On this page - and links to more information on Wikipedia:

The Rainforest Habitat, Batt Reef (Great Barrier Reef), and Barron Gorge National Park

PS: If you're a bird expert, please feel free to let me know what birds are on this page!

Below: Map to Port Douglas - Google Maps

Breakfast with the Birds at the Rainforest Habitat in Port Douglas, Queensland, Australia

Selection of "exotic" fruits for breakfast.  Naturally, I had to take at least one of each!

YUMMMMMMMMY!!!

A parrot chomping into my head during Breakfast with the Birds.  OUCH!!!

A winged breakfast guest

Bush Stone Curlew / Burhinus grallarius?

Gorgeous coloring!

Rainbow Lorikeet / Trichoglossus haematodus?

An ibis waiting to snatch a piece of bacon off our table

Australia White Ibis / Threskiornis molucca

Stretching his neck to see if there are any morsels of yumminess being neglected on our breakfast table

Eastern Reef Egret / Egretta sacra?

A party of birds basking in the morning sun atop the canvas ceiling of our breakfast hall

Doopy dooby doo. . . just walking around...

A koala latched onto and sleeping in a tree. . . which they do for 19-20 hours a day!

A koala sleeping in a tree

Walking around the rainforest habitat

A blurry bird poking her head from atop the roof staring at our breakfast

A bacon eating ibis.  Yes, life must be rough!

These canvas top birds kind of spook me out!

Can you guess which shadow belongs to which type of bird?!

Sulfur-crested Cockatoo / Cacatua galerita?

Adorable!

A kiwi nailed to a tree.  Apparently the birds like it.

Just chillin' in a tree trunk. . .

Eclectus Parrot / Eclectus roratus?

A flightless Southern Cassowary / Casuarius casuarius

Different types of birds in the habitat

Black-necked Stork / Ephippiorhynchus asiaticus?

For AU$16 (US$13) you can hold and get your picture taken with a koala in the 30 minutes that they are legally allowed to be handled by the public per day.

An Eastern Grey Kangaroo lazing around in the sun

Kangaroos enjoying a little shade

A wallaby. . . almost looks like a giant rat!

Or a cat in a bad mood with a thick tail. . .

Wallaroos?  Wallabies?

A wallaroo?

Either a wallaroo or a kangaroo??

Cute whatever they are!

Inside the habitat

A crocodile.

Apparently the most visible difference between alligators and crocodiles is that alligators have U-shaped snouts whereas crocs have V-shaped snouts.

SNAP!!!  CRUNCH!!!

Australian Pelican with a wallaby

Pelecanus conspicillatus / marcopus?

A kangaroo and her joey!  Legs sticking out everywhere!

More pouch checking than you can shake a stick at!

Just hanging out in mama's pouch!

The largely unknown and rarely seen Lumholtz tree kangaroo

Above and below: just waiting for the security fence to reveal a momentary weakness between me and her. . .

"Humans look soooooooooo tasty. . ."

Below: Map to Batt Reef - Google Maps

Getting ready for our Sky Safari helicopter ride over Batt Reef on the Great Barrier Reef off the coast of Port Douglas

The weather was great that day so we decided to clunk down AU$365/US$300 for a 40-minute flight around the Great Barrier Reef.

It was worth every dollar!

VIDEOS OF THE FLIGHT ON YOUTUBE

Me in front of the tiny helicopter we flew out over Batt Reef in

The lush green tropical landscape of northern Australia with our Sky Safari helicopter fore

Our instrumentation just before take off.  Any pilots out there able to tell me if the news is good or bad?!

My sister and I getting read for take off

Just after take off... flying eastward toward the Great Barrier Reef past Port Douglas during low tide

VIDEOS OF THE FLIGHT ON YOUTUBE

Flying toward the Pacific Ocean

Flying toward the Ocean

Flying over the sugar cane fields of Port Douglas

Flying over the Pacific Ocean

The Low Isles

Above and below: looking north and south along the Australian Pacific coastline

Flying straight out to Batt Reef

Above and below: amazing pictures of Batt Reef along the chain of coral reef islands of the Great Barrier Reef of the coast of Queensland, Australia

Batt Reef is also the reef where Steve Irwin, the Crocodile Hunter, was killed by a stingray in 2006.

Batt Reef

The gorgeous colors of  the 18-mile long Batt Reef

Extremely shallow waters upon Batt Reef

The barely submerged Batt Reef.  Deeper waters and a higher tide allows for sting rays to swim about

Me in the helicopter over Batt Reef

Batt Reef

Stunningly beautiful

The reef and the deep

Coral and the Blue

The edge of a coral island

Just stop.  Look at this picture.  Stare at it. 

Think about it.  Ponder it.  See yourself in the sky, in the clouds, flying over the Great Barrier Reef.

We are all immensely lucky to live on this beautiful, beautiful world.

The Low Isles

The amazing aqua blues of Batt Island and the Great Barrier Reef at low tide

Above: mosaic shot of Batt Reef

Stunning.  Almost looks like we're flying up at the edge of space!

Batt Reef

Sub aquatic coastline of Batt Reef

Batt Reef

Leaving Batt Reef and flying back toward the Australian mainland

Looking south over the Pacific Ocean toward Cairns

Approaching the Low Isles

Flying over the Low Isles during low tide

The lighthouse on the Low Isles during low tide

Beautiful blue waters!  What a great place to anchor and enjoy life!

Life must be rough. . .

Heading back to Port Douglas

VIDEOS OF THE RETURN FLIGHT ON YOUTUBE

Back on terra firma

My sister and I in front of the Sky Safari helicopter

Departing the Sky Safari helipad and looking out at the sugar cane fields of Port Douglas on our way back to Cairns

Lots o' sugar cane

Look Ma!  Me 'n' sugar cane!

Our car rental at Sky Safari

View of the coast south of Port Douglas at low tide from the coastal highway

Heading toward Cairns

Amy and I for a little photo op

Above and below: Rex Lookout

There's just so much incredible uninhabited coastline in Australia. . . and let's hope it stays that way!

Rex Lookout

Lookout over the greater Cairns area (the city would be just behind that mountain in the mid-foreground to the right)

Cairns airport from afar

Moi!

Driving on a little detour to Barron Gorge National Park on our way back to Cairns from Port Douglas

Amy and I stopping for a little autophotography in a tourist shop mirror

My sister and I at the gorge

The gorge was really gorgeous...

A little info for your benefit

Australians really seem to love elevated sky walks through forests

Twisty vines dangling between the trees

Looking down from one of the treetop skywalk

Cairns to the right!

Cairns and the airport for our flight back to Sydney. . . straight ahead!

On this page - and links to more information on Wikipedia:

The Rain Forest Habitat, Batt Reef (Great Barrier Reef), and Barron Gorge National Park

Megalinks Homesite / Australian Links

Email me!