Australian Vacation

Hello all!   I know that it has been quite a long time since I last posted a blog but I decided it was time for another post.  Having a little one crawling all over the place really takes up my time now-a-days.  Infact, the only reason I am able to write this now is because she is napping.  Maybe I will be able to get this done in the time it takes for one nap...we shall see.  So here it goes.

This past week the Ohrvalls' took a much needed vacation to Cairns, Australia.  Matthew and I had such a blast taking Isabella on her first family vacation but it was difficult to transition our old vacationing without kids mindset and bring it to a vacationing with a baby mindset.  It is quite different going on vacation with an 8 month old than it is with just two adults.  Needless to say, we spent a lot more time in the hotel room during nap time and at parks for playtime.  But we were still able to do a lot of really fun stuff as a family that we will never forget (atleast Matthew and I won't forget it!).

Every morning we would go downstairs to the hotel restaurant for our free Aussie breakfast.  It was the same stuff everyday and in definite Aussie style there was:  bacon, sausage, roasted tomatoes, baked beans, eggs (scrambled and hard/soft boiled), rice, fruits, oatmeal and croissants.  They had cereals and breads as well.  It definitely took some adjusting at first but we got used to the Aussie breakfast.  The eggs, sausage and bacon were cooked differently than what we are used to in the US.  Isabella enjoyed watching all the birds that would come and watch over your table in case you decided to leave your plate for their taking.

After breakfast we would usually go back up to the hotel room and put Isabella down for a morning nap.  During this time I would usually try to get a nap as well because Isabella was not used to sleeping in a pack-n-play in the same room as us and thus had a rough night sleep most nights and in turn so would I.  After our morning naps it would be time to get our day started.  

We did a lot of exploring of the city by foot because we were right in the middle of everything.  Right outside our hotel was a place called Muddy's Playground that had lots of stuff for Isabella to do including a small splash park.  Down the Esplanade a little ways was the Lagoon where you could go swimming all day.  There were small picnic areas and workout areas every few hundred feet and lot of shops and restaurants to try out.  We went to a different restaurant for lunch and dinner every day we were there so that we could experience as much as we could of the food and culture.

Meat pies!  We were told we had to have an Australian meat pie while we were there and they were so good!  Almost like a stew inside a flaky pastry.

Isabella loved to splash around at Muddy's Playground and watch all the other kids playing.

Keeping Isabella occupied while waiting for one of our dinners.  This one was at a restaurant on the Esplanade called "Splash".  

We usually tried to do at least two new things a day and have Isabella get a nap in between the two things.  Sometime the nap would be in the stroller on the go or we would be able to walk back to the hotel to put her down.

One day we went on a wonderful trip up to Kuranda by way of an old train!  It was so much fun riding up on the scenic railway.  We got to see a waterfall and the Barron gorge and lots of spectacular vantage points above the city.  While we were in Kuranda we were able to walk the town and see the shops and then visit the Australian Butterfly Sanctuary.  Isabella really enjoyed seeing all the butterflies flying around.  A couple times she even had some land on her!  While we were in Kuranda we ate at a small diner and Matthew got adventurous and tried an Emu burger!  On our way back down to Cairns we took the Skyrail over the rain forest.  That was definitely an unforgettable experience.  

Butterfly on the baby!

Awaiting the train.

It had carts and booth seating and even open air windows!

The view of Cairns from the height of the tracks.

Isabella took a little snooze.  I guess the gentle swaying and rumble of the train lulled her into sleep!

Barron Gorge.  It didn't have much water flowing when we saw it since there hadn't been much rain recently but this has been known to be a pretty significant waterfall.

Isabella checking out the butterfly.

A little skeptical at first but we did get lots of giggles too!

And more sleeping!  lol

Isabella and Daddy on the skyrail.

She was fearless.  Standing up in the seats and banging on the windows.

On another day we went to the botanical gardens in Cairns and were able to walk around in the rain-forest section, see huge pelicans, play on the swings, and eat lunch in the garden cafe.

She sure loves swinging!

Lots of beautiful plants in Australia!

We also went to a small zoo in Cairns that was on top of a hotel and casino!  It also had a ropes course above the zoo and I was able to do it!  The birds were free to fly anywhere in the zoo area and I actually had one bird that would guide me through the ropes course.  

We were able to get really close to a lot of the animals.  Isabella sat right next to this small wallaby.

If you can't tell that is a huge crocodile to the left of us.  His name was Goliath and I got to zip-line over him on the ropes course.

First time seeing a Koala bear up close.  We were like 5 feet from her with no fencing!

This bird talked to you.  Isabella loved it!  Until it did this really loud screech sound and it scared her!

We also went to a lot of playgrounds and markets while we were in Cairns.  Rusty's Market was open on the weekends and it was basically like our version of a farmers market.  Local farmers would set up booths to sell their produce.  It was really cool to see all the different local foods and talk to the local vendors.

Cairns is a very family friendly place because there were children's playgrounds around every corner, even in the heart of the city.

This playground was built around a large tree!  It was really neat.

The most spectacular thing about the location that we were was that it was on the coral sea and we got to have this view every day.

I know it doesn't look like the Coral Sea but it was like this for most of the day.  The water was so far out most of the day for low tide but it was still beautiful.

Here is the view from the marina.  We were able to go on the docks and feed the fish and watch the sunset.

The mountains and rain forest were situated just beyond the marina.  Just beautiful.

Overall, we had a wonderful time in Cairns and would recommend it to all types of travelers.  It is great for a family as well as the more adventurous singles and couples.  Lots to do and see.  

Thanks for reading! :)