A pampered weekend

Took a drive an hour north west of Melbourne to the attractive spa town of Daylesford. didn't need to visit the spas as our own beautifully equipped house had one of its own. These two have been drinking too much champagne.

It's not all antique sellers, tea shops and designer clothes in Daylesford, there's Bingo with balls for the Bogans!

No swimming? No chance!

Took a cruise down the Daintree River with a guy called Bruce. He knew where the crocs were. Doesn't this female look cute?

Marsupials are Us!

Monday 3 August 2009. The Habitat is a three mile walk from the centre of Port Douglas which includes the option of passing under an enormous colony of fruit bats hanging and chattering in an avenue of trees. We decide to run through in case it is their ablution time!

The Habitat is definitely worth visiting if you are in the Port Douglas area. The Habitat is divided into Rainforest, Wetlands and Grasslands. Apart from the crocodiles, the echidna and the koalas, the animals roam and fly freely in large enclosures. Feeding the many types of kangaroo is a pleasure. Keeping out of the way of the emu is a trickier proposition!

Mission accomplished, Trish cuddles a koala.

We don't risk the bats on the return journey and decide to catch a bus...

Sophistication and warmth

Friday 31 July. Port Douglas is beautiful. We walk the length of the four mile beach and back to our beach front apartment. The sand is spotlessly clean and the sea warm enough to swim in. However, unseasonal winds dissuade us from sunbathing. St Mary's Church has a large clear glass window behind the altar, giving worshippers a divine view of the ocean and mountains beyond.

Saturday 1 August. The Skyrail just north of Cairns is definitely worth a visit. We board a cable car for the 7.5km glide into the rain forest and looking down through the lush canopy, one realises how easy it would be to get lost down there - throw in the worry of the vast number of poisonous snakes and plants and you're really in trouble!

The village of Kuranda at the top of the mountain is mainly populated by souvenir shops but the 100 minute train journey down through Barron Gorge is marvellous. Kuranda Station must be one of the most beautiful on the planet, with its abundance of flowering plants almost covering the platforms and station buildings. Check out today's train driver!

Construction of the railway began in 1887 in order to service the gold fields and it took four years to complete. We pass through 15 tunnels, over 37 bridges and around nearly 100 curves. The railway workers and their families endured tremendous hardships shifting over 2 million cubic metres of earth. For us, the 37km ride down into Cairns was a pleasure.

Otherwise known as the Olgas

The massive series of domes gives us the chance to walk through valleys and gorges, climb passes and see some wildlife. Trish sees a dingo chasing a kangaroo. Both animals look pretty fit but the clever money is on the kangaroo to escape. Buzzards glide overhead, hoping for leftovers I guess.

The landscape reminds me of the photos of Mars sent back by the US Voyager or am I thinking of Oman?! Giant red boulders and fields of red rock abound. Our guide points out trees that contain food and those which are poisonous - the latter predominate!

We finish our trek in time for more sparkling wine and the opportunity to marvel at the striking colour changes that take place as the sun goes down over the domes.

The Australian people that we have met so far heve been, without exception, smiling, friendly, polite and enthusiastic. On the way back to our hotel the coach driver puts on traditional Aussie songs, which his compatriots sing along to. I recognise Waltzing Matilda and then there's something about kangaroos on a verandah and being stuck up a gum tree... If anyone cares to enlighten me, please do!

Sunset then Dawn at Uluru

You can see the awe inspiring rock when you fly into Ayers Rock Airport, which is just a few km from the great red monolith.

Evening at the Rock is a very sociable occasion, sparkling Aussie wine, chats with other visitors but above all else, the immensity of the Rock, the largest monolith on the planet. When you look at it the jaw drops slightly open and you temporarily lose the power of speech. It dominates all else around it, the desert and the sky. The changes in Uluru's colour as the sun sets are almost other worldly, bright red through darker shades of the same, then a rich brown and finally blackness.

Pre-dawn at the rock in July is extremely cold - take a fleece and some gloves! We are there before 0700hrs in the silence, which is broken only by the strong, cold wind. Up close, the rock is immense, hypnotic and you cannot look away. Our intention is to walk around the perimeter, which is just over 12km. The path is well marked and flat. At various points there are sacred sites which we must keep off, though there are plenty of other opportunities to explore the very lowest slopes, to see cave paintings which tell dreamtime stories and to marvel at the range of flora around the Rock and beside its water holes. We have a shivery stand up breakfast and then get warm as we walk, all the time admiring the changing colours as the Sun breaks over Uluru.

Some people are climbing Uluru and I can see the attraction because the view from the top must be incredible. To me, climbing Uluru is an enormous temptation but it would also be a slight to the local aboriginal people, the Anangu and their beliefs and law (Tjukurpa). It is estmiated that aborigines have been in the area for 22 000 years.