Murray's visit 'Oz - Part I

So the Murray's much anticipated trip Down Under started in tropical northern Queensland - the gateway to the Great Barrier Reef [GBR]. Melissa and I were tired after an early morning flight from Melbourne to Cairns but apparently not as tired as the rest of the family who just spent 24 hrs in United economy [eeek!] Most people don't realize that northern Australia is very tropical. This part of Queensland is home to two world heritage sites: the Daintree Rainforest and the GBR. This leg of the trip included Cape Tribulation, Great Barrier Reef, Mossman Gorge, and Cairns.

We started off with a trip up into the Daintree Rainforest. I have never seen so many different shades of green. It was beautiful! We started off on a path to the top of Mt. Sorrow. In a Wizard of Ozish way the sign basically said - I'd turn back in I were you. None of us listened and proceeded up the mountain. A kilometer or two into it, it became quite obvious that it was a treacherous path and a steep climb. Lauren convince Mom to turn around and the 4 of us proceeded for another couple of kilometers then the path turned into a tangle of roots leading almost vertically upward and we realised the end had come. It was one of the most difficult treks we've ever encountered!

The biggest mystery of the rain forest is the Cassowary. Cassowaries are very large flightless birds native to the tropical forests of northeastern Australia. The Cassowary is the second largest flightless bird on the planet, second only to the ostrich. Cassowaries are very shy, but when disturbed, they are capable of inflicting fatal injuries to an adult human. Everywhere you look there are signs to watch out for them, but as hard as we looked, we couldn't find them!
The next day was the outing to the Great Barrier Reef. It was a bumpy ride and quite windy, but once we got out there the snorkeling was amazing. There was so much to see that the ropes couldn't keep us (Dad) in. You can see it was quite an exhausting day!
















Check out all the pictures of Queensland:
Great Barrier Reef:
http://picasaweb.google.com/lissmurr/GreatBarrierReef
Daintree Rainforest:http://picasaweb.google.com/lissmurr/DaintreeRainforest
Mossman's Gorge: http://picasaweb.google.com/lissmurr/MossmanSGorge
Palm Cove & Cairns:http://picasaweb.google.com/lissmurr/Cairns