Mooloolaba/Cairns

Our first stop in Australia was a little beach town called Mooloolaba (ask Nicole how to pronounce it). We got some time to spend at the beautiful beach and have some lovely, inexpensive beach-side picnics. We also got the opportunity to visit the Australian Zoo, the late Steve Irwin's (the Crocodile Hunter) famous zoo. Our time in Mooloolaba was relaxing and we made sure to spend as much time out, so we didn't have to smell our nasty hostel room.

We were pleasantly surprised to arrive at our Cairns hotel, booked by cousin Je-je aka Jeanine aka Kylie aka Gin. Turns out that after her months travelling the world, she has decided never to step foot into a dingy hostel ever again. So, Jeanine, Jera and the both of us stayed at a beautiful, beach view hotel. We spent the first day in the town of Kuranda (Conundra). We got to hold a koala and Jera and then Ob held a python. We also got to check out an Aboriginal Cultural Center. The next day we spent snorkeling on the Great Barrier Reef. It was such an awesome experience up until the ride back where Jeanine and 2/3 of the boat got sea sick. There turned out to be a massive rain storm that did not stop...and probably is still going on.

The next two days we spent in the RAINforest, in the 'liquid sunshine'. One might think spending two whole consecutive days wet would put a damper on our activities, but it actually really put us in tune with the rainforest. We got to swim in and thru gushing waterfalls, canoe on raging rivers, bike through muddy, hidden paths, and hike through leech infested trails. We also got to swim in the mouth of a volcano and see a ton of wildlife.

p.s. jera, you missed out on some nice 'sights'