I flew from Tokyo to Cairns, North Queensland Australia, arriving to greet the dawn on Sunday 15th July, on a new continent and plunged into a culture that seemed like another world. A driver picked me up and sped me to the fashionable resort of Port Douglas – chosen for its credentials as gateway to the World Heritage sites of the Great Barrier Reef and Daintree Rainforest.
The natural world is going to be a big feature of my visit to Oz, and my first trip of note was to ‘Wildlife Habitat’ which was a small local zoo that featured indigenous animals and birds that hold a particular fascination for me, as they are unique to Australia, making their homes in its wetlands, rainforests and grasslands. I have always had mixed feelings about zoos, but this place seemed pretty natural and relatively spacious, and there were lots of useful information boards that revealed vital facts about the creatures’ habits and if, why and how they are regarded as ‘endangered’. Vegetation was brought in daily from the nearby bush to provide food and cover.
We had an excellent guided tour from a keeper who was most knowledgeable, and keen to stress the environmental aspects of the zoo’s conservation role. Personal favourites were the koalas, kangaroos, kookaburras, cassowary bird, fruit bats, crocs, magpie geese, orange –footed scrub fowl (who cleverly lays its eggs then covers them in rotting vegetation to keep the eggs warm), wallabies, emus, cockatiels, black-necked cranes, Australian pelicans, rosella and other rainbow coloured exotic birds.
This visit gave me a great insight into the animals who make the rainforest their home, and I hope to soon be spotting some of them in the wild, on my travels into the Daintree rainforest in a couple of days time...
We had an excellent guided tour from a keeper who was most knowledgeable, and keen to stress the environmental aspects of the zoo’s conservation role. Personal favourites were the koalas, kangaroos, kookaburras, cassowary bird, fruit bats, crocs, magpie geese, orange –footed scrub fowl (who cleverly lays its eggs then covers them in rotting vegetation to keep the eggs warm), wallabies, emus, cockatiels, black-necked cranes, Australian pelicans, rosella and other rainbow coloured exotic birds.
This visit gave me a great insight into the animals who make the rainforest their home, and I hope to soon be spotting some of them in the wild, on my travels into the Daintree rainforest in a couple of days time...
Hi Julia,
ReplyDeleteI am posting up my comment about my chosen story. I have chosen this particular story called ‘Onwards to Australia, Brave New World!’ because I am inspired by the culture, wildlife and beautiful mountainous landscapes. From reading your story on your fascinating journey, I am interested by your taste of inspiring culture and heritage sites within the country. Did you enjoy yourself when you went to visit the Great Barrier Reef and the Daintree Rainforest? What was the weather like there?
I am inspired by your trip to ‘wildlife habitat’ in Port Douglas, where you went to explore exotic and indigenous animals. Also by looking at the image shown of the much wildlife, I can see one or two of my favourite Australian animals. I too have an interest in wildlife and the natural world, so this story has drawn me closer and closer to seeing Australia’s magnificent landscapes and animals.
After from reading some of your stories on your journey to other countries and exploring their culture, which out of the three is your favourite? The three countries I have read about contain very interesting features, with lots of historic buildings and heritage sites. I too have gone abroad as I tagged along with my family, for a holiday to the wonderful country of Turkey 4 years ago in October 2009. For a week, I experienced the wonderful landscapes and culture with my family, trying out traditional dishes and a beautiful boat trip to the 12 islands. Although that was my first time abroad, I have never been anywhere else from home, other than to remote places in Wales that I go to each year that isn't appealing or interested to me.
I hope you have enjoyed yourself exploring the atmosphere of the countries you went to. If only we came along with you to see for ourselves and get an understanding on what the ‘Home’ is like in other parts of the world.