Natural Bridge - Rainforest Fun for All

The view from inside the cave at Natural Bridge

The Gold Coast of Australia is famous for many things including seemingly endless stretches of golden beaches, theme parks galore, second to none fishing and boating, non-stop nightlife and lavish hotels. What many people don’t know is that the Gold Coast region is home to amazing sub-tropical rainforests and beautiful mountainous regions and valleys where you can escape the crowds at the beach or theme park and still enjoy a great day outdoors.

Our three nephews, ages 2.5, 7 and 8, and their mom were visiting so we needed an activity the whole family could enjoy. Extreme trekking was out and we had already done enough shopping for one weelks time.  We looked through the tourist magazines and decided to visit a place called Natural Bridge in the Springbrook National Park. Located about an hours’ drive from Surfers Paradise is where you’ll find this family friendly outdoor paradise. The drive itself is almost worth the trip, you’ll go through some amazing countryside, truly indicative of country Australia, where small towns and large farms dominate the landscape.

Pamela proves you're never too old for rope swings

Pulling into the empty parking lot on a weekday afternoon we were soon off on the well signposted one kilometer track. Along the way we marveled at the sheer size of the magnificent trees and varied collection of flora. This area is part of the Gondwana Rainforest World Heritage Area and we certainly saw why as we were soon immersed in the rainforest. Along the way there are many signs detailing different plant species of the rainforest. Also along the way are the many Tarzan type vines which were great fun for kids both young and old. The track drops down into a small valley, crosses a creek via a wooden bridge and then climbs back up to the actual Natural Bridge formation.

Quickly scurrying ahead I saw my first glimpse of the Natural Bridge formation and was very impressed. The photos I had seen didn’t really do this cave with a waterfall coming down through the middle of it justice. By themselves the cave would be awesome and the waterfall awesome, put them together and you’ve got a sight to see. The large hole in the cave from the waterfall erosion allows light to penetrate the cave giving you a surreal sense of awe experienced at any great natural landscape.

Once at the formation you can follow the path deep into the cave for great photo opportunities, just beware that you might get a bit wet and the path could be a bit slippery. While in the cave you’ll probably notice a pungent smell, yes, that’s bat poop. Way past the trail end at the back of the cave are quite a few bats, but it’s a cave and that’s where bats live, we didn’t have any issues with the bats except for the smell. If visiting later in the afternoon then you might want to stick around for dark as then you’ll have the opportunity to see the cave’s resident glow worms. Other attractions in the Gold Coast will charge you to see their glow worms, here you can see them for free and stay as long as you’d like. Just remember to bring a torch with spare batteries for the walk back to your car if you’re planning to stay into the night.

We loved the Natural Bridge and already looking forward to going back. It’s a great place for individuals or those travelling with families to visit, not to mention it’s a great value, with the only expense being your cost for petrol to get there. Other attractions in the area will charge you for a similar rainforest experience, here it’s free. We made the mistake of visiting a park that charges for their rainforest walk before we visited Natural Bridge. We found the Natural Bridge trail just as well signposted with educational information and an equally good experience, plus you have the added benefit of the cave and waterfall. Additionally, any other place in the area will charge you to enter their man-made cave to see glow worms, here it’s free. 

Here are a few tips if you’re planning a visit to Natural Bridge:

-          No matter what time of year it’s always a good idea to bring a jacket or jumper. It’s always several degrees colder in the Hinterland, especially under the canopy of the rainforest.

-          Bring a torch/flashlight with spare batteries if you’re planning to stick around until dark to check out the glow worms.

-          There’s not much in the way of food nearby so it’s a good idea to bring your own snacks, or better yet plan for a picnic.

-          There are drop toilets at the trail head but nothing along the trail itself.

I would definitely recommend a trip to the Natural Bridge during your stay on the Gold Coast, especially if you’re here visiting from another country. The Hinterland is a beautiful place and a ‘must do’.  You’ll be thankful you did.

More info on the Natural Bridge including directions can be found here: http://www.queenslandholidays.com.au/things-to-see-and-do/natural-bridge-rainforest-circuit/index.cfm

Take a look at some of our photos from our day at Natural Bridge:

There are plenty of trees to hide-out in.

Cheers for Now –

Pamela and Dave

Our Least Favourite Hotels

Okay, we did a list of favourite hotels so I guess it’s time to do a list of the hotels we liked the least on our around the world honeymoon. During our nine month honeymoon we stayed at over 70 different properties ranging from rough campsites to five star properties.  This list of our least favourite hotels is in no particular order:

Hotel Tulsi, Pokhara, Nepal
Two words: Bed Bugs

Royale Residency Hotel, Agra, India
There was nothing royal about this place. Our room on the 6^th floor was adjacent to a large construction or demolition sight, we couldn’t tell if they were building up or tearing down. It’s too hot to work during the day so most of the construction occurs at night so it’s very loud. The dust from the project carries through the hotels ventilation system, eventually causing something close to an asthma attack. One night, never again.

Park Hyatt Paris, Paris, France
The only five star hotel on this list and quite possibly the most expensive hotel of our entire trip. I’m a Hyatt fan with this being one of six Hyatts we stayed at during our trip. At the time we stayed the average room went for around $900 US a night. We found the staff very unfriendly and everything severely overpriced for the poor service you were receiving. This was our honeymoon, with only two nights in Paris we were so looking forward to this hotel, not once did we receive any help for anything. My wife accidently left a sweater in our hotel room. After we left we called the hotel and the sweater had mysteriously vanished. Sad to say but probably my least favourite hotel of our whole trip.

Sipahi Hotel, Istanbul, Turkey
Our sink in the thing that resembled a bathroom was literally falling off and unusable. The shower worked a little but the heater didn’t. Not a good place to stay in the cold.

El Tonsy Hotel, Cairo, Egypt
Okay, this place scared the crap out of me. The hotel itself occupied floors 16 – 18 of an otherwise empty building. The elevator was terrifying, often only opening its doors when you were halfway between floors, forcing you to crawl out and hope the thing didn’t start again. Worst of all, you could see outside when you looked up in the elevator. Yes, there was no roof. I was so glad it didn’t rain during our stay. Other bad things about this place was the constant smell of cat piss, terrible and overpriced food and a constant feeling that you were being watched.

Courtyard Marriott Miami Airport West, Miami, USA
We booked this hotel specifically because of the late night free airport shuttle. The hotel had us waiting over an hour on arrival at the airport. We called numerous times and were always given the runaround with terrible customer service.

Cedar Creek Resort, Gold Coast, Australia
Two more words: Bed Bugs

Hope you’ve enjoyed this post. Feel free to post any feedback.

Cheers for Now -

Pamela and Dave

A Look at Expenses from our Around the World Honeymoon.

You can't put a price tag on this much fun.

Thinking of planning a trip around the world? It's really not that expensive and honestly worth however much money you spend. You can't put a price tag on the fun you'll have and the lifelong memories you'll make.

Now that we’ve been back for about a month, I’ve had some time to analyze expenses incurred during our 268 day honeymoon and come up with hopefully helpful information to others embarking on long-term travel. For those of you not following our travels, we were married in Fiji last August and immediately departed on a trip encompassing 20 countries and 100,000+ kilometers, finishing up at the end of April in Australia. This was our dream honeymoon and therefore we had a much larger budget than we normally would have given ourselves on this type of trip.

We’re now living on the Gold Coast and trying to fit back into a normal everyday routine, all the while greatly missing our travels. Each day we find ourselves looking at photos from our adventures and dreaming of our next big trip, whenever/wherever that may be.

Below you’ll find a small list of basic expenses in US dollars and averages per day when appropriate. These figures are based on two of and include a brief explanation.

Lodging Cost: $10,170.44
Average Per Day: $37.95
We booked and paid for our own lodging except when on an organized tour. When we booked our own lodging we stayed in at least three star properties except the infrequent night of camping. Lodging prices fluctuated based on the country we were located on with the most expensive being the Maldives and the cheapest being Cambodia. This cost doesn’t take into account fifteen nights we used on hotel points or the seven nights on a cruise. While on our road trip through Australia we only booked timeshare bonus weeks giving us super cheap and semi-decent accommodation. We could have easily reduced this number down by any number of ways including hostels, couch surfing, camping and not staying in pool villas, but it was our honeymoon.

Food Cost: $9540.43
Average Per Day: $35.60
Our second biggest expense was no surprise. We love to eat and thoroughly enjoyed trying the local cuisine in every country we visited. Some may be shocked this number is so high, especially considering we were travelling through relatively cheap countries, but like I said before, we love to eat. The high cost is mostly due to us not cooking for six straight months. We mainly ate two meals a day, with large breakfasts holding us over until dinner. Once we started our two month road trip we cooked most meals which greatly reduced our meal costs. It was money well spent except the $15 coffees from the Park Hyatt Paris. I’m still irked about that.

Local Transportation Cost: $2938.08 
Average Per Day: $10.96
Definitely a big expense but also some of the most fun expenses. This category includes all types of local transportation but doesn’t include any air travel. Types of transportation included are: Train, Bus, Car, Taxi, Minivan, Boat, Ferry, Camel, Donkey, Tuk-Tuk (so many tuk-tuks), Horse and Carriage, Songthaew and many more. This also includes petrol and parking costs during our two month road trip through Australia. Surprisingly the most costly portion of our trip transportation wise was the petrol costs in Australia.

Souvenir Cost: $1159.96
Average Per Day: $4.33
This number could and probably should have been quite a bit higher. Pamela is the shopper between the two of us and I gave her a bit too much grief over souvenirs. In retrospect, I would have much rather stayed in cheaper accommodation and bought more stuff to bring home and as gifts. In any case, we did get something from every country including magnets and stamps. The biggest problem we had was carrying the extra stuff. We had one bag each which was already full.

Tipping Cost: $896.18
Average Per Day: $3.34
Tips for porters, guides, drivers, leaders etc are one of those expenses that I found hard to plan for. How much tipping we did depended greatly on the country we were in and whether or not we were on a tour. For the most part the tips were well earned so it’s all good. One thing to mention is that this number does not include tips for dining at restaurants as I calculated that as part of the food cost.

Visas and Departure Tax: $732.71
Unfortunately there’s no getting around this expense if you want to travel to many countries. India was by far our most expensive (and biggest pain) Visa with Vietnam coming in a close second. Thankfully the only departure tax we had to pay was in Jordan when we left via ferry.

Shipping: $205.73
With all the souvenirs comes shipping costs. We didn’t really spend that much with the bulk of this coming from one shipment to the US from Thailand and one shipment to Australia from Turkey. Unfortunately the only time we ever had anything stolen from our postage was shipping a small parcel something from Abu Dhabi to Sydney, otherwise the international postage was all good.

ATM Cost: $135.62
Average Per Day .51 Cents
This is one of those nuisance expenses. We weighed the cost of carrying large amounts of currency around with us before the trip and decided it would be safer to just use ATMs when cash was required. When purchasing things we tried to use our credit card as much as possible as we have a card with no international transaction fees.  We found the most expensive countries to withdraw money in were Thailand and Nepal with an average cost around $5 US dollars.

Toilets: $18.82
Another nuisance expense but a necessity are costs to use the toilet. Thankfully many countries don’t charge for using the toilet.  We accrued most of these costs in the Middle East. I think even looking at the WC in Turkey costs money, not to mention the constant allure of the tea.

I hope this article helps others planning a trip and we always welcome your comments or questions. There are obviously other costs associated with a trip of this magnitude and I hope to include some of those, including insurance and medical costs, along with lessons learned, on a future post.

Cheers for Now -

Pamela and Dave

The Warrie Circuit Walking Track – A Gold Coast Highlight

Seventeen kilometers of beautiful sub-tropical rainforest track, seven waterfalls and amazing vistas make the Warrie Circuit walking track a highlight of any visit to the Gold Coast.  When some people think of the Gold Coast they immediately think of long stretches of beautiful beach, great surfing, boating and theme parks. What some people don’t realize is the Gold Coast contains some great hiking and biking tracks just a short drive from Surfers Paradise. In fact, it’s one of the reasons we moved here, not many other places give you such easy access to beautiful beaches and amazing mountain scenery.

A forty minute drive from our home in Surfers Paradise brought us to the Tallanbana Picnic Area where we started our adventure on the Warrie Circuit. The Aboriginal word Warrie means ‘rushing water’ and truly defines this walking track. Leaving our car we slowly descended into sub-tropical rainforest where we were treated to magnificent views up the vertical canyon walls. Following the well sign-posted trail we continued right bypassing the Twin Falls Trail (more about that on a future article). Goomoolahra Falls, the first falls visible on the track, quickly comes into view.  Several photos later we were on our way deeper into the rainforest.

The walking track zips further and further into the rainforest canopy where you’re soon surrounded by amazing examples of flora and fauna. Gigantic trees spring towards the sun and beautiful ferns line the single track. On the walk we saw several small wallabies and many different species of birds. What we didn’t see was many people, we did the trail on a Monday and came across three other hikers in the five hours plus on the trail. Due to the large amount of water in the area the trail can get a bit boggy in some parts. We did it on a very sunny day and still found areas of mud which require a bit more care to pass.

Two hours into the trek we came across the Ngarri-dhum falls where we had a break and took some photos before starting the trek across the canyon floor towards ‘Meeting of the Waters’, a beautiful spot where all the creeks of the canyon converge into one.  At the 10 kilometer mark, this is a great place to stop and eat some lunch with plenty of large rocks to sit on and enjoy the view. From ‘Meeting of the Waters’ you will start your ascent up from the canyon floor where you will come across views of Gooroolba Falls, Poonyahra Falls, Poondahrya Falls and Blackfellow Falls before reaching the rim at Canyon Lookout. This last seven kilometer stretch was the most difficult portion of the trek as it’s primarily all uphill. Don’t let this deter you though, the uphill really isn’t that steep and it’s definitely worth it for the amazing scenery.

The full loop took us a little over five hours and that’s stopping to take a lot of pictures. We would recommend someone with a moderate fitness level and ankle supported hiking shoes try the full Warrie Circuit in one day. Leave yourself five or six hours to follow the well sign-posted track. This should give you plenty of time to enjoy the views and take plenty of photos. Also keep in mind that the Springbrook area is nearly 1000 meters above sea-level and therefore can be much cooler than other areas of the Gold Coast. We packed plenty of water, rain jackets and trekking sweaters just in case. We went in late May and Pamela found it cold for just a t-shirt. She wore her trekking jumper the whole way where I went with a t-shirt most of the way.

If you are a hiker and have a spare day in the Gold Coast area then we would definitely recommend the Warrie Circuit. On a clear day you will be treated to magnificent views back to the coast and of the surrounding mountain regions.  Those looking for a little easier day will enjoy plenty of other shorter walking tracks and viewpoints in the Springbrook area so it’s definitely worth a trip. Stay tuned for future articles on other tracks and sights not to miss in the Springbrook area.

Below are some of the photos from our trek. Additional photos can be found here: https://picasaweb.google.com/117257906652666550268/WarriTrackSpringbrookNPGoldCoastQLD?authuser=0&feat=directlink

The trail passing through some large rocks

Control children is right

Standing behind the falls

Enjoying the falls

That's definitely not the trail. 

Pamela found a hiding spot in this massive tree.

Just one of the many great trees you'll see along the track

Photo spots are endless on this track

The track is very well maintained and sign-posted.

Meeting of the Waters

Waterfall lovers will never tire of this track

Standing on the edge is optional

Towards the end, this was the last falls of the day.

Cheers for Now –

Pamela and Dave

Jordan in Photos - Highlights from our Time in Jordan

The Jordan portion of our Honeymoon was amazing. I picked out a few photos try to capture some of the highlights of our time in Jordan. Travelling through Jordan was a great experience that shouldn't be missed. 

Sunset over the Dead Sea. At night the lights of Bethlehem can be seen.

We had a great time with the Dead Sea mud. 

Yes, you really can read while you float in the Dead Sea. It's that buoyant.

Relaxating, Dead Sea style

Sunsets from the Jordanian side of the Dead Sea are amazing.

The beautifully calm environment of the Dead Sea.

Looking down the jagged coastline of the Dead Sea.

Our first sight of the amazing Treasury structure in Petra.

Petra was basically empty during our visit.

 

Pamela makes friends quickly.

The natural colours in the rocks in Petra are amazing. 

Lots of opportunities to challenge my fear of heights while hiking through Petra.

Amazing views from amazing places makes Petra a must visit.

The gigantic "Monastery" or Al-Deir is definitely worth the walk up while visiting Petra. Looking closely you can see me in the monstrous doorway.

A closer look at the doorway of the "Monastery" in Petra. 

Having a lot of fun in Wadi Rum

The sand here is so very red and fine. All of our shoes were completely filled with the stuff. Even weeks later the fine sand was still seeping out.

The tented camp where we stayed in Wadi Rum. There were seven of us in the whole camp. Definitely an amazing experience and one of the highlights of our trip.

Nothing like watching the sun fall on another day in Wadi Rum. Bring a jacket, a big jacket, if you plan on visiting in the winter.

The iconic photo of camels crossing the desert at sunset in Wadi Rum. A magical experience in a magical place.

Vertical monoliths are the skyline in Wadi Rum. A climbers paradise.

The colour and texture of the landscape is something not to be forgotten.

While visiting the port city of Aqqaba, Pamela took a camel ride through town. Any place you can ride a camel down the street is okay in our book.

The ancient Roman city of Jerash is a must visit on any trip to Amman.

The remains of  Jerash are a tribute to the engineering marvels of these ancient civilizations. 

A collonade lined ancient street reminds us we're not in Kansas anymore while walking through Jerash.

It's hard to appreciate the magnitude of Jerash until you're standing in the middle of it.

The River Jordan provides a natural border between Jordan, near side, and Israel, far side. This interesting experience was part of our tour of the Baptism Site. 

The reported site of Jesus' Baptism

The ancient map of the Promised Land in the floor at the church in common day Madaba, biblical Moab. 

The view of the valley looking down from Mt. Nebo

Nothing like spotting a castle used during the Crusades while driving down the road.

Yes, Jordan is that good. 

We hope you enjoyed the photos from our time in Jordan. Please let us know through comments if you have any questions about our time in Jordan.


Cheers for Now -


Pamela and Dave