go-see-do guide for adventurous travellers
When the 200-year-old Tree of Knowledge was poisoned shortly after being included on the National Heritage List on Australia Day 2006, I was appalled. Yet another historic Aussie landmark fallen victim to the disregard sometimes shown for our heritage. But although the tree’s demise was disappointing, I was also resigned to its fate. Because when a tree dies, it’s gone for[…]
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Those nostalgic for the ‘good old days’ would do well to consider the enduring legacy of Townsville’s ‘The Saint’, a 1962 student prank that continues to generate controversy. A tragic reminder (!) of the lawlessness and anarchy characterising 1960’s society degeneration (!) from the wholesome family values of the 1950’s, the James Cook University students responsible have left North Queensland’s[…]
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We Arrive on Green Island Although it was 20 LOOOONG years since our last Green Island National Park visit, Pilchard’s first action on our return just MAY have been a little bit extreme. I mean, propelling a perfectly good hat into the sea wasn’t some kind of superstitious ritual, was it? Did he perhaps think it meant we wouldn’t have[…]
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Cockroaches, cane toads and camels are generally considered physically and/or temperamentally unsuited to commercial racing. But here in OZ, the absence of animals traditionally raced, such as horses and dogs, is no hindrance to holding a race meet… Although all these races are held in Australia, I’ve yet to experience the pleasures of cane toad or cockroach racing. But …[…]
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Looking 23 metres down – the Canopy Tower The Demon Duck of Doom (Dromornis stirtoni) at the Daintree Discovery Centre is unlikely to cause panic unless you’re of a particularly nervous disposition. That’s because it’s a metal cutout, the real life version having been extinct since the late Miocene period. Likewise, the Giant Ripper (by name AND nature) Lizard (Megaliania prisca) –[…]
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Studded with campfires in the late evening dusk, the creek banks were alive with the sounds of trucks thundering across the bridge, beer cans popping and that combination of braggadocio, loud laughter and hi-jinks peculiar to any random group of three Aussie males on a boy’s own adventure. Yes, Cooper’s Creek earned its Aussie-rite-of-passage status in the June 2009 week[…]
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Well OK, it’s not actually a ‘paddock’ as such. And it’s certainly NOT just a plane! It’s a fully operational Qantas 747 Jumbo Jet (aka 747-200 VH-EBQ for those who care about such things!), the centrepiece of the Qantas Founders Museum – today celebrating 90 years of Qantas. It’s parked on a fenced off section of of the Longreach Airport grounds,[…]
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The third-hardest part of a Daintree River dawn cruise is selecting one. The second-hardest part is rising well before dawn to get there. But the hardest part of all is getting off the boat when it ends over 2 hours later! Yes, it really is that good! Although now you’re thinking the pictures look a bit dull, right? Well …[…]
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Eulo? Where’s Eulo? Click HERE for the Google map! Only 68 km west of Cunnamulla, we stopped (in true Grey Nomad style) after less than an hour on the road!! We’d seen a locally produced brochure listing Eulo attractions, and thought it deserved a look. Did it ever! How could anyone pass up the opportunity to see the site of the famous lizard[…]
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Spending a fun filled week in Quilpie is easy. In the photo above, this Outback Queensland opal mining town is visible way off in the distance from landmark lookout ‘Baldy Top’ just out of town. But just because it (almost) disappears into the distance from any vantage point doesn’t mean there’s nothing to do there. About 955 km (593[…]
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