Cairns in Tropical North Queensland is world-famous as being situated on the doorstep of the Great Barrier Reef, however there are so many amazing things to explore in the region.
In fact, you can experience a ‘snapshot’ of ‘Australia’ all within one easy-to-navigate area of North Queensland: Reef, rainforest and the Outback. Where to start though? My travel and adventure partner, Cooper, and I decided to give a new APP, Taste Paradise a whirl, however we combined a couple of its suggested trails (the Misty Mountain trail and Savannah Tablelands) into one. Hire a car, book a bus or jump on the Skyrail and begin in Kuranda…
You could spend a week cruising through the sublime landscapes of the Cairns Highlands / Atherton Tablelands − rainforest, dusty flat land, coffee plantations, bananas, nuts, citrus fruits, tea, green dairy pastures, mountainous trails, lakes, waterfalls and palm trees − eating and photographing every hour or so. We only had a weekend unfortunately, which was then condensed into a day, however an itinerary of interest which allows a food-loving traveller to not only see, but taste, the best Tropical North Queensland has to offer, could be as follows:
Kuranda Markets – for all your delicious locally grown produce, market-wares, rainforest charm and Golden Drop Mango Wine (also an optional stop available near Mareeba). Open from 9am, 7 days.
Jaques Coffee Plantation – rich history, delicious coffee and an interesting tour. Did you know the family who own this are from Tanzania, and developed the world’s first mechanical coffee harvester! Open 9am to 5pm daily.
Coffee Works, 136 Mason Street, Mareeba, open 9am to 4pm daily, for gourmet coffee, chocolate, liqueur and tea.
Mount Uncle Distillery and Bridges Cafe, on your way out of Mareeba on the way towards Atherton – premium liqueurs and spirits here, as well as a beautiful setting. This is North Queensland’s first and only distillery. Cellar room and tea room open 7 days, 10am to 4:30pm.
If you have time, you might like to take a detour towards Lake Tinaroo, or even stay at this lovely location overnight.
Head into Atherton and visit Gallo Dairyland for delectable product. Their website is really interesting and features great facts about the local dairy industry. Cheese and chocolate on the menu – need I say more?
The famous Nerada Tea plantation is along here too, 10km outside Malanda, open 7 days, 9am to 4pm − ideal for morning or afternoon tea.
You could drop by Malanda Falls for some photos before continuing to Millaa Millaa. The landscapes become markedly hilly and green throughout this region, as you’ve entered the beautiful misty mountains trail and waterfall circuit. Millaa Millaa Falls and lookout are also worthwhile, picturesque stops.
Finally, take a drive down a narrow road towards Mungalli Creek Biodynamic Diary. You could be forgiven for confusing this countryside with the rolling green lands of Ireland, but the Aussie accents and hospitality at this quaint tea-house will have you back in Oz in no time. Enjoy a Devonshire Tea or cheesecake, and don’t leave without purchasing some famous Mungalli Creek gourmet Greek-style yoghurt, soft or hard cheeses. If Gallo Dairyland is about cheese and chocolate, then this spot is about cheese and tea. All good by me!
Then complete your circuit by heading back towards Cairns (about an hour / hour and a half drive back to the city from Mungalli Creek).
Hong Kong is a busy, crazy, colourful, cool city. It’s one of those places where you could discover something brand new every day of a long lifetime spent there. We only had a few days to explore but still managed to squeeze in memorable, highly recommended experiences:
[More travel videos featured on YouTube’s TheSarahBlinco channel]
1. It’s easy and inexpensive to ride a ferry from Hong Kong (Kowloon, in our case) to Macau. This city has become known as ‘Vegas of the East’, and admittedly a vast majority of tourists visit to spend their money at one of the many large and lavish casinos here. I was more interested to venture to the ‘old town’ though, as it’s brimming with beautiful buildings reminiscent of Portuguese rule. It’s also more ‘Chinese’ in this area, with little English spoken, and traditional food and market stalls dotted throughout the narrow, crowded, and often cobbled side-streets.
2. There are plenty of gorgeous rooftop bars in Hong Kong and Kowloon, and although many are expensive, it’s worth finding your way to at least one during the evening to take advantage of what must be one of the most beautiful skylines in the world. Our picks are The Sky Bar, Sheraton Hong Kong Hotel & Towers (20 Nathan Road), and the simply stunning Aqua Spirit Bar (acqu.com.hk) across the 29th & 30th floors, (1 Pecking Road, off Canton Road) which is lit only by the Hong Kong city lights outside the venue! More than just a restaurant/bar, this destination is an ‘experience’; may I suggest you also try the Porn Star Martini. Don’t ask, just do it.
3. At 8pm each night of the week, Hong Kong’s extraordinary Symphony of Lights is showcased across the harbour. Whether you’re watching from a rooftop bar, down below on the waterfront or from any number of vantage points around Hong Kong and Kowloon, this show is awesome. A laser light spectacular bouncing through the sky, across the water and between key sky-scrapers of the city. Not to be missed.
4. Shopping, shopping shopping. Sure, there are designer boutiques here by the hundreds, but once you’re done spending large on brand names, bag a bargain at a cool Hong Kong market, like those in Temple Street, Kowloon. You’ll find all manner of useless yet fun items like handbags, laser lights, wigs, clothes, pens, magnets … anything really. It’s like a ‘live’ version of Ebay. Enjoy!
Today over on Travel Live LearnFacebook we’ve been discussing all things 80s and 90s (yep kids, that’s when I was growing up in sunny Queensland, Australia – good times were had by all…er, most.
What did you love ‘back in the day’? So far we’ve had comments on Edward Furlong, Leo DiCaprio (I never did grow out of that one), Roxette, and The Backstreet Boys (perhaps known as ‘One Direction’, today), Whitney, Press Gang, Dirty Dancing,Pretty Woman… many great memories.
It’s funny how indulging in a little sentimentality every now and then – as dorky as it may be – can make you happy. At Christmas (2012) I had the good fortune of being in London and therefore was able to head along to the O2 for a show paying tribute to artists who were signed to the hugely successful Stock Aitken Waterman label.
Pretty much anyone who meant anything in the world of pop was signed to these guys, and this show featured the sounds and voices of some of my very favourite 80s acts, including Sinitta, Banarama (amazing!), Rick Astley and Kylie & Jason. Most of the performers made jokes about how cheesy their songs were, but you know what, no one cared. We were all rocking along like we were 10 again – excited as school-kids listening to treasured cassettes over and over.
My other favourite memory is also London-based; the Darren Hayes concert of New Year’s Eve 2009 where he played just about every Savage Garden song – it was like being 18 in 1997 again – what a sweet feeling to have recaptured those old emotions, even if only for a few hours.
There’s nothing like a little nostalgia to make the heart sparkle. I know the things I used to love as a kid, I truly loved – probably always will (X-Files!). While you may think I’m a total geek for what I’ve mentioned here, surely there’s something or someone from ‘your time’ you remember fondly?
Join the conversation, tweet @sarahblinco or find us on Facebook. And I’d love to hear from you – drop me a note in the comments!
Over the weekend, our neighbour, Andy, dropped around a crazy find for me to read – copies of Woman’s Day Magazine (Australia) from 1971 and 1972! So cool!
Apparently Andy had received some tools that were wrapped in ‘old newspaper’. When he realised how old, and that it was actually a magazine still thriving to this day, he salvaged the ‘wrapping’ and brought it over for me (ie. ‘magazine hoarder’) to peruse, bless him. While they’re a bit crusty, it’s still really interesting to flick through the pages and note that actually, life’s not all that different today with respect to relevant content and what’s featured in prominent media. Cover tags, for example, include: “I’m in love with a married man… a single girl’s problem”, “50 brilliant lunch-box ideas”, “Good, bad & magnetic men of the zodiac” (oooh I like the sound of that one ;-)…
Of course, there are a few quirks but that’s to be expected. Gotta love the ’70s! Wish prices had remained the same – just 20c.
I’ve scanned a few articles here for your amusement/enjoyment (they’ve been uploaded in high resolution so should be available to zoom-in on if you want to read the stories).
Enjoy! S x
’20 Ways to get on a man’s nerves’ lol! Woman’s Day 24 January 1972
Mother Teresa’s work, Woman’s Day feature, 24 January 1972
Tips on entertaining, Woman’s Day 13 December 1971
oooh a fashion spread – in colour! Cute too – Woman’s Day 13 December 1971
The lovely Princess Grace, Woman’s Day 13 December 1971
Relationships advice, 1971 – some of it’s actually quite relevant!
What do you think of these stories from the early ’70s? Let us know, tweet @sarahblinco or find us on Facebook.
Time certainly does fly when you’re having fun. Today is our last day, how did that happen? We enjoyed probably one too many Long Island Iced Teas with Barry and Paulo at our new favourite on-board restaurant/bar, Aft, last night. But, being the warriors that we are, we “battled” on to be up bright and early to embark on yet another astoundingly well organised shore excursion, this time, into France.
[More travel videos feature on YouTube’s TheSarahBlinco channel]
Marseille is a gorgeous port city; the ‘second city’ of France, and capital of the Provence-Costa Azzurra region. The city stretches along 37km of Mediterranean coastline, and the area is renowned for offering over 300 days of sunshine per year. Today was not one of those days. While I’m not one who dislikes the rain – quite the contrary, the only time it puts a ‘dampener’ on my spirits is when I want to photograph beautiful landscapes. Our images are a little light on from today’s adventure as the weather was terrible, but the city is far from awful. We toured around its rather large perimeter; past grand, typically French architecture, through narrow alleys and up steep hills to visit outstanding cathedrals, one namely being the spectacular Cathedral of Notre-Dame de la Garde.
The city comprises of buildings dating from a wide range of time periods, which means a feast for the eyes (and lens), whether you’re viewing from the top of one of Marseilles’ highest vantage point, or within the new marina at the city’s heart.
We hit Marseille’s shores on day 1 of a year-long annual festival celebrating its status as the ‘European Capital of Culture’ for 2013; a title which says something for all that is delightful and on offer here in this elegant French port stop.
Do you have a cruising story, or a Mediterranean travel tale to share? Let us know, tweet @sarahblinco or find us on Facebook. You can also read the rest of the stories in this series (more to come in coming days) HERE.
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In fact, you can experience a ‘snapshot’ of ‘Australia’ all within one easy-to-navigate area of North Queensland: Reef, rainforest and the Outback. Where to start though? My travel and adventure partner, Cooper, and I decided to give a new APP, Taste Paradise a whirl, however we combined a couple of its suggested trails (the Misty Mountain trail and Savannah Tablelands) into one. Hire a car, book a bus or jump on the Skyrail and begin in Kuranda…
way towards Atherton – premium liqueurs and spirits here, as well as a beautiful setting. This is North Queensland’s first and only distillery. Cellar room and tea room open 7 days, 10am to 4:30pm.
Finally, take a drive down a narrow road towards Mungalli Creek Biodynamic Diary. You could be forgiven for confusing this countryside with the rolling green lands of Ireland, but the Aussie accents and hospitality at this quaint tea-house will have you back in Oz in no time. Enjoy a Devonshire Tea or cheesecake, and don’t leave without purchasing some famous Mungalli Creek gourmet Greek-style yoghurt, soft or hard cheeses. If Gallo Dairyland is about cheese and chocolate, then this spot is about cheese and tea. All good by me!
The city comprises of buildings dating from a wide range of time periods, which means a feast for the eyes (and lens), whether you’re viewing from the top of one of Marseilles’ highest vantage point, or within the new marina at the city’s heart.