Cairns Holiday Story Part 1

My brother Paul and I decided to take a trip to Cairns during the April school holidays. I'm a teacher and he’s a teacher aide so we get the same holidays as the students. Cairns is located in north Queensland. It is an area known for its beaches, rainforests and the Great Barrier Reef. I wrote about some of its attractions in this post.

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There was one small hitch on the night before we were going to leave for Cairns. My brother fell ill and had to be taken to hospital. In the afternoon, Paul called me over to his room to say he wasn't feeling very well. He had an ashen face and looked tired and weak. Paul told me his legs felt very weak. I thought it might be a circulation problem since he has some problems with his legs.  So, I made an appointment for him to see a doctor.

While driving to the doctor, I notice Paul not looking so good, so I thought we should go to the hospital instead. Dad made Paul take some aspirin and his heart medication as he was having chest pains. I argued against the heart medication because you shouldn't take medicine that is not yours especially if it for something important like your heart. Dad reasoned that his angina tablets relieve chest pain and that nothing would happen to Paul if he took it. Paul decided to take the aspirin and the angina tablets. He said he felt much better afterwards.

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At hospital, Paul had to take a blood and urine sample. The doctors said that his heart was racing and he looked feverish. They also said it was amazing that he was still standing considering he took an aspirin, heart medication and a panadol (headache tablets) in a short time period.

Well, Paul had to have two IV drips and antibiotics. The doctors said that he had a viral infection and his body was trying to fight it off which was why his heart was racing and he was feverish. It was well past midnight when Paul finally went home and we had to be at the airport by 4 am.

In hospital, Paul concluded that he wasn't well enough to go on holiday. Dad was beside himself over Paul being in hospital, I deciding to go vacationing by myself and worst of all for dad was all the money wasted on the vacation! Fortunately, Paul felt a bit better when he came home and decided he could go to Cairns after all.

None of us had much sleep when we arrived at the airport. I felt a bit queasy but I couldn't decide whether it was coincidental or nerves. The flight to Cairns was pleasant which Paul and I were surprised about. We usually dislike plane travel but bear with it.

Next time: Cairns Adventure part 2

Underwater World Sea Life Mooloolaba

On the second day of my family vacation, we went to Underwater World. Underwater World is a small aquarium which has a wide variety of sea life on display. It has tropical and native fish, jellyfish, octopi, stingrays, sharks and seals.

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When we got there we were already tired from our trip to Australia Zoo. The first thing I asked at the Reception Desk was whether they had a café so we could have some coffees. The receptionist was in good humour and said that of course they do and how did I think he got to such a portly size.  We paid for our tickets and they took a photo of us at a photo wall so we could purchase them later.

The first thing we saw on entering was section of rock pools that people could reach in and touch the sea life in them. I don’t remember everything that was in them except that there starfish. Next was a section of small tanks that had tropical fishes such as the clown fish and tiny seahorses.

The exhibit I was most impressed with was the jellyfish. There were lots of tanks of jellyfish and there were LED lights that shone down on the tanks projecting different colours. The jellyfish were white naturally so the colours from the lights added an interesting element to them. The display was mesmerizing. One of the interesting things about jellyfish is that they are not self aware because they don’t have a brain. They don’t think or feel emotions at all, they are just alive.

We also went to see the outdoor tanks which had huge fish. There also other aquariums inside that had fish as large as watermelon. I wonder if they are good eating?

I also liked walking through the underwater aquarium where the sharks and stingrays were housed.

At the end of the day we caught the last seal show. The seals are big creatures, it’s what I picture an aquatic dog would be like. They are agile and intelligent too.

I recommend Underwater World for people visiting Queensland and local tourists. For a small aquatic centre, it has a good variety of sea life on display, the staff is friendly and everything is very clean.

You can read the rest about my holiday here:

•  Holiday at the Sunshine Coast
• Sunshine Coast Holiday Story part 1
• Australia Zoo

Australia Zoo

Australia Zoo is owned by the Irwin Family who are famous for their wildlife conservation and love of crocodiles.  The most famous in the family was Steve Irwin who was known as The Croc Hunter. Steven Irwin had a TV show where he went around the world to learn and interact with different animals. He loved all animals and wasn’t afraid to get close to wildlife. Unfortunately, his enthusiasm for animals led to his downfall and he died after getting stung by a stingray in 2006. Steve Irwin’s legacy still continues through his family. Steve’s widow Terri and their children Bindi and Bob continue to promote animal conservation.

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My family and I decided to go Australia Zoo on our December vacation. I had purchased a two ticket combo for Australia Zoo and Sea Life Underwater World for my family. We decided to go to Australia Zoo because it was the most well known out of the two. We were a bit too eager so we were the first people to arrive at the zoo before opening times.

Once it got closer to opening time, we had about a hundred people lining up to go in. When the gates finally opened, nothing majestic happened, we all just scrambled in. My dad wanted to go on the tour guide circuit so that we could see everything so we did that.

We got off at the Africa animal enclosure which was the farthest part of the park. There giraffes, rhinos and zebras who were in a very big enclosure and were munching on some trees. It was my first time seeing those animals in real life and it was surreal to see them.

Afterwards, we saw the tigers and we were fortunate to being in time to watch the demonstration from the keepers. The tigers seemed skinnier than I imagined. I'm sure that were healthy and well looked after though.

We also saw snakes, otters, kangaroos, koalas and crocodiles. The different zones in the zoo were nicely decorated with statues and plants and each zone was themed. I wish there was more signage though as sometimes we wondered if we were heading in the right direction to see certain exhibits. There were signs but I would have appreciated more.

We were in a hurry wandering around the zoo because we didn’t want to miss the Wildlife Warriors Show which only come on once a day at 12pm. The show is the most popular event at the zoo and it features crocodiles and various birds. The show is hosted in the Crocoseum which is a huge arena where Steve Irwin did many of his crocodile demonstrations for his tv show. It is also where they had Steve’s funeral.

First we decided to have lunch before the show. The Crososeum is attached to the food court. It’s a really big food court which could easily seat 1000 people. They had a variety of food available, everything from burgers, sandwiches to sushi. We had hamburgers which were alright.

After we finished lunch it was time for the Wildlife Warriors show. There were lots of people already at the stadium but there was plenty of room. We sat at the top level, behind a railing which had rope wound around it. I later found out that the rope around the railing was for the birds in the show. When the show began, they had some little birds fly around the arena onto the perches.

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The most fascinating bird was a hawk which had an impressive wingspan. It was a powerful and graceful animal.  When the bird showcase was finished, they brought out the crocodile which was what people were anticipating since crocodiles are the speciality at the zoo. The keeper talked about how crocodiles are stealthy creatures that sense their prey through the vibrations in the water as they live in murky water that is difficult to see in. What I liked most about the show were the birds and the parts where the hosts interacted with the audience. I thought the show was average and I would give it a miss if I went to the zoo again. I was a bit disappointed with Australia Zoo, as I was expecting more animals and I thought the zoo didn't live up to the hype surrounding it.   

Holiday on the Sunshine Coast

Originally, my brother and I were going to go to Cairns for summer vacation. However, we’re now going to spend Christmas on vacation in the Sunshine Coast with our parents. The Sunshine Coast is in north Queensland and it is a popular attraction for tourists. It is a coastal town so people like to come to the Sunshine Coast to swim, fish and surf. There is also rain forests where people can go hiking and camping. Beside natural attractions, there are malls, a zoo, an aquarium, Big Pineapple and restaurants.

Here are some places that I would like to see:

Australia Zoo

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This is the zoo owned by the Irwin family. I don’t know much about the zoo but I know it has a lot of crocodiles. Maybe I’ll get to see Bindi and Bob Irwin as they live at the zoo. Can you believe that Bindi is now 16 and Bob is 11?

Underwater World Sea Life Mooloolaba

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Mooloolaba is where Underwater World is situated, it is an aboriginal word which means mulu for snapper fish or mulla meaning red bellied snake. I think it is an appropriate name for a coastal town. Underwater World is an aquarium which has many sea animals such as fish, octopi, stingrays and sharks. They also have seals and some of them do a seal show. I’ve never been to an aquarium before so I’m looking forward to this. I also learnt that people can also have sleepover parties at the aquarium. I wonder if it’s just for kids? I would love to have a party at the aquarium. I think it would be fun to lie down and watch the fish swim by and go on the after hours tour.

Eumundi Markets

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 The Eumundi Markets are located in the Sunshine Coast Hinterland. It is a market that is famed for the fresh produce, locally made goods and street food. Tour groups are bussed to the markets so it must be a good destination. My dad loves markets so we’re going to this market especially for him.

The Ginger Factory

This is a place where ginger products are made such as gingerbread men and crystallized ginger. I like ginger and I wouldn't mind going on the factory tour. There’s also a ride called Overboard which is kinda like the Disney ride It’s a Small World.