Arcadia Australia

We packed up early on Friday and headed up to Mission Beach to explore the white sandy beaches and see the sunset.  Family dinner at our tree-house hostel afterwards followed by the dessert challenge was accepted and won by all!

Saturday dawned rainy but we traveled happily to Tully via two road-side stops to see the locals! Not one, not two, but 5 cassowaries!!! I live in Queensland and have never seen that many cassowaries in my whole life as we did that morning! Next stop was to meet our local aboriginal guides to begin our white water kayaking experience.   Doug told the students of the wonderful differences between our cultures and the unique ways which the aboriginal people of this area see the world and the environment in which they live by the Tully river and Alligator creek.  Not only do the plants provide food and shelter but depending on when they flower and how they fruit it tells a story of the ways in which other animals and weather patterns affect the environment. As a predominantly white society - we have so much to learn.

Sunday was slightly sunnier so we headed over to Dunk Island to hike to the summit Mt. Kootaloo and explore the deserted and glorious beaches. A trip to Tully is not complete without walking to the top of the gumboot for a photo and of course....Frosty Mango's on the way back to James Cook.

What an adventure, no one, including me, wanted to go home!