TRAVEL

Wildlife, action, adventure ... the Far North has it all

Against the backdrop of Covid lockdowns sweeping much of the country, DANIEL PACE visits Cairns and discovers that while North Queensland needs our help, it has plenty to offer in return.

A cultural experience from the Pamagirri people, with traditional dances, spear throwing, and boomerang throwing lessons.

It should have been one of the busiest times of the year when I arrived in Cairns during the school holidays, but the dearth of tourists at the region’s biggest attractions was alarming.

Some operators spoke of crowd numbers being down 60-70 per cent and workers being laid off until travel restrictions lifted.

Here’s hoping that this natural wonderland in the tropics will soon be welcoming back lots of southern visitors.

Meantime, Queenslanders can have it all – and take the grandkids for the ride. Here are some of the many memorable experiences to make the trip worthwhile: DANIEL VS GOLIATH We arrived at the Cairns Zoom and Wildlife Zoom on the top level of The Reef Casino in Cairns not really knowing what to expect. The morning started sedately as we walked through the dome and marvelled at the native animals – snakes, black cockatoos, rainbow lorikeets, koalas, lizards and main attraction, Goliath, a 4m 500kg crocodile more than 50 years old.

Soon it was time for the dome crew to strap on our harnesses and take us to the casino rooftop for a spectacular bird’s-eye view of the city and islands of the Great Barrier Reef.

The staff were fantastic in helping us conquer the fear although it’s ultimately a controlled and safe environment.

After catching our breath, we went back into the dome to try the zipline. I chose the more difficult Hi-Zoom path over Goliath. Tick “ziplining” off the bucket list, and purchase photographic proof. THE SKY’S THE LIMIT The saying “it’s about the journey, not the destination” is fitting when talking about a trip to Kuranda, the picturesque mountain village about 25km northwest of Cairns.

We went up on the Kuranda Scenic Rail and came down on the Skyrail Rainforest Cableway, which offer different, but amazing, views of the world heritagelisted Barron Gorge National Park.

The 90-minute train journey takes it nice and slow, to enjoy rolling farmland, misty mountains, steep ravines and spectacular waterfalls. For history buffs, commentary is provided on how the railway was built and its opening in 1891.

The train makes a stop at Barron Falls station for passengers to stretch their legs and take their photos of the spectacular falls, which are 327m above sea level.

Just outside Kuranda is the Rainforestation Nature Park where we went on an army duck tour and immersed in the culture of the Pamagirri people and visited the koala and wildlife park. The highlight was learning to throw a boomerang after watching the Pamagirri perform their traditional dances. For the record, my boomerang did come back but I dropped it cold!

After some lunch and a spot of shopping in Kuranda, it was off to the Australian Butterfly Sanctuary, the largest butterfly aviary in the southern hemisphere. The tip here is to wear colourful clothing because the butterflies are more likely to be attracted to you.

The Skyrail trip back was breathtaking. It was surreal and peaceful at the same time – like floating in the clouds.

Stunning views of the river, rainforest canopy and Barron Falls made this an experience to savour. I would recommend taking the 7.5km trip. There’s no better way to see this ancient rainforest. ZOOTASTIC After three days relaxing at Granite Gorge Nature Park near Mareeba, it was off to another must-see – Hartley’s Crocodile Adventures. A 40-minute drive from Cairns, this wildlife park has plenty of eye-popping shows and boat cruises to see crocs being fed in their natural habitat.

Anyone who’s seen the crocodile show at Australia Zoo will suddenly think it’s tame. The host of the crocodile attack show doesn’t muck around and bravely enters the water to show how the croc performs a death-roll on its prey. It’s riveting stuff.

It’s also worth catching the snake show and visiting the enclosure of Australia’s largest snake in captivity, Psycho Sally, a reticulated python that is fed chickens and, on occasion, a goat (dead, of course).

It’s definitely worth exploring Zootastic. It costs $140 each (including park entry) for a premium wildlife experience that is priceless. Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine feeding chicken to ravenous American alligators. PORT DOUGLAS The Port Douglas markets are a renowned tourist spot but just outside this quaint seaside town is a lesser-known attraction that’s worth seeing. At the Wildlife Habitat we helped feed fruit to the cassowaries and learnt about how these exquisite-looking birds can tear humans apart with their razor-sharp claws if they’re disturbed during breeding season.

The park is divided into habitats – wetlands, rainforest, savannah, woodland and nocturnal. At an interactive crocodile experience the brave can “swim with a saltie” without fear of being eaten alive.

After all the adventures, you’ll need a place to put the feet up. For grey nomads with a camper or caravan, Granite Gorge is the ideal place to unwind.

Another great spot to relax is Palm Cove, a tropical village where there’s little to do except eat, shop and walk along the beach. Or take a day trip to Green Island to see turtles, reef sharks, stingrays and colourful fish from the comfort of a glass-bottom boat. Just be sure to get to this tropical paradise before international and state borders reopen, so you can miss the crowds that will flock back quicker than a hungry croc can snap its jaws.

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Day Tours - with Pick ups

11 Nov 16 Nov 17 Nov 23 Nov 29 Nov 14 Dec 21 Dec 31 Dec 31 Dec 3 Apr Moffatdale Ride Winery/Lunch Van Gogh Alive DFO/IKEA Shopping Trip Summerland Camels/Lunch Bush Christmas Exhibition Toowoomba High Tea Parliament House Sunset Dinner Cruise Brisbane New Year’s Eve Dinner Cruise NYE Qld Pops Masquerade Gala Concert Rod Stewart Sirromet Wines Steam Train Adventure – 3 Days Tangalooma - 3 Days O’Reilly’s - 4 Days Five Day Mystery Tour Norfolk Island - 8 Days Stanthorpe’s Apple & Grape Cheese & Wine on the Granite Belt Easter - Yeppoon, Emerald, Gladstone, Hervey Bay Northwest Gorge Tour - Mt. Surprise, Cobbold Gorge Lord Howe Island Torres Strait Adventure Darwin, Tiwi Islands, Katherine

Extended Tours - Small Groups!

26 Nov 1 Feb 6 Feb 18 Feb 1 Mar 4 Mar 21 Mar 14 Apr 20 Apr 24 Apr 6 May 29 Jun

During a recent trip through the Queensland countryside, I was listening to the local ABC radio station when the announcer requested listeners call in and finish this sentence: “You know you are travelling in the country when…”

There were some brilliant answers from locals, truckers, and tourists. I didn’t call in, but it got me thinking and recalling my own experiences.

When travelling from the Big Smoke and heading into the Never Never, I would cross through several distinct zones, each with its own character and conditions.

To start with, we have the most precarious of all – “city driving”. This is followed by a leisurely “country drive,” then the beautiful “bush drive”.

Now starts the adventure with the mighty “Outback”. But that’s not the end of it. Keep driving another thousand kilometres and you will enter the Outer Limits, the survival zone, better known as bone-bleaching desert.

While listening to the responses, I began to compile my own list, which, not surprisingly, matched that of most callers.

My thoughts commenced with city driving, but given the depressing memories of learner drivers, stop-start progress, school zones, congestion, uncoordinated traffic lights, road rage ... every city driver will have a list of annoyances – I soon gave up for sanity’s sake. So, these are my recollections of past and current drives outside the city limits: • Kangaroos eyeball me then bound in front of my moving car a second before I have time to react. One dead roo – one bloodied roo-bar. • Cattle stare me down and, at a country pace, amble into my path, stopping mid-lane, and with a defiant attitude declare that the road belongs to them. • Semi-trailers constantly tailgate me, also declaring aggressively that the road belongs to them. • Insects need to be periodically scraped off the windscreen. • The mobile struggles to stay in range then cuts out completely. • ABC country radio, the only accessible channel, plays rural focused programs. • The comment “just up the road” can mean anything from just around the corner to several hundred kilometres away. • I play a never-ending game of Dodge the

There’s a lot to be said for getting out of busy traffic and on to the country roads. STAN CAJDLER lists the great, the good, the bad, and the ugly of travelling beyond the Great Dividing Range. unfamiliar starscape. The Milky Way Potholes. almost resembles a dense white veil of a • Oncoming drivers greet each other with zillion light specks while the Southern a raised index finger. Cross almost blinds you. • There are more interstate tourist vehicles • You drive through a plague of locusts. than local traffic. Every day is a new adventure or • Gridlocks come with wide tractors and experience. Though you may die of thirst harvesters that occupy both lanes of or dehydration driving through remote already narrow roads. arid wastelands, food is never a problem • After a comfort stop in the bush you – the carrion on the roads will provide return with a cattle tick that you only excellent protein – quite tasty if killed in discover when relaxing in bed that night. the last 24 hours. • You jump the farm fence for another And this is but a snippet. comfort stop only to get zapped by a If you venture into the desert million volts from an innocuous looking moonscapes, well off the sissy sealed roads, white tape. On scrambling to your feet, you will be greeted by a museum of you may look down and discover that a bleached bones and the graveyard of comfort stop is no longer required. vehicles – cars, trucks, trailers, caravans, • You wake up in the morning to the that have shaken themselves to pieces on soothing sound of bird calls. the legendary corrugations. • Every locality has a Sandy Creek, and it I suspect, and correct me if I’m wrong, means what it says. that our pioneers and explorers traversed • The towns’ water tastes like turpentine. the country not in Toyotas and Fords, but • On a clear evening (once every month) on camels and horseback because you can’t you can see a setting sun in the west and a eat a metal vehicle. turn of the head will reveal a rising full Yes, travelling the land is like travelling moon, while the next day you experience a foreign country – everything is the reverse, a setting full moon and a rising unrecognisable. So, to answer his question: morning sun. “I know I am travelling in the country • The clear night skies display an when … it doesn’t resemble the city.”

CT TRAVEL

Coolum Tours & Travel

DOWN UNDER COACH TOURS

Specialising in Senior’s Coach Holiday Packages Have a great time Down Under...!

7 Day Brigadoon Festival at Bundanoon

Departs 30th March 2022 Adult: $2,678pp Single Supplement: $538 pp

12 Day Corner Country, Lake Eyre &

Birdsville Departs 15th June 2022 Adult: $4,722 pp Single Supplement: $617 pp

15 Day Outback Qld & the Top End

Departs 26th July 2022 Coach/Fly Adult: $7,396 pp Single Supplement: $1,776 pp

6 Day Nundle Go for Gold Chinese Easter

Festival Departs 14th April 2022 Adult: $2,178 pp Single Supplement: $462 pp

6 Day Fraser Coast & Carnarvon Gorge

Departs 21st July 2022 Adult: $3,266 pp Single Supplement: $480 pp

8 Day Darwin, Kakadu & Katherine

Departs 1st August 2022 Coach/Fly/Coach Adult: $4,880 pp Single Supplement: $998 pp

5 Day 1770 Festival

Departs 19th May 2022 Adult: $2,379 pp Single Supplement: $371 pp

66 Day Grand Aussie Adventure

Departs 26th July 2022 Adult: $28,693 pp Single Supplement: $7,814 pp

10 Day Kimberley Kapers

Departs 8th August 2022 Fly/Coach/Fly Adult: $6,498 pp Single Supplement: $1,194 pp

15 Day Broome & the Pilbara Departs 15th August 2022 Fly/Coach/Fly Adult: $7,565 pp Single Supplement: $1,995 pp 14 Day Adelaide, Painted Desert & Uluru Field of Lights Departs 8th August 2022 Fly/Coach Adult: $6,826 pp Single Supplement: $1,437 pp

8 Day WA South West Wanderer Departs 29th August 2022 Fly/Coach/Fly Adult: $4,384 pp Single Supplement: $778 pp 7 Day Stanthorpe & O’Reilly’s Rainforest Retreat Departs 31st August 2022 Adult: $2,863 pp Single Supplement: $639 pp

11 Day Nullarbor Plain, Great Australian Bight & Eyre Peninsula Departs 5th September 2022 Fly/Coach/Fly Adult: $5,858 pp Single Supplement: $1,081 pp 6 Day Lightning Ridge & Cotton Country Departs 10th September 2022 Adult: $2,388 pp Single Supplement: $389 pp

12 Day Canberra Floriade & the Snowy Mountains Departs 1st October 2022 Adult: $4,698 pp Single Supplement: $1,541 pp

24 Day Hunter Valley, East Coast & Tassie Combo Departs 10th November 2022 Adult: $9,445 pp Single Supplement: $2,441 pp

9 Day Hunter Valley & East Coast Departs 10th November 2022 Coach/Fly Adult: $3,896pp Single Supplement: $672 pp

16 Day Best of Tasmania

Departs 18th November 2022 Fly/Coach Adult: $7,195 pp Single Supplement: $1,762 pp Down Under Coach Tours, PO Box 149, Maryborough Q 4650 www.downundercoachtours.com.au info@downundercoachtours.com.au

5 Day Merry Mackay Christmas Departs 23rd December 2022 Adult: $2,333 pp Single Supplement: $491 pp

EARLY BIRD DISCOUNT

Book your 2022 tour on or before 31st December 2021 and receive 5% Discount off the price of your tour.

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FROM Birdsville to Broken Hill, Boulia to Bourke, there is much waiting to be explored along the Outback highways and byways of this vast continent.

These are long journeys – 1800km to Mount Isa, 1300km to Charters Towers, and 1500km to Broken Hill and Birdsville – but they are filled with magnificent landscapes and history and stories are lurking in little communities dotted along seemingly endless stretches of western road.

It’s all yours if you know where to look, who to talk to and don’t mind a (very) long drive with eyes glued to the road, on alert for wildlife and road trains.

There is an alternative though, and that’s to let someone else do the driving while you sit back and enjoy the ride; someone who knows the locals and where to find the secret must-see spots.

Paul Brockhurst of CT Travel has travelled the roads and done the homework, and using his experience and connections, has planned a series of tours for 2022 that open up the vast interior the easy way – comfortable, relaxed ALTHOUGH the Australian states and international flights are going to be on the agenda, most will be taking a wait and see attitude.

With insurance a bit of hit and miss, the travellers I have spoken to are still happy to tour in our own state for the time being.

Apart from Uluru and Norfolk Island, Travman trips for the first half of 2022 will be in Queensland. Fraser Island, the Gold Coast and a fabulous tour to Cairns are the most popular, along with day trips north, south and west of the Sunshine Coast.

Many of us still haven’t explored our own back yard and yet there is a lot to see in this part of the world.

With small group tours everything is done for you – most meals are included, accommodation, coach and sightseeing with entry fees.

You really only have to pack.

Join me on one of my next departures, you won’t be disappointed.

and missing nothing.

Whether it’s a 15-day run down the Darling River to Broken Hill or 12 days adventuring in Gulf Country, the tours are a hassle-free opportunity to get to out-of-theway places. Here is a taste to whet the appetite:

Outback New South Wales, 15 days from April 26.

See the artwork on Thallon’s towering grain silos, and the cotton town of Dirranbandi before crossing the border to Lightning Ridge, home of the prized black opal. Tour the historic miner’s camp and walk-in mine.

Continue down the Darling to Brewarrina to see the fish traps, one of the oldest manmade structures on earth, learn the stories of the 19th century river ports of Bourke and Louth and visit Dunlop Station. At the opal town of White Cliffs residents live underground, just like the hotel where you’ll stay.

“Beyond the Darling River, on the edge of the sundown” is Broken Hill and Silverton with its famous gaol. Cobar, steeped in mining heritage, has a mineral belt that is clearly visible.

Return home via Dubbo and Dundullimal Homestead, the Pilliga Pottery and the artesian bore baths of Moree.

The Western Queensland loop, 11 days from July 19.

Fly to Longreach – Qantas of course – to set off on a tour of the remote Outback towns with familiar names that not everyone gets to see – Windorah, Boulia, Birdsville, Eromanga and Quilpie.

See the dinosaurs and Matilda Centre in Winton, the little town of Bedourie squatting at the base of a sand dune in the Diamantina, fly to Innamincka from Birdsville and then head to Big Red at sunset and the Betoota Pub, before flying home from Charleville.

North Queensland’s Savannah Way, 12 days from September 21

It’s planes and boats and trains to explore Gulf Country.

Fly to Townsville, and head west to Charters Towers gold, Richmond dinosaurs, Julia Creek and Cloncurry, birthplace of the Royal Flying Doctor Service. Go underground on the Hard Times mine tour in Mount Isa, and visit the Barramundi Discovery Centre in Karumba. The Crab and Croc cruise speaks for itself.

Board the Gulflander in Normanton to journey through wetlands and grasslands to savannah, “from nowhere to nowhere” and then coach to Croydon, once the biggest town in the Gulf.

See Cobbold Gorge, the narrow gorge with its majestic and sheer walls, aboard a custommade, electric powered boat.

Turning south, overnight at the Lava Tubes in the Undara National Park and tour Cairns before boarding a flight home.

Carnarvon Gorge, seven days from March 21 or May 30.

Stay at the Wallaroo Outback Retreat, a perfect base for day trips with experienced guides to the Carnarvon Gorge National Park, the Carnarvon Ranges and Arcadia Valley.

Full tour details and a list of upcoming tours to choose your destination and duration, are on the CT Travel website. Visit cttravel.com.au Penny Hegarty Call 5441 2814 or email penny.hegarty@gmail.com

Join Sunshine Fm 104.9 Presenter Penny Hegarty on one of these fabulous tours!

ALICE SPRINGS & ULURU

17th - 23rd June, 2022

$3995

Per person, Twin share Single Room $4895 Costs to be confirmed

FRASER ISLAND

Four days, three nights 4th - 7th October 2022

$1275

Per person, Twin share TBC Single Room $1475

GOLD COAST SEA WORLD RESORT AUSTRALIAN OUTBACK SPECTACULAR

ROCK & ROLL ON NORFOLK ISLAND FEATURING KRIS KNIGHT Rock &Roll

19th - 21st February, 2022

$990

Per person, Twin share Single Room $1255 16th - 23rd July, 2022

Includes: Return airfares inc. taxes, 7 nights accommodation, some meals, 7 day car hire $2589

Per person, Twin share Single Room POA

Includes: Accommodation * Coach Travel * Most Meals * Tours * Entry Fees * Pickups * Flights where applicable. Conditions may apply. Informative guided tours where your touring expectations are my priority.