Dino Trail!!!!!

Hiya All,


Well its been a busy few weeks guys with a few tales to tell, bugger back in a minute coz I need my diary its been that long since I blogged and have forgotten some details!!!!  Typical hit Queensland and all slooooooowwwwwwsssssss down including my brain or it coz I have been on road tooooooo long now. Seriously we have to look at our phones to know the date and what day it is!!!!

Ok since Julia Creek which was a gorgeous outback town:

* the Dunnart is a unique marsupial to this area only!!! It is a tiny mouse looking cutey but very endangered and havent been many around. Tricky little buggers and so hard to find apparently. BUT in saying that Julia Creek has a good Owl and bird of prey population so enviros believe there may be a few around!

* Julia has an amazing pool for its area!!!! Met the manager, apparently he managed Bondi Pool with 60 staff and got paid half as much as he does here in Julia and he is, his own boss. Works 3pm-6pm daily......He was doing a trip like you do and passed through Julia, saw the derelict pool and thought I can fix this place!!! They offered him the job and voila he is still here 3 years later!!!! We swam for 3 hours with every possible pool toy you can think of!!!!

* Jase has decided with his bung shoulder he might try some laps and pulled off a cool 1 km first time ever!!!! Very proud of himself...


OMG  tinkle tinkle tinkle can you hear the ice cream van coming??????  Cool, remember those days guys...back in a mini...


Ok, got a macadamia nut ice cream so sorry if I drip!!!

RICHMOND

* Kronosaurus Korner museum housed the most complete Plethosaurus Marine carnivore dinosaur in the world. Found just outside Richmond by a farmer who kicked a log in a dry creek bed and it didnt move so had a better look.....110 mill years old.



 



This is what the Plethosaurus looks like inside!!!!

Ok this is what the Plethosaurus Marine dino looks like on outside!!!

 

* We went fossicking for fossils ourselves and didnt pull up too shabby!!! 

* Sharks teeth, Plithosaurus tooth, M found a Belemnite which is from a 98 million yo Squid backbone, Molluscs shells, fish vertebra, fish scales, amonite shell, fish jaw, ball socket from a shoulder of something!!!!!

* Bloody hot but worth it!!!

HUGENDEN

* Muttaburrasaurus replica in this musuem. The biggest most complete Allosaurus type carnivore land dwelling dinosaur found by a 10 yo boy who gave a block of stone to his mum as a doorstop adn she freaked out and said where did you get this????? Voila another great find!!!

* Porcupine Gorge was amazing. Swam in the gorge with a coupla other people. Soooooo quiet and peaceful with Tait jumping off cliffs again scaring the crappers out of me!!!!! The walls of this gorgeous place are 280 mill yo. Many different layers of sandstone with a top layer of basalt from volcanoes in this area. Which I may add are many!!!!!

 

 

* Drove along a very off the beaten track road to Undarra but it was worth the heeeebbbbbeeeeee geeeebbbeeeeeessss to cut 4 hours off our trip!!!!!  AND we saw the most amzing wildlife as I broke our golden rule driving after 3pm. Saw kangaroos, emus, dingo, herrons, Jabiru, huge bloody cows that stand in the MIDDLE of the road and DONT move. Yep some fancy driving required for that!!!!

* Crossed a gorgeous little creek and saw beautiful Egit birds which Jase loved and he reckons this place was his fav lil spot so far!!!!

UNDARRA

* Now had dinner at the restuarant which was very fancy mind you but YUMMY. Barra crusted in macadamia crumbs.

Old tram cars all refurbished and joined together to make this amazing restuarant area and accomodation in the middle of a private outback property owned by Collins Family. The roof gathers 300 000 litres of rainwater per season. Funded by govrn.

* Every night they have a big communal camp fire for all to join. and they have talks or sing alongs etc for the people. First night was a Croc talk by a Steve Irwin die hard, (very good tho) and we had a sing along the next night which kids loved.  Yep, snuck several glasses of grape juice each night there.

Kids got up and bounced around like kangaroos, marching like soldiers, acted out Home among the GumTrees and other songs. Awesome, with kids from all over the world!!!

* WOW......lava tubes from 190 000 yo. You go into these bizarre tubes underground and the colours are fantastic. Very adventurous as we were caving in and out of small crevices and scrabbling over rocks and boulders up and down. Kids loveedddd it.

* wee little bats called Microbats in these caves.

* Jase rode with a guy around on their mountain bikes and kids played all day in pool and up trees for with other kids. 

* Jase loves the Bottle trees too here

* The mums got together and headed off for several walks together too. NICE, some time out!!!!

* Oh my fav little critter called a White Pretty Faced Kangaroo

Isnt she pretty!!!!

ATHERTON

* MOUNTAIN BIKING MECCA of OZ. We loved it and kids too. Tracks technical and really challenging, but kids pulled it off beautifully.

* Jase buggered off for another few hours!!!!

* Had some touro place called Crystal Caves. It houses the worlds biggest Amethyst Geode in the world, so figured M would be wanting to visit. Fab collection of crystals which you can actually touch which was pretty cool.

Woooowwwww.....

* Taught kids 21 up card game, now they want to challenge me with smarties as cash!!!!!

* Great fishing here guys but Barra arent biting coz slightly out of season now. Oh well, Jase still hopeful!!!! Family we have befriended we met several times along our way pulled up a Barra that couldnt fit in his esky, now Jase is inspired!!!!

* Visited the BAT  hospital. M loveeesssss bats. It was a great place. Very inspired by what these lovely people do. There is barb wire issue, fruit tree netting issues and a tick that paralyses bats. So they are very busy people. Learnt loads.

* OK on the way to Port Douglas we visited or saw:

- Dairy farm

- Humungous Curtain Tree Fig

Fig takes over another tree knocking it over and then eats it up!!! Eeewwwww...

- Oldest town in QLD Yungabarra gorgeous like Olinda Mum....had a fantastic second hand book shop, yes didnt leave empty handed!!!!

- Walked around a Crater lake from an extinct Volcanoe. It was a very exciting walk as we saw:

Water was a gorgeous blue colour and soooo clear so saw turtles everywhere. Cant believe it was a volcano. Walk along the ridge of it and look down into it. Totally cool...

      - SNAKES everywhere  ahhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!  Tait spotted the first one, he will tell you

      - Bearded Dragon  lizards

      - Turtles  and babies whatever baby turtles are called????

     AND  tree kangaroo!!!! Yeahhhhhh very hard to spot. M found this one!!!!

- Mareeba for a good coffeee apparently from their own coffee bean farm!!! Mum you would lovvveeeee this gift shop they had there.  Oh and some chocolate for the rest of us!

PORT DOUGLAS

End of the Great Dividing Range in back ground!!!

* I am a little depressed coz we have finished the adventure side of our trip. The dust and emptiness and quietness and country we live in is fantastic. I JUST LOVED THE OUTBACK!!!

* I have had today to adjust to the greener side of things and I am still pissed off that Crocs are swimming in my beautiful beach here.

* soooooooo decided to go for an early morning run along 4 mile beach, lovely i might add. BUT Ocean grove gives it a run for the money. Plus it is 50 degrees hotter here than home so cant complain!!!

* Bit too commercial for my liking here. Not like it was 20 years ago. Anyway, glad we are here coz in our out of town caravan park we are catching up with 3 separate families tonight that we have befriended all along the way.......... cant wait.


* Gorgeous market this morning bumped into Deb and Jamies parents in the market small world as they say!!!!!

Love this pic!!!!