Blogs from Yungaburra, Atherton Tablelands, Queensland, Australia, Oceania - page 2

Yes its true, Yungaburra does have tree kangaroos. When I say I am going to be looking for tree kangaroos people reply "what's a tree kangaroo?" to which the only possible answer is "a kangaroo that lives in trees". Its pretty simple. So anyway, Yungaburra is supposedly the best place to go to see tree kangaroos (the Lumholtz's tree kangaroo to be precise). On The Wallaby is the backpackers in Yungaburra and as I said in an earlier post they do pick-ups from Atherton (and also from Cairns which is a bit easier for most people). I had booked a night tour with a one-man outfit called Alan's Wildlife Tours because I wanted to be sure I actually did get to see one, and the tour is only $30 which is a very good price. We ... read more

Helloooo!!! Seems so long since i've written one of these. Anyway lots to say... got to Cairns (actually pronounced 'cans; would you beileve) on sat after very long journey on a decidedly rubbish plane - compared to what we're used to! We ended up sleeping most of the day then heading into Cairns centre where they have an esplanade with a massive lagoon which is free to swim in and you can do BBQs there too. we spent first two days lounging around there then on the third day Ant did not one but TWO bungy jumps. its with a company called AJ Hackett who own most of the biggest bungies in the world. this one was 50m just outside of Cairns. i took pictures and craned my neck all day. He then decided to do ... read more

24th February 2008 Today we left the Rainforest Motel in Atherston after saying goodbye to the receptionist and her roo dog Wally. A roo dog is used when they hunt kangeroos as they can sniff out the carcasses in the long grass so that the hunters can find the ones they have shot. Wally was across between a greyhound and a mastiff. Very big! We drove up to Yungaburra and had breakfast then continued up the Giles Highway towards Lake Barrine. On the way we stopped to look at the Curtain Fig which could be a 1,000 years old which is mind boggling. The fig seed is dropped by birds in the top branches of a tree and grows aerial roots which go down to the ground. Gradually over many years the fig strangles the original ... read more

Okay, So far Scott has held the reins of our travel blog. I'm thinking I might give it a crack. Especially since he keeps giving me the evil eye :) Hmm...Tablelands. The hobbit Haggus and his reluctant companion venture timidly into thier odd carriage... The journey started out with us renting a car from Cairns. We picked our huge white Ford four door car(it looked like a massive undercover cop car) and with white knuckles and sweaty palms gripped the steering wheel and steered into traffic. Scott was the lucky one to have a go at driving on the wrong side of the road on the wrong side of the car. On the passenger side of the car there was a huge sticker reminding drivers to stay on the left side of the road. I ... read more

The journey begins with a little background. Splitting our time between Cairns and Yungaburra. What can I say about Yungaburra......It is a beautiful little town at the top of the Atherton Tablelands, absolutely steeped in history. I read that it holds the title of 'Most Heritage Listed Buildings in Queensland.' Timber was it's original purpose. Now, its a stop over for anyone wishing to relive the yesteryear and enjoy the serenity - 'Ah, the serenity!'. We'd visited a number of times, always camping around the traps, but after many return journies, decided to invest in the place. We bought a piece of Yungaburra history, did it up, titled it 'Blush Tree Cottage'. We will live up there eventually, but for now, we invite others to stay there on holidays to share our experience. We visit ... read more