Far North Queensland – Canberra's Green Spaces

October 8, 2023

The Daintree River Cruise in North Queensland: birds and crocodiles

Although I have written many posts about Far North Queensland, this was the first time we had ventured down the Daintree River.

We had invited our Canberra friends (who are our neighbours) to holiday with us, so we decided it was time to go further afield.

We did this trip in August 2019, and as Covid arrived soon after that, I did not get the chance to write about it. However, this is one place in the world that probably remains the same much of the time. (unless they are experiencing flooding, which is very common)

We were staying in Port Douglas, and the river cruise started very early in the morning, so we left our accommodation in the dark, and watched the sun rise over this beautiful countryside…..

We drove through open farmland into coastal lowland rainforest, until we could see the Daintree river, which is one of the longest rivers on the Australian East Coast.

While we were waiting for our boat, I took the above photo, because it suddenly looked as if we were in the middle of Ireland the hills were so green! (as a result of recent flooding, we were told)

In this part of the world, the average summer temperature is 24 to 33 (C), 74-91 (F) and very humid. The average winter is between 16 and 26 (C).61-79(F)

It was pleasantly warm considering we arrived at 6.30 in the morning, but we did not abandon our raincoats!

This region has a wide range of birds, and is a very popular place with bird watchers.

I was thrilled to see the Azure Kingfisher, as this beautiful bird is very elusive, but perhaps, so early in morning the birds were happy to stay still for a while.

Here is the Tawny Frogmouth, a champion at camouflage…

and the green tree snake was also so well camouflaged, I would not have seen this snake unless the guide pointed it out.

The Daintree river is the habitat of the saltwater crocodile, known locally as ‘the salties’. Our guide pointed out a few resident crocodiles in this area, and we were happy enough to watch from afar (I used my zoom lens for these photos naturally)

I was surprised to see some birds standing quite still in vulnerable parts of the river..

The guide was concerned about one of the old crocodiles, locally known as Scarface, (old and battle-scarred ..we were told) who had not been seen in the river for a few weeks. When were back home we read in a local paper that Scarface had died. Perhaps old age?

It all seemed a bit like a slice out of The Godfather…another world!

The white Egret had the very best view of everything it seemed!

Although the above photo is very blurry I thought it was interesting to show a house in the middle of a rainforest. No doubt a beautiful view!

The day began to clear as we ended the cruise, and what an experience it was!

Thanks for taking the time to read a little more about Australia, much as I love my home and garden, it is a pleasure, and quite an education to see another part of the country I call home.

August 13, 2023

Far North Queensland and Hemingway’s on the Hill..

Canberra is well known for having cold winters (by Australian standards). June to August can be cold, rainy and miserable in Canberra.

Fortunately the temperatures in Far North Queensland are mild and pleasant during these months. Many Australians from the southern states, including our family, go on holiday to Queensland during our winter months.

This year in mid-June, Paul’s much loved mother, at the age of 96, passed away. She had eight children and many grandchildren and great grandchildren, and will be sadly missed by everyone.

The last few months have been very busy, and at times very sad. However, we had planned a holiday in Far North Queensland and a few weeks ago, we packed our bags, and flew to Cairns.

Despite the overcast view that day, it is always a pleasure to see the coastline as the plane turns to land in Cairns.

We decided to start our holiday with a few quiet days in the Atherton Tablelands, despite it being a little colder than along the coast.

Paul found us a small cottage in the Atherton Tablelands and it was called Hemingway’s on the Hill.

It was quiet, rustic and peaceful, and just what we needed….a break away from everything.

On the way to our cottage we stopped at a pretty country town called Yungaburra and bought pizzas, a bottle of wine, and a few extra food supplies for our first meal at Hemingway’s on the Hill.

The drive into the pretty town of Yungaburra and Nick’s Pizzas not far away..

The cabin had all kinds of interesting books and magazines. The owner of the cottage lived on a farm nearby. She had packed the fridge and kitchen with fruit, eggs, bacon, butter, jams, honey and yogurt.

Everything we ate there came from local farms.. what a feast!

Paul lit the fire on the first evening and we sat quietly watching the sun going down …..it was cold, but a very pleasant quiet time…there is nothing like a flickering fire for relaxing.

In the morning we had better views of the rolling hills, and farms dotted across the mountains. The Atherton Tablelands provides food for many parts of Australia, with its rich volcanic soil there are an amazing amount of crops grown in this area. (more of that in another post)

The owner of the property had left instructions for everything, but this little note at the back of the folder made me smile….be warned of noises when you are in the countryside in Australia.

We did hear the Curlew birds in the night….my impression is that they have a rather sad cry, and always late at night. However, my cousin, who lives not very far from this area, says she loves coming home and listening to their long song.

A Bush Stone-curlew bird Photo: Birdlife Australia

We have never had bandicoots in our garden, (thank goodness), but possums are a perennial problem and they bounce across our carport roof quite often in the night, usually looking for fruit and vegetables.

Our three days at Hemingway’s cottage was spent eating good nourishing food, having quiet times by the fire, and reading books…..we slept well, and were completely unaware of any night time activity during our stay.

Before we left for our second holiday house at the coast, I took some photos of the two colourful flowers that were growing in the gardens at Hemingway’s. As with all flowers and shrubs in this part of the world, they are large, bright and cheerful.

There are many interesting parts of Far North Queensland to see and enjoy, and I’ll write a few posts on some very different parts of Queensland.

Many thanks for taking the time to read my post today, and may you have some sunshine where ever you are in the world.

August 23, 2019

Far North Queensland, sunshine and colour…and dodging the snow back home.

Almost every year we go to Far North Queensland in the winter. We leave our coats at home and freeze all the way to the airport. Then we board the plane for a three hour flight into another world, casual clothing, hats and a pair of sunglasses…nothing can prepare you for the colours of Queensland.

As the plane circles to land in this beautiful part of the world my heart always gives a lift…..

the vast azure sea, the tropical mountains, and the long blue skies.

This year we went with friends and family, and visited three different places, Port Douglas, the Atherton Tablelands, and Palm Cove.

Palm Cove, a short distance from Cairns, is a pretty beach surrounded by palm trees and winding paths, and a mostly gentle sea.

We spent our time in Palm Cove with our family and lovely granddaughter, and it was interesting to see this colourful world through her eyes.

From our apartment, on the third floor, we had a great view of the lush green palms and tropical plants…

Giant Palm Lily.. growing up to 5 metres. White and cream flowers appear during the months of Feb to July. The berries ripen from yellow to red.

Birds play an important role in distribution of rainforest seeds, and we were heartened to see that Queensland has its share of cockatoos, eating and spreading seeds.

We woke every morning to the familiar sound of cockatoos screeching overhead as they flew from palm tree to palm tree. This must be an unsettling start to the day for unsuspecting overseas tourists.

Looking down from our apartment we saw a flash of iridescent blue, the Ulysses butterfly, common to this area…almost camouflaged by the rich green surroundings.

I know that many bloggers are interested in butterflies, especially Jason and Judy from https://gardeninacity.wordpress.com/ so here are a few striking Queensland butterflies from the Australian Butterfly Sanctuary in Kuranda.

Ulysses a large swallowtail butterfly abc.net.au

The Red Lacewing Butterfly Aust. Butterfly Sanctuary

Cairns Birdwing butterfly Aust. Butterfly Sanctuary

The Cairns Birdwing butterfly is the largest of all Australian Butterflies

On our walk through the gardens to the beach we saw so many colourful and unusual plants and flowers…..as our granddaughter said ”Oh Wow!”

Unfortunately I couldn’t find the name of this pretty pink/red flower..

The palm below is a striking entrance to a garden.

We have been coming to Palm Cove for about 25 years, and one thing is a constant, Pete’s Place. This is the shop where you can buy milk, bread, magazines, summer clothes and hats,

….and THE best best fish and chips in town. Especially the fresh Barramundi.

a pretty dusting of snow on the Brindabella Mountains.

Meanwhile, we read and heard about the changing weather, back in Canberra.

Canberra does get the occasional dusting of snow in our winter, but this year …. especially in the National Park and some parts of Canberra, the snow kept on coming !

Social media went mad with clips of kangaroos hopping around in the snow, wombats and even a platypus pushing through the snow..

The ABC and BBC news and the Washington Post had clips of kangaroos bounding around in snow. What a confusing time to be an Aussie animal…this photo says it all..

Bonorong Wildlife Sanctuary Tasmania: Photo Bernadette Camus

SO….who is responsible!

…..and how about booking us into Palm Cove next year?

I hope you are enjoying your season where ever you are in the world, and thank you for taking the time to read my blog, especially if you should be out in the garden!

January 26, 2018April 15, 2018

Australia Day…and seeking the sunshine..

Today is Australia Day, and while the most appropriate date for Australia Day is still being debated, and not all of us know the second verse of the National Anthem ……

….the good news is…… there’s still a lot of sunshine out there!

Although it is reasonable and important to have debate for change in a democracy….. let’s not forget all the reasons for loving Australia, or where ever you live in the world..

Here are some of my reasons for loving where I live….

The National Library of Australia and a small electric boat that cruises around Lake Burley Griffin almost every day..

The gardens of the National Gallery of Australia. Bronze statue of Penelope (isn’t she grand?) by Emile-Antoine Bourdelle 1912 (cast in 1984 by Susse Foundry Paris )

Looking out from the Australian Parliament House towards Anzac Parade and the Australian War Memorial, on a clear blue day…

A winter’s day in the city of Canberra, statue of Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi

An autumn day at Lake Tuggeranong, in the suburbs of Canberra

Lake Tuggeranong on a very cold winter’s day for these Buddhist monks from a nearby temple.

A Crimson Rosella eating Peppermint Sage on our deck on an autumn morning..

a golden wattle flower, the floral emblem of Australia.

A Sulphur Crested Cockatoo on his way to Mount Taylor, near where I live..

Kangaroos at sunset on the playing fields at Lake Crackenback

Holidays amongst the Melaleuca trees in Palm Cove, North Queensland.

The Atherton Tablelands in Far North Queensland, with the best food and coffee in the state, thanks to a multicultural community.

St Mary’s by the Sea, a heritage listed non denominational church at Port Douglas, Far North Queensland…

Palm Cove, Far North Queensland….what can I say?

I enjoyed picking a few photos out of so many of this beautiful world…

In the ending words of Desiderata verse

‘“with all its sham, drudgery and broken dreams, it is still a beautiful world.

Be Careful

Strive to be happy.”

Found in Baltimore 1692..

Do you have a favourite place in your part of the world?

June 30, 2017

Far North Queensland, Melaleuca Trees in Palm Cove

On a cold June morning, we flew out of Canberra, and four hours later we landed in a very different Australian city, Cairns, in Far North Queensland.

Cairns is the gateway to the Great Barrier Reef, and the Daintree Forests, part of the Wet Tropics World Heritage area.

Despite its international airport and city status, Cairns has lost none of its original laid-back Queensland character.

view of the cane fields and the mountain range as we drive from Cairns airport to Palm Cove

Driving from the airport there are cane farms on either side of the road, and some original old Queensland houses dotted around the countryside.

We are heading just a short distance away to our favourite spot, Palm Cove…where the winter temperatures at this time of the year are around 14 degrees to 26 degrees.

…let’s just keep that a secret…

We have been visiting Palm Cove with our family for about twenty years.

When our children were young, you could take camel rides along the beach, and an old hippie had a little wooden stand where you could have a foot massage…..those were the days!

In the colder southern states of Australia, the gardens and parks have died back for the winter, so it is almost like sensory overload seeing the glorious colourful flowers and shrubs that seem to grow anywhere and everywhere…

However, Palm Cove’s signature for me, are the most incredible Paperbark Melaleuca trees.

The trunk of the tree is layered with papery bark, which is in a continuous process of peeling and replacing. In a monsoonal tropical climate like Palm Cove, this discourages parasites from getting a hold on the tree.

(It is also very hard to pass a tree and resist peeling a fine layer of bark as you go.)

Tea tree oil is distilled from the fresh leaves and twigs of the Melaleuca, and come to think of it, this is probably what the hippie used, all those years ago, for his foot massages.

These distinctive Melaleucas were here when Captain James Cook sailed his ship, the Endeavour, within three leagues of the Palm Cove foreshore on 10 June 1770….some of the species are reported to be over 400 years old.

It is said that Captain Cook tried using the oil from the leaves to make tea, as a possible way of preventing scurvy.

The beauty of the Paperbark Melaleucas in Palm Cove is the seamless way the buildings, paths and people fit around the trees.

I have read that the local council regulated, many years ago, that buildings in Palm Cove could not be built higher than the Melaleucas…what a visionary decision!

Palm Cove will never be one of the many beaches lined by generic high rise buildings, all looking exactly the same.

Rainbow lorikeets, the busy noisy local parrots in this area, are regular visitors to the trees, as are honey eaters, sunbirds, fruit bats, native bees and many other species that feed on the Paperbark trees.

My apologies, I couldn’t find a Rainbow Lorikeet in Palm Cove the day of taking photos, so I had to borrow a busy Lorikeet from a trip we did to Sydney’s Centennial Park. This Lorikeet is feeding on equally striking flowers from a tree called Cape Tulip Red, originally from Africa, but also very common in the warmer parts of Australia.

The camels and hippies have gone, but, thank goodness some things stay the same, Pete’s Place, with the best fish and chips in Palm Cove.

Barramundi is a locally caught fish here, and is absolutely out of this world….may it never change. I haven’t got a photo of any of our fish and chip meals because they were eaten so fast!

….and, I need never feel too far away from home, because one of the noisiest cockatoos I’ve ever heard, is nesting just across the way from our balcony

…well, if you can’t find an almond tree in Canberra, then a Paperbark Melaleuca tree is a pretty good second…

Not even a cockatoo winging in like a Boeing 747 could ruin an evening walk on Palm Cove beach.

I hope you are enjoying your good fortune if it is summer in your part of the world, and if you are in the middle of winter, as Monty Don says, make it a restorative time.

In my next post Paul and I will go on a bird watching tour in Port Douglas…