Uluru (Ayer’s Rock), Northern Territory, Australia

Posted on January 30, 2015 by curiouscat

Uluru is a large sandstone rock formation in Uluṟu-Kata Tjuṯa National Park in the southern part of the Northern Territory in central Australia.

view of Uluru (Ayers rock) from a helicopter

via wikipedia

Uluru is one of Australia’s most recognisable natural landmarks. The sandstone formation stands 348 meters high and has a total circumference of 9.4 km. Uluru has great cultural significance for the Aṉangu people, the traditional inhabitants of the area, who lead walking tours to inform visitors about the local flora and fauna and bush foods.

Uluru is an inselberg, literally “island mountain”. An inselberg is a prominent isolated residual knob or hill that rises abruptly from and is surrounded by extensive and relatively flat erosion lowlands in a hot, dry region.

The park is listed as a World Heritage Site.

Mount Buller Skiing

Posted on June 7, 2012 by curiouscat

It is the time of year when Australians start to think of heading to the mountains for some skiing, snowboarding and relaxing in mountain lodges. Mount Buller in Victoria is one of the favorite spots for such ski vacations. The Mount Buller ski season opens Jun 9th this year.

Mount Buller is the closest major mountain to Melbourne, just 3 hours drive (220 km).

Check up on current conditions with the live Mt. Buller snow cams. Normally the peak snow pack is in late July or early August.

Norfolk Island National Park and Botanic Garden

Posted on October 23, 2011 by curiouscat

Australia is a place for all types of travelers, from the adventure enthusiasts to the family vacationers and especially, for the nature lovers. For this blessed continent is a place where nature is struggling every day to win supremacy over humans and one cannot say that it is losing the battle. Australia is a little world in itself and in this world, Norfolk Island and National Park is a spot which deserves to be known better.

Photo of Cook's Monument, Norfolk Island

Cook's Monument, Norfolk Island National Park

An island where Nature and Man reached an armistice
Sadly, the small Norfolk Island suffered great damage since the moment when people decided that they wanted to live here: agriculture and house building destroyed much of the indigenous life forms. A national park and a botanic garden were established in order to protect what was left: 180 species of plants, of which 40 cannot be found anywhere else in the world, grow in this shelter.
Norfolk Island is a unique place on Earth and, as many other beautiful places in Australia, it cannot be entirely known in a day long exploration. When going to Norfolk Island, one needs to take its time and discover all its secrets.

Norfolk Island is located in the south-west Pacific Ocean, approximately 1,700 kilometres east of Sydney and 1,100 kilometres north-west of Auckland. Norfolk Island is serviced by regular flights from Australia (Sydney, Brisbane, Melbourne and Newcastle) and New Zealand (Auckland).

What Norfolk Island has to offer?
What makes Norfolk Island so special is the fact that its flora and fauna developed here in isolation from the main land and thus there are many endemic species to this island which add diversity and charm to the breathtaking landscapes.

Continue reading →

Tamborine Rainforest Discovery Walk

Posted on October 16, 2011 by curiouscat

Tamborine Rainforest Discovery Walk is a great place to visit if you want to experience the beautiful nature of Australia. This property is 30 acres surrounded with panoramic views and wide selection of Australia’s fauna and flora.

Rainforest Sky Walk

Sky Walk by Jiggs

The nature adventure starts from the Rainforest Eco Gallery. From the gallery, visitors begin to trek the elevated 300 meter walkway in the middle of the magnificent rainforest. The bridge is designed with heavy duty steel to ensure the safety of guests wandering the rainforest. It is designed to cater even to guests on wheelchair. The walkway starts with elevated area and progressively descends throughout the journey. Some interesting spots along the trek includes rock pools, waterfalls, and butterfly observation.

The highlight of the Rainforest Walk is the area called Cantilever. It is situated 30 meters over a valley which offer breathtaking views of Australia’s rainforest and creek on a bird’s eye view. This is a 40 meter walk and ends once the guests reach The Centre. It takes approximately one hour to complete the trail.

Related: Fraser Island – Great Barrier Reef

The Center

The Center is the pit stop for guests who completed the skywalk. This is a modern structure with café to offer guests with refreshments after a long walk. Guests can buy a token from souvenir shops and other merchandise shops inside The Centre.

Continue reading →

Fraser Island, Australia

Posted on September 7, 2011 by Mary

Located next to the south coast of Queensland, Australia, Fraser Island is approximately 200 km north of Brisbane. Named after the shipwreck survivor Eliza Fraser, it was added as World Heritage site in 1992. At present, Fraser Island is becoming a popular destination for tourists and is attracting more people to reside in the island.

photo of Fraser Island from the Indian Head

Fraser Island from the Indian Head by <a href='http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Fraser_Island_a03_indian_head.jpg'>Sensenmann</a>.

Geographically speaking, Fraser Island is estranged from the mainland. The northernmost area of the island is called the Sandy Cape where a lighthouse named after the place as operational since 1870 until 1994. Sandy Cape Light was the first operational lighthouse for European permanent settlement. There are more than 100 freshwater lakes found in the island. The well known lake is called Lake McKenzie which is situated in a small town called Eurong. The lake, perches right on top of compact sand, is 100 meter above sea level and is a favorite tourist destination.

Fraser Island is rich with various species. Dingoes, for one, were once very common in the island but are now instinct.

Known to be one of the largest sand island in the world and is considered a World Heritage, Fraser island also houses the biggest rainforest growing in sand. With the biodiversity, tourists will reconnect to nature once they visit the island. Also, roam around the island to visit historical places that have been situated there for a long time since European settlement.

photo of shipwreck on Fraser Island, Australia.

The wreck of the S.S. Maheno on Fraser Island, Queensland, Australia by Chavy.

Here are some things to do when in Fraser Island:

Whale Watching at Hervey Bay – Considered as the Whale watching capital of Australia, Hervey Bay is the ideal place to admire the natural beauty of humpback whales swimming carelessly in the crystal clear water of the bay. Hervey Bay also offers an easy jump off point from Fraser Island to other nearby islands. With its own domestic airport, Hervey Bay is a perfect getaway for all nature lovers out there.
Travel Back in Time in Maryborough – This is one of the oldest city of Queensland where its history is told through the museums, houses and stores.
Explore nature – Nature lovers will definitely discover untouched wonders of Fraser Island. Be amazed with the colorful sand dunes, freshwater lakes, crystal clear water of creeks, and vast wildlife animals.

Great Barrier Reef

Posted on March 24, 2011 by curiouscat

The Great Barrier Reef is the world’s largest reef system composed of over 2,900 individual reefs and 900 islands stretching over an area of 344,000 square kilometres. The reef is located in the Coral Sea, off the coast of Queensland in north-east Australia. Approximately two million people visit the Great Barrier Reef each year.

The Great Barrier Reef is the world’s biggest single structure made by living organisms. This reef structure is composed of and built by billions of coral polyps. This reef supports a wide diversity of life, and was selected as a World Heritage Site in 1981. The National Trust Queensland named it a state icon of Queensland.

A large part of the reef is protected by the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park, which helps to limit the impact of human use, such as fishing and tourism. Other environmental pressures on the reef and its ecosystem include runoff, climate change accompanied by mass coral bleaching, and cyclic population outbreaks of the crown-of-thorns starfish. The crown-of-thorns starfish (see photo below)) preys on coral polyps. Large outbreaks of these starfish can devastate reefs. In 2000, an outbreak contributed to a loss of 66% of live coral cover on sampled reefs in a study by the RRC (Reefs Research Centre.) Outbreaks are believed to occur in natural cycles, worsened by poor water quality and overfishing of the starfish’s predators.

The Great Barrier Reef hosts 30 species of whales, dolphins, and porpoises, including the dwarf minke whale, Indo-Pacific humpback dolphin, and the humpback whale. Large populations of dugongs live there.

Curious Cat Australia Travel

Category Archives: nature