We arrived in Cairns, which is in Queensland in the northeastern part of Australia. We have a place just south of the city, which is nice except for the lack of Wi-Fi access in the room. We have not had great weather but it is about what one should expect in the wet season in the wet tropics. We have been here a few days and I have taken plenty of pictures, but because of the lack of internet access I have not been able to post. To use a phrase that you hear a lot in Australia–no worries. This is one of the many phrases my wife and I like to hear in the Aussie accent.
Australia is a splendid place. The unique wildlife and scenic beauty is reason enough to make a trip, but the country offers even more than I expected. I have been wanting to come here for a long time. I have read about the creatures and have seen plenty of documentaries, but nothing can replace being here in person. Most people know about the Great Barrier Reef and we plan to see it, but so far we have been visiting another UNESCO World Heritage Site: The Wet Tropics of Queensland. We have spent three days driving on the winding roads that lead from the coast into the mountains where the rainforest is primarily located. There is plenty to see and we have only scratched the surface. It is already clear that it will take more than one trip to see what we would like to see. As you can tell from the lead photograph we have seen one magnificent creature. It is listed as endangered in Australia and there are steep fines for harming them. It is called a Southern Cassowary. I have more photos of it and pictures of other things that can be accessed by clicking here.
Though you see plenty of yellow signs warning you of their presence, the large birds are not easy to find. After getting several tips on a good place to look, we headed to the location. We parked the car and looked for a while with no luck. We did not see any. I did see a set of tracks in the sand and took a photo of one of the prints, like I did with the tiger tracks in India, hoping for the same result. When I pointed it out to my wife, at first she thought I was kidding. It was much bigger than she was expecting. It looked like a dinosaur track larger than my hand and it left a deep impression, indicating a heavy bird. She said she had never heard of a cassowary before and apparently did not know what she was looking for. After seeing the print she showed a little more enthusiasm and read about them when she found a sign. We looked for about an hour until it was beginning to get dark. We had a long drive ahead before we were back at our place; so, a bit disappointed, we got back in the car with only the digital image of the footprint on my camera. As I rounded the first turn, I noticed some bright colors that seemed out of place. I stopped the car and stared. I pulled up the parking brake, asked my wife to roll down her window. I turned the motor off and I started taking photos.
One of the most impressive things to me so far is how much effort goes into making sure their national parks are accessible and well maintained. It is obvious that they are a source of pride to the people and a gift to the world.