Page 48 - Holidays with Kids - Volume 62 (January 2020)

TROPICAL NORTH QUEENSLAND

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01 Cassowary at Mossman Gorge © Tourism Australia 02 Fitzroy Island 03 Snorkelling the Frankland 05
Islands 05 Nemo found at Frankland Islands. Images 02 & 05 © Tourism and Events Queensland

beach. We swim with Nemo and green sea where two World Heritage sites – the Daintree restored train carriage we are up at dawn,
turtles, wade in rock pools and build castles of and the Great Barrier Reef – meet. As we stroll spotting echidnas and pretty-face wallabies
coral with the national park's marine biologist. along the beach, we search for sand bubbler and making toast over a fire before touring
Our island theme continues with a visit to crabs, their little sand balls piled along the the lava tubes. We move from red, arid dirt into
Fitzroy Island, a 45-minute fast ferry ride from shore, and keep our eyes peeled for crocs. lush tropics in a collapsed lava tunnel, through a
Cairns. While you can do Fitzroy in a day, we swarm of thousands of batwing and yellow
opt to stay two nights to sync into island time. Cassowary crossing glasswing butterflies. This cave of natural
Home to Nudey Beach – often said to be On our return to Cairns we drop into pretty wonders, created by a volcanic eruption
Australia’s best beach – the white coral cove is Port Douglas to soak up the beachy vibe 190,000 years ago, is home to half a million
most certainly “as advertised”. We also visit the before heading to another sandy patch of microbats which swarm out at dusk, along
Cairns Turtle Rehabilitation Centre where we paradise at Etty Bay Beach, famous for its with opportunistic pythons who wait at the
meet Julz the green sea turtle. Found off the cassowaries, where we spot two of the cave mouth to meet and eat them.
coast of nearby Green Island, Julz is a victim of magnificent, prehistoric birds. Satiated in our It’s a fitting end to our adventures and we
illegal hunting, but is expected to make a full wildlife quest, it’s time for more wet tropic emerge transformed by this ancient land.
recovery and be released back into the wild. adventures in the Atherton Tablelands and
Undara. The green and gorgeous Tablelands Tropical North
Forest meets sea are home to spectacular waterfalls, enormous Queensland
From the reef, we journey to the Daintree strangler fig trees, swimming holes and a feast Report Card
Rainforest and Mossman Gorge, an intensely of fruit and dairy farms, such as Mungalli
spiritual spot with its Dreamtime stories, Creek Dairy and Gallo Dairyland, where
crystal-clear water and Ulysses butterflies we’re tempted with cheese and chocolate. Info tropicalnorthqueensland.org.au
flitting about the rocks. We delve deeper on We’re also spoiled with more wildlife at the queensland.com
an eco-friendly wildlife-spotting river cruise Tolga Bat Hospital, where we meet rescued Stay crystalbrookcollection.com/riley
with Solar Whisper. After sighting alarmingly baby bats, swaddled up with dummies. fitzroyisland.com daintree-ecolodge.com.au
huge crocodiles, countless birds and a green Do australianbutterflies.com
tree frog who lives on the boat, we immerse Into the outback ksr.com.au birdworldkuranda.com
ourselves further into the rainforest with a Further south-west is the Undara Volcanic cairnsaquarium.com.au skyrail.com.au
night in a treehouse at Daintree Ecolodge. National Park. Home to one of the largest franklandislands.com.au undara.com.au
Awoken early by the bird calls of our and oldest lava tubes in the world, the park is cairnsturtlerehab.org.au mossmangorge.com.au
treetop neighbours, we continue our breathtaking in its range of geological features solarwhisper.com mungallicreekdairy.com.au
exploration, driving up to Cape Tribulation and wildlife. After spending the night in a gallodairyland.com.au tolgabathospital.org

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