Here are some of our favorite photos from the trip (each photo is a thumbnail linked to a higher quality picture. There are five pages of photos in total):
1) The fourth and final section of our REI tour consisted of three days sea-kayaking and camping at Lake Tinaroo in the Atherton Tablelands area. We drove up from Cairns and, on the way, stopped off in the Danbulla National Park to see the Cathedral Fig. This is a massive strangler fig which towers over the surrounding rainforest and is so large that its root system is practically its own unique ecosystem with micro plant life, colonies of insects, small creatures, and more.
2) This photo shows the tremendous size of the Cathedral Fig tree.
3) One highlight of camping at Lake Tinaroo was seeing (and hearing) the Laughing Kookaburra birds. This pair spent the entire three days hanging out in a tree above our camp site but there were others in the area as well. Wikipedia describes the bird's call as "One bird starts with a low, hiccuping chuckle, then throws its head back in raucous laughter: often several others join in. If a rival tribe is within earshot and replies, the whole family soon gathers to fill the bush with ringing laughter. Hearing kookaburras in full voice is one of the more extraordinary experiences of the Australian bush, something even locals cannot ignore; some visitors, unless forewarned, may find their call startling." which is a better description than I could ever give.
4) The REI guides were fantastic and, among their many other skills, they great at helping Larkin enjoy the trip. For the sea kayaking, they let him use the single kayak usually reserved for the guides, which allowed Larkin to roam and play when we were paddling. The rest of us were in two person kayaks.
5) A panorama showing the view from our picnic lunch during our first day of paddling. For our first excursion, we paddled across the lake and up into a side bay and then spent about an hour exploring all the small inlets along the shore.
6) The water lilies were blooming in the shallower water. This photo didn't catch the color very well. The flowers of these water lilies were a beautiful pale purple.
7) Another panorama, this one taken in the middle Lake Tinaroo and showing the large size of the lake.
8) Once again Larkin was put to work helping set up the campsite. He is over 18, so we didn't break any child labor laws.
9) An artsy shot of the dramatic clouds reflecting off the surface of the lake with the kayaks and some ducks thrown in for good measure.
10) We definitely weren't roughing it when camping. A camping trailer with ovens, comfy chairs, a big folding table, a tarp for a roof and brand new REI tents.
11) We weren't roughing it on the food front either. This was just one of many nice camp meals we had during the trip and consisted of lamb chops (for meat eaters...the vegetarian got soy sausage), mashed potatoes, steamed carrots, steamed green beans and grilled corn-on-the-cob.
12) Another artsy shot, this one of Jonna doing her morning yoga while looking out across the lake.
13) A rare sight: Larkin out of energy!
14) Our campsite was definitely a prime location with lake side spots for nearly all the tents. What is definitely missing from the photo are the sounds of seemingly hundreds of different tropical birds all singing away, many with very cool calls. A few examples: the catbird sounds like a meowing cat, another sounds like dripping water, yet another sounds like the laser guns from Star Wars, and another sounds like a cackling hyena.
15) Our final day of sea kayaking started early, with a sunrise paddle. We set out before dawn and paddled out into the middle of lake then drifted in silence while the sun rose over the far shoreline.
16) A panorama showing the sunrise paddlers out enjoying the early morning sun!
17) The guides set out two crayfish traps, baited with banana, in hopes of catching enough yabbies (aka bugs) to boil up for lunch. On the final day, only a single yabby had wandered into the traps so Alan the vegetarian got the honor of releasing him unharmed back into the wild.
18) After freeing the crayfish, Alan headed out solo in the dual kayak to explore some inlets near camp. We both love sea kayaking because of how peaceful it feels and this was no exception: the boat just gliding silently through the water while ducks, cormorants and cockatoos float or fly nearby. The thick rainforest comes right to the shore, making it hard to see more than few feet onto the shore but the sounds make it clear there are things moving around just out of site.
19) After packing up our campsite, we headed back towards Cairns but not before stopping to see a few more sites on the way. The first stop was at Lake Eacham where we did a short rainforest walk and then had a lunch picnic.
20) Some interesting biology from the rainforest. Some plants, like this one, grow new leaves with a natural insecticide which turns them red. Once the new leaves are established the natural insecticide dissolves and they then turn their normal green color. I thought this bunch of fresh, red leaves was particularly striking in color (in addition to being some fascinating science.)
21) A panorama of Lake Eacham. This lake is actually a volcanic crater which has filled with water. It is believed that Lake Eacham and nearby Lake Barrine are both fed by the same underground springs as changes in their water level seem to be synchronized.
22) This Amethystine Python was hanging out beside the trail. These snakes can grow huge (up to 15 ft!) but this was just a baby and only a couple of feet in length.
23) Our second stop was at Lake Barrine, the twin to Lake Eacham. We didn't have time to do a hike around the lake but we did take a short walk to see this pair of 150 ft tall Bull Kauri trees, believed to be around 1,000 years old.
24) This panorama shows Lake Barrine. On the far right side of the photo is the Tea House, originally built in the 1930s as a dance hall but now just a tourist shop and restaurant. The boats along the shore are used to do nature cruises on the lake. We just enjoyed the view and then continued on our way back to Cairns.
25) The official end of the tour was a group dinner at a nice restaurant in Cairns. We all exchanged contact info and said our goodbyes but then the wait staff came out with a surprise mini-pavlova dessert to celebrate Alan's upcoming birthday. A very happy birthday, indeed!
Go back to the third
'11 Australia Trip Photo Page.
Go forward to the final
'11 Australia Trip Photo Page.
Return to Alan and Jonna's Travel Page
