There and Back Again... a non-Hobbit's Tale

Hi Everyone!

As you can see, I made it back safe and sound from my overnight excursion into the wilds of Australia to post some new pics for ya'll to see.

From top to bottom:

1) First stop was Saturday morning - a 2 hour drive into the tablelands to visit the Yungaburra Market. It's just like a flea market back home and it was a ball - very nostalgic, friendly, oodles of stuff (I did most of my X-mas shopping there :), and I even had 3 sno cones.

2) After the market, it was another 90 minute drive to camp overnight at the Koombooloomba Dam - a manmade lake high up in the tablelands and surrounded by rainforest. Unfortunately, that was all too true since it rained most of the time we were there and we spent the night under a large tarp playing Texas Hold 'em (I lost all my fake money at least 3 times :). But at least the tents were dry, so sleeping was easy with all the night sounds orchestrating in the background.

3) A pic of our campsite. Not much to brag about, but we weren't exactly roughing it.

4) Yowsa! A close encounter with a Golden Orb Weaver spider - and don't worry arachnaphobes, the spider isn't poisonous and my friend's hand is actually on the other side of the web the spider is standing on. There's only about an inch between the two, so the size scale is accurate enough - quite a big bugger, ay?

5) On my way home, I stopped to take a pic of Tully Gorge... a pic that doesn't do it justice, but it makes an impression anyway.

6) A vista pic of the valley I'm to drive through on my way home. In the middle of the pic, you can see a downpour of rain that ambushed me an hour later. Like Forrest Gump woulda said... "It was big ole fat rain" and visiblitiy was down to about 30 feet at the worst of it. Guess the wet season has finally arrived!

Well, that's about it for now. Haven't decided if I'm going on a diving or driving vacay next week, but you can count on plenty of more pictures. And no worries Terri... if I do make it diving, I'll be sure to get some underwater pics of the reef life :)

Bye for now. Cheers!

Matt

G'day to Everyone Back Home :)

It's been a coupla weeks since my last post, but not much has been happening. Work has been great, as usual, though being a little short on staff (down one vet and 2 nurses) it has been a little hectic at times. Hectic enough to have me schedule my first vacation (the week of my birthday... Yay!) so I can take a break and drive around Queensland. I'm thinking about heading down towards Brisbane - I've heard it's a wonderful city and it's only a 20 hour drive and I can make several stops along the way. Of course everyone at work has suggestions on must-sees on my way down the coast, but there's no way I'll get all of them in.

And here's some fun... I have Thursday thru Sunday off next week and I'll be going up to a HUGE flea market in Youngaburra up in the tablelands - maybe I'll see you there Werewolf Dave! Then after the market, it's on to my first Aussie camping trip with some friends up at Koombooloomba Dam - it's a gorgeous place for camping, fishing, canoing, swimming (no crocs, promise) and all of that is gonna be a blast - but here's the best part... They've never heard of a S'more over here - can you believe it?! And the deal we have is they'll bring all the gear to camp and eat and I'll bring the graham crackers, milk chocolate and marshmellows so I can introduce them all to that tastey treat.

Anyway - I'll posting pics of the trip soon after I get back. I'm sure they'll fun to look through.

Cheers for now! Luv ya'll. Matt

P.S. This pic is of a little tourist outfit bobbing on down the Daintree River.

A big Hello to everyone back home in the States

One of the biggest risks a new resident and tourists encounter out here is getting lost on a hike, so I've been keeping my hikes close to home on well marked paths... until this weekend. I went into Cairns, bought a handheld GPS that would track my path and set out to explore a little bit beyond...

Yesterday's hike was a bit of a cheat as it's a 3k paved path into the rainforest along Freshwater Creek. They call it the Crystal Cascades and it was a good opportunity to work the learning curve of my new GPS. In the pics below, the Cascades are the 3rd and 4th picture down. It's a popular place to visit during stinger season due to several crystal clear swimming pools along the cascades and ironically, on the hike up there you have to beware of the Stinging Trees... cute little shrubs with heart-shaped leaves causing excruciating pain to any who touch it.

Today was a hike up to Glacier Rock; named for it's once icy white facade of rock and the 2nd pic is a view of the Cairns region with the Coral Sea in the distance. Look carefully and you can see the Barron River winding its way to the sea... and the city of Cairns is obstructed by the twin mountains.

As for the mango tree... I thought it would make a kool picture, thinking fans of the film Princess Bride will appreciate it.

Cheers, Matt :)

Crystal Cascades and Glacier Rock