Sign, Sign, Everywhere a Sign. Australia Trip Report

We then hopped on the bus to the “back” entrance to Scenic World, where The Scenic Skyway, a giant cablecar, takes visitors past a stunning cliff bisected by Katoomba Falls, an impressive >200 foot waterfall that bounces off the cliffside in a couple of spots. We then took the Scenic Cableway, a steep cablecar ride, down to an elevated walkway through the rainforest in the valley. It was a lovely walk, but, here, we encountered the first of many, many warning signs we saw in Australia, where, apparently, danger lurks everywhere. This one warned us not to touch anything, because it might be toxic. After walking the loop, we rode the scenic railway back up the cliff. Indiana Jones music played on the loudspeaker during the trip, and, suddenly, the funicular tilted at a sharp angle so that we were facing downwards and almost tipping out of our seats. Fun!

We decided to head out of Scenic World after this, but we had a bit of a wait in the parking lot for the explorer bus, which we took to the village of Leura, leaving the crowds of Katoomba and Scenic World behind. Leura has a cute main street lined with shops and cafes, and we found a fun little place called the WayzGoose Diner for a late lunch. This was a BLT, chips, and a milkshake sort of place, and that really hit the spot. After lunch, we were thrilled to spot a cockatoo across the street, begging at the ice cream shop. Little did we know that this was just the first of many, many cockatoos we’d see in Australia. In fact, there were several more at the Leura station, where we caught the train back to Sydney.

Day 3

The next morning, after breakfast in our suite, we set out for the harbour for our booked tour of the Sydney Opera House. On the way, I noticed a plaque in the walkway and stopped to read it. A ferry ticket-taker noticed me looking, and she pointed out Barry Humphries’ (Dame Edna’s) plaque. There were many more plaques on this “Writers’ Walk,” and I stopped to look at each one. Those honoured included Germaine Greer, Rudyard Kipling, James Michener, and Mark Twain. The walk to the Opera House wasn’t far, but between looking at the views of the harbour and the plaques, it took us a while. Fortunately, we had left ourselves plenty of time.

The tour of the opera house was fascinating, and the interior is as spectacular as the outside (but with a completely different aesthetic than European opera houses). We learned of the shabby way the Danish architect was treated, and we learned that none of the venues inside the opera house are large enough for the really big productions.

Our tour ticket included lunch at one of the on-site restaurants, and we chose Midden, because it has an Indigenous chef and foods. Our tickets allowed us to choose from a limited menu, and I chose the Crispy Skin Humpty Doo Barramundi, while DH chose the Blue Gum Smoked Miso Eggplant. We also opted to add on the Indigenous Australian Grazing Plate, which included “NSW regional cheeses, wild thyme hummus, smoked kangaroo, emu, tandoori crocodile, olives, pickled vegetables, marinated artichoke, roasted macadamia nuts, quandong paste, [and] Tasmanian mountain pepper leaf flat bread.” Everything was scrumptious, so scrumptious, in fact, that a seagull couldn’t resist trying to get a taste, knocking over my drink in the process. That wasn’t the first time I’d been attacked by a bird, and it wouldn’t be the last time that would happen this trip, either. Just call me Tippi.

Cont'd

After lunch, we headed over to the nearby Royal Botanic Gardens. We enjoyed seeing all the sculptures and the different types of trees and birds. But the highlight for us was when we were sitting by a pond, and we noticed two police officers looking for a long time at something in the water. Curious, we walked over and asked what they were looking at. They pointed out two eels, the kind that look just like Flotsam and Jetsam in The Little Mermaid (probably a type of Moray)! We’d seen eels before, but not swimming about so freely.

We left the garden just as it was closing. The harbourfront was busy with people gathering to watch the sun set over the Harbour Bridge, and we stopped to watch, also. It had been a full and lovely day.

Day 4

We had planned to explore the suburb of Manly Beach on our last day in Sydney, but there were extremely strong winds that day. Instead, we opted for Featherdale Wildlife Park, so that we could see koalas, as we knew we were unlikely to find them in the wild in the areas we’d be visiting. So, after a big breakfast at Pancakes on the Rocks, we hopped back onto the train and headed to Doonside. Featherdale is really just a zoo, but it has some Australian wildlife that we haven’t seen in other places, such as wombats, fairy penguins, dingoes, spiny echidnas, and of course, koalas. I was also fascinated by the Chiming Wedgebill, who has a beautiful call. (You can hear it here: https://ebird.org/species/chiwed1 ) Featherdale is one of the few places where one can get a photo with a koala, and, although I have mixed feelings about the practice, I couldn’t resist.

By the time we returned to Sydney, the wind had picked up more, and the air was cold. So, we decided to find a not-too-crowded place to eat indoors. We went into a nearby restaurant through the back entrance and were shown to a cozy table. The server greeted us like old friends, and we realized that we were in the same restaurant, “Le Foote,” where we’d had lunch on the patio our first day. That was unintentional, but at least we knew the food was good.

After dinner, we returned to our hotel to pack for our flight to Ayers Rock.

Day 5

Sydney Airport was a lot less insane this morning, however, the staff was every bit as awful. I was made to remove my top at security, because the guard insisted it was a jacket. (It was a hooded tunic made of t-shirt material. It zipped up, and I was wearing it over a thin tank and nothing else. The thin tank was my underwear and it didn’t leave a lot to the imagination.) Sigh. I decided to search to see if Sydney Airport was always so awful, and I found many discussions online about it, learning that some people call it “Sh!tney” Airport. Yup.

The flight was about 3 /12 hours long. During the last 45 minutes or so, as we flew over the Outback, we saw interesting rock formations. One looked like a bear, but we’ve been unable to find any information about it. We also got a view of Uluru (formerly Ayers Rock).

At Ayers Rock Airport, shuttle buses are waiting whenever a flight arrives, because there is really only one area to stay at: Ayers Rock Resort. This is a cluster of accommodations in the Outback, ranging from high-end hotels to camping.

We chose Emu Walk Apartments, not because we needed an apartment for only two nights, but because it was one of the more reasonably-priced options. (Reasonably-priced being a relative term out here, where everything is expensive, because it’s so isolated.) We were pleasantly surprised by the size of our suite. These apartments are huge, comfortable, and well-appointed.

We walked over to the “town centre” to find lunch and a few groceries and managed to secure both.

Cont'd

That evening, we had reserved the “Field of Light Star Pass” experience. After travelling closer to Uluru on another shuttle, we arrived at a dune where we were served hors d’oeuvres and drinks while we watched the sunset. Then, the Field of Light, an installation of 50,000 lights, began to come alive. We walked down to the field and wandered along the paths that wound amongst the lights. Overhead, the stars rivalled the lights on the ground, in that dry, clear air so far from any city.

Day 6

We rose early the next morning for our chance to get up close and personal with Uluru, herself. A shuttle took us to a spot near the base of the rock to watch the sunrise as we ate a breakfast of muffins and hot chocolate or coffee. We were warned to hold on to our food, as birds would try to get it. I didn’t realize how tightly we needed to hold on, though. Soon, a squadron of Pied Butcherbirds zoomed into sight and began dive bombing us. One tried to knock my muffin right out of my hand, spilling my hot chocolate. Cheeky!

We then drove over to where a trailer containing Segways was parked, nearer the base of Uluru. There had been a couple of other groups at the sunrise/breakfast spot, but there were just 10 of us on the Segway tour, which is the maximum permitted. We were outfitted with helmets and knee and elbow pads, and given training on these fat-tire Segways. We were assigned numbers and told to stay in our order. DH, being an “experienced” Segway driver now, was given an orange pinney and asked to be at the end of the group to make sure nobody straggled.

Then we set out to circumnavigate the base of Uluru, a ~12 km trip. At times, we were very close to the base, and, at one point, we were allowed to touch the rock. (Climbing Uluru is no longer permitted.) There’s a section where the path is farther away and photographs are not permitted, out of respect for the Indigenous people for whom this section holds a strong spiritual/ceremonial significance. We rode more quickly along this section, without stopping, and I was having trouble keeping up. The guide noticed, and once we were able to stop, she swapped Segways with me and, afterward, said that mine seemed to be having a problem, even for her. So, I felt better about being a laggard, then.

When we returned to our starting point, we took a short walk to see the Mutitjulu waterhole. There isn’t much to sustain life out there. Indeed, other than birds, the only animals we saw during our stay were a couple of rabbits. Waterholes such as this would be crucial for survival.

After we returned to our apartment, we decided to walk over to another section of the resort for one of the “Bush Yarns” experiences the resort offers. This one was a talk about traditional, Indigenous women’s tools and weapons, and the young woman who did the presentation was incredible—so eloquent and funny. She also had the same unusual name as one of our daughters, although it was spelled with one extra letter that isn’t pronounced with an Australian accent.

We were supposed to attend a drone show that evening, a “a multi-sensory experience that combines choreographed drones, dynamic sound, powerful lasers, and light projections to bring the Anangu tjukurpa story to life,” accompanied by wine and cheese. However, we got a message that the show might need to be cancelled, due to high winds, and we were given the option to cancel or attend the wine and cheese and hope the show would go ahead. I don’t like wine, so we opted to cancel. We went out to the small dune behind our building to watch the sunset, instead, before packing, showering, and sleep.

Cont'd

Day 7

On this day, we had a 2 1/2 hour flight to Cairns, in tropical North Queensland. From Cairns, we took a hotel shuttle to Port Douglas, 70 km north. Here, we’d reserved a suite in the Peninsula Boutique Hotel, an adults-only apartment hotel, breakfast included, on the north end of Four Mile Beach.

We loved this place. We had a second-floor corner suite with a huge balcony overlooking the beach and the Coral Sea. The hotel had a wonderful pool: a waterfall dropped from the hot tub on the second floor into the 2-level pool on the main floor. The open window in the second-floor hallway overlooked a tree that was often filled with dozens and dozens of rainbow lorikeets. Breakfast was made-to-order from the menu and served either inside or out on the patio, overlooking the beach. Like our hotel in Sydney, the hotel was older, but so comfortable and well-located.

After check-in, we headed out for a walkabout to check out the town. We walked along the beach for a bit and then headed inland to Macrossan Street, the main drag where most of the restaurants and shops are located. We walked along, window shopping, until we reached the end of Macrossan Street, and we decided to eat dinner there, at La Cucina. We sat on the patio overlooking Anzac Park and the sea on the other side of the peninsula from our hotel. Here, we ordered the Seafood Platter to share, because we wanted to try more local fare: Moreton Bay bugs, tiger prawns, baby octopus, yellowfin tuna, barramundi, scallops, and mussels.

In our wanderings, we saw another of the numerous warning signs in Australia. Along Four Mile Beach, a sign warned of stingers (stinging jellyfish) in the water (even outside of stinger season).

Day 8

We didn’t have anything planned for this day, but we’d seen a sign for Segway Tours of Four Mile Beach, and, since Segways seemed to be a theme for this trip, we decided to see if we could book this last minute, and we could. So, after a hearty breakfast on the hotel restaurant patio, we walked over to the meeting point. There were 5 other tourists on this tour, and after the obligatory training session, we headed to the beach. This was so much fun, because the beach wasn’t busy and there were many spots where we could go fast. It was a gorgeous day, too. We learned from our guide and one of the tourists that both electric ants and green ants are an increasing problem in Australia. Both can deliver painful stings.

On our way back to the hotel, we spotted a kookaburra! It was sitting in an old gum tree, too.

Later, we headed back to Anzac Park for the Sunday Market. This was a huge market. There were handicrafts, clothes, souvenirs, candy, and home goods for sale in the various booths. We were most interested in picking up some fresh food for quick meals, though, and we bought some bananas and papayas from a guy who insisted we also take several avocados for free, because they were ripe, and the market was shutting down soon. This all provided us with a few meals.

As evening approached, we wanted to try to see Flying Foxes—giant fruit bats that live in the area. I’d read there’s a large colony in Cairns, and a smaller colony at the south-end of Port Douglas, but we had no way to get to either place without a vehicle. However, our Segway guide had mentioned one could see some in the evening at our end of town, too, in a park near where our tour had started. So we set out and ended up in a large park edged with trees and with various sports fields in it. There were few people around, and those few soon left the park. We looked up into the trees, trying to see if there were any large bats hanging there, but if there were, we couldn’t see them. As we left the park at the far end, a sign warned about dingo sightings. Further along, on the edge of a wastewater treatment plant, a sign said it was a restricted area, because of electric ants.

Cont'd

We finally met someone along the street, and she told us the flying foxes could sometimes be seen near the marina. So we headed over there, passing trees filled with cockatoos and others with rainbow lorikeets, and ended up along the coast not far from Anzac Park. Here, signs warned of crocodiles, saying not to even come near the water. We found a bench and sat. In due course, our persistence paid off, and we spotted several flying foxes heading out over the point. Yay!

Later, back at the hotel, we got our stuff ready for our trip to the Daintree Rainforest, the oldest rainforest in the world, the next morning.

Day 9

Our driver with Daintree Discovery Tours picked us up just outside our hotel. We were in a large van, and we made several other stops to pick up eight other tourists. The van was full, in fact, and we were at the back seated three across. It was a bit squishy and not very comfortable, but we made a lot of stops, fortunately, and everyone was nice. I was excited to see wild wallabies in a couple of the fields we passed.

Our first stop was at Mossman Gorge, where we took a little hike along the Mossman River to the gorge. The area is lovely and lush. Signs warned of the current, boulders and water levels, stating, “People have drowned here.” Still more signs warned about cassowaries.

After our hike, we stopped at the visitor centre for coffee and a snack of “damper” — a type of soda bread—with jam and cream.

Back in the van, we drove further north to the Daintree River where we caught a tour boat to see crocodiles. Here, we were lucky, because tourists on the earlier tours had seen maybe one crocodile, because of the “cold” winter weather, but by the time we were there, it had warmed up enough that we saw several basking in the sun.

After the tour, we crossed the river on a ferry and then drove a short distance to the Walu Wugirriga Lookout, where we had beautiful views over the rainforest to the coast.

Our tour then took us to the Heritage Lodge along Cooper Creek for a delicious lunch. Then, we had an opportunity to swim in the creek, although only 5 of us plus our guide did so. It was a bit dicey getting in and out, due to slippery rocks, but once we were in, it was so refreshing, I wish we could have stayed longer.

Our next stop was the Madja Boardwalk, where we marvelled at the flora of the rainforest, some of which is genetically identical to plants that lived in prehistoric times. Here, more signs warned of cassowaries, but we saw none. I was half relieved, half disappointed. I would have liked to have seen a cassowary, but preferably from the safety of the van. We had a sprinkling of rain on this walk, but, although I was the only one who didn’t put up an umbrella (too hard to look at trees and to take photos), I barely got damp. Anyway, it IS a rainforest, after all.

Our last sightseeing stop was Cape Tribulation, so named by Captain Cook when his ship was heavily damaged by coral here. The roads in this area had just recently reopened for tourism after Cyclone Jasper wiped out a lot of roadway in December 2023. Cape Tribulation is known as “Where the Rainforest Meets the Reef,” because the oldest rainforest in the world and the Great Barrier Reef meet here. We had a brief walk to take in the views, and signs here warned about crocodiles, although we saw none.

Before heading back to Port Douglas, we, along with every other tour in the area, it seemed, stopped for ice cream. I spent most of my time here watching gorgeous Ulysses butterflies.

Cont'd

Day 10

We decided to spend our last day in Port Douglas relaxing at the pool. It was great.

That evening, for dinner, we first tried “The Surfy” a place along Four Mile Beach with a big deck overlooking the Coral Sea. We were seated and given menus. Next to us was a large family with several children. The children were running around all the tables. Most were screaming and yelling. One was crying loudly. The adults were ignoring it all. We hadn’t ordered yet, so we looked at one another and said, “Let’s go.”

We walked along Macrossan Street and came across a couple of women from our Daintree Tour eating outdoors at “The Mexican” (bookstore by day; restaurant by night). They said the food was so wonderful there, they’d eaten there twice. We thought the food was so-so, but, even though it was on Port Douglas’s busy main drag, it was quieter and more pleasant than The Surfy had been.

Those women were from Sydney, and they had been scheduled to fly home that day. However, Sydney was hit by a powerful “bomb cyclone” that brought strong winds and torrential downpours to the area, so their flight home was cancelled. Later, we learned that areas of New South Wales had lost power, and there had been landslides and flooding. https://thenightly.com.au/australia/nsw/bomb-cyclone-weather-updates-chaos-on-nsw-south-coast-urgent-shelter-orders-issued-flash-flooding-c-19218835

Whew. We knew we’d been lucky with the weather on our trip, but we really dodged a bullet (or bomb) with that one. The brunt of the storm had hit just 5 days after we left Sydney.

Day 11

This day was mainly a travel day, taking us back to Cairns for a flight to Brisbane (with views of the Great Barrier Reef), and then a transfer from Brisbane to Newport.

We had a flight scheduled to Lady Elliot Island from the Redcliffe Airstrip in Newport very early the next morning. After checking into our Air BnB—a little suite attached to a house, walking distance from the airstrip, we decided to find our way to the airstrip so that we wouldn’t have to worry about getting lost the next day, when we would have luggage with us and a plane to catch.

On the way, we saw signs warning of kangaroos. I was hoping we’d see some, because we had yet to see wild kangaroos in Australia. (There had also been signs about koalas as we drove into Newport, but, although we tried scanning the treetops, we didn’t see any.)

We were almost at the airstrip, when suddenly, in a large yard right across from the airstrip, we saw them. Kangaroos! Finally! Our children and I sometimes refer to my DH as “Mr. Oblivious,” because he often just keeps walking without realizing what is going on (usually that the rest of us have stopped for some reason). We crossed the street to see the roos better and get photos. A doe and a young roo were grazing near a puddle. Mr. Oblivious kept walking, not realizing he was heading straight toward a third kangaroo, likely a buck, who was standing on his haunches watching us. I had to warn him to stop before he realized.

We then walked back through a small park and some residential streets toward the quays to find some dinner and bananas and pastries for breakfast. We succeeded, locating a strip mall overlooking a marina, with a grocery store and a few eateries. We chose to eat at Qué, a Vietnamese place, and the food was great.

Cont'd

Day 12

We slept well and awoke early for our flight. We had a quick breakfast of coffee, pastry, and bananas, and headed back toward the airstrip, luggage in tow. We travel light, so this wasn’t too difficult.

The plane was delayed, so we had to wait over an hour at the airstrip. There is no “airport” there, per se. Instead, there is a small shelter, more like a bus stop than an airport, with a couple of washrooms. Signs on the fence warned about keeping the gate closed, because kangaroos can endanger the small planes that take off and land there.

When the plane finally arrived, the pilot asked who would like to sit in the co-pilot’s seat, and I volunteered. I later regretted this. I was too short to see over the instrument panel, and the sun was too bright on my side of the plane to look out the side window. So, I didn’t get much of a view on our “scenic” flight, until we approached Lady Elliot Island, and the pilot circled it a couple of times before landing.

LEI is a coral cay in a highly protected section of the Great Barrier Reef, about 45 nautical miles from the coast. Seen from the air, it almost forms a circle. The grassy airstrip bisects the island.

After we landed, we were briefed on safety, protocols, and procedures on the island. For instance, we had to always be cautious crossing the airstrip. Meals would be served in the dining hall. It was a sort of “summer camp” setup with cabins.

At the dining hall, we had a buffet lunch and snorkelling orientation while waiting to be assigned a cabin, which turned out to consist of a cute little building containing a bedroom and a bathroom. It had a deck that ran along the front.

Then we headed to the dive shop to get our snorkel gear—a wetsuit, a mask, fins, and a snorkel.

We were supposed to have a glass bottomed boat tour with snorkelling, but it was cancelled for the day, because of the wind.

Although we’ve snorkelled before, in the Galapagos Islands and in Mexico, we were rated as “beginner” snorkelers on LEI because of our age. We couldn’t snorkel in the lagoon, which is the beginner snorkelling area, until the tide came in, so we decided to check out the other side of the island. Here, there are two snorkelling “trails.” However, we couldn’t see anybody else snorkelling there, and the water looked choppy. We decided not to risk snorkelling on our own, under the circumstances.

By the time we returned to the other side, the tide was coming in. So, we got ready and entered the water. A number of people were snorkelling here. It wasn’t my favourite snorkelling experience, because the water was still fairly shallow, and I was worried about damaging the coral or brushing against something toxic. I did see a turtle and a giant clam, however, which was cool. After we left the water, a woman told us that her husband had spotted an octopus close to shore. So, we put our masks back on and reentered the water. Sure enough, there was a purple octopus with white spots just a few feet off shore. When he was still and crouched down, he looked like just another rock or piece of coral. But then he’d get up and walk on a couple of his tentacles to a new spot, probably trying to get away from us paparazzi. When he stood up like that, I’d estimate he was about 2-3 feet tall—not a huge octopus, but not a baby, either.

After a shower and dinner on the dining hall patio, we retired to our cabin for the night.

Cont'd

Day 13

The next morning we learned that the glass bottom boat and snorkelling tour was postponed further, so we took a walk around the other side of the island, looking at birds, starfish, and scenery. Where we had to walk on sand, it was tough going, like slogging through deep snow at an angle. Part of our walk the day before had been like this, too.

Finally, it was time for our tour. The boat took us out to a “manta ray cleaning station,” and sure enough, there was an enormous one there, having its parasites eaten by fish that inhabit the locale. The boat and the ray kept moving, so we’d just catch glimpses of it through the bottom, as our captain kept repositioning the boat to see the ray. However, we didn’t spend enough time there for my liking. A humpback whale had been spotted by staff earlier that day, and our captain decided to go in search of it. Because humpbacks also visit the west coast of Canada, and DH and I had had the lucky experience in 2018 of being “mugged” by one for over 20 minutes on a whale watching trip there (the whale spent a long time within inches of our Zodiac—close enough to touch—looking at us, spraying us, slapping the water, and swimming right under us to do the same on the other size of the boat), I would have preferred watching the manta ray for longer. No doubt there were others on the boat, though, who would have been thrilled to spot a humpback even at a distance, but we did not find the whale.

Afterward, the boat anchored between the two snorkelling trails. We hopped into the water and set off. Wow! Wow! Wow! This was MUCH more impressive than snorkelling in the lagoon, and my disappointment vanished. There were so many different types of fish and coral. In fact, it was difficult to drag myself away and back onto to the boat when the horn sounded.

After lunch, we still had an hour before our flight back to the mainland, so we went for another quick snorkel in the lagoon. This time, we spotted two Bluespotted Fantail Stingrays.

On the return flight, I sat farther back, on the same side, so I was able to see a lot more, although this pilot flew further inland, anyway, so people on both sides had a view of Australia’s lovely Gold Coast.

After we landed, our transfer to Brisbane hadn’t arrived, so we had a few minutes to watch the kangaroos, as nine or ten of them had now gathered in the same yard. We also spotted a gorgeous white and pink Galah (a type of cockatoo) nearby.

Our ride to Brisbane was slow, especially as we got closer in, because of traffic. We finally arrived at our hotel, Royal on the Park, where we learned that the room type, with a view of the park, I’d booked was unavailable, so we were upgraded to an enormous suite, with a living/dining room separated from the bedroom by an entry area.

We were exhausted from our day, so we ordered room service and relaxed.

Day 14

We had only one full day in Brisbane, and the weather was lovely, so we decided to head over to South Bank via the park and the university. The park is the former botanical gardens, since moved due to severe flooding. As we meandered through, we saw a sign telling us that a walking tour was starting in 10 minutes. So, we waited with the only other person there, a local woman who enjoyed the gardens, and the three of us were guided by a volunteer docent through the lovely area. We learned that the macadamia nut industry started here, and not in Hawai’i, as we’d thought. We saw various other interesting trees, such as mahogany and elephant apple. We saw flowers, sculptures, flood markers, and, of course, a warning sign—this one again about electric ants.

Cont'd

After the tour, we headed through the university, enjoying the architecture and the street art, before crossing the lovely Goodwill Bridge to the South Bank. We found a shaded patio around the side of The Ship Inn and stopped for a lunch of calamari and pasta.

We followed the pathway covered in flowery arbours into the South Bank Parklands. What a fantastic park! There’s a manmade “creek” with rocks to clamber on and areas where kids can wade. There’s a little train. There’s a beach area. And, as it was Saturday, and there was a festival and market happening, many families were there enjoying it all. Of course, there was a warning sign, this one about “swooping birds,” although I remained unmolested that day.

After enjoying the park, we lined up at the City Cat terminal, as I’d read that the ferry was a good way to view Brisbane from the river. Life in Brisbane seems very much focused on the river, and there are catamaran ferries that travel up and down it. These are called “City Cats.” There are smaller catamaran ferries for simply crossing the river, and these are called “Kitty Cats.” Although the ferry was crowded, we stood at the front and enjoyed the views of downtown and of the many beautiful bridges as we cruised along in one direction and then the other. When we’d almost returned to our starting point, we disembarked at Riverside Terminal, northeast of our hotel, so we could see some different streets.

We again ordered room service for dinner and then packed for our trip home.

Although our visit to Brisbane had been short, we really liked the city.

Day 15

The next morning, we walked to catch a train to the airport for our flight back to Auckland.

In our two-week Australian visit, we saw only a fraction of this huge and diverse country, of course, but we felt like we’d had a good variety of experiences.

Photos: https://www.amazon.ca/photos/share/BZiNhReGEGMLOKp779tV8GkHO8sfotskkIiVoYsBsGa

Sorry. Amazon Photos messes up the order.

Note: The photos of the Manta Ray and the Bluespotted Fantail Stingray are not mine, as I didn’t get good shots, but I added them so I can remember what we saw.

End

If you managed to read the whole, long report, thanks for your interest, and I hope this might be useful to anyone else planning a trip to Australia.

My husband and I spent 5 weeks in Australia, and it was one of the most magical adventures we have had in our travels. Thanks for bringing back the great memories.

What an interesting report! Took me back to my trip in 2019. We went the same places you did except for Brisbane. Thanks for sharing!

Sign, sign
Everywhere a sign
Blockin' out the scenery
Breakin' my mind
Do this, don′t do that
Can′t you read the sign?

Loved your report, thank you for sharing! Would love to get back to NZ and Australia as it has been over 20 years ago and back then, I was a budget traveler and did not get to some places I would like to see and you went to. Did my very first dive on the Great Barrier Reef!

I had my photo taken with a koala at Hartley's in Cairns area. The koala just sat in his tree munching leaves. I don't think it was a big ask of the koala people loving koalas will make them want to protect their habitat.

What a wonderful trip report.
I am Australian and I feel a bit guilty that I have not explored my own country as much as you have.
I had to smile re your Sydney airport incident. I was always getting told to remove my so called jacket exposing all my lumps and bumps. I got quite miffed when others around me were wearing bulkier cardigans etc. After this happened on several occasions I actually asked to speak to a supervisor despite my husband's protests. She calmy told me that any top with a zip is regarded as a jacket. Perhaps another sign is required at the airport.

susanking39, Carroll, Tammy, thanks for the kind feedback.

travelerguy Yup. So, I tucked my hair up under my hat, and I went in to ask him why.

cala Yes, they were very strict about how we could touch the koalas, and they switched them off frequently, so no individual koala got too overwhelmed. The koalas seemed quite content.

avajoetom Good to know. I'm thankful at least I had something on under my zipper top, I guess.

Your TRs are so pleasant to read BB.

Although I am an Aussie I don't think I have been to any of those places the last 20 years except a brief stop in Brizzy (on the way to Bribie Island).
It reminds me that I have plenty of home based travel apps in the years ahead.

The signs. We do love a sign or two, or three or four or...
Most of your time was in areas at the top of the tourist food chain so there is probably a bit more need to inform the many naive tourists of the risk.
Out my way, just a bit north of the middle of nowhere not many signs. Where I mountain bike there are 100s of old mineshafts no warning signs.

My apologies as an Aussie for the unpleasantness at Sh1tney Airport. It's been 20 plus years since I have gone through there but they were rude even back then. I would like to think such experiences are less common at Melbourne Airport.
I am glad you met many of our birds. The ibis as you might've heard are often called bin chickens or bin chooks. Oddly enough they are quite shy in the natural setting. I met quite a few while kayaking this morning and they were off in a flash.
I do hope you enjoyed your time in my country.
Cheers.

Thank you, Pleb.

I've no doubt there are good reasons for the signs. I'd never even heard of electric ants before.

The airport could have used a few more signs, though. ;)