Port Douglas, Australia

Port Douglas is a beach town on the northeast coast of Australia that is adjacent to the Great Barrier Reef.  When we arrived, we were excited to see the beautiful pristine beaches.  Zack and I quickly ran into the water and were enjoying ourselves for a about a minute when we noticed that there were no other people in the water.  We thought it was strange since the water was so nice and started to feel a little nervous.  Suddenly, a local person came by and started yelling, “Get out of the water.  There are stingers in their that can kill you!”

Later we found out that the stingers are Irukandji, which are small jellyfish the size of a matchstick head that are known to be one of the most poisonous creatures on earth.  Luckily no one died that day.  The lesson learned that day is that there are a lot of creatures in Australia that can harm you and that it is important to pay attention and read all warning signs carefully.

We spent a few days in Port Douglas relaxing on the beach and exploring the surrounding areas. The highlight was a snorkeling excursion in the Great Barrier Reef.  I do not have any photos of that day however as I was too busy swimming with the fish in the ocean.

Koala Poop Smells Good

One of the coolest things about traveling in Australia is that you see animals that are not found anywhere else in the world.   We went to animal sanctuaries in the Mornington Peninsula and Cairns and got to see koalas, kangaroos, wallabies, wombats (my favorite), and other animals up close.   During our visit at the animal sanctuary in the Mornington Peninsula, the koala handler picked up some koala poo and brought it around for all of us to whiff and it surprisingly smelled quite good!  Koala diet consists entirely of eucalyptus leaves and as a result their poo smells like eucalyptus oil air freshener.

It was cool to see the animals in the sanctuaries, but there is nothing like seeing them in their natural habitat in the wild.  During our drive through the Great Ocean Road, Yen led to a side road lined with eucalyptus trees where we found some koalas howling and foraging.  Koalas sleep up to 22 hours per day, so we were probably lucky to find them so active.  Although the Great Ocean road is known for its great scenery, seeing the koalas in the wild was probably our favorite part of the drive.

Maybe the dingo ate your baby?

Zack fell in love with the wallabies.

Wombats look cute and cuddly but have been known to kill dingos with their powerful hind legs and cartilage enforced butts.

One animal we encountered frequently but despised were the flies all along the Great Ocean Road.  Every time we got out of our car, they swarmed us and followed us everywhere.

Cassowaries can grow to be 6 feet tall and weigh almost 200 pounds.