I just got back from my escape to Cairns in tropical north Queensland, just to give you some idea of the location, here's a map showing similar proximities. eg, just like hanging out in the Caribbean.
(http://img30.imageshack.us/img30/6237/Cairns-climate.gif)
It was an awesome adventure, and fairly cheap too, as I got cheap airfair and free accommodation at my sisters (except when I went further north).
It was great to get out of Sydney's cold weather, at this time of year in Cairns, everyday is generally 26-28 C (78-82 F) and gets down to about 20 C (68 F) at night, and this is winter time.
Here's some photos from my trip, I don't have a camera, so I just used disposable one's, so they are just scans, but here's a taste anyway, they're all nature shots as I love the wilderness.
This is Cairns Harbour at dusk
(http://img23.imageshack.us/img23/4500/cairnsharborfromjetty.jpg)
This is Josephine Falls, just a little waterfall about 60km (37miles) south of Cairns
(http://img10.imageshack.us/img10/6205/josephinefalls.jpg)
This is Emmagen Creek, which is the furthest point north on the east coast of Australia that you can go without a 4 wheel drive vehicle (there's still about 1100km (683miles further to go)
(http://img12.imageshack.us/img12/5562/emmagencreek.jpg)
Now after walking 10km (6.2miles) on your own, running into this sign miles from anywhere can be a little freaky, especially when you have to get back that distance to get any help. (you still hope to see a croc though [but I didn't])
(http://img31.imageshack.us/img31/1772/emmagenbeachcrocsign.jpg)
This is Emmagen Beach which was just past that last sign (this looks back to Cape Tribulation, where I stayed for a few nights a backpackers place in the rainforest on the beach)
(http://img29.imageshack.us/img29/5711/emmagenbeach.jpg)
This is Myall beach where I stayed at Cape Tribulation (located in the Daintree National Park [A World Heritage listed place 140km {87miles} north of Cairns]), the backpackers place was called PK's Jungle Village, which was literally in the jungle behind the beach. This beach reminds me of some adventure game, I can't remember the name but I think it had some island and there were monkeys.
(http://img19.imageshack.us/img19/2272/myallbeach.jpg)
There was another crocodile warning right here, this is Myall creek, had a nice setting.
(http://img12.imageshack.us/img12/6013/myallcreek.jpg)
I went on a river cruise up the Daintree River looking for crocodiles, we saw a few, and some snakes and birds, but the biggest one was only 2meters (6''6') there are apparently 5meter crocs in the river
(http://img11.imageshack.us/img11/9978/daintreerivercroc.jpg)
Lake Barrine is a volcanic crater lake in the Atherton Tablelands south west of Cairns, surrounded by lush rainforest and reeds & mangroves, I did the 5km (3.1miles) walk around the lake
(http://img8.imageshack.us/img8/7331/lakebarrine.jpg)
This is a curtain fig, it's friggin huge in the midle of the rainforest, really hard to get a good shot as you can only see it up close otherwise trees are in the way (this is looking up at it, it goes down much further [I also took a vertical shot but it's so dark in the rainforest that the photo was worse than this one])
(http://img8.imageshack.us/img8/9033/curtainfig.jpg)
Cairns Harbour at very low tide, there's heaps of wildlife in the mud flats, birds, crabs etc
(http://img24.imageshack.us/img24/9751/cairnsharborlowtide.jpg)
This was on the way home thismorning at dawn looking at the northern beaches of Cairns during take off
(http://img24.imageshack.us/img24/7789/cairnsnorthernbeaches.jpg)
This was disappointing as it's the only shot I got of the Great Barrier Reef, I had a trip out to the reef and did some snorkeling, it was fucking awesome, My Brother inlaw even brought his under water camera, got film and batteries, the problem was it was broken (we only found that out when we were out there)
During the flight home we passed over heaps of reefs but the problem was it was dawn so the sun was facing the window, this was about the best opportunity I got as we were banking towards Townsville (where I waved to Kandyman, but as usual he didn't wave back)
(http://img21.imageshack.us/img21/9638/sadreef.jpg)
I was really happy about this part too on the way down decending into Sydney, we passed Broken Bay, which is the border between Sydney & the Central Coast of NSW, if you saw a picture I posted a few weeks back about work with a big headland, you might recognise the thin piece of land just under the wing of the plane.
(http://img6.imageshack.us/img6/6813/brokenbay.jpg)
I still had some film left when I got home, so I took a photo off the balcony at my house.
(http://img6.imageshack.us/img6/1786/mybalcony.jpg)
Well I hope I haven't bored anyone too much, but that's what I've been up to lately and I haven't even seen a computer for a week and a half, I didn't miss it at all.
I don't know the point in this post, except to show what I've been up to, but feel free to make any comments or post pics of natural places you've been to, or even straight out your front door.
Cheers
~Tim
Wow. Great pictures (especially for a disposable!)
You are a lucky bastard. How cold does it get there in the winter (in Sydney/the south). I guess I knew it was winter there now, kind of screws with my head though. All of you silly "living upside down" people. So, let me get this straight, the idea was to find crocs...you are a fruit loop. Sounds exciting though.
So how hard is it to get citizenship in Australia?
Great stuff Timosity, thanks for sharing. I now hate Ohio even more :P
later,
-junc
*SINGS MONKEY ISLAND TUNE*
those first few pictures look mucho beautiful :)
Sydney in winter is generally around 16 C (61 F) it can get below zero away from the coast in the suburbs over night, the next few days it's supposed to be around 18 & 20 C (64, 68 F) and down to 4 - 8 C (39 - 46 F) over night. The record Low in the daytime is about 8 or 9 C.
It's also generally sunny, so it can be quite pleasant in the day.
There's much colder places in Aus, but compared to the far north, sydney is cold