After a few days in Sydney and Canberra, we decided to head north… way north… to Cairns and Port Douglas. We booked a scuba/diving trip on the Great Barrier Reef and flew up from Canberra.

We decided to start in Port Douglas which is about an hour north of Cairns. To get there, we had to get a rental car and drive. In Australia, they drive on the left (wrong) side of the road.

We arrived safely without turning the wrong way onto any streets or driving in the wrong lane at all. Its actually quite easy to get used to.

Wildlife Refuge

The day following, we visited the Wildlife Refuge in Port Douglas. All (or most of) the animals here were harmed at some point and are recovering. It’s sort of a zoo… but without all the cages blocking you from the animals.

Get ready for lots of pictures of animals.

I hand-fed this guy, so we got to be friends. At least for a few minutes.

Seeing all the animals was pretty cool. Other than Kangaroos and birds, we didn’t see a ton of other wildlife on the trip. So this was a good chance to see some.

N17 Burger

We made two stops to N17 burger. The gent that served us there was extremely cool and was still playing basketball a few times a week at 51. On that note, this is a good time to mention how high the quality of food is in Australia. Everything has great, fresh, natural ingredients. And most people seem to be pretty healthy.. either because of food, activity, or both. The same guy also said that Queenslanders drink a LOT of beer, so its not that.

Its somewhat sad that we generally have the worst of things in the US when it comes to food. Our Coca Cola is the worst (high fructose corn syrup instead of sugar). Our coffee is the worst. Our food quality tends to be the worst. Everything has all sorts of chemicals in it. Why? I feel a lot better when I travel and I think the food is a huge part of why.

End tangent.

Lots of the burgers here have eggs or avacado. Or both. Mmmm.

Jimmy Rums

Jimmy Rums was a cool cocktail bar right across from my hotel. Cool vibe and good drinks. Everything about Port Douglas is pretty laid back and chill.

4 Mile Beach

The swimming beach in Port D is 4-mile beach. Generally speaking, if you get in the stingers (jellyfish) will get you. 4-mile has a net that blocks off a portion of the beach for swimming. It was a perfect day and the water was warm (unlike Sydney).

I always love beaches that have trees and rocks and mountains.

Hemingways Brewery

We swung by here one afternoon after the beach. The brewery is right on the water in the marina next to the Yacht club, and they make their beers here on site.

There were a lot of folks out enjoying the nice weather and live music.

I tried a flight that had a few different beers — a fruity ale (eh), a pilsner (a pilsner, what else is there to say), a dark lager (good), a pale ale (I like it) and finally an IPA (always my favorite). The flights were reasonably priced for the location. And the fact that Australia is just expensive in general.

I wish I had more time in Port Douglas. It would be a great place to hang out and relax for a week or two.