Trip To Australia, Part 2: Cairns

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Berkeley Boone
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Trip To Australia, Part 2: Cairns

Post by Berkeley Boone »

If you are just joining us, here is the trip report for Part 1, Sydney:
http://www.fieldherpforum.com/forum/vie ... =2&t=22237

Part 2 will detail our journey up to Cairns.

Sorry it has been so long since the last update! Life has been busy.

So we left off with my wife and I leaving Sydney, and taking the three hour flight up to Cairns. The city is in the northern portion of Queensland, right on the coast. Instead of balmy, pleasant coastal weather, we now had hot, humid coastal weather. Just like south Georgia! We disembarked from the plane and walked across the tarmac commenting about how similar it felt to the Southeastern US. The mountains that surrounded us, with the combination of exotic trees and shrubs told us we were far from home though!

We got inside the airport terminal and waited at baggage claim. I looked around, and immediately noticed a gigantic billboard that took up an entire wall. It showed the anterior half of a saltwater crocodile, and there were very bold, very clear warnings about what to do (or not to do) near waterways. I wish now that I had taken a picture of it, but I did not.

We found a shuttle that would take us to the hostel we were staying at, and climbed on board. As we left the airport parking lot, my wife pointed to some trees by the street. She had seen about a dozen fruit bats hanging and moving among the leaves. I told her to remember where the tree was so that we could come back and see them (fruit bats were high on my list of critters to find), but it turned out we didn’t need to remember that particular tree.

The shuttle dropped us off at the hostel where we would be staying. It was just a little different than the accommodations we had been given in Sydney:
Image1Flying Monkey by B Boone, on Flickr

Image2Our Accomodations by B Boone, on Flickr

Since it was late afternoon and we needed to get some food, we wandered up the block to find a grocery store. We went exploring, looking in all the different shop fronts. I happened to look up, and saw a huge mango tree further down the sidewalk, and just across an intersection. It appeared to be moving. Bats!

We walked over to check it out. The bats were incredibly noisy- screaming and chattering at each other. It was fenced off around the bottom, and the city had put some signs up saying it was a roosting/nursery tree and they would move on after the babies were weaned.
Image3Bat colony by B Boone, on Flickr

Image4Pteropus conspicillatus by B Boone, on Flickr

Image5Pteropus conspicillatus1 by B Boone, on Flickr

We found a grocer, picked up a few days’ worth of food and walked it back to the hostel. We walked back out to the street to go check out the park right across from us. It was amazing! It is called the Cairns Esplanade, and it is a wonderfully landscaped area, with sidewalks and a boardwalk overlooking the bay. There was a gigantic, zero-depth entry infinity pool as well, and the best part was that it was open from 6am to 9pm every day!
Image6Cairns Esplanade by B Boone, on Flickr

Image7View of the bay by B Boone, on Flickr

Image8Cairns Esplanade Lagoon by B Boone, on Flickr

Image9Fake Beach by B Boone, on Flickr

The reason that this park and pool were created was because the bay wasn’t all that great for swimming and lounging.
Image10Not Really A Beach by B Boone, on Flickr

It’s basically just mud flats. Here it is at low tide, with a Striated Heron:
Image11Butorides striatus by B Boone, on Flickr

Oh yeah, that’s right…. and there are crocodiles there, too. It is not a good idea to go near the water.
Image12Warning by B Boone, on Flickr

Interestingly, right there at the main area with the pool and the park and all that, the signs strongly urged against swimming and going near the water. But if you walked 100 meters north, the signs changed to a very emphatic ‘do not approach’ and stated that crocs were seen there regularly.

We spent the afternoon swimming in the comfort of the Esplanade lagoon, and enjoyed the break immensely.
We crossed the street back to the hostel and made dinner. Since the air was so warm and tropical, many things were just open-air and the hostel was no exception. The kitchen was located on a second floor balcony that overlooked a pool and then the rooftops behind the building. The balcony faced west, and as we ate dinner we watched the sun set. A lone bat flew by, its five foot wingspan not making a sound as it flapped.
Image13Bat flying by B Boone, on Flickr

Then a few more appeared. And a few more. Suddenly, there were thousands flying by. They were leaving the roost tree for the night to go feast on figs, mangos and whatever fruits they could find.
Image14Dinner and a show by B Boone, on Flickr

The next morning, I woke up and went on my usual early morning walk. There were already dozens of people out doing the same thing, and swimming in the lagoon, biking, rollerblading. I was fascinated!
I saw the sun come up over the mountains out past the harbor.
Image15Sunrise by B Boone, on Flickr

Then I walked down to the marina to see what was there.
Image16Sailboats in the Harbour by B Boone, on Flickr

Image17Snails by B Boone, on Flickr

Diamond-scale Mullet
Image18Liza vaigiensis by B Boone, on Flickr

Archerfish
Image19Toxotes jaculator by B Boone, on Flickr

The birds were everywhere. If you are into birding, the Cairns Esplanade is a top spot, and often specifically recommended just for that.
Bar-tailed Godwit
Image20Limosa lapponica by B Boone, on Flickr

Willy Wagtail
Image21Rhipidura leucophrys by B Boone, on Flickr

Spotted Dove
Image22Spilopelia chinensis by B Boone, on Flickr

Australasian Figbird
Image23Sphecotheres vieilloti male by B Boone, on Flickr

Magpie Lark
Image24Grallina cyanoleuca by B Boone, on Flickr

Zebra Dove
Image25Geopelia striata by B Boone, on Flickr

Pied Imperial Pigeon
Image26Ducula bicolor by B Boone, on Flickr

No wonder the birds loved this place, there was fruit of all types and colors on the ground!
Image27Cool green fruit by B Boone, on Flickr

Bamaga Satinash
Image28Syzygium bamagense by B Boone, on Flickr

Bamaga Satinash
Image29Syz bam and by B Boone, on Flickr

Indian or Sea Almond
Image30Terminalia catappa fruit by B Boone, on Flickr

Almond leaves and flowers
Image31Terminalia catappa by B Boone, on Flickr

The trees were very interesting. This is a Cannonball tree. The flowers, which were the size of my fist, were on stalks that sprouted directly from the trunk of the tree.
Image32Couroupita tree by B Boone, on Flickr

Image33Couroupita guianensis by B Boone, on Flickr

Fish Poison Tree
Image34Barringtonia asiatica by B Boone, on Flickr

Apple Blossom Tree
Image35Cassia bakeriana x fistula by B Boone, on Flickr

Image36apple blossom tree c.b xf by B Boone, on Flickr

Screwpine
Image37Pandanus tectorius fruit by B Boone, on Flickr

Two moth species found on the sidewalk. Any ideas? I know the first one is some sort of Sphinx.
Image38Moth A by B Boone, on Flickr

Image39Moth B by B Boone, on Flickr

Huge Ficus trees and palms that had bases made of Basket Ferns created intricate networks of roots and leaf litter.
Image40Basket fern sprout by B Boone, on Flickr

I thought that perhaps this would be a good spot to come back after dark and check for geckos and tree frogs. I was right, for on the very next Ficus I walked by, I saw this Pacific House Gecko sitting out on a root.
Image41Hemidactylus frenatus by B Boone, on Flickr

The trees also had great big Staghorn ferns growing from their trunks. One had to be careful poking around the trunks of the trees, within the staghorn ferns were the folded up nests of green ants.
Image42Green Ants by B Boone, on Flickr

I was careful around these nests, because I was told if you bumped it, they would come raining down on you, biting and stinging.

I went back to the hostel, and we spent the day lounging around again, at the lagoon, and walking around the city. We also chose what we would do for the next couple of days. We opted for a day-long trip out to Green Island for some snorkeling on the Great Barrier Reef, and the day after that, we were going to head north to the Daintree Rainforest and Mossman Gorge.
After it was dark, I crossed the street back into the Esplanade park and began looking on the tree trunks and amongst the basket fern growths with a small flashlight.
Image43Basket fern by B Boone, on Flickr

More geckos! Lots of them!
I presume that these are all Pacific House Geckos, Hemidactylus frenatus, since they have the spines on the tails. Please correct my ID if I am wrong!
Image44H frenatus by B Boone, on Flickr

Image45H frenatus by B Boone, on Flickr

Image46H frenatus by B Boone, on Flickr

While I was shining my light into the nooks and crannies of the tree roots and old fern fronds, I tried to be somewhat discrete because the park was still full of activity. Lots of people out walking, families cooking out on the various barbecue grills, and people on the sidewalks across the street enjoying dinner. A park employee on a golf cart was making his rounds, checking trash cans. He made his way over my direction eventually and when he saw I was looking in the trees with a flashlight, asked if everything was alright. I laughed and told him, yes, everything was fine- I was just looking for geckos and treefrogs.
“Oh! Great!” he said, “Have you seen any?”
“A few”. I showed him some of the pictures that I had on my camera.
“Oh yeah! It looks like they are all the exotic ones though” was his reply. “They don’t look as nice as the natives.” For yet another time on this trip, I was surprised at the locals’ knowledge and attitude toward wildlife. He continued, “Have ya seen any of the treefrogs?”
Not yet, I told him. I was hoping to find some.
“I haven’t seen any here in the Esplanade in a while, but mate, they are all over the houses just a few blocks in! Big and green, just glorious!” He told me he loved seeing them at his house. We bade each other a good night, and he kept on his rounds. Oh how I wished I knew some people that lived in Cairns! I would have loved to have seen some of the treefrogs, but it was not to be.

The next morning, we got up, had breakfast and walked over to the marina to catch our ferry that would take us out to Green Island. This is where we would get to experience a little bit of the Great Barrier Reef. It was a 45 minute ride out to the island, and while we rode, we listened to the rules about being in the National Marine Park in several different languages. Since it was the beginning of February, we were in smack dab in the middle of jellyfish season. They also had a portion about safety with marine creatures, and they focused the most on the jellyfish. There are two that you really need to worry about: the box jelly and the irukandji. Both of these species have excruciatingly painful stings, and have caused human fatalities. However, a simple wetsuit can greatly reduce the chances of a sting, and the trip offered the opportunity to get full body wetsuits. (More on this in a bit)

We docked and walked up the long pier to the shore. Right off the bat, we saw a green sea turtle floating at the surface, having a look around. I wasn’t expecting to see one so soon, so I didn’t have my camera out and missed an opportunity for a picture. There were, however, a bunch of fish swimming in the amazing clear, shallow water that I was able to get some pictures of.
Image47Green Island by B Boone, on Flickr

Image48Green Island Reef by B Boone, on Flickr

Yellowtail Fusilier, Giant Trevally and Orbicular Batfish
Image49Cae cun, Car ign and Pla orb by B Boone, on Flickr

Yellowtail Fusilier and Orbicular Batfish
Image50Platax orbicularis2 by B Boone, on Flickr

Image51Foreshore by B Boone, on Flickr

Black Noddy
Image52Anous minutus1 by B Boone, on Flickr

These Buff Banded Rails were all over. Many of them had chicks with them, and they were all so acclimated to people that they would wander right up to you and forage next to your feet.
Image53Gallirallus philippensis1 by B Boone, on Flickr

Image54Gallirallus philippensis3 by B Boone, on Flickr

There is a resort in the middle of the island and there is a sidewalk/boardwalk that circles it, so we took a quick walk through the forest, and just looked around.
Image55Green Island forest by B Boone, on Flickr

Image56Oh man look at that by B Boone, on Flickr

In the tiny patches of sun, these little Red-Throated Rainbow-Skinks darted back and forth, pausing just long enough to sit and get a single picture. These skinks are pretty small, about half the size of the brown skinks here in the eastern US.
Image57Carlia rubrigularis by B Boone, on Flickr

There were gaps in the trees and shrubs along the boardwalk, and the views to the water were breathtaking.
Image58Parafreakingdise by B Boone, on Flickr

We found a gap to our liking, and walked down to the sand. We pulled the wetsuits on, then strapped our flippers and masks on, and lumbered into the water. The wetsuits were fullbody coverage, covering your feet, gloves on your hands and even hoods over your heads. The only part that was not exposed when suited up was your cheeks and chin.
Image59Wet Suit Up by B Boone, on Flickr

They weren’t attractive, but that was okay. If we had to wear them to experience the reef, then that was fine.
Image60Ahoy mate by B Boone, on Flickr

As soon as your face dipped below the surface, there was life everywhere. There were clouds of little fish swirling around, thousands of them per school.
Image61Swimming Glitter by B Boone, on Flickr

Image62Baitfish by B Boone, on Flickr
As we moved further from the sandy shore, where the waves lapped, we got into sea grass beds. This was where the turtles could be found grazing, juveniles and small fish of dozens of species darted among the stems, and invertebrates galore crawled on the sandy bed.
Image63Lambis crocata1 by B Boone, on Flickr

Image64Bothus pantherhines by B Boone, on Flickr

Image65Amblygobius phalaena by B Boone, on Flickr

Image66Lethrinus harak by B Boone, on Flickr

Image67Coral Block by B Boone, on Flickr

Image68Parapercis cylindrica by B Boone, on Flickr

Image69Tridacna by B Boone, on Flickr

Image70Stichopus chloronotus by B Boone, on Flickr

Image71Aeoliscus strigatus by B Boone, on Flickr

Image72mmm...brains by B Boone, on Flickr

Image73castelnau wrasse maybe2 by B Boone, on Flickr

Every now and then, I would lift my head up to see which direction we were drifting and get a bearing. We were heading toward the pier that went out to where the boats docked.
Image74Sea Turtle eye view by B Boone, on Flickr

I signaled to Leia that we should go closer to the pilings, because lots of marine life likes to hang out near them.
Image75Pillar by B Boone, on Flickr

Image76Drifting by B Boone, on Flickr

The water also started to get deeper, and the sea grass thinned out and was gradually replaced by open sand and rubble again, then coral blocks.
Image77Holy Coral Batman by B Boone, on Flickr

Image78Labroides dimidiatus by B Boone, on Flickr

Image79Chrysiptera unimaculata by B Boone, on Flickr

Image80Neoglyphidodon melas- et al by B Boone, on Flickr

Image81Nardoa novaecaledoniae by B Boone, on Flickr

Image82Scarus and Siganus by B Boone, on Flickr

Image83Chaetodon aureofasciatus by B Boone, on Flickr

Image84Acanthurus blochii by B Boone, on Flickr

Image85Goatfish rooting by B Boone, on Flickr

Image86Scarus rivulatus by B Boone, on Flickr

Image87Neoglyphidodon melas by B Boone, on Flickr

Image88Thalassoma lunare by B Boone, on Flickr

Image89Parrotfish a by B Boone, on Flickr

Image90Scarus rivulatus by B Boone, on Flickr

Image91No Touchy by B Boone, on Flickr

Then the reef floor started to slope away even more. We saw bigger fish, schools of snapper and a few green sea turtles.
Image92Caranx ignobilis by B Boone, on Flickr

Image93Lethrinus nebulosus by B Boone, on Flickr

Image94Chaetodon vagabundus by B Boone, on Flickr

Image95Chelonia mydas by B Boone, on Flickr

But unfortunately, our snorkeling time was nearing its end and we had to get changed and catch the ferry back to the mainland.
We got back to the hostel, made dinner and ate, then we walked around town for a while, just window shopping and seeing what the nightlife was like. The bats began their nightly flight, and we stood on one of the street corners watching the horde fly overhead, and remarking to each other how no one was reacting to the bats (save the out-of-towners like us). Everyone else was just going about their evening, not paying any attention to them at all. How cool. I wish everyone accepted bats like the folks in this town!
Image97This is so cool by B Boone, on Flickr

More H. frenatus?
Image98Hemidactylus frenatus1 by B Boone, on Flickr

Image99Hemidactylus frenatus by B Boone, on Flickr

The next day we had booked a day trip a couple of hours north to see the Daintree Rainforest. Our guide for the day was a fellow named Daniel, and he was fairly knowledgeable in Australian natural history (as I am sure most tour guides probably are/have to be).

After leaving Cairns, we made a pit stop (well, breakfast and coffee) at the Mossman Café. I walked to an outside patio to enjoy their garden, and surprised a couple of skinks that were on the brickwork. One was this beautiful Closed-Litter Rainbow-Skink.
Image100Carlia longipes by B Boone, on Flickr

Our agenda for the day would take us through the town of Port Douglas, then continue a couple of hours to the Daintree rainforest. As we drove north, we passed miles and miles of sugar cane fields. I asked if there were taipans in the area, and Daniel said there were heaps of them. I kept my eyes peeled for DOR’s but did not see any.
Image101Sugar cane fields by B Boone, on Flickr

Golden Penda
Image102Xanthostemon chrysanthus by B Boone, on Flickr

We made a stop at the Daintree River to see if we could spot any saltwater crocodiles, and took a short boat ride upriver. We were told the alpha male was a big (~14 foot) one named Scarface, from his many battles over the years. He had reign over 2 or 3 girls, all in the 8-9 foot range. No luck on seeing a croc, though we did go past a recent kill. A cow had been grabbed off the bank a couple of days before, and was stuffed back among the branches and mangrove roots. It obviously was a horrible smell.
Image103Here Salty, Salty, Salty by B Boone, on Flickr

Image104Mangroves by B Boone, on Flickr

As we drifted back down the river to our docking point, I spotted a juvenile scrub python curled up on the very tip of a branch overhanging the water. I would guess it to be about 2-2.5 meters (6.5-8 ft), and it was a beautiful golden color. Sadly, I had put my camera away already, and since we were moving downstream, I probably wouldn’t have been able to get a decent picture anyway. This would turn out to be the only snake I saw in Australia, and I couldn’t even get close to it!
We reaching our landing spot, and were warned not to stop moving until our feet were on asphalt, and good 40 feet from the water. We were told that there was a large bull croc that had learned that tourists could be easy pickings at this spot and had made several attempts, and grabbed and killed a person or two as they milled around the landing area. Daniel was stationed on land watching the water, and the boat guide stood near the front of the boat. Apparently, the bank dropped away as it got into the water and there was a deep hole, perfect for hiding a big crocodile.
Image105Hidey Hole by B Boone, on Flickr

We waited for the car ferry to pick us up, so Daniel let me explore for a little bit. I was excited to see these Ant Plants growing on the trunks of some trees where we were parked. (*My apologies for the picture quality, one of the cameras started messing up regularly and made a bunch of pictures unusable. Very sad!)
Image106Myrmecodia beccarrii by B Boone, on Flickr

Image107Myrmecodia beccarrii by B Boone, on Flickr

Some native bees (or wasps?...input welcome)
Image108No Touchy Part 2 by B Boone, on Flickr

Image108Wasps by B Boone, on Flickr

We made it to the Daintree Rrinforest and the walking trail we were going to take to explore it. Daniel told me there was a Boyd’s Forest Dragon that lived there at the trailhead that he saw regularly, so he and I looked for it for several minutes, but to no avail.
But there was LOTS more to look at and be excited about! I was here in the Australian rainforest- places and plants I had only seen in pictures before.
Image109Pandanus creek by B Boone, on Flickr

Image110Pandanus by B Boone, on Flickr

Australian Fan Palms!
Image111This is so awesome by B Boone, on Flickr

Image112Licuala ramsayi by B Boone, on Flickr

Image113Cerbera floribunda by B Boone, on Flickr

This is one of the more common Rattan palms, where rattan comes from.
Image114Rattan by B Boone, on Flickr

Image115Strangler Fig by B Boone, on Flickr

An interior view of the previous strangler fig, after its host tree has died and rotted away.
Image116Strangler Fig Interior by B Boone, on Flickr

Foxtail Palm
Image117Wodyetia bifurcata by B Boone, on Flickr

Cannonball Mangrove
Image118Xylocarpus granatum by B Boone, on Flickr

Four-Spined Jewel Spider
Image119Gasteracantha quadrispinosa by B Boone, on Flickr

Image120Travelers Palm by B Boone, on Flickr

Another Hemidactylus frenatus?
Image121H frenatus by B Boone, on Flickr

Image122Pandanus monticola by B Boone, on Flickr

We went to a hostel called PK’s for lunch. It was tucked in at the edge of the forest, where it meets the beach. We were not far from Cape Tribulation at this point. After we had eaten, we had some time to look around, so we walked down a trail we were told would not disappoint.
Image123Dirt Track by B Boone, on Flickr

The trees closed in a little bit, the ground got swampy and a few steps later we were in a mangrove swamp. I could hear something walking around, moving in the leaf litter. I stopped, and looked for movement. A pair of large brown birds appeared: orange-footed scrubfowl!
Image124orange footed scrubfowl by B Boone, on Flickr

They kicked and shuffled their way through the leaf litter, never paying us any attention.
We continued on a boardwalk through the swamp.
Image125Mangrove swamp by B Boone, on Flickr

Image126Stilts by B Boone, on Flickr

The land raised up a bit and dried out. We were surrounded by Swamp Lilies and Pandanus, and the trees were more open, letting light in again.
Image127Crinum pedunculatum by B Boone, on Flickr

A few more steps and we pushed out of the Pandanus on to the sand of the beach.
Image128Pandanus by B Boone, on Flickr

What a spectacular beach!
Image129View From PK's by B Boone, on Flickr

Image130Cape Tribulation Water by B Boone, on Flickr

But (and there is always a BUT!), we were not to go near the water, because of the jellies, but also because for a few days previous, a 12 foot crocodile had been hanging out on the beach. They had taped a warning sign to the warning sign about the jellies (notice the bottle of vinegar for stings)
Image131No, Seriously by B Boone, on Flickr

I did find a dingo nose pit in the sand though. I was excited about this- this is an interesting behavior that they have.
Image132Dingo Dig Pit by B Boone, on Flickr

We had to head back to the shuttle to load up and head back down south. We still had a couple of stops on the agenda. We made a brief pullover at Alexandra Lookout for some pictures. Perched on the side of the mountain, we could see the mouth of the Daintree and several reefs out in the water ahead of us. Daniel pointed out that one of them was Batt Reef, where Steve Irwin died.
Image133Alexandra Lookout by B Boone, on Flickr

Image134Alexandra Lookout South by B Boone, on Flickr

After reflecting there a bit, we continued down the mountain. As we went back and forth around the curves, we had a couple of oncoming drivers flash their headlights at us. Daniel explained that this usually meant there was a cassowary on or near the road, and to be cautious. He slowed down and we scanned the undergrowth for nearly a half mile, but didn’t see one. Another iconic animal that eluded me!

We continued on to Mossman Gorge, which was another location I was very excited to get to see in person. We parked the shuttle and got out, then walked along a boardwalk through the rainforest- sometimes at ground level, sometimes in the midstory of the trees.
Image136Rainforest by B Boone, on Flickr

Image137Mossman Gorge Rainforest by B Boone, on Flickr

Image138Little Spot of Sun by B Boone, on Flickr

Image139Wish I could get down there by B Boone, on Flickr

After a nice hike, we made it to the edge of Mossman creek, with its huge granite boulders.
Image140Mossman Creek by B Boone, on Flickr

Image141Boulders by B Boone, on Flickr

Image142Swimming Hole by B Boone, on Flickr

The water was clear and cool, and we had about 45 minutes to swim/relax/explore. So we did. I soon found a skink perched upon a root, watching the activity. It was wary of me, but allowed me to edge closer and take some pictures.
Yellow-Blotched Forest-Skink
Image143Eulamprus tigrinus by B Boone, on Flickr

I played around with some underwater pictures. I managed to catch several different species of fish in the frames- the most common by far was the Jungle Perch.
Image144Split View by B Boone, on Flickr

Image145Deep Breath by B Boone, on Flickr

Image146Kuhlia rupestris by B Boone, on Flickr

Soon enough, we had to load back up and head south to get back to Cairns. But Daniel still had a couple of stops up his sleeve. The first was a little icecream shop run out of a woman’s house. The flavors with an * were the ones she had made and had in the freezer that day.
Image147Try the Spices of Life by B Boone, on Flickr

She had some spectacular land and well landscaped gardens, so I took advantage of the wait for ordering, and wandered around.
BeeHive Ginger
Image148Zingiber spectabile by B Boone, on Flickr

She was selling the place! Unfortunately for us though, we weren’t in a position to do any buying.

As we came back through the rainforest, we saw a traffic sign that was modified by a bloke who fancied himself a bit clever. It was two parts- the top sign was a silhouette of a cassowary warning drivers that this was a popular crossing area for the gigantic birds, and below had an image of a speedbump, alerting drivers to their presence, but the artist had taken the message to a new level. Drawn in with the cassowary was a full glass of beer; the bottom sign showed an empty glass and the speedbump had had feet and a casqued head added onto it to portray a passed out cassowary. Ha! It made me laugh.

Afternoon thunderstorm rolling in over the mountains.
Image149Clouds by B Boone, on Flickr

As we drove back into town, Daniel pulled over and showed us a huge herd of wallabies just grazing in someone’s yard. There were hundreds of them- it was a massive herd.
Agile Wallabies
Image150agile wallabies by B Boone, on Flickr

Image151Macropus agilis by B Boone, on Flickr

We got back to the hostel, made dinner and watched the bats, then crossed the street and hung out in the Esplanade.
Image152Esplanade at night by B Boone, on Flickr

Image153Glorious by B Boone, on Flickr

Image154View of the bay by B Boone, on Flickr

It was amazing to me how actively used it was. People were still swimming, rollerblading, cooking out on the grills, and it was after 9pm.

We would have stayed longer and enjoyed more of the nightlife, but we had to be back at the airport at 3:00am to catch a flight back to Sydney so it was an early night.
Image155Sunrise over the Pacific 2.5 by B Boone, on Flickr

The 15 hour flight back to Los Angeles was actually pretty tolerable, but the fog in LA was so dense we couldn’t land. The plane circled several times, then was redirected to Ontario because it had to refuel. Wait, what? Ontario? I’m pretty sure that is not exactly nearby.

Oh…… there is a place called Ontario, California.
Image156Stuck in Ontario 2.5 by B Boone, on Flickr

Image157Stuck in Ontario 2.5a by B Boone, on Flickr

Unfortunately, we just sat there on the runway. For over 5 hours. We weren’t even allowed to unbuckle because, we were told, we could be given clearance to leave at any moment and the pilot had to be ready to take advantage of that or risk losing his place in the line. The plane was finally given the go-ahead to take off and we flew back to LA. We obviously missed our connecting flight to Atlanta by a long shot, so we were put on the next plane heading there. That flight would take us another 4.5 hours. We ended up being on a plane for hours longer than it took us going over to Australia, but it was worth it. What an amazing trip. I am already saving for a trip to go back, now that I have an idea of what to expect. Do I wish that I had better results with the herping? Of course! It was a new country (vastly different from everything I am accustomed to), schedules kept us from meeting up with anyone who knew the area (thanks for trying, David and Van!), and we didn’t rent a car (next time). But I am still pleased with what we did see and experience, and the memories are just fantastic.

Next up will be a review of the Taronga Zoo in Sydney. It was mind-blowingly awesome.

If you are still with me here, thanks for reading and coming along. I hope you have enjoyed it as much as I did!
--Berkeley
Mattsnake
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Joined: January 14th, 2011, 6:41 pm
Location: Cairns, Australia

Re: Trip To Australia, Part 2: Cairns

Post by Mattsnake »

Great post. Was cool to see pictures of a place I take for granted because of living there... I forget how nice Cairns actually is! If you're ever back in the area let me know, and I'll tell you plenty of places to see tree frogs haha.
A lot of the locals hate the bats, unfortunately.
simus343
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Joined: March 30th, 2014, 1:16 pm
Location: Okaloosa ca, Fla.

Re: Trip To Australia, Part 2: Cairns

Post by simus343 »

Very nice Berkeley! I wish I had more pictures from my time in QLD. The only time I was there we visited the Australia Zoo and stayed off-shore on Moreton Island (still got my lifer carpet though). I never got to visit the east coast rainforests. Hopefully I'll get a chance to go back one day.
Mattsnake wrote:Great post. Was cool to see pictures of a place I take for granted because of living there... I forget how nice Cairns actually is! If you're ever back in the area let me know, and I'll tell you plenty of places to see tree frogs haha.
A lot of the locals hate the bats, unfortunately.
When I was in Canberra I remember reading about farmers contracting diseases from their horses contracted from bats and dying from it. I also believe it was linked to the flying fox fruit bats. There could be something to that, just a guess though.
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Berkeley Boone
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Joined: June 8th, 2010, 4:02 am

Re: Trip To Australia, Part 2: Cairns

Post by Berkeley Boone »

Thanks Matt and Nick!

Yes, we were pleased with Cairns- it was very pretty, very inviting and a lot of fun. I had wondered about hidden dislike for the bats. I talked about it with one of the guides, and heard a little about it when we were at Taronga. And yes, Nick, you are correct about the link between an Ebola-like disease that the horses would pick up from the flying foxes, and then transmitting it to handlers and vets that would treat them. So I can see the unease and dislike there- particularly if there is a colony right in a downtown area.

I really wish I had gotten to find a carpet! Oh well- next time!

Thanks guys, I'm glad you enjoyed the photos.
--Berkeley
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chrish
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Re: Trip To Australia, Part 2: Cairns

Post by chrish »

Great stuff.

Strangely, I happened to have been in the same area a few weeks before you (Dec/Jan). I walked the same boardwalks, birded the Esplanade several times and ate ice cream at that ice cream shop in the Daintree. It was nice to "revisit" my trip through your eyes. In fact, in most of your scenery shots, I had been to that spot.

I posted my amphibians already and my reptile post is pending. I'm surprised you didn't see any snakes at least DOR? Taipans may be everywhere in those cane fields, but I saw none. I did get some snakes though....photos to come.
NACairns
Posts: 372
Joined: December 30th, 2013, 7:27 am

Re: Trip To Australia, Part 2: Cairns

Post by NACairns »

Great series of posts, I'm love dreaming about another OZ trip and the thoroughness of your habitat shots make that alot of fun. Thanks for labelling all the plants and fish as well always good to know what I'm looking at. Glad you had such a cool trip. Thank you for sharing.
Best,
Nick
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JEDDLV
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Joined: April 28th, 2013, 1:54 pm
Location: Las Vegas, Nv.

Re: Trip To Australia, Part 2: Cairns

Post by JEDDLV »

Nice Berkeley, thanks for sharing
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Berkeley Boone
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Re: Trip To Australia, Part 2: Cairns

Post by Berkeley Boone »

Thanks very much, Chris, Nick and Kevin! Glad you fellows enjoyed it.

Chris, yes, I remember that you had been planning to be in the same area a few weeks before me. I had seen your request for info- I don't think I have seen your amphibian post yet. I'll have to go look that one up! I, too, was quite surprised I didn't see any DOR snakes. I was actively watching the roads as we went places, but nothing to show for it. I did see one questionable 'thing', but since we were on a day trip with others, I couldn't stop the shuttle to run back and check it out. Could have been a bungee cord, could've been a rope, could've been a snake....who knows! That's awesome we basically were in the same spots, and I am glad you were able to revisit your trip. I'm eagerly awaiting your reptiles post!

Nick, I'm glad to stoke your fire about another trip! Thanks for the kind words as well. I'm pleased to hear that my labeling was helpful to you, too.

Thanks again, guys!
--Berkeley
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