Far North Adventure
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Trip Highlights
- Mapoon and volunteering with Aboriginal rangers
- Assist at the Cape York Turtle Rescue camp
- Great Barrier Reef
- World Heritage Rainforest
- Skyrail and Kuranda
- Ancient Aboriginal rock art sites
- Lakefield National Park
Your "Taste of Volunteering'' Project
Assist at the Cape York Turtle Rescue camp in the Aboriginal community of Mapoon on Cape York Peninsula, in Far North Queensland.
Specific activities:
- Quantify the size and structure of turtle nesting populations
- Monitor trends in the nesting environment
- Quantify nesting turtle success rates
- Protect nesting sites
- Identify and recording drift nets on beach
- Assist rangers with the removal and disposal of drift nets
Trip Summary
Your trip starts in Cairns. Your Hands Up Holidays representative takes you on a brief orientation tour of the city on your first day. The next day, we transfer to the Kuranda Scenic Rail to climb Cairns’ mountain backdrop, enjoy time in Kuranda Village and later travel back over the rainforest canopy in the world’s longest cableway, Skyrail. The following day, we transfer to Ocean Spirit Cruises for a full day Outer Great Barrier Reef cruise! This tour includes four full hours on the Reef, snorkelling equipment, demonstrations and tuition, guided snorkelling tours with a qualified Marine Biologist, semi-submersible tours, guided bird tours, refreshments and a superb hot and cold seafood banquet. Live musical entertainment and a complimentary glass of champagne on return top off a great day.
On Day 4, we begin your safari into Cape York Peninsula. We travel to the World Heritage listed Daintree Rainforest. We visit Cape Tribulation, where the rainforest meets the reef. We then take a guided walk to Bloomfield Falls, a traditional women’s place with the Walker Sisters, Aboriginal custodians, and learn about traditional medicines and food. We continue over the four wheel drive Bloomfield Track to Cooktown via a classic bush pub, the Lion’s Den. We tour Cooktown to learn of the history of contact between Aboriginal and European people in the Gold Rush era.
The following day, we have a tour lead by Willy Gordon, a renowned Aboriginal elder with a focus on the spirituality of the Aboriginal people. We travel to the outback township of Laura to visit the Quinkan Cultural Centre, a modern interpretation of the lives of locals in this rugged corner of Queensland. Cattle station tracks take us to Jowalbinna, the epicentre of Quinkan rock art, a National Trust icon and one of UNESCO’s top ten rock art sites worldwide. We enjoy the campfire before retiring to our comfortable bush cabins.
The next day, we start our day with a bushwalk to amazing rock art sites with our expert guide to understand the ancient relationship between the people and the land. Gaze over the expansive outback landscape, have a refreshing swim in a spring-fed creek and spend time enjoying the abundant wildlife in this inspiring place.
On Day 7, we traverse Lakefield National Park, Queensland’s second largest National Park and a showcase of wetlands, termite mound “moonscapes” and eucalypt woodland.
The following day, we cross the watershed to western Cape York and the rivers of the Gulf of Carpentaria. We pass through the former fortress telegraph station of Musgrave, service town of Coen, and the truckie’s haunt – the Archer River Roadhouse. We see how people live and work in this Aussie frontier. We later meet the representatives of Camp Chivaree and start our stay at the Mapoon Turtle Rescue camp.
From Day 9 to Day 12, you join Aboriginal rangers and scientists from various government agencies working for the future of the Gulf of Carpentaria’s turtle population. Increasing the birth rate, removing nets and building scientific knowledge is already making a major impact on the turtle’s problems. This is a truly amazing experience!
On Day 13, we fly from the mining town of Weipa to Cairns and enjoy some free time to relax. The following day is the last day of our adventure. We transfer to Cairns Airport for your departure after a rare insight into Aboriginal Australia’s Past, Present and Future.
For more information please contact us.
If you like this trip, you may also be interested in:
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Feel free to contact us if you have any enquiries about this trip.
With one person booking, please contact us for the price of your trip.
