Cairns Day One

Today was a very busy day. We started off with a visit to Hartley's Crocodile and Wildlife Park. It is a working crocodile farm, meaning they raise crocs for commercial use (leather and meat), located in the Australian Bush. Then we stopped in Port Douglas for lunch and a chance to stroll around town. After lunch we headed to visit a cattle station (ranch). Enroute we stopped at an authentic Aussie pub for a drink and to mingle with the locals. At the cattle station we had a fantastic dinner and social gathering.

Hartley's Crocodile and Wildlife Park: we were able to get up close to the crocs, kangaroos, and koalas ( don't add "bear" as they are not bears). 

The koalas were interesting little creatures. They eat gum tree (eucalyptus) leaves and since the leaves are so hard to digest the koalas just lay around like they are sleeping a majority of the time. We did get to pet one. 

 This little guy looked so laid back!

We also got to feed some kangaroos.

The crocodiles weren't as cute and cuddly but interesting. We took a boat cruise around the lagoon and learned about the hierarchy of the males dominating their territory, eating habits, and life spans.

After the wildlife park we went to Port Douglas which is a beach front area that serves as a popular vacation spot for both Aussies and tourist. Since it was a Sunday afternoon the little town was bustling with activity. Their was a market set up in the park with a lot of interesting items for sale.

On our way to the cattle station we stopped off at an authentic Aussie pub where Darren, our program director, "shouted out" (bought) us a drink. The most popular beer is XXXX Gold so when ordering you say "Give me a pot of Gold please." It was interesting talking to the owner and learning how he ended up owning the pub and came to live in the area.

We ended the day visiting Wetherby Station. It is a working cattle ranch. The owner explained how he is trying to go back to a more traditional way of raising his cattle using a low stress method. That means he uses horses instead of motor bikes or other vehicles for mustering (round ups) and the cattle are grass fed on open pastures. They use minimal vaccinations and no growth hormones.

After his talk we went to the main house for a fantastic dinner and some socializing fun. It was a wonderful evening with a local "cowboy" serenading use with traditional Aussie songs then leading us in a sing along session.

Dessert was the national pavlova (baked meringue with fruit on top and a cream sauce) and a chocolate pudding cake. YUM!!!!!!

We ended the evening by singing the "Home Among The Gumtrees" song which gets everyone up and moving with the animated motions of the song. FUN!!!