The city of Cairns made us feel like we could be visiting any town in Florida; palm trees, beaches, even a Target and Walmart (which they call BIG W!). But, as soon as you raise your eyes to the horizon, you know that you are somewhere very different. The area is surrounded by beautiful mountains blanketed in thick rainforest and waterfalls. The countryside is nothing like we have seen till now. The combination of gorgeous mountains covered in farmland and rainforest is just stunning. Quaint villages, and beautiful waterfalls abound in this area. Driving through the forest and looking high up over the roads, we saw little swinging bridges that are made to help the little mammals cross the roads safely. The boys have already gotten to pet and feed wallabies, kangaroos, and a kola bear. The trees and skies here are full of colorful birds. 
We’ve seen thousands of flying foxes (huge bats!) flying through the night sky, very big spiders, and poisonous plants. Matthijs wrote about one plant, another one was shown to us by a local, with a warning! It was a prickly tree and if you touch it, it would sting you and the stinging and burning would last for 12 months! The boys know not to venture off the trail while we are hiking here in Australia! We have snorkeled the Great Barrier Reef, twice, and what a wonderful experience that was! It was so incredibly beautiful! The different types of coral and fish was a kaleidoscope of different colors and textures. It was a very special experience for us. One highlight was being able to swim with a sea turtle as it passed us! We followed him for quite awhile as he glided gracefully through the water. Wow!
We had a fabulous time in Sydney. It’s a beautiful city surrounded by many inlets, bays and sandy beaches. It’s such a nice change when you’re in the right city... we could definitely live here! Ash had his birthday while we were there and he woke up surrounded by balloons and us singing to him. He knew that his present was waiting for him at home, so he was surprised to have a present from his brother... a cool sun hat that he loves. We spent the day at the beaches.
We are now making our way south along the coast towards Melbourne. We have spent a few days in Gerringong, and leave tomorrow for a long drive to Eden to spend the next couple of days.
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