Big Trees, Big reasons to care! (Mt. Warning)

One B-I-G Tree!! (and one tiny person!)

funny thing is that this is actually not just one tree... it's really an old tree that over roughly 80 years has had another vine/tree (called a strangler) slowly and surely strangle and kill it. The vines keep growing DOWN towards the ground and will spread roots once they hit the soil. When the old tree dies, the center becomes hollow. that's why the tree has such an interesting texture and shape!

okay - so confession time... i know that i returned to australia with the intention to work with the environment and to try to do something to protect all of the beautiful places that i've been fortunate enough to experience in these last few years... but somewhere between sorting out my australian visa and rearranging my life (yet again) i lost touch with the passion behind that decision.

just before i took this picture, i had a 'moment' with nature... by this i mean that my full blown love for everything beautiful and wild suddenly struck me and i was filled with a inspiration. (i think a tear or two may have even come to my eyes.) all i knew in this moment was that this place felt too alive and too good to be apathetic about! that forests like this are being cut down all over the world every day. surely, THIS is worth 'fighting' for!

that's why the above picture made it onto my blog... because it reminds me of why i care.

The Funnel Web Spider's 'funnel web'

they are some of the most deadly spiders in australia... (i think? or maybe that's just what they tell tourists to scare them!) but it certainly isn't comforting to see these webs lurking about!

nothing much to say here except... isn't it lovely?!

Above is what the warning sign on mount warning called the 'vertical scramble to the top'. it most certainly was. but it wasn't really that bad because there were easy enough groves to put your feet into and there was a chain if all else failed.
above is the view from the top of Mt. Warning... after the 'vertical scramble'... unfortunately i don't have pics of the other things (mainly animals) that we saw at the top - like the HUGE snake in a tree or the HUGE wild turkeys running rampant up there!

below is Mt Warning from our hostel (the YHA in Murwillumbah - SUCH a great place to stay!! HIGHLY recommended!) the peak we went up is the pointy bit in the distance on the right. it was only about 4 hours return.

Stradbroke Island

So it's been another long while since I posted anything... and I've done quite a bit in that time! These are pictures from Straddie Island, which is an amazing little oasis just off the coast of Brisbane.

I had no idea what to expect before I went there, because I caught a ride with someone VERY last minute. (he was running late and litterally gave me 2 mins to pack - and if you know me you know that it was impressive that I reassembled my exploded bag in that time!) But sometimes it's best not to know anything about where you are going because then you can be pleasantly surprised!

I REALLY love this island and find it hard to believe that it is so close to a major city because it hasn't lost it's small island feel. Ironically, it was less touristy than Fraser Island! The beaches had good sand and weren't crowded!

I should also note that I haven't been in the picture taking mood while in Australia, but despite that and the fact that my camera was acting up, this island was inspiring enough to take a few shots! (please ignore the slanted horizons... that's from laziness on my part!)