Little Wandering Wren …. chats!

 Do ya want to speak to her?...It's some Crazy Soccer Mum... The receptionist forgot to mute the phone as she yelled out across the office...The title stuck. When did I become a Crazy Soccer Mum? Maybe it was at this moment, when I rang a local property developer, to ask if they'd sponsor the kids soccer club... Na , was the reply... That made me both crazy and mad... If Crazy Soccer Mum was born on this day... ...She came of age, the day we went on the Liverpool FC tour of Anfield, and became a Liverpool Fan...   I didn't grow up with football, I just got sucked in through the kids. Moving countries as often as we did, meant we had to adapt quickly. A new country, meant new schools, new house and new soccer club. Having the right soccer team for the kids was up there on the list of priorities, along with buying a new car and learning the language. An average Melbourne week now involves twelve football (soccer) commitments to be scheduled into the weeks e...

Next year we have lived in Australia ten years. Queensland is always a popular 'local' holiday choice for us and I would never get bored of going there. It is so different to my suburban Melbourne life...   A walk through the Tropical rainforests is like stepping straight into an Aussie version of Jungle Book - can't you just see Mowgli swinging through the trees, or even (moving jungles) Tarzan arriving with a loud bash on his chest and his famous unulating yell?   Everything seems to be on a bigger scale up north! Let's not go there on the spiders, I'm talking bugs. I cheated, I didn't really want to get close to a real life massive flying something or other, but this sculpture gives you the general idea.... HUGE!   Beware strange animals Even the animals are different. This sign warns you of the Southern Cassowaries which are an endangered species. I reckon extinct is a far better word because I've searched and searched, and I've...

Using Trip Advisor to sort out where to eat, rest and play... Where to stay Port Douglas or Palm Cove? We couldn't decide either, and in the grip of indeciveness we booked one night at Yorkey's Knob , close to the Airport, and then three nights in both Port Douglas and Palm Cove! Port Douglas has a perfect location to explore the Daintree National Park , Cape Tribulation, and of course the Great Barrier Reef. It also has the magnificent, but underwhelming, four mile beach, but is expensive, busy, and in our opinion not as charming as Palm Cove. Oaks Lagoon swim out apartments Palm Cove is closer to Cairns Airport, (26 kms) and is yet to be over developed. There is plenty of luxurious beach front accommodation and restaurants which compare favourably to those in Port Douglas. From here you can access to The Great Barrier Reef, Atherton Tablelands and if staying put in the village enjoy a fabulous esplanade, jetty and beach area. We found it cheaper than Port Doug...

Anyone up for some Croc spotting? There are a fair few crocs in these muddy waters, buyer beware... These Aussie crocodiles, they proudly tell us, are bigger than the largest recorded American alligator. They will attack anything seen as a threat to their territory (humans included), even in winter when they don't actually eat much...   We join Bruce Belcher's Daintree River cruises and slip out on the river for the last sailing of the day at 4pm. This afternoon cruise is packed. Probably because word has got out that Bruce throws in a few stubbies (beers) for the Dads and a glass of chardy for the Mums...The kids are not left out, even our teenagers are grinning as they walk through the tropical rainforest to the waters edge, clutching their choice of Slurpee frozen drink, some snake lollies and chips... Snakes, stubbies and crocs there is something for everyone on this tour!     Our tour is led today by Blind Freddy, as he introduces himself. "They giv...

Wandering Wednesday... Mossman Gorge Forest Walk, Daintree Rainforest, Queensland, Australia Are you wearing your runners, sneakers, plimsolls, daps, gym shoes, trainers or whatever you call them where you're from? We're off for a walk in the woods...although not just any old woods. Today we've taken the fifteen minute drive through the towering sugar cane fields ready for harvest, from Port Douglas to Mossman. Sorry for the pun but life is sweet as we arrive at Australia's largest rainforest in the Daintree National Park!   Mossman Gorge is a World Heritage listed rainforest, home to the Kuku Yalanji people, the areas traditional Aboriginal landowners. Twelve months ago a new indigenous eco tourism site was built here and visitors arriving at the Visitors Centre have the choice of either a self guided tour, or to purchase the Ngadiku Dreamtime Walk with an indigenous guide.     We take the self guided tour option and board the bus ($6 per adult) wh...

Tropical Far North Queensland - Yorkeys Knob, Cairns to Port Douglas 70kms Where the reef meets the rainforest It's the July school holidays and we're joining the Melbourne exodus in search of some winter warmth. We've used some long forgotten Air-miles and will support the local economy by staying local... Well not that local! The three and a half hour flight to Cairns will transport us to palm trees, banana plantations, tropical rain forests, Four-mile beaches and the Great Barrier Reef. Our eldest Wren-let is not with us, Beanz has returned to Europe and is currently studying Apartheid in South Africa before traveling to Rwanda to learn about Genocide. What an incredible degree she is piecing together and what an amazing time to be completing the Seeking Justice course - my Twitter feed, set to CNN and BBC Breaking News is full of daily updates on Nelson Mandela's health... So it is just the four of us that front up at the Qantas Lounge having somehow arri...