Christmas at our place

Well this is the first time in 15 years that we have had Christmas at our place! So this is a big deal for us. In celebration we have gone all out and found a real Christmas tree - a caribbean pine with very long needles, but it seems suited to the climate up here.

We have family coming from Perth, Nelson, Cochabamba and Dublin, so we are very excited. Phil has been very busy with his "nursery' of plants in our tiny back yard, and has even put up a platform for the bird feeder, which keeps falling into the neighbours yard every time we get strong winds. Here you can see a white cheeked Honey-eater feeding while the Lewins Honey-eater waits patiently for him to finish.

The wet season has started along with thunder storms and we recently discovered that lightning is nitrogen fixing, which is partly why the grass seems to have grown about 10cm in the last week! It has been very hot and humid, and we have been loving it.

I have finished yet another quilt (on the wall below) and have had to pack away all my sewing gear to make room for family to stay.

Finally, what are we getting for Christmas? A weber bbq! We have been doing trial runs to make sure that we know how to use it effectively. We have already cooked steak, a roast chicken and a leg of lamb and are very happy with the results.

So that is it from us - Happy Christmas everyone! May you find time to reflect on the reason for the season.

Cape tribulation

Last weekend the weather was still fine so we decided to head off on another camping trip. This time we went north to Cape tribulation. We had been there before a couple of years ago, but it rained so we wanted to see it when the sun was shining. From the land, there is nothing "tribulating" about it - just stunning rain forest and beaches for miles.

The Cape itself is about 2.5 hours north of Cairns. We stayed Friday night at Wonga beach on the south of the Daintree River (which is a big river with crocodiles) and then early on Saturday caught the car ferry to the rainforest.

Driving through the trees on the narrow winding road is a delight. Although this is the Daintree national park, there are no extensive hiking trails available. There are three board walks around 1km long which demonstrate the different kinds of bush along the coast here. Each is unique and it was particularly interesting to see the contrast betweent the dry season now and the end of wet season when we were last here.

We were thrilled this time to see a Cassowary taking a bath in a creek - our first cassowary in the wild. It seemed to be aware of our presence, but not too concerned about it, perhaps because we were on a board walk up above.

We camped at Noah beach, just 50m from the beach in a government camping ground with very few facilities. But the beach was magic, so beautiful and so NOT crowded. It was super hot, so we even went for a swim, inspite of the risk of crocodiles and marine stingers.

We woke up to butcher birds at about 5.30am and went bird watching for awhile and then walked up the deserted beach (above). After breakfast we did another boardwalk and went to the viewpoint at Cape Tribulation itself (photo below).

Later we stopped at another beach on the way back down the coast, and risked another swim to cool off (not that the sea water was cold - more like a luke warm bath).

Apart from enjoying the scenery there is not alot to do up here. There are a few tropical fruit farms on the Cape, and one of them makes very interesting ice-creams to try. So we got to sample some wattleseed, jackfruit and mango flavours. The ice-cream place also has a fantastic collection of heliconias and ginger.

On the way home we went to check out the new Hoglunds glass place at Miallo, but it was closed. We did stop in at a Barramundi farm which also grows hydroponic lettuce and bought some of each for dinner. A tasty end to a relaxing weekend.

Undara

Recently we made a trip 3 hours south west of Atherton to the Undara Volcanic National Park. The wet season hasn't arrived yet so we are making the most of camping while we can.

Undara is 2500ft above sea level on the Great Dividing Range. What is fascinating about this place is the underground lava tubes formed by an eruption of the Undara volcano a very long time ago. The tubes run from Undara 160km north west to the sea. Lava tubes exist in other places in Australia and in other countries including NZ, but Undara is the longest lava flow from a single volcano.

As sections of the lava tube have collapsed from erosion and earthquakes, dry rain forest (technically referred to as semi-evergreen vine thicket) has grown up in the cavities which are much cooler and moister than the land above.

It is inland here so it is hot, about 35 degrees. You can't see the caves without a guided tour and we were glad we chose the 1pm as walking down into the caves was like turning on the air-conditioning! The Undara region is regarded as the traditional country of the Ewamian Aboriginal people. It is likely that they passed through during the dry season and used these caves as temporary accommodation (probably because of the aircon) as there is evidence of Aboriginal occupation. In the wet season, the collapsed sections of the tube act like huge drain holes for the savannah, filling with water.

In contrast to the dry eucalypt woodland above, the caves feature moss-covered rocks, fig tree trunks, ferns and tangled rainforest vines. Some of the cavities and depressions are also home to unique plant and animal life including insects and bats, due to their isolation and the habitat.
The tube walls are formed from huge chunks of basalt interlocked like a three dimensional jigsaw puzzle.

Above ground, huge granite outcrops punctuate the endless sea of green. Having grown up with so little wildlife in NZ, the abundance here still excites us, including the feisty wallaroos.

The next day we climbed up to the rim of the Kilkani crater to get a 360 degree view of the volcanic plateau. From here the darker strips of foliage indicating the tubes are obvious in the ocean of gum trees. Somehow it is very peaceful, albeit hot.

At night, Phil went on his usual frog search and found 5 different species, so we may have to go back after it starts to rain. Can't wait!

far far north

When you move town or country, there are always cultural surprises to be experienced and for us, this latest move has been no exception.

If you had told me that I needed to learn another language to live in far north Queensland I would have given you a very strange look. Instead the strange looks were from me as I have had to learn the local lingo. For example: "Hey dahl, can you pick up some avos when you go to the servo, and don't forget the garbo", can be roughly translated as "Honey, can you pick up some avocados when you go to the petrol station and don't forget the rubbish collector." Perhaps it has something to do with being so very far north in Australia combined with the large population of european immigrants; Phil has second generation australian born italians in his class that speak english as a second language.

Interestingly, in southern Chile both language pronounciation and the use of slang could be so extreme that people in Santiago found it difficult to understand their compatriots that were supposedly speaking the same language (it was a relief to know that it wasn't just my poor spanish that was hindering my understanding). Maybe the 'remote' factor is the stronger influence on language.

Another challenge in adjusting to life here is the extensive use of acronyms in almost every publication from newspapers, local government policy, state government literature, church bulletins and brochures. It took me about four weeks to figure out that FNQ stood for Far North Queensland, and only then because I saw it inscribed on a man hole cover. That was a 'DUH' moment. But beyond the written form, people use acronyms so much in speech that they no longer know exactly what they represent. One could say that overuse has somewhat defeated the purpose.

The biggest shock to us has been the tax system. I have never seen anything like it. Filling out the pages and pages of forms is such a chore (albeit one which can now be done online unless like us it is your first time) that most people use a tax agent. It looks like being an accountant here is good business.

The most outstanding lifestyle features are backyard sheds, camping and barbeques. This is blokes and their sheds at a whole new stratosphere. Sheds here are not the garden shed variety - no they aspire to a 3 bay garage to fit the boat, the workshop and all the gear besides. Note that this has nothing to do with where you house your car - these sheds often don't even have vehicle access.

We thought we might buy a bbq so started shopping for one- what a revelation. You can spend from $150 for your rust up in 6months model up to $10,000 for the stainless steel and granite outdoor kitchen. The decision was so involved that we still haven't bought one, although we have picked a favourite gas model. Barbeques are a serious business here, but we still believe that the simple Argentinian and Chilean method of slow cooking over a wood fire is the best (if you can be bothered).

Finally camping. Like the sheds it has to be seen to be believed. There is so much gear I reckon you need a shed to store it in. Aside from the huge campervan phenomenon, we've seen people camping with porta showers, extra tarps over the tent (I think for the heat and the rain), furniture, full on cooking stoves and wooden boxes that hold a full supply of kitchen utensils, plug in chilly bins and fridges, generators (not always allowed), satellite dishes for TV signals - you imagine it and they have it. It makes our tiny two man tent pitched next to the car look pathetic really. More on our camping adventures later.

The biggest pleasures of being the far north are the small things, such as chatting to strangers in the street, cars and houses left unlocked (not recommended), walking on bush tracks on my own, and generally polite kids. It is an easy place to live.