Tablelands Dec. 18 - 19, 2011

Tablelands Dec. 18-19, 2011 - One last time
Sunday
First stop once we were up the range was the Peanut Place for some of our favorite flavours of peanuts.  Brody discovered the warm peanuts this time.  Next stop was Malanda Dairy to get information for our adventures.  We made our way to Mt. Hypipamee National Park to see the Dinner Falls and the crater.  Brody had researched and picked this next stop.

Holy cow that's a big booger!

Follow my lead

Dinner Falls

Crater - long way down!

Stopped in Millaa Millaa for a yummy lunch of sandwiches and ham & pea soup before doing the waterfall circuit.   We checked out Millaa Millaa falls again as we had seen them back in January, still just as amazing.  Then it was Zillie Falls and finally Ellinjaa Falls.

Chai latte sitting outside!!

Cheers MATE!

one big log!

Zillie Falls

Ellinjaa Falls

Family photo opportunity

We followed the signs to the Cathedral Fig Tree.  This was similar to the Curtain Fig tree we showed guests, but yet very different.  There was a small section you could actually go into part of the tree.

reading about the fig tree

in the tree

Cathedral Fig Tree

We were in Crater National Park so we made a quick stop at Lake Barrine.  We made a longer stop at Lake Eacham to swim and relax at one of my favorite places that we have discovered while being in Oz.  We swam to the middle of the crater lake, then came back.  So peaceful and refreshing.

Lake Barrine

Middle of Lake Eacham

the water is so clear

Cindy in Heaven!

Floating competitions

After a stop at the platypus viewing station we made it to Atherton Big 4 Caravan park cabin #6.  Kids went for a swim before tea at the Barron Valley Hotel.  Another delicious meal and then back to our cabin for an early night.

Canadian Club in a can!

Cheers!

Atherton cabin #6

Barron Valley Hotel restaurant

Monday
3:30 AM came VERY early, gone by 4:00 and waiting at 4:30 in Mareeba for our pick up to go Hot Air Ballooning.  We drove out of town just a bit and watched them unload the 2 massive baskets & inflate the balloons.  Others arrived on a bus as we watched the sun rise.  We had 10 people in our balloon, we were up in the air by 5:45 am.  Very peaceful floating over the tablelands, except for the occasional blast of the warm burner.

waiting in the dark

starting to take shape

Almost ready

wait for us!

Almost ready to go for our early Christmas present.  Then we were up and away.

we're so tall!

ready for lift off

great views of the tablelands

Priceless Christmas gift

spotting kangaroos

Mango trees

It was a great way to see the Tablelands.  We actually had 2 flights, we landed after 30 minutes and the 5 other people got out and 3 more women got in.  I moved to the other side to balance out the basket.  Our second flight was a little longer as the winds changed just as we were coming in for a landing.  So up again to find a new landing spot.  We actually landed in a field that was full of kangaroos and as we got closer to landing they all hopped away.

Helping to pack up

ready to put the balloon back into the bag

getting all the air out

Another great adventure and a fantastic early Christmas present.  Back to our cabin for breakfast and a swim in the pool.

Where's Hailey?

skyping outdoors

Say hi to Cary

While the kids were swimming I skyped back home from the poolside.  Skype has been a great connection to family & friends back home during the past year.  Another great adventure comes to a close on the tablelands.

Garage Sale Day

Kids Garage Sale Day - Dec. 17, 2011

Who knew a garage sale could bring in so much $$$

Up early as Brody was anxious to set up for the KIDS garage sale starting at 9:00.  Literally as soon as Scott & Brody got back from hanging signs, people started arriving.  The kids were selling their toys and books that they had bought or received while being in Oz.  They sold their body boards, water guns, pails & shovels, tennis raquet, small stuffies and little toys.  Hailey even set up a juice stand, but quickly moved into the garage as well as it was too hot to be sitting outside.

Juice for Sale!

What can we interest you in?

Their biggest sale came just after we closed up at noon.  A couple showed up late so we brought the boxes out and they bought lots of stuff.  The kids made about $50.00 which they divided three ways.  They enjoyed setting up & working their very first garage sale.

ready for business

Anything we didn't sell we dropped off at the Salvation Army.

AJ Hackett Bungy Jump

AJ Hackett Bungy Jump - Dec. 17, 2011
Before anyone goes crazy that we bungy jumped, we didn't, we went on the Minjin Jungle Swing instead .  This is a multi-person swing where you fall from 45 meters in height down to 1 meter in 3.5 seconds, reaching speeds of up to 120 km/h!  You lay horizontally and pull the self-release to start your swing.  Not quite bungy jumping, but an adrenelain rush the same!

going up

I want to do this...

I can jump down there...

Dad already jumped & is having a drink, LOL!

Brody & Scott went first, yes even Scott went.  Then the girls went, with me in the middle.  Hailey had to be checked out to be sure she would be able to join us, good thing she was tall enough.  She was very disappointed she couldn't bungy jump though.  Brody was ready to bungy jump, but he would have been doing it alone.  So he decided to do the swing instead as we were all able to do that.  We did walk to the top of the platform on the 50 m tower.  It was a long way up, around 250 steps up and a long way down.

We're not letting go!!

boys flying at 120 km/hr

getting suited up

ready to go

We soared over the World Heritage listed Rainforest, over looking the Great Barrier Reef.   What a mind blowing experience and total rush!

Christmas tree hunt

Christmas tree hunt - Dec. 16, 2011

Stopped by Shawn's place to select our Christmas tree.  We had our saw, some rope and a ladder.   We exchanged our normal outdoor wear of mitts and winter coats for sunscreen and bug repellent this year.  We had only a few trees to choose from and found one to our liking in no time.

steep incline

team work

Timber Mate!

Tied it to the roof of the Toyota Kluger and we were off.  No sledding or sitting around the campfire trying to warm up with hot chocolate afterwards, but rather turning on the air con to cool down.

2011 tree kill

It's the memories of selecting the tree together and having fun getting it ready for Christmas that means the most.  We love all of our Charlie Brown trees!

McGuyver tree stand

decorating

angel going up

Shopping centers are decorated for the season and houses are decorated with lights.  We went for a drive one night to see all the lights to help get in the spirit, as the lack of snow was affecting our Christmas mood.

'Chrissy' 2011

Looking forward to a great Christmas in Oz!!  Merry Christmas to everyone from Down Under!