Unreal

14000ft over Mission Beach, Mark and I did our first sky diving (tandem) experience. Pretty hard for the words to describe the experience but the pictures tell the story and are pretty amusing.
 The small plane departed a private airport with a eleven of us. Eight jumper including their partners, and three skydiving videoographers/photographers. The plane was basic with no seats or seat belts and the door hatch was halfway open as the air thinned out at 14000ft.. The photographers climb out first hanging like monkeys off the side of the plane with only a hand and foot griping a small handle fixed to the plane.  They filmed the four new jumpers attached to the expert tandem partners to capture some funny moments as they entered into the insanity of skydiving.
The plane ride up and the first tumble out the door was full of tummy butterflies however my life didn't flash before me as I fell to the earth. The views were so spectacular and the sensory overload masked any thoughts of doom. The one minute free fall and the 6 minutes of  gentle downward gliding went by like a blurr and both of us agreed it was an unreal adventure. Both of us wanted to do it again.

Thanks Tassal!
(This was what we did with our Goodbye pressy)

Looking calm and cool, M is the oldest  jumper of the day.

14000ft up over Mission Beach

Dunk Island from Outer space.

M attached to Austrian skydive expert Klim - First ones out of the plane.

One full minute of free fall and Klim thinks it's all a funny photo shoot. He jumps on average 6 times a day.

still falling....

Nice Hair

Chute opened -Views of the tropical rain forest against the blue waters.

Mission Beach-Paradise!

We pulled into Mission Beach and it was instant love! With a  quaint, beachy and laid back vibe, the town sports a modern cafe/shopping district with a beach long enough to run a marathon. To the north there is a laid back hippie-dippy, alternative feel complete with funky cafes featuring organic tofu,  falafal dishes, and the likes. The mid part of the town sports a few boutiquey shops and a few tour companies catering mostly to the backpacker lot.  If has a  thriving  breakfast culture as good value is on offer here. The south end of town is residential with contemporary homes spaciously hidden in the lush rainforest featuring amazing views of Dunk Island.  The water here is too clear for crocs to be hanging around and warm enough to embrace even the most reluctant swimmer. For entertainment you can sit in the shade of a  palm tree and watch a few sky divers drift over the perfect coral sea and gently land on the soft white sands.
  Like the swimming with the Whale Sharks, climbing through the steep and beautiful cravases of  Karijini, or getting bogged, sogged, and lost on The Old Telegraph Track..this was a place where another  real adventure started (or unreal adventure maybe a more appropriate discription:))  

Trip Tracker October Update.

 Amazing how you can see the Great Barrier Reef from space.  One coastline left to explore.

Giant Stuff

South Mission Beach

The town of Tully sports a giant gum boot.  Appropriately so as it is one of the wettest places in Australia.  The hight of the gum boot signifies the water level of a flood in 1950. We need to make sure to leave before the wet season.

Paronella Park

 En route to Mission Beach you pass though endless sugar cane fields dotted with palm treed houses raised on stilts above the flood levels. The town of Mena Creek houses a special castle that was the dream of a man who immigrated from Spain. Over a seventeen year period this man hand built a  castle and grounds know as Paronella Park.  Mr. Paronella wasn't royalty just a man on a mission. The story goes on and enhances the tour of the grounds. It was a story of love, passion, and persistence. With the price of admission, you can wander the acres of rainforest at your leisure, take both night and day tours, swim under the waterfall, admire the stunning castle, and be ahhhed at the damage from past cyclones . Around every corner  is a new magical surprise like mini bats, fruit bats, eels, frogs, stunning waterfalls, tree lined walkways, a suspension bridged and more. A thumbs up for this one.

A wedding was happening while we did a day tour. What a setting!

The night tour was enchanting with music to enhance the light displays. 

Damage from Cyclone Yasi

A Street of Her Own

Noodle Fishing

Noodle discovered that fishing in the tidal pools was lots of fun.  After bagging a puffer fish which she grudgingly gave up as we pried it from her jaws, she makes a runner for water whenever possible.  Here she is fishing near Port Douglas.

Cane Cutters' Way

Endless sugarcane fields line the Bruce Hwy south around  Cairns and southward towards Townsville.  A train track with a mini sized train can be seen paralleling  the roads in these parts. This is know as the cane train. It carries the chopped sugarcane to the processing locations. Hardship lies here and the wet season is the worry.  Many of the houses are build on stilts as protection from flooding and the countryside here is a gruesome reminder of last February's Cyclone Yasi.  Piles of sideways trees, downed power polls, roofing and siding materials scattered around, and scaffolding seems to be a permanent fixture on many of the houses.  All of this lays waiting for clean up. 

Be Cass Aware

Often seen on the roads, signs posted in huge numbers warning of crossing Cassowary. 

Cassowary Crazy

This is the elusive and endangered Cassowary. Looking like a genetically modified emu X  pterodactyl and with a hint of parrot, it is a wingless bird.  Found in Australia and PNG they number only around 1000 in Australia so spotting one is pretty precious. I cautiously photographed this one at a National Park near Bebinda in Northern QLD.
  Much like a raptor, the cassowary has a disemboweling claw which is used to slice, rip, or shred in conflict.  The Cassowary has reported to have caused two deaths in Australia however the numbers are much higher in PNG.
One tragedy occurred in Australia when a 10 yr.old boy's dog went after a Cassowary. The big bird retaliated and chased the dog who retreated back to his young owner.  Both dog and boy ran in fright then the boy tripped.  The Cassowary ran over him ripping his jugular vain open with the evil claw. Horrible!

On the flip side, the cassowary in Australia is responsible for spreading 70% of the larger seeds in the Daintree Forest. The unique bird can ingest the largest seeds and then pass them through poo allowing them to spread far and wide, which is crucial for seedling attempting to compete for sunlight under the thick rainforest's canopy.

Check out those wattles