T
akingmyfamily
toTropicalNorth
Queensland,I
discoveredholding
wildlifeis justas
muchfunforadultsasit is
forkids.Rainforests,Great
BarrierReefandinteractive
wildlifeexperiencesticked
alltheboxesforourfamily
adventures.1
Aussieintro
ThelasttimeI helda
koala,I wasaboutfourand
criedfordayswhenI wasn’t
allowedtobringonehome.
ButatWildlifeHabitatinPort
Douglas,I hadmylong-awaited
secondchance.Therewasan
argumentoverwhogottohold
thefirstone,butbytheendof
theweekwe’dallhada turn
andcuddledsomeothercool
creaturestoo.Breakfastwith
theBirdswasa lovelystart
tothetrip.Thekidssquealed
withjoyasbirdshoppedon
theirheadsandshoulders
duringthemeal.Two-year-old
Freddiehadabsolutelyno
fearinfindingandpetting
thewanderingkangaroos.
Asa bonus,theparkallows
re-entryforuptofivedays,
soyoucanreturnandpetthe
animalstoyourkids’content.2
Snakes& crocs
SeniorreptilekeeperBill
wasbittenbya venomous
snakethatnearlykilledhim
a fewyearsago,sonowhe’s
optedfora quieterlifeat
Hartley’sCrocodileAdventures
inWangetti,wherehespends
hisdowntimecatchingwild
crocs.Withinminutesofour
arrivalatthewildlifesanctuary
andecotourismpark,hetalked
meintoholdinga massive
python,andfeedingZac,who
atfivemetreslongis the
biggestbeastinthepark.3
Marvellous
marinelife
GreatBarrierReefis a 90-
minuteferryridefromPort
Douglasandweheadedto
theouterreefwithQuicksilver
Cruises.Gianttrevally,turtles
andsmallreefsharksareall
withina fin’sreachwhen
snorkelling.Ourtoddler
stayeddrybutwastreatedto
almostasmuchmarinelife
throughthelensofthe
semi-submersibletour.The
snorkellingwasgreatat
FitzroyIsland,whichhasa
turtlerehabilitationcentre
andsomelovelywalks.If you
can,budgetinthe10-
minutehelicopterrideover
thereefwithNautilus
Aviation– you’llgetincredible
picsanda bitmoreadrenalin!4
Daintree
NationalPark
NorthofPortDouglasisDaintreeRainforest,which
hasa magicalfeelwith
verylittlelightandan
abundanceofnaturallife.
DaintreeDiscoveryCentre
hasboardwalksanda canopy
tower,soyoucanseethe
forestfromalllevels.We
spottednativebirds,
butterflies,cassowaries,
deadlyplantsandpythons.
Butthekidsjustadoredthe
JurassicForestwalk,which
haslife-sizedinosaurreplicas
from 100 millionyearsago.
Makesureyouvisitthe
DaintreeIceCreamCompany- theygrowalltheirfruit
onsiteandofferupa daily
tastingcup.It’sfresh,seasonal
anddelicious!
5
Cairns& Kuranda
Wewerecompletely
blownawaybytheCairns
Aquarium– theygrowallof
theirowncoralheresoas
nottotakefromtheprecious
reef.Andwehadoneofour
bestfamilymealsatDundee’s
nextdoor.Afterinitialnerves,
wehoppedaboardtheSkyrail
RainforestCablewayin
nearbyKurandaNational
Park.Seeingtheforestfrom
aboveis incredibleandfor
someonewhodoesn’tlike
confinedspaces,thiswas
surprisinglyoneofthe
highlightsofthewholetrip.
Foranotherperspective,take
theKurandaRailtripupto
thecableway– it’sa journey
backintime.5
tips for
Tropical North
PICTURES: CARLY FLYNN.Carly Fly nn
takes her family
on a wet and
wild adventure
Tilly couldn’t wait for
the helicopter ride over
Great Barrier Reef.Caught on the hop! Fearless
Freddie has no trouble
getting to know the locals.The family and I felt
quite safe smiling at
this crocodile.Travel
66 Woman’s Day