Cory U of CUExperiments

Most took the downtime we had at a small cafe as a time to try & dry off. I took it as a time to walk some more along the beach. Being a rainy day, it was nice & quiet & easy to explore. Got some more great views of the rainforest on the beach line as I walked along the coast.

My favourite part was noticing the jelly fish sign as I returned back to the group. There was a nice bottle resting at the sign carrying blue vinegar to ease the pain if you get stung.

Seeing a coconut cracked in half was pretty fun too! Most places I’ve gone with palm trees are near residential areas so the coconuts are cleared from the trees & away from peoples’ heads. Here, you could definitely have a Newton moment with coconuts instead of apples.

NEXT UP: Day Three & Four

-Cory U

Only the second stop & the boardwalks were slippery & my shoes soaked during this part of the day. Thank goodness I had so many pairs to switch up because multiple shoes were definitely needed. It was like walking on sponges for days! It was also raining so hard our umbrellas were leaking right through. Poor Dana had a rather wet top by the end, & I was less than thrilled by the end.

Anyways… here’s a few images from the rainforest walk. It was tough looking up as we were all buried under umbrellas but the tress did stretch on forever. Glad to have seen some wildlife as I was afraid the rain would scare them all away. Top left; a spider, & top right; a lizard of some sort (too hard to hear what species they actually were as the rain was loud & our group was rather large).

Still great sites to see however! Can’t believe how green everything can be since the majority of plant life here doesn’t get direct sunlight due to other taller plants. Big competition here!

NEXT UP: A Beach Walk

-Cory U

I can’t say it was the best day for viewing anything but that didn’t stop me from taking it all in. Finally got to where the Rainforest & Reef meet in Cape Tribulation! The day had only just started & we were already a little damp walking along the beaches under umbrellas, ponchos & garbage bin bags.

The strangest part was seeing a pile of sandals lying on the beach with no one else around. It wasn’t a great day to be out swimming if they were out there. It actually rained so much the day before that anyone who signed up for kayaking were let down as it got cancelled due to the rough waters.

Too bad the only proof I was there is a very shadowed outline of myself… I’ll just have to go back on a sunnier day!

NEXT UP: Rainforest Walk

-Cory U

Day two was spent exploring the Daintree Rainforest & beaches of Cape Tribulation. Still staying in the same place, I made sure my suitcases were zipped & everything was sealed up before going out; didn’t want surprise creatures popping out of my clothes or shoes. The day was mostly rainy but I finally got to see what I was most excited for this far North; where the Rainforest & Reef meet.

NEXT UP: The Rainforest meets the Reef

-Cory U

Port Douglas reminded me a lot of what Niagara-on-the-Lake  would be like if it was beach side. It’s a quaint little harbour town with fun shops & lots of tourists. Apparently this is where Fool’s Gold was filmed with Matthew McConaughey & Kate Hudson. It’s also a place where among random souvenirs, Indian attire & bangles, you’ll find Cookie Monster & Oscar the Grouch t-shirts all under one roof.

The small church (middle left) has a 2 year wait list for weddings. It’s cute, tiny, & has a window looking out onto the beach behind it. For a place with such large bookings, there was no wedding going on while we were there… Strange & odd. 

My favourite part was finally sitting down to a good cup of coffee. Like this morning, I have a feeling they’ll be lots of instant/freeze dried coffee at most of our stays. Not good.

NEXT UP: Mossman Gorge

-Cory U

Starting the Reef & Rainforest tour from Cairns, a good 22 girls & 1 guy (plus tour guide & driver) headed in a tiny bus to Cape Tribulation. It’s Day One & these photos are taken somewhere between Cairns & Port Douglas.

We were warned ahead of time that as we headed further North there’d be no phone & data service. They got that right… & so starts the backlog of tour posts already.

So here I am. Day One & somewhere on the foggy coastline.

NEXT UP: Port Douglas

-Cory U

May marks the 5th month living in Australia. After finally being settled in Melbourne & knowing most of that city like it was home, it was about time for another trip away. What better timing for some R&R; Rainforests & Reefs.

Timing couldn’t be more perfect as the day before leaving the kitchen faucet in our apartment decided to let itself go. Just like the elastic waste-band on your favourite PJ pants, a seal (or something) gave weigh on the tap handle. Of course, it was too late for maintenance to come right away so with my handy dandy crafty skills most of the running water was stopped with the pressure of tightly wound yarn & elastic. (It pays to be crafty you know!)…

For worrying family back home: DON’T WORRY! It was scheduled to be fixed for us the day we left & I’m staying on it.

Anyways… Most of today was spent traveling & waiting. From tram, to bus, to plane, to shuttle it was a full day of transit. Nothing new to me.

The best part was arriving to the airport with our names being held by a coach driver waiting to take us away. No wait, & a quick few minutes to our beautiful hotel room. Even though it was a rainy day, I was still more than thrilled to be in hot tropical weather again. It’s strange how here you travel north for the warmer weather; opposite from home.

NEXT UP: Day One

-Cory U

Found one! Double dimples in full swing.

Another Great Ocean Roadtrip photo.

-Cory U

Day 3 of our trip was wildly ignored photo wise. Being mostly land views & waterfalls, it’s more to see first hand anyway. I did however get a photo by the Mackenzie falls to send back home to a family friend.

We still did lots of walking that day; Please take note of the steep hill & steps only showing part of what was walked down for proper views of the falls. My poor joints were definitely thankful for the help I had that day.

Next up: Part Two & final video of the Great Ocean Roadtrip

-Cory U

After a 3.1km climb we finally made it to the top of The Grampians! The view was incredible & with only the small town in view right below it was all trees, sky & land all round. The last time I’ve seen views even somewhat similar to this would be in Alberta back home. Even still, it doesn’t compare to this.

I’m not one for heights, but I made sure after going all this way my feet were going to hang over the edge. Completely out of my comfort zone there.

Next up: Even more rocks!

-Cory U