find Janine and Stephen had no luggage. We made it to the ferry in time only to find out the boat we were booked on was broken and we had to wait 2 hours until the next one! There was a little more stress than I would have liked but we still saw lots and had a great time!

We stayed in a house at Penneshaw which is where the ferry arrives. It was a cool weekend but great for touring!

After spending the morning in Kingscote trying to find clothes for Janine and Stephen we headed to Flinders Chase National Park to visit the Remarkable Rocks.

This type and size of rock is not usually found in this area and the wind and water have worn them away in incredible ways. Everyone had a blast climbing all over them.

Admiral's Arch is also in the National Park. It is a hang out for seals. The waves pound the rocks and the seals just bask in the sun and a few venture into the water to play.

On Sunday we visited another wildlife park called Paul's Place. We fed a kangaroo out of a bottle, saw a deer (Bambi)and tried to stay away from the emus!

This place had a koala that could be held and mom got a great cuddle!

Next it was my turn. It felt like holding Izzy or a toddler you know! Apparently their nails are very long and sharp and can dig into you but I was wearing enough layers due to the cool temperature that it didn't hurt me at all!
We made it home safe and sound and had a busy week trying to show Janine and Stephen as much as we could. On Tuesday we went to the beach, on Wednesday we took a hike to some caves with Aboriginal paintings and Clint got the day off Thursday so we checked out a bunch of vineyards in Clare Valley.

This was part of the hike to see the markings. Miles was a superstar and hiked the whole thing on his own! We also saw 2 wild kangaroos or wallabies which was very exciting!