No trip to Queensland is complete without a visit to the water parks!
Because every city needs a beach in the CBD!
Brisbane is a wonderful city ❤
Boats!
A friendly neighborhood Kookaburra
Ibis ❤
Jessica Watson’s boat, Ella’s Pink Lady
Brisbane CBD
A Buddhist temple we found in the middle of the city
Brisbane as seen from the summit of Mt Coot-tha
The further back I go for these Flashback Fridays, the worse my memory gets! That’s partly why I started this blog in the first place, to keep a record of where I go so I can look back later for a trip down memory lane. I’m just grateful for photos! This trip to Brisbane took place in July, 2011. We were supposed to catch a plane there with Tiger Airways, but on the day we were supposed to fly, we were told that Tiger Airways had cancelled all their flights until further notice! We ended up driving to Brisbane instead and, to be honest, I prefer road trips to plane flights anyway. It’s nice to make the journey part of the holiday, too.
Brisbane is a lovely city and it’s great for hippy and bohemian culture! The locals are very laid back and friendly, too, so the whole pace of the city is slightly slower and more relaxed. That’s one of the reasons why I loved it there ❤
Some highlights of the trip include the Buddhist temple we found, as well as a statue of Confucius, the view from the summit of Mt Coot-tha, the Botanical Gardens, the man-made beach in the middle of the CBD and, of course, Wet ‘n’ Wild! The Gold Coast is famous for its water parks, as well as its beaches, so if you want the ideal summer getaway, Brisbane and the Gold Coast are perfect for you ❤
The rainforest-covered mountains are simply breath-taking ❤
It’s Flashback Friday, so I thought I’d transport you back to the Easter break this year in April, when Owen and I went to Cairns for a week. We spent 2 nights at a Nomads Backpacker’s Hostel, then 3 nights on Fitzroy Island before heading back to the mainland for another 2 nights at Nomads. We ended up going just after the cyclone, but found that it didn’t impair our trip whatsoever. It just meant we had a bit more rain than we were expecting!
The sun shone directly on Cairns!
The first thing we did was go on a 4 wheel drive tour through the rainforest with Jason, from Discovery Tours. They’re designed to be small tours as it is, but we ended up being the only ones so we had Jason all to ourselves! He was a great guy, and a very knowledgeable guide.
He took us through some of the lesser-known parts of the rainforest so it was quiet, peaceful and made me feel more immersed in the environment. Due to the cyclone, the creeks were all full of water so we had to drive through a few! It only added to the experience though, and the tour was a lot of fun. I’d definitely recommend them!
We went just after the cyclone so the creeks were all filled with water
Probably the most interesting thing I learned while I was on that tour, was that there’s a species of vine that lives there, and it survives by growing around trees and sapping the nutrients out of it. Give them several decades and they begin to resemble a tree themselves!
These vines surround the host tree and consume itThis is the same species of vine as before, but after many decades of growth
The next part of our adventure was off the coast, so we got a boat across to Fitzroy Island. After only one night in the beautiful Fitzroy Island hotel, we were back out at sea on a day trip to the reef for some snorkelling (I get horribly seasick, but it was still worth it!). Thankfully the reef wasn’t too battered from the cyclone, and we even got to swim with a wild turtle! The next day, we decided we still hadn’t had enough of turtles so we went for a tour around the Turtle Rehabilitation Centre. That was great fun and it’s good to know that someone’s looking out for them ❤
If you go to Fitzroy Island, make sure you go to the Turtle Sanctuary; the tour was great!
Fitzroy Island in general was just amazing. We snorkelled directly off the beach and still ended up surrounded by beautiful coral and fish. The food and cocktails were great, especially the breakfast! The staff were helpful and friendly, too! Although it rained every day we were there and we couldn’t see very far from the island due to mist, it didn’t matter to us. If anything, it made the island seem more secluded!
We saw at least one gecko a day on Fitzroy Island!
After getting back to the main land, we spent a day in Kuranda. I loved this village, it’s so beautiful and the hippy vibe is amazing. We drank milk from fresh coconuts and then had it cracked open so we could eat the coconut flesh too. There were two markets that we found, both full of wonderful stalls. We spent some time in a museum full of gemstones and fossils, as well as a venom zoo that scared us both! I think the highlight for me, though, was the Butterfly Sanctuary. We not only got to spend time wandering around the sanctuary, admiring many different species of butterfly, but we also got a tour around the building where they raise the caterpillars. We discovered that butterflies are as delicate as they appear, and need to be cared for to ensure a better survival rate. The people there are definitely doing an amazing job, and the sanctuary is just beautiful ❤
The Butterfly Sanctuary in Kuranda was definitely time well spent 🙂
Even though I was sorry to leave Kuranda, I couldn’t stay sad for long. We took the Skyrail back towards the city and the views were breathtaking, although we did get stuck in the mist for one point…
Getting stuck in the mist bank was a bit eerie…
All in all, our trip to Cairns was short, but eventful and fun. The rain and clouds didn’t stop us from doing any of the things we wanted to do, although I do know that the cyclone meant a lot of people were house/hotel-bound for a few days, but luckily we just missed that. My favourite things about Cairns would be the interesting eco-systems, the friendliness of the locals and Kuranda. I just loved that village and I’d go back in a heartbeat if I could! ❤
I’m not 100% sure, but I think that’s a Cane Toad. If you know, please tell me in the comments!
Note: All of the photos in this post belong to Owen Stephens, so I’d like to thank him for letting me use them 🙂
Wanderlust 