Port Douglas in Northern Queensland, Australia

 

The next leg of our adventure put us in the tropical far north of Queensland, Australia. Port Douglas is about 16.5 degrees south of the equator and a lot more humid than we are used to.  St. Cloud, Minnesota is 45.5 degrees north of the equator, for comparison. However, this geographic location has allowed the formation of the Great Barrier Reef and a tropical rainforest. That's what we are here to see, and we are willing to put up with a little sweating to do it!

After a full day of traveling from New Zealand are finally in Australia! Don't know why we are surprised by rain... near the rainforest.

Our first full day was cloudy but no more torential rains! The wind and various other "hazards" made swimming a no go, but the weather was perfect for exploring Port Douglas and climbing the rocks around Flafstaff Hill Lookout.

The Wildlife Habitat in Port Douglas (www.wildlifehabitat.com.au) was really fun. The animal-life in Australia proved to be as impressive as we had hoped!

I learned about an animal I'd never heard of before- the Cassowary. We saw a full color statue of one in the airport. When the kids asked me what it was I said "It must be a dinosaur that used to live in this part of the world." Actually, it's a dinosaur that lives in this part of the world right now! Harry and Danny got to feed grapes to one.

The park is an interactive environment where most of the animals roam free; except for the crocodiles, snakes, and koalas. Personally, I think the Australian Pelicans should have been behind some kind of barracade!

Cuddling a koala and making friends with the kangaroos were highlights.

Next post will be all about the Daintree Rainforest and the Great Barrier Reef!