09 January 2009

Photo Friday - Island Life

This picture is a favourite of mine, of my youngest son taken at Russell Island a coral island of the Great Barrier Reef in the Franklin Islands group not too far from Cairns, Australia.

The island has a large natural lagoon, pictured here, which has coral, sea cucumbers, little crabs, fish and seastars, its quite shallow so its perfect for kids to explore. The island also has a large hill covered with thick rainforest, with a trail which takes you right up to the unmanned lighthouse at the top and has gorgeous views across the ocean and back to the coast. It's quite an adventure climibing the track though as it is often overgrown by wait-a-while and other vines, and populated by huge golden orb spiders and large colonies of noisy bats!

This post is part of a collection of travel photos featured at Delicious Baby, please click the link to see more great family travel pictures from around the world. A big thank you to Debbie at DeliciousBaby.com for organising this.
Peace

8 comments:

  1. It looks wonderful. I'm from Australia and planning my honeymoon and Great Barrier Reef is on the list. Can you please tell me, is it still rainy season in early to mid April? And does rainy season mean nothing but torrential rain or just an hour or so a day? Is it warm? Any islands you would especially recommend? I've been tipped Lizard and Heron Island.
    - Caitlin (Roaming Tales)

    ReplyDelete
  2. Lovely photo! I can see why it is a fave of yours!

    ReplyDelete
  3. I've heard the Franklin Islands are spectacular - I can't wait to visit them.
    Great photo!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Great photo and it sounds like a great spot. I think little kids and tidepools and lagoons go together. Where did you get the sun suit?

    ReplyDelete
  5. Beautiful picture. I the shots of my son from the back too, they always turn out great. And while Australia sounds so far away, you made it seem a bit closer today. Thanks for sharing.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Thanks for the comments everyone.
    Caitlin, January through to March is quite wet but the benefit of this is that its nice and cool. By April things generally ease off and we can have some great runs of dry weather, but yes you can usually expect some rain around this time too. Lizard Island is a great suggestion because its generally drier north of Cairns. Lizard is more exclusive - Kate Hudson loves it there! If you like sailing you can't beat the Whitsundays there are 74 beautiful islands to choose from and has some great resorts too.
    Peace

    ReplyDelete
  7. Hi Meg,
    Thanks for your comment, Sunsuits (or stinger suits) are available locally in the Cairns area at lots of sportswear or fishing/adventure shops - you can hire them here too. You can also order online through stingray.com.au http://www.stingray.com.au/products/default.asp?intCatID=3
    Peace

    ReplyDelete
  8. Soo want to go to the Great Barrier!!

    Fred Smilek is the acting president of the Society to Save Endangered Species. It was founded two years ago by Fred Smilek along with his two best friends Charles and Jonathan. http://www.fredjsmilek.com

    ReplyDelete