Today I will summarize the past and present day, because from Cairns we went for a day into the interior of the country to the rainforest, with an overnight stay, and today back to the water, to Mission Beach.
The highlight, of course, was yesterday's encounter with the wallabies. I roughly follow a travel route that I found on the internet. Private nature parks, like Granite Gorge near Mareeba, deep in the middle of nowhere, normal mortals probably wouldn't find. The journeys alone are sometimes so adventurous that one no longer expects to be on the right track.
Granite Gorge is a collection of granite rocks that you can explore on a tour and whose current appearance is the result of volcanic activity. At the entrance, you pay admission again, receive instructions, as almost always, about what to do and not to do, and for an additional dollar you get a bag of food to attract the wallabies. These rock kangaroos only exist in the area around Mareeba and nowhere else. At the first rock, three or four animals were also 'lurking' in the shade, until again a tourist comes by with food. The animals have no fear of people at all and are also 'disciplined'. They don't attack you in a pack, but patiently wait until you turn to them. Very pleasant animals indeed. I have already shown some photos in the WA status and I will also post some again here as photos, but this is new. It looks as if the animal has understood that it should say 'Hey' to the people in Germany in front of the camera...
The rocks also have various names, what could they be called, for example...?
Exactly: 'Giant Turtle'... There are also peacocks running around and animals where you don't really know the front from the back... By the way, this is the front...
And let's not forget about the parrots...
My yesterday and today's route led through an area dominated by agriculture. Coffee and peanuts are grown there, and it is a huge banana growing area. The people from Queensland, Queensland is the name of the state, are also often referred to as 'banana benders' by the rest of the Australians...
Each banana plant is 'wrapped' so that it does not fall victim to the 'Panama disease', an aggressive fungus that threatens banana production worldwide. It looks funny, but it is not really ...
Furthermore, you can see huge areas of sugar cane. Sugar cane is not grown by large agricultural companies, but it feeds 6,000 family businesses. Due to the special climate in this region, sugar cane can be seen in all conceivable growth stages. From just harvested, to 10 cm high, to standing just before harvesting, everything can be seen...
Just before my daily destination, a lodge in the middle of the rainforest, I passed by a beautiful lake. Of course, there was a warning about crocodiles again, and there are also turtles in the lake. Crocodiles and turtles are rarely seen. But I wouldn't be a born nature filmmaker if I didn't get at least one of the two animals in front of my camera... My accommodation was really in the middle of the rainforest. No matter which room I looked out of, dense forest everywhere... But the weirdest thing was that there were no curtains in front of the huge bedroom window, only a curtain. This lodge is probably only for 'hardcore flora and fauna observers'... Fortunately, I was warned at the reception about this lady: She was building a nest - on the roof of my lodge. So I luckily knew who was walking over the roof above me in the evening... All evening and half the night, I could hear the strangest animal noises and from time to time 'something' rustling in the undergrowth near the lodge. I've seen horror movies that started exactly like this... But I woke up unharmed and then made my way back to the coast today. I stopped at two waterfalls along the way, and there was, again out of nowhere in the middle of nowhere, the 'Mamu Tropical Skywalk'. Various viewing platforms are attached to a mountain slope in the rainforest, from which you can admire the magnificent landscape and walk along the treetops. Also very impressive and beautiful, and of course it also cost admission... But included in the admission at that place were some nasty flies that reminded me of horseflies at home. Big creatures that sting you really nasty as soon as they are on your skin... Compared to them, the flies in the Outback were almost harmless... Oh by the way... I was additionally warned by a sign today... Here in Australia, you not only have to beware of certain animals, but also of certain plants... My destination today was Mission Beach. A 23 km long beach that consists of 'several' beaches... It is strange for me as a 'love to swim in the sea' person to see that such beaches are almost empty (which I find good), but also hardly anyone goes for a swim due to the crocodiles and jellyfish... That's why at some places, splash pools are built just behind the beach, so that children can swim safely... And finally, it was laundry day, because after a week and a half, you're slowly running out of underwear... and pants, and t-shirts, and socks... On the way to the hotel, I happened to pass by a laundromat and quickly grabbed my laundry at the hotel and drove there... I was already wondering why there was nothing going on there, but of course I was also happy about it and immediately started a machine. The washing machine had just finished and I put everything in the dryer when the owner came into the store and looked at me sparingly... Because he actually wanted to close the shop now, because it was 4:00 pm and closing time. I hadn't paid attention to the opening hours... But he was a friendly man and said he would come back in half an hour, I should go ahead and start the dryer, and he would close later... I don't know how something like this would have turned out in Germany... So, tomorrow it's time to watch the sunrise again. Let's see how it looks here on the crowded beaches...
