18.04.2026

From the surfer paradise of Byron Bay, it was just 24 km further to the 'Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary'. It is a vast area, not only with Australian animals, which has its origins in 1947 through Alex Griffith. He began feeding the local parrots to prevent them from destroying his garden. The parrots are still a major attraction today, and we saw them among other things in the 'Wild Bird Show'. It is a sprawling territory, featuring many shows, a climbing course with a zip-line, children's activities... . Today, on Saturday, many families were naturally out and about. For us, the kangaroo petting area was particularly interesting. They were just lounging comfortably in the sun. The lizards and nocturnal animals were also well presented. Even a dinosaur world, complete with sounds, was included. The small black creature is the Tasmanian Devil. When it opens its mouth, sharp teeth protrude - devilish! We saw it in its enclosure. We were warned not to let our arms hang over, because...! After 3 hours, we concluded our tour, as we still had two hours of travel ahead of us, actually only 80 km, but the last 24 were quite a challenge: we wound our way through the Lamington National Park, another rainforest area, at about 900 m through narrow curves, often only passable in one lane, slowly ascending to a beautiful plateau under sunny skies. The family 'O'Reilly' resort offers everything the heart desires. We have a room overlooking well-maintained meadows and the mountains. There are also camping sites, rooms in various price categories, and a large spa area. The hotel is celebrating its 100th anniversary this year. The entire area is private, now in the 6th generation. But here too, it gets dark at 6 PM. We have signed up for a firefly tour at 8 PM and need to dig out our warmer clothes again. Let's see how they glow here in Australia...