Barramundee

RV-ing

otterbarracuda — Tue, 29 Dec 2009 01:09:00 +0000

The joys of RV-ing can be incomparably enjoyable or incomparably obnoxious if one does not prepare for it.

RV-ing, or traveling by campervans, is probably the old-new thing to pick up when going on long family vacations. With the economic recession going on, more families are opting long-term vacations that spend for a quarter of what they had usually spent on in the past few years. RV-ing saves you a big chunk on flight tickets and accommodations.

The other bane aside from money matters, is family interest. Most modern kids view vacations as a way for parents to seperate them from their TV, PC or gaming systems. While we have the interest of getting them out of the house (aside from during school times), to avoid them from blowing up because of having been seperated from their gadgets, RV-ing allows you to let them bring a majority of things to keep them entertained, while you bring them to the coup de gras’ (aka. the destination).

RV-ing tackles a lot of the vacation hurdles with ease. Food is not an issue, because RV’s come equipped with a refrigerator, where everyone can take what they want without getting hit by overpricing restaurants or shops. Stock up in a supermarket next town, and you’re ready to travel again.

RV-ing also allows you to bring along your pet, so long as you provide the necessary documentations to prove that your dog has been vaccinated and is safe for inter-border travelling.

Before you go RV-ing cross country, make sure that you are able to provide for your RV if ever it breaks down on the road. Nothing screams more like ‘bummer’ if the RV breaks down on transit and you’re stuck with whining kids, a worried mother and a hyperactive dog in the middle of highway in a sweltering desert.

Before leaving the house, make sure that everything is prepped for long-term vacations. The electricity is running on low, the newspapers and mail is on hiatus, the water system has no problems and the gas lines are closed. So that you can travel with ease in your mind.

Cairns Restaurants

otterbarracuda — Mon, 28 Dec 2009 01:42:25 +0000

The restaurants of Cairns can also be something to be bragged about. Thanks to its accessibility to the sea (via the Great Barrier Reef, which is a great ecological magnet) Cairns is able to cater to a large audience of varied seafood palates. From your standard fish, to sea cucumbers and what not, thanks to the sheer volume of produce; Cairns was able to evolve its cuisine that revolved around the use of the sea.

Being a center point of culture, Cairns used this fact to attract top-rated chefs to make their livelihood here. Over 180 of these restaurants exist predominantly around Cairns, and with each restaurant; there is always something new to offer. Indonesian, Thai, Indian, Japanese, Korean…a whole slew of these flavors and more exist within the borders of the city.

Urban food tours are available for tourists if you want to experience the best of what Cairns has to offer. Or if you want, you can do a self tour via campervan.

Hang Gliding

otterbarracuda — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 01:47:17 +0000

Hang gliding is a popular sport that is a staple in Cairns. It is wherein the pilot takes off using a lighter-than-body, unmotorized aircraft called a hang glider. The lightness of the aircraft can be attributed to the fact that the glider is made of an alloy from aluminum, or from a composite-framed fabric wing. Controls are determined via a body weight shift from the pilot (the only passenger anyway), much unlike other aircraft that have a steering-delivery system.

Cairns provides an awesome venue for hang gliding via Rex Point Lookout, which is found between Cairns and Port Douglas on Captain Cook Highway. Weekends are the best days to visit the site as a whole mass of gliders flying overhead make the best scenery from miles around.

Though a very dangerous type of hobby or sport, with numerous fatal accidents and high risk environment exposures, hang gliding remains to be popular. The sport is moderated by several key organizations.

Travelling with a campervan to the destination is a good idea, especially when bringing your family along.

Cairns and the Atherton Tablelands

otterbarracuda — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 01:38:14 +0000

The Atherton Tablelands is considered THE agricultural center when it comes to Cairns. Gourmet travelling, farming and dairies are all culminated in this one place. The Tablelands has started out as a forest, but with the discovery of tin and gold in the area, settlers pushed through and slowly developed the area. From farms, it went to dairies; from forests, it became communities. This happened a few centuries ago, but the efforts of modernization continue to linger even still among the lands.

The Atherton Tablelands can be found West off of Cairns.

Cairns is also the hub of modern and aboriginal art. Art galleries abound, showcasing and presenting the different styles and works of both local aboriginal, and international artists. And the pinnacle of tourism in Cairns? The free tourist attractions that also part of the natural scenery around Cairns, like the Kuranda village or the Barron Gorge. Fishing off the coast of the Marlin Marina can also prove to be an inexpensive way of enjoying yourself in Cairns. Or take a care and view the waterfalls in Atherton T. Either way, both are free, but it’ll talk you a longer time to drive.

Beaches and Cairns

otterbarracuda — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 00:45:45 +0000

The beaches of Cairns are not something to be trifled with. Aside from the majestic Great Barrier Reef and the impressionable World Heritage-listed site, the Wet Tropics of Queensland; the beaches are well-renowned here, both local and international. In fact, it can be considered as one of the underestimated, yet best-kept secret by the locals.

The beaches all boast of white sands and clear, blue placid waters. Relaxation is the theme of the beaches up north. Accomodation is all around plentiful in the area, from the small and medium-sized islands to the connecting, central beaches. From resorts to hotels, apartments, campgrounds and motorhome and caravan parks (see Campervan hire Cairns for inexpensive options), there exists a wide variety of places to stay in.

Some of the noted beaches include Palm Cove, Ellis Beach, Trinity Beach, Clifton and Kewarra.

Even through jellyfish seasons of October through April, stinger nets are still deployed for the safety of the beach goers. Two of the most notorious of these creatures are the Box Jellyfish and the Irukandji jellyfish. These creatures can prove to be fatal if left untreated. Thankfully, the nets are able to take care of any major blooms and infestations.

To the Daintree

otterbarracuda — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 00:27:01 +0000

Aside from the Great Barrier Reef, one of the more spectacular attractions that Cairns has to offer can be found nearby; the Daintree Rainforest.

Unlike the Great Barrier Reef, which lines up a whole 2000 plus-something square kilometers; the Daintree Rainforest is quite smaller, approximately only 1200 square kilometers. But don’t be fooled, because the Daintree Rainforest is probably the largest hunk of tropical rainforest in all over of Australia.

Take a campervan and go on a nature trip to do your body and soul some good. This forest holds the highest number of rare plants and animals, both diverse and unique in their own rights. Even through modern times, it is still battling the advances of modernization and global warming. Tourists and locals alike should visit this wonder of nature, in support and protection for this important bastion of ecology.

Reef Trips in the Great B.

otterbarracuda — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 00:56:40 +0000

Probably one of, if not the greatest, main attraction of Cairns and of the regions nearby would be the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park. Listed as a World Heritage site, it boasts a whooping 2300km length that runs across the northeast coast across Queensland down to its tip in Bundaberg. No Australian vacation is complete without taking a dip into this marvelous wonder of nature.

The entire reef is considered a National Marine Park, and is protected by law. The reef has been mapped to protect visitors from hidden dangers, like dangerous times of the year when blooms of jellyfishes appear. Or maybe when the currents in that particular area become strong and can be considered dangerous for park goers.

Visitors, when going to the reef, will have to pay a fee called a “reef tax”. It will be used by the Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service to help pay for the continuous effort in protecting and preserving the Great Barrier Reef. The cost is usually included in your reef trip receipts, so check it first to avoid hassling hidden costs.

No age groups are restricted from entering the Great Barrier Reef. Babies and toddlers, while allowed in the ship will, of course, have to stay on the ship. Probably the same could be said for people with heart conditions and pregnant women as well. Those with mobility issues need not worry, a special number of companies can also cater to their needs in order to make the trip a fulfilling one.

The Aussie sun is intense for those not living in the tropics. Bring a good amount of sunscreen, sun protection, towels and all the necessary precautions from deadly UV rays.

Of course, to finish your Great Barrier reef, drive a campervan up north and visit the crocodile farms to put the icing on the cake on your Great Barrier reef trip.

A somewhat-Cairns-y Christmas

otterbarracuda — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 00:17:29 +0000

The city of Cairns has always been said to be more a tight-knit community than most other towns and cities around Australia. Residents and townspeople will always join in on activitites that promote the spirit of Christmas cheer and good will towards men.

You’d think, that for a hustly-bustly city like Cairns, Christmas would probably be just the same, right? Well, that is not entirely true. Families and their friends (who come from far away) usually spend more of their duration inside their home, enjoying their Christmas dinners. Traffic becomes entirely non-existent, and most, if not all, retail stores, general merchandise and SE to ME business shutdown for the holiday.

The morning after, the entire day is spent outside, but not enough to engorge a regular day traffic. People find it a good time to spend their summer Christmas on lake sides or beaches, on picnics or outside barbecues, hiring a camper van (for a good number of choices, visit Campervan hire Cairns) and just plain camping out in the field as kids and adults alike relish the one day they are free. It’d be a shame to go malling during this opportune day,

This goes to show that even though most families have a tradition they follow, there will always be a common ground for Christmas in everyone.

Cairns and North QL Cuisine~

otterbarracuda — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 02:02:21 +0000

If you are one on a journey of gastronomic heights, Cairns can cater to some of most twisted whims. This city up above Down Under also knows how to combine exotic eating with fine dining. Independent food trips is fast becoming one of the hottest trends in food trips (no more of those stuffed restaurant and food-nook-and-cranny-houses you get brought into). So get your camper vans ready, go on a food trip (bring your family along to heighten the experience), and bring your tastebuds to a whole new reality of eating!

Why not start off with the meat of the infamous crocos? Crocos, or bush tuckers as they like to call it, are quite tender and juicy as opposed to the reputed stringy meat that some might think. The taste, is arguably more pork than chicken (probably because of this large lizard’s diet), but you’d find a lot of restaurants up in North Queensland serving this delectable delicacy. Croco meat toughens when cooked quickly, so the usual dishes this meat is assigned to usually involves raw to medium rare, or anything that has a slow, soft heat.
Kangaroos, the very animal associated with Australia, is surprisingly, up for grabs as well. Kangaroo meat inherits the same vitality from the animal, so when you eat it, expect a full flavor and a certain kick once you’ve been embraced by its taste. Go for the restaurant’s specialty when trying out a kangaroo dish. It is so versatile, there are a lot of ways to enjoy its meat. If you’re a newbie cook who would like to serve kangaroo meat, go with a dish that requires fast cooking. Kangaroo meat easily dries out, so frying requires special attention. But the taste is easily worth it.

Emu, that large bird akin to an ostrich, is the next best thing for bird lovers everywhere. Emu meat has a low fat content per slab of meat and the cholesterol is also reduced. Tastes a lot like chicken, so first time eaters would know what to expect. The red meat is also low on saturated fats (bad fat) and high in protein. Emu is probably the outdoors man’s delight. It is meat that is best served grilled or broiled, does not shrink much unlike other meats, is low on fat, does not require high heat and is overall good for the heart. Best served rare to medium rare, emu is now being added to grills and outdoor parties all across Australia.

Barramundi, as the symbolic sports fish of fly fishers everywhere, is not lacking in taste as well. Thes large-scaled fish are often served with lemon, and they’re not too shabby about it either. Barramundi can go on par with some of the tasty fishes in the world, like salmon or tuna (don’t use as a substitute though, barramundi has a delicate flavor that is it’s own). But for whatever purposes, if you know how to cook fish, you’d definitely know how to cook barramundi.

That, or you can go with Coral Trouts, one of the best fishes for eating. A butter sauce and herbs make for a tasty, yet simple dish.

A lot of the markets off in Queensland and North Queensland now carry this line of products for tourists, should they want to bring a little part of their trip back. Of course, it is recommended for you to always go for the freshest pick of the day, so do your shopping early morning to pick the market’s choice!

*photos courtesy of Photobucket

Fishing Down Under

otterbarracuda — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 01:14:46 +0000

A lesser known fact about Cairns is that it is also hosting some of the best fishing spots for salt water fly fishing. Cairns and the Great Barrier Reef is strategically situated in one of the world’s top fish nests and fishing nexus. Every imaginable fish has made the Great Barrier Reef a world marine mecca.

A whole lot of tourists from across Australia and even, from different parts of the world come down under to partake in this fishy journey. Not only fly fishing, but to also snorkel, scuba and float through the crystal blue depths of the reef.

The real experience in fishing is being able to defeat a fish that knows how to fight well. It depends on you to whether set it free, or to keep it for food or to stick it up your wall as a trophy. Bottom bouncing requires heavy hand lines, but gives the angler access to coral trout, and red emperors, some of the toughest fighters and tastiest among fish.

Chartered boats are usually shared and runs through a schedule from 7am to 5pm the whole day. Depending upon the weather, the schedule is subjected to change, especially if the weather takes a turn for the worst. Tackles and baits are mostly supplied, of course, the line is your responsibility. Charting services do vary from time to time, with some including food, while others do not. Prices also range.

If you’re a solo, especially from one who likes campervanning around the entirety of Australia, you’d best sign up for a group booking, especially if this is your first time (and to cut down on costs too). Hey, fly fishing is more fun if you have a lot of blokes to share your catch with!